LOL, Savvy you're the best for challenging me to just answer it all <3 And you know I'll read your answers if you do too ;)
Answers under the cut
Which of your fics is your pride and joy?
"Does This Mean...?" will always be my baby, I think. It's the first fanfic I've actually written and having the idea for it brought me back to fanfic in general after almost two decades without reading it. It spawned everything else that I'm doing and without it, I wouldn't have met so many wonderful people.
When and where do your best ideas seem to strike?
In the car, driving to work...
Is there another author who inspires you to write?
Savvy has inspired a WIP :3
How long do you spend editing?
I don't sit down with the explicit intention of editing. I've never been a "rough draft, first draft" type of person, even back when school assignments specifically called for them. My editing is bits and pieces where I re-read something and go "Hmm, that could be worded better" so it just depends on how long I take to publish it and how many times I reread it.
Do you use a beta reader?
Nope. My husband has read a few chapters before posting to help me decide if it felt in-character enough and I have one other fandom friend who specifically looked over a GiyuShino moment for me but otherwise it's "No beta we die like half the cast" for me lol
What's your usual writing environment?
My office at home. My desk is covered in fandom stuff, my cat is usually staring at me or chewing on a box or asleep somewhere waiting for me to be interesting, and I almost always have YouTube up on my second monitor (mostly Let's Plays, sometimes music).
What's a fic you didn't expect to be popular but really took off?
"Happy Six Months" is probably the biggest surprise. It was written because the scene wouldn't get out of my head but the only other context for it was "Feel The Beat", which was set like 2 years after so not even set-up. It's just a smut-shot of Modern!InoAoi's first time together (and I later added a second chapter of their second time) but it somehow has twice the hits of all the other one-shots, including the smuts.
What WIP are you most excited about?
Ooh, this is tough. I'd say I have five current WIPs (one of which is not InoAoi) and I think the one that gives me the biggest emotional jump when I think about it is my 5+1 idea? I didn't even know this format existed until earlier this year but it's very cute. I only have about half of the first scene written but I really want to get more done with it.
Do you write in order or do you jump around?
Mostly in order, but it varies based on the WIP. For "Skipping Steps" I have outlines of the remaining chapters but I'm actually writing them in order. However, I did write some of the scenes before committing to actually writing the series just because I couldn't stop thinking of them. And same with my next big WIP (currently unnamed), I had a couple scenes that popped into my head so I wrote them down.
Do you outline?
I didn't for "Does This Mean...?" but I've started at least jotting down a synopsis for chapters and ideas lately because life has gotten busier and I've been dealing with writer's block a lot more ("Does This Mean...?" seriously just spilled out of my head and set unreasonably high expectations for myself) so I guess I kind of do.
Which fic did you do the most research for?
Probably "Does This Mean...?" as of now. Lots of historical research for things like wedding customs of the time period, clothing worn, and even birth control methods available (which I ended up just glossing over anyway but was fun to read about). I even put research into some of the smuts I've written for it, such as when the first bra was invented, haha.
Would you ever accept requests or commissions?
I would love to try accepting small requests (like a prompt I haven't done) but I'm not interested in figuring out commissions. Too much pressure.
Is there a writing habit you wish you had?
I mean, other than just wishing I had better habits around writing in general? Not really. I'm not even sure what a writing habit would be other than talking about things like phrases you use often (I tend to quantify things as "a little", for example, which I kind of wish I could break).
What are your top three most used "additional tag"s?
Uhh, technically according to the filters on my profile I've used "Post-canon", "Spoilers", and "Headcanon" six times each and those are the most used haha. For stuff that's a little more revealing, I'd pick "Smut", "Aoi Kanzaki-centric" and "Aoi Kanzaki needs a hug" (all used five times each)
What are your top three most popular fics by bookmarks?
"Does This Mean...?" - 41 bookmarks (!!!)
"Skipping Steps" - 14 bookmarks
"Does This Mean...? Expanded Universe aka Give me smut and nothing but" - 13 bookmarks (yes the title is a Tom Lehrer song reference and it's all smut, split almost evenly between Taisho era and Modern AU settings)
Do you make playlists for your fics?
No, because I imagine the characters as listening to Japanese music and I'm too out of the loop, lol.
What genre is easiest for you to write?
