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ladadiida · 8 months

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𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐢 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 as much as you wanted to stay by his side, you couldn't bear the thought of watching him fall in love with other women while you're stuck at the kitchen washing dishes and measuring ingredients. so you dreamt of leaving, of traveling to different islands to share your lovely songs and tunes; but the more your desire to leave grows, the more sanji finds himself drowning in your warmth.

or,

you and sanji over the years, wherein five times you tried to leave him and the one time you finally did, despite his refusal to let you go.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬 musician reader, 5 + 1 things, pining, unrequited love, not actually unrequited love, heavy (kind of) angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 HERE IT IS! the response to the sneak peek was crazy, and so i rushed to get this done. i only watched the live action so beware of minor mistakes if you ever saw one. english is also not my first language and you are welcome to correct me anytime for any grammatical errors. title is a lyric from the last time by taylor swift ft. gary lightbody. this fic is also posted in ao3 with its full summary and WITH A BONUS CHAPTER. enjoy reading!

𝐰𝐜 11.3k

"There you are."

Your soapy, wet hands almost dropped the ceramic plate you were currently washing in the dirty kitchen sink as soon as you heard a familiar smooth and honeyed voice. Abruptly turning off the sink so that the sound of his approaching footsteps were clear to your ears, you wiped the sweat off your forehead with the back of your hand before turning your body towards him.

He was carrying a stack of plates, a fresh batch to add to the pile you had to wash, with an obnoxious yet handsome smile plastered on his lips. You took a deep breath to calm the growing irritation at the bottom of your stomach, reminding yourself that this was your job and you only had a couple of hours to endure until you're free to lock yourself up in your bedroom. You were particularly looking forward to writing today, and the thought of finishing the lyrics to your new song tonight slightly eased your mood. Accepting your fate, you pointed to the remaining space beside the sink.

"Place it there." You told him, albeit begrudgingly as you turn on the sink again and pour more soap on the battered sponge.

You took a mental note to ask Zeff later about buying new sponges, and if you were lucky to catch him in a good mood, you'll put in a request to get the sink fixed and cleaned. Your eyes scanned over the grime and rust around the area. If you were going to spend the rest of your life washing dishes, then you might as well get a proper kitchen sink to do so.

An amused laugh fell out of the golden haired man you grew up with, surprised at your compliance to do the job you hated. The sound nearly sent your poor heart into a dizzying whirlwind of little nuisances called emotions. "What a hardworking woman."

"I could say the same to you. It seems like you have a new record today." You said while you splashed dirtied bowls with soap water, smiling at him teasingly, "Thought you would've been kicked out of the line by now."

"The old man just can't help but to accept the fact that I am a greater cook than him." He smirked, wiping a knife with a dish cloth. Trying not to roll your eyes, you shook your head at his usual display of arrogance, yet you can't help but to grin as you began to hear scratching sounds against the floors.

"Then you better get those chopped carrots ready." You replied, and when you got to finish your sentence, the doors to the kitchen swung open, revealing the head chef.

Zeff's cold and steely eyes immediately landed on the blond. He walked towards him with a fast pace despite only having one leg, his braided mustache bouncing in each step.

"Aye, aye, aye. Why haven't you started on the carrots yet, little eggplant? Can you get any slower?" He scolded, loud enough for the whole staff to hear, but none of them even flinched. You returned back to your plates and glasses, smiling softly. This was part of your routine everyday: to listen in their silly arguments.

However, before the younger chef can reply, you butted in, "Sanji fetched some of the plates for me. Since there's a lunch rush, I couldn't leave the kitchen."

Zeff let out a low hum. You couldn't even see Sanji's face, but you knew him well enough to know that he was smiling triumphantly, knowing that he won this time. After a few minutes of contemplating, the head chef clicked his tongue. "Don't defend him, little lass. But I'll let it slip this time. What are you waiting for, then? Start cutting them!"

"Yes, chef." Sanji answered in a jovial manner, placing the carrots on a chopping board.

Twisting the faucet lever so that the water flow from the sink is gentle and quiet, you then paid attention to their little banters every now and then. You brought up a wine glass and positioned it by your side to try to get a glimpse of the two most important men in your life. Through their reflection on the glass, you can see Zeff hunching over Sanji's knifework, nodding every time the vegetables were correctly sliced.

On the other hand, Sanji was unbothered by the head chef's observations and continued to cut the ingredients calmly. Some of the strands in his hair fell down on one side of his face, covering an eye, and most people would think that it was an unusual way of styling hair; yet it was one thing out of many that you loved the most about him.

You accepted it years ago.

You accepted the fact that you somehow fell in love with Sanji Vinsmoke along your weird journey of working in a sea restaurant full of former pirates and making music while at it. How the pesky feelings grew and wrapped themselves around your aching heart, you didn't know. Maybe it was when he learned to cook your favorite food and gave it to you afterwards, or the way his crystal blue eyes reminded you of snowflakes every winter.

Or maybe it was when he pulled your hair out of jealousy the moment he learned that Zeff would be taking in another child in his care, but brushed it and even braided it after the latter cleared the misunderstanding. Maybe it was when he supported you in your dreams and told you they weren't silly, maybe it was when he fought off drunk men that were trying to hit on you. Or maybe it was the way his voice would drop an octave lower whenever he asks you for a favor. The list could go on and on and you still wouldn't know the reason why. It doesn't matter anyway. You tripped, you fell, and now you're pining.

Drying off the last of the plates, you washed your own hands after and patted them dry on your skirt. You were the last one to leave the kitchen, the other staff already back in their quarters after a long, exhausting day of cooking. You fixed the signature blue bandana tied in your hair then went on your way towards the upper deck.

You weren't blessed with a talent in cooking, so you offered to do chores instead. Washing the dishes, cleaning the restaurant, and doing the laundry were few of the things you do in the Baratie. You can't say that you enjoy it, but you were beyond grateful that Zeff gave you a chance despite his opposition to let a woman work inside his restaurant.

As you were about to go to the newly laundered clothes you hung on a thin wire earlier that morning, you heard two voices speaking. You also smelled cigarette smoke wafting through the air, and you only knew one person who could be smoking at this hour. Your breath hitched in anticipation.

"You bringing a woman to your bed again, Sanji?" The other person asked playfully, but there was a hint of disbelief in his voice. You carefully took a peek so you won't accidentally reveal yourself and be accused of eavesdropping. Two people came into view with their backs facing you.

"Now, what are you talking about, Patty? I am a gentleman. I only had a nice chat with the lovely lady and escorted her back to her ship." Sanji interjected, a cigarette hanging on his lips.

Patty huffed. "I didn't know that chatting included kiss marks on jawlines."

This caused Sanji to laugh and say, "Not my fault she was charmed by my food."

"The boss man ain't gonna like it when he finds out about this."

"He's not gonna find out." Sanji assured him, wiping off the said kiss mark on his jaw. You stared at him as he did so, and you pitied the woman who planted that kiss, knowing she was just one of the many beautiful ladies Sanji had flirted with before. However, a tinge of pain in your chest said otherwise, taunting you that it was not pity you're feeling, but foul jealousy.

"Why don't you look for more decent women, eh? How about 'little lass' for a change?" Patty suddenly suggested.

It was like someone had hit your stomach with one of the metal pans in the kitchen with the way it lurched in surprise and nervousness. Your heartbeat started to quicken the longer you waited for his response, making your grip on your skirt tighter. In moments like these, you allowed yourself to hope, to wish that he saw something in you and that he finds you beautiful and lovely enough to be the person standing by his side.

But his answer made all that hope crumble down into nothing but dust.

"I don't see her that way." Sanji said after a long stretch of silence, taking a long drag from the cigarette then releasing the smoke in a single breath.

Ah.

You blinked repeatedly, trying to keep the tears from forming. It's always been like this, so why can't you get used to it? Taking a deep breath, you gulped away the knot forming in your throat and decided to leave. You can grab the clothes later.

"You're too kind for him." Someone behind you spoke, making you jump and tense up. Turning around, you saw Zeff looking at you with an unreadable emotion in his eyes and his hands on his hips, almost like he knew your secret. Of course he does. He always sees everything.

You stumbled on your words. "Sir?"

"That boy is always up to something." He began, switching his attention to Sanji. "One minute he's stubbornly immature in the kitchen, and the next he'll be a thirsty man staring at women like they're liquid booze."

Clearing your throat, you forced a smile.

"Well, he can be a lot sometimes." You agreed, remembering the days when the two of you would fight over irrelevant matters. Then you chuckled and continued, "But he's kind. He's gentle, and lovely, like a freshly made poem you keep repeating in your head. But then he's also confusing, hot-headed, and reckless. He's like the sea, isn't he? Calm yet wrapped with mystery, dangerous yet beautiful..."

You trailed off, an unbearable heat rising up your cheeks and neck once you slowly began to realize that you just ranted out your feelings to the head chef. You glanced at him with wide eyes, preparing to see a disgusted look on his face; however, Zeff didn't appear to be repulsed by your little speech. In fact, the corners of his lips were slightly quirked up.

"But I cannot swim. If I were to drown, he wouldn't save me." You quickly added, hoping to shut down the topic.

He sighed. "You will meet someone who deserves you as much as you deserve them, little lass." He simply said. He then laid his hand out, and on his palm was a little box poorly tied with a ribbon. "Here, for you."

Altnough you were a bit confused at the random gift, you accepted it and cradled the box to your chest. "I'll be okay, Zeff." You insisted, grinning cheekily. "When I become famous, I'll sing my songs here in Baratie, and people would flood the restaurant to hear my singing. And to eat your food too, of course."

The head chef nodded, relief flooding his expression. "I look forward to that." He said while awkwardly returning your smile.

That night, when you were sure that everyone in the Baratie was asleep, you opened the loose floorboard on the floors of your bedroom and grabbed the wooden box you kept hidden for a long time now. You opened the lid and began counting the Berry you saved for the past few months.

Tomorrow was the perfect day to leave.

You just can't stay here. Yes, you had a roof over your head, delicious food to eat everyday, and clean clothes to wear but you were so miserable. This wasn't the life you wanted. You wish to go out there, sing your heart out, and fall in love with someone who actually loves you back.

A knock on your door made you freeze. You held your breath as the person on the other side continued to knock a few more times. "You awake?"

Pain surged through your veins, your chest twisting in agony. Sanji.

"You didn't come down for dinner. I guess you're too tired, hmm?" He said, his muffled voice gentle, and the sound almost prompted you to stand up and open the door for him. But you dug your fingernails in your palms and resisted, because you can't just let this opportunity pass by.

You heard a brief clinking sound before Sanji spoke again, "Sweet dreams, ange."

Once his footsteps faded away, you cautiously moved towards your door and opened it as quietly as you can. There, on the floor, was a small plate with a slice of your favorite desert: angel's food cake, topped with fresh cream and strawberries.

You bent down and saw a note beside the plate. And when you got to read the contents of the note, you burst into tears and sobs that wracked down your entire body.

Happy Birthday

— S.

You ate the cake with tears silently falling down your cheeks, and that was the first time you failed to leave Sanji Vinsmoke.

⸻ • ⸻

Today was the day, and you won't allow anyone to ruin it for you.

You had saved enough Berries to travel around the world and sustain yourself for the upcoming months. Your notebook containing the lyrics of the songs you wrote laid open on top of your bed as you spent all night revising them while planning out an itinerary. Then you'll find a place to settle in, a stable job that required doing what you loved the most, and overall just be peaceful and free from pirates and chefs and pirate chefs. It was perfect.

Folded clothes surrounded you everywhere, ready to be packed in your bags. Once you finished stuffing them all in, you grabbed your treasured instrument, the one thing you couldn't live without: your guitar, which has been with you since you were a little child. It was given by your mother and you've been attached to it ever since.

It has scratches all over its wooden surface, and the strings needed some fixing occassionally, but you wouldn't trade it for the greatest treasures in the world. You ran your fingers over it, suddenly feeling like it was lacking something. Seeing the paint chipping off at the corners, you figured that it needed a little color. You'll need lacquer, and paint if you managed to find some.

You set the guitar aside and left your bedroom to head downstairs to the kitchen. As you were about to push the doors open, a loud, angry shout made you stop in your tracks.

"I won't ever become a pathetic waiter for you!" Sanji's thunderous yells can be heard from outside. Your shoulders tensed up. It was a good thing that brunch was over and all the customers had left.

Zeff's own furious voice followed, "Leave then, for all I care! You can do anything you want, but don't you ever serve one of your shit dishes in my kitchen!"

A frown settled on your face. Their fights were a normal occurrence to you, but this one sounded more grave than usual. Crossing your arms, you stepped in closer to the entrance and hesitated whether you should go in or not. Before you could make a decision, Zeff beat you to it by pushing the doors open, rage emanating from his figure as he ignored and walked past you.

Without hesitation this time, you entered the kitchen, greeted by the sight of Sanji bowing over the counter, breathing heavily, his face covered with his hair. He didn't move an inch even as you approached him, the clacking of the heels in your boots echoing throughout the room.

Both of you were silent as you rummaged through cabinets, trying to find lacquer to cover your guitar with, while he tried his best to calm himself down after his outburst. Many cupboards later, you finally found a small can of used up lacquer, but as you started to reach for it, your hand completely stopped mid-air.

You looked over your shoulder, and found Sanji already recovered from the argument seeing that he was on the move again, preparing a cut of beef tenderloin and other ingredients he needed for tonight's dinner.

Slowly, you closed the cupboard and went closer to him. He still refused to look at you. And so you watched him place a bag of flour on the countertop, slices of cold butter, and a variety of spice bottles to season the meat with.

Sanji began to wrap twine around the beef tenderloin. You sighed, and before you could stop yourself, you grabbed a bowl and decided to help him. Your guitar can wait.

It was rare for you to cook inside the kitchen, having so little knowledge about food and how they were prepared, but you knew this recipe well. You poured two cups of flour through the sifter, followed by placing heaps of the cold butter in the mixture.

The moment you started to mix the dough for the puff pastry, Sanji quickly pointed out in a monotone voice, "You're adding too much butter."

You raised your head and glanced at him, his attention now on the meat he was searing on a skillet. You smiled, glad that he was speaking again.

"You're beginning to sound like the old man himself." You joked lightly.

His jaw clenched. "Don't compare me to that shitty geezer."

In a softer voice, you asked, "What happened?"

"The usual." He replied curtly. "Didn't approve of my dishes."

You perked up upon hearing about a dish he made himself. Sanji was talented when it comes to creating his own recipes, and sometimes, you would be the person he chooses to test them out. Every time he lets you taste them, your chest would feel warm and you wouldn't be able to sleep for days because you'll keep replaying it in your head. "What did you make this time?"

"It doesn't matter. He'll never agree to any of them."

"Maybe I can—"

"Drop it. Don't poke your nose in things you're not involved." Sanji cut you off, his hardened gaze meeting your concerned stare. You only blinked at him, straightening up.

"I see." You muttered, eyes landing on the bag of flour. You looked at him, then at the flour, then back at him. A smile began to form on your lips as a devious plan formulated itself in your brain. Sticking your hand inside the bag of flour, you took a fistful of the pillowy powder and threw it straight into his face.

Sanji jumped back, flinching and closing his eyes when some of the flour's particles managed to enter them. His jaw dropped open in surprise, hands quickly removing themselves from the skillet's handle to dust off the flour that rested on his now white hair. You tried to stifle a laugh as you watched him struggle getting the flour out.

Once he managed to clean himself, he stared straight at you and said in the calmest way possible, even if you knew deep inside that he was fuming, "What was that for?"

A high-pitched snort left your mouth. You covered it to prevent yourself from laughing.

You cleared your throat and smiled at him innocently. "Am I involved now?"

His piercing blue eyes then started to sparkle with mirth, amusement replacing the vexation previously swimming in them. He also looked to be trying to push down a smile, and that made your heart skip a beat. "You're insufferable."

He reached for the bag of flour. You squeaked and took off running, trying to escape from his attack, but he still managed to throw a small amount on you. Giggling, you ran the opposite direction to confuse him, and yet he caught up with you, throwing another round of flour. This time, it hit your cheeks, making you laugh loudly. He laughed along, pointing a finger at you because you probably looked crazy at the moment.

You tried to take the bag of flour away from him, but he just took it an as opportunity to catch your arm and grip it firmly. He pulled you into his chest, caging you completely.

