#Some Direction

[quinloki]

Some Direction

Fem Reader x Roronoa Zoro

26 Chapters - 58,485 words Version with images can be found here.

CW: Language, stalking, violence, sexual themes and situations, ptsd -- surprisingly fluffy despite it all. 18+ only

Summary: This is a time where a new world government has taken over. While the world is now at peace, marriage and reproduction are in decline. This New World Order has stepped in and forced the population into arranged marriages. You've been matched with Roronoa Zoro.

Inspired by Lyndsyh 's Closure series - Which you should read! The world building and character usage is really well done! (It is *very* angsty, especially compared to my piece, but I wanted to do something more light hearted while I enjoyed Lyndsy's hard work =D https://www.wattpad.com/story/151287153-closure-trafalgar-law-x-reader )

Chapter 1: Meeting

You had been at work in the library when a man in an ill-fitting government issue suit and tie had approached you with a package. Everyone knew what it meant, these sorts of notices weren't sent through the mail, but you were a little upset you were being notified in the middle of work. You weren't exactly fond of being the center of attention, unless it was during a presentation for the library, and even then you weren't leaping for joy at the prospect.

Your boss, an older gentleman with a slim build, an impressive afro and an exceptional love of tea came over to you as you turned the envelope over in your hands.

"Oh-hohohoho, your fate has been decided I see, (Y/N). You can take a break and review it in the back room." He offers, taking a sip of his tea. "I can watch your section for a little bit, oh-."

"But your eyes don't work anymore," you mutter with a sigh. Normally you didn't dislike his jokes, but you were in a soured mood now. "Mr. Brook, your sight is amazing given your age."

"You mustn't deprive an old man of his jokes, (Y/N)." He pouts. You often teased him for being older than most of the books in the library, but there wasn't a fleck of grey in his hair, and despite his slim build, he was in good physical condition. You wouldn't be surprised to see him performing in a circus or some other equally high energy venue.

"Mm." Smacking the envelope against your palm you turn toward him. "Thank you, I think I will go in the back and open this."

Sitting down in the mostly private back room you opened your Match Book. Match Books had a lot of information in them, part of why they were delivered by hand, and that information included things like pictures, phone numbers, addresses, work information, blood type, interests, family situations, and other bits of data to help make a first meeting go smoothly. Matches had 48 hours to meet after receiving their Match Books, and six months to arrange their weddings.

You always felt the process went a little too quickly, but it worked more often than not. Even if part of that had to do with the law itself, the punishments for breaking fidelity and the fact that there was a robust system in place to offer marriage counseling. The whole point was to make people stable enough and happy enough to bring the population numbers back up. As well as the Government could hope to facilitate such a thing, they had done a socially accepted good job of it.

Your first look at your match made your face twitch. He looked like a hoodlum! He had three piercings in one ear, a scar that was only impressive because you weren't sure how he survived getting it, and every picture seemed to have caught him with a scowl. There wasn't one image of him smiling or laughing, and he had a sword in his hand – sometimes in both hands and one in his mouth – in almost every shot.

Match Book photos were candid images, but it seemed like your match had two settings: wielding swords or sleeping.

First impressions could be poor, so you tried not to let it drain you, but you had really expected your match to, well, match you. At the risk of being cruel, you weren't entirely sure this Roronoa Zoro even knew how to read. The data did show he graduated, so he was educated. As you read more details your initial concerns melted away a little and you started to understand how you were both matched.

You and Zoro were both orphans, you had both gotten through school quietly. While your grades were higher, they weren't that much higher. You did martial arts to keep in shape, but not competitively, and certainly you could see how they'd connect that with his passion. The dojo he attended was owned by his adoptive father, and it wasn't far from where you lived and worked.

You heard a low whistle behind you and let out a long-suffering sigh. Nami was looking over your shoulder.

"I did not expect you to get matched with such a -."

"Muscle Head?" You prompt.

"I was going to say hunk, but that works." She sits down across from you, a mischievous grin on her face. "So?" Nami was looking forward to her match adamantly. Though, knowing her as well as you did you imagined it had more to do with her desire to get matched with a rich man, as opposed to any romantic reasons.

You shrug. "Match Books hardly spark a connection on their own. I guess we'll see how it goes. I'll give it a couple hours before I reach out. I don't want to contact him before he's had a chance to flip through whatever they gave him about me."

You didn't want to make too many assumptions, and you didn't even want to read the whole Match Book. There was just something too clinical about getting to know a person from a government provided dossier. You'd rather get to know him through conversation.

Time for a change of topic. "How're things going in the sea chart restoration project?" You ask Nami, pulling your eyes away from the book.

Nami smiles. "It's been a real pleasure. Thanks for telling me about it, it's the most fun I've had with old sea charts since I was a kid."

"Yeah, sorry you gotta deal with the old man."

"Oh don't be, I've already made a few thousand berries off him."

You freeze. "Nami, you did not."

"Of course I did, it's just underwear, (Y/N)."

You put your head in your hands and sigh. There's a pat on your arm as another of your coworkers, Nico Robin, is closing your Match Book for you and giving you a look that already has you worried. The older lady was still young by conventional standards, just older than you and Nami. She normally had the most impressive neutral expression on her face and in her voice, but not right now.

"Robin?"

"You'll want to go to the study desks, (Y/N). There's a young man with green hair looking through a Match Book, and, well..." She tilts her head toward your Match Book.

Your eyes go wide. "No way." You grab the Match Book and go out into the library proper, heading over to the study desks. There was no running in the library, so you were half-a-pace away from jogging.

You didn't have to look around long to catch sight of him. Green hair was pretty easy to spot. You walk toward him automatically, not really thinking about what you would do or say. Of all the places he could end up reading his Match Book, it would be your library. It wasn't like you'd spent your life looking forward to meeting your match, you had a more practical outlook on the whole thing. Something about this felt a little overwhelming though, and you realize as you are reaching out toward him that he might need space.

Stopping short of reaching him by a few feet, you stand there in silence for a moment trying to decide what to do.