Is Fluff a genre? If not, then I guess slice of life maybe? I love focusing on the domestic and seeing how characters' lives start to intertwine as they develop a relationship. Ironically, I don't particularly enjoy watching romance-geared shows and I don't want to read about romance/smut in published novels, but it's my favorite thing to read and write in fanfics. ┐(´∀｀)┌
What's a trope you want to write but haven't written yet?
Hmm, nothing comes to mind really? This is part of why I said I'd love to try my hand at getting requests, haha.
Which fic would make the best TV show? What kind of TV show would it be?
"Skipping Steps" probably. I legit debated trying to file off the serial numbers and re-write it as an original novel for a bit too, but the more I've written, the more I've gotten attached to it as InoAoi specific and don't think it would work nearly as well as I thought at first. It would just be an episodic rom-com type of thing, probably similar to Friends but with more focus on InoAoi as a couple while the rest of the squad develop around them.
Do you listen to music when you write?
I listen mostly to YouTube videos. Let's Play content is like 90% of my YouTube consumption, I just do better when there's background noise in general. I do have a "Bad Writing Playlist" which is honestly just a handful of bbno$ songs that I thought were fun and fit the mood for writing smut but otherwise I just play my usual videos.
going through both the manga in full and the anime for demon slayer, it GENUINELY reads to me as Inosuke having a crush on Tanjiro (but not necessarily recognising it as such). Like he seems to favour Tanjiro a bit, despite definitely still caring for Zenitsu and Nezuko. One of the things that makes me especially think so is their dynamic in the Infinity Train arc, as well as that little flashback to Tanjiro's recovery in the first half of the Infinity Castle arc.
the 「アイツ死んでいいと思う!!」 ("I think it's fine if that guy dies!!") in Infinity Train always makes me giggle lol. very Inosuke thing of him to say.
Inosuke holding onto Tanjiro for comfort in stressful situations will never not make my heart feel so full of love.
I may be obsessed with InoAoi but I wish my brain vibed just a little more with InoTan because *I see it, it's cute, and I love BL* but my brain just won't click it into a ship. I see cute fanart of them and just go "yeah, Inosuke is the cuddly friend" lol.
"Because it's canon" isn't shade against ZenNezu, I also think it's cute and sweet, I just had to limit it to one per square and that was the best place for it haha.
ALSO I have context for a Kotoha and Kie ship - in my modern AU story they're BFFs and Kie practically helped raise Inosuke and (even though I have Tanjiro's dad still alive, just very frail) I have this little vision of modern Inosuke joking around one night and being like "Your mom should just marry my mom already, they hang out all the time anyway and then they can run the bakery together or whatever" and Aoi and Tanjiro just facepalm together and I think it's the funniest thing and they'd be very cute together. Potential ship names include Koe, Kotie, Kitoha, Kieha <3
Really excited to try joining @fanfictionfesta as both a commenter and a writer for the first time! Been loving the comment exchange community I've found so far and want to expand and hopefully find more people in my fandoms. <3
I have a short, fluffy, post-canon headcanon piece that I'd love to submit here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/75164476
Or if any of the commenters are looking for some NSFW fluff that spans the course of like, 3 years, I've got my completed longfic that got me into writing in the first place: https://archiveofourown.org/works/72484236/chapters/188752256
They're both Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba, both have spoilers for the manga and are both focused on the same ship (InoAoi).
Dang it, Ufotable, planning all these promotions through the year, picking up momentum in time for the DVD release!! You knew I'd fall prey, didn't you? You knew I'd order a pizza I didn't need for the sake of marking the occasion of my first at-home screening!
You were totally right. The pizza was pretty okay for Pizza-la, actually, ordering it with crispy crust made it a lot more palatable.
My pizza even gets its own haori, look at that. LOOK AT THAT, dang it, Ufotable stop making them so cute. I love how everybody's working all hard but Shinobu's like "bye kids, I'm gonna go dance Yosakoi now."
I'm not usually one to collect acrylic figures, but I also used to tell myself I'm not much of a merchandise person in the first place. I used to tell myself "I'm not going to buy this just because it has that character's face on it." And I have since made a liar of myself. Let's see which figure I got.
You guys---
I did not even notice until this morning---
That the pizza-haori came with a Kimetsu style Sugoroku game (it's like Snakes and Ladders). I just played it as all eight players, and I got way, wa-a-a-a-y more entertainment out of this than I bargained for. Like, I am getting heartburn from the leftover pizza for how much I kept laughing. The drama, I tell you. I kept track of each twist and turn as I went along, so please join me below the cut for the story of how much Tanjiro sucks at this game.
