#i'd love to read a fic about this actually

[corviiids]

hello! how do you find consistent friends in fandom? as in, how do you find people who stick with you through different fandoms and listen and read your work. also, how long have you been writing for and how long did it take you to get so good at writing and character analysis.... your work is such an inspiration to me, genuinely one of my top 3 authors across ao3. i hope the writing goes well!

hey! this is really sweet, thank you very much for your lovely kind words. 💖

re: friendship: i don't mean to be a downer about this so i hope it doesn't come across this way, but i do think the concept of friends where you follow each other through all your fandoms and continue to read each other's work etc kind of... either doesn't exist or is just a rare phenomenon and not a 'type' of friend per se more than it is something that just happens out of luck. i am lucky enough to have friendships which have persisted through all of us changing fandoms, but the reason those friendships last is actually because we found connections that went beyond common interests. i think sharing a fandom/interest is great as an initial point of connection and a way to meet, but for a relationship to last, you need to have a deeper bond than both being into the same thing--so contrary to what you've asked about (oops sorry) those friendships im speaking of only last because we didn't follow each other into different fandoms, really. we didn't have to. along the same vein, i'd respectfully argue that it wouldn't be productive or fair of me to group 'reading my work' in as an element of friendship, so to speak--i definitely don't expect my friends to read my fic and vice versa, we all understand that we can support each other in our creative pursuits and lives in general / in the abstract without needing to be a fan of the same things or even necessarily being fans of each other's work (although of course it's always nice). i know this doesn't really answer your specific question but i hope it doesn't come across as pessimistic as it might sound. i truly and genuinely believe it's a positive thing that the idealised friendgroup traipsing through fandoms together doesn't really exist (or if it does exist, it's luck and not something to shoot for in itself), because this just tells me to look out for these great opportunities to form bonds that last beyond superficial interests.

in terms of how to make those friendships to begin with, im honestly even less help. my friendships kind of just happened to me. im actually quite terrible at reaching out to people and i am notoriously difficult to reach myself hahaha so honestly all the credit for my friendships goes to my friends for being patient and sticking with me despite that. i am honestly just very lucky in that i've been able to talk out loud into the void and have had wonderful people reach out to me because of it, but that's hardly a reliable strategy... i guess i'd encourage you to be more like my friends, who are the anime protagonists wielding the power of friendship to my prickly antagonist, or whatever. oh another thing to remember i guess is that some friendships just don't last this way and will stay within fandoms and may peter out, and that's ok. i don't consider those relationships less real or valuable for being less lasting.

re: writing: i want to caveat that i don't think i'm fairly able to say (or comfortable saying) that i'm particularly good at writing or character analysis, certainly not to an extent that i'd be willing to hold myself up as an example of it, but i really appreciate that you feel that way about my work and am incredibly honoured to be considered an inspiration in any capacity!!

with that disclaimer made, i'll do my best to answer for whatever it's worth. i've liked writing ever since i was a very little kid, but i will credit any actual progress i've made in developing the skill to writing fanfic because i think that being able to focus on building character and logical flow in plot progression over other things like creating characters, worldbuilding, inventing plots wholesale, etc--which has allowed me to sort of expedite those skills in particular and which i think are helpful in writing more broadly. (this also answers the 'character analysis' part specifically--when you don't have to/get to invent a character, you have to spend more time taking them apart.) anyway, i started writing fic about twelve or thirteen years ago, and there have been periods within that where i've progressed faster or slower depending what's going on in my life haha. i do think time played a massive role in any skill developments i've made, but i also know people take less time or more time to make similar progress (caveat again: progression is subjective, this is very approximate), so i think the other key ingredient besides time is engagement. if it's helpful, i went into that a little bit more here, but as stated i have a lot more to learn and would never present myself as an expert lol

[hooksbooks]

Renegade Exchange '24: Her Kingdom As Great

I participated in @renegadeguild's typesetting and bound fic exchange, in which we trade typsetting/bound fic wishlists with other participants and then typseset/bind at least one fic from their list and send it to them.

This post is about the first fic I bound for @celestial-sphere-press: Her Kingdom As Great by MarbleGlove.

I was excited to see this fic on my requester's wishlist, because I've read this series in the past and really enjoyed it. I liked the imagery of the golden wheat berries from the Nearly Endless Plains being used in embroidery on clothing, so I wanted the cover to feature embroidered wheat sheaves.

