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dilutedconfusion · 10 months ago

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A Moth to a Flame

Eustass Kid x F!Reader (Part 4)

HEYYYY YA’LLL i did it. I wrote the next chapter. This one is even bigger than the last and cost me at least half of my brain cells to write. I messed around with it a bunch to try and get the feeling right so hopefully it worked out in my favor (I’m not entirely sure it did but I’ve re-read it too many times so WAHHH) ALSO strap in cause there’s a bit of angst in the form of an argument in this one. As always I wish all my beautiful astounding readers a lovely day/night. Stay safe and stay rotted 💞

Summary: You just took a complete nose dive into the ocean only for Kid to watch from a distance. But the first part of this chapter leads up to the events of that happening. I need to explain just how Kid ended up on that shoreline in the first place and then we’ll see if you live or die <3

Warnings: Blood, Drowning, Vomiting

Word Count: 8.8k

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Tags: @st4rfevrr @archangelshavethetardis @likeeliterallywtf @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @tulipps-maehem @ferretsqueen @thesnailus @shamblespirate @gabi-moureira

“Fuck this is good.” Kid mumbled out, mouth full of chicken as he spoke. Little blobs of spit were flying out of his mouth but Killer was used to the barrage. “That little waitress lady sure annoyed the shit out of me but at least this place has good food.”

Killer just nodded in agreement though he hadn’t taken a bite of the chicken. Not willing to remove his mask even if the back of the bar was empty.

It was late at night by now, the faint light through the windows barely masking the dark void-like sheen as the rain sprinkled down. Leaving nothing but sparkling drops of water to watch roll down the glass.

Though instead of watching that Killer watched Kid down a whole bottle of rum. Taking shot-like gulps out of his glass and using chicken as a chaser for about 10 minutes.

When Kid had walked back with the food he could sense something had happened. It was easy to spot when he noticed the slight shade of red washed over the apples of his cheeks. It was permanent at this point. But Killer couldn’t tell if it was from the alcohol or something else.

“You took a while to grab the food ya know. You didn’t get held up did you?” Killer asked quietly, leaning back on the booth and propping his arm up comfortably.

Kid looked up at Killer from his plate, eyes glancing over his friend's mask for just a moment before gliding back downwards. “Nah, the waitress just took her sweet time. I didn’t trust her to remember to bring the food back so I waited to do it myself.”

“So you just waited up there patiently? That’s not like you. Thought you would’ve started up one fight. Ease up a little.” Killer remarked, a quizzical glance thrown at Kid behind the space of his mask.

Kid’s mouth was occupied by the rim of his glass when his body hesitated. His eyes bore into his companion for only a moment before he swallowed loudly and set the cup down. “I wish,” was all he whispered out, which made Killer a bit more worried.

“Well, I did hear you talking to someone. Was the waitress giving you shit?” Killer leaned forward, eyeing Kid. His tone is neutral and calm as always. Trying not to fan the emotional storm that Kid could so often be.

Kid’s sharp amber eyes stared distantly at the rest of the room before he took another sip of rum and spoke. The half-melted ice cubes quietly clinking against the glass. “It…doesn’t matter. I was talking to that girl. Ya know, the one that was stalking us at the docks. She was sitting at the bar. She followed us here clearly.”

Killers eyes widened at that. Remembering the mental image of you standing there awkwardly at the dock when they first arrived. It was a bit of a shock at first but Killer just assumed you were nosy. Or at least he hoped that’s all it was was though it was starting to sound like his hopes were wrong.

“She followed us here? Are you sure she isn’t working for someone 'cause that’s suspicious as fuck Kid.” Killer leaned forward, his voice a tad bit more concerned considering they couldn’t take on another problem.

We need a break. Kid needs a break. This could be bad.

“No, it wasn’t like that. She talked to me normally. Complained about me killing people and like half-assed threatened me if I decided to pillage this town or whatever. Nothing super serious.” Kid had a certain brashness in the way he said that as if he was trying to prove that what he was saying was true. The harshness of his voice rasped out despite himself.

Killer eyed Kid, searching for something more caught on his tongue. He knew something was up, he just needed to get Kid to say it out loud. “Is that all?” He asked, placing his elbows on the table in front of him in a serious manner.

Kid tried piercing through Killer to try and break down what he was getting at. It was almost too embarrassing to even mention what happened, even to the person he trusted most. Yet with a weak little sigh he decided to give it up. “I don’t know. She like…said some stuff. Brought up my injuries like she had any right to talk about them but then she….��

Kid trailed off, scratching at the slight stubble on his chin he had meant to shave before finally responding quite gruffly. “She gave me this look. It wasn’t some useless pity or sympathy or anything like that. It felt very genuine I guess. Like she understood me.”

Killers eyes immediately widened, shocked by the fact that a mere stranger had gotten to Kid in any way, shape, or form. That barely happened. Not in all the years he knew Kid did he ever see the man connect with someone right away, even just by understanding their feelings. Kid was quite adamant that he didn’t have time for shit like that.

Staying quiet for only a moment Killer finally responded, his voice a bit more hushed. “So she…looked at you and you stopped dead in your tracks from ripping her head off?”

Kids' eyes narrowed in what Killer perceived as shame. Shame for himself and maybe even a bit of embarrassment. “Well, she deserved to get her head torn off. She kept talking shit about me the whole time. I was breathing so deeply to control myself I was nearly whistling out of my nose. White knuckled through it like a pussy.” Kid stroked a hand through his hair, tossing it a bit as his right leg started bouncing uncontrollably under the table.

Killer took note of his body language, the ground vibrating softly, and the way Kid clammed up at even mentioning what happened.

She did get to him.

Killer didn’t know what to say. Not wanting to assume anything nor agree with the fact that Kid did indeed let her off easy. Which was like his number one rule. No mercy above all else.

“It’s fine. She ain’t worth it anyway. I’d bet it would be like squashing a grape killing someone like her.” Killer conscientiously replied. Trying to smooth Kid over the best he could.

It’s strange seeing Kid like this. It almost feels…uncanny.

Kid's lips just tugged down into a frown, his brow a tight line of knots. “Well, you didn’t hear what she was saying to me. I would rip out anyone’s esophagus before that shit even left their tongue.”

Kids hand clenched tightly around his glass. Killer glanced between Kid and the glass expecting it to shatter though it didn’t. Just like Kid the glass was on the edge of caving in. The kind of glass that would cut and scar Kid’s hand if he just applied a bit more pressure. A reflection of self cast upon the transparent cup. Kid didn’t want his feelings to spill but if he kept this up, something was bound to snap. Turning both the cup and Kid into nothing but sharp shards only capable of harming himself and others.