We’ve got:
Rengoku-san, Shinobu, Giyuu, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and your average Corp member. Hi, let’s call you Murata-san.
First turn:
Rengoku: One space. Forward, march!
Shinobu: Six spaces.
Giyuu: Also six. He’s not being a stalker, but not saying anything isn’t making him look good.
Tanjiro: Three spaces. An event! “Giyuu has received a shock.” Tanjiro loses one turn and wonders what Shinobu said to Giyuu up ahead.
Nezuko: Four spaces. Mn-mn-mn-Mmn.
Zenitsu: Six spaces. It’s getting crowded on this white dot.
Inosuke: Two spaces.
Murata: Also two spaces. Inosuke growls at him.
Second Turn:
Rengoku: Six spaces. Umu! An event! “Zenitsu gets hit by a girl.” Rengoku goes back three spaces, shaking his head at Zenitsu as he passes him by. He’ll keep an on Nezuko to make sure Zenitsu doesn’t bother her.
Shinobu: Four spaces. An event! “You’ve passed Urokodaki’s training!” Shinobu has no recollection of doing this, but goes forward two spaces like he tells her to.
Giyuu: Five spaces.
Tanjiro: Doesn’t have a turn. Is Giyuu okay up there? At least he can see Nezuko, it looks like Rengoku-san is taking care of her.
Nezuko: Two spaces. Zenitsu yipes with joy to see her.
Zenitsu: But he rolled a five. Crying and dragging his feet the whole way, he goes to join Giyuu.
Inosuke: Six spaces. PIG ASSAULT!
Murata: Two spaces. Now he needs to share a space with the Flame Pillar. Pressure!
Third Turn:
Rengoku: Three spaces. The same event!! Why does the Yellow Boy keep bothering girls!?
Shinobu: Five spaces.
Giyuu: Five spaces. An event! “Receive treatment from Shinobu.” It must had been harsh treatment, because he loses his next turn.
Tanjiro: One. Hi, Rengoku-aniki!!
Nezuko: Three spaces. Mn-mn-mn.
Zenitsu: Five spaces. The same event as Giyuu, now he’s stuck at the hospital with him for two whole more turns. This sucks!
Inosuke: Five spaces.
Murata: Five spaces. Whoever made this die sucks. But now he’s on the same spot as Nezuko, she’s supposedly a nice demon, right?
Forth Turn:
Rengoku: Six spaces. With this roll he’s also accomplished Urokodaki’s training! He doesn’t understand why, but ok! Up two more spaces!
Shinobu: One space.
Giyuu: He’s still… in shock…
Tanjiro: Four spaces. He can see Nezuko up ahead again!
Nezuko: Three spaces. Mn-mn-mn, she greets Rengoku-san.
Zenitsu: This sucks. This sucks, this sucks, this sucks!
Inosuke: Five spaces. Hahahaha! He and Shinobu now share the lead!
Murata: Five spaces. An event! “You made Haganezuka angry.” Oh, dang!! Murata does not argue with having to retreat back too spaces, though hopefully the Flame Pillar doesn’t lecture him for that. Nezuko was watching though, she says, “Hm.”
Fifth Turn:
Rengoku: Three spaces. In the windows of the next space he can Zenitsu. Maybe soon he’ll catch up and give that boy a talking to. Tomioka is looking quiet as usual.
Shinobu: Five spaces. An event! “Murata’s depressed.” Oh dear. Looks like she’s going to have to lose a turn to get him back on his feet.
Giyuu: Two spaces. He finds Inosuke.
Tanjiro: Six spaces! And look who it is, it’s Haganezuka! Haganezuka punches Tanjiro back two spaces, where Nezuko catches him and then growls up at the swordsmith.
Nezuko: Four spaces. Making sure to stomp on Haganezuka’s foot as she passes him by, she finds herself passed out at the Butterfly Mansion. She’ll sleep right through her next turn. Zenitsu is thrilled to see her, but he’s being forced to go back out.
Zenitsu: Four spaces, crying the whole way.
Inosuke: Six spaces. PIG ASSAULT, HAHAHAHAHA! He’s now in the lead!