My first step was to work on the book cloth. I knew I wanted something tan that looked kind of hand-woven, so I went to the fabric store and got some linen-look fabric that I liked. I also experimented with three different ways of making it into bookcloth: backed with tissue paper filled with Heat'n'Bond (right), filled with a 50/50 mix of starch paste and matte acrylic medium (bottom), and filled with the paste/medium mix with a piece of tissue paper on the back (top).

I ended up liking the last option the best, though it meant the fabric lost the slubby linen-like texture I had selected it for. I wanted to go all-in on the tan wheat-tone theme, so I also printed the text on cream paper instead of white (the right typeset in the picture above).

I also added a tan bookmark, embroidered on gold headbands, and added an oxford hollow (although this book is a bit too thin to really need it).

When I went to cover the book, I had every intention of using gold HTV foil. However, I didn't take into account how the beads would inhibit me moving the iron around like I usually do with HTV (to avoid issues with the steam holes). It didn't end well. In fact, it ended very horribly.

The foil only partially stuck, and when trying to use the tip of the iron to apply heat only on the bits that hadn't stuck, the iron left a big black stain on my bookcloth. Luckily, it came out pretty well with a bit of baking soda on a nearly-dry toothbrush. I ended up asking a neighbor for some gold paint and using some regular vinyl as a stencil, which worked out OK. I found out later that it works better if you put down a layer of acrylic medium or the like first to avoid bleeding around the edges, but you live and learn.

Technical details:

Quarto size (quarter-letter, about A6)

Sewn on tapes

Sewn-on made endpapers

Chisel-trimmed

Rounded but not backed

Sewn-on endbands

Sewn-on bookmark

Oxford hollow

The tapes are frayed and glued to the exterior of the boards

The mull is also glued to the exterior of the boards

Full bookcloth cover

Things I especially liked about this bind:

The embroidery. It turned out pretty much exactly how I had envisioned it

The filled bookcloth. I don't think I'll do it by default, but I liked how it turned out and I like having it as an option in my back pocket

Things I'd like to improve for next time:

The title. I don't mind the paint rather than HTV foil, but I didn't love that it bled under the edges of the stencil. Next time I'll try using acrylic medium to seal the edges first, and see how that turns out.

The endpapers. I've been applying my endpapers with the covers open because I was concerned that they'd pull weird and possibly rip at the hinge. Unfortunately, this causes a big wrinkle in the endpapers that does not look nice. I figured out while doing the back endpaper that it actually is just fine to apply the endpapers as I close the covers on them because of the way I taper my boards and glue the mull on the outside of the cover.

Overall I'm moderately pleased. It's the highest-effort book I've made so far, and it turned out nearly how I had envisioned it with only minor issues.

[tkwrites]

I've been trying to clear out my camera roll these past few days. I've got a habit of screenshotting things to remind me to go back when I have time to actually read it. I came across a bunch of bts asks you answered, which I'm a sucker for!

If you have the time or want a break from whatever you are working on now, I'd love to know any initial thoughts or a directors cut/thoughts you'd like to share. For any of your works that you've not previously shared about, the list is probably quite long, so a lucky dip of sorts 🥰

I've had this in my inbox for a while now, but I wasn't sure what behind the scenes to give you.

As I was working on Hawaii today, I was looking through an old document so I could pull some ideas into the new plot and I remembered something about Five Days of Joy.

That entire family reunion fic bloomed from two scenes: Sarah and Quinn making out on the couch, and the first time he sees her in her black bikini. The black bikini scene was originally a flashback in the Hawaii snapshot.

It's wild to think that 1,000 words of what was supposed to be nothing more than a plot device spun out into a 16,000 word multi-day snapshot. I’d forgotten about that fact until I opened the old document to pull some detail into the new plot.

I've put both the original and the updated version of this scene below the cut. Warning for mild spoilers of the upcoming snapshot of the Hughes's in Hawaii before the Sarah and Kylee show up to surprise their guys.

The only time her cover was nearly blown, she had all her swimming suits laid out over her bed, deciding what to pack when Quinn called her over face-time.

“Are you going somewhere?” he asked, when she sat at her desk and propped the phone up so she could continue to curl her hair while they talked. 

Trying to keep her voice level, she told him a partial truth, “Eunice and I are going to the beach tomorrow. I was just deciding which suit to wear."