"Need something?" He questions, and you feel a shiver run up your back. Match Books couldn't tell you what someone else sounded like, and his voice was pleasant, if not a little irritated at the moment. What catches you off guard the most was the fact that he hadn't even so much as twitched his head in your direction. There was no way he could've seen you, and you didn't wear hard-soled shoes, so you hadn't made any noise despite the speed in which you approached.

How in the heck did he know you were there?

"No, er, yes. I mean. I'm sorry, it was quite rude of me to approach you this way." You bow, as you usually do when giving an apology at work, and hear the chair slide across the floor as he turns toward you.

"What do you mean," he starts to question as you straighten back up, "by... that." His eyes go wide as realization dawns on him. "Gah! I thought you were at the library by the dojo! What're you doing here?"

You blink at him blankly for a moment. "But... this is the library by the dojo."

Next Chapter

#Some Direction #Roronoa Zoro x Reader #Zoro x Reader #one piece fanfiction #arranged marriage #reader insert

[mugiwara-no-toshokan]

Some Direction

CisFem Reader x Roronoa Zoro

26 Chapters - 58,485 words - COMPLETED

CW: Language, stalking, violence, sexual themes and situations, ptsd -- surprisingly fluffy despite it all. 18+ only

Summary: This is a time where a new world government has taken over. While the world is now at peace, marriage and reproduction are in decline. This New World Order has stepped in and forced the population into arranged marriages. You've been matched with Roronoa Zoro.

Inspired by Lyndsyh 's Closure series - Which you should read! The world building and character usage is really well done! (It is *very* angsty, especially compared to my piece, but I wanted to do something more light hearted while I enjoyed Lyndsy's hard work =D https://www.wattpad.com/story/151287153-closure-trafalgar-law-x-reader )

Chapter 1: Meeting

You had been at work in the library when a man in an ill-fitting government issue suit and tie had approached you with a package. Everyone knew what it meant, these sorts of notices weren't sent through the mail, but you were a little upset you were being notified in the middle of work. You weren't exactly fond of being the center of attention, unless it was during a presentation for the library, and even then you weren't leaping for joy at the prospect.

Your boss, an older gentleman with a slim build, an impressive afro and an exceptional love of tea came over to you as you turned the envelope over in your hands.

"Oh-hohohoho, your fate has been decided I see, (Y/N). You can take a break and review it in the back room." He offers, taking a sip of his tea. "I can watch your section for a little bit, oh-."

"But your eyes don't work anymore," you mutter with a sigh. Normally you didn't dislike his jokes, but you were in a soured mood now. "Mr. Brook, your sight is amazing given your age."

"You mustn't deprive an old man of his jokes, (Y/N)." He pouts. You often teased him for being older than most of the books in the library, but there wasn't a fleck of grey in his hair, and despite his slim build, he was in good physical condition. You wouldn't be surprised to see him performing in a circus or some other equally high energy venue.

"Mm." Smacking the envelope against your palm you turn toward him. "Thank you, I think I will go in the back and open this."

Sitting down in the mostly private back room you opened your Match Book. Match Books had a lot of information in them, part of why they were delivered by hand, and that information included things like pictures, phone numbers, addresses, work information, blood type, interests, family situations, and other bits of data to help make a first meeting go smoothly. Matches had 48 hours to meet after receiving their Match Books, and six months to arrange their weddings.

You always felt the process went a little too quickly, but it worked more often than not. Even if part of that had to do with the law itself, the punishments for breaking fidelity and the fact that there was a robust system in place to offer marriage counseling. The whole point was to make people stable enough and happy enough to bring the population numbers back up. As well as the Government could hope to facilitate such a thing, they had done a socially accepted good job of it.

Your first look at your match made your face twitch. He looked like a hoodlum! He had three piercings in one ear, a scar that was only impressive because you weren't sure how he survived getting it, and every picture seemed to have caught him with a scowl. There wasn't one image of him smiling or laughing, and he had a sword in his hand – sometimes in both hands and one in his mouth – in almost every shot.

Match Book photos were candid images, but it seemed like your match had two settings: wielding swords or sleeping.

First impressions could be poor, so you tried not to let it drain you, but you had really expected your match to, well, match you. At the risk of being cruel, you weren't entirely sure this Roronoa Zoro even knew how to read. The data did show he graduated, so he was educated. As you read more details your initial concerns melted away a little and you started to understand how you were both matched.

You and Zoro were both orphans, you had both gotten through school quietly. While your grades were higher, they weren't that much higher. You did martial arts to keep in shape, but not competitively, and certainly you could see how they'd connect that with his passion. The dojo he attended was owned by his adoptive father, and it wasn't far from where you lived and worked.

You heard a low whistle behind you and let out a long-suffering sigh. Nami was looking over your shoulder.

"I did not expect you to get matched with such a -."

"Muscle Head?" You prompt.

"I was going to say hunk, but that works." She sits down across from you, a mischievous grin on her face. "So?" Nami was looking forward to her match adamantly. Though, knowing her as well as you did you imagined it had more to do with her desire to get matched with a rich man, as opposed to any romantic reasons.

You shrug. "Match Books hardly spark a connection on their own. I guess we'll see how it goes. I'll give it a couple hours before I reach out. I don't want to contact him before he's had a chance to flip through whatever they gave him about me."

You didn't want to make too many assumptions, and you didn't even want to read the whole Match Book. There was just something too clinical about getting to know a person from a government provided dossier. You'd rather get to know him through conversation.

Time for a change of topic. "How're things going in the sea chart restoration project?" You ask Nami, pulling your eyes away from the book.

Nami smiles. "It's been a real pleasure. Thanks for telling me about it, it's the most fun I've had with old sea charts since I was a kid."

"Yeah, sorry you gotta deal with the old man."

"Oh don't be, I've already made a few thousand berries off him."

You freeze. "Nami, you did not."

"Of course I did, it's just underwear, (Y/N)."

You put your head in your hands and sigh. There's a pat on your arm as another of your coworkers, Nico Robin, is closing your Match Book for you and giving you a look that already has you worried. The older lady was still young by conventional standards, just older than you and Nami. She normally had the most impressive neutral expression on her face and in her voice, but not right now.