Murata: Six spaces. It’s Tomioka-san! Maybe he still remembers him…?
Sixth Turn:
Rengoku: Six spaces! Yyyyyosh!! He’s a space ahead of Zenitsu now, and yells back a warning to respect women. Zenitsu is confused, of course he respects women? Girls are great. Girls are wonderful.
Shinobu: Still sighing and being nice to her junior. She suggests he should try becoming friends with Tomioka-san.
Giyuu: Two spaces. Obliviously, he leaves Murata behind, and also passes by an event space that would have earned him Inosuke’s friendship. He’s silently standing by Zenitsu now. Zenitsu groans.
Tanjiro: Six spaces. In the time he was knocked out, Nezuko disappeared!! Nezuko, where are you?? In his panic he runs straight past the hospital and begs Murata to tell him if he’s seen her.
Nezuko: ZzzZZzzzzzZZZzzzzz.
Zenitsu: Three spaces. Shinobu’s relieved to see him, now she can dump depressed Murata on him and move on with her next turn.
Inosuke: Six spaces. Maniacal laughter continues.
Murata: Murata hesitantly apologizes to Tanjiro that he doesn’t know a thing and tiptoes off while he’s being a hysterical mess. Rengoku gives him a disapproving look for being cowardly.
Seventh Turn:
Rengoku: Two spaces. Maybe he shouldn’t had been so harsh to Murata. He’ll stick around an extra turn to be supportive and encourage his depressed junior.
Shinobu: One space.
Giyuu: Four spaces. He’s arrived on the same space as Kocho. He turns away so they don’t have to talk to each other. Shinobu comments that this only makes things more awkward.
Tanjiro: One space. He still hasn’t found Nezuko, but he’s found an event! “Inosuke has become your buddy!” Filled with encouragement, Tanjiro zooms ahead three more spaces. Nezuko, where are you?
Nezuko: Two spaces. Feeling that she’s being called but still sleepy, Nezuko drags herself out of the Butterfly Mansion.
Zenitsu: Murata’s, like, giving him his whole life story. Zenitsu is stuck.
Inosuke: Two spaces. Out of breath from running around the board, Inosuke slowly wanders his way into an event. “You’re comforted by Kanao’s smile.” He recovers a little extra energy to go one more space.
Murata: First the Insect Pillar was nice to him, and then the Flame Pillar was nice to him, and even Agatsuma let him unload all those things that were making him feel down. Murata rolls a six!! Running forward with all this energy, something even more wonderful happens, he runs into an event! “You meet Oyakata-sama!” Feeling on top of the world, Murata continues another three spaces.
Eighth Turn:
Rengoku: Murata has zoomed out of his line of sight. Rengoku nods in approval that this boy will go far.
Shinobu: Five spaces.
Giyuu: Two spaces. Shinobu must had really wanted to get away from him.
Tanjiro: Six spaces. NEEEEEZUUUUKOOOOOOO!!!!
Nezuko: Four spaces. Oniichan is looking for her, isn’t he? She’s got to hurry and catch up.
Zenitsu: Six spaces. Finally, now that Murata is out of his hair, it’s time to catch up. Thunderclap and Flash, Six-fold! And look, it’s Shinobu-san! He starts griping to her about Murata, who is one space ahead of them and can hear him.
Inosuke: Five spaces!! ROAR!!
Murata: Five spaces. If Agatsuma doesn’t want him around, then fine, he’ll leave. But he’ll remember this if ever someday Agatsuma needs his help.
Ninth Turn:
Rengoku: Four spaces. Rengoku stops by to see Oyakata-sama, who smilingly tells him to go ahead three more spaces.
Shinobu: Three spaces. It’s so nice to see Kanao smile, Shinobu gives her an honest smile back and then goes on another space.
Giyuu: Six spaces. Keeping his nose to his mission, Giyuu does not even notice as he passes by Oyakata-sama, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Rengoku (three of whom smiled and waved to him), but when he stops for a break, he’s surprised to see Kanao smile at him. How oddly encouraging. With his chest a little lighter, Giyuu moves on and—oh, it’s Kocho again.
Tanjiro: Four spaces. He’s still concerned about Nezuko, but seeing Kanao makes him feel a lot calmer. As he continues looking, he runs into Giyuu and Shinobu and inquires if they’ve seen his sister.
