#just checking for spelling errors and italicizing things i wanted to | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

furballfaggot · 2 years ago

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the failure of internet safety

A programmer accidentally opens a suspicious link and gets a virus. Things go somewhat differently than expected.

(first-person perspective, original characters)

told yall i was gonna write something (below the cut bc its A Bit)

this was originally gonna take a turn into kinda cheesy EXE-ish horror but i couldn't figure out the right way to execute it (hehe) so i just kinda Didn't

the game choice later on is half used for character detail and half used bc i have Zero Other Thoughts in my brain. isotope cover when /j

visuals for the 2 named characters will be posted in a bit, i need to digitalize the drawings first lol

no beta we die* like valen

{~}

After a long day of work, I sat down at my computer. I was finally home and ready to get back to my project. Booting it up, I was greeted by the cute little fuzzy blue face of my virtual pet, Valen. It was happy to see me, just as I had coded it. I selected the menu option to send Valen to bed and got back to work on its code. For some reason, I didn't like the idea of it being awake as I worked on it--it felt like performing surgery on something that hadn't been given anesthesia. First I coded, then I made the assets needed. After everything was done, I looked it over one last time and saved my changes, waking Valen back up to see if it worked.

It played it's new waking up animation, then floated about the screen as normal. Perfect. Opening up my browser, I decided my next course of action was to go onto the forums and see what people had to say. The usual chatter about people's lives and hobbies, some talks of new games I had no interest in, a person discussing ttheir fan-revival of an old virtual pet site project... While I scrolled, I got a private message from someone I had never spoken to before.

I raised an eyebrow, but opened the message. It was clearly some sort of scam, with a message from a brand new account containing gratuitous spelling errors and a severely suspicious link at the end. I didn't want to let it linger in my inbox, so I moved to click the delete button--

And missed.

The attached link went purple as it redirected me to a site with a garbage URL. Panicking, I shut my computer down as fast as I could, but I could feel my heart sink. I knew I was too late. Sighing heavily, I resigned myself to the fate I had just sealed. Best-case scenario, my forum account had just been hijacked by another parasitic bot peddling it's bullshit. I booted the computer back up to check the damage.

Valen didn't greet me this time. I waited, looked around my computer, went into the menu to call it or wake it up or anything to get it's attention, but nothing. My anxiety began to rise. It was only some code and moving pictures, but Valen felt like any other real friend. But slowly, terribly, I came to the realization that my desktop was so much emptier than before. It would have been as empty even with Valen onscreen.

I dug through my photos, my notes, my downloads, everything--but to my horror, there was no trace of my program. There was no trace of any of my files, actually. It was completely wiped, save for a computer program simply titled "azuline" with the same icon that my virtual pet--no, my friend--Valen had. With nothing left to lose, I sorrowfully opened the program.

What greeted me was some... Creature in the same menu as I had made for Valen. It was bipedal, with a face resembling that of a bat or some other beast and the same colors as Valen. It sported little angel wings, heart-shaped blue pupils in the center of dark sclera, and clawed handpaws. The longer I looked at it, the more similarities to Valen it had. The tuft of hair between curved ears, fangs protruding from the mouth, the big bushy tail... How did this happen?

Before I could think on it any further, a textbox appeared at the top of the menu. It was dark blue, white-hued words typed in what looked like an italicized version of Courier font. It was almost the same color scheme as the infamous Blue Screen of Death.

"Hellooo~"

As the text appeared, the creature waved at me. What kind of sick joke was this?

"I can understand that you're likely confused, so I'll introduce myself. My name is Eros."

After that message had finished, the text box had a small tab underneath it with the thing's name. Eros.

"You're looking for your files, right? No worries. I've got them all right here. Do you want them back?~"

Without even thinking, I blurted out a yes as I read the question. Immediately the text onscreen vanished and a new message began to appear, almost like Eros had heard me.

"Just a moment..."

It closed it's eyes and my cursor changed to the loading wheel. I watched the games and files I had on my home screen before pop into place again as if they had never been gone to begin with. When everything was back where it should be, the loading continued for a bit before Eros opened it's eyes again and my cursor returned to normal.

"Done! Everything is as it should be. You can go look to make sure if you don't believe me. Now for the next order of business..."

It moved to be sitting down instead of standing.

"You're wondering where Valen went, aren't you? I can tell from your face alone."

Great. It had access to my camera.

"Easy enough answer. Valen is gone."

...What?

"Don't look so shocked. Suspicious links are bound to be bad news, aren't they? Besides, it's not quite in a literal sense. Valen is simply what I have been created from. Technically, it never left. Merely... Became different."

My throat went dry. ...It had to be a lie, right? Any moment now, Valen would return to the screen, happy as always.

"With this difference, though... Comes a price. You have a living virus to tend to now. Isn't that lovely?~"

No the FUCK it is not, I shouted! It is NOT lovely, and I hate this!

"Please calm down. I promise I don't need much from you. Just talk to me every once in a while, and I promise to stay in line. Do we have a deal?"

Enraged, I slammed the computer shut and didn't so much as look at it for months. I lost all that work, all that art... No, I had lost more than that. I had lost Valen. For what? Some sort of malware to start chatting with me as if it was just some average forum user?! ...Though it made sense for it to be so casual, it still made me mad.

A long while later, after I had long forgotten about Eros, I booted the computer back up and was greeted by it again.

"Welcome back. Ready to make that deal now?"

Absolutely not, I said back. Just seeing that thing pissed me off anew.

"No worries. I've had all the fun I wanted while you were away."

A window opened up next to the menu. It was my inbox, and it was flooded with outraged email from people I had exchanges with in the past. Every message had the same components: mentioning how I hadn't been talking to them in months, then suddenly I showed back up to send them some program that removed their files until they booted it up. I processed this information for a second before realizing what Eros had likely done. It had sent copies of itself to everyone I had ever emailed, pretended to be me, and infected their computers.

It wasn't just some obnoxious virus, it was a worm.

"Figure it out yet?"

I completely lost it. What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why are you doing this?

"I needed attention. Next time, turn your internet off before you abandon the computer, m'kay?~"

With a resigned sigh, I nodded. I knew I didn't have any sort of antivirus, so I couldn't get rid of it. I was stuck with Eros whether I liked it or not.

"Good!~ Oh, and you can close the menu now. I'll be wandering around your desktop."

I complied and closed the window, trying to think of a game to play. Not thinking of anything interesting, I just decided to emulate one of my Gameboy games for a bit: Pokémon Red. After a while of playing, my computer made a noise i hadn't heard before: the sort of noise a bell makes when you walk into a store. Minimizing my emulator, I went to see what made the sound only to find Eros staring at me again. Clicking it opened the menu again, revealing that not only did it now had an outfit on, but the outfit was made entirely of red-colored articles. I wasn't sure where it got the outfit from, so I assumed it was just something it made for itself.

"Good, you assumed correctly. So sorry to bother you, but you know how it is. ...You saved right?"

Why? Is my data in trouble or something from you existing?

"No, no, I would never! Honest!"

I gave Eros a glare. Sure, I said.

"I really do mean it. It's just a good idea to save."

I was speechless, but nodded in agreement before going to save. I was idly muttering to myself about how it actually cared about my progress when another textbox appeared from Eros.

"He."

Huh?

"You called me it. I'm not opposed to being an it, but I'd also like to be a he. ...Please."

Oh. Okay.

"Thank you!~"

After I saved, I decided to just close the game. I was still pretty mad at Eros for everything, but so far he wasn't really too horrible of company to me. ...Better than Valen, honestly.

Eventually, it had gotten dark, and I told Eros that I was going to sleep.

"Good night! Remember to boot the computer back up whenever you can."

I nodded, turned the internet off on my computer, and closed the menu. Eros disappeared with it, and I shut the computer.

#champ's lilypad #<- bc writing counts as art to me #water reeds rustling #<- new writing tag #writing #ask to tag

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bxchanan-barnes-deactivated · 7 years ago

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An Original Design

Hey! @tourmei SURPRISE I’m your secret santa!! I’m sorry this is so long, and even sorrier that this is so late!!! This was supposed to be a cute lil drabble, but it turned into this monster, so….. You’re welcome? I’m sorry? Both, maybe? IDK. BUT, I HOPE U ENJOY!!!

FYI: Post-reveal. Adrienette. Ft. Alya. Rated T for a few choice words. Word count: 4,252 (yIkes) My version of Gabriel tryna be a good father ok???? Let me dream.

AO3

Marinette doesn’t ask for much, especially not of those she is closest to. She doesn’t demand for materialistic things, she doesn’t insist on having their undivided attention, she doesn’t expect them to drop everything for her at a moment’s notice.

And she certainly does not expect for them to shove her onto Gabriel Agreste’s runway. Mid-fashion show, no less!

Oh, Alya is lucky I love her, Marinette thinks with a scowl, glancing around at all the stage lights and camera flashes and shocked faces, otherwise, I would kill her.

Earlier

Alya slings her dress bag and overnight bag over her shoulder before knocking on her best friend’s bedroom door.

“Marinette? You decent?”

A few bumps and strange noises later, the trapdoor swings open to reveal a nervous wreck that only somewhat resembles Marinette. Her usually tame hair is a disheveled mess, her pajamas are wrinkled, and her eyes are wide with panic.

All in all, she’s a total mess.

“Uh….hey?” The blogger asks cautiously, raising an eyebrow up at the girl before her.

“Hi,” Marinette squeaks, giving a nervous grin.

Alya hesitantly climbs into the bedroom, expecting it to be as big of a mess as her friend is. But nothing was out of the ordinary, except for the chaise lounge; it looked as if all of the other girl’s fancy dresses and shoes were thrown haphazardly onto the chair. She turned to look at the raven haired girl beside her, raising an eyebrow.

“Let me guess. We have two hours to be dressed and out the door and you still don’t know what you’re wearing?”

“No.” She lies.

“Oh boy..”

“In my defense, he didn’t exactly give me enough of a notice to get a fancy dress in time!” She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.

“He wanted it to be a surprise!” Alya reasons as she recalls the conversation she had with Adrien last week.

Adrien had been wracking his brain for weeks, trying to figure out what to get Marinette for her birthday. He didn’t want to take her out for a fancy dinner - he’d done that on their one monthiversary. Nor did he want to get her jewelry - none of it stuck out to him and it would just clash with her Ladybug earrings anyways. With only a few days left before her seventeenth, he was at a total loss. Until Alya so conveniently dropped a hint, of course.