They were headed to the beach the next day, though Sarah usually didn’t pull out every swimsuit she owned for an outing like that. 

He immediately jumped on her story, "not the black one."

"Why not?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder. "I thought you liked that one."

"I do like that one, you look incredible in it." 

Incredible wasn't quite the best word - she could be on the cover of Sports Illustrated in that bikini.

The first time he'd seen her in it was at the family reunion earlier in the summer. She'd come out of the house, laughing and talking with his aunt, and he'd completely lost the thought he'd been sharing with Luke.

It then continued on the same as it does in The Family Reunion.

Here's how it goes in the new Hawaii Snapshot:

“Oh, damn,” she said as the scrunchie she’d been getting ready to wrap around the end of her curler flicked off her fingers, sailing into her closet. 

When she got up to retrieve it, he got a clear view of her room. His eyes were immediately drawn to the riot of color covering her bed. Her space was usually very tidy, but today, she had a bunch of swimsuits spread out over her patchwork quilt.

“Are you going somewhere?” 

Sarah stopped, mentally cursing herself for letting the hair tie get away from her. If it hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been able to see the suits she had spread out so she could decide what to pack. 

“Hu?” she asked, deciding to feign ignorance. cos

“You have swimming suits spread all over your bed?” 

Jack glanced at his mom with wide eyes upon hearing that. He was going to be so pissed if Sarah was about to blow the surprise.

Trying to keep her voice level, she told him a partial truth, “Eunice and I are going to the beach tomorrow. I was just deciding what suit to wear.” 

They were headed to the beach the next day, though Sarah usually didn’t pull out every swimsuit she owned for an outing like that. 

He jumped on her story immediately, "not the black one."

"Why not?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder at the offending garment, where it lay on her pillow, already in the yes pile. "I thought you liked that one."

"I do like that one, you look incredible in it." 

Incredible wasn't quite the best word - she could be on the cover of Sports Illustrated in that bikini.

"So I can only wear it around you?" she teased, bringing him back to reality. 

"Well, no," he flustered, caught in his imagined jealousy of some guy seeing her at the beach with her friend, thinking she was hot and single. 

She laughed. "I promise I'll wear it the next time we go to the beach together."

Hope you enjoyed this BTS, and that it's getting you excited for the upcoming Snapshot!

[usoppinggg]

100% agree on zosanuso couple to throuple being goated. The question is which variation is your fav? You could have established zosan, zosopp, or sanuso. I like them all but i dont think ive ever seen established sanuso bringing in zoro. I like the idea of zoro being blushy and stoic and insisting he "didnt want to intrude"

I have fic recs for the other two variants though its likely youre familiar with them as a fellow avid zosanusoer

Hope you don't mind but I'm gonna use this as an excuse to throw out some ideas on this topic that live in my head and/or partially on (virtual) paper bc I’m actually insane about them!!! It's all under the cut cause this is going to be long.

TLDR; my favourite couple to throuple dynamic depends on how much ~drama~ I'd like to indulge in. I think they're all fun and I'm happy once they're all together, because ZoSanUso is one of my favourite OP ships. I think I've read all the fics of them on ao3 multiple times :P I'm very curious into what version of the dynamics others enjoy!

SanUso -> ZoSanUso

I also haven't seen any established SanUso bringing in Zoro and I think that's a crime!!! SanUso who are very happy together but let's face it, Zoro is hot, and they both enjoy poking fun at him, they both revel in having his attention. It's not easy though, as they both have their reservations. Sanji's a little skeptical at the thought of intimacy and vulnerability with Zoro, and Usopp is terrified Sanji will discover he loves Zoro more than him--or worse, they'll come to love each other and not Usopp. But SanUso talk through it until they're confident it's what they both want, and if it happens, they can work through it together, and with Zoro. Zoro, for all of his stoicism and idiosyncrasies, is a reliable and dedicated problem-solver.

They know that with Zoro, actions speak louder than words, so SanUso make their move. Usopp's always been touchy with Zoro, but he lets his touches linger, presses with more intention. When their words come to blows, Sanji grins when they fight instead of snarling. And they're both flirty with him, smiling and giving him eyes.

It continues until Zoro can't take it anymore. They've been driving him crazy. He doesn't think he's misreading their signals, but without them explicitly stating their feelings, he's left confused. Zoro corners them and asks why they don't just say anything outright, making him guess and wonder. Wonder if they're teasing him.

