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talaok · 7 hours

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PostOutbreak!Joel likes reader but he tries to hide it because of the age gap. To try and put us off, he can be a bit standoffish/mean but Ellie can tell it’s a facade and tells him to drop it and the age thing doesn’t matter if you really like each other. Then a fluffy confession omggg

Pairing: PostOutbreak!Joel Miller x f!reader

Warnings: unspecified age gap, joel being a lil insecure and scared, and Ellie being a menace, but its mostly all fluff who am i kidding

a/n: this was the cutest fucking request ever, thank you anon

You know those books or movies where it's painfully clear to everyone but the two main characters that they love each other, and you keep reading or watching thinking "How could anyone not see that he likes her?" as you increasingly get more frustrated and annoyed?

Well, this is a bit like that,

not a bit actually, completely so.

And in this metaphor, you and Joel were the two oblivious main characters, while Ellie, poor Ellie, was the unfortunate witness of your blindness.

It was so incredibly clear to her that she sometimes struggled not to laugh at your interactions.

I mean the first time Joel saw you was the very first time she'd seen him blush and forget how to speak in the span of a second- it was hilarious.

And then when he'd catch him staring at you or pretend not to purposely take the longer route home just to catch a glimpse of you outside the bakery... it was hard to only chuckle underneath her breath, but she managed...

until today

Joel slammed the door as he got it, like really loud, not like his usual slam.

"what's wrong?" Ellie asked, her brows frowning in suspicion as he kicked his boots off his feet before halfheartedly dragging them to the kitchen where she was sitting.

"nothin'" he grumbled,

Now that made Ellie sigh with annoyance,

he was always the one to blab about how she could always confide in him, and if that was the truth, then that meant it went both ways.

"Y'know a grumpy old man once told me that it's good to share how you're feeling" She tilted her head to the side, raising her brow as Joel rolled his eyes, filling a glass with water "Would be real hypocritical of him to not take his own advice..."

Said old man, was now rolling his eyes even harder, drowning the full glass in a second

"'s nothing, don't worry 'bout it"

"Joel" Ellie only glared at him,

and as always when it was her,

he was convinced faster than he liked to admit

He sighed, before speaking "It's stupid" he said

"I don't care" Ellie shrugged, placing her elbows on the kitchen counter where she sat and using her hands to support her head, her whole focus on Joel,

who sighed, again.

"I just-" he placed the glass in the sink before turning back to her "I just saw y/n talking to I guy I-"

"Oh my god you're jealous!" she said it with such enthusiasm and with such a smile pulling at her lips that you would have guessed she'd just won the lottery

"no" Joel frowned, shaking his head "What are you on about? I'm not jealous, I just don't like the guy"

"yeah" Ellie snorted "I'm sure you just "don't like the guy"" she air quoted as she laughed

"Why would I be jealous?" Joel went on pretending,

perhaps lying to himself together with her, the jury was still out.

"I'm just worried for her-" he argued "she's too kind and too fucking nice and Jake's an asshole"

again, Ellie only smiled as she watched him lie so blatantly

"why would you be jealous?" she pondered his question with amusement "well I don't know... maybe 'cause you have the biggest fucking crush on her"

"What!?" he spat "I don't know what's going on with you today, where did you get all these ideas? I-"

"Oh my god please shut up Joel" she groaned, rolling her eyes "That rude asshole act you do around y/n may work with her, but you don't fool me, Miller"

Ellie could swear she saw a hint of panic in his eyes

"I know you like her, just like I know she likes you" She finally said, done with this little act "I honestly don't get why you two don't just declare your love to one another and live happily ever after or some shit"

It was like he froze,

and while Ellie thought it was because he'd just been busted by a 14-year-old, it was for a wholly different reason

"she doesn't like me" he stated

And at that, at that Ellie could just groan as her palm descended dramatically down the length of her face

God, she'd always known he wasn't the brightest, but this? This is a little too much even for him

"Are you blind or something?" she threw her hands out for emphasis "She's definitely better at hiding it than you, I'll give you that, but I mean, still... it's fucking obvious dude!"

"Ellie" Joel only shook his head "you 'don't know whatcha talkin' 'bout"

Ellie was now very close to yelling at him.

"Joel I'm serious, she likes likes you!" she argued, "why do you find that so hard to believe?"

But of course, Ellie couldn't have known what was going on in Joel's mind, how certain he was that it wasn't true,

about how he knew he didn't deserve someone like you, someone so kind and beautiful and smart,

how he had spent months trying to get the thought of you to leave his tainted mind,

how he'd decided to be mean, rough, rude to you in the hopes that you would stop being so nice to him, in the hopes that you would start to avoid him, to hate him, and he'd never have to see you or that gorgeous smile again.

And finally, Ellie didn't know about how he was too incredibly, terribly old for you, for such a pretty young woman.

Half his hair was gray for god's sake, he never had a chance

"I could be her father Ellie" he finally confessed what had been eating up at him for so long "I'm too fuckin' old"

Ellie didn't even need a moment to take that it, she listened, thought about it, and immediately rolled her eyes

"SO WHAT?"

You don't understand how long she had to pretend not to want to give the both of you a good shake,

it was only right for her to finally shout it out

"First of all, you're not that old" she started listing, "second of all, she obviously doesn't care" she continued "and finally Joel, if you really like her, and if she really likes you, then it doesn't matter!"

But Joel was not convinced, he'd spent too long telling himself the opposite, and he couldn't even fathom the possibility of what Ellie was saying

"you just have to tell her"

she said it like it was easy, like the mere thought of it didn't give Joel a minor heart attack, like he hadn't woken up from multiple dreams where he would confess his love and you would laugh at his face, or worse, tell him you felt the same, something Joel knew not to be the truth.

Also, Joel had no idea when exactly throughout this conversation he'd admitted to liking you, but I guess it didn't matter now, it made no sense to keep the farse on.

"I can't Ellie, I-"

"oh my god you're such a chicken" she moaned "You're the one that always tells me to be brave!"

"that's different"

"how!?" she bugged her eyes, holding her palms up in show of her frustration "I get that it's scary, but what's the worst thing that could happen?"

And that, for some reason, stuck with him,

He really had nothing to lose,

It's not like you were friends or you would talk often, it's not like he would be ruining a relationship, there wasn't one,

And yet... yet it still terrified him,

"Ellie... I don't know"

"c'mon man, but your big boy pants on" she groaned "I'm telling you, she fucking likes you"

__ __ __

Joel didn't do it.

He couldn't. He just-

You were perfect, you were perfect in a way that made him feel all the more dirty,

like being close to you, talking to you, touching you... would be like plucking a flower with torn-up hands,

And fuck him, but Joel was scared, like he'd gone back 40 years and become 16 all over again.

He couldn't do it, he couldn't, wouldn't do it, and he'd set his mind to that, made peace with his cowardness and dread.

Until of course, Ellie's twisted mind came up with a way to force his fears to life.

"Howdy"

The kid was smiling so broadly that she looked like a child with a brand-new toy,

but Joel's eyes were somewhere else,

he was looking at you

"Hi Joel" you smiled, punching a knife into his gut

You were at his front door with his kid, who was very clearly plotting something, and Joel wondered for a moment if this was what would finally make his heart give out.

"Hi," he said, his voice sounding distant

Why is she here?

"Aren't you gonna let us in?" Ellie urged,

Us?

"Uhm, I-"

but Ellie had already sneaked inside, dragging you behind

And now the awkward scene was even more awkward, just at the entrance of his home.

"All alright" Ellie clapped her hands, watching Joel stare at you as you tried to avoid his gaze "I'm gonna go to my room," she said, shouldering him not so subtly

"Cool down dude" she mumbled, before disappearing upstairs.