“I know you would’ve but you didn’t. You were holding yourself back.” Killer spoke as plainly as he could. Getting to the root of the issue despite not entirely caring about Kids desire to harm you. In any other case he would’ve been more gung-ho about enacting revenge. But to Killer right now wasn’t the right time and it felt like no matter what he said, Kid would choose to be upset.

His injuries must be hurting him badly for him to back off like that. Or maybe…that girl wasn’t the kind of person to kill?

“Well I held myself back and now I’m regretting it.” Kid mumbled, shoving the last leg of a chicken in between his teeth and smacking his lips as he chewed.

“Well, it happened and you can’t change it. If you see her later and want her dead, I’m all for helping out. But for now let's stop thinking about it and get the fuck out of here.”

Kid let out a little grunt of agreement and tore the rest of the chicken off the bone in one bite. Placing the bone down on the plate, he slid it towards the middle of the table. Wiping the grease around his lips with the back of his hand he then pulled a bag of berries and placed them on the table.

So with a rough jangle of a few metal coins and some grunts later they both stood up. However, Kid’s body swayed a whole lot more than Killer's from the alcohol.

“You good? Ain’t gonna pass out on me right?” Killer asked, adjusting his jeans a bit as he spoke.

“Yep. Now get a move on.” Kid spat back short and sweet. Yet it wasn’t entirely alcohol making him sway. Surprisingly he could still feel his stump throbbing just as much as he had when sober.

What a waste of booze if I ain’t going numb. Gonna have to change these goddamn bandages too. Kid gripped his stump for a moment as he walked behind Killer. Feeling how tender his flesh was with delicate strokes. But when he breached the front portion of the bar he stopped. Trying not to pay attention to how the waitress stared at the both of them while they walked out.

The brisk chill in the air hit Kid’s sharp nose first. Traveling along the warm apexes of his cheeks and flowing softly against the center of his chest. His back stayed warm whilst the rest of him became enraptured with the descending cold.

“Good. The rain let up a bit.” Killer mumbled, stepping out in the open air and waiting for Kid to make it past the door as he held it open. There were no lights on the street except for a littering of lanterns around each building. So they walked together in half darkness. The soft clicking of their heels paired with some talkative birds finding shelter in the rain. Other than that it felt as if the whole world was silent.

“Bet the rest of the crew is back on board already,” Killer explained softly, breaking the silence between them for the second time tonight.

Kid barely glanced at Killer beside him. Grunting less in agreement and more just to mildly acknowledge what his pair had said. Because in all honesty Kid didn’t need to be told that. Heat and Wire, who usually joined the two of them on their bar trips, had been absent.

Killer had told him it was because they had other shit to do. Something involved with making sure this town had the right supplies for their restock. But Kid knew they were absent because they were hesitant to be around him right now.

So maybe they were just doing their jobs as they were told but he doubted they would be happy if he decided to give them the day off.

They probably wanted to head to the only bar in town but I was there.

Shit, they probably hit the sack early just so they didn’t have to deal with me.

Kid could feel a vein in his forehead throbbing softly. Twitching his skin and only pissing him off even more.

Maybe if I stopped yelling at them they wouldn’t back off from me.

Kid hadn’t been in the best of moods since he came face to face with Benn Beckman and a part of him had taken that anger and frustration out on his crew. He knew it was wrong, yes. But that’s why he needed to be alone for a while. This all-consuming lunging in the gut is only proof of that.

But as the two walked the cold started to relieve the pain running across Kid's body. Soaking into his thick scars and past his bandages to numb the horrendous ache he was feeling. It made his body feel a bit lighter. More manageable. For even the short amount of time that it took to walk closer and closer to the Victoria.

When the two of them reached the edge of the docks Kid started slowing down. Making Killer stop in his tracks to turn around to look back at him.

But before Killer could even speak, Kid's voice reached him. “I think…I think I’m gonna take a walk.” His voice was quiet, his eyes gliding down the shoreline of the bay off to his right. A shadow of a man standing on two rickety feet. Like a strange caricature of himself he stood.

Killer paused, willing himself to try and think of something remotely useful. His Captain, his best friend, was about to have a drunken walk at night in the rain. He could already imagine him stumbling around in the dark. Too mad to cry but too tired to punch anything till he felt better. It made Killer's fist clutch at his sides as he swiftly turned around to fully face his Captain. A deep well of emotions was getting stirred in his chest.

And yet he’s still refusing to admit anything is wrong?

With a slightly aggravated tone, Killer finally spoke, “This isn’t…because of what happened is it? You told me you were fine. You made it very clear by screaming it at me but…I’m not about to let you go sulk by yourself.” Killer took a step closer and straightened out his spine. Trying to prove just how serious he was about this.

Kid's attention snapped back to Killers the moment those words left his tongue. Glowering at him like he was trying to control him. Trying to defy his pride.

“Well, I was being serious. I’m fine and I don’t need permission from anybody to take a walk.” With that Kid started walking away, going down the edge of the docks in a stomping fashion.

“You shouldn’t be out walking in the rain. If your bandages get soaked through it could fuck up your wounds Kid.” Killer called, taking another step towards his Captain but not following him just yet.

Kid just kept on walking regardless of whatever Killer said. His coat billowed on his shoulders with each step. Like a red flag waving in the breeze and daring Killer to chase after him. But something snapped in Kids voice. Suddenly raising in volume and dripping with venom. “I fucking know that and I don’t care! So back off!”

Killer inhaled deeply through his nose. Holding his fists back from wanting to knock Kid out and just drag him back to the ship. He started briskly walking after Kid, not caring if he didn’t want him to follow or not.

“Then let me come with you. There’s a goddamn noble town up north crawling with marines. You can’t be walking around drunk if shit goes down.” Killer's tone was still controlled but became more raspy as he spoke. The pressure upon the damn of his feelings crackling and hissing at the seems.

It wasn’t a tone Kid heard often and despite knowing the worry he was causing Killer, he chose not to focus on it. Driving headfirst into a sea of pride. He wanted to lose himself. If only for one night.

“You think I can’t protect myself? Are you calling me weak Kil? Is that what you’re fucking doing right now?” Kid’s head jerked back to glare at his companion. Pausing his demonstrative walk for a moment to leave them both at a standstill. If anyone on the Victoria nearby was listening, they could most certainly feel the piles of tension stacking up between them.

Killers body hunched inwards, running a quick hand through his hair as he absentmindedly kicked at the ground. His muscles were just urging and wishing to fight.“No-that’s not…” Killer paused, letting out a low grunt and gritting his teeth.

“Shit Kid! What if someone attacks a ship? We would need our Captain here.”