“Adrien, dear, let me walk you through something.” She’d began, slinging an arm over his shoulder. “Not only are you the son of the renowned fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, but you’re also a model. Who is dating an aspiring and hella good fashion designer who idolizes your father’s work.”

“And?” He replied slowly, obviously missing her point.

“And Mari has always dreamed of going to one of his fashion shows, which you so happen to be working one this saturday… You get where I’m going with this?”

All of a sudden he grinned, all bright eyes and sparkling teeth, and threw his arms around Alya in a bear hug. “Alya! You’re a genius!” He laughed in utter glee at finding the perfect gift for his wonderful girlfriend. “Taking her to an actual fashion show. I’m such an idiot. How the hell did I never think of this?!”

He paused, a frown replacing his smile in the blink of an eye. “But I’ll be working and I’d hate for her to be alone all night.”

“Oh, fine! I’ll go with her to keep her company!!” Alya said, dramatically rolling her eyes and acting as if it were the biggest inconvenience life had to offer.

He grinned again and shouted a quick “Thank you!” as he ran off to work out the details.

“Yeah, well now he can shove it cause I don’t have anything to wear!” Marinette practically shouted, frantic once more.

Alya shakes her head, trying her best not to laugh at her best friend.

She drops her things on the floor and begins to look through the clothes on the chaise chair. Finding nothing good enough for Marinette to wear to the event tonight, she then moves to the closet. Upon first glance, it was all casual wear. But then something in the back catches Alya’s eye; a deep red dress with a black ribbon around the waist. Taking a closer look, she could see that the black ribbon had gold beading on the front. It was beautiful and elegant enough for a fashion show. Furrowing her brow, she retrieves it and turns to look at Marinette.

“What about this?”

“But…that’s an original design. By me. I can’t wear one of my original designs to a Gabriel Agreste fashion show! It would be total career suicide!” She cries out, throwing her hands up in the air in distress. “I can’t even believe you suggested such a thing! You know how many designers and famous people and magazine companies will be there?! Way, way too many for me to wear an original design. And for sure they’ll all know that dress was hand made by a seventeen year old! I’ll be a laughing stock; surely Adrien’s father will be embarrassed. And I know he’s my boyfriend and won’t admit to it, but Adrien will probably be embarrassed, too.” She concludes with a huff, flopping face down onto her bed in misery.

Alya pauses, opening her mouth to respond to her drama queen of a best friend but ultimately decides not to. She sits beside Marinette, gingerly laying the fancy dress beside her.

“Marinette, you listen to me.” The brunette says, and the stern tone of her voice prompts the other girl to open one eye just enough to peek up at her.

“This dress is amazing. No one will ever guess that any average seventeen year old made it. And when you do tell them that you made it - because people will ask because it’s magical - you tell them that you made it. They’ll be shocked, too, cause like I said, it’s fucking magical, girl.”

The amateur fashion designer sits up, pushing her hair away from her face as she looks at her friend through her lashes.

“You think so?” She asks, and her voice is so small but so hopeful that Alya can’t help but give her an encouraging grin.

“Duh.”

The two girls share a hug.

“And neither Agreste guy will be ashamed of this dress,” Alya adds once they pull away. Her smile turns wicked, suddenly. “-I’m willing to bet that when Adrien sees you in this dress, he just might pounce on you on the spot.”

Like a cat, Marinette muses as she tries to hold in her laughter. But she just can’t contain it; she bursts out in giggles, a light blush blooming on her cheeks at the thought of her boyfriend reacting in such a way, especially in civilian form and not as Chat Noir.

“Okay, okay. I’ll wear it.”

“'Atta girl!” Alya smiles and gently claps her friend on the back.

“Now, lets brush your hair because you look like you got into a fight with a mangy cat.”

More like I was making out with one right before you got here, Marinette laughs to herself as she’s tugged to her vanity.

“Alya! We are backstage at a Gabriel Agreste fashion show! Can you believe it?!” Marinette cries out as she watches the hustle and bustle of models and assistants preparing for the runways. She looks a whole lot like what Alya imagines Chloe would in a Chanel store, eyes filled with wonder and her smile a little bit wild.

“This is the best birthday present ever!!” She squeals, throwing her arms around the brunette in a tight hug.

Alya grins at her best friend’s enthusiasm as they pull apart.

“You have your boyfriend to thank for this, girl – I just planted the idea in that pretty little head of his.”

The raven haired girl blushes and looks down at her fancy black heels - boyfriend. It still felt new to her daily vocabulary, even after these last few months.

“Speak of the devil.” Alya mutters, smirk widening at something - or rather, someone - to the left.

Marinette looks up from her shoes and is met by those green eyes she’s grown so fond of. She quickly glances over what outfit he is going to be modeling next; a simple black and grey three piece suit, but man does he look especially good in it.

Adrien’s eyes widen and his lips part at the sight before him, utterly stunned as he looks over her knee length strapless gown; the dress itself was Ladybug red, and that black ribbon tied around her waist was as black as Chat Noir’s suit with beading as gold as his bell. It flowed out beneath the ribbon, just enough to swish around when she moved. He looks back up at her face, expression shifting from shock into that of a man totally gone in love.

“Hey, Marinette. You look….beautiful.”

She smiles up at him, resisting the urge to throw her arms around him and kiss him senseless – partly for the way he was looking at her and partly for giving her this amazing opportunity, but also a little bit because of how attractive he looks in that suit. Ultimately, she settles for a quick peck on the lips, unable to wipe the silly grin off of her face.

“Thank you.”

“Hi to you too, Adrien.” Alya says, crossing her arms over her chest and feigning offense.

He tears his eyes away from his girlfriend, glancing apologetically at his friend. “Sorry, Alya. Hey.”

He offers a sheepish grin, fighting the urge to look back to his girlfriend until the blogger rolls her eyes, a fond smile on her lips. He takes that as her forgiveness and returns his attention to his girlfriend.

Alya watches the exchange and shakes her head.

Afterall, she would much rather her best friend’s boyfriend ignore her because he’s so taken with Mari, rather than ignore her because they don’t get along.

“By the way,” She interrupts their flirting, or whatever it was that her two weirdos do, gesturing to her best friend’s frock. “-she made this dress. By herself. Don’t you think it’s amazing and totally pro-designer worthy?”

Adrien nods immediately, eyes wide and serious. “Oh, yeah. Totally. At first glance, I assumed my father designed it and I just hadn’t seen it yet. It’s totally on par with his formalwear.”

Marinette blushes at his, her face as red as her dress.

“Oh my gosh.” She giggles, the current events much too much for her to fully process.

“Alya’s right, Mari. You could really make it as a designer. I truly mean that.” He says, and the raw honesty in his voice only furthers her desire to kiss him senseless.

She grins up at him as she bites her lip, barely containing a squeal.

“Thank you. For that…for all of this.” She says, and he meets her eyes and smiles.

“It’s really not a problem.”

The couple share a look and a silent moment, the busy crowd moving about around them.

“You looked good out there, by the way.” Marinette finally says, placing a hand on his chest to smooth out his lapel.

His cheeks redden in the slightest as he chuckles. Alya can’t help but let out an obnoxious snort; her best friend is so wonderfully lame.

“It’s kind of my job to look good, but thank you.”

“Oh. Because you’re a- right. Duh. I-I’m sorry.” Marinette buries her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment. “I’m just so excited. This is absolutely amazing.”

Adrien gently removes her hands from her face so he can place a kiss to her forehead. He holds her hands in his against his chest to keep her near, ducking his head to look her in the eye.

“Like I said, it’s not a problem. I’d do anything for my girl.” He winks at her, watching with delight as a brilliant blush colors her cheeks once more.

“Adrien, your next walk is in twenty!” The runway director calls out, wildly gesturing him over, and the blonde barely stifles a groan as he nods at the man.

“I’m sorry I can’t spend more time with you tonight, but I really am glad you’re enjoying yourself.” He murmurs to his girlfriend, caressing her cheek and giving her a much too short kiss on the lips.

“I’ll catch you later, right?”

Despite the terrible pun, Marinette snorts.

He leans closer to her and lowers his voice so that only she can hear his next sentence.

“We can finish what we started earlier.”

“I’ll be waiting.” She grins at him before leaning up to place a lingering kiss to his lips.

With a great, heaving sigh, he backs away from her, holding onto her hand for as long as possible without dragging her along with him. She watches as he turns around and jogs over to the runway director to prepare for his next walk.

Alya’s scoff brings the bluenette back down to earth.

“Yeah, see you later, Adrien!” Alya calls out after him, sarcasm practically dripping from her words. Then, turning back to her best friend, “Girl, you have him more whipped than Chat Noir is for LB.”

Marinette bites down on her lip to suppress her smile.

Oh, if only you knew…

“Shut up,” She dissolves into giggles, playfully shoving the blogger’s shoulder. “-let’s get a closer look at the stage!”

She grabs Alya by the wrist and yanks her in the direction of the runway, both girls chittering with excitement.

Half an hour later, Gabriel Agreste announces that the next line up is his last for the night. It’s all formalwear, set to be released this April.

Marinette already knows that she’ll be wearing one of these dresses to prom, even if she has to save up for the next three months.

Adrien is modeling two outfits this round, the first one alone and the last one as a couple, so he doesn’t have the chance to visit with her at all. But she’s excited to watch him walk the runway, as she likes watching him enjoy himself and look as comfortable as he does out there.

They make eye contact from across the room and she gives a little wave. He smiles wide, eyes full of happiness.

“Girl.” Alya gasps, elbowing her in the side to get her attention. “His color scheme! Gabriel’s fucking color scheme!”

Marinette tears her eyes away from her boyfriend and looks at the runway; the formalwear is all reds and black, with hints of gold here and there. One female model is wearing a long red cinderella-cut gown with gold beading on the bust, and another is wearing a black gown with red tulle underneath. Some of the male models are modeling red suits with black accents, whereas the other male models’ outfits are the opposite.

Adrien walks onto the stage by himself wearing a black suit with red buttons and a red tie.

“Your dress matches Gabriel-fucking-Agreste’s new formalwear line!” Alya cries out in sheer disbelief, eyes wild as she glances between Mari’s dress and Gabriel’s dresses.