With your cheeks warm and your breaths short, you tilted your head up and looked at him, noticing the way that you were both covered in flour; and not only that, you also noticed the short distance between your bodies and how your noses were almost touching. His pupils were dilated, black dominating the alluring blue shade that kept haunting your dreams. You drank in the attention he was giving you, the breathing coming out from his soft lips, and the comfortable silence that wrapped around the both of you like a safe little bubble.

"Caught you." Sanji muttered, voice deeper and huskier, making you let out a quiet sigh. His arms snaked around your waist as he leaned in closer. A million questions started to run inside your head, begging to know what this situation was and how you got into it. "Nowhere to run now, darling."

A slamming of doors shattered the secret moment you shared, and you immediately pulled away from each other. You pushed down your disappointment and hid it in the secret crevice in your heart as the two of you faced your intruder.

Zeff observed your flour-laden figures, his thick eyebrows scrunched together in irritation. He then demanded, voice seething and dripping with anger, "What in the hell are you two little brats doing?"

Sanji blurted out in defense, "Zeff, we—she was the one who started it!"

"And you went along with it!" You accused incredulously, grinning from ear-to-ear. Sanji grinned back, shaking his head and biting his lower lip.

"Oh, shut up before I stitch your mouths! Just by looking at you two, I already know that you snot-nosed shits are both at fault!" Zeff shouted, clicking his tongue at the sight of the half emptied flour. "Wasted them good flour for your childish fights. You're even worse than fatwits. Get out and clean the toilets!"

"Not the shitty toilets!" Sanji groaned, and you couldn't blame him for it. The bathroom area smelled revolting and the floors were always wet for some reason.

"I don't wanna hear complaints from you when you've dirtied my kitchen! Off you go!" Zeff dismissed, and you can't help but to laugh again when you saw Sanji pout like a little kid.

The head chef watched the two of you leave the kitchen together while giggling and exchanging fond looks. Patty, who also saw the whole situation unfold, suddenly appeared beside him, snickering, "I can already hear the wedding bells ringing."

Zeff took a deep, tired breath.

"Oh, they're ringing alright."

You cleaned and scrubbed the toilets the entire afternoon with the man you're in love with, flushing your plans down the drain and forgetting all about them, and that was the second time you failed to leave Sanji Vinsmoke.

⸻ • ⸻

You didn't know how you ended up in a ship full of pirates.

Well, maybe you knew. A little. But it wasn't supposed to be like this.

Your knuckles were beginning to turn white with how tight you were clenching them. A mix of emotions swirled around in your chest, namely confusion, impatience, and hesitation, pondering about whether you should be irritated at yourself or at Sanji.

The opportunity was there, handed to you like a steak on a golden platter, or a miracle that suddenly fell from the sky. The day you met Luffy and his strange pirate crew was the day you immediately realized that he was the key to your exit from the Baratie. He was friendly; a good pirate, according to his own words, so you figured he would allow you to tag along for a while until you find an island to get off to. You just had to ask for his permission and wait for his reply.

Luffy agreed. And you were ecstatic. You were finally going to leave Sanji Vinsmoke and your pathetic, unrequited feelings behind.

Or so you thought.

You watched in horror as he followed you when you boarded the Going Merry, also carrying a bag of his own. He said something along the lines of Luffy needing a cook for the journey to the Grand Line but you couldn't care less. You got here first. Why was he here?

So here you were, sitting in a corner, lonelier than ever and regretting your life decisions. You watched Luffy and his friends celebrate after defeating the pirate Arlong and saving Coco Village from his inhuman hold over its people, but Sanji and the beautiful orange haired Nami were nowhere in sight.

The thought of them being gone together at the same time left a bitter aftertaste on your tongue.

Nami. The first time you laid eyes on her, ethereal was the word that came up to your mind. With soft deep saffron locks that framed her small face and a wide blue eyed gaze, she would have the cruelest of men begging for mercy and affection at her feet.

Unfortunately, Sanji was one of those men.

Fuck, you cursed mentally, rubbing your face with your hands to try and forget about the times he flirted with her and the moments he wouldn't stop talking about her or kept asking about her favorite food or dessert or if she's into blonds. Your already battered heart doesn't need the usual reminder that he'll never see you that way, that you weren't going to experience his sweet words and his loving gazes.

You took a sharp breath. It's okay, you tell yourself over and over again until they were buried in your heart. They'll make a great pair, Sanji the cook and Nami the thief. A strong man with an equally strong woman. Yes. That makes sense.

You'll leave soon anyway, and you'll no longer have to worry about seeing them or how they were going to end up together.

And yet you can't help but to think about the things that could've been if you were the one he was in love with instead.

You were crossing your arms and hugging yourself as the crisp afternoon air was getting chilly when a hand gripping a shot glass filled with amber liquid appeared in front of you. Looking up, you saw Luffy smiling widely at you, waving the glass encouragingly.

"Come on, just one drink! Usopp poured this for you!" The captain exclaimed heartily, obviously trying to uplift your spirits and to make you feel welcomed in his crew, even though you did nothing but to guard the Going Merry while they were fighting for their lives.

You shook your head and smiled politely. "No, I don't drink. Sorry."

Luffy's smile faltered, but he recovered quickly. He nodded, setting the glass down on top of a barrel. "Well, okay." He said, then turned to Usopp, who was currently downing a whole bottle of whiskey. "Hey, where's Nami?"

"Oh, she's with the cook," Usopp replied cheekily, wiping his mouth after drinking. There was a teasing tone in his voice as he continued, "Someone's getting a boyfriend tonight!"

With that said, you reached for the shot glass that Luffy was offering you earlier, grabbed it swiftly, and poured the whole thing down your throat. The whiskey tasted unfamiliar, and it burned and made you dizzy at first taste, but it doesn't matter; as long as it can make you forget just for a little while, you were willing to drink more of the horrible beverage.

Zoro, the green haired swordsman and the captain's first mate, stared at you as if you had lost your mind, but a tinge of concern was visibly written on his face. "Woah, slow down." He warned sternly.

"I thought you didn't drink." Was all Luffy said, blinking in confusion. You chuckled tiredly.

"Now I do."

Drink after drink, glass after glass. You lost count on how many times Usopp poured whiskey for you, or how many times Zoro shook his head in disbelief. Luffy was the same old happy-go-lucky captain throughout the disaster that was starting to brew inside you, turning your brain into mush. You can barely lift your head or your fingers as you asked for another shot in an incoherent voice. Luckily, Usopp was still able to understand you, tipping the whiskey bottle yet again towards your glass.

You started to raise the glass to your lips, eager to just get severely drunk and be over with it already. However, you suddenly felt strong fingers wrap around your wrist to stop you from drinking; and when you caught sight of a familiar silver ring with Baratie's jolly roger inlaid upon it, you didn't need to look up to know who it was.

Sanji's voice was unnervingly calm as he questioned the crew, but the slight shake in his words lets you know otherwise. "Which one of you allowed her to drink?"

"No one. She took the glass and made the decision herself." Zoro drawled, challenging the chef, "The last time I checked, waiter, you were supposed to be the one responsible for her."

Sanji ignored him and turned his attention to you. He stole the shot glass away from you, then kneeled and held your hands comfortingly, smiling. "Come on, ange. It's time for you to rest now." He said quietly, yet loud enough for only you to hear.

You stubbornly shook your head repeatedly and whined loudly. "No! Don't touch me!" You cried, prying your hands away from his, "I don't like you...!"

Zoro huffed in amusement at your declaration. Sanji glared at him for a short second before looking at you again. This time, he stood and gently placed his arms under your shoulders to raise you up. Once you were standing on your feet, he swept you up and carried you bridal style with ease. Another whine escaped your lips.

"Put me down! I want another drink, please, just one more!" You pleaded while throwing weak punches on his chest. Sanji only smiled and began to lead you towards the sleeping quarters. You continued to thrash in his arms as he walked slowly and in small steps so he wouldn't drop you.

Sanji carefully set you down on your hammock. "No drinks for you until you actually learn how to take them." He told you, tucking a stray piece of your hair behind your ear. His thumb caressed the soft skin of your cheek and rubbed it in circles, noting how fast you were heating up due to the alcohol. You pouted.

"Pretty please, Sanji...please..."

He chuckled, staring at you intensely. "Maybe some other time, ange."

You went quiet, staring back at him with half-lidded eyes. Then, you crossed your arms like a child and asked, "Why do you keep calling me that?"

Sanji raised a brow. "Call you what? Ange?"

You nodded. "I don't like it."

He began to smile, the dimples on his cheeks appearing. You briefly wondered if he'd allow you to poke and feel them. "Why?"

"I don't know what it means. Is it an insult?" You wondered aloud, your eyes widening in curiosity.

A hearty and warm laugh came out from Sanji, his eyes forming half-moons as he cackled at your words like they were the biggest joke he heard in his entire life, "Oh, my dear girl, how could I possibly insult you?" He managed to speak between laughs, "It means angel. You're an angel, to me at least. My angel."

Oh.

Your lips parted in surprise. Blinking, you simply said, "You're not Sanji."

He's not Sanji. He wouldn't call you angel; you're not even sure if he found you beautiful or attractive. You wear the same old tattered dresses that Zeff bought for you a long time ago, and you didn't even bother to style your hair or put on face powder like all the other beautiful ladies do. You look nowhere near to an angel.

But Sanji only grinned. "I assure you, I am very much Sanji. The little brat who pulled your hair when we were barely eleven years old."

Your breath hitched at the thought of him remembering one of your fond memories in your childhood. "You remembered."

"Of course I remembered." He whispered, cupping your cheek one last time before he got ready to leave. He turned on his heel and was about to walk away when you spoke.

"Are you going to see her again?" You asked, and he quickly noticed how broken your voice sounded. Sanji faced you in concern and was taken aback with how deep you were frowning. He figured that you were just drunk and women tend to be different when they were intoxicated. You were no exception to that, it seemed.

"Hm?" He hummed, prompting you to elaborate further.

Tears began to form in the corners of your eyes. You shakily mumbled, "Nami...you're going to Nami, aren't you?"

Sanji froze, an icy cold rush filling up his body. A knot formed in his throat, and it continued to tighten the longer he stared at your face. You looked so hurt—like he just destroyed your beloved guitar into pieces. Your lower lips were trembling, your eyes glistening with unshed tears. For a moment, he couldn't find the courage to answer you, feeling like he could die at any second now if he answers your question.

But the answer was simple.

"Yes." He breathed out, a sharp pain stabbing through his heart.

And it only became worse when a teardrop finally rolled down your cheek. "Why?" You rasped, and Sanji didn't know that a single word can hurt this much.

He tried to give you a reassuring smile but awfully failed to do so. He started to explain, "We were just discussing something—"

"Why not me?"

Those three words coming out of your mouth felt like a final blow to his heart. He can feel himself bleed, drained of life and soul because of you and your words alone, and he let you. He let you kill him, he let you make him swim in his own guilt and he doesn't why, why, why.

More tears fell out of your angelic eyes, staining your cheeks with wet trails, and he tried to hold himself back from wiping them off. You choked out, "Why not me, Sanji? I have been asking myself that question for the past decade, and it eats my brain every night like some kind of plague, but I let it anyway. Because why? Why can't you just recognize me and appreciate me and see me? Why can't you go to me if you want to talk about your dreams, or what dish you're planning to create? Why do you have to seek solace in other women when you have me standing by your side everyday, me who is willing to listen to you and whatever you have to say?"

Angry, red rimmed eyes glared at him. Your hair strands stuck to your skin and framed your face as sweat began to form on your forehead. Teardrops clung to your wet eyelashes and your face was drenched like you just took a swim in the ocean. You were burning with fury and rage and want, struggling to breathe properly after your little rant, and Sanji thought you couldn't be more beautiful. You were so beautiful.

"Oh but I couldn't blame you for that. She's just so beautiful, so perfect, and so strong. She could give you anything you wanted and she could be anything that I never was." You hiccuped, smiling forcibly, "But in the end...I will still love you. I will always love you. I think."

You scooted closer to him, leaning in until your faces only had a few inches apart between them. You didn't notice how his lips were slightly parted in shock, nor his eyes that were starting to glisten with his own tears. "No matter where I flee to, or where I lay my heart on, or which skies I look at—it's always you, Sanji. It's always been you."

"I had been so selfless all these years, Sanji. So please, can you pretend to like me too, just for today, before I leave?" You whispered meekly, cupping his cheeks with both of your hands. Numb and completely speechless, Sanji simply gave you a single nod as a response.

You gingerly pressed your lips against his, and he immediately tasted the saltiness of your tears. But your lips were soft, as he expected from an angel like you. And so he couldn't help himself; he closed his eyes and delicately kissed you back, repeating your name in his mind like a sacred prayer and wishing to the stars above to not let the moment end.

However, you broke the kiss by losing consciousness and falling down on your hammock, knocked out and peacefully snoring.

Sanji spaced out, not moving from his position. No. It's not that he didn't want to move—he couldn't move. He couldn't feel anything except for the drumming of his heart, knocking on his chest desperately. His lips were still tingling and his ears and neck were warming up.

He gulped, loosening the collar of his shirt to cool himself down. He needed a cigarette. And a drink.

Scrambling to get up even with his trembling legs, Sanji managed to stand properly. He avoided your sleeping figure and decided to get out of the room as soon as possible. However, when he took a step forward, his foot touched a notebook lying on the floor.

Sanji bent down and took the notebook. He flipped it open, and after reading only the first page, he finally came into a conclusion.

Heartbroken, drunk, and unaware, you dozed off the rest of the afternoon. When nightfall settled on the azure horizon and dusk fell on the rough surface of the sea, you missed the chance to walk away from the crew yet again; and that was the third time you failed to leave Sanji Vinsmoke.

⸻ • ⸻

The next morning, you woke up feeling much better with only the memory of you drinking and crying yourself to sleep and nothing else. Everything was normal, and the crew began to make plans for their next adventure during breakfast.

Everything was normal, except for Sanji, who was quiet throughout the whole discussion. And of course, just like always, you were the only one who noticed his strange behavior. You tried to catch his eyes, but he looked at everywhere except you.

When he finally met your gaze, you gave him a soft smile, hoping he would smile back and everything was fine and you were just overthinking it.

He doesn't.

⸻ • ⸻

"Are you really going to leave?"

Taking your gaze away from the heart shaped cloud you spotted on the clear blue sky, you faced the person who asked the question you were dreading for some time now. Luffy was staring curiously at you, awaiting your answer. You can't help but to smile softly at the captain, whose kindness you have yet to repay.

"I believe we already talked about this, captain." You said, recalling your short conversation last night. He kept asking you if you were really sure about your decision while his eyes darted to a certain blond haired chef every time he shoots you the question. It was strange, and you felt even more suspicious when Sanji pretended not to hear your answer and even refused to glance your way.

Luffy put his hands on his hips. "You know, you're welcome to stay and be a part of my crew."

You crossed your arms, smile growing wide. "And what, pray tell, is my role? Sing battle songs and chant your names while you swing your gummy arms at pirates?" You joked playfully.

The young captain stroked his chin in deep thought, almost like he was considering your suggestion. "That's not a bad idea."

You bursted out laughing, shaking your head in disbelief, "I'll leave first thing in the morning. I told Nami to dock at a nearby island."

"What about Sanji?" He suddenly questioned, leaving you flabbergasted for a split second. You weren't prepared to hear Sanji's name after days of not talking to him properly.

Him not speaking with you wasn't a strange occurence at all; back when you were still in the Baratie, there would be days when Sanji wouldn't bother to acknowledge your presence and would completely ignore you. This would happen whenever he was extremely busy with his cooking or he had a disagreement with Zeff.

And it seemed like this was one of those days, seeing that he had been ignoring you for about a week now. Yes, you have been keeping count. Although he doesn't appear to be angry with you, the short-lived exchanges and the abrupt cut-offs before you could say anything deeply concerned you more than it should have.

You tried to rack your brains for reasons on why he was acting like this. Maybe Nami had rejected him for the hundredth time, or Zoro kept throwing insults in his direction—or maybe his cigarette packet had ran out. Maybe his kitchen knives weren't sharp anymore and he was struggling in the kitchen.

Should you ask him? Should you go to him and demand him to tell you what's wrong?

You pressed your lips together. It sounded like the worst idea you've thought of so far. You convinced yourself that Sanji was fine and he'd be back to normal in no time; there would no need to talk to him.

"What about him?" You faltered, chuckling to ease the tension in your body.

"You care for each other." Luffy explained bluntly and matter-of-factly, "What does he think about you leaving?"

A shaky sigh made its way out of your lips. How will you tell the captain that his cook has been avoiding you like you were some kind of rotten fish these days?