Killer knew that was a bad excuse. The moment he said he knew it sounded desperate. But he couldn’t help himself from trying to convince Kid with logic.

Emotions were out the window. They always have been and always will be when it comes to open communication between these two. Killer would rather pull out his teeth with two needles than tell Kid that he hated seeing him like this. That he couldn’t stand seeing someone so strong get broken down. The yelling and the fights were haunting his brain. All he wanted to do was tie down Kid so he could rest and mend his wounds every five seconds until he got better. But Kid hadn’t been willing to rest and he still wasn’t. Killer could barely think it made him so mad.

But of course, Kid wasn’t picking up on any of Killer's true intentions. He was seeing a splattering of pity across his face and every other person he cared about. But he hated pity. That word was all he could ever think about lately. He wanted things to go back to normal. He wanted his crew to believe in him without questioning if he could handle it or not.

So both of them came to a halt. Lost between the words desperate and pity they stood as shadows of men.

“So now you’re belittling my crew huh? Don’t you think you and everyone else can handle a couple of marines? Bullshit! I’m just going for a walk Kil not leaving your asses.” Kid knew Killer was right. Shit, he could feel it in his bones. But it wasn’t a matter of what was best for him or the crew. Kid wanted what he wanted and come hell or high-water he was going to get it.

“I know that! But I don’t like this.” Killer stepped forward, only slightly closing the gap between them. Still not willing to explain himself. Still coming up with bad excuses.

I just wish for once he would just listen to me on this. Set aside his pride. This thought was imprinted in Killer's mind like mud. Getting between the crevices of his brain and washing him wry with feeling.

But today wasn’t the day Kid was going to set aside his pride. If anything, hearing Killer's voice so needy nearly broke him apart. Sadness slinked through his ears with every word and plea. So though he loved a good fight, his voice quieted down to a mumble. Losing the hope to convince Killer to trust him otherwise.

“Whatever. Go back to the ship. I’ll be back soon.” It’s like the energy was sucked right out of him. Letting out a big huff of air and biting the inside of his mouth to keep it from screaming. He turned back around towards the shoreline and started walking once more.

Killer didn’t follow him. Mask trained on his Captain as he walked off the dock and his feet sunk into the sandy shore. It was dark so Kid nearly disappeared instantly once he was out of range from the lanterns.

Like a moth to a moon, Killer wanted to follow him. But he supposed Kid’s light was gone for now.

__________

Kid had been ambling for barely 10 minutes. The waves paired with the swirling whirlwind of his mind affected him greatly. His thoughts were loud and so was the ocean. A reflection of how he felt lost in a sea of which he shouldn’t touch. The feeling of turmoil was the best way to describe it.

Kid didn’t like sulking. In his mind, he has only experienced what he considered as true sadness just a few times.

When I was abandoned as a child.

When Victoria died.

He hadn’t thought about her in a while but he supposed it was because he always felt like she was around regardless of her death. Her spirit in his ship. Her spirit in his goals. She was one of the many reasons to keep going because if he didn’t achieve his dreams then to him it was like she died for nothing.

I can’t sit in my shit and act like it isn’t my fault.

He didn’t think losing an arm was worthy of being sad over. Which in turn just made him feel worse anytime he got frustrated about it.

It's not worth it. Feeling feelings. Look what the fuck it's doing to me. To my crew.

His eyes stared blankly out in front of him. His pace was consistent as he lost himself in thoughts. The cold was still easing his pain and the rain had died down even more. But he could feel the weight of water across his skin and clothes. Soaking in just a tad bit and leaving ghostly chills up his spine.

He swept back his damp hair as it fell over his goggles before finally looking up from the sand and out onto the sea. Without even realizing it Kid had walked quite aways. Stopping in place he noticed a jetty tucked along the shore about 50 feet ahead of him.

Squinting his eyes he traced the silhouette of the dark shadowy mass. The moon hanging high up in the sky was partly covered in clouds so no real details popped out at him. This sense of the unknown peeking his curiosity enough that he decided to take a look closer at it.

He didn’t know why he cared to look. He had been staring at the sand this whole time without even considering the view around him. But something in his gut made him curious. Forced him to look even.

It's just a stupid jetty. I’ve seen a million of these things. Why do I care?

He walked up closer to it. Standing right where the boulders and sand met he looked down at the jagged heaps of rocks.

I can’t even see jack-shit.

He let out a low groan and nearly turned away to keep walking.

Maybe I should head into the forest. Get away from the water. This thought floated in and out of his head almost instantly. Because before he could fully turn around he saw something move in his peripheral vision.

“Huh?” Left his cold lips, just his head turning to stare down the jetty in quick succession. It was then he saw it.

A break in the clouds had opened for the first time in a while. A much brighter cool milky glow landed delicately across the small chunk of land and water between Kid and the jetty. The ocean came alight, letting him see the swirls of green and blue more definitively. Like a Van Gogh painting they moved, each stroke a current churning around itself.

Without a proper warning, his heart skipped in shock. A person was standing on the jetty a good bit ahead of him. He could see the outline of their figure, back cast towards him as they stood on an outcropping of rocks on the jetty line.

What the hell? Was the first thing that came to mind. Perplexed, he stared until he noticed something equally surprising.

It's that girl.

He blinked in utter disbelief. Scowling hard he turned completely towards you. Almost rubbing his eyes out of disbelief as if you were some kind of mirage made out of sea foam and moonlight. But as he watched you grip onto the edge of rocks and walk even further down the jetty it finally hit him that you were indeed, real.

Is she trying to get herself killed?

Panic struck him nearly as hard as the waves came crashing down onto the shore. His stomach sank into his gut as he swallowed hard. Fingers twitching at his side. Letting his eyes scan the area around you searching for a reason why you might be out there.

Maybe she’s trying to reach something? Maybe someone else is out there?

These thoughts floated by and all that was left was something even more confusing. From the looks of it, there was nothing substantial down the line of the jetty. No other person or object he could see in his apparent field of vision. Yet he kept looking, watching over you and expecting you to slip with each small step you took.

He didn't know why this was his instinctive reaction. To let his body tense up at the thought of you falling in and drowning. The fact that he could easily watch somebody die and just stand here idly wasn’t something that had ever bothered him in the past. He often was jealous of those who got to enact pain onto others who deserved it. Which was a part of the reason he was so quick to violence.

Yet seeing you do something as reckless as walking on a jetty during a rough storm at night irked him.

I’m seriously not in the mood to watch this stupid bitch die in front of me.

But if Kid let himself calm down he would've remembered wanting you dead. He would’ve remembered complaining about how you treated him and how he had mistakenly given you mercy. But this feeling in his gut didn’t want him to remember.