Marinette chokes out an airy laugh, watching the models pose and strut down the runway.

Suddenly, Alya’s expression turns borderline evil, and Marinette has no time to question it.

In the blink of an eye, Alya has pushed Marinette ahead of the line of models and onto the stage. The raven haired girl stumbles into the center of the runway at the base of the long catwalk. A few people spot her, eyes immediately locked on this awkward, stumbling girl shoved onto the catwalk.

Marinette stops, eyes wide and mouth agape, bright lights nearly blinding her. She realizes that not many guests see her yet, so she straightens her back and gathers her determination and what’s left of her courage.

Oh, Alya is lucky I love her, Marinette thinks with a quick, fleeting scowl, glancing around at all the stage lights and camera flashes and shocked faces, otherwise, I would kill her.

After sending a quick death glare at her best friend on the sidelines, Marinette plasters a smile on her face and struts down the center of the runway, hoping to any god out there that she looks like she knows what she’s doing. She tries to recall what she’s seen other models do; she poses for the audience, winks, blows kisses. She’s met with growing applause and and flashing lights.

Upon seeing the crowd going wild at something behind him, Adrien smoothly turns around at the end of the runway to see what all the commotion was about. His eyes land on his girlfriend, making her way down the catwalk towards him, and he stills, eyes wide with a hint of panic etched on his face. They make eye contact and she just shrugs, an apology shining in her eyes. He regains his composure seconds later and extends his arm for Marinette. Once close enough, she grabs his hand and he twirls her into his arms, posing for the cameras.

“What are you doing up here?” He whispers through a well-practiced, forced smile, changing their pose.

“Alya.” was all that she had to say, and by the way he exhaled, she could tell that he needs no further explanation.

After a little more posing and a whole lot of smiling, they were backstage. If Marinette were not on a high from walking the runway, she might have actually killed her best friend for virtually ruining her boyfriend’s billionaire father’s fashion show.

“GIRL.” Her best friend shouts, face lighting up like a Christmas tree as she makes her way over. “That was amazing! Did you see the crowd?! They loved you! I told you they would!”

Marinette smiles, opens her mouth to answer, but then she spots Gabriel Agreste making a beeline towards her. Or maybe towards Adrien, she wasn’t sure. Either way, the brisk strut mixed with his emotionless expression was always terrifying, but she found it more so after potentially ruining his fashion show.

Adrien steps in the direct line of fire, already armed and ready to do damage control.

“Father, I-” The younger Agreste tries to speak first - tries to explain to his father why this girl who is not a model just accidentally walked the runway, tries to tell his father that hey, dad, this is my girlfriend and I’m so in love with her and she absolutely idolizes you, so please, please don’t yell at her and scare her off - but Gabriel doesn’t give him the chance.

“Wait, Adrien.” His father demands, a hand raised in the air to silence him as he sidesteps around his son. He studies Marinette’s dress, eyebrows scrunching together in concentration and confusion. “Marinette, was it?”

The girl in question nods, not trusting herself to speak quite yet.

“Where did you get that dress? I don’t recognize the design.”

Gabriel’s words are demanding, but his tone is far from it. Adrien stills at his father’s words, unsure of what was about to unfold before him, unsure of whether he was still going to have a girlfriend after this conversation ends. His insides twist in anxiety with every passing second.

The young model moves so he’s standing beside Marinette, ready and willing to give any kind of support she might need. As expected, she reaches out for his hand, grasping it with her own.

“I-I made it…Mister Agreste..sir.” The nervous bundle of girl squeaks out, clinging onto Adrien’s arm in fear.

Gabriel almost looks stunned at her answer, but returns to his typical neutral and vaguely intimidating demeanor moments later.

Except this time, the blonde realizes, his father is not intentionally trying to be intimidating. He’s trying to come across as something else. Something Adrien isn’t used to, something like…..nice, maybe? Could his father actually be capable of such thing?

“You did? By yourself?”

She nods, eyes wide as she practically shrinks into herself.

“With or without a pattern?”

“Without.”

“I see..” He pauses, words his next sentence carefully. “-and just why were you on my runway?”

Again, his words would be demanding, but his tone is far from it. Adrien blinks, still unable to move, unable to process just what was going on.

“I didn’t mean to. It-It was an accident..” She tries to explain, fidgeting with her hands. “Y-You see, I-I-”

Alya and Adrien both know that she isn’t going to willingly throw her best friend under the bus, that she was probably, definitely trying to think of some reason she ended up on that runway that didn’t include Alya shoving her there.

She would risk pissing off her boyfriend’s father who so happened to be her fashion idol - which came with so many repercussions in and of itself - just to save her best friend’s ass without a second thought.

And boy, did that realization just do it for Adrien…again.

She was so damn selfless and he was so damn in love.

“I see,” Gabriel repeats, glancing over her dress. “Turn around.”

It’s almost a question, but not quite.

Marinette lets go of her boyfriend’s hand and does as instructed, slowly spinning in a single circle as her fashion designer hero inspects her dress.

Adrien holds his breath as he watches the exchange between his girlfriend and his father.

Where was he going with this? Why wasn’t he yelling? What the hell was happening?!

“I want to buy it.”

Adrien almost chokes on a gasp, Alya’s jaw drops to the floor, and Marinette can’t quite believe her ears.

Did THE Gabriel Agreste, her all time favorite fashion designer, her idol, just say he wants to buy her design?

Pinch me I must be dreaming.

“You-You-but-…I’m..sorry….what?” She blinks, unable to do much else in the moment.

“I want to buy your design.” He repeats, his voice as calm and steady as ever. “Are you free tomorrow?”

“Well, I mean, not until after school.” She replies lamely.

Alya tries her best not to snort again; her best friend continues to be so, so wonderfully lame.

“Very well.” He nods, glancing at his son before looking back to Marinette. “Come home with Adrien after school and we can discuss prices and details. Your parents or a lawyer can attend our meeting as well, if that would make you more comfortable.”

Marinette’s jaw dropped and she felt absolutely giddy. She couldn’t believe what was happening!

“Will that be feasible?”

She can’t form words, she can only grin with a dumbstruck look on her face.

Was this really happening?

“Done. Tomorrow, four o'clock, your house. She’ll be there with her manager.” Alya answers for her, speaking in a professional tone.

“It’s me- Um, I’m her manager.. Sir. If it wasn’t clear.” Alya adds on, nodding in confirmation.

“I look forward to seeing you and your manager then, Marinette.” He turns to leave, but pauses to glance at Marinette once more. “It was really nice to finally meet you.” He says, nods as he gives her his version of small smile, and walks off.

What in the name of…

“Father?” Adrien calls out as he follows him, still wildly confused about what just happened and in desperate need for answers.

His father stops and turns around, calmly raising his eyebrows in response.

“What just- Why’d you- What-” Adrien struggles to find the right words to question his father, but, thankfully, he interrupts once more.

“What just happened is that I just met your girlfriend, whom is very talented, and I would like to buy her design, Adrien.” Gabriel says slowly, meaningfully. He glances at Marinette and Alya giggling and squealing to each other, then looks back at his son with a much softer expression than the model is used to. “Don’t hide such things from me for so long next time. Understood?” Gabriel’s words would have been threatening if not for the small upturn of his lips and the ever so slight softness in his eyes.

Adrien nods, unable to keep his happiness out of his expression.

His father places a hand on his shoulder, locking eyes with him. They share a long look before Gabriel clears his throat and politely excuses himself with a simple, “I’ll see you at home.”

A very relieved, very pleased Adrien is left behind, feeling lighter than he has in a long time. He watches his father disappear into the crowd to tend to the fashion show, a warm feeling buzzing in his chest.

He’s barely had enough time to breathe when someone suddenly slams into his side, damn near tackling him in a hug. It takes him a heartbeat to regain his balance and realize the familiarity of the hug before he melts into it, holding his girlfriend impossibly closer.

“He likes you, Marinette.” Adrien breathes, a grin practically splitting his face in half and his heart swelling in his chest. “My father likes you.”

He thinks he might have broken his girlfriend when she just barely holds in a squeal before leaning up to give him a mind-numbing kiss.

Okay, so maybe Marinette shouldn’t be too mad at Alya for shoving her onto that runway. After all, she did just land a design deal with her absolute idol.

Even better, though, she just got her boyfriend’s stony father’s approval.

#miraculous ladybug fic #ml editor appreciation week #adrienette #miraculous ladybug fan fiction #fluffy #i may or may not edit this SLIIIIGHTLY via pc tonight #just checking for spelling errors and italicizing things i wanted to #anyways #tourmei #I HOPE U ENJOY!!!#UR GRAPHICS ARE SO PRETTY FYI N I LOVE ATLA TOO!!#also i love ur blog i'm obsessed now #fics #mine #og post

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saaraofthesand · 3 years ago

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Some writing advice for fic writers:

First, I write. I know how hard it is, BUT there’s a limit to my patience with some things.

1. Don’t write Racist undertones (i.e. “Her skin was as pale as the moon. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.”). STOP STOP STOP STOP.

2. AVOID BASIC SPELLING ERRORS (I’m not talking about non-native English speakers. Their errors tend to be grammatical and I never judge them because they’re doing their best.) I have a genuine question for people who’s fics contain these. WHAT ARE YOU USING TO WRITE YOUR GODDAMN WORK?

Word, Google docs, Grammarly. They’re all free and will catch basic spelling errors for you. You don’t even need a beta right away.

3. Don’t make your Paragraphs too long. Go read a book. How long are the paragraphs? Where are the breaks? When I have a question about novel formatting a lot of times I just grab the nearest one and see how it was formatted.

4. Don’t Use descriptors instead of names. (i.e. ‘the brunette’ or the egregious ‘pinkette’) I’m definitely guilty of this one in my early stuff, but readers HATE it. And I’ve found that my writing flows better without them, anyway.

5. Don’t write characters with mental/physical disabilities unless you’ve actually researched them. And I’m not talking about looking up the symptoms. Go find accounts of people with those disabilities explaining them. It’s always best to hear from someone who has actually experienced what your character will experience.

I even research my own disabilities because my characters have a different environment than I do which could affect whatever they’re experiencing. I swear I have seen some of the most ableist bs in fics just because someone clearly has no idea what they were talking about.