SanUso of course, feel terrible and quickly assure Zoro that they do like him, and it wasn't their intention to make fun of him, but rather, express their feelings. Zoro shares that actions are important to him yes, but it's in combination with words that gives him the confidence to build trust and move forward.

So! Enter Zoro into the relationship! He's a bit awkward in the beginning, unsure of how he fits in their new dynamic and embarrassed to express his affection. SanUso are happy to close the gap, continuing with their flirty words and touches until Zoro's comfortable enough to lean into them and reciprocate in his own more low-key manner.

A relationship with three people is different, of course, and more than a bit terrifying, but it's also exciting and fun and they all look forward to seeing where it takes them.

ZoSopp -> ZoSanUso

Established ZoSopp is drama. Lots of silent pining on Sanji's part because he refuses to intrude, and doesn't feel like he deserves to impose himself on them. Doesn't want to mess things up for them by inserting himself. He tries to suppress his feelings, tries to will them away, but it doesn't work. So in his usual self-sacrificial manner, he pulls away from them, denying himself even their friendship so he won't yearn for more.

Then there's Usopp, who realizes that he's actively crushing on Sanji despite being in a committed relationship with Zoro. He's happy with Zoro and loves him a lot, but he knows that he's falling for Sanji and it's wrong, so he does his best to push his feelings down. But then Sanji pulls away from them and he thinks it's his fault for being too transparent with his feelings. He's terrified that he couldn't keep it together and is going to lose a friendship and a relationship.

Despite Usopp's denials that something is wrong and his refusal to talk about what's on his mind, Zoro knows what's up. He's not dumb, and he knows both Usopp and Sanji very well. He can see clear as day that they have feelings for each other. And when he thinks about it (while Usopp refuses to be honest and talk to him), he thinks he'd enjoy having Sanji as part of their relationship.

Zoro eventually gets to his last nerve because both Usopp and Sanji are annoying when they try to deny themselves what they want. When they won't even talk and try to fight for what they want. He confronts Usopp first, reminding Usopp that he doesn't have to go through his feelings alone. That they can't work through things if they aren't honest. So Usopp spills everything, all of his hopes and fears and doubts. And Zoro assures Usopp that this is something they can want and have.

Convincing Sanji probably isn't easy because as we know, he doesn't let himself have good things. But he's up against Zoro and Usopp, who are infuriatingly stubborn and blessedly patient. Romantic as he is, he can't possibly stave off his affection when they display it to him so obviously. He soon agrees to enter the relationship and is guarded at first, but with explicit permission to care for them and having them care for him in turn, he inevitably settles into the relationship which continues to thrive with his addition.

ZoSan -> ZoSanUso

In general, I’m only a fan of romantic ZoSan if there’s at least one other member of the EB5 in the mix. Despite the trust they have in one another, I don't think they'd stand the test of time in a monogamous relationship. But add Usopp (and/or Nami and/or Luffy) in the mix and I think it's much healthier all around.

I do have a couple AUs for this situation though because I think it can be lots of fun!

In my favourite one, ZoSan are in an established, but open relationship. They meet Usopp individually—Sanji meets him when Usopp comes to fix the oven at the Baratie/All Blue. Usopp’s his usual funny, charming, reliable self and when he’s done the job, Sanji asks him out. At the same time, Zoro chooses Usopp to do his latest tattoo after coming across the tattoo and piercing shop he works at. It’s a large piece that requires multiple sessions, and Zoro’s thoroughly entertained during each one. Cue them dating.

So both Zoro and Sanji are dating someone else, but neither knows the someone else is Usopp, and somehow, he never gets name-dropped. That is, until one day they're at home, Sanji twirling and humming to himself as he flutters about the kitchen and prepares a batch of treats. When Zoro asks what's got him in such a good mood, Sanji swoons and gushes about the date he's going on tonight, how he longs to see Usopp's dazzling smile, and the swordsman is in disbelief. Because there's no way they're both seeing Usopp, no way he's been unknowingly sharing Usopp with the damned waiter.

But they both know a good opportunity when they see it and try to figure out how they can proposition Usopp without scaring him away. They realize there's no possibility of him not freaking out in some capacity, so when Usopp invites Sanji to his friend Vivi's party, they know they have the perfect chance.