What the fuc-

"I'm sorry to barge in like this" you finally spoke, a gentle smile on your lips "Ellie said you needed to tell me something, so I just... came here I guess" you finished with an awkward laugh

Fuck-fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck-

"If it's too much trouble I'll just go-"

"no," Joel said, before he could stop himself, finally realizing he was still holding the door's knob, and in a spur of bravery, deciding to use it to close the door.

"Oh, ok" you mumbled, puzzled by his demeanor "so uhm, what is it you needed to tell me?"

God damn that fucking trick-playing kid of his

"do you- do you want something to drink?"

the question took you aback, but then you did something that stunned Joel even more, you laughed,

you laughed softly, quickly, like you were letting out all this stupid awkwardness in a simple gesture

because that's how you were: Magical

"Sure" you shrugged, grinning "some water would be nice"

If Joel had to watch your face for an instant more he feared he was gonna explode, so he did all he could think of, he walked to the kitchen, only glancing at you again when he handed you your drink,

to his dismay, finding a smile still drawn on your lips.

"thank you" you said, taking a sip

god, even the way your lips wrapped around the rim made him want to drop to his knees.

He needed to get a grip.

"so... are you gonna tell me or do I have to guess?" you joked, your fingers drawing patterns on the glass

Was this really happening?

Was this hell?

"I..." he trailed off, running a hand through his hair as he glanced from the counter to you on repeat "I wanted to tell you that..."

"that?"

"that- the uhm-" he shut his eyes for a second, searching for words "the...bread you gave us this week was real good"

Goddamnit

"oh"

Even you couldn't hide your disappointment

I mean, you certainly didn't expect it. A compliment from Joel Miller? What universe were you in?

Just like you didn't expect any of this... him actually letting you in his house or offering you water...

You had half expected him to shut the door in your face,

The most he had ever given you was a half smile at a joke you told him while he was picking up bread, the rest were all rude grumbles or just a bunch of stoic looks...

and yet... yet a part of you couldn't help but have set expectations a little higher.

What a silly fool you'd been,

hoping for a love confession from a man who has made it very clear he despises you,

but still- a girl can dream, right?

"thank you" you mumbled, as Joel cursed himself over and over in his head "that's very nice of you," you smiled, stalling a second to see if he was gonna say something else, interrupt you at some point,

but he remained silent

"well if that's all, I'm gonna go then, thank you for the water I-"

Until he wasn't

"no-stop- I-"

Ellie was right.

He had to do this, he had to win his fear and try at least, or he was gonna regret it for the rest of his life, and he already had too many of those.

The problem was that you looked really beautiful today, and he'd never been good with words

Fuck it- if he was gonna make a fool of himself so be it,

He had nothing to lose and everything to win,

he had you to win.

"Yes?" you asked, trying to tame your hopes down

Think Joel, think

how the fuck do you tell a woman you like her?

"There's one other thing I've been meaning to tell ya" he cleared his throat, standing up straighter as he took a step closer to you.

"'m not great at doing this type of thing" he admitted, shaking his head slightly "but Ellie... she's right, I'm always tellin' her to be brave and everythin', so... I guess it's my turn now," he said, letting out a short, anxious laugh "I don't even know- I guess what I'm tryna say is that I'm gonna be honest now, but I want you to know that- that I know what you're gonna say and it's ok" he swallowed thickly, preparing himself from your inevitable rejection "I understand, really, I just- I thought I should try at least"

What was going on?

What the fuck was he saying?

"Joel, what are you talking about?"

This was it.

It was now or never.

"Y/n I-"

his heart was beating out of his chest, and his legs felt like jelly, but he had to do it, he had to take a leap of faith-

"Y/n I like you" he breathed like the words longed to be out of his mouth "I like you a lot, I have for a while now"

he watched your mouth part, your whole face filling with shock as you blinked over and over, trying to make sure this was really happening.

"Y-you like me?"

"yes" he nodded "And as I said, I know you don't feel the same, I know I'm old, and I've been an asshole to you all this time, so it's ok, really I-"

"stop talking Joel" you huffed a laugh, stepping closer, and then closer again, until your hand was on his arm "please just-" you bit down a smile, and he was so confused, so fucking confused, "say it again," you asked

"I like you y/n" he murmured, trying to get his mind to start working again,

but you were leaning closer,

and who cared what his name was anyway

"you were rude to me"

"I was, I'm sorry I-"

You pretended to be thinking about it, glancing upwards as you pursed your lips together

But who were you kidding?

"you're forgiven" you smiled, looking up at him as you slowly raised yourself on your tiptoes to gently, oh so gently, press your lips to his.

Joel was certain he had just died.

But then he opened his eyes again, and you were still there, beaming up at him, and he felt such a wave of happiness that he could have started crying right there,

only he took on a different route and grabbed each side of your face with his hands, crashing his lips with yours and kissing you, kissing you like he'd been dreaming of for months

exactly how you imagined he would,

better than you imagined, actually

so much better.

"Ha! I told you, Joel!"

He groaned as he leaned away, shooting Ellie an annoyed glance

"What are you doin' here?"

"just came here to gloat" she shrugged, watching you two with a grin plastered on her face

"I think you've done enough of that" he muttered, but you could only smile

"thank you, Ellie," you grinned "Thank you for doing this"

She raised her brows, looking at Joel as if saying "See, she's thanking me, why aren't you?", but then her expression got more genuine as she shot you a smile

"you're welcome" she smiled "Better having to see you kiss than having to put up with Joel being all sad 'cause you're talking to Jack or any other guy"

You gasped with amusement as Joel shut his eyes in embarrassment, his cheeks tainting with red

"Ellie-" Joel grumbled,

A soft giggle flowed through the room as Ellie turned away and went back up to her room, seemingly satisfied with her work

"You were jealous?" you teased him, your hands on his chest, while he'd moved one of his from your face to your waist.

"maybe I was" he fessed up

You smiled even brighter

"And you like me?" you asked for the thousandth time

"yes, sweetheart, I really fuckin' like you" he smiled too now, his lips finding yours again in a kiss that made time stand still and the world spin around

"I like you too Joel" you finally said, giving the man an actual mini-stroke.

"say it again"

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vizslasaber · 2 days

Text

UNDERSTANDING ──── echo.

summary: in the middle of the night, echo finds you, hurt and exhausted and in need of an apology.

pairing: arc trooper echo x reader

word count: 1.6k

warnings: none! just a sprinkling of angst and grief.

a/n: i love echo so much & im so glad he’s okay as of the finale!! this takes place sometime around the early seasons, but after the season 1 episode “cornered.” also, i listened to waves by chloe moriondo while writing this!

You’re not sure what to think of Echo.

Most of the time, he’s quiet. When he does speak, it’s usually to enforce a rule, remind the group of their current plan, or to keep Wrecker in check. You’ve seen his softer side, with Omega and occasionally his brothers, and it’s rare but honestly endearing.

The thing about him that most irks you, however, is that he never wants to seem to interact with you.

Officially, Hunter is the group leader; ever since Clone Force 99 accepted you into their squad, that much has been clear. You’re the only non-clone—or “natborn” as the others refer to you—living on the Marauder. It’s been several months since you saved Omega from bounty hunters on your home planet of Pantora, and now, you’re as much a part of the Bad Batch as anyone else.

Except, you’re not a batcher. Not really.

Despite how much you care for your squadmates, it’s easy to feel separated from them at times. Easy to feel different. Most of the others have picked up on this by now, and often go to great lengths to make you feel like one of them.

Not Echo, though. He seems—wary of you, almost, and you’re not sure why. Once, you brought it up to Tech, who simply waved you off with one of his shrewd, knowledge-filled comments. “You are new here, you know. Some people are simply slower to open up than others.”

You, however, know that’s not the case. You’ve seen Echo with his brothers, and with Omega. He can be kind, and funny, and even angry. But to you… to you, he’s nothing but quiet.

For some time, you tried your hardest to be yourself around him—to crack your usual sarcastic jokes at his expense, to be friendly, like you are with the others. But the constant avoidance and clipped answers leave you increasingly confused and hurt.