All he could think about was you.

That fucking idiot is going to get herself killed and not even in a satisfying way.

He clenched his fist as his eyes traced the line of waves. At first, he thought he saw another line of boulders. One much smoother and taller than the first. But as the moon peaked out over that portion of water he saw it fully.

It was a wall-like wave looming closer to you from the other side of the jetty. The kind that would destroy ships and drown hundreds. It rolled in, white-tipped as it churned closer and closer.

It took him a second to realize what was about to happen. You had no idea that the jetty was about to get hit by that massive thing but he did. His eyes helplessly flickering between your form and that bastardly wave.

She’s going to get hit. There’s no way she’ll survive that.

A strange feeling emerged in Kid. One he didn’t often feel and in his personal opinion felt…itchy. Like in the back of his brain something was scraping away at his thoughts and sending warm trails down to his heart. He wanted to help you. But that realization could only be described as completely and utterly disgusting.

Am I seriously about to help her? He mulled over himself for a moment. Glancing between you and the wave. Each passing second just making him more erratically nervous as he watched that wave loom closer. Clenching his jaw and rolling his eyes at his apparent sympathy before finally caving in.

“WATCH OUT!” He yelled, his voice still so quiet compared to everything else around him.

It took you a second to hear him. His eyes glided over how your body paused upon hearing his voice but you still didn’t turn around to look at him.

I’m trying to help this bitch and she doesn’t even pay attention to me?

The sass on Kid's face became almost palpable. With a quick scoff followed by wiping the rain off his face he gave it one more useless shot.

“DON’T YOU FUCKING HEAR ME?! THERE'S A WAVE COMING!” His voice cracked a bit as he yelled. Becoming more and more frustrated that he even had to deal with any of this shit.

He wasn’t a hero. He didn’t want to run along that stupid jetty and get caught up in the wave to save some stranger.

This isn’t worth it. A dumb bitch like her deserves to die if she’s really stupid enough to try and pull whatever this is off.

But when you finally turned towards him he was struck by something.

Something that tasted like honey on his tongue and compassion in his chest.

Kid almost couldn’t believe it when he saw the halo of light surrounding you. Maybe it was the water in the air. Picking up the moonlight and reflecting it at him. But it framed your head and made your skin nearly glow. Your hair was shiny and flowing. Face round and inviting. Your soft eyes landed on him like deep hollow orbs. The kind of eyes that if he stared at them for too long would swallow him whole.

Yet of course on your lips and eyes was an expression he’d seen before. It was that same look you had given him earlier. That same look that had stopped him dead in his tracks.

But instead of annoying him everything about you drew him in. Almost unable to look away he took a meaningful step closer. Wanting to see you more despite himself. Wanting to keep that expression of yours alive because it reminded him of something.

Or moreover, of someone.

I can’t let another girl die.

I just can’t.

An image of Victoria brushed across his eyes for only a moment. A memory so supple and full of emotion it blossomed into something new.

Something that was going to keep you alive no matter what.

“TAKE FUCKING COVER YOU ASSHOLE!” Left his lips before he could even process whatever he was feeling. It made his heart beat loudly in his ears. A strange cold sweat taking hold of his body.

He pointed his arm off to the right to try and signal something was coming. But your body didn’t move. He could see the curl of your lips go downturned in confusion. The way your eyebrows knitted together softly. That image of you getting seared onto the back of his eyelids before that image inevitably disappeared.

Loud as a bomb, the wave landed against the rocks. Cascading on the jetty and swallowing your body whole. An abstract painting of water splashing against the stone. Rough paint strokes of green and blue representing the clawing current surrounding you. The wave only taking seconds before it finally bubbled down and leveled out onto the other side of the jetty.

Kid swallowed hard, a tight ball of pressure building in his throat as he looked over the spot where you once stood.

And of course, it was empty.

“FUCK! FUCK!” Kid instinctively tried to dash for the water. Forgetting for a moment that he literally couldn’t swim and throwing his coat onto the dry part of the shore. As he walked into the water a wave hit across his legs and stomach, drenching his clothes in an instant and almost knocking him off balance. He let out a little searing hiss at the cold. Urging his body to just suck it up and deal with it.

The booze, injuries, and mental despair was making this moment so much harder to process for Kid. To even realize what was happening around him. But as he tried to force himself through the first line of waves that ever dreaded feeling of complete exhaustion took hold. His muscles going soft as the curse of his powers sunk in.

“FUCKING GODDAMN IT!” He screamed as he forced himself deeper into the waters. The waves dared to suck him in as they sloshed over his chest. His feet still on the ground so he wouldn’t drown thankfully. But if he was knocked over or pulled in with the tide then it was over for both of you.

He knew that. Well aware for the most part yet that wasn’t going to stop him. He had dove in the water for his crew a few times which led them to bickering at him for ‘trying’ to save their life. And though he didn’t know you, maybe that instinct was still somehow embedded in his brain.

But his intelligence to handle the situation blew behind him with the wind. His mind now just a hollow cave of liquor and remorse. Any normal person would’ve reacted as he had.

Or at least that's what he was going to say once this was all over.

The weight of his clothes and the water sinking into his boots was making it incredibly difficult to move. He bounded backward as another wave threatened to send him under. Thrashing over his face the cold sunk deep into his skin. Drenching his hair as the salt stung his eyes and lips.

He took a deep breath of relief as the wave left, popping his head out of the water to see your head floating in the distance. Your face was only a shadow but you seemed to be trying to tread in the water. The currents pushing you closer to Kid yet another wall of waves crashed down on top of you, making you disappear once more.

“SON OF A BITCH!” Kid howled, his mouth only getting filled with water so he spat it out quickly. You were right there. Maybe 15 feet ahead of him in the water. That distance felt so insignificant he could nearly combust where he stood.

He tried to walk forward more but the water came up to his collarbone at this point, leaving him weak and defenseless as more ocean water erupted into his mouth and nose. With ragged coughs he decided to give up on chasing you into the water. Swiping his wet locks out of his eyes he bounded backwards and kept his feet on the sand below to work his way back onto the shore. The waves pushing him down so his ass hit the muddy sand hard.

“Me and my stupid devil fruit getting in the goddamn way again.” He grumbled to himself. If he wasn’t a limp bag of rocks in the water he would’ve easily swam out there to you. Scooped you up and dragged you ashore. He could almost see that version of his life playing like a VHS in his head. Though it did nothing but make him more frustrated.

His eyes never left the water even for a moment. He wanted to see you come back up for air again. He wanted to see you alive.