Usopp is, of course, petrified beyond belief at the sight of his boyfriend approaching while he's cuddled up under his other boyfriend. Especially considering that both boyfriends are terrifying in their own right. Before he can truly freak out though, Zoro comes over and explains that he's not angry, reminding him both he and Sanji are polyamorous, and it just so happened that they were both dating Usopp. They invite Usopp into the relationship and he happily accepts.

A lack of communication is definitely an issue here. Still, overall, it's the best possible outcome for Usopp, who's ecstatic that not only can he keep both his boyfriends, but they'll all be dating each other. And Sanji and Zoro never could've predicted how good Usopp is for their relationship--able to bridge the gap between them.

As for which one I like the best, that depends on what kind of mood I'm in. Today, I'm enjoying the ZS to ZSU timeline, but tomorrow it may change. I'm interested in knowing which dynamics everyone else enjoys and why.

Thank you for this and sorry for going a little overboard but like I said, I really enjoy the three of them together!

[gay-pirate-anime]

On the subject of the Girl!Law episode, I actually find Toeis changes to be really... interesting.

Like... in the Manga Law seemed to be the least affected by the transformation. There's enough wiggle-room to claim he only wasted energy on curing it because it was throwing his crew off. Meanwhile, in the anime, he shirks his duties to pout at the wall for five minutes.

Also: big difference between Shachi and Penguin squeeing over Law before vs after they're transformed. Being distrected from an enemy attack by your captain being so cute, is different from being distracted from ogling your friend because that same thing making you ogle him is actually distressing when it happens to you. One lightens the mood, the other turns it into body horror.

At least we get background ikkaku to give us Sapphic vibes, but it's just... not as fun?

It would've been great if Law had to track down Chopper for a cure though. Especially if *Sanji* had the cure from the HRT recipes.

Oda shoulda' just left em like that imo. Or just Law. I think it would have been a great narrative choice. It's a controversial subject having any character have their sex changed against their will, especially when you begin to question what that change says about gender and trans rep in media, but I've always felt like most of Law's major character ark was resolved already in Dressrosa, and then capstoned later in Wano with the Luffy/Kid/Law alliance against Kaido. Having him instead explore his gender, now that he's had his resolution re: Corazon's death, would have been a super interesting direction to take. For example: Seeing how other character's regard for him would have changed now that he's in a 'female' body, how Law's own toxic masculinity has affected his ability to have relationships/friendships, among other possible ideas.

That's not even to bring up the mad props I'd give to Oda, who's usually on my shitlist for not drinking his respect women juice, even though he sometimes accidentally writes great women and trans characters. Making a fan favourite character who is that strong permanently 'female' yet harbour exactly the same strength as before would just be a power move. idk. That throw-away line they had in the anime where he said his body was weaker was utter bs. The whole scene just came off as distasteful fanservice.

TLDR: it was already a cheap gag, the anime made it worse, but that gag had potential to be so much more. not just for law's character but for oda's rep with writing non cis-men.

Not surprised but still disappointed.

[pomrania]

Here's an example that's almost certainly not a spoiler in any practical sense, since it's a webcomic from twenty years ago, that might not exist online any more, where I've forgotten what it was even called.

The first page has the main character reading about weird-to-him stuff, then deciding to go off on an adventure. His hair colour changed between the second-last and the last panel, where he gets up to do something, and that's the colour it stays with for the rest of the comic. I hadn't noticed anything at the time; if I had, I would have just thought "huh the artist made a mistake".

Hundreds of pages and a few real-world years later, it turns out an this character is a manifested thought-form, which took shape when the person (from the first few panels of the comic!) thought "huh I wonder what would happen if I left to go on an adventure". His hair didn't "change colour", he's a completely different character.

Another example, which I've decided to actually share here because the fic needs more love, and because the middle bits are worth reading even when you know one particular twist: My Dad, the Boogeyman (Naruto) by Alcadanon. Further details are under the cut, so go read the story first (24k words) if you want to see what you can maybe predict, simply from knowing what it's an example of.

It begins with a character who, in canon, died by drowning in a river while injured; he finds himself alive, uninjured in a way that REALLY doesn't make sense, washed up in the sewers that connect to that river, and wrapped in a blanket of some weird material. There's the question of "how is he alive and uninjured", but then it gets replaced with "what will he do now that he IS alive", and then "how will Shenanigans continue to unfold"; then in the last chapter there's a situation involving some other characters and a river; and it turns out the answer to the first question (which by that point I'd honestly forgotten about, and had mostly just written it off as "not relevant to the story") was "rescued and healed by river spirits".