"I..." You stammered, gathering the courage to lie to Luffy even if you thought it would be the gravest sin you could commit, "He...agrees. Yeah. No need to worry."

Luffy grinned, but it didn't look normal at all. You winced in embarrassment. He knew that you were lying and was totally unconvinced.

Luckily, he didn't voice it out. He only nodded and said, "Great! Oh, I have an idea! Why don't you sing for us before we part ways? Think of it as a farewell party for the crew."

Hearing the pure and genuine excitement dripping from his voice, you couldn't turn him down. It was a good idea too, and now that you thought about it, you haven't performed for them yet. "Sure." You agreed, shrugging.

He raised his fist up in the air and cheered. You smiled, watching as he shouted for his crewmates' names to come down and listen to you sing. You prepared yourself for an impromptu performance, making sure that your guitar was properly tuned and your voice was clear enough to give you the best version of your singing. Sitting on top of a barrel, you faced your audience of four, all their eager eyes watching your every move.

As you struck the first chord to your song, you tried hard not to think that Sanji wasn't there to watch you sing the song you secretly dedicate to him.

In the kitchen, Sanji busied himself by plating the food that he'll serve to his fellow crew mates for dinner. He grabbed a large plate and placed the chicken drumsticks that his captain favored, but Luffy wasn't the one in his mind when he cooked those. Looking at the food, he wondered if you would love them too.

He shook his thoughts off and took the plate with him outside. Approaching the crew, his steps slowed down when he heard a familiar singing voice and a melodic tune of a guitar.

Sanji almost dropped the plate.

It was you. Of course it was you, you were the only one he knew who had a voice like that. It was you, and you were singing with a lovely smile painted on your sweet lips, the very same lips that touched his a few days ago, resulting in him not getting a wink of sleep every night. The beam of the sunset right behind you colored your hair in the different shades of the sky as the dulcet-filled notes you made echoed throughout the vast sea. For a moment, he was worried that you were going to attract ferocious sea beasts with your angelic voice and steal you away from him.

He could hear his blood pound in his ears the longer he observed you from afar. You looked happy. Happier than you were when you stayed with him and Zeff. His chest tightened, knowing that you leaving and go on adventures on your own was probably the best decision you could make, even if that means leaving him too.

You were finishing up your song by the time you saw Sanji standing behind Usopp, silently listening. He met your gaze, and for the first time ever, you couldn't read his mind. His expression was blank as you stared at each other, and as you opened your mouth to say something, he cut you off.

"Dinner's ready." Sanji announced shortly, setting down the plate in front of Luffy and then walked away without saying another word.

That was your final straw. You immediately put down your guitar and followed him into the kitchen. You didn't care about how you felt Nami's watchful eyes on you as you went after him, nor how Luffy was scarfing down the dinner and was definitely going to finish it all before you could take a bite; you just chased the blond with determination oozing out of you.

You roughly pushed the door open and found Sanji washing the pans he used for cooking. He glanced at you briefly then quickly looked away after. This irritated you even more as you demanded, "Is there something bothering you?"

"You should eat before the food gets cold." He said with an empty voice.

"Sanji!"

He stiffened. You rarely raised your voice at anyone. Sighing in defeat, he dried off his hands and fully faced you.

Your eyes were sharper than his knives, cutting straight into his soul. "I've known you for a long time now, do you think I don't notice whenever you have a problem?" You glowered, taking a step closer to him, "You have a problem. What is it?"

It happened fast. His hand landed on the small of your back and pulled you to his chest, and the other was placed on top of your cheek, and in a single motion, Sanji captured your lips with his. You gasped in the kiss, your heart dropping to the soles of your feet when he tilted his face to deepen it. Your fingers tightly grasped the sleeves of his shirt for support as he passionately moved his lips against yours. A pleasant heat ran down your spine, your whole body tingling and warming up. You were simply drowning. There was no other way to describe it, and it was only caused by his fervent kisses.

Sanji pulled away, resting your forehead on top of yours, and you took it as an opportunity to breathe in air that you lost. "You are the problem." He murmured lowly, eyes darting down to your swollen lips. Confused and lightheaded, you didn't get the chance to retort.

"Ever since that night, ange, you occupy my thoughts. You gave me a taste of your lips and you didn't even remember the next day. Do you know how that feels, hm?" He said, pecking your lips once again. You made a noise in the back of your throat, turning your head sideways so he couldn't kiss you anymore, but he took your chin and hungrily connected both of your lips.

He spoke between kisses, "You torture me. Ever since I read those songs you wrote about me in that little notebook of yours, you torture me with your presence."

That was when you snapped out of your daze. With all the force you could muster, you placed your hands on his chest and pushed him away. Sanji stepped back, surprised at your reaction.

Without giving him a chance to ask you anything, you ran off and left the kitchen, slamming the door loudly so you wouldn't hear him calling your name and be tempted to go back in his arms again.

You arrived in the sleeping quarters, locking the door behind you. You were sure that the others would understand you needing your alone time. Once you made sure you were on your own, your body collapsed altogether, your back sliding down against the door as you panted heavily.

He knows, was all you could think about. He knows about the songs. He knows about your feelings.

Well, you finally got your answer to your previous question, but a more complicated one replaced it. With trembling hands, your fingers raised themselves to your lips, touching its surface. You hated the way that you still felt his warmth on top of them.

A lone tear slid down the side of your nose. He was cruel. Sanji was cruel.

You didn't come out of that room for days, refusing to talk to anyone as you gathered your scrambled throughts and pulled yourself back together, and that was the fourth time you failed to leave Sanji Vinsmoke.

⸻ • ⸻

A stack of books, most of them being a collection of maps compiled in one, rested beside you while you flipped through the pages of the one you chose among them.

Nami has been lending you her books ever since you shut yourself out from the crew. You ignored all of them and only let Nami in, hoping that she'll be able to understand you; and she did. She was a good listener. Although you weren't particularly close with each other, you trusted her and told her everything: your dreams, your problems, your feelings, and Sanji. In return, she confided in you too.

"Here. So you can finally decide on where you will go to," You recall her saying while she handed you her collection of world map books, "and to distract yourself, of course."

"You're too kind, Nami." You said in admiration. Maybe this is why Sanji was enamored with her. She was a beauty inside and out.

Nami shrugged, yet she was smiling. "Just helping a fellow woman out."

The books did take your mind off the stubborn blond haired man that was still resting inside your heart, even if it was only for a fleeting moment. You tried to search for islands that will be suitable for you to start your career, narrowing some of them down into choices, but your eyes wil always lead back to where the Baratie was stationed.

You leaned back against your chair, letting your head hit the wall with a soft thud as you released a sigh of frustration. Not only will you need to prepare yourself for a journey all alone, but you also have to talk to Sanji sooner or later, whether you like it or not. The kiss distracted you more than the books Nami gave you. You think of it in the morning and dream of it at night, and it only got worse every time you remembered that he kissed you like he loved you.

Relaxing in your seat, you closed the book and listened to the silence.

The Going Merry docked for a quick trip to a market to gather fresh ingredients for food. Sanji will be gone for the meantime and you were free to roam around the ship without his heated stare boring holes in your skin.

But the peace was ruined by rushed footsteps and Usopp breaking into the room, almost destroying the door with his brute force. You frowned, standing up on alert when you saw how nervous he looked.

"Sanji's injured!" He exclaimed, which got your brow raising, knowing that he had a long history of lying to people. However, he forcibly pulled Sanji inside, and you were greeted by the sight of a bruised man, whose lips were bleeding and cheeks were starting to yellow.

You immediately sprang into action. You took the first aid kit you packed in your bag and grabbed his arm, making him sit down on your chair.

"How did you get into a fight in just a span of ten minutes?" You asked in irritation, wetting a cloth with saltwater to wipe off the blood on his lips.

Sanji grunted, tensing up when you took a hold of his face and dabbed on his lip using the cloth. "Some petty vendor was selling overpriced onions, and they weren't even the best of quality."

You stopped for a minute, glaring at him. "So you decided to punch them instead of talking it over?"

He only huffed in reply. Pursing your lips in annoyance, you continued to treat his wounds in silence, noticing him flinching and wincing in pain whenever you compress the bruised area with ice. "Who's being petty now?" You scolded impatiently, "Stay still."

The only sound that filled the room was you hastily rummaging your kit trying to find an ointment and an awkward silence that made you want to jump into the sea and never swim back to the surface. You unscrewed the lid of the jar of ointment and scooped some with your finger, looking at Sanji as you did so. He looked back at you quietly, and you tried hard not to think about the fact that you have to touch his lips in order for you to apply it.

It seemed like he realized that too, glancing down at the dollop of ointment on top of your finger, then back to you. You just gave him a small, uneasy smile, showing him that you weren't uncomfortable even though you were, and shyly took a step forward.

As gently as you could, you spread the ointment on the wounded area on his lips, reminding yourself to not be distracted on how soft they looked.

"A busted lip because of overpriced ingredients...it almost feels like you're doing this on purpose so I wouldn't get the chance to leave you." You half-heartedly joked to lighten up the atmosphere. However, you were greeted by nothing, not even a smart comeback or a funny joke from the blond. You hesitantly observed his reaction, and saw that he was grim and serious, guilt swimming in his beryl blue eyes.

The realization began to sink in.

Oh.

You should've known from the start. Sanji was a great fighter; he wouldn't be injured in the first place. "Sanji..."

Sanji took your wrist and held on it tightly. Your breath hitched, only then realizing how much you missed his touch, his warm, gentle, and loving touch.

"Let me go." You weakly said, even though deep down, you didn't want him to.

"Tell me you're not in love with me." He said, sounding utterly desperate that it almost made you fall down to your knees, "Tell me, and I'll let you go."

When you didn't answer, he stood up and cupped your cheeks with both of his hands. He pleaded, "Look at me. Look into my eyes and tell me you don't love me."

"Please don't do this." You whispered in pain as you tearfully shook your head.

"Stay. Please, stay." Sanji begged, pressing his forehead against yours, "What can I do to make you stay? Tell me. I'll do anything. Do I need to kneel? To beg for your forgiveness? Tell me what you want. I'll do anything in my power to make you the happiest woman in all of East Blue. Just please, don't leave."

"I can't." You answered, closing your eyes, a few tears streaming down your cheeks. You hate the way he was making this so hard for you.

He only continued, "Hate me, curse me, shout at me, if you must. Anything but you leaving me. Or do you want to make me yours? Then I am letting you. Whatever you want, mon ange—my heart, my soul, my attention, they're all yours. I'm all yours."

"No..."

"The crew will be incomplete without you." Sanji insisted in anguish.

"I have dreams, Sanji. Just like you and the rest of the crew." You explained softly, placing your own hands on top of his in attempt to comfort him and relieve him from his confusion.

However, he was persistent, "You can achieve your dreams without leaving. You can stay, and I will support you in everything you do. You're better off staying with me—with us."

You said firmly, "I will not spend the rest of my life doing what I don't want."

"Even with me by your side?"

A few second pass before you finally reply, "I'd be miserable."

Pain flashed on his face, making you want to take back your own words, yet you remained strong and unyielding. Sanji took a deep breath and stepped away from you, saying, "I'd rather have you miserable here than go out there and encounter ruthless pirates."

The statement quickly irritated you, frowning at him deeply. "You think I'll have problems with pirates when I've been serving them for years?"

"Oh, darling, you wouldn't be able to say that once you've encountered worse ones, with bounties higher than you could ever imagine." He snapped, voice raising with each word.

"I can manage on my own!" You bit back frustratingly, your tears evaporating into anger.

Sanji scowled at you, impatiently running his fingers through his hair. "You can't fight!" He shouted, voice breaking in the process, and with it, your heart too. It shattered like glass and the shards landed and pierced through your lungs, rendering you breathless. Your eyes widened, mouth dropping open in shock.

Seeing your expression, he immediately snapped back to reality, regret writing itself on his face. You shook your head in disbelief and let out a humorless laugh, "Are you telling me that I'm weak?"

"I didn't say that." Sanji quickly said in a hushed manner.

"But you're implying it!" You choked, still can't believe that he doesn't trust you. He doesn't trust you enough to accomplish your dreams on your own, and that he was not confident that you'll succeed without him by your side.

You wanted to ask him about the passionate kiss you two shared, about his loving gestures that confused the hell out of you, about his fresh bruises that he received on purpose so that he can get you to stay, and why he did all of that. You needed confirmation. But the question that left you was, "What am I to you?"

Sanji stayed quiet, and your heart broke again once more. Deciding that this was the last time he breaks it, you walked away and left him alone to tend to his own injuries.

He lit up a cigarette as he listened to your fading footsteps. A single teardrop fell down from his eye the moment he placed the cigarette between his lips, and all he could think about was that you hurt more than the bruises on his cheeks.

You packed your bags and spoke with Nami, telling her that you were ready, and that was the fifth time you tried to leave Sanji Vinsmoke—and tomorrow, you'll finally succeed.

⸻ • ⸻

The sun had just risen, and the early morning breeze smelled of the ocean, the calming sound of waves filling your ears. It was one of those days when the sky was clear and the sunlight wasn't harsh but pleasantly warm on your skin, making it the perfect day to start working on a new song and strum on your guitar for the melody.

But today was different. You were standing on the first step of the ship's staircase that leads to a docking station and a wooden walkway towards an unfamiliar island that was soon to be your new home. Your fingers clenched on the strap of your bag, finding this moment to be surreal. You have tried many times to leave, and here it was, right on the palms of your hands.

"So. This is it, huh?" Your trance broke as Nami commented beside you. She was the only one to bid you farewell and watch you leave, since the others were still asleep. You thought of Sanji and how he looked like when he was sleeping, staring at his handsome features so you can memorize them and implant it in your mind. He was your first love; you didn't want to forget him.

You smiled. "Thank you, Nami." You said earnestly, "I would've liked to spend more time with you. It's tiring to speak to men sometimes, don't you think?"

She laughed. "Yeah." Then, she caged you in her arms and hugged you tightly, surprising you for a second before you laughed too and returned the hug. "Stay safe out there."

"I will."

"So you planned to leave? Without saying goodbye?" A new voice interrupted, breaking the hug you and Nami both shared. You swiveled to look behind you, and there stood Sanji, appearing to have just woken up, with the strands of his blond hair sticking up in different directions. You observed his dejected expression, the downward tilt of the corners of his lips, and the glistening of his tired eyes. You stared at his crumpled suit and his crooked necktie. Despite how messy he looked, he will always be perfect to you.

You walked forward and looked at him fondly, with your eyes full of so much love reserved for him and him only. "Thought it would hurt less." You said, raising your hands to touch his hair and brush it down, "And I was right. How can I leave now when you're standing in front of me?"

He sighed shakily as he felt your soft fingers threading through his hair. "Then don't." He whispered. You only smiled at him. He didn't smile back, but that didn't stop you from taking both of his hands and caressing his knuckles using your thumb.

"Every night, I'll look at the moon and think of you. I'll tell my stories, sing my songs, and whisper my secrets to it. Just like what you and me would do when we were little." You told him softly and endearingly, "Would you be so kind as to look at the moon too and think of me?"

Sanji's eyebrows were scrunched together in agony, muttering, "I can't make you stay, can I?"

When you didn't answer, he just nodded his head, understanding what you wanted to stay. He forced a smile and tightly squeezed your hands. "I'm sorry."

"I'm yours." You answered, placing a soft kiss on the back of his hands. After letting your lips linger on his skin for a while, you slowly let go, and with one last glance at his face, you stepped back and made your way downstairs to the docking area, leaving before you could change your mind.

Sanji watched you go. While you walked away from the Going Merry, from the crew, and from him, not once did you look back. He just watched as you went farther away and became smaller in the distance, until you blended in with the crowd and you were just another person in a sea of people. And then you were gone.

It was the sixth time you tried to leave Sanji Vinsmoke, and this time, you finally did.

⸻ • ⸻

The red velvet curtains began to draw in front of you, gently falling back down on the stage as you said your final good-byes to your audience for tonight, a bouquet of roses cradled in your arms while you blew delicate kisses towards them. You can still hear their loud cheering and clapping even as you retreated to your personal room backstage.

A middle-aged woman greeted you inside when you stepped in the room and closed the door behind you, whistling. "There she is, our talented rising star!"

You only laughed at the silly nickname, setting the bouquet of roses that one of the people gave you in tonight's show on top of your vanity table. "You exaggerate, Madam. I have only performed two shows in your beautiful theater."