Nezuko: One space. Murata calls out to her and informs her that Tanjiro’s looking for her, and then he gets really sad, saying how it must be nice to be wanted. Nezuko is concerned and decides she should stay and give this guy some company. Tanjiro will understand.
Zenitsu: Six spaces. Thunder-Breathing his way forward, he finds himself in Murata’s company again. Aaaawkward. (So awkward he doesn’t even notice that Nezuko is there in spirit, comforting Murata.)
Inosuke: Six spaces. PIG ASSAULTing ahead for the win, Inosuke laughs, knowing he was always the best and this is proof of it. Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!
Murata: Four spaces. Murata will keep moving forward, like he always has.
Tenth Turn:
Rengoku: Three spaces. Would you look at that, it’s Kamado-shonen and a couple of fellow Pillars! Ha ha, was there a meeting he did not know about?
Shinobu: Three spaces. Shinobu smilingly excuses herself.
Giyuu: Two spaces. Giyuu finds himself following Shinobu again, but stops short. Zenitsu, where Giyuu has stopped, thinks he’s being a creep anyway.
Tanjiro: One space. An event! “Nezuko makes a Kakushi nervous.” NEZUKO!!!! Tanjiro goes running back one space.
Nezuko: Was Tanjiro just calling her name? Nezuko looks around, but stays put.
Zenitsu: One space. Zenitsu whispers a warning to Shinobu that Giyuu seems to be stalking her.
Inosuke: He won, he’s the best, he won, he’s the best!! But where is everybody? Guys? It’s lonely??
Murata: Four spaces. He made it! It was possible even for someone like him! Oh, and there’s Hashibira, maybe he’ll be happy to see him?
Eleventh Turn:
Rengoku: Two spaces. After bidding Tanjiro good luck in finding his sister, he goes on ahead and heartily greets Giyuu.
Shinobu: Three spaces. Shinobu politely thanks Zenitsu for his warning and leaves. Zenitsu believes it’s a job well done.
Giyuu: Two spaces. An event! “Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho come to your rescue!” Wow, for Kocho being so mean, the other girls in the Butterfly Mansion are really encouraging. Giyuu is so astounded by these positive feelings that he floats one more space ahead.
Tanjiro: One space. There’s another Kakushi feeling nervous about Nezuko. She’s got to be around here somewhere!! Tanjiro continues running back and forth, winding up again where he was at the start of this turn.
Nezuko: Silly Oniichan, he must be losing his mind with worry, Nezuko has to go find him herself. First she runs four spaces, and then she runs into Oyakata-sama. He pats her head and points in Tanjiro’s direction, telling her to go ahead another three spaces. “Mmn, mmn!” she says and keeps running.
Zenitsu: One space. It’s the little girls of the Butterfly Mansion! Wai, wai~! They say he’s looking good (for battle) and, flattered, he giggles his way out the door and ahead one space. Ghh! It’s Giyuu AGAIN!!
Inosuke: Thrilled to have an underling.
Murata: Since when is he an underling? At least… at least he’s wanted??
Twelfth Turn:
Rengoku: One space.
Shinobu: Five spaces. Hello, boys! How’s the winners’ circle?
Giyuu: Four spaces. Giyuu awkwardly waves to everyone in the winner’s circle. Inosuke folds his arms and lets steam out his nostrils, Murata smiles and waves back, Shinobu is smiling but seems annoyed. Giyuu sighs. Murata thinks it’s because of him.
Tanjiro: One space. Ka—Kakushi!! A---another—frightened—Kakushi---Nezuko---where’s---where’s Nezuko??? He runs back to check the space he was on before, just to be safe.
Nezuko: Six spaces. Mn-mn-mn-mn-mn-mn!! No sign of Oniichan, where could he be? Rengoku-san is there, though, he pats her head and asks if Tanjiro has found her yet.
Zenitsu: Four spaces. Oh, the winner’s circle already? Is Nezuko-chan here? Why isn’t Nezuko-chan here!?
Inosuke: Please that his number of underlings has increased.
Murata: Tomioka-san hates him, doesn’t he? If he even remembers him…
Thirteen Turn:
Rengoku: Three spaces. Hmm. That space ahead looks dangerous. How has no one noticed it?
Shinobu: Smiling.
Giyuu: Facing the wall.
Tanjiro: Four spaces… Tanjiro’s feeling exhausted, but Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho give him the encouragement he needs to go on.
