The Man Who Ran Off With The Moon - [ Tsukkiyama Art Thief AU! ]

Author's Note

Hey, all!

It's gratitude time!

There is, of course, my eternal thanks to Haruichi Furudate. I love Haikyuu. It's one of the things that helps me out of bed on the hardest mornings. Who woulda thought an anime about boys playing volleyball could mean so much to me, aiyaaaa.

I also wanted to thank everyone who has taken the time from their life to read this story, it really does mean so much to me. Writing is such a terrifying challenge, and I was so uncertain of how to approach a second story after finishing I'll Carry Your Weight, especially one that is so drastically different. I constantly worried that people would not enjoy it, that not a single person would read it, that I was not a good enough writer to try to tackle something that was much more serious than my last work. I still have... quite a few of these worries. I do not think this is a perfect book by any stretch of the imagination, but I am proud of myself for sticking with it until the end. I don't think I could've had the courage to do so without all of your kind comments and votes.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I would especially like to thank sneezychips, who originally suggested I try a tsukkiyama fic. Without them, this book would not have happened.

I started writing this on the first night I moved to a new state for my gap year program. I was hot, lonely, heartbroken, sleeping in a tent, and I was surrounded by unfamiliar people. To summarize: I was struggling, and I didn't know what the hell to do, because there's nothing more terrifying than opening yourself up to others.

I felt like Tsukishima, as a character, shared that fear with me.

As I lay in that tent, I thought up this story and wrote the first chapter. This began a  several months long exploration, both here and in my personal life, of what it means to connect, to choose to love even when you have been hurt.

I've come out of it a much happier person, happier than I've ever been in my life.

So, here's my parting sentiment:

Connection, be it with a significant other, a friend, a family member, or even the world around you, is an indefinable action. But, it is, I think, the rarest and most precious thing in life to find at all. You have to be open to it, it will not just appear to you. It must be sought out. You'll know it when it's there.
So, take a breath.
Embrace every moment, like you've never been hurt. Say what you want to say, accept help when it's offered, ask when it's needed.

Turn your gaze to the horizon, and remember to love. Even when it's difficult.

Especially when it's difficult.

That's how we become ~remarkable~

As for me, I'll be launching right into my next book, and I think it's going to be my best one yet. It's an Iwaoi fic called A River Runs Through Us that I hope you'll check out. Chapter one is now published!  I will also be starting a bokuaka fic soon, after I finish my other story, Inseparable. I like to work on two fics at once, haha.

So, I guess that's a wrap on The Man Who Ran Off With The Moon.

Thank you, always.

Until the next adventure! 

- Mari