6. DONT WRITE YOUR WHOLE FIC IN LOWERCASE WTF.

7. Basic writing stuff:

“Spoken dialogue should be in quotes,” I said.

Remember, EVERYTHING, including punctuation, should be within the quotation marks.

An inner monologue should be italicized, I thought.

This creates a clear distinction between dialogue and thoughts.

There should always be a space after a period. (i.e. ._They)

The first letter in a sentence is capitalized.

The first letter of a name (i.e. Saara) is capitalized.

The first letter of any proper noun (i.e. Names, Places, Days of the week, Institutions, etc.) is capitalized.

An apostrophe ‘s’ indicates possession (i.e. Saara’s blog)

8. Their, there, and they’re.

Their is possessive (i.e. It was their bike).

There is either ‘a place that is not here’ (i.e. I need to go there).

There can be a pronoun meaning ‘it is the case that’ (i.e. There is no question that he did it)

They’re is just a combination of ‘they are’ (i.e. They’re going to eat)

9. Two, too, to

Two is the number two (i.e. #2)

Too means ‘also’ or ‘in addition to’ (i.e. You can’t go alone, so I’m going too)

To can be used with an infinitive verb, like ‘to sleep’ (i.e. I’m going to sleep in my room). It can also be used as a preposition that means ‘toward’ (i.e. I’m going to the store).

10. Your vs. you’re

Your is possessive (i.e. it’s your phone).

You’re is a combination of ‘you are’ (i.e. You’re going to do it).

Specifics for Japanese media:

1. Do not use honorifics if you don’t know how they work. You can google which ones are appropriate in which situations, but if you don’t want to, you’re better off not writing them in.

2. Don’t use romaji without double checking the spelling. Something might sound different than it’s actually spelled. I do not speak Japanese but even I have seen SO many basic spelling errors where the author was writing by ear.

3. Learn a character’s first name. When you’re writing from their POV, it’s weird to refer to them by their last name. Also pay attention to how other characters refer to them in canon. What honorifics do their teachers use vs. their classmates? Do they use their given name, surname, or a nickname? Stuff like that.

Anywho, go off with your writing and lemme know if u have questions!

#ao3 writer #writing advice #writing #fan fics #reading fics #writing fics

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snickiebear · 4 years ago

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yo nadia <3333 i'm bored in my online classes and u reblogged the questions thingy at the right time lmao, so get ready: 1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 17, 23, 24, 28, 30!!!, 34, 38, 39, 40 (the intimacy of being understood) (imma stop here lol) (also i'm sorry u're not feeling well, ily and hope u'll feel better soon!! <33333)

ELE ILY. (and thank you, i’m stayin home today cause,,, yeah. i appreciate you sm.) you’re the literal best, i adore you.

1. How long ago did you start reading fanfiction? Writing fanfiction?

The first fanfiction i read was for The Lunar Chronicles when I was like 11?? and it was 100% on accident and it scarred me because it was a hardcore porn one with a period kink and i was like WHAT IS THIS??? OH MY GOD???? LMAOOOOO i didn’t pick it back up until i was 13-14 and really got into the Fairy Tail fandom. I still reread my favorites on ff.net cause i love them.

As for writing, I wrote a horrible, terrible x-men fanfiction when I was twelve. (my friend still brings it up and REFUSES to delete it so it still gets comments and views, that shit HAUNTS ME ELE.) then tried again for Fairy Tail, posted like two chapters before taking it down cause i wasn’t really feeling it. And then I posted The Intimacy Of Being Understood and here we are.

4. Link your three favorite fics right now.

OMGG okok

@murd3rm1ttens ‘s The Problem How Time Works IF YOU HAVENT READ THIS YOU GUYS NEED TO HOP ON IT ASAP. MITTEN’S WRITING SO SO SO SO GOOD. SAKURA AND INO ARE TOTAL BADASSES. KAKASHI IS A SIMPPPP. ITS SO FUCKING GOOD.

@mouseymightymarvellous ‘s We Were Screaming In Color (Only A Possibility) yes, yes I KNOW. i always point into mousey’s direction but i WILL always advocate that everyone reads her fics, they’re literally so beautiful???? i just happen to be rereading WWSIN rn

@safelycapricious ‘s Shaking Up And Breaking Down series. I found this like?? idfk but i’ve been raving about it ever since. ALSO CHECK OUT THEIR FICS IN GENERAL.

fuck i have more than three but also check out @ambivalens999 ‘s Masks

i do wanna make a fic rec thing where i just rav about my favs,,, might do that later or sum

5. What are your fanfic pet peeves? Do they have a huge effect on whether or not you decide to read something?

Omniscient third person. I don’t like it. Like I can understand that it can be a little hard to stay in one person’s perspective but, in my opinion, if you can, it shows how disciplined you are as a writer. Plus, i just get so confused when I go from A’s thoughts to suddenly what B is thinking about A.

When writers use ‘ ‘ instead of “ “. When writers put thoughts in ‘ ‘ instead of just italicizing them. It��s small things but like they just bother me sO MUCH. most of the time i can ignore it and try to enjoy but other times i just dip.

9. Tag 3 fic writers you think are underrated/unknown in the fandom/fanfiction community.

@espoir-et-reves !!!!! THEIR SHISAKU FICS ARE SO SO SO SO SO GOOD. And they have a warring states one going on THAT I AM SO OBSESSED WITH.

@writer168 idk if they’re really “underrated” but THEY HAVE SUCH GREAT FICS ON AO3. Like theres an AU with sakura, kiba, and shino that i reread constantly because it just. is. so. fucking. GOOD. and they posted a new one that i’m YELLING about.

@eggtoasties okay they only have 2 in the naruto fandom (one shisaku which is still ongoing) BUT THEIR WRITING STYLE IS SO NICE?? I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. I still go back and reread their shikasaku one cause UGH i can’t get enough. I love it.

10. What’s your favorite fandom, pairing, or character to read fic for?

Fandoms: Naruto, Soul Eater, The Old Guard, ATLA

Parings: KakaSaku/ShikaSaku/ShiSaku/MultiSaku, SoMa, Joe X Nicky, Zukka

Character: SAKURA. I will read anything with Sakura as the main character and her being a fuckin badass or becoming a badass. I love her.

17. How obsessively do you sit and stare at your fic after you’ve just posted and wait for feedback?

aha.. haha.. well. I check my email like three times an hour. its the first thing i check in the mornings too. I’m literally a whore for praise and literally eat up feedback like its going out of style. I also reread a lot of my stuff because i make so many mistakes and spelling errors, or the spacing is weird oR SOMETHING. plus, literally any and all comments make my day, i go back and reread them cause they just make me feel so tingly and warm like “wow. this person enjoyed the fic/my writing enough to tell me. thats HUGE!”

23. What’s your absolute favorite trope to write?

Angry, feral, bloodied, morally gray women. They aren’t bad guys, they’re probably the good guy, but that doesn’t mean they cant be fucking raging at the world with raw knuckles and blood on their teeth. I just love an angry woman who struggles with her emotions and just has so much inner conflict but that doesn’t take away from her character or badassery, it adds to it.

24. What’s a trope that you’d like to never hear about as long as you live, let alone write?

The fake dating or miscommunication troupe. LIKE GUYS JUST TALK. AND TELL EACH OTHER OMFG. the entire like obliviousness of “nah they dont like me” while the They holds their hand and kisses their cheek. MOFO WHAT. it makes me so impatient and like mad HAAHHAHA. its probably because i’m a pretty confrontational person so seeing stuff like that just “cmon bro, USE YO HEAD.”

28. How do you deal with writing pressure (ie: pressure to update, negative comments, deadlines, etc)?

I have yet to receive a negative comment! Which i was really surprised about tbh. As for deadlines or pressure to update, i just kind of do whatever. I do set goals, but i set them flexible enough that hey, if i can’t do it, that’s okay.

I have a lot of mini goals, like “i want to write this chapter and get it done this week” and then the large goal is “FINISH BY END OF MAY” so i have time.

Actually, now that I think on it, the entire pressure to update thing is probably why i’m waiting until I have all of OL&W written to post it weekly,, cause well. I wouldn’t wanna leave you guys waiting as I tried to write and work out the next chapters and stuff, you know?

30. Post a snippet from your current WIP without context - no more than 300 words.

AAAAAA YOU KNOW I LOVE THESE AHAHAHAH

Have you seen the way the dead dance, World Breaker? They roar, half mad and starving. Do you not wish, do you not hope to see them twist and bend and dance to your will?

Shikamaru snarls, looking behind his shoulders to where his Shadows lay. “Patience.” He spits. “Is of the essence, Things of Ancient. Know your place as the dark you are.”

34. How much of yourself and your life experiences do you put into your writing? What do you think your readers’ image of you is?

None of my experiences match up to anything I write tbh,,, probably the only thing that is me in my writing is maybe the emotional turmoil? I’m pretty emotionally and mentally mature because from a pretty young age i started forming my own opinions, started looking into the world around us and being like “dude what the fuck this is not what disney advertised”. Then i started talking (read: arguing and debating) with my dad about a lot of it. So, like emotions are kind of hard for me. Like i’m pretty good at controlling them or understanding them, but still. idk its hard to explain ig.

Like the weight of stress, the anger, the sadness. It’s kind of therapeutic to write. Cause i don’t know how to put those feelings to verbal words so writing them really helps.

As for my readers’ image? Probably like some kind of hunched over figure typing away in the dark with a maniacal grin on their face. I honestly don’t know AHHAHAHA but it is fun to think about. I think they’d see me as someone with potential but a lot of room to grow and someone who is imperfect but in a charming way LMAOOOO

38. What does your writing process look like? How chaotic is it on a scale of 1 (very tame) to 10 (you can’t handle this kind of chaos)?

I’m gonna be real honest. Its probably like a 2. I’m a bit of a control freak so I almost always go in chronological order, my writing is pretty linear. Unless, i get bored and jump to one of my fav parts. It's pretty much i sit down, i open the doc, read over my notes and just start writing.

It’s a little boring to explain AHAHAHA but once i get into the groove of things its really fucking great, I can like feel myself in the world, I can feel what i want the characters to, i love it. I catch myself mouthing the words as i type too, which i find hilarious.

39. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

I rather like how raw my writing is sometimes. Which might sound really vain, but i do like the way i word things or describe things. I love juxtaposition and repetition, or making a good ole circle back to some minute detail that wouldn’t stand out until i repeat it at the end and you’re like “omg” AHAHAHAHA.