"Robin?"

"You'll want to go to the study desks, (Y/N). There's a young man with green hair looking through a Match Book, and, well..." She tilts her head toward your Match Book.

Your eyes go wide. "No way." You grab the Match Book and go out into the library proper, heading over to the study desks. There was no running in the library, so you were half-a-pace away from jogging.

You didn't have to look around long to catch sight of him. Green hair was pretty easy to spot. You walk toward him automatically, not really thinking about what you would do or say. Of all the places he could end up reading his Match Book, it would be your library. It wasn't like you'd spent your life looking forward to meeting your match, you had a more practical outlook on the whole thing. Something about this felt a little overwhelming though, and you realize as you are reaching out toward him that he might need space.

Stopping short of reaching him by a few feet, you stand there in silence for a moment trying to decide what to do.

"Need something?" He questions, and you feel a shiver run up your back. Match Books couldn't tell you what someone else sounded like, and his voice was pleasant, if not a little irritated at the moment. What catches you off guard the most was the fact that he hadn't even so much as twitched his head in your direction. There was no way he could've seen you, and you didn't wear hard-soled shoes, so you hadn't made any noise despite the speed in which you approached.

How in the heck did he know you were there?

"No, er, yes. I mean. I'm sorry, it was quite rude of me to approach you this way." You bow, as you usually do when giving an apology at work, and hear the chair slide across the floor as he turns toward you.

"What do you mean," he starts to question as you straighten back up, "by... that." His eyes go wide as realization dawns on him. "Gah! I thought you were at the library by the dojo! What're you doing here?"

You blink at him blankly for a moment. "But... this is the library by the dojo."

#Some Direction #Roronoa Zoro x Reader #Zoro x Reader #one piece fanfiction #arranged marriage #reader insert #x reader

[soy-sauce-and-mothra]

Hey! Are there blacksmiths in your story? I'm a hobbyist blacksmith and I'm here to help!

Blacksmithing is one of those things that a lot of people get wrong because they don't realize it stuck around past the advent of the assembly line. Here's a list of some common misconceptions I see and what to do instead!

Not all blacksmiths are gigantic terrifying muscly guys with beards and deep voices. I am 5'8, skinny as a twig, have the muscle mass of wet bread, and exist on Tumblr. Anybody who is strong enough to pick up a hammer and understands fire safety can be a blacksmith.

You can make more than just swords with blacksmithing. Though swords are undeniably practical, they're not the only things that can be made. I've made candle holders, wall hooks, kebab skewers, fire pokers, and more. Look up things other people have made, it's really amazing what can be done.

"Red-hot" is actually not that hot by blacksmith terms. when heated up, the metal goes from black, to red, to orange, to yellow, to white. (for temperature reference, I got a second degree burn from picking up a piece of metal on black heat) The ideal color to work with the metal is yellow. White is not ideal at all, because the metal starts sparking and gets all weird and lumpy when it cools. (At no point in this process does the metal get even close to melting. It gets soft enough to work with, but I have never once seen metal become a liquid.)

Blacksmithing takes fucking forever. Not even taking into account starting the forge, selecting and preparing metal, etc. etc. it takes me around an hour to make one (1) fancy skewer. The metals blacksmiths work with heat up and cool down incredibly fast. When the forge is going good, it only takes like 20 seconds to get your metal hot enough to work with, but it takes about the same time for it to cool down, sometimes even less.

As long as you are careful, it is actually stupidly easy to not get hurt while blacksmithing. When I picked up this hobby I was like "okay, cool! I'm gonna make stuff, and I'm gonna end up in the hospital at some point!" Thus far, the latter has yet to occur. I've been doing this for nearly a year. I have earned myself a new scar from the aforementioned second degree burn, and one singe mark on my jeans. I don't even wear gloves half the time. Literally just eye protection, common sense, and fast reflexes and you'll probably be fine. (Accidents still happen of course, but I have found adequate safety weirdly easy to achieve with this hobby)

A forge is not a fire. The forge is the thing blacksmiths put their metal in to heat it up. It starts as a small fire, usually with newspaper or something else that's relatively small and burns easily, which we then put in the forge itself, which is sort of a fireplace-esque thing (there's a lot of different types of forge, look into it and try to figure out what sort of forge would make the most sense for the context you're writing about) and we cover it with coal, which then catches fire and heats up. The forge gets really hot, and sometimes really bright. Sometimes when I stare at the forge for too long it's like staring into the sun. The forge is also not a waterfall of lava, Steven Universe. It doesn't work like that, Steven Universe.

Welding and blacksmithing are not the same thing. They often go hand-in-hand, but you cannot connected two pieces of metal with traditional blacksmithing alone. There is something called forge welding, where you heat your metal, sprinkle borax (or the in-universe equivalent) on it to prevent the metal from oxidizing/being non-weldable, and hammer the pieces together very quickly. Forge welding also sends sparks flying everywhere, and if you're working in a small space with other blacksmiths, you usually want to announce that you're welding before you do, so that everyone in a five-foot radius can get out of that five-foot radius. You also cannot just stuck some random pebbles into the forge and get a decent piece of metal that you can actually make something with, Steven Universe. It doesn't work like that, Steven Universe.

Anvils are really fucking heavy. Nothing else to add here.

Making jewelry is not a blacksmithing thing unless you want jewelry made of steel. And it will be very ugly if you try. Blacksmithing wasn't invented to make small things.

If there's anything here I didn't mention, just ask and I'll do my best to answer.