So you withdrew from him, too.

It still bothers you, sometimes. But you’ve learned to brush it off.

Now, you sit in the cockpit, feet resting against the control panel. A ration bar—one of the good ones—rests in your hand. Every so often, as you watch the blue glow of hyperspace streak past the viewport, you take a bite of the ration bar.

You’re on first watch. Someone has to stay in the cockpit to oversee the ship’s journey back to Ord Mantell—and, since you still can’t fall asleep in hyperspace, you keep volunteering for the job. The cockpit is mostly dark. All the lights are off, and the viewport is dimmed. Anything brighter reminds you of how sleep-deprived you are, and so you’re content to sit in the blue gloom.

Leaning your head against the headrest of the pilot’s chair, you close your eyes. Your entire body feels heavy with exhaustion, but every time you try to drift off, the rumbling of the ship’s hyperdrive jerks you awake.

The sound of footsteps startles you. You open your eyes, leaning around the back of the chair to inspect what little part of the ship’s corridor you can see. You can hear the sounds of someone moving around by the small common area, but you can’t tell who it is.

Tech’s probably experimenting again, you think wryly, and settle back into your comfortable position.

Soon, though, the footsteps grow closer. Someone enters the cockpit with a tired sigh, placing something on one of the chairs nearer to the door. It sort of sounds like Hunter, but with the similarity between everyone’s voices, you can’t be sure.

The footsteps halt suddenly. You look up to find honey-coloured eyes surveying you with apprehension. In the dim light, awash with blue, you register the glint of a cybernetic headpiece.

“Oh,” you say, blinking up at Echo, “hi.”

Echo only grunts.

You frown, looking down at your hands, at your half-eaten ration bar. “It’s late,” you say quietly. “You, um—you should get some rest.”

When Echo answers, you don’t look up. He says, voice low and gravelly with sleep, “I slept for a couple hours.”

Slowly, you nod, fiddling with the foil wrapper of the ration bar. The cockpit falls silent; you wait for Echo to leave, but he stays still, his shadow falling over your tired frame.

You want to ask why he’s still here. You want to be rude, to ask him to leave so you can have some peace and quiet. But truthfully, he isn’t saying anything, or causing any disturbances, so instead you hold up your unfinished ration bar. “You want a bite?”

Echo blinks. It seems to take him a moment to process your question. Then, to your faint surprise, he nods. “Thank you,” he says as you hand him the ration bar wordlessly.

It’s a peace offering, of sorts.

He sits in the co-pilot’s chair and takes a hesitant bite, chewing slowly. You see his expression brighten—probably at the realization that this is one of the good ration bars, the kind that Hunter always says not to hog—then return to his usual neutral one.

You watch as he swallows. He hands you back the bar, holding out his hand, but you don’t take it.

“Why… why are you here?” you ask quietly.

As soon as the words leave your mouth, Echo drops his arm and breaks eye contact, looking almost embarrassed. Or maybe even ashamed.

Still, you wait for his answer. Several long, painful seconds pass before he says anything. When he speaks, it’s like he’s forcing out the words.

“I wanted to—” he pauses. His flesh hand fiddles with his metal one. “I wanted to apologize.”

You feel your breath hitch. Staring, you try not to gape. “What?” you say, whispering without meaning to. “I don’t—”

“I’ve been horrible to you,” Echo continues, voice steadier. “I didn’t mean to be so… withdrawn. I didn’t realize I was doing it. I… I hope you can forgive me.”

Instead of acknowledging his apology, you bite the inside of your cheek with uncertainty, then cross your arms over your chest. One of the others must have put him up to this. Probably Omega, or perhaps Hunter. Raising an eyebrow, you ask, “Who sent you?”

“No one!” Echo replies hurriedly, then presses his lips into a thin line. “I mean, Hunter told me that you—he said that—” He sighs. “I didn’t realize it on my own. But I came because I wanted to.”

You blink, cursing yourself when you feel your eyes sting. With a start, you realize that this is the most Echo has said to you since you joined the squad.

Taking in a breath, you wring your hands anxiously. “I just… I just don’t understand why.” You shrug. “You’re not the same with me. Not like how you are with the others.”

Echo swallows. “It’s not—”

“I just want to know what I did wrong.”

At that, Echo falls silent. Guilt permeates the air, enough that you can feel it.

“Hey,” Echo says, kinder than you’ve ever heard him. “Look at me.”

You do. His eyes, like lava, or maybe liquid gold, bore into you. It almost hurts to look.

“This,” he continues, gesturing to the space between you, “is not your fault.”

Against your will, a lone tear slips down your cheek. “So whose fault is it?” you whisper, barely loud enough to be heard over the ship’s engine

It’s obvious from the look on Echo’s face that he’s thinking of something—or someone—specific. Despite how much you want to, you don’t push.

You just wait.

“It’s my brother,” Echo finally murmurs, and you raise your eyebrows, quickly cycling through the rest of your squad. Hunter, Wrecker, Tech… maybe Crosshair? You can’t think what any of them, even the one who’s no longer a member of your group, have to do with you.

“Your... brother,” you repeat dumbly.

“Yes.” Echo nods. “Fives.”

Oh. A fellow soldier, then. Probably from before the war ended… and probably long dead.

Drawing in a shaky breath, you hastily wipe your cheek with your sleeve. “What—what about him?”

“You…” Echo shakes his head, then lets out a humourless chuckle as he turns to look at the viewport, at the swirling blues and whites and greys of hyperspace. When he speaks again, his voice is barely above a whisper. “You remind me of him.”

You blink.

Truthfully, you have no idea what to say to that. Luckily, Echo continues, saving you from having to come up with an answer.

“Your sense of humour, I mean. The sarcasm, the jokes.” He shrugs, and the light from the viewport catches on his cybernetic headpiece, glinting in the otherwise dim cockpit. “And… and the way you know people.”

“‘Know people’?” you echo, confused. “I’m not following.”

“You understand people,” Echo says, and finally looks at you again, eyes impossibly sad. “Somehow, without ever having experienced what others have gone through, you understand their pain—and you feel it with them.” He closes his eyes for a brief moment, then opens them again. “Fives used to do that too.”

And suddenly, as though a switch inside you has been flipped, it all makes sense. “And that’s why you’ve been avoiding me,” you realize, and Echo winces. “Because I remind you of him.”

“See?” The barest hint of a smile graces his lips. “You’re doing it now. And you’re not even trying.”

“I guess I never thought about it like that.”

“I’m sorry for everything,” Echo says. “I am. It just…”

“Hurts,” you finish, and Echo blinks, surprised. You smile softly. “I know you too, you know.” Reaching out, you take his flesh hand, gently prying it open and taking the ration bar. As Echo watches, you split the remaining piece in half and hand one to him. “And for what it’s worth—I forgive you.”

The shadows colouring Echo’s face suddenly seem lighter. He smiles, then—really smiles.

You take a bite of the ration bar and smile back.

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marsprincess889 · 2 days

Text

Me getting political

🇬🇪🇪🇺

So, I know I mostly only really talk about vedic astrology here, but I'd like to speak to the very same audience who found and followed me because of that about what's going on in my country. So, followers, dear mutuals, those couple of ppl I know irl who are on here, or someone who randomly found this_please, read and interact. (!!!please)

For context, the vast majority Georgia, mainly gen z, has been protesting a "foreign agents law", which is almost identical to the law that russia passed in 2012 and that has resulted in significant restriction of the freedom of its citizens. So, eurovision, met gala, whatever.... this is the reality my country lives in.

I had no idea so many people from other countries were this misinformed about georgia(in general)? People thinking photos from our massive protests were not from here because we have "police" written in english and not "policija"(which is not a fcking georgian word??????)?

People thinking america funded, I repeat, MASSIVE protests that have been going on for a month(and have also taken place in the march of last year for the same reason), just because some of the protestors wrote signs in english? Like, the sheer idea of that is honestly infuriating.