The madam, who was the owner of the theater you were currently working in, shook her head in disagreement. "And those two shows are sold out!" She informed you proudly, placing her hands on your shoulders, "Let me know if you want to add more, you are welcome to perform here anytime."

"I'll think about it." You replied, smiling. The madam patted your shoulder twice before she left you alone, humming happily to herself. You huffed in amusement, fully aware that she doesn't appreciate your talents at all, but only cared for the money.

Regardless of that, you were happy. It has been a couple of years since you left the Strawhat Pirates and pursued your dreams all on your own, and you've been traveling to different islands across the seas to perform. You never had a permanent home; being a musician meant going to many places from time to time to share and spread out your music.

Yet you can't help but miss life on the sea.

You missed washing dishes on the Baratie and the late night conversations you had with Zeff. You missed Luffy and his weird antics, Usopp and his jokes, Zoro and his blunt comments, and Nami and her kindness.

You missed Sanji and everything that he was.

You stared at your reflection in the vanity mirror on your desk. Your hair was pinned neatly, you had make-up on and you were dressed fancily for your performance. Years ago, you wouldn't look like this. It was hard to believe how much you've grown and changed, but these days, you felt like you wanted your old self back. Slowly, you took the itchy pins off your hair, and cleaned your face with warm water and a cloth. You replaced your dress in a more comfortable one and went outside.

Looking up at the night sky, you saw a bright full moon with no stars in sight. It was just the moon and its beauty, illuminating the pitch black sky with its glow. You silently watched it, a smile growing on your lips as you felt a tug on your heart.

"I wonder what you're up to, Sanji." You thought aloud, cheeks heating up at the memory of your first love and his golden hair and his contagious smiles. Then, to your surprise, a voice spoke unexpectedly.

"Well, I am fortuitous to have met such a beautiful angel."

You froze. No one referred to you as angel except for one.

Sanji.

As you turned around, he was already walking towards you. And there you both were, bathing under the moonlight, with him grinning at you mischievously and you looking at him lovingly. You didn't know how he found you, but what mattered was that he searched for you and now he was here, and he was still making your heart beat fast in your chest just like all those years ago.

How the pesky feelings stayed and wrapped themselves around your aching heart, you didn't know. But maybe it was because he was standing in front of you, and the way his next words made you run into his open arms and kiss him until you were both breathless,

"There you are, ange."

taglist part 1 @angel-luv3r @appalost @chexmixtrys @nimtano @sparklyphantom @natalieisfreeziing @reallysparklychaos @maydaylovex @johnnysactualgf @mochamei @kisumisumi @ttokyocat @mypurplewinee @rosaliinnn @nonniecannie @court-jester-stuff @detectivelucy07 @megumiif @untitledandrandom @erin-the-king @fangeekkk @nikolaevna-art @candesstuff @chaoticevilbakugo

#opla #opla x reader #opla x y/n #opla x you #one piece #one piece live action #opla sanji #one piece sanji #one piece live action sanji #sanji live action #sanji #vinsmoke sanji #opla sanji x reader #sanji x reader #sanji x you #sanji x y/n #angst #one piece sanji x reader #ਏਓ ladadiida

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arodrwho · 1 year

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the best way to write is however ur little heart desires obviously but personally subjectively pettily i think that most of the time people would be better off just writing how they talk

#generally. the way u talk will sound correct in a way that sentences u write down and consciously try to make Correct or Fancy will not #the more complex and poetic u try to get with it the less good ur words r gonna sound #theyre gonna be Off bc u are not used to speaking that way and the grammar doesnt come naturally to u #also generally like. elevated language and whatever is like. theres a time and place? and when ur just getting started #its really hard to tell when is an appropriate time or place #protip tho the correct place is generally not an ao3 summary u wanna be plain as hell there #itll sound better and itll grab my attention personally which is obv your main concern always all the time #obv im speaking from a very particular perspective and experiences vary based on this n that #nd like.. grammars made up yknow. if ur words sound weird to me bc the grammars off that doesnt make the writing BAD #but in the exact same vein tho just bc the way u talk isnt grammatically perfect doesnt mean thats a BAD way to write at all!#far from it!#and i feel like thats a big part of why ppl dont just write how they talk is theyre like. well i dont talk correct i talk casual #and like sure but whats wrong with casual in writing? u can still convey a hell of a lot w casual #nd maybe its harder to convey what u want or to strike the right tone writing that way nd that's fair but like #dismissing that sort of writing style out of hand on the basis it isnt proper writing is so silly #when like i said originally it often sounds MUCH BETTER than going for a really formal poetic high fantasy or oldtimey kind of vibe yknow #anyway. end yell

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ichangedmycornyahhname · 1 year

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Earth 42!Miles x Reader

The buzzing of the drill was soon drowned out by the shattering glass.

Summary: After a talk with Miles, reader finds herself at the nail salon. She was treating herself, just as he had requested. But that self care day soon turns into much more. Part 1. Here

Warnings: A little angst? Violence | Cursing | Some spice I suppose. | I’m gonna warn y’all now, I do not speak Spanish fluently at all, so if anything is wrong grammatically please correct me. | I’m actually thinking of making this into a mini series? Maybe a part. 3 after this. Also! Open to some title ideas.

Miles kept his promise. He sent her money to get her nails done. Which is why now she sat in her usual salon, her friend Roxanne drilling at her nails. The salon was hidden deep within the city, a little hole in the wall. With New York in shambles, people had to find some sort of way to feel normal. “What design are we doing this time Y/N? Freestyle again?” Y/N shook her head at her pink haired friend, causing her Roxy to smirk. “Oh, I see. What’s the idea then?”

“Was thinking of doing purple and black. Maybe a little green.” Those were Miles signature colors. His prowler costume consisted of different shades of purple and black, and she was sure her friend could come up with something good. “Hm, that’s new. Alright whatever you say.” Roxy gave a fond smile before getting to work. As she did so, Y/N found herself pondering on what to do after getting her nails done. Maybe go get some food, check on a few friends, avoid the crooks on every street. Possibly invite Miles over for a late night rendezvous. She sighed at the thought. She was completely smitten with the guy.

As time went by, and Roxy made quick progress, a low rumble began to stir beneath their feet. Followed by the loud roar of an engine. She traded a look with Roxy, who had a brow raised in suspicion. “You feel that too?” She questioned as the drill buzzed just above Y/Ns nail. “Yeah, what the hell is that?” She replied to the woman with dyed hair. It wasn’t just the two who noticed. Most people within the nail salon glanced around, concerned and confused by the sudden rumbling. The same rumbling that suddenly stopped. “Maybe it’s construction.” Roxy chimed, doing her best to stay optimistic. Then she got right back to work. The drill buzzed, shaving down the black base of the nail. “What’s got you so preppy? You still with that guy?” Y/N flushed at the question, her gaze averting from Roxy’s. “Yeah, we’re still together. He’s a really good guy, just really busy.” She fawned. “That’s good, glad you’re doing well girl. Was getting worried about you after the whole..” Roxy’s voice trailed off, and Y/N took this as a chance to cut in, “I’m fine Rox, he makes me feel happy. I promise.” She gave her a look of confirmation and Roxanne only nodded.

The atmosphere of the salon was pleasant, relaxing. She found herself spacing out, her eyes focusing in on nothing too important while she lightly bopped her head to the music playing in the background. Then the rumbling returned, and much louder this time around. It sounded close, too close for comfort. Following the noise, her eyes landed on an incoming cop car. She could barely make out the sparking metal of the rim where the missing tire was before the car skidded onto the it’s side and tumbled into the big front window of the salon. The crashing of glass filled the shop, along with the blaring siren and tumbling debris. Y/N ducked down at the sight of the crash, pulling Roxy along with her as the broken down car came to a slow stop in the middle of the salon.

Amidst the carnage, she could faintly make out the crumpled figure of a cop within the drivers seat. She had no clue who the guy was. In fact, she had no clue what was even going on. All she knew was the salon was in utter ruins, and the car was spilling oil into a large puddle beneath it. She felt overwhelmed by the sight. By the sirens ringing in her ears, by the smoke rising from the cars engine. “Holy fuck..Rox we gotta get out of here!” She half whispered half shouted. Her hand found Roxy’s, giving it a light tug as she led the shell shocked woman to the wide opening left by the car. “Hurry up girl..! I’m not trying to die here..” She almost hissed. As they made their way past the wrecked car, the smoke from the debris and vehicle flooded their lungs. Roxy began to cough, heavy and intense. This would’ve caught her attention if the incoming villain didn’t. He was large, bulky, and clad in dark angular armor. His aura oozed superiority, while his hardly visible eyes were stuck on the cop unconscious in the car. It would seem the armored man had a target. With this new found knowledge (assumption), she made haste towards the exit, somehow managing to slither out without catching the attention of the man in armor. “Rox..we gotta get out of here man. Before that big dude spots us..” She muttered as they hid behind large pieces of debris. Her eyes took a glance over the fallen pieces of building, the sight of the man approaching the car bringing a sort of relief to her. “What are you talking about Y/N? We can’t leave that cop in there. That guy will kill him..!” Y/Ns jaw slacked, shocked by her friends desire to rush into danger. “The hell are you talking about? We’ll be squashed like bugs if we go in there..” She found Roxy’s arm, and have it a harsh squeeze as she tried to get the woman to stay back. Though it would seem to be pointless. Roxy was already slipping away and sneaking her way back into the building.

Y/Ns hands found her hair. Her fingers tugged at the root as she watched frantically as her friend entered the building once more. “What the hell am I supposed to do. I can’t fight that dude he’s fucking huge..and I’ll be caught if I-“ She paused mid sentence as she came to a realization. And soon she was dialing Miles’ number, hoping that the fool would answer his phone.

“Please pick up..please..fuck.” Click, “Yeah, what’s up ma?”

“Oh thank fuck-“ A breath of relief left her now chapped lips, she had never been so thankful to hear his voice. “Miles, baby, you need to come quick!.. I was getting my nails done and then a cop car bursted through the damn window..now some big armor dude is about to kill him and my friend is trying to be a hero tryna save him..” Her words were quick, breathy, and frantic. And Miles immediately took notice of this. “Im..im at my usual place. Need you to hurry.” She whispered into the phone as she attempted to peek over to the scene that was unfolding.

“I’m on my way now.” Was all she received from her boyfriend. She wanted to respond, truly. But her tongue was tied, and her friend was about to be fighting for her life. Roxy had managed to get the cop out of the car, now dragging him out as quickly as she could, slippery streams of oil leaving a trail behind. “Cmon Rox..” She had long forgotten about her phone, and found herself at a crossroads. Should she help, be the good person she was raised to be? Or should she sit there and do nothing? She gulped, her hand visibly shaking around her phone as she mentally began to hype herself up. She had no clue what the rhino was doing this in the middle of the day, or any clue why he was only after the cop. But what she did know was that her friend was in danger. “Y/N? What’re you about to do?” She heard from the other side of the line. However, she didn’t reply. Instead she rushed over, still crouched down behind rubble as she made her way inside. “Rox! Rox..cmon grab his heavy ass and let’s get the hell out of here.” She cursed out as she found the man’s arm and tugged him away from the car, he was much more heavy than she had anticipated. “Thank you Y/N.” Roxy replied before tugging at the cops other arm. They worked to pull him out as quickly as possible, but the rhino took notice of this. His hard glare turned deadly, and he visibly uttered something inaudible to the panicking woman. “Hurry! Hurry!”

He growled, his head lowering as he changed positions. At first, she wasn’t sure what he was doing, and then she realized. He was charging, at them.

She dropped the cops arm and attempted to pull Roxanne off of the cop, her movements quick and frantic. And she almost budged, but it would seem as though shock had gotten to her, her grip unbreakable. “Roxy cmon!” She screamed, shrill with panic. They were going to die. They were going to die in a broke down nail salon because her friend wanted to save a cop. Y/Ns eyes slammed shut as she waited for the inevitable. Her breath caught in her throat at the incoming impact, but it never came. Instead the crash of another vehicle caused her ears to ring, followed by large hands shaking her out of her fear. “Hey. Hey you okay? Talk to me!” Her eyes shot open, her hands coming up to wrap around the figures wrists. “M- Mil- prowler.” She was absolutely relieved to see him, to hear that robotic filter on his voice as she stared at his mask. “I’m..okay..where’s uhm.” She took a moment, swallowing as she gathered herself. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, and her body was shaking with unease. She swallowed, spit wetting her dry mouth. Quickly she collected herself. “Roxy, where’s Roxy? And that cop?”

“They’re fine, but we gotta go before that dude wakes up. Cmon.” He said as he turned around and pulled her onto his back. She didn’t bother arguing, she didn’t have the energy. Somehow, Miles managed to drag all three of them out of the crash sight and far enough out of harms way. It was a dingy alley way, trash and other none-sense tossed around. Y/N was still resting on his back, her cheek pressed against his shoulder as her arms wrapped around his neck. “Thought I was gonna die back there.” She uttered the words, but he heard them loud and clear. “Nah, I would never let that happen. You know that mami. I called the cops for your friend and that man. You’re coming home with me.” He wasn’t asking, he was telling, and she was perfectly fine with that.

Miles slipped into his apartment through the window, and trudged inside. He tossed his metal gauntlet onto the floor, his hands free to lay her onto his bed. The plush mattress underneath her body managing to relax her muscles. Miles didn’t join her in bed immediately. Instead he was packing his suit up along with his gauntlets, before stepping back over. Now in a simple black tank top and sweats. His gaze was soft, solemn even. His hand found a strand of her hair, fiddling with it as he watched her cautiously. “Wanna go clean up? I can start a bath or shower for you..” He asked as he took a seat on the bed beside her.

“Yeah, all this damn dust and sweat is gonna make me look a hot mess.” He gave a small chuckle at her joke, though he wasn’t all to amused by the entire situation. He figured it was best to get her comfortable before talking about anything. “Ight. Cmon then ma.” His hands went under her body, picking her up princess style and bringing her over to the bathroom. “I’ll bring you a towel and wash cloth, just gimme a sec.” He gently set her down, his hand lingering on her arm before he left only to briefly return.

“I left some clothes for you on the counter.” He mentioned before placing a kiss upon her forehead and departing from the restroom. She smiled, thankful for his presence. And soon she hopped in the shower. It was relaxing, the hot water pattering gently across her skin. The feeling of cleanliness as she washed the remainders of the day away.

Eventually, she was hopping out of the shower and putting the clothes he had given her on. It wasn’t anything special. Just a pair of his shorts and a shirt, but it felt special to her. Y/N made her way through Miles (Rio’s) apartment, finding her way into the kitchen to snatch up a few snacks. Thankfully Mrs. Morales was fast asleep in her room, so she went without questioning. Y/N made her way back to Miles’ room, entering and shutting the door behind her. His room was mature, calm colors, basic necessities. The usual stuff. Plus his punching bag that she played with on the occasion. From the windows opening, she could see the moons light shining through. She was a bit surprised to see how dark it had gotten. But, she had no issue with it. Not when she was still alive. She gave Miles a faint smile, “Don’t think I’ve ever been so thankful for a shower.” She chimed jokingly as she set the snacks down onto the bedside table. Then she plopped back down on his bed and wrapped herself up in his blanket. Miles was currently standing in front of his closet, fiddling with a glove from his suit as though he was contemplating something. This caught her attention. Sitting up, she sighed. “So, how exactly did you beat that guy?” She inquired, which caused his eyes to meet hers.

“Threw my motorcycle at him. Knocked him down long enough to get you out.” He said before tossing his glove onto his desk chair and making his way over to the bed. Her jaw was wide at his explanation, surprised at his confession. “Your motorcycle? Are you serious babe? That’s fucking crazy.” He only smirked as his hands intruded the blanket and his arms wrapped firmly around her torso. “I’ll just make another one with Unc.” His weight caused her to fall back on his bed, her head now snug in his pillow. His arms felt comforting around her as his head rested on her chest, his soft breaths managing to calm her down. Her hands found his hair, now fiddling with the ends of his braids. Sure, it wasn’t her first time seeing them, but she certainly thought the style suited him well. “I like them, they’re cute.” She said, which caused him to shift and rest his chin on her chest. He had a satisfied look on his face, one only a victor would wear.

“Knew you did. Mom thought they made me look weird, but eh, I think I like them.”