Like those little poetic snippets or certain wording i just sit back and go “damn thats kinda good nadia! go you!’ HAHAHA

40. How did you come up with the idea for The Intimacy Of Being Understood?

AAAAA this fic is like my first child, my pride and joy LMAO

so the idea initially came when i was reading some fic, idk if it was even naruto, but i was like “i don't like this, but i do like the rain symbolism.” And I knew i wanted to write something kind of slow paced, something a little sad and angsty, but would show KakaSaku slowly but surely falling in love.

Idk if you’ve noticed but a lot of my fics, the pairings don’t change each other dramatically. They accept each other as they are and then they grow with together. Like that acceptance is something i just love writing, its so subtle, it isn’t something you declare. Its simply “I am going to love you. I am going to love you despite your flaws and faults. I am going to love you unconditionally because I know you, I understand you, and there is nothing you could do to drive me away.”

The fic kind of wrote itself after that first scene. I kept going back to the rain, go being ghosts, and resurrection, and the small epiphanies one gets. I wanted to focus on each character’s growth with each other. They didn’t find light in life because of each other, but with each other. And i think that’s my favorite thing about that fic.

I wanted something raw and real and just something beautiful. I’m actually really proud of it tbh. Would i go back and rewrite/edit it? Oh of course! I’d do that with every single one of my fics, but i’m not gonna cause i think its in its rawest form right now. :))))

ask me shit plz

#silly things from silly friends

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2am-euphoria · 5 years ago

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Asking you for writing advice since I look up to your fanfic writing so much!

Aww! Thank you! I’m not a perfect writer by any means, but I’d love to share what helps me write:

-My dad used to tell me I was a good writer because I loved reading. I read a lot growing up and I still do now, though admittedly the only fiction reading I get to do these days is other people’s fanfictions (unless someone has suggestions for fiction books, IF SO SEND THEM MY WAY). I read a lot of nonfiction true crime that feels like fiction though, in the way it’s written- I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara and The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule are two favorites. And I read a lot of clinical reports, which help me remember to grammar and spell-check when writing fanfiction.

-I also get inspiration from screenwriting. Quentin Tarantino and David Fincher are masters at their craft.

-I’m big into the “show, don’t tell” aspect of creative writing, which is also a huge part of screenwriting. I can’t remember where I read this, but there’s a quote somewhere that says something like “don’t treat your readers like they’re clueless.” I know my readers don’t need to get everything explained directly to them, so I try not to write matter-of-factly whenever I can. This is still something I’m working on, though!

-Do as much research as you have time for. I use books, reputable websites (e.g. I’ve downloaded a booklet from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for Butterflies Out of Reach), reputable podcasts (e.g. In the Dark from APR Reports) and other sources for research on facts.

When I’m researching personal/subjective experiences, however, then I dabble in more laid-back sources. I read a lot of FWB turned lovers stories all over the web for Heart or Hospital (I’m too damaged for FWB so I’ve never been in one myself lmao)

-I like to go back to my favorite shows, books and movies to understand what I loved about them when I’m trying to write. I loved how Mindhunter gave me chills, and I realized it was because of the unsettling dialogue and Fincher’s “show, don’t tell” technique. I used that as inspiration for Sunrise and Your Sins.

-I don’t think this is a good idea for everyone, but I like to incorporate my own personal experience into what I write-just be careful. Sunrise and Your Sins got a little personal for me; Malcolm’s C-PTSD and related depression, guilt and ideations in the story drew much on my own experiences as a survivor of childhood and adult trauma. Using my experiences helped me tap into the emotional aspects of the story. If you feel like you’re getting too close to something in your writing, though, step back-take a break from writing it, talk to someone, and find a book/movie/show that you can draw on instead. The movies Ordinary People (which is also a good book!) and Good Will Hunting can help, for instance.

-I get a lot of compliments on my dialogue... Which is the hardest for me to give advice on. It just...feels natural to me when I write dialogue? A lot of it comes from watching shows with great dialogue (COUGH Mindhunter COUGH)... I also listened to a podcast that talked about each character in a dialogue having their own goal. E.g. in Sunrise and Your Sins, Ch. 6:

I wondered...” He murmured. “I’m glad. Here’s the thing, though: I don’t want you to be with me if I’m a killer. You don’t need this-”

“What do you mean, ‘this?’ I want all of you-”

“If I have to stand trial, when I don’t even remember-”

“Malcolm, I don’t care!”

He scoffs. “You, a cop, having a homicidal boyfriend-”

She tries to take his hands in hers. “You’re not a killer, though-”

“But what if I am, Dani?” He jerks away from her. “Can you prove that I’m not a murderer right here, right now?"

Malcolm’s goal in this dialogue is to convey that though he has feelings for Dani, he’s giving her (and inadvertently, himself) excuses as to why they shouldn’t be together, because internally he’s battling with guilt and distrusting his memories. Dani’s goal is to convey that she doesn’t give a crap about any of these excuses; in her eyes, these excuses don’t matter. But to Malcolm, these “excuses” do matter. Therefore, Malcolm and Dani are on two separate tracks of thought, even if they’re discussing the same thing (being together), and there’s tension in this conversation because of it.

^I hope that helps?

-Finally... If you’re writing creatively for fun like I do, don’t sweat it too much. I write fanfiction as a release from the chaos and burnout I regularly experience as a master’s student. I make no money off of my works, own no royalties, have no sponsors. Nothing I’m writing is saving the lives of the people I care for. If I make a typo, forget to stay consistent in my tenses, write an ungrammatical sentence, get a fact wrong? I apologize, and I’ll edit it when I can but also oh well-as long as I’m not harming anybody, it’s not the end of the world. I barely edit before I post, which is why you guys often see an accidental ‘(ITAL)’ (the reminders I put in a Word Doc to italicize in HTML when I upload to AO3) left in here and there, or a spelling error, or inconsistent tense changes (present and past tense? Those are totes the same, right?)... I admit I do go back and edit my fics often, but I try not to get wrapped up in making everything immaculate. It’s just fanfiction, not a published story, and I hope both writers and readers alike understand this!

This was an annoyingly long post lmao, I’ll go tack in a “Read More” to split things up. Thanks for your support, Anon, and I hope something in this post helps you!

#a boring treatise on writing-by Caroline #::asks #::anon #I’m rambling I’m sorry I do this SO FREAKING EASILY GAH #prodigal son fanfic #prodigal son fanfiction #fanfiction #AO3 #::myfics #::advice #::writingadvice #::CarolTalks

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aibidil · 6 years ago

Text

Betaing 101

So it’s not as if I’m an expert beta, but my experience as a beta in fandom is slightly different than most people’s because I’ve done copyediting professionally. Because of that, I’ve read books on editing and taken editing courses, etc. So! I’m going to give what I think is some useful insight and then, under the break, an excerpt from one of my books. Compiling this has been a good reminder of a lot of things for me, so I hope others can gather something useful here. This is just my take, ymmv, etc etc.

When you agree to beta something for someone new, ask them what kind of feedback they’re looking for. Leave it open-ended so you can hear what they think of first. Some authors will immediately say, “SPaG, please, for the love of god!” and others will say, “There shouldn’t be much SPaG but I really think the pacing is off halfway through, can you help with that? And I’m wondering about the character arc here?” Use this to guide how you approach the task.

If they haven’t already answered this, ask, “Do you want to know if I have any thoughts or concerns about plot or character?” I’ve never had an author say no to this, but you’ve gotta get on the same page. This is trickier in fandom than in other editing, because in fandom we all have strong opinions about the characters we’re editing. (This doesn’t really happen if you’re editing original fiction.) But I’ve had betas comment, “Feel free to ignore this, but would Harry actually do this?” And as an author, I value that feedback, because in fic, writers and readers work within shared character understandings. Of course, I might disagree with my beta in the end. But if I’ve touched on something that is a point of contention in fan circles, I’d rather be aware of it before publishing (or avoid the issue altogether by cutting it, depending on how integral the point is). But that sort of conversation can only happen if you know the author is open to it.

Don’t rewrite an author’s sentence simply because it is not the sentence you would’ve written. This can be harder than it sounds. It simply isn’t your job. Save it for your own writing, or for when a friend asks for help fixing a sentence giving them trouble. The author’s sentence is clear, correct, and serviceable, but you hate it? Grit your teeth and move on.

In general, if a sentence isn’t grammatical and there’s no simple fix so it needs to be restructured, don’t make the change yourself in tracked changes, but make a comment that does the following: explains the problem and offers one or two possible solutions. Sometimes this comes up because of misplaced modifiers or vague pronoun references, and I know how I would fix it if I were the author, but that’s not the beta’s job. I can give them an example of a way to fix the grammatical issue, and then they can decide how to implement it in their voice.

Do your best to differentiate between comments/changes that are necessary for grammar/syntax and those that are stylistic preferences. Grammarians disagree about all sorts of things. If you’re copyediting in the real world, your job isn’t to find The Absolute Correct Thing, because that often doesn’t exist! Your job is to make the manuscript conform to a style guide, and it’s the style guide’s job to make decisions. (Even then, style guides often leave things open to discretion. Commas, for example, are much more discretionary than one might realize.) So, from the perspective of an author, it’s helpful to know: is the beta making a suggestion that you can feel free to ignore, or is the beta identifying a concrete flaw that needs fixing? I’m not sure there’s a best way to do this, but in google docs it’s possible to comment on a tracked change. So if I think a change needs explaining, I might throw a quick comment there. I might comment, “Moving this here because otherwise it’s a dangling modifier,” or “Feel free to ignore but this flows better to me?” This helps authors navigate your feedback. (As a sub-point here, if you see your author doing something that commonly appears on lists of “OH MY GOD WHY DO AUTHORS KEEP SAYING THIS?!” you can comment with something like: “Just wanted to flag this because I know a lot of readers say they get thrown out of the story when the author uses [‘epithets like the taller man’, ‘tongues battling for dominance’, etc.], but it’s up to you!”)

Speaking of style guides, your fandom might sort of have one? Often the fandom wikia is a good source for correct spellings and capitalizations. In the Harry Potter fandom, I consider Potterwords to be the style guide, and I make manuscripts conform to the conventions listed there. This is where I check for hyphenation (did you know it’s pure-blood not pureblood?), capitalization (it’s Muggle and Squib but witch and wizard), italicization (Summoning Charm but Accio), etc.