I don't think anyone who has not lived in Georgia will understand the situation clearly. The government is ordering to beat up peaceful protestors, is using pepper spray on them.... and most of the protestors are teens and young adults, trying to make a better future for themselves and for generations to come, tired of fighting the same fight that their parents and grandparents have fought.

When you are born georgian, patriotism is instilled in you like vow. I was born in 2002, a decade after my country exited the soviet union, fresh out of the notoriously hard and dark 90s(full of poverty and crime), six years before I started school and russia invaded the city of Gori. We learned all the poems and novels of our great writers, learned the stories of them fighting for freedom of speech, for the freedom of our country, our teachers would explain every detail of their astristry and their importance. At some point I think we all got tired of it, no matter how loving and full of care they were, but then I remember the presentation my class did in sixth grade about february of 1921, how Georgia exited the russian empire in 1918 and how the brand new(at the time) constitution was implemented just a few days before the red army came in 1921... MY PARENTS were born when Georgia was in ussr, my mother had to spend her years as a young student in the 90s in constant fear of danger on the streets, our parents saw the worst of it and did everything in their power for us to live in a better environment. But we're first generation in georgia who grew up with internet, who is fluent in internet slang and is way more informed, with a completely different mentality, for whom the decades of oppression is more distant. We know russia is an enemy, we know what our country has gone through, but we are the first gen with the freedom to speak up when yet another attemp to control is made.

We have a very long and rich history and one thing that is clear from it is that we are supernaturally resilient, and our refusal to be subdued has protected not only ourselves, but countries that lie west from us, the countries that make Europe, that we consider ourselves a part of.

My friends know I'm the quickest to say that I feel like I don't belong here(georgia), that I never really connected to what I saw, generally, in my country, but maybe there are thousands like me here. Maybe(100%) the men in power haven't been paying their due respect to my generation and how persistently we have been in our actions and convictions. And maybe, the rest of the world(western countries) have significantly undervalued our importance. We deserve our due, and to me, the least that others can do, is to educate themselves before typing or speaking about us.

We are not a "former soviet country", we are an ancient civilization with an extremely unique culture that has survived to this day, that has protected its customs, identity and the right for freedom, and has been under almost constant threat for losing them. And, once again, if there was any doubt, we are not our government.

I sincerely hope for this to get as many notes or possible, or at least, to reach the right people.

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danosrosegarden · 1 day

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edward shimmer edward shimmer edward shimmer edward shimmer edward shimmer edward shimmer edward shimmer edward shimmer edward shimmer edward shimmer edward shimmer e

on occasion - edward nashton x gn!reader headcanons

elijah's anniversary celebration: post one!

✨ shimmer prompt: give me a character, and i will write a piece on how they would handle having a crush. ✨

{contains: edward being flustered and obsessive, general fluffy butterfly feelings!}

note: i am so sorry it took me so long to get to these. you can expect quite a few pieces to be published in the coming days! thank you for reading and supporting my work. xoxo, eli <3

♡ It would all be far simpler if Edward had the ability to admire in moderation. If only he could offer you the smallest speck of his heart, the littlest share of his love. That was just his problem. Edward Nashton did not love, but when he did, moderation was not possible. He loved all-encompassingly, with wide, sparkling eyes full of hope and a wildly skipping heart doused in desperate desire. There was nothing he could do to shake you from his thoughts. He simply wasn't able to rip you away from his brain.

♡ You didn't even do anything special; you just lived your life. But that was enough. Your pure, unfiltered existence was enough to have him entranced. Ever since you moved into his complex, he spent his days going crazy, waiting by his cellphone for a text or call. Hey, Ed, I'm off work! Wanna hang out? Hey, Edward, I'm going to the store! Want me to pick a treat up for you at the bakery section? God, you were so thoughtful. So caring. So funny and witty and so irresistibly you. Everything about you had him begging for scraps. Any piece of your backstory or future goals only fueled the crackling fire burning in his soul.

♡ Edward recognizes that the enormity of his longing could be perceived as overbearing or creepy. That's the last thing he would want, to scare you away. He can barely survive each day in his skin as is; he couldn't live with himself if he made you uncomfortable. So he does what he can to hold back. He declines your invitations to hang out sometimes so as to not seem clingy. He leaves you on delivered for a little while, even though he's practically glued to his phone, the intense, monstrous ghoul of FOMO looming over his shoulder.

♡ Even still, his crush is pretty pathetically obvious. He laughs hard and loud each time you tell a stupid joke. He blushes deeply when you compliment him, and his anxious finger-fiddling and lip biting isn't lost on you.

♡ Crystal clear, grade A anxiety. That's how he deals with a crush. He feels a rush of wildflowers bloom colorfully and brightly in his heart each time your name appears on his phone or he sees you in the complex's hallway. His stomach churns and his palms get clammy and goodness, he feels like an awkwardly love-drunk adolescent when he sees you: your glittering, smiling eyes, the way you walk and talk and smile at him...it all swirls around through his body like a whipping windstorm.

♡ He doesn't have the option of not overthinking every interaction, either. Did I say the right thing? Did I act the right way? Was I...cool? Jesus, he really did sound like a teenager, not a grown, mature man in his thirties with a real adult job and real adult responsibilities.

♡ The occasional high of courage shoots through him. He'll occasionally initiate a hang out session. He'll occasionally drop off a gift, maybe a baked pastry or a little trinket he found at the thrift that made him think of you. He'll occasionally write letters and practice speeches confessing his feelings towards you, and he'll occasionally rip the papers up and cringe into his pillow at the quivering in his voice.

♡ Maybe Edward doesn't know what to do with these monstrous feelings of adoration now, but it'll come to the tipping point where he can't bear the feeling of those blooming flowers in his heart anymore. They will outgrow their cage eventually, and he can only pray that you'll accept them and tend to them with him.

#eli's writing #danonation #paul dano #edward nashton #the riddler #the batman #edward nashton x reader #the riddler x reader #edward nashton x you #the riddler x you #edward nashton x y/n #the riddler x y/n #elijah's anniversary celebration 24

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k-s-morgan · 3 days

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Hello!!! We are all aware that Abigail reminded Hannibal of his sister, however, what about Will? Is it possible that Hannibal, interacting with Will Graham, sees him as his "sister", and lives through a childhood trauma?. Namely: after a traumatic event in Hannibal's childhood, throughout his life before Will, he lives in a stage of repression: the automatic suppression of any emotions, the elevation of walls and going into art to fill the void inside himself. However, after the very first meeting with Will, his trauma, like a kind of trigger, awoke and the process began to complete the task of "healing the vulnerability, the hole formed as a result of a cruel experience"); related to his sister (closing the gestalt). What do you think about this theory? Is it possible for events to develop in which Hannibal in the first season, after meeting with Will, first of all sought to close this Gestalt by linking his life with someone similar to him and understanding?

Hi! I think this reading is definitely possible because in the books, Hannibal attempts to turn Clarice into Mischa at first, so the foundation for it is there. There are also his words about dropping the tea cup and waiting for it to gather itself together - their meaning is highly debatable, though.

Personally, I think the show's version of him is more well-adjusted and less attached to his past. I don't think our Hannibal was ever looking for his sister in anything or anyone, not even Abigail, and definitely not Will.

He mentioned that Abigail reminded him of Mischa, he cared about her, but in the end, his feelings for her paled in comparison to what he felt for Will. He killed Abigail as a punishment for him, and without Will in the picture, without Hannibal's sudden idea and wish to have a family with him, he probably would have never felt the need to save Abigail at all. She was always secondary to his desires. Mischa, on the other hand, was a priority. He'd never give up on her.