“Good, they suit you.” She nodded in agreement. They sat in silence for a moment, watching each other with gentle eyes. Her hands scratched lightly at his scalp, managing to make his eyes shut. It would seem that the only time Miles could truly allow himself to feel vulnerable, was around her. After a few minutes of pleasant silence, Miles spoke again, his tone much more serious. “Me dejaste preocupado mami..” He muttered, his words muffled as he burried his face back into her chest. This made her heart ache, her brows knitting with concern. “Mi vida, I’m okay now. You saved me..and my friend. Thank you.” He shook his head. “Next time you run. Call me, I’ll help your little friends. For now though, you’re my main priority.” He proclaimed before sitting up from her chest and leaning up to kiss her lips. “I’m serious Y/N. You run.” He spoke against her lips.

“Okay..” She mumbled, her eyes shut and her hands resting on his jaw. Her lips grazed his, the distance growing tantalizingly close. And finally he pressed back into her, lips meshing into hers as his hands traversed her sides. “So glad you’re okay..” He said in a hushed manner as he poured his love into every movement. His kisses slowly began to lower, finding her neck, then her collar bone, and- she hissed. Wincing beneath him, her body tensed and he froze. His hard stare lingered on her, awaiting a sign to stop or continue. “Sorry, think I got a bruise or something. You can keep going Miles.” He didn’t. Not there.

His hands found her legs, now pulling her thighs apart just enough to get closer to her. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, the anticipation of what’s to happen making her giddy with excitement. “Relajate, Y/N. You’re tired and need to rest.” He said as he shifted them around, the two of them now lying on their sides wrapped in one another’s arms. This caused her to sigh, a frown on her face as she glared up at him. “Don’t look at me like that. You just went through a lot, don’t want you hurting yourself more.” He said as he tugged the blanket over their forms.

“Next time don’t start it if you’re not gonna finish it Miles.” She scoffed before scooting into his chest, his familiar scent drawing a small grin from her. “Who said I wouldn’t finish it mami? Just letting you get better first.” She could feel him smirk against her head as he rested his face against the crown of it. His words were enough to silence her, along with the sudden depletion of adrenaline. The two snuggled together, the soft blankets paired with the warmth of one another was enough to make them dreary. “Fine..Goodnight, love you Miles.”

“Te amo ma.”

Taglist? - @willowcxmilee @rinouko @chims-kookies @bbybubbles @supremeshrimpy2 @marice23top @korizzybee @otaku-degenarate @movie-enthusiast22 @corpsebridenightamare @thoughtfulbelieverstrawberry @marsbars09 @dystop4in14nd @ethanlandrysgf69 @mmxinne @brxght-world @rinisfruity14 @repostingmyfavs @sammarvel123 @idkwhatimdoingherehonestlyy @frissy @d4ridi0rsworld @julie03 @sakura-onesan @oh-kurva (Yall I’m never making a taglist again 🙁 props to y’all who do bc this is too much work.)

#x reader #spider man x reader #spider man across the spiderverse spoilers #spider man across the spider verse #prowler #miles morales prowler #earth 42 miles morales x reader #earth 42 #fluff

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daisywords · 11 months

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I personally know there are multiple types of editing but I've never seen anyone explain it in a way that actually made me understand what the types of editing actually were (yeah cool that you say {}editing is different from []editing but *how*). So if you wanna explain, feel free to.

Your handy-dandy guide to different types of editing

disclaimer: writers, you can literally edit however works for you. these distinction can be useful to your process, or just if you're looking to hire an editor. Not all editors make distinctions in this way; there are various ways of dividing. But no matter what vocabulary you use, it's best practice to start with broad, big-picture stuff and move towards narrower issues. Some editors do all levels of editing, while some specialize.

Developmental Editing (Is it a good story?)

Developmental editing has to do with the content. For a novel, that means working on the bones of the story. The plot. The pacing. The characters. Do their motivations make sense? Can the reader understand why things are happening? Does the story drag in places, or seem to brush past important elements? Do all of the subplots get resolved? etc. etc. (At this stage an editor is mostly going to be offering suggestions, pointing out issues, and throwing out potential solutions. Beta readers can also be very helpful at this stage to get a reader's perspective on the story beats and characters.)

Line Editing (is it well written?)

Sometimes called substantive editing, line editing is zooming in a little bit more to focus on scenes, paragraphs and sentences. Once we've decided that a scene is going to stay, lets look at the mechanics of how it plays out. Does the scene start to early or too late? Does the writing style communicate the emotions we want the reader to feel? Does the dialogue match the characters' voices? do any of the sentences sound awkward or ugly? Is the movement being bogged down by too much purple prose anywhere, or is there not enough detail? (This can get pretty subjective, so it's important that the writer and the editor are on the same page with taste, style goals, etc.)

Copy Editing (is is correct?)

Copy editing is all about the details. Think grammar and punctuation. Do the sentences make sense? are they grammatically correct? Is the dialogue punctuated correctly? Any misspellings? Should this be hyphenated? Should this be capitalized? Should we use a numeral, or write out the number? etc etc. A significant part of copy editing is matching everything to a style manual (like Chicago or AP) a house style guide (individualized preferences from a publisher, for example), and a project's own internal style sheet (are the character's names spelled the same every time? if we used "leaped" in chapter 4, we shouldn't use "leapt" in chapter 7) Copy editing is still subjective, but less so than the earlier levels, so a copyeditor will be more likely to just go in and make a bunch of (tracked!) changes without consulting the author for everything.

Bonus: Proofreading (did the copyeditor catch everything? are there typos? formatting issues? have any errors been introduced?)

Lots of people say editing when they really mean proofreading. Proofreading is the absolute last thing to get done. It's the one last pass just before something is published. It's important, but as you can see, there's a whole lot more to editing than just checking for typos.

#editing #writeblr #editing process #writing process #editors or writers who have worked with editors feel free to chime in! we are not a monolith lol this is just they way I've learned

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thejakeformerlyknownasprince · 11 months

Text

Writing Advice #?: Don’t write out accents.

The Surface-Level Problem: It’s distracting at best, illegible at worst.

The following passage from Sons and Lovers has never made a whit of sense to me:

“I ham, Walter, my lad,’ ’e says; ‘ta’e which on ’em ter’s a mind.’ An’ so I took one, an’ thanked ’im. I didn’t like ter shake it afore ’is eyes, but ’e says, ‘Tha’d better ma’e sure it’s a good un. An’ so, yer see, I knowed it was.’”

There’s almost certainly a point to that dialogue — plot, character, theme — but I could not figure out what the words were meant to be, and gave up on the book. At a lesser extreme, most of Quincey’s lines from Dracula (“I know I ain’t good enough to regulate the fixin’s of your little shoes”) cause American readers to sputter into laughter, which isn’t ideal for a character who is supposed to be sweet and tragic. Accents-written-out draw attention to mechanical qualities of the text.

Solution #1: Use indicators outside of the quote marks to describe how a character talks. An Atlanta accent can be “drawling” and a London one “clipped”; a Princeton one can sound “stiff” and a Newark one “relaxed.” Do they exaggerate their vowels more (North America) or their consonants more (U.K., north Africa)? Do they sound happy, melodious, frustrated?

The Deeper Problem: It’s ignorant at best, and classist/racist/xenophobic at worst.

You pretty much never see authors writing out their own accents — to the person who has the accent, the words just sound like words. It’s only when the accent is somehow “other” to the author that it gets written out.

And the accents that we consider “other” and “wrong” (even if no one ever uses those words, the decision to deliberately misspell words still conveys it) are pretty much never the ones from wealthy and educated parts of the country. Instead, the accents with misspelled words and awkward inflection are those from other countries, from other social classes, from other ethnicities. If your Maine characters speak normally and your Florida characters have grammatical errors, then you have conveyed what you consider to be correct and normal speech. We know what J.K. Rowling thinks of French-accented English, because it’s dripping off of Fleur Delacour’s every line.

At the bizarre extreme, we see inappropriate application of North U.K. and South U.S.-isms to every uneducated and/or poor character ever to appear in fan fic. When wanting to get across that Steve Rogers is a simple Brooklyn boy, MCU fans have him slip into “mustn’t” and “we is.” When conveying that Robin 2.0 is raised poor in Newark, he uses “ain’t” and “y’all” and “din.” Never mind that Iron Man is from Manhattan, or that Robin 3.0 is raised wealthy in Newark; neither of them ever gets a written-out accent.

Solution #2: A little word choice can go a long way, and a little research can go even further. Listen carefully to the way people talk — on the bus, in a café, on unscripted YouTube — and write down their exact word choice. “We good” literally means the same thing as “no thank you,” but one’s a lot more formal than the other. “Ain’t” is a perfectly good synonym for “am not,” but not everyone will use it.

The Obscure Problem: It’s not even how people talk.

Look at how auto-transcription software messes up speaking styles, and it’s obvious that no one pronounces every spoken sound in every word that comes out of their mouth. Consider how Americans say “you all right?”; 99% of us actually say something like “yait?”, using tone and head tilt to convey meaning. Politicians speak very formally; friends at bars speak very informally.

An example: I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. Unless I’m speaking to an American from Texas, in which case I’m from “Baltmore, Marlind.” Unless I’m speaking to an American from Pennsylvania, in which case I’m from “Balmore, Marlin.” If I’m speaking to a fellow Marylander, I’m of course from “Bamor.” (If I’m speaking to a non-American, I’m of course from “Washington D.C.”) Trying to capture every phoneme of change from moment to moment and setting to setting would be ridiculous; better just to say I inflect more when talking to people from outside my region.

When you write out an accent, you insert yourself, the writer, as an implied listener. You inflict your value judgments and your linguistic ear on the reader, and you take away from the story.

Solution #3: When in doubt, just write the dialogue how you would talk.

#writing #writing advice #accents #fan fiction #classism #language #u.s.-centric af because I've only lived so many places

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max1461 · 19 days

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Would you say that the distinction between high-context and low-context languages is real? I was skeptical at first, but japanese seems to leave a lot more information implicit in a typical utterance than english.

No such distinction is used (or at least commonplace enough that I have heard of it) in linguistics. If one were to introduce such a distinction, they would have to put forth some way to measure or operationalize "low/high-contextuality"; in the absence of that there's very little I can say about it scientifically.

What I can say is that laymen's subjective impressions about "what different languages are like" are very often more grounded in bias than in fact. There was a good post that went around here a few months ago to the effect of

People everywhere: "[Language I learned in childhood] is so subtle and emotive, whereas [language I learned in adulthood] is so cold and logical".

Often, these subjective impressions then get filtered through the cultural-theorizing-industry and elaborated more and more, becoming more entrenched as "established wisdom" about X or Y language among non-linguists, and in the process getting farther and farther from any real or verifiable truth.

Well anyway, I think the claim that "Japanese is more contextual than English" is probably one of those. Until someone comes up with a real metric for "contexuality", at least, I will probably continue to judge that to be the most reasonable hypothesis. Here are two ways such an impression could have come about:

For English speakers who learn Japanese as adults, things which are left to context in English but not in Japanese will not appear to be "absent" and they won't notice any gaps, whereas things that are left to context in Japanese but not English will strike them as "absent" and they will be more aware of them.

English speakers who speak some Japanese but are not proficient will not in fact be fully familiar with the rules governing the interpretation of utterances, and so things which are actually grammatically determined may appear to rely on nebulous "context".

Here is a salient difference between English and Japanese: in Japanese, any noun phrase may be dropped "when its meaning can be contextually determined". For example, you might say

(1) kinou inu ga nikki tabe-chat-ta! yesterday dog SUBJ diary eat-COMP-PST "yesterday my dog ate my diary!"

(2) wanpaku da yo naa naughty COP ASS TAG "he's sure naughty"

In (1), we see that where English has possessive pronouns ("my"), Japanese doesn't use them. In (2), the noun phrase referring to the dog is dropped entirely. In fact, in both of these sentences, not dropping these things would be considered unnatural and stilted. Overuse of pronouns and NPs is a common marker of non-fluent Japanese as spoken by Westerners. Saying

(3) kinou watashi no inu ga / yesterday me GEN dog SUBJ / watashi no nikki tabe-chat-ta! me GEN diary eat-COMP-PST "yesterday my dog ate my diary!"

instead of (1) would technically not be ungrammatical, but would be markedly foreign sounding and corrected immediately in any intro Japanese class.

However, this already tells you something: the fact that (3) is unambiguously unfelicitous tells you that there are some underlying rules here, it isn't just "drop when you feel it". These rules are called information structure rules, and every language has them. In fact, Japanese explicitly marks information structure in a number of ways that English does not.

Some of the basic rules in Japanese of relevance here (this is a fairly crude analysis and does not account for various things, but it's probably good enough for our purposes) are:

Every discourse has a topic

If no topic is specified, the speaker is by default assumed to be the topic

A non-topic subject may be introduced into the discourse with ga

A noun already in the discourse may be made into the topic with wa

A salient subject already introduced, but not explicitly topicalized with wa, may be implicitly topicalized

Empty NP positions and unmarked possessors should be taken to refer to the topic

Items that are (semantically speaking) likely to be possessed should be interpreted as possessed before they are interpreted as indefinites

These rules are not inviolable, and in particular (5) requires some contextual definition of "salience" and (6) is certainly not this simple in reality (there are often multiple empty NP positions and the full ruleset for interpreting them seems complex; for instance subject positions are favored for topics over object positions and so on), so there is still some amount of combinatorics with referents and syntactic positions that presumably is going on somewhere in speakers' brains or whatever. But the point is that these rules narrow down pretty starkly what interpretations are "reasonable", and the actual role of context in disambiguating between reasonable interpretations is not so vast.

Anyway, using the above rules, it is not so hard to go through (1) and (2) again, and see that only a single reasonable interpretation actually presents itself.

As mentioned, Japanese very often makes information structure explicit using the particles wa, ga, and wo (not mentioned above, but the object equivalent of ga), which is somewhat uncommon among the languages of the world. English, on the other hand, does not do this. English speakers do not drop noun phrases, but they still replace noun phrases with pronouns very readily, and disambiguating pronoun referents uses pragmatic and information structure rules of exactly the same type! Consider, for instance

(4) My boyfriend went on a "boys trip" with Will and Tod last weekend... I told him not to let them pressure him into skinny dipping again. What was up with that anyway?

Think about what you're doing when you assign referents to these pronouns. It's automatic so you don't notice it, but is it unambiguous? Not at all! You know, for instance, that "him" refers to the boyfriend and "them" to Will and Tod, and you know in the second sentence that "that" refers to peer pressure skinny dipping. Some of this (in particular the referent of "that") I think has to be chalked up to pure context; it's the semantics from which we derive the correct assignment. But some of it is mediated by syntactic or information structure rules as well; for instance consider

(5) Jacob went on a "boys trip" with Will and Tod last weekend... I told him not to let them pressure him into skinny dipping again.

We are still able to produce the correct pronoun assignments in this sentence, even though the semantic context which informs us about which one of these people the speaker is most likely the closest to has been removed. This is, again, a product of information structure rules: Jacob is the topic here, and so (by whatever rules operate in English; not identical but not dissimilar to those in Japanese) we infer that "him" refers to Jacob.

Anyway, the point is that all languages make reference to context very freely in matters of interpretation (which is a big part of why language models had to develop implicit world knowledge before they could speak convincingly), and also languages make reference to context in a structured way which can often be described fairly precisely, and which leaves less open to chance and misinterpretation than might initially be assumed. The gulf between English and Japanese is not so large here. It might be the cases that the [pronouns + unmarked topicalization]-English system is more explicit than the [empty NP positions + marked topicalization]-Japanese system, but I don't know. And of course it might be the case that in some other domain of grammar Japanese is more explicit than English. So one must be careful with any broad assertions.

#linguistics #knee hone go

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pikahlua · 2 months

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I hope this will be short.

I guess this line is the fandom drama of the chapter?

I understand a lot of you are really passionate about the accuracy of the English translation. I just want to encourage you to try to engage with the official translation in good faith.

Ojama shimasu literally means "I am disturbing you/I will get in your way." It's often spoken as a greeting where the "apology" is implied (hence the brackets in my translation), but as usual context is everything in Japanese. Izuku is saying this line in defiance of Tomura's wishes. It basically comes across as Izuku plugging his fingers in his ears.

Me personally? If I were the official translator, I'd have strongly considered translating the line as "I'm coming in whether you like it or not."

The purpose in my pointing out the "common greeting" nature of this line was to demonstrate Izuku's sassiness. This is Izuku doing his "meddling where you don't technically have to" thing. The level of formality in Izuku's speech doesn't necessarily translate to actual politeness (check out @bakuhatsufallinlove's excellent post on that here).