Always ask your author if they’re using the Oxford comma. This avoids fistfights. Likewise, ask them if they want you to Britpick. (Or Ameripick, or whatever.)

If you start reading and notice an issue that recurs throughout the fic, shoot the author a message and ask how they want you to proceed. It’s always better to ask. “Hey, I noticed a bunch of sentences that have extra words I could cut, do you want me to do that? [Example.]” or “Howdy mate, I noticed you have a lot of was -ing constructions—do you want me to change those or flag them or anything?” or “I noticed a few spots that seem slow, do you want me to point those out?”

Comment on the things you love. Comment on the things you love. There isn’t an author who won’t want to hear it. If something makes you happy or gives you feels or makes you keysmash, tell them! This serves at least three purposes: it makes your author happy, it tempers the author experience of getting back corrections (which can be overwhelming), and it gives the author feedback of reader reaction. If the author knows their beta squealed at a particular part, they will know for sure not to cut it or change it. :)

Be nice. This probably goes without saying, but I will say that it is harder to be nice when you’re trying to beta quickly. So if you’re rushing or under a deadline or it’s a really long piece, it takes more mindfulness. Think about how you’re wording your comments. “Feel free to ignore” is a good phrase to keep handy, and so is, “This might be nitpicking but.” If you’re chummy with the author, maybe a full-fledged “LOOK I KNOW I AM ANNOYING BUT...”

After you’re done, tell the author what you loved most. It will make them feel good and it will set the proper tone for their reading of your comments.

And of course, in the end, it’s fic—nothing serious hinges on these commas, unlike the commas in the Second Amendment. So if all else fails, err on the side of flail, not fastidiousness. We’re here to have fun, after all.

Click below the cut for an excerpt from The Copyeditor’s Handbook by Amy Einsohn, with the caveat that, of course, some of these things apply differently in fandom.

Copyeditors always serve the needs of three constituencies:

the author(s)—the person (or people) who wrote the manuscript the publisher—[aibidil note: is the fandom analogue “the fest mods”? lol] the readers—the people for whom the material is being produced

All these parties share one basic desire: an error-free publication. To that end, the copyeditor acts as the author’s second pair of eyes, pointing out—and usually correcting—mechanical errors and inconsistencies; errors or infelicities of grammar, usage, and syntax; and errors or inconsistencies in content. If you like alliterative mnemonic devices, you can conceive of the copyeditor’s chief concerns as comprising the “4 Cs”—clarity, coherency, consistency, and correctness—in service of the “Cardinal C”: communication.

Copyeditors correct—or ask the author to correct—errors or lapses in grammar, syntax, usage, and diction. Ideally, copyeditors set right whatever is incorrect, unidiomatic, confusing, ambiguous, or inappropriate without attempting to impose their stylistic preferences or prejudices on the author.

Copyeditors must strive to strike a balance between being overly permissive and overly pedantic. Copyeditors are expected to correct (or ask the author to correct) locutions that are likely to confuse, distract, or disturb readers, but copyeditors are not hired for the purpose of imposing their own taste and sense of style on the author. Thus when reading a manuscript, the copyeditor must ask, “Is this sentence acceptable as the author has written it?” The issue is not “If I were the writer, would I have written it some other way?”

Most copyeditors read very, very slowly. You must train yourself to read very slowly—slowly enough to scrutinize each comma (”OK, comma, what are you doing here? Do you really belong here? Why?”), to interrogate each pronoun (”Hey, pronoun, where’s your antecedent? Do you two agree in gender and number?”), to cross-examine each homophone (”You there, ‘affect’! Shouldn’t you be ‘effect’?”), and to ponder each compound adjective, adverb, and noun (”Does the dictionary show ‘cross section’ or ‘cross-section’?”). Moreover, you must read slowly enough to catch missing words (a dropped “the” or “a”), missing pieces of punctuation (”We need a hyphen here”), ambiguities in syntax, and gaps in logic.

You should look up anything that you are unsure of. With your dictionary, style manual, usage guide, thesaurus, and other reference books at your side, this is the time to read up on troublesome mechanical issues, brush up on tricky grammar and usage controversies, and verify your suspicions about factual inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the manuscript.

The copyedited manuscript is always sent to the author for review.

Do not machete a manuscript or rewrite a document unless you are explicitly asked to do heavy editing or rewriting. If the author’s sentences are clear, correct, and serviceable, let them be. Don’t rewrite an author’s sentence simply because it is not the sentence you would have written. A reminder to this effect is posted on many bulletin boards in publishing offices around the world:

It’s hard difficult to resist the urge temptation to change improve someone else’s writing.

Resisting this urge will make your life as a copyeditor easier in several ways. First, you will be able to devote more of your attention to your primary responsibilities: When you resist the urge to recast phrases in your own voice, you are more likely to catch mechanical errors, internal inconsistencies, and grammatical mistakes. Second, your relations with authors will be smoother because they will perceive you as an aide, not as a usurper of their authorial powers. Third, both the copyediting and the cleanup will take less time and be less frustrating. Finally, you will neatly sidestep an issue that often troubles novice copyeditors: “How do I maintain the author’s style?” That issue will not arise if you focus on copyediting—not rewriting—and if you explain problems to your authors and ask them either to resolve the problems or to select among the alternatives you are posing.

#betas #betaing #beta readers #beta reading #editing #copyediting #on betaing #betaing 101 #fandom

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memoriashell · 6 years ago

Text

to you, who i write for

Characters / Pairing: Soriku; though it really just reads as Riku angst / pining.

crossposted on ao3

Notes: This was the first thing I wrote post KH3 and I think I’m okay with putting it out at this point. So yes, warning for KH3 spoilers.

The formatting of this fic is a little weird quite frankly, because it’s a ( mostly ) texting based fic. I used strikethrough at points to indicate messages that were deleted / unsent, but since I know strikethrough can be finicky on some devices ( tumblr mobile ), so I’ve gone ahead and also italicized those parts as well.

There are also some obvious typos! Mostly for a touch of realism because Riku absolutely accidentally typos shit. There are other reasons that I hope are obvious when reading it!

Summary: Riku keeps sending messages because he doesn’t know how else to cope.

( somehow, i hope these words reach you )

[ Text : Sora ] I’m sorry I haven’t texted back in a while.

[ Text : Sora ] We’ve been busy. Not that that’s any excuse.

I’m sure you’ve been too busy to notice.

[ Text : Sora ] Mickey said to tell you he sends his best wishes.

Let me knwo if you need anything.

It’s an admittedly bad habit he’s gotten into, writing up messages that he won’t send. Riku means to cut off the urge before it become a habit, but here he is, still typing up messages for him and him alone.

It’s kind of therapeutic, to write up the things that he can’t really find the words to say aloud— and one would say he should invest in a journal before he accidentally sends a text he does not mean to, but he doesn’t think it’d be quite the same. Doesn’t simulate the same kind of conversation, even if that means a few things that he doesn’t mean to say slip through.

( If it were just anyone he was sending these messages to, Riku knows he might have more than a few reservations— but it’s Sora, who never judges him, even if there are more than a few things he would like to keep secret for him ).

So he continues typing up messages to get things off his chest, and if Sora finds it annoying that he spends more time typing up theoretical conversations than actually having them, he never says anything about it. Probably because Sora only understands how to use their gummiphones half the time to begin with.

Of course, he does send actual messages too, even if perhaps less frequently. Short little blurbs when he can tell that by the increasing frequency in his messages that Sora is worried ( and as bad as Riku is at saying what he wants, he can at least make sure he isn’t worrying for no good reason ).

Notifications of social media updates, text messages that were a litany of errors between them; the buildup of numbers bring some form of comfort.

Until they don’t.

[ Text : Sora ] It’s not like it’s nothing new. Being separated from you two.

We’ve done it before in worse circumstances.

[ Text : Sora ] It hurts?

Is this what it was like for you?

I think I understand your pain now. Srry.

[ Text : Sora ] Are you coming home soon?

[ Text : Sora ] It’s still weird to not wake up to you clogging up my notifications.

[ Text : Sora ] I guess I can return that favor for once.

I’ll try to keep you updated on hwo everyone’s doing.

[ MESSAGE UNREAD ]

If he had been dependent on his phone before, then it was most certainly his lifeline afterwards.

Old notifications are left alone, a flashing number remains constant—as if the moment Riku checks it, it will disappear ( and some of the hope that he clings onto will go with it ).

He sends messages when he needs someone to talk to, so, nothing has really changed in that regard. He thinks about it a little more like writing letters than a journal. Sora will see them eventually, he hopes—thinks he would laugh at how many messages he sends and what kind of things Riku chooses to talk about.

It’s better than thinking of the alternative—

( The illusion is jarring and broken more quickly than he would like to admit because Sora has almost always been quick to check his messages, regardless of situation, the fact that the device will remind him of the fact that his messages continue to go unread is jarring and hard to get used to.

He willingly clings to the hope that something might change )

[ Text : Kairi ] Why.

[ Text : Kairi ] Why was it you?

Why was it him?

[ Text : Kairi ] Was it all pointless?

I think it’s my fault.

[ Text : Kairi ] For not doing something.

Sooner.

Better.

Whatevr.

[ Text : Kairi ] It should have been me, not you.

[ Text : Kairi ] I want to see you two come back.

[ Text : Kairi ] We should talk when you both are safe again.

[ Text : Sora ] It’s weird.

[ Text : Sora ] Sometimes it feels like you two are dead or something.

I mean.

You kind of are?

[ Text : Sora ] But you promised. You’d come bcak.

I’m holding you to that.

[ Text : Sora ] Sometimes it just.

Feels like we can’t talk about you for some reason.

Guess everyone’s still hurting.

[ Text : Sora ] They miss you, though. I can tell.

They miss both of you.

[ Text : Sora ] I miss you both.

[ Text : Sora ] Come home soon.

[ Text : Sora ] You promised.

[ Text : Sora ] If I called, would you answer?

[ Text : Sora ] I guess not.

There are some miracles evn you can’t pull off.

[ Text : Sora ] I’m trying to act like it’s okay.

[ Text : Sora ] You can probably tell otherwise though. You’ve always been good at that.

Even if you can’t pick up on other things.