#yes some of this was directed at steven universe #the only thing su got right was bismuth crying when her anvil broke #cus those things are goddamn expensive and hard to transport #blacksmith #blacksmithing #writing #writing prompts #writing advice #writeblr #writer #writer problems #writerblr #writerscommunity #writers on tumblr #writers and poets #writers

[vhstown]

ramadan mubarak 💗 remember that palestinians are also going through ramadan amidst a genocide! if you are able, aim to focus your zakat on organisations like:

care for gaza (and their paypal here)

direct aid for gaza

gazaesims

palestinian children's relief fund

#please reblog with other links !!!!!!!! for congo sudan tigray yemen etc i cant find any direct ones for some reason??? #i promise you ive tried ill reblog / edit with some more if i can or a masterpost #vee chats #free palestine #free gaza #gaza strip #gaza genocide #ramadan #ramadan kareem #ramadan mubarak #free rafah

[rice-enjoyer]

#felt like i needed to make this after some interactions today #i did this with burning text generator! #my overall tumblr experience has been amazing after 6 months of radio silence #this is directed at everyone who's mutuals with me. even if we are not in the same fandoms anymore or have anything in common #i still love you and get happy when i see you post/ramble about topics that are interesting to you #just fyi if we are mutuals i actively think about you with your pfp and username in mind at least once a day #<<< past rice being based with this tag #mutual appreciation #:-)

[obsmiechujek]

Obsessed with the shapes of @punkitt-is-here twipie designs!!! They're getting slushies

#also this is my first mlp fanart since i was 12 its an honor #mlp fim #twipie #twilight sparkle #pinkie pie #ngl her blog really reinvented my love for the show #like i used to be obsessed as a kid but the direction of the fandom was kind of intimidating #so seeing her comics really touches some part of my childhood idk #what was my sketchbook tag again #shitbook

[vriskan8or]

let her go

#homestuck #vriska serket #terezi pyrope #vriska #terezi #vrisrezi #mic_art #screencap redraw of that one utena scene woohoo #vrisrezi and utenanthy dont share many similarities but there are some interesting parallels that can be drawn #like theyre all characters who are devoted to the respective roles they think they have #utena needs to be a prince and vriska needs to be a hero #terezi needs to cast vriska as the villain so that she can be the one to bring her to justice while anthy #is resigned to her role as the rose bride and is cast as a witch by others (and herself in a way...) to justify her suffering #im too tired to put into words all the other shit rattlign around in my brain but something something vriska society violence princes utena #something interesting to note is that in the rgu stabbing scene utena is walking to the left while is hs vriskas walking to the right #which i think is mostly a cultural difference due to english being read left to right while japanese is read right to left #changing which direction is percieved as forward #which could be read further into but could also just be the natural flow of the scene or whateevr #idk i need to peruse ohtori.nu again i looooove reading utena essays

[sophie-baybey]

Tumblr is going to become far worse over the next couple years leaning further into targeted ads, gathering user information, and generally no longer doing the Only Things This Site Does Right, and I would like to firmly predict that all of the blame will be put on the influx of twitter refugees, instead of the plain truth that tumblr has been shifting its goals for a long time now (banner ads, leaning into and owning the "hellsite" reputation, selling merch of old tumblr memes, experimenting with ads that cover a quarter of your screen while you scroll (although those are thankfully gone now)).

The tumblr staff have shown they finally understand their community, and as the website's reputation heals, shareholders and suits are going to push for more and more money to be squeezed out of this place. This path was set in motion long ago, and I'm going to be real grumpy when the blame all gets pushed aside to just point fingers at the twitter people.

#been here since 2012 #i know the lay of the land #what is tumblr blaze and premium other than their own versions of twitter blue? #this isnt doomsaying btw this is just the direction things have been going #no social media will ever be perfect #some obviously far worse than others #but ex twitter users arent gonna be the reason this place gets worse #its kinda just capitalism

[sabertoothwalrus]

so I’ve been gaining a lot of insight into the animation industry recently, especially in regards to pitching & the creation of new shows. There’s a few ways to go about it.

First, there’s pitching to a studio. When you pitch, it has to be SHORT and CONCISE. You may write a lovingly detailed pitch bible that perfectly breaks down episodes and characterizations, and it might barely even get read. First impressions, first impressions, first impressions!

Most peoples’ first projects don’t get picked up. I’ve heard a few stories from directors that said they tried pitching a story they’d had for years, which got rejected, to then spend a week or even several hours in their car coming up with a new idea, only for that to get greenlit.

But that’s not the end of it. Just because a show gets greenlit, doesn’t mean it will ever get finished. There’s lots of things that can happen. Sometimes, unexpected major world events (like… a global pandemic) can cause projects to get chopped. Sometimes, a CEO change or studio merge means a single person can decide a project “no longer fits with the company’s brand.” Sometimes, the one producer that was rooting for your project gets laid off, and no one else cares enough, so it gets shelved. Sometimes, a streaming service decides to create an animation department, and then they decide they don’t want it anymore. Sometimes, the studio will be simultaneously be developing another project that was too similar to yours and they just didn’t think to tell you until they decide yours is the one with less potential.

On top of that, almost everyone in the industry is saying that “studios just don’t pick up original content anymore.” Studios want something they can franchise, something that will bring in money. New content is risky. Established fanbases are safer.

However! Studios can still be a very good thing. They can be unionized. They can provide better benefits and resources. They can have connections and infrastructure and a larger volume of workers. At a studio, you can divide the labor and produce more in less time. Longer episodes, longer seasons, more consistency in quality.

But this comes with all of the disadvantages of having more in the kitchen.

The alternative is indie animation.

With indie animation, you have total freedom. Full artistic control. It doesn’t even matter if your idea sucks ass, because there’s no one to tell you you can’t make it. You could make it anyway, and you can make it whatever you wanted.

The thing is, making animation is hard. In my production class last semester, the average maximum animation one person could make in that timeframe was 30-60 seconds, and that’s not even counting background design, sound design, or cleanup/color. To make a 5 minute animated short, you should probably have at least 5 people.

And it is CRUCIAL you have a production manager. Ideally someone who’s not already doing art for the project. Most projects without a production manager will fall apart pretty quickly. Once the adrenaline and impulse-fueled motivation wears off, you need someone to hold you accountable and enforce deadlines and proper time management.

Speaking of time, that’s also hard to get. The more people you have, the more likely schedules won’t line up. Most people will have school, or other jobs.

And it costs MONEY!!!!!! You either have everyone work for free and volunteer their time & energy, or you establish a business as a proper indie studio, with people who may or may not have experience on how to handle paying someone else’s salary. And the money has to come from somewhere, so you have to rely on crowdfunding like patreon or kickstarter. (This, by the way, is why I could never fault an indie animation for releasing merch with their pilot.)