When discussing Mischa with Will, Hannibal makes it clear she's dead - to me, he sounds regretful and wistful, but not tormented or agonizing over it. It feels like he survived this loss, like he was able to move on from it. At the start of the show, before meeting Will, he seems perfectly content and genuinely enjoying his life. He realizes he wants more from it only after meeting Will, but since his feelings toward him are romantic and he treats him in a very specific and unique way, I don't think he makes any association with Mischa. Maybe only in the sense that for the first time after losing her, he feels such an urgent need to have a family, realizes that he's been lonely without even noticing it before.

In the books, Hannibal seems to be confused by love, so when he fell in love with Clarice, I can see how in his mind, it made her similar to Mischa, the only person he knew how to love before that. So he wanted to make them one. But in the show, Hannibal seems much more stable and attuned to his feelings, so I think he clearly distinguished between Will, Mischa, and Abigail.

#hannibal #will graham #hannibal lecter #hannigram #abigail hobbs #mischa lecter

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a-killer-obsession · 17 hours

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Wavelengths [Killer x Reader, Heat x Reader]

🔞 Minors DNI 🔞

A search for a rumored Vegapunk weapon leads the Kid Pirates to an unexpected new crewmate, with a bloodlust that rivals their own and an incredible power.

CW: Please check AO3 for all current warnings, but general warning for smut, slow burn, serious gore, and really dark themes. AFAB reader, she/her pronouns.

Masterlist || AO3 || Chapter 1

Chapter 12 - Overboard

You struggle with your confidence after going feral, as an approaching storm threatens to shake things up.

WC: ~5k

Taglist: @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @iggy5055

You were uncharacteristically quiet for the next several weeks. Unnervingly quiet. It wasn't that you were mad at Kid, or scared of him, or anything like that. It was yourself you were scared of. It'd been a long time since you'd gone feral like that, and it distressed you. You didn't like not being in control, not when you'd worked so hard to get back your autonomy. You hadn't had a feral episode since you'd gotten the mask when you were eleven, since then you hadn't ever been away from either seastone or your mask for long enough for it to happen. It reminded you just how thin the rope you were treading was - one small slip and you could kill the only friends you had in the world. Every time you left your room all you could think was ‘What if I slip and my mask breaks? What if a henchman grabs it and throws it overboard? What if we're attacked and Kid accidentally grabs it with his devil fruit? What if an enemy cracks it during battle?’ To say you were stressed would be an understatement, your heart raced with fear at the mere sight of any other living person.

So you kept to yourself. If you stayed away from others, you would be of less risk to them. Heat tried to give you company, but more often than not you excused yourself from the situation almost as soon as he arrived. You'd taken to locking your bedroom door so he couldn't join you anymore. The toys he'd bought had come at a good time, because you didn't have to worry about risking his life by fooling around with him. He didn't take offence to it. He'd seen the holes in the walls at the inn, the gruesome state of the henchman's body, the deep bite mark in Kid's neck that was leaving a clear scar as it healed, adding to his already vast collection. He'd heard from Killer what happened, and he understood your hesitation to interact with the crew, especially when he learned that he had been your first priority when you found out you'd killed someone. Nobody mentioned the dead henchman, death was common and almost expected among their ranks, nobody took it personally. Anyone who learned you'd been the one to kill him just guessed that he can't have been that strong to have been killed so easily by a girl, so he didn't belong in this crew in the first place.

Killer still forced you to take reading lessons, but something was different there too. A different kind of hesitancy, one that gave you both butterflies and forced you to both keep your distance at all other times. You'd catch each other making passing glances at dinner, always quickly looking away. Even Kid had noticed the change in both of you, but he could only assume it was because of the incident. He thought you were acting the same with Killer as you were with everyone else, avoiding them out of fear - for what, he didn't know - and that Killer was avoiding you after so willingly having put his mask on you. The actual intimate depth of the situation was going over his head. You and Killer both knew well what was happening, with your abilities and his observation haki you could hear how your hearts both quickened around each other, so you avoided contact like your life depended on it, outside of reading lessons and meal times. There was a silent understanding between you, both scared of getting too close for different reasons, so you both stayed away.

Even so, Killer couldn't help but feel bad for you, and couldn't help but try to make small gestures to raise your confidence and show you were cared for. Even if he couldn't let himself get further with you, he told himself that it didn't mean he couldn't at least try to show he was still a friend. The reading lessons were a great help, you often forgot your fear when it was just the two of you, but there were other things too.

He found out you enjoyed chocolate cake, so he'd bake one every couple of days and leave anonymous slices outside your door, like it wasn't obvious who was leaving them. If you were on night watch, he would take the morning watch, making sure he was the first to check on you and make sure you were okay. If it started raining during your watch, he made sure to bring you a blanket, even though he knew you didn't need it. He'd started taking your plate after meals before you had a chance to bus it yourself, giving you the chance to retreat and recover from the stress of being around other people faster. Small gestures that he didn't even realise he was doing sometimes, but he couldn't help himself. He tried to stay away, he really did, but his heart strings pulled hard and forced him towards you over and over.

It didn't go unnoticed by you, all the small things that he did to try and cheer you up. Unfortunately it had the effect of making you feel worse, crying to yourself in the dark of night that you would never truly feel love, you could never truly get close enough to someone without hurting them, or worse. You were damaged goods, who would even want you, let alone risk their life to be with you? Killer heard you crying sometimes, when he passed your room oh so casually, definitely not just trying to subtly check on you, and it made his heart hurt knowing there was nothing he could do to ease your pain.

He understood too well how you felt, he'd long since resigned himself to being alone, a combination of his insecurities and his nomadic life keeping him from ever truly getting close to someone. He desperately wished he could let you in, but he'd look at himself in his broken mirror, forcing a smile, and remind himself that he could never let anyone in like that. He had Kid, and he had the other commanders, that platonic love and fleeting hookups at random islands would have to be enough. It'd been years since he'd even moved the mask enough to kiss a woman, all of his hookups over the last few years having been entirely for the purpose of getting off only, never removing his mask for them no matter how much they begged. It made it easy to keep himself grounded, and stop himself from falling too deep.

Finally, after fifteen cruel days at sea, Heat pulled him and Kid aside, determined to figure shit out.

“I can't watch this anymore man, we have to do something about her,” Heat pinched the bridge of his nose, hurt and frustrated that it felt like he'd lost his friend when he'd only just gotten you to truly open up to him. It wasn't even anything to do with the hooking up, he knew that was only a temporary arrangement anyway, he just wanted his friend back.

“What's her problem anyway?” Kid complained, “she killed some no name henchman, who the fuck cares?”

“It's not that,” Killer interjected, “she's scared of how easy she turned feral. She took hurting you to heart”

“Like you lot haven't taken swings at me before,” Kid groaned, rolling his eyes, “remember when you stabbed me in the leg over a meatball? We're still mates”

“It's not the same thing for her,” Killer explained, “you have to remember we're the closest thing she's had to a family since she was a kid, and all it took was being away from her control mechanisms for a few minutes for her to almost kill you. If she'd killed you, her life as she knows it would have been over. There'd be no crew for her anymore, she'd be alone again”

“So she's scared we'll kick her out if she goes postal?” Kid grumbled.

“You're not getting it Kid,” Killer ran an exhausted hand down the front of his mask, “she's not scared of you, or us, she's scared of herself. She thinks its too easy to lose control”

“You can't really blame her,” Heat added, “all she has is a mask that could get knocked off or broken at any time, and a shoddy piece of raw seastone”

“That's her issue?” Kid said with wide eyes, “well fuck she should have said something, I could have just made her a bracelet or something”

Heat and Killer stared silently in disbelief at Kid, and he shifted uncomfortably under the tense gazes. “What?”

“You could have done that this whole time and you didn't think maybe it might be useful?” Killer growled, “she's your crew Kid, it's your job to make sure she's comfortable and safe with us. You knew what she was working with and you didn't think maybe she could do with something more than a scrap she has to hold every night? You ever tried to sleep holding something? It's not easy, but if she drops it she could kill everyone here without breaking a sweat. She's probably not had a decent sleep since she got here out of anxiety”

“Why didn't she just wear a cuff or something?” Kid puzzled.