Though his whole body still felt deathly weak from the water he wasn’t fully submerged anymore which meant his devil fruit came back into play. Raising his arm little purple sparks of lightning started to trace his skin. Desperately trying to pull up any metal that might be submerged near you.

Maybe she could grab onto whatever is down there. I can drag her back in that way. He felt a tingly sensation ran up his humerus, a classic sign that there was indeed something hidden in the waters. A wave splashed against his legs so he dragged his ass back further onto the sand. Focusing on what little strength he had in his right arm.

What if what I pull up hits her? She hasn’t come back up for air again. I don’t know where she is.

And in truth, you didn’t know where you were either.

It was like a sensory deprivation tank under the water. Your ears felt swollen and brimming with nothing but a loud ringing and aquatic bubbles running across your skin. They tickled you as you floated and thrashed around. Eyes opening but seeing nothing but darkness in every direction.

You tried to move. Tried to swim to what you thought might be the surface one more time but something deep and gnarly was dragging you down. The sea itself clasped on your ankles like some kind of God seeking revenge. It wanted to chill you to the bone. It wanted to leak into your lungs. It wanted your flesh.

I’m going to die an idiot.

There was blood running in the water around you. Your head, side, and hands were screaming with pain yet you couldn’t remember what happened. Everything was a complete blur. It almost felt as if you were floating out in space. Barely any sound and just an endless chill numbing every inch of skin.

Did I hit something when I fell?

As your mind searched for answers you heard something else in the darkness. A clunking sound loud and scraping moved below you. Like a snake, you watched something dark slither against the ocean floor. It was deep and though you were on the precipice of blacking out you kept your eyes on it.

Great. I’m going to die an idiot and get eaten alive.

Staring distantly it slowly started to rise in the water. Caught between two currents you managed to stay near the object until eventually, you saw the definite shape of what it was. To your surprise, it wasn’t a sea king. Instead, it was a chain. Thick and crusted over with barnacles and wrapped in seaweed it rose.

It made your senses kick back in. The cold and lack of air dared to take you away but the shock kept you awake.

What in the world?

The chain rose higher and higher until it came closer to you. You kicked your feet reaching out for it. Barely making any distance towards the chain as the current sloshed you around. But eventually the tips of your fingers scraped against it. Giving you just enough hold to fully grip onto one of the chain links with weak hands.

You could feel the split-open caverns of your flesh dig into the barnacles when you grabbed on. It made you cringe hard, lungs burning and filling with water as you tried to take in an anguished breath. Round glass-like bubbles rose to the surface above. You’re once hollow lungs now brimming with seawater.

In a desperate attempt, you yanked your satchel that was still floating helplessly around your shoulders and used it to tie your hands to the chain. Wrapping the strap through the chain and feeding arms through it so it would hold.

The chain started rising higher and higher toward the surface. Your eyes blinking and fading to an even darker shade of black in your vision. You could feel the tips of your fingers down to your toes loosing their substance of life. Unable to break away from this feeling you passed out. Though the chained had finally dared to breach the briny depths, you were already gone. Your body limp and nearly lifeless as you reached the surface with a resounding splash.

Kids eyes widened when he made you out amongst the waves. He was hoping to see your face alive and well but all he saw were your hands strung to the chain he had dredged up.

“SHIT!” He yelled, clenching the taught muscles of his arm even tighter. More little sparks of lightning danced along his skin in a fury. The chain was not that heavy but the current of the ocean kept trying to pull it away from him. He finally stood up off the shore, getting a better view to see the rest of your body floating about a foot under the water.

It didn’t take long until the chain finally found its way towards him. He let it slide up on shore, your body dragging along with it. Taking a few steps into the sea he reached out and grabbed onto the strap of your satchel. His eyes were blurry and burning but he managed to undo the knot around your wrists with his one hand. After throwing the bag further onto the beach his eyes returned to you. Now that your hands had slipped free he quickly grabbed onto the soft fat of your stomach. Working his arm with a bit of difficulty around your middle to pick you up as best he could.

If I had my other fucking arm this would be a lot easier. He grumbled to himself though his complaining instantly faded as he felt your strikingly cold skin. Your hefty body should have been light work for him to carry but right now it was just plain annoying. So he hunched over and let you slump onto his forearm. Dragging you inland as your feet left lines in the sand until he finally set you down face first.

He kneeled on the ground and rolled you over on your back. Your nose and cheeks now crusted with a bit of sand along with most of your clothes. Your soft eyelashes closed against your face. He noticed the tone of your skin was a few shades lighter and slightly blue along your lips.

“Fuck.” He whispered under his breath, taking two of his fingers and placing them on your neck. He almost didn’t want to know. Almost hoping you would just wake up and be fine so he didn’t have to go through this anymore. But by the looks of the bleeding gash on your forehead and side, he supposed he couldn’t just trust faith to bring you back to life.

It took a couple of seconds but he finally felt some semblance of a heartbeat. It was slow and weak against his fingers but you were alive.

Thank god. I didn’t do this shit for nothing.

Now that he finally got you back another wave of panic struck him once more. He needed to keep you alive and considering he knew next to nothing about first aid, it was going to be a struggle.

Chewing his lips he decided your wounds could wait. They weren’t bleeding out too badly. A slow drizzle of blood across your face and into your hair. The gash on your side turning the sand below red. But you weren’t breathing which meant Kid needed to administer CPR.

Which, of course, he only had a faint inclination on how to do.

“Here the fuck we go.” He told himself, trying to hype himself up despite his fear. He placed his one hand between your breasts, feeling the center of your sternum and pressing down on it.

I’m supposed to use two hands. Hopefully, this will be enough.

He thought over his rhythm for only a moment before pressing down on you as hard as he could. Keeping his large hand flat he covered up all the space between your breasts so hopefully he would cover the right area. He spastically jerked his muscles with each compression until he felt something inside of you snap.

Shit. I broke her bone. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

He paused looking at your face and chest. Hoping to see signs of something coming to life but nothing happened. So without another nervous thought, he kept the compressions going for a few minutes. Or maybe it was less than that, he wasn’t entirely sure.

“Can you just wake up?! I’m done saving your ass. This shit is taking too long.” He told you, voice horse with exertion and even a bit of pain.

It bothered him having to do something like this. To have somebody's life in his hands usually meant he was the one to kill them. But right now he was trying to keep someone alive. Which made him realize keeping a human body alive was a lot harder than he would ever admit.

Getting irritated he paused, lifting his hand off your chest to hover it over your slightly agape mouth. Not a single breath of air escaping it.

“Oh my sweet fuck.” He growled, face torn and eyes almost daring to shed tears as he leaned his face towards yours. He lifted your chin towards the sky and opened your mouth a bit more.