And like, maybe you wanna do a series, and all your friends agree to volunteer their labor and time to make the first episode, but it was unanimously not sustainable. Deciding not to produce a second episode until you can raise enough money is not being suddenly greedy, it’s attempting to compensate people rather than expecting them to be continuously taken advantage of.

You have to consider your output as well. There are some outliers like Worthikids, who afaik does all his animation himself, and afaik can work on it full-time thanks to his patreon subscribers. And he still has only produced a total of 30 minutes of animation (for Big Top Burger specifically) in the past 4 years. This is an IMPRESSIVE feat and this is with using a lot of 3D as part of his pipeline!!

Indie animation also has the complication of being more accessible for fandoms. When you’re posting your Official Canon Content on youtube, it doesn’t look a lot different than the fandom-created video essay in the sidebar next to it. What’s canon vs what’s fanon becomes less distinguishable. The boundaries are blurrier. When the creator is just some guy you follow on twitter, it’s easier to prod them for info regarding ships and theories and word-of-god confirmation. They don’t have a PR team or entire international tv networks to appeal to. And this is when creators get frustrated that their fans snowball and turn their creation into something they don’t recognize (and no longer enjoy) anymore.

So it’s tricky.

Thankfully, the threshold to learn animation is fairly low nowadays!! There are TONS of resources online to learn it on your own without forking over a couple hundred thousand to a private art college. There are conventions and discord servers and events where you can network, if you know where to look.

I know it can seem discouraging in the face of capitalism, but I think that’s all the more reason why it’s so important to BE DETERMINED about animation!! We’re already starting to see the beginning of an indie animation boom, and I think it’s a testament to humanity’s desire to tell stories and create art. Even if there’s no financial gain, we do whatever it takes to tell our stories anyway.

#animation #2d animation #indie animation #long post #not 100% sure why I made this post #all this to say: I’m still not sure what direction I want to go towards for my own show #ngl!! i think im confident i could get people to like my show. i think I could find an audience #i have some experience at this point getting people to like my ocs #its just a matter of MAKING the damn thing

[cowboy-garfield]

POV you're a scientist at One Direction Inc. breeding brain fungus that makes white women hallucinate gay relationships

#one direction #breaking bad #fake or not there is definitely some kind of cordyceps in 1D truthers minds lmao #larry stylinson #larry shippers #skit yells

[quinloki]

Some Direction

Fem Reader x Roronoa Zoro

CW: Language, stalking, violence, sexual themes and situations, ptsd 18+ only

Chapter 1 - Table of Consent -

Chapter 5: Lost and Found

Mihawk had opened the big gates to allow the car onto the property, and after parking the beastly green vehicle, Zoro came over to the passenger side and picked you up. The two men moved about in silence, sharing maybe a glance or two between them.

You were set on the couch in the family room, pillows already done up to allow you to sit up and stretch out comfortably. Mihawk placed a chair by the couch and sat down. His fierce eyes looked over your foot as Zoro propped it up a little on some spare pillows.

"Would you like something to drink?" Mihawk's voice was steady and even, and maybe even a little softer than usual.

"Coffee, if it's not too much to ask." You say, "I would like to be able to stay up for breakfast, if that's okay."

"It is." Mihawk replies, and Zoro steps out of the room. The older man looks at you, and you have a strange feeling like he's mad. Not mad at you, but angry that you've been hurt. It's only uncomfortable because it feels like a father's rage, and you're not used to that. "Can you tell me what happened?"

You nod after a moment, and for the third time in as many hours, you talk about what happened. Mihawk listens patiently, and neither he nor Zoro interrupt you. You're proud of yourself that you're able to get through it this time without crying, even if the reason for that might simply be the bone-deep exhaustion you can feel weighing you down.

When you finish, Mihawk and Zoro exchange glances.

"Roronoa told me about the incident on the bus." Mihawk explains gently. "I assume moving you in immediately is acceptable."

You swallow and nod. "I appreciate it, honestly. I... I don't know if I could go back in there on my own."

Mihawk catches your gaze, and the weight of his next words were undeniable. "You will have nothing to fear on these grounds, Miss (L/N)."

The tears that came forth this time were just raw relief. You hear Zoro make a noise, something like a strangled grunt, and you put a hand up, wiping your eyes.

"S-s-sorry, I'm j-just... relieved." You hiccup between tears, taking the tissue that someone hands you.

There's a small silence, and once you get yourself sorted Mihawk stands. "Breakfast isn't for another hour, get some rest Miss (L/N), we won't let you miss it."

"Thank you," you smile as Zoro takes the half-drained coffee cup from you. He starts to walk away, but you reach out without thinking. "I -."

You let go as he turns to look at you. You clench your hand, and your gaze is stuck to your foot.

"If it's not too much to ask, can you... stay here for a minute? I – at least until I doze off?"

Zoro hands the coffee cup off to Mihawk and sits down in the seat his father had been in. He almost looks irritated, but you're starting to think he has a bad case of resting bitch face, and possibly no desire to correct it.

You thank him quietly, and your eyes are already closing. It's a lot easier to close your eyes and sleep, knowing who's keeping watch.

. . . .

The smell of food fills your nose as your eyes flutter open. The seat by the couch is empty, but you feel better after your nap. You can hear the sounds of plates and cutlery and mixed with the stronger smell of a hot breakfast it prompts you to move. There's enough furniture and sturdy walls for you to hop your way toward the kitchen without putting your injured foot on the floor.

"You need to stay off your foot." Zoro says, not looking up as you peek into the kitchen.

"It hasn't touched the floor once." You assure him. He points to a place setting, and you hop over and seat yourself.

Breakfast is quiet, and delicious. You have to hold yourself back from eating too much, though it seems like Mihawk and Zoro hardly eat anything. How they manage to keep the muscles you know they have while eating like a couple birds is almost impressive.

"We have the space, so the current plan is to bring over everything from your apartment and we'll have you go through it when your foot's healed." Mihawk explains. "If that's alright with you."