“I don't know Kid, why don't you ask the lifelong victim of abuse and imprisonment why she wouldn't want to be locked into a seastone cuff every night?” Killer snapped back sarcastically.

“Okay… point taken,” Kid mumbled. “Gimme a couple of days, I can probably make something simple she can flip over when she needs it, I'm sure I have a couple of seastone bullets laying around in my workshop. I'll have to work the stone manually though since I can't use my powers on it, so she'll just have to hold her horses for now”

Three days later Kid pulled you into his workshop. You'd never been inside, and your curiosity outweighed your fear of being alone with him for a short while as you scanned the new, unfamiliar space with your eyes. The room was small, but it housed a long workbench along one side, covered with various tools, scraps, and half finished projects. Against one wall were a few large machines, assumedly for cutting and grinding things, and nearby were some open wooden crates filled with all sorts of different metal scraps, some larger sheets pinned against the wall behind them.

You stood awkwardly in the middle of the room while he put the final touches on something you couldn't see, before swivelling on his stool and holding a small metal box out to you.

“What's this?” You asked curiously, taking it with both hands and looking between him and the box curiously. You and Kid didn't really have the best of relationships, so a gift was extremely unexpected.

“An apology,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. “Just open it”

You undid the small brass clasp on the box and opened it to find a small bracelet. It was silver, with some sort of large, flat, circular pendant on it. On the pendant was the carefully engraved jolly roger of the Kid Pirates, the same one that decorated the main sail of the ship.

“Here,” he said, removing the bracelet from the box and holding out his flesh hand, indicating for you to put your hand in his. You did so anxiously, and he used his fruit to unlatch the bracelet, which floated around your wrist like magic with small purple sparks and clasped itself shut. It was a little loose, so he mumbled profanities under his breath before using his fruit to remove a few links. Now that the bracelet was tight, the pendant pressing against your skin, and your eyes widened in surprise as your powers were suddenly nullified.

“Seastone?” You asked, inspecting the bracelet carefully. You could only see silver, you didn't understand how it was working.

He held your hand gently and flipped the pendant, hiding the jolly roger and revealing the small piece of seastone that was embedded in the other side, flush with the metal border. The seastone was also engraved, this time with the alternative jolly roger of the Kid Pirates, the one that Wire wore on his clothing that you always thought looked suspiciously like Heat. “You can flip it when you need your powers deactivated,” he explained, letting your hand go, “Killer and Heat thought it might be better than holding that rock you've been working with”

“Kid, it's beautiful,” you remarked, “did you make this?”

“Yeah, and it was a real bitch too,” he grumbled, “had to go one armed to work with the seastone. It should be strong though, you don't have to worry about anyone pulling it off or breaking it. Should be able to shower with it too, just make sure you polish it every now and again or the metal with tarnish. If it gets too tight let me know, when you finish getting back to a healthy size you might need a extra link added”

Your head snapped up as you realised what this was really about, “Kid…”

“Look, I get you're scared of losing control or whatever,” he cut you off, “but I'm your captain, you have a problem, you tell me. Or at least tell one of the other commanders. I could have made this for you ages ago, but I thought you were good with your rock”

“I'm sor-”

“It's fine, just quit moping around,” he interrupted again, “you're bumming my commanders out. You've got the bracelet now, something happens to your mask, you can just flip the pendant, so you're not gonna go postal again. Your place here with us is safe, you're not gonna hurt anyone”

“Thank you, Captain,” you sniffed. You were trying your best not to cry in relief, knowing how much that would undoubtedly piss him off after he'd just done such a kind thing for you. At the same time you felt ashamed, that you'd kept your struggle to yourself when Killer and Heat had been trying so hard to show you that you weren't alone. It was a hard learning curve, you guessed, to adjust to not being a lone wolf anymore. It had been so long since anyone had truly cared about you.

“Now get out, I've got shit to do,” he growled, turning back to his table. He didn't like seeing the way your lips were wobbling.

“Right, of course Captain,” you quickly hurried to the door, pausing for a moment before you left, “thank you, Kid, really,” then you fled, leaving him feeling all warm and wholesome and disgusting.

The change in your confidence was immediately noticeable, skipping straight up to Killer to show him your fancy new bracelet. He smiled at you under the mask and gave you a friendly pat on the back, genuinely happy for you, and impressed that Kid had worked so hard on the small, detailed piece of jewelry. As quickly as you'd appeared you were gone again, off in an excited flurry to show Heat, and he couldn't help but feel empty that you'd left. He sighed and looked back out over the railing where he'd been watching the progress of a storm on the horizon, hearing your excited squealing behind him as you showed off to Heat.

For now the storm wasn't concerning him too much, but this was the Grandline, it could change winds at any moment. He turned to report it to Kid, and almost slammed into you, who had appeared again behind him.

“Fuck Yin, you need a fucking bell,” he gasped.

“Yeah? One with a pretty collar?” You cooed. Yup, you were definitely back. He flushed under the mask at the mental images your casual flirtation brought up.

“What do you want?” He grumbled, trying to shake the dirty image of you with fluffy ears and a leash from his mind.

“You're the one making me cakes right?” You asked. He blushed more, the pink tint starting to escape his mask down to his neck. He hadn't expected you to bring it up so quickly. Or at all, really.

“Yeah, uh,” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “are they okay?”

“Yeah, they're really good! And it was really nice of you to try and cheer me up…” you looked past him at the dark clouds on the horizon, “I was wondering if maybe you could show me how to make them? Just um… if you wanted. You did say you wanted to teach me to cook…”

“Baking is sort of different, but yeah, I can show you,” he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The last few weeks you'd had to be basically dragged, kicking and screaming, to reading lessons, and now you were asking to spend time with him. The change in demeanour was giving him whiplash. He didn't like it - not you wanting to spend time with him, but the fact that he realised you now no longer had a reason to hold yourself back from him. Staying away was about to become a whole lot harder.

“Yay! Let's go then,” you grabbed his scarred arm with both hands and pulled as hard as you could, and he couldn't help but smirk at how easy it was to resist your pulling, barely budging despite you putting your full weight into it. You paused and pouted at him, and his heart did a silly little cartwheel. He sighed and started moving, purposefully knocking you out of the way as he made his way to the kitchen. You pouted more before skipping behind him, claiming this as a victory.

The cake was made for the most part with little difficulty, and he was able to use it as another opportunity to teach you to read. You'd already learned your numbers, you found them much easier than words, and you were getting good at matching words, so you were able to look at the measurements in the cookbook and match them to the correct marking on the measuring tools, with some help from Killer to identify the ingredients when the words were too tricky to successfully sound out on your own. He guided you through the cooking method, the sentences still being too long and complicated for your skill level, but he was proud of your progress anyway. It was a stark improvement on the first time you'd tried to help him cook, and he couldn't help but smile at your excitement and enthusiasm. As he watched you move he couldn't help but notice your progress with healing too, your arms no longer dangerously boney, and your shirt beginning to bow where your breasts were filling in. He hoped his cooking over the last few weeks had something to do with that, and it made his heart swell to think he was so integral to your healing.

While the cake baked and cooled he showed you how to peel and cut the various vegetables he was prepping for dinner. The storm was rumbling in the distance, the rocky waves from the winds picking up making the Victoria Punk rock gently from side to side, but for now the brunt of the storm was far away. Even the rain hadn't reached the ship yet, though it could be seen in the distance as a slight haze in the air.

The icing was a different bag of weeds all together. You had measured it out, but your skill manually whipping the ingredients together left a lot to be desired, and Killer wondered if he should add an electric beater to his shopping list, having never had need for one himself. Your arms were still weak from years of starvation and captivity, and he grew frustrated knowing he could do it himself in a fraction of the time.