Does "You will let me in," mean the exact same thing? Technically no, but it's the sentiment that counts. From an official translator's point of view, "You will let me in," is shorter, punchier, fits in the speech bubble a lot easier, and still conveys the general idea of what's happening in the scene.

I don't know. I wanted to talk about this because I guess a lot of people are concerned about Izuku's characterization and how it reflects on Japanese culture and how the official translation may be misrepresenting Japanese culture to the English-reading audience, and I just...can I ask that everyone take a step back a minute? Horikoshi isn't writing his story for an English-reading audience. He's not considering at all how any of this sounds to English speakers. That's the translator's job, not just to translate what is said but to translate that into the context of who is reading it. Localization is not a dirty word--it's an important aspect of translation. And the notion that Izuku is being polite and respectful here as a Japanese person is just such a...take. Izuku is being hella rude here lol. Japan itself, not just the MHA Japan but REAL WORLD Japan, notoriously has a bystander problem where people will ignore others who are being harassed because they don't wanna get involved. They won't step in to help nor will they even testify as a witness against others for fear of what it means to speak out and break from the pack. Izuku is quite obviously Horikoshi's direct answer to that phenomenon. He's meant to be an example of the morally correct thing to do, which is to be "rude" in these cases.

So I mean, sure, we can talk about what is lost in translation by the line, "You will let me in." But to me what's lost may just be grammatical and pedantic (like the passive voice that switches the onus of action onto Tomura instead of Izuku and what that may do to the focus on Izuku's rise to action here). In any case, it's not a BAD translation that changes Izuku's perceived politeness, just one that may prompt new discussion--and I don't think that's a bad thing.

#my hero academia manga spoilers #final arc spoilers #linguistics fun #izuku midoriya

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httpswritings · 4 months

Text

Bonmatí — Aitana Bonmatí x Reader

Warnings: none

Word count: 682

Summary: Aitana teaching your some sentences in Catalán.

Aitana had always involved you in the most intimate parts of her life, which included her family. She trusted you from the very beginning to share with you everything that mattered to her. The more time you spent with her, the more you understood her mother tongue.

One day, you surprised her by telling her how much you wanted to learn Catalan. “Really?!" Her smile grew wider when you nodded. “That's great! I'm going to be the best teacher ever. You're going to love the language, I promise you.” Her eagerness to teach you her first language warmed your heart. “Okay, Mrs. Bonmatí, where should we start first?”

“Well, let's start by learning some words so you can get more familiar with the language. We'll get more into depth with the theory and grammatical rules another day.” Even if you were truly interested in the language, seeing Aitana so excited to teach you how to speak Catalan was getting all of your attention. The way her eyes were slightly closed as she smiled was beautiful. Her giggles made you feel all types of emotions. “Are you listening to me?”, she asked. You disconnected from the outer world for some minutes, focusing on her eagerness as her eyes brightened more each time she explained a word. “God, you're beautiful.” Aitana blushed as she lowered her head, “If you make me feel like this when you compliment me in your mother tongue, I don't know what I'm going to do when you'll do it in Catalan."

“Okay, then let's start by learning some compliments, Mrs. Bonmatí.” Aitana rolled her eyes. “Don't call me that; in Spain, we don't usually call our teachers by their last names but by their first names. Call me Aitana.” You shook your head, “That's not your first name. Not to me, at least.” She frowned, confused. She asked, “What's my first name, then?“

“Beautiful”, you responded. “In that case, you'd say bonica”, she flirted back. “It has the same first three first letters as your last name. «Bon-ica», «Bon-matí» It totally fits you.” Aitana laughed, moving forward and hitting you playfully on your left shoulder, “Just an appreciation; «Bon» means «Good». For example, you know when I greet you in the morning, «Bon día», meaning «Good morning.»

“Bonica”, you said, looking softly into her eyes. Your pronunciation made Aitana weak in a good way, with a thick accent trying to sound as close to the correct pronunciation as possible.

“T'estimo...”, she said as she hugged you, “Thank you for being this interested in my cultu—” “I know what that means! That means «I love you», right? You always tell me that!”, you interrupted her, unable to contain your excitement. Aitana laughed loudly, “You're so cute, amor meu. You probably know what this means. I love calling you «my love», don't I?” You nodded.

“Let me teach you another thing, «Cada dia t'estimo més», meaning «I love you more every day that passes» Is that the way you say it in English?“ Aitana had always made an extra effort to talk to you in English. She never complained about it, making you feel more than loved and appreciated, as you willed to learn Catalán until you could be completely fluent. You had to. She deserved to be loved and embraced in her first language.

“I've thanked you before, but thank you for making such an effort to learn and get better at English so we can understand each other in a better way. I promise you, I'm going to be speaking Catalan as soon as I learn it, because not only do I want to speak it with you but also with your family. They had made such an effort, too, and I think it's time for me to reward them by showing my appreciation for every single one of them.” Aitana hugged you after you finished speaking wholeheartedly to her. “You don't know how much this means to me. Thank you. And for the English part, «faria tot el que fos per tu», meaning «I'd do anything for you».”

#aitana bonmati imagine #aitana bonmati #aitana bonmati x reader #woso #woso imagine #woso x reader

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teardrop-scales · 6 months

Text

Parent

Material 🦇

(Sun Wukong x kid!bat demon!gn!reader one-shot)

A.N: Not proofread + English is not my native language, so there might be some spelling or grammatical mistakes. Feel free to correct me if you spot some. Also, I'm sorry this took so long.

Sun Wukong's fur was bristling in the cold evening breeze as he flew over the city on his cloud, swishing his tail idly.

This evening he decided to visit MK to check how he was doing. Usually the Monkey King himself avoided going to Megapolis, since the huge crowds and the modernity of it all made him uncomfortable. It always caused him to think about how much the world has changed over the millennias, and to be honest, Sun Wukong wasn't sure if he considered these changes as good ones.

But this time he was bored. The little monkeys can only do so much to keep one company, and Monkey King would lie if he said he didn't grow attached to his successor.

So there was The Great Sage, hovering mindlessly over the huge, modern city he mildly despised.

Suddenly a shriek cut through the cold air. The weird thing was, it wasn't a terrified shriek, but more of a shriek of rage. The person who did that must've also possessed some kind of power, because Wukong felt it all over his body as soon as he heard the scream. It made his more sensitive ears hurt.

Slightly wincing from the shrieking still ringing in his head like a bell, Monkey King tried to remember the direction from which the powerful sound came and flew there on his cloud. He was curious, who possessed such power and why were they using it and what for?

Wukong lowered his cloud closer to the slightly wet pavement and followed the direction of which the piercing sound came from.

Soon another ear-hurting shriek cut through the air, followed by a ghost of a sound of fighting. The Monkey King focused on his hearing and followed the sounds, luckily unnoticed by anyone.

Not much later he found himself in a damp alley, the only light peaking into it coming from a modern lamp, standing proudly at the entrance to the blind corner.

The night breeze grew stronger, evolving into a slight, cold wind, which tugged and ruffled playfully at Sun Wukong's fur. However his undivided attention was currently given to the scene going on in the alley at the moment.

At the end of the alley, in the darkest spot where the warm light didn't reach, there was a peculiar kid fighting with two much larger demons.

Sun Wukong couldn't help but notice the huge, bat-like ears which sprung from the kid's head and their grayish fur instead of skin. So bat demon, huh? That would explain the high-pitched shrieks.

Surprisingly, it seemed like the bat child could hold themselves somewhat in a fight, because the two jerks who were attacking them appeared just a bit less battered and bruised than the kid.

However, it was clear that the demon kid was exhausted and losing the fight at this point. Their chest was going up and down fastly from hyperventilating, and though their fists were tightly clenched, Monkey King could see their short legs shaking just a bit. The kid was obviously tired and it seemed like their body wouldn't hold itself in a further fight much longer.

The other two demons must've noticed too; smiles full of wicked satisfaction appeared on their filthy faces as they bounced off the nearby wall in the direction of the child, intending to land a final blow.

Oh no they don't.

Before anyone registered what happened, Sun Wukong appeared in front of the kid, stopping the two big fists with his hand without any effort, but with a smug grin on his face.

"Attacking someone smaller than you, are we?" He teased the two demons, who struggled visibly, the sight of strain on their faces, to free their hands from Monkey King's iron grip. "Kinda pathetic, if you ask me."

He really enjoyed the way these jerks' ugly faces shifted as they realized who stopped them. Watching the two fools stammer and whine in fear filled him with joy.

"M-mmonkey King?" One of them gulped.

"The one and only!" Sun Wukong proudly exclaimed, grinning even more.

Then he let go of their fists, just to swiftly punch the demon on the left with his fist on the bottom of the demon's jaw, sending him flying to space so fast he appeared to be just a golden flash of light. The Monkey King relished the sound of his screams up above for a few seconds before they stopped.

Sun Wukong then jumped in the air, did a swift spin and kicked the other demon right in his butt before he could even register what happened to his friend.

The kick sent the second demon flying in the same golden flash right into the building a few hundred meters away (of course Wukong could kick him even harder, but that wasn't needed in that situation). The impact could be heard even from the alley as the demon crashed into a wall, destroying it in the process (and resulting in terrified and surprised screams of the citizens).

"Whoops" Monkey King grimaced slightly at the sight and the sound, before shrugging. "Meh, they'll fix it. Probably."

He then turned back towards the kid, whose huge ears were twitching nervously, their mouth agape, showing off their little fangs. They then closed their mouth and huffed slightly while crossing their arms.

"I could've handled them myself" muttered the young bat demon, looking to the ground, stomping their feet a little in annoyance.

Sun Wukong laughed warmly. He really liked you. You were pretty fearless and it was clear you weren't afraid to stand up for yourself, which he admired. (And besides, you were one of the most adorable things Monkey King has ever seen in his life.

"Sure you could, bud" Wukong ruffled your hair gently. "So, got any parents?"

Your ears twitched again subconsciously as you weighed your options. That Monkey King guy seemed trustworthy, he protected you. Not to mention he gave off a warm, joyful aura that seemed to overwhelm your heightened senses, whispering into your brain that he is worthy of trust. So you sighed and decided to tell him the truth.

"No. I'm an orphan."

Sun Wukong felt his heart clench painfully at that as he tried not to show how sad he felt for the little demon. The kid didn't look like they wanted his pity.

"Oh." He hesitated and scratched his neck. "So you live by yourself? Where?"

You didn't say anything, but instead sent a grim look to the nearby wall, refusing to meet Monkey King's golden eyes. That was however the exact, nonverbal, answer to his question.

You lived here, in that alley.

The Monkey King didn't know what to do with you. It was not fair that you had to live such a miserable life, forced to fight probably every day for survival. Can he just sort of... adopt you? He did like spending time with kids and never found it hard to make friends with them, but Sun Wukong had to admit he wasn't the most responsible adult around. He didn't see himself as 'parent material'.

But then again, he couldn't just leave you here, could he?

He sighed, letting out a little cloud of steam, which floated in the cold evening air for a few seconds before disappearing. Then he telepathically summoned his cloud, which materialized beside its master immediately.

Sun Wukong hopped on the cloud, enjoying the comfort and softness it provided, and then reached out a hand to the demon kid.

You started at The Monkey King's hand. You were not stupid, you knew he wanted you to take it and get on the cloud. But for some reason you wanted a confirmation.

So you finally looked into the Monkey King's eyes again. They were golden and shined just like the Sun itself, giving everyone its warmth. Accompanied with a gentle, encouraging smile, it was honestly very hard to resist giving in the warmth and gentleness the monkey man (for now) provided.

"Where will you take me?" You finally spoke, nervously fluttering your wings a little, before wincing. Sadly, your wings certainly didn't get out of the fight without a scratch...

Sun Wukong scratched his head nervously, afraid that you would refuse his offer. He'd hate to leave you here alone.

"Well," He said slowly. "I want to take you to my home. You need patching up bud, plus your wings aren't working for now from what I see, and besides, what kind of hero would I be if I just let you keep living here without anyone?"

He resisted saying "without anyone to protect you". He felt like it would probably offend you.

The Monkey King moved his out-streched hand an inch closer to you.

"Soo... What do you say?" He tried to smile as encouragingly as he could. "If you decide you don't like living with me, then that's fine. I'll help you find a safe, nice home. Just come with me, kid."

A home? He was willing to give you a real, new home? As in, something you lost so long ago you don't even remember, but at the same time something you so badly craved to have?

How could you possibly give up that opportunity? Of course, you were going to slightly keep your guard up for a while, just in case this is a cruel trick, but nonetheless...

You smiled genuinely for the first time in so long and took The Monkey King's warm, a bit calloused from many battles, hand.

But to your slight surprise, he didn't help you get on the cloud. Instead, he shook your much littler palm gently in greeting.

"As you know, I'm The Monkey King, The Great Sage Equal to Heaven. But you may call me Wukong!" Wukong smiled brightly. "What's your name, bud?"

"Y/N" You also smiled while shaking his hand firmly.

"Nice name! And a handshake too, gotta love the firm ones."

You giggled at that. Wukong seemed not only nice, but also slightly funny.

Wukong's tail swished happily at the sound of your laugh and his face brightened even more. He felt weirdly proud of making you giggle and bringing a smile to your face.

Asking for your permission first, he picked you up gently and with ease. The Monkey King then placed you in front of him on the cloud.

"Woah" You couldn't help letting out a sound of amazement as you petted the cloud, enjoying the soft sensation. "So comfortable and soft!"

"I know, right?" Sun Wukong chuckled smugly. "Now, this cloud can go only either fast or really fast. So hold on right, m'kay?"

You nodded your head as the cloud started making its way higher and higher into the night sky.

Then, at a certain spot, it stopped for a second, only to speed off a moment later.

You liked the way the sharp wind caressed your cheeks because of the speed that you were cutting through the air with. It was a bit cold, but still you liked the feeling. It was very different from the times you would fly on your wings. You had a hard time deciding which was more enjoyable.

You pressed your back against Wukong's chest and sighed in content, feeling your eyelids growing heavy. You were a bat demon, but honestly you preferred sleeping in the night. You didn't know why; maybe you were just a half demon and that was the reason? You didn't remember your parents, so it was possible.

"Anyway" Wukong cleared his throat, raising his voice just slightly, so you could hear him through the wind (although thanks to the enhanced hearing you probably had thanks to being a bat demon you'd probably hear him perfectly even if he didn't). "How old are you?"

"I... Dunno" You answered honestly, shrugging your shoulders while pondering on the question. "I think I lost track. But mentally and physically perhaps fourteen or something."

By the time they finished the sentence, they were yawning and speaking slowly, as if they could fall asleep any moment.

Which was probably true. You were exhausted from the fighting, and the cloud was so soft...

Wukong noticed this and chuckled while ruffling your hair slightly.

"It's okay, you can go to sleep bud. I'll wake you in case anything happens." He promised.

The bat-demon child yawned once again, showing off their little but sharp fangs, before letting a grunt of acknowledgement and laying their head against The Monkey King's chest, falling asleep almost instantly.

Sun Wukong tensed a bit at first, not expecting such trustful behavior from the kid, but he certainly didn't mind. His tail unknowingly curled itself protectively around Y/N. He couldn't help himself and smiled at you affectionately as he embraced you, hugging you to his chest.

"I'll do my best to take good care of you, Y/N" he mumbled, mostly to himself, knowing you couldn't hear him now.

Huh. Maybe if he tried hard, even The Great Sage could become a good parent material.

#the monkey king #lmk #lmk monkey king x reader #lmk sun wukong x reader #lmk x reader #monkey king x reader #lmk sun wukong #sun wukong #sun wukong x reader #lego monkie kid x reader #lego monkie kid

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fuh-saw-t · 2 years

Text

How to Write Character Dialogue

Like, in a realistic and engaging way.

Edit: PART 2

Preemptive warning that this extremely long-winded and messy post is designed to be a vague guide to help or prompt beginners with methods they could use in writing, to help people avoid common mistakes, and to hopefully aid in developing unique methods of constructing and presenting dialogue. It's also opinionated, and heavily influenced by my own writing style.

This post will be split up into two posts detailing a macro and a micro view - macro being dialogue in general, and micro focusing on how individual characters and stories will have certain considerations. Reblog and say in the tags if you want Pt 2 on the micro-view.

The 'Macro-View'

Don't start googling that term. I made it up.

The key to making dialogue sound realistic (and, in turn, making your characters appear more like people - making them easier to empathise with) is to think about how real people talk. Very obvious, right? You'd be surprised.