Nezuko: One space. Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho immediately crowd her out the door and urge her to hurry and catch up to Tanjiro. She finds him! It’s an emotional sibling reunion, Tanjiro is on the verge of collapse with relief.
Zenitsu: Crying out Nezuko-chan’s name.
Inosuke: Still laughing to himself.
Murata: Facing the opposite wall from Tomioka.
Fourteenth Turn:
Rengoku: Three spaces. With wide strides he completely passes by the danger, and cheerfully greets everyone in the winner’s circle.
Shinobu: Greets Rengoku.
Giyuu: Looks at Rengoku but says nothing.
Tanjiro: One space. Gotta move slowly so Nezuko can keep up!
Nezuko: Four spaces. Nezuko bounces her up to the winner’s circle.
Zenitsu: NEEEEEEEZUKO-CCCCCCCHHHHHHAAAAAAANNNNNN
Inosuke: Oh, Googly-Eyes and Pyonko are here. That leaves Ponjiro!
Murata: Sure is lively… everybody sure seems like good friends…
Fifteen Turn:
Rengoku: The ever brilliant sempai, Rengoku spouts fiery encouragement at Murata.
Shinobu: Gently reminds Zenitsu to give Nezuko space.
Giyuu: Oh, it’s Nezuko. He looks back out to see if Tanjiro’s coming.
Tanjiro: One spa----OH SNAP
Nezuko: !!
Zenitsu: !!
Inosuke: !!
Murata: !!
An event: “You’ve run into Kibutsuji Muzan. Go back to Start.”
Sixteen Turn:
Rengoku: Kamado-shonen! Concentrate!! Concentrate harder!! Even having just witnessed the terrible event deal a horrendous blow to the boy he wants as his Tsuguko, Rengoku firmly believes Tanjiro will pull through.
Shinobu: Cautions everyone to stay ready for a fight, what with Kibutsuji Muzan being so close by.
Giyuu: Devastated. No, he can’t be devastated yet. He yells at Tanjiro to stand and fight!
Tanjiro: Thoroughly disoriented, he wobbles two spaces from the Start.
Nezuko: *tearful muffled screaming*
Zenitsu: Feeling shocked by the sight of what just happened, but knows Nezuko must be feeling it worse and starts to comfort her.
Inosuke: His skin is prickly with nerves. How could he have sat back and let Muzan do that to Underling #1?
Murata: Completely forgetting the self-pity he was wallowing in, Murata is consumed with cheering Tanjiro on to not die.
Seventeenth Turn:
Rengoku: That’s it, Kamado-shonen!
Shinobu: You can do it, Tanjiro-kun!
Giyuu: Keep going, Tanjiro!
Tanjiro: His head is still spinning, but by the faint smells, he can tell he’s fallen really far away from everyone. He’s got to… hurry ahead, four spaces.
Nezuko: *screaming getting angrier*
Zenitsu: Nezuko’s demon sound is getting stronger. Is anyone else hearing this?
Inosuke: Should he… should he leave the Winner’s Circle and go join the fight?
Murata: Go, Kamado, go!
Eighteenth Turn:
Rengoku: Focus!! Concentrate!
Shinobu: Maintain your Breath!
Giyuu: Tanjirooooo!!
Tanjiro: One space---ah!! He just felt the force of Zenitsu getting hit by a girl, the sympathy blow has sent him sailing back three spaces, to his knees!
Nezuko: In her sudden growth, Nezuko’s head bashed against Zenitsu’s nose.
Zenitsu: …ow
Inosuke: But… but leaving the Winner’s Circle means forfeiting being the Boss…
Murata: Kamadoooo!!
Nineteenth Turn:
Rengoku: No time to waste there! Keep moving forward.
Shinobu: We all believe you!
Giyuu: Has just noticed that he and Murata were yelling in unison. He blinks over to Murata.
Tanjiro: On shaking steps, Tanjiro moves forward two spaces.
Nezuko: That bamboo probably isn’t going to hold out much longer.
Zenitsu: N---N-N-N-N-Nezuko-chan??
Inosuke: Look at Gonpachiro out there, though. He’s pathetic. He needs help.
Murata: Blinks over to Tomioka.
Twentieth Turn:
Rengoku: That’s it, Kamado-shonen!
Shinobu: We’re counting on you, Tanjiro-kun.