I don't know if this is common writing advice, but: if you want to hide a twist, put it at the start.

Have it be hidden as part of the assumed status quo, because the audience doesn't yet know what's normal and what's unusual, and they won't likely come back to that bit later on until they've already gone through the whole story. Or, have it as the inciting incident, which leads to B which leads to C which leads to D, and by the time the story's gotten to Q which leads to R then people won't be thinking about A or B, they'll be too busy considering what Q or R might mean.

It can make something FEEL like it came out of nowhere, especially if the plot hasn't let you have a moment to breathe and think about what's already happened, then you get to the explanation and you're like "oh yeah that WAS a thing, how did I not remember it this whole time".

I should clarify that this is distinct from a Chekhov's Gun, where something actually IS normal at the time in-'verse but becomes important later. THIS is where something is either recognized as odd at the time, but then the story moves on and deals with other things so the audience forgets about it or doesn't believe that it's relevant; or, when the audience doesn't REALIZE that it's odd because the "rules" of the story haven't been established yet, and by the time the audience knows what WOULD be "normal", they've forgotten about what happened at the start of the story.

This is however hard to give examples for, because by its very nature it's a major twist and even saying "yeah there's something important very early on, which you'll have forgotten about by the time it becomes relevant" can be a spoiler as it "localizes" what to pay attention to.

[donutdrawsthings]

Here's some more of the Werewolf Jamie AU! I'd like to imagine Zoe and the Doctor have to survive a night with werewolf Jamie in an old house before they can actually find a cure.

[numbuh424]

shoutout to whatever L and Light had going on in Time Speaks

[fountainpenguin]

Things that happened in Martyn & Cleo Double Life canon:

Cleo hoping to find her soulmate and start a life with them

Cleo dumping Martyn without giving him a chance to explain his side of the story, but hearing him out when he comes to her later

Martyn watching Cleo through his spyglass and telling the audience she seems safe and happy even though he thinks it's weird she's outside at night

Martyn, after he's had time to consider how he wants to play this, spinning a story about trying to be a provider for her and Cleo explaining that she wanted him, not things

Cleo not being remotely impressed by the "I was providing" sob story, lol

Martyn calling Cleo selfish for choosing to be with Scott because she's supposed to be HIS soulmate and he wants a partner

Cleo willing to forgive Martyn if he meets them halfway

Martyn refusing to meet them halfway because he doesn't think he did anything wrong

Martyn screaming about how Cleo's building bridges with Scott but "When will she think about mending our bridges???"

Martyn explaining to Cleo that he doesn't understand why his Session 1 actions bothered them

Martyn centering his character arc and roleplay on trying to win Cleo back without actually apologizing

Cleo giving Martyn a flower and stating that if he loses it, she'll be real cross with him

Cleo chasing Martyn out of her yard because he tried to put an HOA sign on her base and she wanted to make it clear that she wasn't associated with them and their hate for his base (even though she does think his heart base is strange)

Martyn attacking Cleo after she said attacking is a form of affection to her

Cleo setting boundaries with Martyn and explaining what he can do to get her back

Cleo sighing when Scar set her up on a date with Martyn, but taking the chance to talk to him instead of walking out

Cleo genuinely wanting Martyn in her alliance

Martyn and Cleo giggling constantly when they chat

Scar asking if Martyn wanted him to play a romantic music disc for him and Cleo (and Martyn getting excited and saying yes)

Martyn offering to take Cleo's armor and weapons to the deep dark so he can enchant them and bring them back while she stays safe

Cleo gifting Martyn diamonds, expecting nothing in return but not wanting him to die from lack of a good sword

Martyn and Cleo forming a secret alliance that allows Cleo to live with Scott while being on good terms with Martyn

Martyn expressing frustration that Cleo wants to keep this alliance secret because he wants them to be public allies; Cleo softly shushes him when people approach and might overhear

Martyn telling Cleo that she's putting out a lot of mixed signals because she keeps reeling him in and then pushing him away, claiming he is very confused about where he stands with her

Martyn teasing Cleo by punching her off a cliff and accidentally killing her and feeling so bad about it that he apologizes profusely despite roleplaying as someone who refused to apologize for Session 1

Martyn and Cleo immediately threatening Bdubs together when he said hi to them while they were hanging out, sdkfj