Ellipsis

And no, not the '...' kind. We'll get to that later.

Ellipsis is a term that refers to how words can be omitted from a sentence, yet it can still be understood. It's something we do all the time (though not often thinking about it). For example:

"Are you going home?"

"You going home?"

The latter is entirely understandable, but is not grammatically correct. However, most people do not speak in grammatically correct sentences, or even sentences. We speak in utterances and focus more on being understandable than eloquent. It's important to consider this when writing, as I've seen time and time again - even in published books - the writer focusing too much on making the dialogue grammatically correct. The characters sound dry, void of personality, and appear to be reading off of a script at every moment.

Ellipsis isn't going to be used in every sentence. You still have to think about which character will use it and when.

The Other Ellipsis

Gonna break every fanfic writer's heart in one statement: using ellipsis to convey pause is grammatically incorrect.

But, good news! Language is made up and I think it works well for dialogue, so it gets to stay.

Ellipsis (...) can be used to convey a pause - usually when a character is considering something, overthinking or too heartbroken to think straight. It can technically be used anywhere, but I'd advise against using it at the beginning of a sentence, like this:

He muttered, "...I can't believe it."

Because, honestly, it doesn't really convey much that you couldn't show through other methods. And, since a pause is silence, placing it at the start of a sentence conveys (in most cases) nothing, as of course there would be silence - the character hadn't started speaking yet.

However, when placed at the end of a sentence, like this:

He muttered, "I can't believe it…"

We report back to the primary purpose of an ellipsis - to convey something has been omitted. Here, the use of the points have created the impression that the character had more to say, but instead trailed off. This is something we do in speech all the time.

Dashes

To me, dashes are a near-essential part of constructing realistic dialogue; they can be used to present characters' spontaneity, the insertion of impromptu remarks, or a 'take it or leave it' comment that can be considered by the other characters or reader based on context (or what's remembered). For example:

"Well," he said, flipping idly through the pages, "we could go to the city and protest there—that might be too dangerous—or try to rally some support from the neighbouring villages."

That's the (largely) grammatically correct version, though. Since language is made up, punctuation is a lie and readers don't notice nor care, you can do whatever. There, I used the 'em dash' (as opposed to the 'en dash', which is '–', or the hyphen, which is '-'). This is what grammarians and dictionaries tell you to do, but you can totally change whatever you want to suit what you think looks best. Such as putting in an en dash or a hyphen instead, putting spaces between the words and the punctuation mark, or putting marks such as '?' or '!' within the subordinate clause (a relatively-new habit of mine).

As you can tell, I usually put a '-' in writing where I don't have to bother. Like here on this blog.

Overall, dashes are a great way of inserting side-comments and impromptu thoughts, making your characters seem much more natural and alive. Moreover, they can be used to give the effect of stuttering. And, as a bonus, they can also be used to show interruption or a stopped thought. For example:

"But you didn't tell me about—"

"I didn't have to tell you anything."

Personally, I use en dashes for interruptions and em dashes for self-obstructed speech (where the character stops themselves) to indicate the following silence. Punctuation can be used creatively to show whatever effect you want. Experiment and find your style!

Contractions

This is a short one, since I'll touch on it in part 2, but contractions such as 'don't' and 'I'm' do not necessarily indicate a character, for lack of a better term, isn't posh. I see people try to write characters that are intended to be posh or highly educated all the time and decide the best way to show that through their speech is to omit contractions. In fact, it just makes them sound a bit like a robot. People can still use contractions in speech if they're highly educated, especially in a context where their education or status is not relevant. There are better methods to show a character's personality or upbringing through dialogue, but we'll touch on that later.

Dialogue Placement

I'm too lazy to think of, or look for, a better term. It's where you put the dialogue, and how much of it you have. Simple as.

Let's be blumt. Don't do this:

He said, "blah blah blah."

She replied, "blah blah blah."

He responded, "blah blah–"

She screamed, "blah blah blah!"

Riveting dialogue, am I right?

Instead, let's try jazz things up. Ensure that your speakers are clear to the reader, that the tone can be understood through either your punctuation, descriptions or dialogue, and you'll be absolutely fine.

Elliot was heartbroken. Taking Elena's hand, he told her, "I can be better, I promise."

"Seriously?" She snapped her hand out from his grip. "If you could be better, then why weren't you better before? Before all this, I– now I don't know what to think."

"But you don't have to think! I'm telling you, Elena, the life we can have–"

"I don't want to hear it!" She screamed, "We're over!"

Even if you replaced that with blahs, it'd probably be a bit more engaging. The content of your dialogue isn't the only thing that matters, it's how it's placed. Here, the placing is diversified; the dialogue is sometimes embedded within the sentence, more so than before, making the words seem a lot more related to the context; a better view of the situation is shown, and we aren't bothering the reader with a constant 'she said, he said' situation. Though, it should be noted that 'said' is your friend, not an enemy.

Also, you know how sometimes in TV you get characters go 'all right!', 'so cool!', 'let's go!, etc, and wonder how much they paid the voice actors to say the same generic one-liner ten times an episode? That happens in writing, too. If it's something generic and unimportant to the plot or adds nothing to the situation, you can describe it instead or leave it out entirely.

Like how you can say 'he screamed in pain' instead of typing out "AUGSHAHSGEJAJAHHHHHHHAAAAAA!!!"

Also, a few other, quick things because I am tired:

Every rule of punctuation and grammar, as well as every piece of advice you'll ever be given, can be broken in certain situations. Always take advise and grammar rules into consideration, but recognise when it may be best to break them.

Avoid empty adverbs. These are situational.

E.g. 'She whispered quietly' is empty - the verb 'whispered' already insinuates the action was quiet. Adverbs should add to a description or circumvent expectations, an example being if she 'whispered angrily'. Adverbs are not always necessary.

Please don't overuse dashes and overdo stuttering. I'm looking at you, My Hero Academia Fanfiction writers. This line is directed at you.

Obligatory 'I'm not a professional, I just do things sometimes and have some education on this'.

Asks are open, and if anyone wants a Pt 2 where I cover considerations in writing dialogue for certain situations, personality traits, etc, feel free to either ask for that in the comments/tags or send an ask in about what specific thing you want covered!

#writing #creative writing #writing advice #fanfiction #fanfic #ask blog #language #fiction writing #fiction #letsdiscuss

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nokiatelava · 8 months

Text

✿✿In A Good Way✿✿

⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎⋆₊⊹

Author’s Note - Hello hellooo!! Okay, so in this story it’s gonna be an OC!Na’vi x Fem!Sully!Reader. I’ve never, ever written a story where there is a OC love interest. So I’m very excited but just as nervous because I am definitely trying something new out! Also, please if I had made any grammatical errors I apologize! But anyway, please enjoy the story!

⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎⋆₊⊹

Summary - Y/n Sully, was the daughter of the mighty Toruk Makto. She was striking, a pleasure to the eyes of those that stared. But Y/n wanted more than just looks, she yearned for love. True love. Yet she was to scared. Of the heartbreak, the pain, the grief, the dread. But, she just so happened to meet a very special boy.

⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎⋆₊⊹

Warnings - helpless romantics, young love, annoying siblings, light swearing, family love, yearning, self-doubt (never doubt yourself!!), reassurance, father-daughter talk, comfort

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

The stiff fibers of your newly weaved basket rubbed gently against the palm of your hand and finger tips as you walked down the small path in the forest.

You were on your way to forage Lionberry seeds as well as the Melon Tree fruit you’ve been craving to taste for the past few days.

As you continued walking down the path you were able to spot a small cluster of the blue Lionberry seeds, almost successfully tucked away behind a few trees.

Once you made your way to the plants, and plucked enough seeds from the center. Snacking on some yourself for the extra energy, you ventured back onto the path.

The chirps and abundant distant howls brought a serene atmosphere to everything as you walked through the sunlit forest. Your eyes still peeled looking for the Melon Trees.

Which was right up across the path, a clearing that held a bunch of the Melon Trees and the fruits you had been searching for.

As you walked into the passageway, a feeling of trepidation pooled hot into your stomach as you stared at the muscular back of a young na’vi man who was picking the fruits you were about to.

You were frozen in the entrance of the passage way, thinking about the only three options you could go about the situation you were in, or bound to be in.

1. Back away slowly and forget you even wanted fruit in the first place.

2. Walk into the clearing and pick the fruit as if nobody was there.

Or 3.. Which you were currently doing. Continue to stare at this young man who is definitely your age’s back.

Embarrassment pinged down your spine as your face grew hot at the sight in front of you. Diverting your dry eyes and walking into the foliage either way.

Trying to ignore that you would be in there regardless of the fact that there was a boy there too.

Or may you say man.. The physique of his body made him look like he was not one to be trifled with.

The almost silent patters of your feet against the grass caught his attention as he turned his head towards you. His eyes widening for a split second as he saw you, up close.

“Y/n, Oel Ngati Kameie.” He did the universal sign of respect and greeting.

“Oel Ngati Kameie. I don’t think we’ve ever met before. Tell me, what is your name?” You couldn’t even believe the words coming out of your own mouth.

When did you ever want to start a conversation? The tone you used made you sound like your mother. Nothing was wrong with that. But where the hell did it come from?

“My name is Awpxey! It’s nice to formally meet you,” A close-eyed smile took over his features, your eyes looking up into his face at the bright attitude.

“It is nice to formally meet you too, Awpxey. I see you were picking Melon Tree fruit, they are ripe enough now correct?” Your fingers tightened against the handle of the basket. The fibers feeling as though they were gonna snap with the pressure you applied on them.

‘Why are am I being so awkward? I mean at least I didn’t ask him how’s he’s doing! Don’t conversations always go downhill from there?’

“Ah yes, all the fruits are seemingly becoming more ripe by they day. Finally, I have been waiting to long for these fruits. But they are to good to forget about.”

You nodded along in silent agreement with his words.

“It’s a bit of a mood spoiler when you find your favorite fruit isn’t ripe yet isn’t it?” Your body language was against your own better judgment.

Your tail low and swaying, the short grass tickling the underside as it swished faster the longer you stood in front of him.

“Yes! It kills my day every time!”

The both of you stood still. Awpxey was stuck staring into your eyes. His body stiff as he stood in front of you before he cleared his throat, his face getting hot.

“W-well, I should let you go get your fruit then! I still have to finish picking mine..” Awpxey gave a small chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck. His face turning a light shade of purple as he blushed before turning his face in the direction of his basket.

‘Did I just stutter? In front of Y/n? You’ve gotta be joking. Literally.’

“Yeah.. uhm, yeah. I’ll be right, uh, right there,” you pointed to a specific Melon Tree that had not gotten picked yet. Far enough away from the one Awpxey was at but just close enough.

“Great, well, I’ll be right there then.” Awpxey reluctantly turned his face back towards Y/n. A nervous smile on his face.

You give him a smile and a small nod, walking over to the tree you had pointed out. Going about your business picking the medium sized fruits off of the tree.

The clearing was now filled with a comfortable silence, the rustles of the leaves and the crunches of the grass set a peaceful ambience to the area.

That was until a loud snap rang in the area, your shoulders tensed at the unreasonably loud sound. A small, embarrassed ‘oh’ being said but not by you.

It was Awpxey. His basket that carried a good amount of Melon Tree fruit snapped. Breaking due to the pressure of so much fruit on it, not only that but it was certainly worn down.

“Here, let me help.” You brought your basket over to Awpxey, picking up his fallen fruits and putting them in your own basket.

“No Y/n, no. You do not have to carry my fruit for me, plus, you have seeds in here, it might break again.” Awpxey felt guilty as he watched you pick up his fruit. Awkwardly holding the few in his hand as he refused to place it in your basket.

You took the fruits out his hands — a spark running up your hands — and placed them into your basket, picking up and placing the remaining fruit in your basket before standing back up.

“Come.” You beckoned him to follow behind you, which he quickly did.

“I will weave you a new basket. Meet me here tomorrow at the same time and I will give it to you.” You spoke as you walked out the clearing.

You were offering, but also demanding at the same time. You’ve had time on your hands recently. So what good to do with it than make a basket for someone who’s just broke?

Awpxey’s eyes widened. “No Y/n! You don’t have to do that, seriously! It’s alright I promise,” Awpxey was trying to convince you he didn’t need a new one. But you knew better.

“Not asking Awpxey, come here tomorrow and you will have a new basket.”

Awpxey’s shoulders slouched as he realized you wouldn’t change your mind. “Okay…” He said with a grumble as you walked in front of him.

Once you made it back to High Camp, you asked Awpxey to direct you both towards his family’s hut so you can drop off his fruit. An apprehensive look developed on his face as he got closer to his family’s home.

Hoping his parents wouldn’t say something that could drive you away.

You both entered his family’s kelku, a small smile on your face as you looked towards his parents.

Who had turned to face you quickly once they seen you walk in, their current conversation put to hold as shock visibly enveloped their faces.

“Oel Ngati Kameie.” You greeted, bringing your hand to your forehead before taking it back down.

They both recuperated themselves, and greeted you back, “Oel Ngati Kameie.” His parents had small smiles on their face also. Their minds jumping when they noticed the basket full of the Melon Tree fruit. Was it an offering to ask for their blessing?

Awpxey’s face dropped and started to get hot as he realized where his parents minds were turning to, but before he could say anything, his mother spoke.

“Y/n, what brings you here dear? And with all that fruit!” Itxä was a nice woman, you’ve met her before at clan gatherings and have spoken to her while she was in Mo’at’s tent more than a few times.

“I came to help bring Awpxey’s fruit back! His basket broke while he was picking the fruit and I decided to put them in mine! I do plan on weaving him a new basket, he will receive it tomorrow!” You explained yourself in a soft tone, his parents were sweet people.

Awpxey’s father, Puo was a funny and sweet man. Always wishing to keep the ones around him safe and happy.

“And you’re holding the basket? Awpxey! I took a long time out of my days to teach you to be a gentleman and this is how you turn up?” Puo exclaimed. You covered your smile with your hand as you watched Awpxey put his hands forward, trying to explain himself to his father.

“No dad!- That’s not even what happened!-“ Puo looked at his son with a bored look as he put his hands on his hips.

“Well from what I’m seeing, that is what happened. You idiot!” You never knew men could be so sassy, but you have your own fair share at your home.

And it’s not just Tuk.

Itxä helped you sort the Melon Tree fruits into their own fruit bowl, making sure you had more still in your basket, much to your own protests before she sent you off with a smile.

As you walked home, it was almost as if realization was settling into you.

You just went to that boy’s home.. Met his parents. And talked with his mother…

A blush adorned your face once you entered your own hut. Quickly setting away the fruits before anyone could notice your warm face.

But it just had to be your father who spoke up first.

“What’s got your face all warmed up babygirl?” Dread was the only thing you felt once you heard all the conversations stop. All eyes turning towards you.

Lo’ak smirked, deciding on taking his chance to do his daily readings.

“Yeah big sis. Couldn’t help but notice you came home blushing.. Did you meet a boy?” You cringed as you heard the smile in his tone. And cringed at how he got his reading assumption, correct.

You hissed lightly in his direction to defend yourself.

“Shut the hell up Lo’ak! I didn’t meet anybody. And even if I did. It’s definitely not any of your monkey brain business.” You clapped back at him verbally, which shut him up.

For only a few seconds.

“I do not have a monkey brain! And even if I did, don’t you remember what Norm said? He said monkeys were one of the smartest animals, since they were like human technically?” He thought he had shut you up now, that was before you noticed this was just gonna become a stupid bickering back and forth that could go on for hours.

“Who are you trying to fool Lo’ak? You’re one of the dumbest people I know.” Your arms were now crossed over your chest. Facing him as you say on the floor, trying to start weaving Awpxey’s basket.

“Oh yeah? Well then who’s the smartest person you know!?” You don’t know where he was going with that, but you answered anyway.

“I am.” You said nonchalantly and started to make the basket.

Tuk scoffed loudly as her face scrunched.

“Excuse me? I thought I was the smartest person you knew Y/n!” Tuk’s tone was smart mouthed.

Your eyes widened as you realized what you said. “I was just joking Tuk! You know you’re the smartest person here!”

Now it was your father’s turn to scoff, placing his hand on his chest.

“But you said I was the smartest babygirl?” Now everyone was looking between you and your father. And your face held disbelief as you paused in weaving.

“Um… Well… Yeah you are too dad!” You noticed your mother patting your father’s shoulder as he held a look of exaggerated betrayal on his face.

“Can I weave in peace?” You ask defeatedly. Neteyam’s face scruched in confusion at your question.