Giyuu: Murata…
Tanjiro: One space---gghh! Tanjiro falls back three spaces again, the scent of Zenitsu’s blood filling his nose. He’s got—to—hurry---
Nezuko: Someone’s trying to hold her down. Nezuko kicks him.
Zenitsu: …OW
Inosuke: T—tantaro-o-o-!!!
Murata: Tomioka remembered my name…
Twenty-First Turn:
Rengoku: Focus! Focus! Focus! Focus!
Shinobu: Rengoku-san, that advice clearly isn’t helping him anymore.
Giyuu: Finding an unspoken bond between Water Breath users, Giyuu finds a friend in whom he can share his anxieties for Tanjiro.
Tanjiro: He’s got to concentrate. Breaking through those low rolls that had been holding him back, Tanjiro runs ahead four spaces.
Nezuko: Grrrrrrrr-rrrrrr-rrrrrrr-rrrrrr---!!!!
Zenitsu: He’s got a bloody nose, but that’s not stopping him from desperately trying to contain Nezuko, pleading with her to calm down.
Inosuke: Oh!! Oh-h-h!! That’s the Santaro he knows! Look at him pick himself up and go!
Murata: Friendship… friendship!!
Twenty-Second Turn:
Rengoku: Roll higher!
Shinobu: Cheat!
Giyuu: We believe in you, Tanjiro.
Tanjiro: Six spaces! Yes! Finally he’s finding his stride-----right into Haganezuka’s fist, which sends him sailing back two spaces.
Nezuko: She had been completely focused on Muzan hiding right outside the Winner’s Circle, but now she whips her attention over to Haganezuka.
Zenitsu: Her sudden movement has thrown him off. Zenitsu smacks against the wall of the Winner’s Circle.
Inosuke: No!! Stupid underling! Maybe Inosuke really does have to go save him??
Murata: Screamed at the sudden appearance of Haganezuka and ducked behind Tomioka.
Twenty-Third Turn:
Rengoku: Gives Shinobu a disapproving look.
Shinobu: Smilingly ignores Rengoku.
Giyuu: Gritting his teeth.
Tanjiro: One space…
Nezuko: Making her way to that side of the Winner’s circle.
Zenitsu: Tries to catch her ankle, but she’s just out of reach!
Inosuke: Another low roll! Why does that idiot keep rolling One? Grrr!!!
Murata: Crying. Still shouting encouragement at Tanjiro.
Twenty-fourth Turn:
Rengoku: Decides to be louder than Shinobu, and reminds Tanjiro to live with his head held high.
Shinobu: Offers to create a poison that will effect the rolls of the die.
Giyuu: Yells even louder than Rengoku about how the weak have no rights.
Tanjiro: Two spaces. Stumbling past Haganezuka, Tanjiro wishes him the best and hopes they can talk later about whatever it is Tanjiro did to make him so upset. But for now, he’s got to keep going…
Nezuko: Lunges for the wall of the Winner’s Circle.
Zenitsu: Reaches his hand, but it’s too late!
Inosuke: Raises his arms and decides it’s time! Tanjiro’s worth more than being the Winner!
Murata: …a little shocked to hear how hardcore Tomioka can be.
Twenty-Fifth Turn:
Rengoku: Set your heart aflame!
Shinobu: Also a bit surprised to hear Giyuu.
Giyuu: Yells at Tanjiro not to bow his head to Haganezuka, that’s no way to protect his family or get revenge.
Tanjiro: Four spaces---he’s landed on an event! It’s Inosuke’s friendship! He can smell his friendship radiating from the Winner’s Circle as he closely passes by! He can keep going! Three more spaces!
Nezuko: Bashed into Inosuke’s elbow as he was raising his arm. Stunned, she falls backwards.
Zenitsu: Uses that chance to throw his arms around her shoulders, and crying and begging her not to lose control, because it would make Tanjiro so sad.
Inosuke: Laughing and cheering Tanjiro on. That’s it, that’s it!! No clue why his elbow hurts, though.
Murata: Tomioka is way more passionate than Murata ever expected. If only that Sabito kid could see him now…
Twenty-Sixth Turn:
Rengoku: That’s it, Kamado-shonen!
Shinobu: Wow… this side of Giyuu is actually pretty cool.
Giyuu: Hold your blade and keep moving! Don’t show your back to anyone!