“Pucker up.” Left his lips in a joking attempt to make this situation slightly more manageable. To calm his shaking hands and repress his urge to just shake you silly until you came back to life.

Please just wake up. Please just wake up.

He was about to kiss a woman, which he's done many times before but this one happened to be near dead and unconscious. It was less of a kiss and more of a desperate attempt to save you. Which some would argue is even more intimate than any kiss could be.

Pinching your nose he took in a deep breath before latching his lips with yours and breathing outwards. Your lips were dry and cold against his. Lacking all the warmth he wished you had.

Staring down at your chest he gave you a few deep breaths. Trying to spot your lungs heaving up and down as he filled you up like a balloon. After the first few breaths, he finally noticed your chest rise much higher. The mound of your stomach going along with it and giving him a sense of hope maybe he was doing the right thing.

So he pulled up and took another deep breath in before locking lips once more. Keeping your nose tightly shut and making sure his breath was even and long-lasting as it flooded your lungs.

The feeling of the cold slimy unconscious pool your mind lay in suddenly started sliding off as you woke up. Though you hadn’t even realized you were awake before a gush of water came rushing out of your lungs.

Kid instinctively pulled back the second he felt your muscles contract. But that didn’t stop him from getting sea water splashed over his face and even a bit in his mouth.

“Say it, don't spray it asshole.” He leaned back up and spat the water on the sand. Wiping his lips as he watched your body roll over onto its side. Your eyes blinked rapidly and filled up with tears within an instant. Loud choking and gushing noises erupting out of you while you vomited out all the sea water your lungs had taken in.

Some of it hit Kid's lap but he decided not to care. Because you were both thoroughly soaked to the bone, a little more water straight from your lungs and stomach wouldn’t hurt. So he just watched you as deeply uncomfortable feeling stabbed his chest. Runny lines of tears and snot were dripping from your face. You’re eyes barely able to stay open as they constantly blinked away those burning tears. You managed to half way propped yourself up on one arm. Your spine contracting spastically with each retch.

He didn’t like seeing you writhe for whatever reason. Though he couldn’t tell if it’s because he thought it was gross and weak or something else.

Suddenly loud gasps started escaping your mouth making it seem like you still couldn’t breathe. Your throat seemingly sewed shut. Only letting stuff out but not in. Like a fish out of water, your torso twitched even more, your weak hand reaching up and grabbing onto your throat to urge it to open again.

Kids eyes widened at this, realizing that maybe it was too soon to start acting like an uncaring asshole considering you were close to death, yet again. “Goddamn it, just breathe!” He yelled, scooping his hand under the sand and to sit you up.

His voice barely even reached you. Even if you could breathe it felt like you couldn’t. A panic attack revolted against you, making every breath you tried to take weak and small. Barely filling up your lungs and keeping you conscious by a thin thread.

Your watery eyes looked up at him desperately. Pleading him to do something. To do anything to make it stop. A frown took over his face as he drank in your desperation. His stomach sinking to the ground while the uncommon feeling of sympathy flooded his nerves.

What in the hell am I supposed to do?

He wasn’t one for comfort and he already used all the first aid tricks he knew. So he started roughly patting your back, hoping to brute force whatever was blocking your airway. “Is there water still in there? Why can’t you breathe?”

The patting made you cough once again. Dribbles of seawater spilling past your lips and stinging the soft tissue of your mouth. You closed your eyes and leaned your side against Kid's chest. Trying anything to help you calm down you started focusing on your heartbeat. Urging your muscles to relax and using Kids body to stay upwards.

Kid just stared down at you, his pats getting slower and a bit softer. He was worried that if he spoke at all it would ruin whatever sense of peace you were chasing after. He was worried that he would just make it worse.

I always make shit like this worse.

The feeling of your equally drenched and clammy body against his was a bit uncomfortable but he knew it would be a dick move just to let you fall over. So he held onto your back and cradled you slightly. Grimacing the whole time while he listened to your breaths getting deeper and deeper.

Watching you silently he ended up just looking you over. Staring at your skin covered in dewdrops glistening in the moonlight. Noticing how your blood mixed with the water and thinned out to a brisk trickle across your cheek. There were stark tear lines dragging across you skin. Even some faint snot mixed with sea water dripping out of your nose. The warmth rising back into your skin and becoming noticeable against his chest.

Eventually, your eyes opened back up, dazed but no longer flooded with tears.

“You done dying?” He mumbled out, his low voice rumbling in his chest so much you could feel it against your skin.

You slowly looked up at him, his face and body so much closer than it's ever been before. His hair was drenched and lying gently over his goggles and shoulders. Cute curly waves with little drips of water slipping them. His bandages soaked and peeling in some parts to revel the deep gashes along his chest. The ones still healing on his face were shiny and red as if they were irritated. Red-smeared lipstick around the edges of his permanently frowning mouth. His warm breath that smelled of liquor and seawater fanning over you.

Despite the cold numbness draped over your nerves you still managed to feel his chest against you. The way his skin was almost burning it was so warm compared to yours. His thick arm holding the soft space below your shoulder blades in such a delicate way.

Though you noticed all of this, a part of you felt like he wasn’t even there. That he was just a mirage or you were already dead and gone. Left with nothing but this man to ease you over into the afterlife.

“Uh-huh," Was all you could manage to get out. Your throat was now drying up as the salt took hold. Making you rasp and wheeze a bit with each breath.

Kid just rolled his eyes at that, “Well I just want you to know right now that you are a complete fucking dumbass who has no sense of self-preservation and I wish I never met you.”

You blinked slowly, a wave of drowsiness cascading upon you. “Okay.” You said with a shaky breath. Shivering deeply, your eyes closed once more. Kid watched as your head fell against his chest, letting him know that you had passed out for good.

“This bitch.” Left his mouth almost instantly. He was hoping you’d stay awake so you could walk or hold onto him if he was forced to carry you.

I don’t want to carry her. I’m tired and I’m drunk and I don’t deserve this.

He just stared at you against him. Urging his hand to let you fall onto the sand and leave you there.

This was supposed to be my break. I wanted to relax. What do I owe this random girl? I already saved her life which is way more than anyone should expect from me. So she can wake up and figure the rest of this shit out herself.

His face scrunched up as he mulled it over. He stared down at you against his chest. Feeling your soft hair against him. Your spine and arms were nearly vibrating with each deep shiver that ran through you. Like a wounded animal, you curled into him which warmed the small embers of his heart yet repulsed him beyond belief.

“God fucking damn it fine! You won this round.” He yelled at you, a loud exasperated sigh bellowing out of him. With that he softly set you down on the sand. Standing up to go grab his coat that surprisingly hadn’t flown away in the wind. He yanked it off the sand and dusted it off before noticing your bag still laying completely soaked a few feet away from him.