“Here, let me,” he tried to shimmy you out of the way, attempting to take the bowl and whisk from you, but you gave him a stubborn pout.

“I can do it!” You grumbled, refusing to let go of the whisk. Killer accepted the challenge and pulled harder. A playful lightbulb went off in your brain and you let go, the whisk suddenly snapping towards Killer with all the force he'd been using to pull and slamming against his chest. Icing flew everywhere, covering both of you in sticky chocolate goop. You started to laugh maniacally, while Killer stood in stunned shock, confused at what had even happened.

“You should see your not-face right now!” You laughed, holding your stomach as you wheezed, “I got you so fucking good!”

Killer gave his best impression of an outwardly annoyed appearance, but under the mask he was smiling, overjoyed to hear you laughing again for the first time in weeks. He flicked the whisk at you, scattering the icing on your face and visor. You stopped laughing in shock at his unexpectedly childish reaction, it was so unlike him, then you smirked playfully and licked the sweet icing from the corner of your mouth. Your tongue flicked out and ran along your lips teasingly and Killer struggled to not stare.

“Here, you missed a spot,” he swiped a thick dollop of icing from your mask, and was about to wipe it on your shirt when you grabbed his wrist. His heart stopped as you closed the short distance between you and ran your tongue over his fingers, and he swore he about near died when you looked up at him and put them in your mouth, sucking on them and letting them go with a pop.

“Yin-” he started.

“Delicious,” you purred, stepping closer, still holding his wrist.

“Oi, you seen Yin?” Heat's voice came from behind him. Killer's back was to the door, his large form entirely blocking Heat's view of the sticky situation. You gave one last teasing kitten lick before letting his hand go, skipping around Killer to greet Heat.

“Heat! Come give me a hug!” You cooed, stepping towards him with open arms. He almost fell for it, taking one enthusiastic step forward before spotting the icing down your front, and hastily turning heel to flee.

“No thanks!” He yelled as he fled, with you hot on his trail.

“Aww come on!” Killer heard you call as you left the kitchen in pursuit of your victim, “just one hug!”

Killer was left standing shellshocked in the kitchen, his pants straining and his brain entirely fried by the sudden heated interaction. ‘Fuck, this is going to be harder than I thought,’ he grumbled to himself as a soft scattering of rain began to patter against the kitchen's portholes.

A cold shower and an intense jerking session wasn't enough to keep Killer's dirty thoughts at bay. He couldn't help but steal glances at you at dinner, and he almost choked when you caught him staring, replying with a soft smile and a foot rubbing against his leg under the table. You were making your thoughts obvious now, and it was torture for him.

He'd basically sprinted back to his room after dinner, almost putting a hole in the shower wall with the intensity that he fucked his own hand. He groaned and panted as he watched the results of his suffering roll down the shower drain. He went to bed early, but he was tossing and turning, his dick springing back to life every time he accidentally remembered the alluring sight of his fingers disappearing between your lips, the way your tongue stroked against them knowingly. He wondered how you'd look on your knees, how it'd feel if it was his cock in your mouth instead of his fingers. “Fuck,” he growled to himself, rolling over once again as a crack of thunder vibrated the room. The rain was bridging on hail now, the ship swaying more aggressively in the harsh winds.

Suddenly the ship almost tipped, throwing Killer from his bed, and the emergency alert bell rang sharp between cracks of thunder. He grabbed his mask and ran out barefooted to the deck, it was clear the storm had taken a sudden turn for the worse in classic Grandline fashion. He could already hear the scrambling of boots and Kid's booming shouts as the crew tried to pull in the sails, secure anything loose on deck, and try to keep the ship upright as it swayed dangerously.

You appeared on the opposite side of the deck at the same time as he did, the two of you locking eyes - well, where your eyes would be - for a moment before Kid's shouting got Killer to move. You had run out to the deck barefoot as well, in nothing but your satin nightie and dressing gown. Thanks to the new bracelet you hadn't needed to grab your mask, not that you had time to grab it anyway in the midst of being thrown around your small cabin. You'd no doubt have some vibrant bruises tomorrow.

This wasn't the first ship you'd been on, you were an ex-marine of course, so you did your part, grabbing the nearest sail rope and pulling as hard as you could. You were only small compared to everyone else, but when you dropped your entire weight you were able to make it move. You held on tight as the ship titled, the deck almost perpendicular to the sea, as a heavy wave rocked it.

“TURN THE FUCKING SHIP YOU LAZY CUNTS!” Kid yelled, “KEEP HER UPRIGHT!”

You tied off the rope with a careful knot and moved to the next, spotting Killer further along the railing doing the same as you. You opened your mouth to shout to him, when the ship tilted again, a heavy wave washing over the deck and pushing you flush against the railing. He shouted to you, his mouth moving under his mask but the sounds not reaching you, and when the wave drained, you were gone.

“MAN OVERBOARD,” Killer shouted, desperately scanning the dark water for any sign of you. He spotted your dressing gown floating on the rough black waters, and remembered with sudden panic that you were a devil fruit user, you couldn't fucking swim.

He took one last look at the crew scrambling around on the deck - nobody was coming to help, everyone was too preoccupied with the ship. He wasn't even sure if anyone had even heard him over the thunder and loud winds. Without thinking he jumped into the water, the icy sea knocking the breath out of him the second he made contact as he dove under the surface and searched desperately for you. He could see your lilac hair fluttering in the water as you sank, and he swam as fast as he could, grabbing you desperately and immediately making back for the surface. You gasped and panted as he emerged, clinging to him as best you could in your weakened state and shivering violently.

Killer held you tight, turning with the intent of swimming back to the ship, but greeted only by flashes of lightning and dark, empty waters. It was gone. The heavy winds and strong waves had carried it miles away already, an impossible distance to catch up to, even for a strong swimmer like him. He looked around desperately for anything that could help, anything that could alert the ship that they were here. There was nothing, and all he could do was hold you close and tread water. He had strong legs and incredible stamina, but the waves were high and battered you both continuously, and he almost lost his grip on you several times. All he could do was watch as the ship slowly disappeared over the dark waves, his hopes of either of you surviving this disappearing with it.

[NEXT CHAPTER] - link soon

#one piece fanfiction #one piece smut #killer one piece #killer x reader #massacre soldier killer #heat one piece #heat x reader #kid pirates

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krirebr · 1 day

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Hello my friends!

As you may know, 2024 has been a rough mental health year for me. Depression and anxiety are an ongoing struggle. And unfortunately, that's bled into my life here.

I've realized recently that I put a lot of pressure on myself in how I interact with people. Everywhere, but here too. I really love it here, and I love all of you! I want to stay here as long as possible!! But that means I'm going to have to change some things in order to make that sustainable. Because right now, wanting to be able to do everything and not being able to has kind of made me just freeze and not be able to do anything. And then I feel awful. This is absolutely a me problem. You're all so great and what I'm going to outline below are probably obvious boundaries to all of you. But I'm saying it in writing to hopefully alleviate a little of the guilt I will inevitably feel when I start enacting them.

First and foremost, it's ok if I take breaks from writing every once in a while. If I don't produce anything new in a month, I need to trust that I won't lose all of my friends and followers. Because tumblr isn't a job and I need to stop treating it like it is. And not every idea needs to be expanded on, not every one-shot needs to become an au. Some ideas might just live in a series of little riffs or answers to asks and that's ok! That's great! It's ok to keep things short, sweet, and fun when that's what I need.

I'm also going to start forgiving myself when I can't read and comment on every single incredible work you all post. This refers to time limits, obviously, but content too. There are times, for example, when reading smut is just not what I want to do. And that's ok! I know that you know that, but I don't always know that. So I'm going to start giving myself a lot more grace when I get behind in my reading or skip something someone I love has written because the content just isn't for me. So if you start seeing me in your notes a little bit less, that's why. I still love you.