You nod. "There's not much I'm sentimentally attached to, but I'd rather have the chance to go through it than have something come up missing later." You pause, realization sinking in. "Mm, wait, you make it sound like everything is getting moved today."

"Indeed." Mihawk affirms.

Your jaw drops and you look back and forth between them. "But... you have classes, today?"

"And that's precisely how everything will be moved today."

You blink. "Eh?"

"Endurance training," Zoro clarifies.

The gears in your head take a moment to turn and catch up. "Carrying... that's 11 kilometers! Carrying furniture and everything?"

Zoro grunts, and you know what is meant by that, but your brain isn't wrapping around it even a little bit.

"The Saturday morning class are mostly high schoolers and some college students. They all have years with the dojo and are in excess of energy." Mihawk assures you.

You didn't argue, not that you had any right to do so, and after a few more minutes you realized why they were both so calm about it.

The absolute flood of students that showed up was daunting. It wasn't just the Saturday class, but word had gotten out amongst the dojos' students, and almost all of them had arrived. There were a dozen assistants, who were going to stay at points along the route to keep an eye on the students themselves, and at least 50 high school and college students, another 20 middle schoolers, and more girls than you had expected.

Plenty of the students looked at you with curiosity and smiles, but no one dared step past Zoro to come over and pester you. He and Mihawk were both in their dojo uniforms, and there was a surprising air of authority around both of them. You caught yourself admiring Zoro on a few occasions.

After everything had been organized and everyone had been assigned tasks, Zoro made sure you were fine on your own and left to go take care of other things. You could've laid down and grabbed another nap, you were sure, but you stayed sitting up and watching everyone move through your immediate view.

Without your guard standing watch a couple of the passing students risked stopping by to talk to you.

"Are you really Zoro-sensei's match?" "Aren't you scared of him?" "What do you do for a living?" "Do you want something to drink?" "Mihawk-Shishou says we can help you move around if you want to go anywhere?" "That's a really pretty name!" "You're really not scared of Zoro-sensei?"

You did eventually have a couple of the more persistent students help you get to the library. A properly organized library was relaxing, after all, and the library was also more tucked away than the family room.

You had a few minutes of peace to yourself and just listened to the sounds of people moving through the house. The upside to being in the library was that you had a buffer between you and the students. The downside was, that buffer was too big and you needed to go to the bathroom.

With nothing for it, you hopped along the wall, using the bookshelves to keep yourself balanced on your good foot. You got halfway to the door before it opened, and a pair of dark eyes found yours. There was a look of surprise on his face for a split second before the scowl returned.

"Why're you here?" You ask before you can even stop to think how rude the question is.

"I just am." He grumbles, coming over and scooping you up off your feet.

"Eep!" You barely get your arms around his neck as he lifts you up. "Ah, um, b-bathroom. I was trying to get there."

There's a grunt, and you can feel your face turning pink.

"I don't suppose there's a possibility of crutches, at some point?"

"He left to get some." Zoro answers flatly.

"Ah, good." You relax. "I mean, I d-don't mind this, but I'm sure you have better things to do."

"...Not really."

"...I must be heavy?"

Zoro grunts and looks at you with one eyebrow raised.

"Isn't it annoying?"

Zoro opens the bathroom door. "No." He says simply, setting you down inside.

"Hm. Okay." You close the door.

The rest of the day followed in a similar vein. Zoro kept the students away from you, and by lunch everything you had owned in the apartment was somewhere on the property. A room had even been organized and set up for you, and all the female students had packed and organized your clothes into the room for you.

You made sure Mihawk let you extend your thanks to the students for helping, and after that the day was much calmer. There was an afternoon class, but since most everyone in that class had hiked 22 km earlier that day it was fairly subdued, so there wasn't much going on.

You got a chance to call the Library after lunch and explained to Mr. Brook what had happened. He gave you the next seven days off and told you if you needed more time to take it. Meeting a match could be stressful on its own but facing the break-in and essentially being moved in immediately weren't light matters.

You could hear the subdued afternoon class as you looked over the Zen garden, sitting with your legs dangling off the walkway, leaning against one of the supports. You heard the steady footfalls and looked over to see Zoro coming over. He had three swords laced through his belt and adjusted them as he sat down nearby.

"Why three swords?" You question, keeping your gaze out on the garden.

"I wanted to see if I could." He answer.

"What's it called?"

"Eh?"

"Fighting styles have names," you clarify. "You're not just whirling around three swords with no direction, I've seen the photos at the least. So, what's it called?"

"Santoryu."

"I'd like to see it someday." You yawn, it's barely early afternoon, but it feels like a hundred things have already happened.

Zoro gets up and steps off the path, standing in front of you he puts his hands out. You smile and reach out to him as he leans down and picks you up. Your crutches are nearby, but it is easier to just let him do this. He takes you to the couch in the family room like he'd been reading your mind, and after he sets you down, he covers you with a blanket.

"I'm going to get your crutches." He explains, putting a hand on your shoulder before walking off.

One of the student's voices rings in your ear from earlier, and you think that Zoro is the last person you would ever be afraid of. You drift off into your nap with a soft smile on your face. You don't hear Zoro return with your crutches, and you don't notice as he sits with you, napping in the chair beside you.

You don't notice, but Mihawk does.

Next Chapter

#Some Direction #Roronoa Zoro x Reader #Zoro x Reader #one piece fanfiction #arranged marriage #reader insert

[mugiwara-no-toshokan]

Some Direction

CisFem Reader x Roronoa Zoro

CW: Language, stalking, violence, sexual themes and situations, ptsd -- surprisingly fluffy despite it all. 18+ only

Chapter 24: Speed Bump

Friday was a bundle of nerves and nervous energy for you and Zoro. He did his best to keep his composure outwardly, but he put salt in your coffee instead of sugar. Not your preferred method of waking up in the morning, but after that Mihawk wouldn't let him in the kitchen.

By the time it was time for you to go to the appointment, he had led a morning class, trained, cleaned the dojo floor, made you a proper and unsalted coffee, grabbed a shower, and was trying to not let his knee bounce as he sat on the couch. It was adorable and it took everything you had to pretend you weren't noticing it. You, surprisingly, weren't too nervous, but maybe because you had gotten your nerves out of your system in the bathroom after you had taken the OTC test.