Am I seriously about to hold this girl's shit as well? He asked himself, staring at the green satchel vehemently before roughly picking it up and slinging the strap over his shoulder.

I guess I fucking am. He nearly slapped himself in the face with how ticked off he was. He saved your life and was a bit proud of that fact. But the amount of kindness he was providing was just down right deplorable.

He walked back over to you and kneeled back down onto the sand. Still holding onto his coat and looking between you and the fur.

Of course this bitch is visibly shaking. He just stared at you for a moment, hoping you’d stop so he could throw the coat over his shoulders instead. But your body was insistently twitching violently from head to toe. Your face naturally scrunching up in pain despite being blacked out.

It's not like I’m not cold. I got dunked in the water too. But of course your unconscious body was asking for yet another round of his sympathy.

“Whatever. Take this you greedy little shit.” Kid took his coat and started wrapping it around you. Making sure your arms were funneled through the sleeves so it wouldn’t fall off.

With a grunt, he tried to lift you onto his shoulder. Hunching over so his shoulder was close to your stomach and using his one hand to slide you onto him. He had to pick you up by the ass just a bit, feeling the fat meat of it in his hand as he pulled you up onto him until your hips were in line with his shoulder.

He tried not to think about it too much considering he was groping the ass of a half-dead woman but he managed to get you in a good position. Getting up off the ground with another loud grunt he almost instantly toppled over to one side. Your heavy body was hanging loosely off him so he gripped your legs tightly before you could slide off his shoulder.

“And you couldn’t be just a bit lighter eh? Making me put some actual effort into this shit.” He started walking towards his ship in the distance. Each step just a bit louder than usual against the sand. Your head and arms swaying upside down in a half-pleasant, half horrible sensation.

“Oh and just so you know. This is the last time you’ll get a lick of kindness from me. Expect nothing but shit-talking and maybe a good gut punch from here on out.” He told you but of course this whole time you were dead asleep. So it didn’t matter if you heard his declaration or not. Kid was going to give you what he wanted to give you. He just hoped his stupid feelings wouldn’t get in the way of his prerogatives.

A/N: GEEHEE✨ GEEHEE✨I love writing Kid being a big bootyhole. It’s so sweet and endearing and nice. Would he have a soft spot for a stranger normally? No. But do you remind him of someone he cared about? Yes. Oh and just to be clear when I talk Y/N’s expression and how you remind him of Victoria I don’t mean that you look like her. You look like you of course I just view it as the aura or substance of who Y/N is relates to Victoria in a strange way. Hope that makes sense. Or maybe he just thinks you’re pretty and isn’t willing to realize it. WHAT?? WHO SAID THAT?

#one piece #eustass kid #eustasscaptainkid #kid pirates #eustass kid x reader #one piece x reader #x reader #killer one piece #massacre soldier killer #killer op #one piece eustass

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petitelepus · 2 months ago

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hashiras x child reader 12 year old girl who is a soldier with impressive combat skills, she knows a lot about firearms, she is a good strategist, for hand-to-hand combat, and she has too much strength for a 12 year old girl, her personality is somewhat proud and arrogant and enthusiastic like gabi braun from snk You may have met her during a mission in a military camp preparing and training. I really can't think of any other way they could have met her.

Summary: You're a young soldier, a weapon, a killer.

Warnings: Violence Talk, Cruelty Talk

A/N: Reader, Female Reader, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Giyu Tomioka, Muichiro Tokito, Mitsuri Kanroji, Shinobu Kocho, Kyojuro Rengoku, Tengen Uzui, Gyomei Himejima, Obanai Iguro

The Hashiras were taken back by you when Master Ubuyashiki introduced you as their newest companion. You were so young, just a couple of years younger than Muichiro, but according to Master, you were more than ready to join them.

You were the epitome of a child soldier, and you had already from a young age gained yourself a nickname, the Demon Child. You would use your innocent looks to get close to your target and then take them out. You were truly as deadly as you were young, some would call you a natural and born killer even.

Ever since young age, you were set against the world so you had to learn and adapt quickly. You learned how to fight, and how to kill.

Your combat style was fast and brutal, rivaling Sanemi's and Giyu's fighting styles. Your attacks were as swift as wind and smooth as water. You gave those two a pretty good fight until you had to be broken apart before bones would start cracking.

"You can't show any mercy or any weakness!" You frowned, "In this business, even the smallest mistake might cost your life or worse…!"

You weren't afraid to use devious ways either, like poison, in or out of the fight. Since your young and innocent looks, people tended to underestimate you and that gave you plenty of chances to, well, you know, spike up their drinks or food.

You would often talk with Shinobu about poisons and their potential. Given the situation, you were more than willing to poison your blades or bullets, especially if you had a physical disadvantage against the enemy.

"Don't be stupid. You have to be smart if you can't win them traditionally."

You were crazy strong also, and while not as strong as Gyomei, you rivaled him pretty well. Not only were you strong, but you were also smart as heck, just like Muichiro, able to read and adapt to any situation thrown at you. You could come up with strategies against powerful or tricky opponents, finding their weaknesses and brutally using those against them.

Just like Hashiras, you would often times step up to train newcomers and just like Obanai, you were ruthless with your training.

"If you don't have the stomach for this job then you are better off living a normal safe life." You would say to trainees older than you, but less skilled or talented than you, "This business is all about killing! It's either you or them!"

You may have been proud but for a good reason. Tengen would oftentimes tease you, but he knows and understands your background better than others. He was raised to become a child soldier like you so the two of you bond over the fact that you were trained to kill from a very young age.

You were also smart because you never underestimated your opponent, no matter how strong or weak they appeared.

"No matter how weak your opponent might appear, you mustn't let your guard down!" You snapped, "Mistakes get you killed!"

Kyojuro pities you, a fact that you can't stand. He is sad you had no real childhood and how you were forced into this line of business at such a young age, but he also thinks that you had the potential for great things, but you lacked the heart and compassion.

You never quite knew compassion… Until you met Mitsuri. You might think she is a fool, but she is as strong as her heart is big.

"Hey hey, have you eaten yet today?" She would ask you in the middle of your training, "Training with an empty stomach can't be good for you!"

"I don't need-!" You were about to object when your stomach made a pretty good point by growling without your blessing at the invite.

Mitsuri would smile brightly and drag you away with her to eat and while you were eating, she would tell you about her younger siblings and how you reminded her of them, and how you were almost like a younger sister to her.