Tanjiro: He can smell everyone’s encouragement! Five spaces!! It----it’s Oyakata-sama! With Oyakata-sama cheering him on, he moves forward another three spaces!
Nezuko: Ah, the magic word… she’s starting to calm down…
Zenitsu: You hear that, Nezuko-chan? He’s coming as fast as he can to see you!
Inosuke: Pleased to see Tanjiro is finally picking up his pace, but also slightly disappointed, breaking out was starting to sound fun.
Murata: That Sabito kid was amazing… sigh… such a drag someone like him died at the Final Selection… Murata starts falling into another depression.
Twenty-Seventh Turn:
Rengoku: Nodding with approval at Tanjiro’s progress.
Shinobu: Kind of forgot about Tanjiro with how much Giyuu caught her attention.
Giyuu: For some reason, crying. Shinobu is surprised and disturbed.
Tanjiro: Two spaces. There’s Kanao! Tanjiro is supported by friends everywhere. He goes ahead another space.
Nezuko: Crying.
Zenitsu: Oh no, she’s crying. Now he’s crying.
Inosuke: Here he comes!! But that space Tanjiro hit earlier is coming up soon. Inosuke’s skin starts to prickle.
Murata: …sigh…
Twenty-Eighth Turn:
Rengoku: Keep up that pace, Kamado-shonen! But don’t let your guard down!
Shinobu: Seeing Giyuu cry is just as strange as seeing him smile when eating simmered salmon and daikon. She finds herself temporarily unable to maintain the model Kanae-face.
Giyuu: He just… he just wants Tanjiro to succeed so badly. He finds himself grasping Murata’s shoulder for emotional support. Murata is jolted out of his darkness.
Tanjiro: One space. A Kakushi makes a passing comment about being startled by Nezuko. Tanjiro completely loses focus and goes wandering backwards a space. Nezuko? Nezuko, are you here?
Nezuko: “Stupid Oniichan,” she wishes she could say, “I’m over here,” but all that comes out is more grunts between tearful sniffes.
Zenitsu: Starting to go faint with blood loss from his nose.
Inosuke: “…ngh?” he looks back, filled with disappointed disgust to see Underling #1 be such a numbskull.
Murata: It’s up to him to be strong for Tomioka now.
Twenty-Ninth Turn:
Rengoku: Not that way, Kamado-shonen!
Shinobu: Decides to check over on Tanjiro. She is shocked and disturbed all over again. He’s not getting stuck in that loop again, is he?
Giyuu: He can’t look. The nerves are too much. Tanjiro can’t possibly roll a One again, can he?
Tanjiro: It’s a six!!! Six spaces!! Tanjiro shakes his head out of his stupor and tells himself to keep moving forward. He’s almost there!
Nezuko: He’s so close now!! She looks up to him with hopeful eyes, tears still streaming down his face.
Zenitsu: Collapses.
Inosuke: Excited all over again for Tanjiro’s progress!! That’s the way! But---but right ahead of him---
Murata: Pats Tomioka’s back and assures him Tanjiro is going to make it this time. He’s so close, there’s no way he can’t… or…
Thirtieth Turn:
Rengoku: Doesn’t say a word. He’s entirely focused on the gap between them, and the demon looming within it.
Shinobu: Has her hand ready on her sword. It may be cheating to interfere from the Winner’s Circle, but…
Giyuu: He’s going to roll a One, isn’t he? Tanjiro has rolled so many Ones. Please… anything but a One. Please.
Tanjiro: IT’S A THREE!!!! Tanjiro runs past the danger, and uses all his strength to lunge into the Winner’s Circle. He’s made it!! At long last, he’s made it!! NEZUKOOOOO!!!!
Nezuko: “MmmnnnMMMnnnnMMMnnnnnnNNN!!!” she cries and hugs him tight.
Zenitsu: The Kamado siblings are on top of him.
Inosuke: He’s crying too. He jumps on the pile and hugs both Tanjiro and Nezuko.
Murata: With his shiny hair catching every glimmer of light, he flashes Tomioka a smile. See? It all worked out in the end, with the power of friendship.
I can't express how much I love this. The scars, Inosuke and Nezuko laying sideways across everyone, Zenitsu holding Tanjiro's hand, Genya being the center of the pile. They deserved this friendship and I wish the story took place over like 4 years instead of 1 so they could have cultivated this for real in the canon.