Once Zoro and Mihawk's reactions had been positive, you had found yourself oddly at peace. Whether the news was good or bad, things would be okay.

The appointment was with an elderly lady doctor who seemed to be more piss and vinegar than blood and bones, but she didn't tease Zoro for too long. Dr. Kureha had been recommended by Marco, who was pretty sure she had been a doctor sometime around the dawn of humanity, and just kept at it. She was in remarkably good shape, and if you didn't know she was well past retirement age, you wouldn't have guessed her age over her mid-fifties.

You were up on the table, shirt hiked up, as the old doctor moves the transducer around with practiced movements. The sound was unmistakable, and her face lit up along with yours.

"Congratulations!" She offers with a smile as Zoro squeezes your hand. "I -... oh."

"Something wrong?" Zoro asks, and you have to give him credit for not sounding nearly as nervous as you know he is.

"Perhaps," Dr. Kureha looks between the two of you. "It sounds like twins."

"... Twins?" You question, your brain not quite keeping up with the implications.

"Mm, indeed. There're two different beats in there. We'll keep things closely monitored, of course. You said your wedding is scheduled for 1/10, right?"

You nod, "Eight weeks from tomorrow."

"Alright, we'll check again on the 6th, but I don't foresee any issues. Your vitals are good, and there's nothing concerning. I'll let you know if the tests come back differently, but for now just go about business as usual." She explains. "Your residence is the Yoru Dojo, right?"

"Yeah, for almost four months now." 

"Well, I wouldn't recommend you go too overboard with training, but exercise should be fine. I know how strict young Mihawk can be, but bruises and welts should be kept at a minimum." She instructs. "Your body has enough to take care of, so no unnecessary injuries. You're still welcome to enjoy each other's company, 'til I say otherwise, so don't be nervous about that."

You can feel your ears go pink, not that it slows down the doctor.

"Schedule an appointment between now and the 6th if anything feels off. Bleeding more than spotting, nausea, vertigo, that sort of thing. Mild flus or colds aren't cause for concern, but if your temperature's high for more than a day or two, go to the ER and see if they can pull it down for you." She leans back and looked at the both of you, dumbfounded looks on your faces since the reveal of twins, and smiles. "You two get any of that?"

"Ah, um..."

"Next appointment is the 6th before the wedding, exercising is fine, but no harsh training, we can have sex until you say otherwise, and schedule an appointment sooner for, uh, bleeding, nausea, or vertigo, and go to the ER for prolonged fevers." Zoro replies.

You felt oddly proud of Zoro and weren't sure what to do with it. Dr. Kureha barks a laugh and hands over a piece of paper that has the details on it.

"Good job, kid." She pats your thigh as she gets up. "Those useless lumps at the WG got you two right at the very least. Congratulations on your wedding as well. Take a few minutes if you need it, and then you can schedule your next visit at the desk on your way out."

She left and you turned to Zoro, and for some reason he looked... almost sheepish.

You grin. "You feelin' like an over-achiever, Ma-ri-mo?"

He flinches, his ears going red. "... A little."

You can't help but laugh a little as you kiss his cheek. "I will survive your virility, I promise. And – ha! You can't pamper me; doctor says I can do everything still."

He hugs you close and whispers in your ear, "If I didn't restrain myself, you'd need me to pamper you the next day."

You can feel the heat rising in your cheeks and he chuckles when you remind him that you have an appointment tomorrow.

. . . . . .

You open the door to see Sanji's smiling face, though the smile fades as Zoro pulls the cigarette from his mouth and tosses it in the gravel of the driveway. There was a tense moment between them for until Zoro breaks it.

"She's pregnant, shitty cook, no smoking."

"Oh— EH!?" Sanji drops the cigarette he was already pulling out to replace the one Zoro had tossed, when he tucks the pack away. "Well, felicitation, (Y/N), may they take after you." Sanji says cheerfully, shaking your hand. "I guess it's good to know at least some part of you has a sense of direction, Marimo." Sanji adds, grinning deviously at Zoro.

Zoro clicks his tongue and you refrain from putting your head in your hands. "Gentlemen, shall we?" You step to the side and let Sanji come in. "We've got a lot to talk about."

The three of you sat around the kitchen table and talked about food and options and costs for almost three hours. The numbers and options were starting to make your head spin, and you were grateful that Sanji and Zoro managed to get along during most of the conversation. Mihawk had come around a couple times as well, breaking up any impending arguments between the two – in a way that left you with the impression that he was very practiced at it – and offering soft bits of advice.

"Well, one-hundred and fifty people isn't impossible." Sanji admits as all three of you are running out of steam. "I have some dependable guys I can tap for assistance. Are you really expecting so many?"

"I expect we'll have about half. We've invited the dojo students, but most of the smaller kids aren't going to be interested, and quite a few of the college students are going home for winter break and won't be here." You explain, stretching and hearing your back pop in satisfying ways. "Some of my coworkers will be coming, and a few of Zoro's EMT buddies, but I'd rather have too much food than too little. Baratie's has a good process for donations, right? Any excess of food can be donated without much concern?"

Sanji beams. "That's true, you can leave that to me, free of charge. I'd be more than happy to make sure nothing goes to waste. Have you decided on a cake yet?"

"Not yet. We went to three places the other day, but we had other stuff on our mind."

"Well, if you get stuck let me know in the next week or two. I know a good baker. She's a little eccentric, but her skills are solid."

There's a knock at the door that Mihawk answers, but you don't get a chance to get back into your conversation before he's turned toward the kitchen.

"Mr. Sanji?" Mihawk prompts. "The man at the door is for you, it seems your Matchbook has arrived."

#Some Direction #Roronoa Zoro x Reader #Zoro x Reader #one piece fanfiction #arranged marriage #reader insert #x reader

[beif0ngs]

One Piece is getting a new anime adaptation starting from the iconic East Blue saga. Titled “THE ONE PIECE”, this series will be produced by Wit Studio, recognized for their work on hit anime shows such as SPY × FAMILY and Attack on Titan.