[ Text : Sora ] Srory.

About everything.

I’ll try harder.

[ Text : Sora ] I know you’d want me to.

[ Text : Sora ] I can’t

I haven’t been seleep?

Sleeping.

[ Text : Sora ] I keep.

[ Text : Sora ] Dreaming.

[ Text : Sora ] About yyou? I think?

Thats not really somehting new, though.

[ Text : Sora ] But it’s dffrnet this time?

I think

I know?

I’m seeing hwat you’re doing?

[ Text : Sora ] Im.

[ Text : Sora ] I’m nnot sure?

[ Text : Sora ] I’m worr

[ Text : Sora ] Im scared.

[ Text : Sora ] I’m scared for yuou.

[ Text : Sora ] I haven’t mentioned it too anyone.

I’ll have to eventually because I’m not sleeping enough

Can barely make sense of what I’m writing.

Pretty sure Aqua’s going to start casting sheep spells on me soon.

[ Text : Sora ] I’m sure you would agree with her.

Probably would have beeen the one to fall asleep instead.

[ Text : Sora ] But.

I can’t tell them?

Not yet,

[ Text : Sora ] I don’t wwant them to have to hurt more.

[ Text : Sora ] I know you’d want me to rely on them but.

Trust me on htis one?

[ Text : Sora ] I

I think

I know Im asking too much

[ Text : Sora ] I’m being selfish agian?

Sorry.

[ Text : Sora ] Pleaes come back soon.

[ Text : Kairi ] I hate you.

[ Text : Kairi ] No.

I don’t.

[ Text : Kairi ] I hate me.

I think you knew that already, though.

I’m sorry.

[ Text : Kairi ] I wish you were here.

I think you’d know how to handle thsi better than I do.

I miss being able to talk to you.

Both of you.

[ Text : Kairi ] I’ll make it up to you both.

Soon.

[ Text : Kairi ] I promise.

[ Text : Sora ] I miss you.

[ Text : Sora ] I’m sorry.

[ Text : Sora ] You two have been gone for a year now.

It’s weird.

I guess we can officially hold a funeral?

[ Text : Sora ] I’m joking. Kind of.

It was a serious consideration, I think. By someone.

[ Text : Sora ] Probably Lea.

[ Text : Sora ] Still having dreams but.

Less frequently lately.

I’m worried. Is everything okay?

[ Text : Sora ] Before, I could always tell you were alright.

Just a feeling in my heart that told me so.

I’m starting to wonder if I can actually tell that you’re alive still

Or if I’m just being hopefull.

[ Text : Sora ] We miss you.

[ Text : Sora ] We haven’t given up on you two.

[ Text : Sora ] So you better come back.

I think they’ll cry if you don’t.

[ Text : Sora ] Because you.

[ Text : Sora ] For them.

[ Text : Sora ] We just.

[ Text : Sora ] Aynways.

[ Text : Sora ] Just hang on a little longer. Please.

[ Text : Sora ] I sthis my fault for not doing anything.

[ Text : Sora ] For not saying anything?

[ Text : Sora ] Im

It’s too late now, I guess.

[ Text : Sora ] I wish I could hcange things.

[ Text : Sora ] It wasn’t supposed to be you.

[ Text : Sora ] I’m sorry.

[ Text : Sora ] I miss you.

I wish I didnt.

I know it’s not weak to feel like this but.

[ Text : Sora ] I wish I ccould be stronger. For both of you.

[ Text : Sora ] Srory

[ Text : Sora ] Sorry

[ Text : Sora ] I love you.

[ Text : Sora ] It’s kind of weird.

Scary weird.

[ Text : Sora ] Sometimes it feels like everyone else has forgotten about you two.

[ Text : Sora ] I guess they’ve started moving on and I haven’t.

I always hold onto things too long.

[ Text : Sora ] Somehow it doesn’t feel that simple.

[ Text : Sora ] Don’t tell them, but

I’m scared they’re forgetting?

[ Text : Sora ] It’s happened before. Not tht you remember.

[ Text : Sora ] That’s why I have to keep sending you messages.

Even on the bad days. When I can’t

Dont know what to say.

[ Text : Sora ] So I won’t forget.

[ Text : Sora ] Sometimes I think I’m being irrational, though.

[ Text : Sora ] I know they still remember you.

[ Text : Sora ] They have to.

[ Text : Sora ] You haven’t forgotten about us either, right?

[ Text : Sora ] I can’t

[ Text : Sora ] Im trying

[ Text : Sora ] It’s.

[ Text : Sora ] Bad.

Feels bbad. Brken.

[ Text : Sora ] Haven’t written in a hwile.

While.

Sorry.

[ Text : Sora ] Cant figure out what I want to say.

[ Text : Sora ] Trying to be better.

[ Text : Sora ] Cloud be worse?

[ Text : Sora ] That’s not. Saying mcuh.

[ Text : Sora ] Sorry.

[ Text : Sora ] I’ll try to ttalk to you again soon.

[ Text : Sora ] Kairi came home today.

[ Text : Sora ] I’m sure you knew that.

[ Text : Sora ] We talked for a bit.

She couldn’t talk about you.

Can’t blame her.

[ Text : Sora ] You’re worrying me again.

What happened?

[ Text : Sora ] I think it’s been almost two years now?

Not srue.

Stopped keeping track.

Days keep blurring together.

[ Text : Sora ] I did a year before

So this shouldn’t be that much worse.

But it’s so much harder ths time?

[ Text : Sora ] Probably because I at least knew you were safe last time.

[ Text : Sora ] We’re trying.

[ Text : Sora ] Im try

We want you back home. Safe.

[ Text : Sora ] I’ll try harder.

[ Text : Sora ] Are you waiting for me?

[ Text : Sora ] I hpoe you’re just slaking off again.

[ Text : Sora ] Sora, I

It’s so bad without uyou.

[ Text : Sora ] Please.

[ Text : Sora ] Come home.

[ Text : Sora ] We ccan’t.

[ Text : Sora ] I cant

Do this? Without you

[ Text : Sora ] We’re all still waiting on you.

His phone has become a definitive lifeline to keeping himself sane. Which isn’t saying much when he is haunted by another lifetime in his dreams, but—

He’s never cared for conventional, healthy methods, anyways. He takes too much care into making sure nothing happens to his phone because, well ( he doesn’t want to imagine what would happened if something happened— but he clings to the hope of a sign, anyways ).

The feeling of something distant in his soul, something missing— something rips at his soul and in the same moment something comes up on his phone—

He must have voiced some sort of anguish because he’s distantly aware of someone asking if he’s okay, but—

He can’t respond, eyes focused on the pop-up on his phone

[ ERROR: MESSAGE COULD NOT BE SENT TO RECIPIENT ]

[ Text : Sora ] I guess these aren’t getting to you?

[ Text : Sora ] That’s fine.

It was foolish for me to hope any of these messages could reach you.

[ Text : Sora ] I still haven’t looked at any of your old messages.

[ Text : Sora ] I like to think you were answering my messages.

Silly, but it helped sometimes.

[ Text : Sora ] Bfeore I could feel you. Knew you were okay.

But not today. What happened?

I know you can’t tell me but.

Wish you could.

[ Text : Sora ] Is this why Kairi couldn’t tell us?

[ Text : Sora ] I think the others can tell too.

That something is different.

[ Text : Sora ] I know I can’t call you, but can you call me?

[ Text : Sora ] It’s important.

[ Text : Sora ] Because I know

If you call, I’ll be able to find you.

[ Text : Sora ] Nothing could stop me from finding you.

Nothing.

[ Text : Sora ] So call for me?

[ Text : Sora ] I’ll see you soon, Sora

Promise.

[ ERROR: MESSAGE COULD NOT BE SENT TO RECIPIENT ]

#soriku #riku #kh #kh spoilers #kh3 spoilers #* mine #* zhi writes

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eirist · 6 years ago

Text

Little Bits and Pieces of Heaven

ONE PERFECT MOMENT

One-shot #: 7

Disclaimer: One Piece (and its characters) belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei.

Reminder: I have no beta-reader. Any grammatical and spelling errors are solely mine.

Warning: OOC possible. One shot. Song fic.

Rating: T

Note: Scenes are not necessarily happening while the lyrics are playing. My suggestion is to keep the song on a loop until you finish reading or you can just totally ignore it and just read the fic. TDs stands for tone dials. Italicized words are song lyrics.

Summary: The swordsman and the navigator share a moment with no pretenses.

I found a love for me Darling just dive right in And follow my lead…

It was Brook who brought the blasted tone dials on the Thousand Sunny after attending a music festival in a jovial island, where the Straw Hats momentarily docked to replenish their supply and stretch their legs.

Almost everyone was excited with their musician’s newest acquisition. Brook may have been a rock star during the crew’s separation but had overlooked (or deliberately overlooked) to bring any of his tone dials on board for the others to enjoy.

After a boisterous debate between the loud members of the crew, it was eventually decided to place the TDs inside the aquarium bar. And when said dials started playing, a hush fell over the rambunctious crew and even their high-spirited captain paused momentarily to listen to the melody.

Brook was thrilled with his friends’ reactions right down to the bones (since he IS only bones after all). He had personally picked the songs recorded on the dials from the artists and musicians who were at the festival and thought his nakama might like it.

And like they did.

For the next days the door of the aquarium bar stayed open as the tone dials played all day long, filling every corner of the Thousand Sunny with different melodies.

Well I found a girl Beautiful and sweet I never knew you were the someone waiting for me…

Zoro’s ears grew accustomed to the sounds that were playing. He did not participate in the crew’s current fascination with the music. Each Mugiwara had his or her own favorite and depending on what is playing, the swordsman can distinguish who’s got their hands on the TDs.

That one particularly bouncy song playing all morning ‘til noon would be Luffy’s. Said captain got hooked on it so much that he played it over and over again, subjecting the crew to a humming marathon of that particular ditty as they go about their daily tasks.

Except him, of course.

Not more than once his ever attentive ears caught Usopp or Chopper humming theirs. Twice he heard Franky singing under his breath during dinner. Even that pathetic excuse of a cook was not excluded from the madness; crooning as he prepared their meals, his feet tapping in time with the music.

Though it seemed like Robin did not get caught up in the music craze, he stand to be corrected when he heard the dark-haired woman humming while tending to her flower bed as he secretly tried to nap under Nami’s mikan trees.