Martyn genuinely apologizing to Pearl for dumping her after Session 1

Martyn hiding under Cleo's bed while she defends him from an enderman attack

Cleo offering to let Martyn move into her house after Etho and Joel grief his base; Martyn saying he might take her up on that

Cleo and Martyn agreeing to move out and base together at Box

Cleo trusting Martyn with the location and resources of her red life base

Martyn rushing to Cleo's aid in the deep dark and trying to turn everyone against him instead

Cleo responding to Martyn's panicked shouts for her to eat by opening her inventory to get food (and drowning because she forgot she was in water)

Cleo hanging back and letting Martyn attack Scott while she does nothing to stop him from doing so, implying as much as she likes Scott, she won't kill Martyn (and herself) for him (and/or she trusted Scott to handle himself even though he ran away while Martyn was shooting at him)

Things that did not happen:

Cleo unwilling to forgive Martyn or consider being his friend and partner

Martyn and Cleo hating each other

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk

[billiuspendragon]

I genuinely could not figure out how to move a fic of mine forward without writing a scene from Kusuke's POV but getting into his head is making me feel gross, like ugh.

I like. I don't wanna erase any of his character and it's not like it isn't interesting to write from an incredibly messed up person's perspective. But also. :(

I'm like "omgg dude why would you think something like that what is the matter with you" but then I'm. I'm literally the one writing it. This is all coming from me. I'm the one thinking something like that.

[halojalex]

the more i read multi-chaptered fics, especially slow burn ones, the more i feel like i lose faith in my own chaptered fic that i have yet to even start

like i don't mean this in a self-pitying way, i just feel like i don't have enough motivation to write it as well as some of the other slow-burn fics i read. it's not even like i don't like the premise, like i feel as though it could be really good if written well, i just don't have the motivation to even start it

[piratehunted]

till all the seas run dry

"Oi! Are you Shimotsuki?" Turning to his left, he squinted a bit against the sun and leaned over the railing to see a young man around his own age, dark hair mussed and a huge duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His face was open and friendly and his bright eyes stared up at Zoro expectantly. "No, uh… she's in the shop," he offered, gesturing vaguely downwards towards the door. Then, his brain catching up, he continued, "are you… Garp's… new tenant?" Apparently the boy found the question amusing, because his face split into a huge grin and he broke into a peal of laughter. "Haha, yeah, I guess that's me!" he stated, still smiling up at Zoro. For some reason, it made Zoro want to smile back.

Roronoa Zoro, university student and florist, meets someone for the first time that he already knows.

-- relationship: monkey d. luffy/roronoa zoro rating: explicit word count: 27,976 chapter count: 7 tags: modern au, flower shop au, zoro is good at math, too many hidden references, mentioned nami/vivi, mvp sanji, developing relationship, angst and fluff and smut, most of the strawhats are just cameos so don't read specifically for them lmao, minor spoilers through wano act 1

[acacia-may]

LADY FINESSE APPRECIATION DRABBLE

Feeling feelsy about the lovely but sadly underrated Lady Finesse right now so please take this short (unsolicited) snippet/drabble from a wip about her called "Burning Dreamhouse" that I never finished...

This scene takes place shortly after she learns about what happened at the Royal Knights' Exam

🩷💙💚

Finesse noticed something out of the misty corner of her eye. She knelt down in front of the dollhouse. It had been thoughtfully dusted and cared for but had not been played with in over a decade. Her dolls, Lord Thomas and Lady Clematis, were exactly where she had left them—sitting down at the table with Aunt Cynthia and their sons, Damian and Dimitri, while their daughter, Philomena Rose, slumbered peacefully in a nearby cradle. Finesse patted Damian and Dimtri’s heads and rocked Philomena Rose’s cradle. She ran her hair through Cynthia’s curly hair and fluffed Lady Clematis’s pink dress before her gaze fell on Lord Thomas at the head of the table—still stern, serious but with something so kind in his light eyes.

Something cold, wet, and unwanted cascaded down her cheek.

As she wiped her tears away, she couldn’t help but feel that it was her own fault for being so hopeful, so naïve as to even wish for such a life for herself only to have it slip through her fingers. Maybe her father was right, and she should just graciously accept all of this terrible treason business as her “out.” But...