“Didn’t you just finish weaving one, like yesterday?”

Dread, once again, enveloped your body as embarrassment sunk in. Lo’ak was having a ball at your flushed face and obvious body language.

“You’re making one for a boy aren’t you?” His tone was sleazy and you wanted to sucker punch him right in his nose.

“Shut up Lo’ak!”

Your father’s face twisted into a grimace, “you’re courting somebody?” His voice was dry, as if his mouth was only grating sandpaper.

“No dad! No, I’m not courting anybody. I’m only doing somebody a favor..” The way your dad visibly softened his back and rested against your mother made you feel calmer.

“Who are you weaving for ma’ite?” As soon as the question left your mother’s lips, everyone in the room perked up and stared at you.

“Umm… It’s for Itxä’s and Puo’s son..” Your parents smiled at the familiar names.

“Itxä is a nice woman, she’s sweet.” Your mother stated.

“Puo’s one funny man isn’t he?” Your father said chuckling. You nodded with a small smile, finally feeling in the clear as the random chatter started all over again.

“Wait.. Did you say son?” Neteyam spoke looking at you, 5 other heads turning in your direction once more.

You groaned, now annoyed at the fact the attention was on you once again.

“Yes Neteyam. I said son.” You grumbled.

“Why are you making a basket for him Y/n?” Tuk asked as she moved to sit next to you on the floor, curling up into your side.

“His broke Tuk-Tuk, I’m just doing him a favor.” You explained as you put your arm around Tuk, playing with one of her short braids softly.

“How do you know his basket broke?” Kiri asked with a smirk. You felt like your heart almost broke. Never, ever did you expect Kiri to join in on your brother’s teasing you.

“Were you guys out, together?” Lo’ak questioned next. Raising his eyebrows up and down repeatedly, taunting you.

“Did nothing interesting happen while I was gone? Why are you guys so focused on me. Like didn’t Lo’ak shit himself 4 days ago or something?”

Lo’ak’s face paled. “That was eight years ago you skxawng!”

“Oh, well it feels like yesterday-”

“Language, both of you.” Your dad cut in.

“Skxawng isn’t even a bad word!” Lo’ak was quick to try and defend himself.

“But it is an insult, and Y/n, you know better to be swearing here. Tuk is here!” Your mother scolded you both.

“Huh?” Tuk said as she looked over to Neytiri, she hadn’t even been listening.

“Well never mind that then. But anyway, you both know to watch your mouths.”

Lo’ak grumbled his incessant nothings while you continued to weave.

Hours passed in the blink of an eye, the basket was fortunately halfway done and it was dinner time. Tuk had ended up falling asleep against you, so you woke her gently before joining your family at the table.

You all ate, somewhat peacefully, as Lo’ak sped through the whole meal and almost choked more than you can count on two hands.

Once dinner was over you helped clean up the table and settle everything away.

Taking it upon yourself to put Tuk to bed early as she seemed so tired.

You brought yourself back to the center of you kelku, trying to at least finish the basket before tomorrow.

Jake watched you sadly from the table. His ears folded down and eyes looking a darker yellow with sadness.

Neytiri noticed his grim attitude immediately. “Ma’Jake? What is wrong?” She sat next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

He looked at you a bit more before turning back to Neytiri.

“She’s already growing up so fast… like she’s getting a boyfriend?.. It feels like just yesterday I was holding her while she cried..."

Jake remembers how tough you were to put to sleep at one point. Missing that feeling of pride he had when you finally closed your eyes.

Neytiri cringed as she realized what she’s gonna say may hurt Jake’s feelings.

“Well you could always hold her.. The crying part may or may not happen…” Neytiri hoped she spoke so quiet Jake couldn’t hear her, but Neytiri knew better.

“What do you mean by that?” Jake was quick to ask.

“She’s met a boy Jake.. You never know what path Eywa has planned for her. Maybe she could stay with Awpxey forever, maybe Awpxey could break her heart. But no matter what happens ma’Jake, you have to be there for her always. You are her father, one of her confiders. She trusts you, and forever will.”

At this point Jake was a blink away from bawling like a baby. Neytiri’s words gave him a newfound confidence, but also a newfound fear.

He didn’t want you to go around chasing boys, and getting your heart broken in return.

The last thing he wanted his sweet babygirl to run into was a player. But he felt a feeling in his heart that told him not to interfere.

It was to be left up to Eywa. Your fate and will was in her hands.

In your own head, you weren’t really thinking about a future or anything with Awpxey. You were doing him a simple favor. But you couldn’t help yourself as your mind drifted to the memory of his back in the sunlit clearing.

Your hands became clammy and your throat dried. Heat bursting in your neck and spreading down your spine to your whole body.

Your hands moved hastily, finishing up the basket with an embarrassed huff. You were hoping nobody was looking at you.

“Come you guys, it is time for us to sleep!” Your mother whisper shouted. Acknowledging the fact Tuk was already asleep.

You all complied, filing into your sleeping mats and saying goodnight.

A giddy feeling was all you could feel in your chest and stomach as a smile broke out onto your face.

You were going to see Awpxey tomorrow and you were beyond ecstatic. You closed your eyes as they began to fall shut themselves.

In the morning when you all awoke and gravitated towards the table for breakfast, you embarrassingly ate at a pace that would put Lo'ak to shame.

Lo’ak was feeding into your flushed face and rushed actions.

“What's the matter big sis?” He asked, cocking his eyebrow annoyingly with a sneer on his face. “You excited to see your boyfriend?”

You growled at him in annoyance, “He is not my boyfriend.”

“Yet,” Kiri added before covering her mouth with her hand, trying to mask her smile.

"Kiri!" You said in an irritated tone.

"Why are you joining them with their bs!?” You felt like you were being cornered, without a corner.

“Watch your mouth,” your father grumbled exasperatedly.

“Fine.” You sighed, finishing your breakfast a whole lot slower now.

“Y/n? Can we go to the forest with you too?” Tuk laid her head against your collarbone, closing her eyes as she felt your hand brush through her braids softly.

“I’m sorry Tuk, not right now. But if you want, later we can go to Grandmother’s tent and I could teach you a few more things…” You whispered into her ear, watching how it perked as you spoke about teaching her new things.

“Of course! Only if you pinky promise!” You laughed as you folded your other fingers down, leaving your ring finger sticking out awkwardly.

When you, Kiri, and Lo’ak were younger your father had taught you about pinky promises. You three made promises about random stuff almost everyday.

Tuk and Neteyam picked up an it quickly and wanted to try and make them too, just using their last finger as a makeshift pinky.

“I promise Tuk, okay? I’ll see you later.” You kissed the top of her head before grabbing the new basket you made and waving to your family.

Your pace was almost a skip as you went towards the ikran, mounting yours and quickly flying down to the large forest below.

Your keen eyes surveyed the forest from above trying your best to look for the clearing you and Awpxey were just at yesterday.

When you finally spotted it, you landed your ikran a little bit away from it, choosing to have a small walk the rest of the way.

When you finally entered the clearing, you were greeted with the same muscular back you saw yesterday.

Awpxey gave you a smile as he seen you, quickly walking towards you.

“Hi Y/n.” He said in an almost hushed tone.

“Hi Awpxey.” Your voice was breathy, light and clear as it traveled to Awpxey’s ears. Which turned a darker pink as they folded against his head.

“Here’s your basket, I hope you like it!” You presented the gift to him, and he took it with hasty hands and and a happy face.

“It’s perfect Y/n! Thank you so much!”

Your face heated as you felt shy under his praise and gaze.

“Y-Yeah it’s no problem at all Awpxey, if you ever need anything else you can always tell me.”

He smiled, his fingers fidgeting with the strong fibers of the weaving.

“I definitely will..”

A quiet pause enveloped the clearing, it wasn’t awkward. Just silence, with the sounds of chirping and hooting from other animals in the forest.

“Hey Y/n… I was wondering if you wanna hang out?” Awpxey’s voice came out slow and controlled. Almost as if he was rehearsing. Which he had.

There was a quick blank silence.

“N-Now?” Your mind was still working on trying to process what you had heard. But once it clicked you answered back quickly.

“Yeah that’s fine Awpxey, w-we can hang out if you want.” You didn’t even know when he wanted to hang out, but you had no objections if it were to be right now.

Awpxey’s tail was shaking behind his back, as he was trying his best to not let it sway to excitedly where you would notice.

You were on the same page as him, fighting the urge to reach behind your back and pull your own tail.

Awpxey nodded, “I was gonna ask if you think now is okay?..”

“Now’s perfectly fine!” Your smile was small, though it was grateful.

That whole day, you and Awpxey strolled around the forest, looking at all the different animals and plants.

Multiple “accidents” happened where as you both walked, your hands would bump. There was a unfamiliar feeling that would bloom in your stomach as his touch sent an electric shock up your arm.

Eclipse was bound to happen soon, so you both decided it would be smart to start heading home now.

As you two continued to walk side by side, the sudden memory of this morning and Tuk rushed through your head.

You had spent the whole day with Awpxey, you forgot about literally everything.

Your steps paused, hand coming to your forehead as you sucked a guilty sigh.

Awpxey was quick to stop, turning to face you quickly.

“Y/n? Are you alright? What has happened?” He paced a step closer, placing his hands and your shoulders.

You had a grimace on your face,

“I forgot that my younger sister wanted to play with me today… Gosh how could I have forgotten?” Guilt was eating away at you.

Tuk was probably home all day, waiting for you, and most likely pestering your parents for when you were to come home.

Awpxey gave a small reassuring smile. He had no siblings, so he couldn’t really say he understood. But he understood the guilt of being late.

“I am sure she will me alright Y/n, we should get you home now so you don’t make her wait any longer!” Awpxey nudged you forward gently, to which you complied and walked.

“I promised her- Promised! That since we couldn’t come to the forest, I would teach her new things about different herbs and pastes in our grandmothers tent together.”

You were rambling, talking with your hands. You felt disappointed in yourself.

How could one make a promise and just forget it?

Awpxey just walked next to you, soft smile adorning his full lips. He could tell you felt guilty about leaving your sister, so he let you ramble and didn’t interrupt you to try and invalidate your feelings in any way.

Once back at High Camp, you wanted to go home quick, but you never left without saying goodbye.

“Bye Awpxey! It was really nice hanging out with you today, had lots of fun! We should do it again!”

You were saying as you scurried off your ikran, facing him quick.

Awpxey climbed down with grace.

“I know, it was really nice today Y/n. We have to do it again.” His voice was so deep and sultry, a rumble passed through your bones.

Purple was becoming to spread on your face, so you turned quickly and ran home.

“Bye Awpxey!” You threw over your shoulder, sending him a small wave.

“Bye Y/n..” He lifted his hand a bit to wave too, although his goodbye was quite silent.

You didn’t even want to enter your kelku.

You walked so slow towards the enterance of your home, taking deep breaths as to just calm yourself down.

Though you ended up entering quick due to the guilt that ate away at your stomach.

You felt irresponsible.

How could you just have left Tuk over him? Over a boy?

Your whole life all you have been taught was to just care for your family. Only pay attention to your family.

They are what’s most important. Your responsibility.

“Tuk-” You mutter as you enter the hut.

Eyes turn to you, studying. But in your state of mind they felt judging.

“Hi Y/n.” Tuk said with a wave and smile, she held a snack in her hand.

“Tuk. I’m really sorry about not coming home earlier. I know I said I was going to take you to see grandma but I really forgot, it completely slipped my mind and-“

You were cut off.

“Y/n.” It was your father. Jake’s gravely voice grounded you quick, snapping you up straight.

“It’s fine you didn’t come and get her, she was sleeping for almost the whole day anyway. She had a headache.” Your father explained to you.

It didn’t help. It made you feel more guiltier than ever.

You should have been there. She was in pain.

“Oh.. Are you feeling better Tuk?” You were now next to her, placing your hand on her forehead.

“Mhm! I got snacks, see?” Tuk held up her small handful of cut up Melon Tree Fruit.

Seeing it made your heart thump just a bit harder.

It was the exact fruit that had made you meet your ma- The man you were with today.

“Oh, well that’s good. Do they taste good? Are they ripe yet?” You examine the fruits color from afar.

“Y/n.”

The voice pulled your attention from Tuk.

It was your father who had called you.

This alone made your mouth feel sticky, your hands already becoming clammy.

“Yeah dad?” You tried your hardest to make your voice the same tone it was before, to not sound nervous.

To not crumble under the gaze of your mother. Nor your siblings who were barely visible.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Shit.

Did you do something? You raked your head as hard as you could to think of any recent events that could have possibly gotten you in trouble.

Was this about Awpxey?

Before you even noticed you were at a secluded area of your family’s kelku.

Alone with your father, and beyond nervous.

“Come, sit with me babygirl.” Your dad waved his hand towards himself, taking a seat onto the floor in a criss crossed position.

You quickly sat down, deciding to sit with your legs to your chest for now.

Your ears twitched as you heard your dad sigh. A pit crating into your stomach.

Was he upset with you?

“I’m not angry with you babygirl.. I just have.. A few questions is all.” He spoke softly. His voice hesitant and surprisingly, nervous.

You nodded, “okay dad. You can ask me.”

Your father opened his mouth, taking in a breath before closing it and turning his head. He didn’t know what to say, how to ask his question.

Your fingers fidgeted with the jewelry on your hands.

Just how nervous was he to not even be able to face you and speak?

“That… Boy. That you’ve been talking to recently, Awpxey. The ones your siblings keep teasing you about.” The sentence came out stiff, hesitant. As if it hurt him to even say the boy’s name in a sentence.

You nodded, signaling to him to carry on.

“I was, um, just wondering if you guys are… You know.” Your father lifted his hands at the end of his sentence.

You were trying to process his words, what is he even talking about?

Then it suddenly clicked.

He thinks you and Awpxey are dating.

Oh god.

“Dating?” You say the word out loud, it sounds so taboo to even say it. In front of your father no less.

“Yeah. Yeah, dating.. Are you guys, dating?” Your father almost looked pale. What exactly is going on here?

“We’re not dating. No, definitely not.” You were quick to respond. You hoped it wasn’t to fast to be considered ‘suspicious’.

You father slowly nodded, his lips pursed as he was working your words.

“Well, I just. I really, um, wanted to tell you that..” There was a pause.

It was really hitting Jake now.

His babygirl is growing up.

This is going to be a new chapter in everyone's lives.

You've found love.

Now he— and everybody else— is going to have to learn how to transition from having you most of the time to having barely seeing you. Though he's come to realize, it's been like that ever since you moved to High Camp.

Jake has come to terms that he isn't the best father. But he loves all his children. And always will. And Eywa knows he prays so much to her at night. Asking for patience, knowledge, and strength to help him become a better father.

It’s going to be hard for him to accept that his babygirl is growing up.

Jake took in a much needed breath, “I just wanted to tell you I love you.” His nod and smile gave you that feeling of happiness from back when you were younger.

“And that I’m here for you, always will be. I will be your shoulder to cry when you need it, I’ll listen to every problem you want me to hear because I love you. I want to see you mentally, not only physically as my daughter. But emotionally as my first baby.” Jake’s voice cracked slightly throughout his sentences. Small tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

You were no better. As soon as he said he loved you, your eyes burned. It feels so good to hear your parents say they love you when you feel they haven’t said it in such a long time.

You wiped your eyes, “I love you too dad. And I’ll be here for you too. You can tell me anything too.” Both of you were vulnerable. Your hearts were exposed, almost as if they were out of your chests. The words your father shared were deep. It was personal, but he still told you.

Because he wanted to.

“And I also want you to know. You have my blessing. If that boy starts courting you and you know truly that he’s the one you want and the one you see. You have my blessing.”

Your smiles were contagious, both of you had mirrored smiles on your face, giggling at each others slowly swollen faces.

Before embracing in a much needed, daddy-daughter hug.

hi! this story was a process and a mf half! so much happened while this was in the making, research, blah blah blah blah, school, home stuff but it’s fine! i got it done! and i’m happy i did! if any of you think I should genuinely keep the story going and make a part two please tell me! I’m always open to accepting requests! bye, and thank you for reading 💖!

#jake sully x daughter!reader #jake sully #neytiri sully x daughter!reader #neytiri sully #neteyam sully #neteyam sully x sister!reader #lo’ak sully x sister!reader #lo’ak sully #kiri sully #kiri sully x sister!reader #tuktirey sully #tuktirey sully x sister!reader #avatar: way of water #avatar #avatar oc #oc #awpxey x reader

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