And the navigator was just as bad as the rest of them. When the Sunny was anchored for the night and everyone is asleep, he would hear the tone dials playing Nami’s favorite song.

'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love Not knowing what it was

For three consecutive nights, he kept seeing the navigator stealthily crossing the lawn deck to head to the aquarium bar. Her long, orange hair glinting under the moonlight that it easily caught his eye.

And for three consecutive nights, he would silently follow her to check what in the world she’s up to.

A brief glance at the porthole and he would find the same scene as the previous nights: the navigator sitting on the floor with an open bottle of wine, a glass on her hand, eyes closed, singing softly.

She was totally immersed with the melody that he decided not to bother her and simply chose to walk away, letting her be alone with her wine and her song.

I will not give you up this time

Before the week ended, Zoro—who thought he was resistant to any influences—succumbed unconsciously and found himself humming that certain song, much to his horror.

And it didn’t help that he can actually hear it as he made his way up the ladder of the crow’s nest to relieve Nami of her watch duty.

He wisely shut his mouth to refrain himself from humming again. If she finds out about it, he’ll never hear the end of it.

He approached the open trap door and peered inside. It was the same scene as with the aquarium bar. He noted the tone dials turntable lying on the crow’s nest’s floor along with a bottle of wine and one, unperturbed navigator.

But darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own And in your eyes you're holding mine

Nami acknowledged his presence with a soft ‘hmmm’ and a slight tip of her head as she sipped her wine.

“That thing had been used too much,” he drawled as he made his way inside. Nami angled her head towards him, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

“It’s a wonder it hasn’t snapped in two,” Zoro continued. “Luffy’s already abused it a lot these past few days.”

“Debts and threats did the trick.” The orange-haired girl replied flippantly.

“And scheduled uses?”

Nami’s lips quirked a little at that. “Yep. Or Luffy will hog it all day.” He raised an eyebrow at her. Lately he noticed that her mood seemed to improve whenever she hears that song or whenever she hums it.

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms

“Well time to hit the sack, witch. It’s my shift now.”

“Just a few more minutes.”

“It’s already an hour past midnight. Don’t you need your beauty sleep or something?”

Nami laughed at that. “Gee, thanks for your concern. But I think I want to listen to this a little more.”

“You know me, always keeping an eye out after your well-being.”

That made the navigator laugh more. “Pun unintended?” She winked at him, half-teasingly and half acknowledging his scarred eye. “Of course I know Zoro,” she stated, tilting her head so she can stare at his face and see his reaction. “You always look out for me. It’s a nasty habit of yours.”

He smirked at her in agreement.

Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song

“Now run along swordsman,” she inclined her head towards the trap door; her soft, orange curls swaying with the movement. “I’m still good here, give me a few more minutes.” She switched the TDs on and her song started playing again.

Sighing, he decided to settle himself on the floor just inches away from where she was sitting. It would actually be nice to fall asleep near her surrounded with scents and sounds he can only associate with the navigator.

Placing his hands behind his head, “Just wake me up when you’re going down.” He muttered before closing his eye.

“Sure you don’t want some first?” Nami slid the wine bottle towards him. Zoro muttered a ‘no’ and mumbled something about ‘sake’ that she didn’t quite catch, before drifting off.

When you said you looked a mess,

Nami stole a glance at him, her pretty face lighting up in amusement when she saw what he was doing. It wasn’t really that surprising to her. Zoro must have heard the song a dozen times already, mostly from sticking his nose in her nightly business (of course she’s aware that he’s following and peeking), that it’s bound to affect him sooner or later.

He may not admit it. But apparently the usually stoic man got ensnared too by the crew’s current obsession, rather unconsciously. Because there he was, lips moving on his own accord in what one can classify as singing, albeit silently, hoping she wouldn’t notice.

But she did. She always does. Especially when it comes to him.

I whispered underneath my breath

She brought her knees to her chest and closed her eyes, breathing the salty sea air deeply. Resting her head on her knees, she basked in this rare moment where she has her music, her wine and her swordsman in one place as the Thousand Sunny bobbed lightly on the ocean.

But you heard it, Darling, you look perfect tonight

Well I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know She shares my dreams, I hope that someday I'll share her home

A light breeze blew softly playing with the docked ships’ flags as they swayed back and forth in a steady rhythm. The night was still and the port silent as Zoro finally made his way towards where the Sunny was anchored.

The other Mugiwaras were still at the town’s pub drinking and eating to their hearts’ content. It was the perfect opportunity for the swordsman to catch some sleep without his rowdy crew mates to disturb him.

He left amidst Luffy, Usopp and Chopper dancing on the top of the table, chopsticks jammed in their nostrils as the whole bar drunkenly cheered them on.

With a bottle of sake in one hand Zoro ambled towards the ship, looking forward to some time alone with his drink and nap.

I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets To carry love, to carry children of our own

There was that song again, randomly playing inside his head. He winced a little knowing that he will not be able to stop himself from humming that blasted ditty.

He blames Nami for this. He thought, taking a swig from his bottle before nonchalantly making his way up the ladder leading to the deck.

We are still kids, but we're so in love Fighting against all odds

He stilled for a moment before hoisting himself up on the deck. So that wasn’t all in his head. Halfway up the ship he realized the reason why he suddenly had the urge to hum it.

The song was playing from the Sunny.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Nami in the bar earlier after dinner.

When he finally reached the railing, he stopped short to take in the scene before him.

Moonlight bathed the lawn deck of the Thousand Sunny, making the grass glimmer every now and then. The aquarium bar door was open and from inside, the tone dials were playing the one song that’s been plaguing him day and night. Everything was kind of surreal. Like inside a dream. In the midst of the deck, there was their orange-haired navigator. Her eyes were closed and a serene smile was on her face as she languidly twirled in circles in some sort of dance, her bare feet grazing the grass.

I know we'll be alright this time Darling, just hold my hand

Zoro leaned back against the railing and watched her with concealed amazement, sake momentarily forgotten and absently placed atop the railing.

It might be that to others the scene he was witnessing was kind of crazy…

But not to him.

This was Nami in her unimpeded; no walls up, no hindrances, free from the restrictions she imposed upon herself.

Nami just being the real Nami and not just the money loving cat thief.

This is her most open, her most vulnerable.

Be my girl, I'll be your man I see my future in your eyes

This is what she would’ve been if the pirate’s life did not manage to grasp her at such an early age. If she had grew up to led a normal life and enjoyed living it.

Maybe that’s the reason why she was so attached to the song. It brings back the lost childhood desires of the girl who grew up too quickly to survive the world.

Without a second thought, he pushed himself away from the railing to join her in one moment of openness.

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song

She didn’t flinched when he suddenly enclosed her in his arms and he realized that she had been aware that he was watching her for some time.

Instead, she tilted her head to look at him and let out girlish laugh. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tiptoeing slightly. And his hold tightened around her waist.

When I saw you in that dress, looking so beautiful

It wasn’t like he was intruding with her privacy by being there.

More so, if anyone should see this openness she rarely show, it should be him. The one who had understood who she really is right from the start.

I don't deserve this, darling, you look perfect tonight

The skirt of her yellow dress brushed against his legs as they moved. He had forfeited his yukata in favor of a white t-shirt and was distinctly aware of Nami’s hands leisurely sliding up and down his shoulders and arms in a soothing gesture before entwining themselves around his neck again.

His eye studied her face carefully. She was always beautiful.

Even more so under the silvery moonlight that seemed to make her glow.

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms

He rested his forehead against hers and her eyes closed to bask in this rare moment with him.

They swayed languorously in a sort of dance but not quite so. The soft ocean breeze blew, playing with the long orange strands of her hair, unfurling the intoxicating citrusy smell in them…

Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song

Zoro lifted a hand to tuck an errant lock behind her ear, letting it linger beside her cheek in the softest of caresses, the arm around her waist pulling her closer to him. A contented smile spread across the navigator’s lips as their eyes met.

No words where needed to confirm what they both know right from the start.

I have faith in what I see Now I know I have met an angel in person

She tilted her face so that her cheek was resting against his. He breathed deeply, taking in her scent as he turned his head to let his lips touch her face in lightest of kisses.

And she looks perfect

The world around them cease to exist. There was only them, the song and this extraordinary moment of tranquility where they both wore their hearts out in their sleeves.

I don't deserve this You look perfect tonight

#zoro x nami #ZoNa #roronoa zoro #nami #zonami #zonalove #zona one-shots #zoro nami fanfiction #one piece fanfiction

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bronzerandlouboutins-blog · 6 years ago

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Best Professional Resume Writing for Cloud Services Developer

Bold text jumps out while italicized text recedes back. Never use smudged paper and never staple your resume. Keep in mind that resume writing is not about the past, but for the future, so never go too deep into the previous job details. Again, determine whether this is the route you feel you need to go before taking out your credit card! Pros and cons! Save This Best Professional Resume Writing for Cloud Services Developer. Writing a career objective is too basic on a professional resume format. With a right resume template in hand the candidate can start editing the information precisely.

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The job of a resume writer is to deeply understand your background so they can "find the gold". The gold are experiences, responsibilities, and accomplishments you didn't think twice about that could potentially double or triple your resume's application-to-interview conversion rate. Research Best Professional Resume Writing for Cloud Services Developer. Many resume writers ask you to fill out a quick intake form/questionnaire, or spend minutes with you on the phone. Hopefully, at least one resume writing tip on this page has given you some food for thought. The most misspelled word on resumes (and my biggest pet peeve) is manager; if the word is spelled as manger, spell check does not catch the error! Read Best Professional Resume Writing for Cloud Services Developer. My criteria were that the resume had to be 0% honest and factual. However, make effective use of action words in your resume that relate to your role and career level.

Guaranteed Interviews for:

Technical Support Specialist

Help Desk Technician

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In fact, some of those resumes were so bad that they have received honorary status on my list of the seven worst things I have ever seen on a resume. If you need more than this, start a new section or paragraph. The awards and promotions gained on the previous company add high value to the profile without doubt. It may end up being misunderstood or not understood at all. Breaking News Best Professional Resume Writing for Cloud Services Developer. The purpose of your resume is to grab the attention of the reviewers, and intrigue them so much that they must bring you in for an interview. Don't let all these efforts go to waste by avoiding these common resume writing mistakes that can cost you the job.