She stared at her beloved dollhouse again—filled with silly hopes and childhood dreams. She knew House Vaude wasn’t the dream house she had always wanted. It was cold with something dark and sinister under the Lord and Lady’s perfect, plaster smiles that had left their sons wounded. Despite their best efforts to hide it from her, she knew something in them was hurting, was broken. It was a pain she could never truly understand, but she could feel it so palpably that it ached in her chest, burned behind her eyes, and left her helpless and torn apart.

And maybe that’s when she should have run, instead of digging in her heels and deciding to stay in a burning house, but how could she when she knew she wasn’t the only one trapped there?

From the moment she had chosen to care about Finral and Langris, she had known that if they needed her to stay, to crawl through those flames to reach them, she wouldn’t hesitate—would pull them close as their world crumbled and burned.

When Finral himself had left, had managed to save himself, she couldn’t bring herself to be anything but hopeful and supportive, to pray that he would find true happiness and everything he ever wanted by leaving his past behind, even if that meant leaving her along with it. She understood. She had never been able to offer him a rescue like his squad had. The most she could do was sit with him in all of that pain so he wouldn’t have to carry it alone anymore. But that hadn’t been enough—for him or for Langris.

Long after Finral had gone, she had still stayed by his side knowing how much he was hurting—how crushing the weight of those patrimonial burdens must have been and how devastating it was for him to lose his brother. She watched as the pain ate away at him with nothing she could do to stop it, and now that it had destroyed him, she was expected to leave...when he needed her most…when she didn’t want to.

Finesse smiled just slightly at the little dollhouse family before she grabbed her cloak. She already had a Finral-shaped hole in her heart. She wouldn’t have a Langris one too.

“Finesse? Finesse? Where are you going?” called her father as she rushed downstairs to the front door.

“To talk to His Majesty.”

No, House Vaude may not have been the dream house she had always wanted—may have been crumbling, broken, and burning, but it was hers. And she wasn’t going anywhere.

[brbarou]

i was working on this mask maker trio fic over a year ago and i never got to edit/post it even though it's practically done. it's just nonsense about them sneaking in to steal a book from the third library but it's sweet and i remember being proud of it................... :( maybe i should just throw all of my abandoned baccano fic wips onto ao3

[yeehawpartner131]

how life feels after i don't have an annoying dick in my ear telling me how gavin and daniel only have like 3 scenes in the entire game

[meownotgood]

Can I ask what your ✨Aki journey✨ was like? I’m a Aki girlie but you clearly love Aki more than any blog I’ve ever seen (purrr) When did you start becoming interested in him? Was it an aHA moment or did it develop over time? I’m really curious!!! What inspired you to start this blog? I live, laugh, love backstories 🫶🏾❤️‍🔥

YES I would be so happy to answer this!!!!!!!

so before I read chainsaw man, I knew next to nothing about it, I wasn't really a manga reader in general to be honest but I started getting into it because I wanted to get caught up with jujutsu kaisen after finishing the anime. when I did, I really enjoyed jjk, I wanted to read more manga and a friend suggested I read chainsaw man because it's similar. I was like okay... a lot of people are into it... it looks cool... why not.

and when I started reading and I got to that third chapter and I saw aki... I literally said to myself: yeah, he is going to be my favorite. because he's exactly my type — the suit, the hair tied up so it's long and pretty when he takes it down, the SMOKING??? THE PIERCINGS????? I thought his hair was silly but adorable, his personality was stern but quirky and likable, his kon power was so cool. he was just so cute and hot and definitely my type of character.

but really, even though aki was always my favorite character from the start, my obsession truly began when I finished the manga. aki's arc is just so good... I fell in love with him the whole way through but especially after the manga was over... I loved watching him grow as a character, he just feels so real and relatable personality wise and story wise. he's immensely flawed but kindhearted to his core. he's so human. I love how he's emotional and soft and the conclusion to his arc is genuinely my favorite thing in any piece of media ever, it's so bittersweet and compelling. (and I'm a mess for that bittersweet shit okay)

anyway after I read chainsaw man for the first time I was feeling a mix of emotions between "wow that was the greatest thing ever" and "what the fuck did I just read" but more than anything I yearned for more aki, and so I read it a second time almost immediately after, and then the aki brain infection just grew worse and worse.... was screenshotting every panel of him... I read it a third time... a fourth time in the colored version to collect more panels......... I started my blog over a year ago to post fanfic and rant about aki and the rest is history