Currently in the works, “THE ONE PIECE” will be streamed worldwide exclusively on Netflix, marking a significant collaboration with the production committee made up of representatives from Shueisha, Fuji Television Network, and Toei Animation Co.

The project will be distinct from the TV anime series that has captivated audiences for over 25 years. With “THE ONE PIECE”, the committee aims to provide viewers with a fresh yet familiar experience, utilizing cutting-edge visual technology to reimagine Luffy’s adventures through the beloved East Blue saga.

#One Piece #The One Piece #opgraphics #*mine #so curious about the art direction they'll take! #hmm i wonder if they'll still try to emulate Oda's art style or go in a completely different direction... #either way i'm very excited for some GOOD QUALITY animation that One Piece deserves!!!

[knifearo]

this year my challenge for everyone is to unlearn the association between love and morality. love is not something that is inherently morally good, and the absence of love is not something that is inherently bad. sex without love isn't morally bankrupt, it's just an action. people without love aren't less kind or less good, they're just people. when we can get past this false (and often unnoticed) dichotomy of good love/evil lovelessness then i think we are going to be able to take leaps and bounds in sex positivity, aro advocacy, certain discussions of mental health...

#and also. not the direct focus. but love doesn't make things good. you can be in love and do terrible terrible things. #people do bad things in the name of love and in despite of love all the time. #but!! imagine a world where people could exist as people and not be demonized. #sex positivity means being cool about All sex. reexamine your internal systems of moral judgement. #this goes for sex workers. for aroallo people. especially aroallo men. for aro people in general who might enjoy sex. #and frankly i think it can easily bleed into discussions about mental health disorders around 'not feeling' certain things #especially demonizing ppl who don't feel as much empathy. i think there's definitely a correlation between that and the emphasis on love. #our support needs to go out to Everybody and i think these things are all structured together in one way or another!! #it might not be immediately obvious but when i tell you it all leads back to amatonormativity..... little bit wild.... large bit wild.... #anyway. horror movie psychopath 'oh he can't feel emotions or love' damn alright. well. let's take a closer look at that. #silly that there's an association between lack of love and Murdering. feel like that might affect some stuff. #love is just an emotion/a feeling it doesn't mean anything about you one way or another #same with empathy. you can feel it all you want but it doesn't inherently change the actions you choose to take #anyway. thesis statement. there is a socially constructed link between love and morality. unlearn that. #kiss kiss (<— lovelessly) #aromantic #aromanticism #arospec #talking #aroace #aspec #sex positivity

[fluffyartbl0g]

Everytime I go into the Zosopp tag, I just see people SCREAMING CRYING SOBBING about the lack of posts IN the Zosopp tag. THE ZOSOPP ECONOMY IS IN SHAMBLES

#one piece #op fanart #zosopp #roronoa zoro #usopp #this was also just an excuse to play dress up with zoro and usopp XD #oh why is usopp wearing a detective outfit??? #well im so glad you asked!!! #The gang stopped at this town on an island and there seemed to be some mysterIOUS shenanigans going on #robin and usopp formed a watson and sherlock holmes duo!!! but only usopp dressed for the part LOL #cue usopp getting super into his role and interviewing whoever he can while robin solves the whole mystery with just a few clues #she likes watching usopp have his fun tho wahah so she follows him around and nudges him in the wrong direction for funsies #the ultimate reveal ... usopp: MS BAKER IS THE ONE WHO STOLE THE COOKI- Robin: yeah they're all trading addictive drugs #Ms baker: DRATS and i wuda gotten away with it too if it werent for u two meddling kids!!! #am i talking about usopp and robin on my zosopp post? yeauh #anyways usopp is like wauwah ROBIN!!!!!! UUUU >:((((!!!!! #then he trots off to zoro because he hasnt seen him all day and he wants to tell him about the fun adventure he just had XD

[nerdpoe]

Just A Small Morsel, Please Sir AU AKA Constantine Would Like to Disappear Please

Batman is about to go toe to toe with another god, and he needs armor that will prevent another "lost in the time stream" incident.

So he consults JLD.

The decide that if he has a piece of a really, really powerful entity, then that entity's powers should think that they're protecting the entity and in turn, protect Bruce.

So Constantine draws a summoning circle, and is bullied into making an actual good offering to the being the circle is supposed to summon. They include a note; it's written in an old, ancient language, but with JLD working together they figure out roughly what it says; something about requesting a piece of the most powerful being's belongings to grant them protection.

Thus, the ritual begins! The lights dim; cold green fog emanates from the summoning circle, the feeling of dread almost overwhelms the lessor experienced.

And then in the middle of John's chant, the ritual is forcibly stopped from the other side.

The offerings remain.

A single note floats down on top of the pile.

'I'm uh...flattered? But like, it's kinda weird to ask for someone's hair. Gonna have to turn this one down, sorry. No kinkshaming, though! I also won't tell anyone else what that kink is, Constantine, don't worry; I got ur back. Anyways stop the creepy hitting on me.

Danny'

Apparently, JLD had not correctly translated the language.

It's direct Translation, once they had that key provided to them by Danny, which once they got that they were able to figure out that one key letter was not what they thought, was more along the lines of;

'Oh Great High King, We Request A Small Parcel, A Small Snippet, Of Your Luxurious Hair. Just For A Little Bit. We Need To Use It For Personal Reasons. Just A Small Morsel. Thank You For Being Pretty. And Amazing. We Just Want A Small Piece. That Is All We Need. It Does Not Take Much. We Are Very Eager. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please.'

Needless to say, multiple heroes have to stop Constantine from trying to throw himself out of an airlock.

@simplestoryteller

#dcxdp #dpxdc #dc x dp #dp x dc #just a small morsel au #constantine would like to disappear please au #constantine reads the direct translation #and just fuckin #dies #It takes Batman making the summoning himself #And just using the same sigil but with a note on top of it explaining in english what he wants #when danny's like #"ohhhhhh yeah no prob I can lend you some infinite realms armor fuck why didn't you just say so