I think I'm going to clear out my ask box and start fresh. I'm sorry. I love you and I'm so happy whenever you want to interact with me. But trying to be perfect in how I answer these means that when I don't answer them right away, they just build up and start haunting me and that makes answering the new ones even harder, because I feel like I need to answer the old ones first. There are a couple that I'll probably try to get out before I purge, but not in a full drabble or what I feel like I should be doing. I need to understand that I can do quick, off the cuff, brief answers to these things. Nothing here needs to be perfect.

Ok, I think those are the major things right now. I hope this wasn't too weird and/or embarrassing. I just wanted to share where my head is at. I'll say it again and I'll keep saying it: I love you. You're great. I'm so so lucky to have made the friends here that I have. I appreciate each of you so much. And if, in the future, you see me getting super stressed out about what is supposed to be a fun hobby and community, please point me back here and make me read this again. 💜💜💜💜💜

#kris gets personal #kris rambles #kris tries to get healthy

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mytheoristavenue · 3 days

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MHA Mezo Shoji x Reader - Make Believe - IV

Summary: You ask Shoji to pretend to be your boyfriend for a dinner with your parents.

Warnings: Long, multi-parted, slow burn, fem!reader, fluff, not proof read, angst

Stepping into the apartment made it instantly clear, that this wasn't a birthday dinner, it was a birthday party. Music played from the living room and you could hear laughter and conversation from every corner of the dwelling. In almost every crevice, there was at least a pair, usually more, cutting up and reminiscing on old times. There were cousins here you hadn't seen since early childhood. What was this all for?

Shortly after entering, your mother abandoned you to tend to whatever was in the kitchen, leaving you and the tallest person in the house to fend for yourselves. "Let's go in the dining room," you said, grabbing hold of Shoji's hand and pulling him along.

He silently nodded, feeling eyes on him from everywhere. He did truly stand out amongst your family, who mostly had emitter-type quirks if he had to guess. He could always count how many mutations he saw in any given space- something he'd learned from an early age. It was a tactic of knowing who to risk interacting with and who to avoid. He found that mutated people would find him...less unnerving.

Currently, he'd counted two people with mutations, but they looked nothing like you or your mother, so he had to guess that were were related by marriage. One was a young woman with a round head and abnormally large ears. The other was a small boy with a slender, rat-like vestigial tail- both cases of small, some might even say charming changes to a regular person's anatomy. This made Shoji feel even more freakish as he ducked into he dining room, seeing a large percentage of your family staring back at him.

The feeling, however, was lessened by the cheering that came with you entering with him; long-forgotten aunts, uncles, and cousins excited to see your face after such a long time of low contact.

"Well if it isn't our very own hero in training!" one man chirped, raising a glass. "Glad you were able to make it out to see us, don't go forgetting about us little folks when you hit the big leagues!"

"(Y/N)!" A little girl came running up to you, tugging on your pants. "Do you get to fight bad guys?!" You laughed sheepishly, explaining in the best way you could to fit a toddler's understanding what your training actually entailed.

Shoji couldn't help but feel warm watching you interact with your family. It was clear that they were all so proud of you and overjoyed to see you. To his dismay, however, the distraction of your presence from his didn't last long.

"So, kiddo, whose this uh..." the man spoke up again, raising his glass and tipping it towards your guest. "guy you brought with you?"

Your cheeks flushed as you quickly clung to Shoji's arm with a nervous smile. "Oh, how could I forget? Everyone, this is Shoji, my boyfriend!" It wasn't lost on said 'boyfriend' how your tone had changed this time around. It almost felt genuine. Almost.

"Boyfriend?" The man, one of your uncles sneered. "You're too little to be having a boyfriend, besides, you don't want anybody distracting you from going pro!"

You laughed in response, failing to sense Shoji's discomfort. "Uncle, it's not like that! Besides, Shoji's training to be a hero too! We want each other to succeed first and foremost."

"That's enough, son." An elderly voice called from the end of the table. Glancing over, your heart swelled with joy.

"Grandma!" you cheered, dashing over to sit beside her, engulfing her in a tight hug. "I miss you so much!"

"I missed you too, dear," she replied with a kind smile, patting your back. When you pulled away,. she reached forward, placing her hand on top of Shoji's.

"Now don't you pay my son any mind, young man." She reassured, eyes darting over to the said man. "He's had a few too many." It was at this point your 'beaux' realized the empty glass your uncle had been holding had tan foam collected at the bottom. It was beer. "You know, son, you outta be a lot nicer to this boy, he saved little (Y/N)'s life you know?"

Shoji wasn't sure what he'd expected your grandmother to say, but that sure wasn't it. He saved your life? When? "G-Grandma-!" you stammered, cheeks burning. "You don't have to bore them with the details!"

"Oh, no, dear, I do!" She insisted. "Don't you all remember when (Y/N) got her license to become a hero? That test she had to take?" There as collection of hums and variations of 'yes' from the crowd. "Well, that day, she called me up and she said 'Grandma! You'll never guess! During the exam, I was stuck in this trap and that handsome guy I told you about rescued me!'"

You definitely didn't tell the story like that, you cringed. She made it sound so mushy, it was like that at all!

"I don't remember that," Shoji, glanced down at you with a curious smile.

"I don't either," you grumbled. "I didn't say it like that."

"No need to be so grumpy, dear." your grandmother said, placing a hand on your shoulder. "It's alright, I think it's a romantic story."

You couldn't take this suffocation much more, feeling more humiliated by the second. Suddenly, you stood up, needing an out. "I-I think I hear Mom calling me from the kitchen, better go see what she needs!"

Before Shoji could stand to follow you, you'd disappeared. He blinked at your grandmother, confused, who beckoned him closer and he stole the seat you'd sat in and leaned closer to her. "That girl is just head over heels for you, know it?" She smiled kindly. Part of him wanted to ask if she was sure, not feeling like it was possible, but the other part of him knew that was the wrong choice. "I haven't told her yet, but my sickness has gotten worse," she confessed, looking past him, following the path you'd taken. "I won't have another birthday party, this is my last one. We wanted to make it special."

"W-With all due respect, ma'am," Shoji swallowed hard, shifting nervously in his seat. "Why are you telling me this instead of her?"

"I just wanted you to know you have my blessing." The old woman smiled, brighter than she had before, cradling one of his hands in her withered ones. "I'm content knowing my little girl is in good hands." She laughed. "And she can be a handful, but from the looks of it, I'd say youve got enough hands for the job."

Suddenly, this all felt heinous. How could he lie to this woman after she confessed to being on her last bit of time on Earth? He had to come clean. "M-Ma'am, there's something you don't know..."

"You aren't actually together, I know." she finished his thought for him.

"How did you...?"

"Some call it telepathy, I call it an old woman's intuition." She chuckled heartily. "But I'm not worried, I can see you care very deeply for my granddaughter, don't you, Mezo?"

He froze hearing his first name while knowing for a fact you hadn't introduced his full name when you came in. Obviously, the old woman had a mind-reading quirk. He chose to ignore it in favor of the bigger picture. "I-I..." he stammered, unsure of what the answer truly was.

"Only someone who cares would put themselves in the predicament you're in, am I right?" she rationed with a knowing smile as she sipped a cup of tea.

"I guess that makes sense..." Shoji finally admitted. "I guess I've always liked her a little bit, but I never really thought I had a shot."

"You've got more than a shot, son." She finally said. "You've got a guaranteed bullseye. Now just promise me one thing and I'll let you go."

"What's that?"

A tear slipped down the woman's wrinkled face. "Take care of my baby."

"I will," he lunged forward, enveloping her in a hug. "I promise."

Part I

Part II

Part III

#mha #mha x reader #mezo shoji x reader #shoji x reader #shiji x reader #mezo x reader #mezo shoji x y/n #shoji mezo x y/n #mezo x y/n #shoji x y/n #mha slow burns #mha fluff #mha angst #mha reader insters

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