You knew that in this business, it was foolish to get attached to someone you barely knew, yet, strangely enough, eating and listening to her talk so openly to you… It felt nice… Maybe you could learn a thing or two from her…

You start seeing Mitsuri as the big sister or as the role model you never really had and you grow pretty protective over her and loyal. Despite being a young child warrior, you never question her. In that way, you and Obanai bond because you both clearly care about the young pink-haired woman.

If someone hurts your big sis, you swear you are going to give it back at them a hundred times worse, because while you were trained, you also learned how to dig out secrets from your enemies… And those methods applied to torture.

#formidablefrancine #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #kny #gyomei himejima #kyojuro rengoku #sanemi shinazugawa #giyu tomioka #muichiro tokito #mitsuri kanroji #shinobu kocho #obanai iguro #tengen uzui #reader #reader insert #femaler reader #writing #my writng #enjoy!

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richincolor · 5 months ago

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New Releases

A whole slew of new books coming out this week and I see some I want to add to my TBR pile. How about you?

Something Like Right by H. D. Hunter Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

A contemporary young adult novel about one life-altering year of a biracial Black and white teen boy, showing a raw glimpse into the systemic inequality in racialized communities.

Zay’s ma always said his mouth would get him in trouble. Sure enough, it got him into his first and only fight in his junior year of high school. Expelled from his district, Zay’s only hope for redemption is to transfer to Broadlawn Alternative School and complete the year.

Zay isn’t thrilled about the disgusting school lunch and classroom trailers at Broadlawn, and boarding with his aunt Mel and her live-in boyfriend isn’t the greatest. But he’d rather be there than in the city dealing with his estranged father, his overbearing mother, and the fallout from his fight. Besides, Broadlawn has Feven, the beautiful new student Zay is starting to get to know—and fall for.

Still, first love is rarely a fairy tale, and as Zay’s time in Broadlawn comes to an end, he learns that shaping yourself within a new place is a lot harder than letting it shape you.

A tender contemplation of first love, broken families, and healing generational trauma by an incredible voice in young adult fiction.

Drown Me with Dreams (Sing Me to Sleep #2) by Gabi Burton Bloomsbury YA

In the second book in this dark and seductive YA fantasy duology, a siren must decide if saving her kingdom is worth betraying the boy she loves.

Saoirse Sorkova is on the run. Accused of several murders, her siren identity compromised, even the newly crowned King Hayes can’t protect her if she’s caught. The only way to save her life is to send her on a dangerous mission across the magical barrier that surrounds the kingdom.

Forced to travel with Carrick – once her best friend, now her greatest betrayer – she begins to unravel multiple plots that threaten the safety of her family, the livelihood of the entire kingdom, and her future with Hayes. And the more time she spends with Carrick, the harder it is to keep hating him . . .

Soon, Saoirse is forced to what if Hayes isn’t the right ruler for the kingdom? And if he’s not, is she willing to betray her king – and her heart?

Featuring an all Black and Brown cast, a forbidden romance, and a compulsively dark plot full of twists, this thrilling YA fantasy series is perfect for fans of A Song Below Water and To Kill a Kingdom.

Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters Viking Books for Young Readers

Young Royals meets Red, White, and Royal Blue in this heart-pumping romance by award-winning author Julian Winters!

When roguish Prince Jadon of Îles de la Rêverie is left in America to clean up his image after a horribly public break-up gone viral, romance is not on the table. Carefully planned photo ops with puppies? Yes. Scheduled appearances with the Santa Monica elite Absolutely. Rendezvous with a pink-haired, film-obsessed hottie from the private school where he’s currently enrolled? Uhhhh . . .

Together with his entourage—a bitingly witty royal guard, Rêverie’s future queen (and Jadon’s brilliant older sister), and a quirky royal liaison—Jadon’s on a mission to turn things around and show his parents, and his country, that he’s more than just a royal screw-up. If he doesn’t prove that he’s the prince Rêverie deserves? Well, he may not be allowed home . . .

But falling for a not-so-royal American boy has Jadon redefining what it means to be a leader. If he can be someone’s Prince Charming just by being himself, maybe that’s all it takes to win over a nation. Or at least a prince can dream .

A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks

In this sweet sapphic romance about two foodies in love, Vivi meets Lan while studying abroad in Vietnam and they spend the semester unraveling their families’ histories—and eating all the street food in Sài Gòn.

In Sài Gòn, Lan is always trying to be the perfect daughter, dependable and willing to care for her widowed mother and their bánh mì stall. Her secret passion, however, is A Bánh Mì for Two, the food blog she started with her father but has stopped updating since his passing.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese American Vivi Huynh, has never been to Việt Nam. Her parents rarely talk about the homeland that clearly haunts them. So Vivi secretly goes to Vietnam for a study abroad program her freshman year of college. She’s determined to figure out why her parents left, and to try everything she’s seen on her favorite food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two.

When Vivi and Lan meet in Sài Gòn, they strike a deal. Lan will show Vivi around the city, helping her piece together her mother’s story through crumbling photographs and old memories. Vivi will help Lan start writing again so she can enter a food blogging contest. And slowly, as they explore the city and their pasts, Vivi and Lan fall in love.

Codex Black (Book Two): Bird of Ill Omen by Camilo Moncada Lozano IDW Publishing

Best friends Donají and Itzcacalotl stumble into dangerous political intrigue in this follow-up to the young adult epic Codex Black: A Fire Among Clouds!

In 15th-century Mesoamerica, Donají and Itzcacalotl travel to the Oracle of Lyobaa in the hopes of learning the secret behind Donají’s missing father. But instead of receiving information, they find themselves roped into a quest to stop the assassination of the great Emperor Ahuizotl! This is easier said than done when faced with a mysterious group of black-clad killers who want nothing more than to send the known world tumbling into chaos.

Along the way, the two will have to navigate new friends, old enemies, and corn people as they try to save the emperor…before it’s too late!

Helga by Catherine Yu Page Street YA

Helga is not the obedient science experiment her father intended. And though she has only just awoken, he leaves her in the care of his lab assistant Penny to go on a business trip.

Bursting with curiosity, Helga quickly escapes from the well-meaning Penny and heads into Amaris City. There Helga finds she is as untamable as the invasive blackberry vines overtaking the island. And because of the misdeeds of her father’s scientific community, the natural world grows more volatile.

Helga soon discovers the night market, rowdy clubs, delicious food, and cute boys. Enamored with city life, she’ll do anything to find love―but she has only two weeks until her father gets back, and besides there are ominous rumblings from the volcanic island that could put her dating schemes, and even her own life, in grave peril.

We Are the Medicine (Surviving the City #3) written by Tasha Spillett & illustrated by Natasha Donovan HighWater Press

Miikwan and Dez are in their final year of high school. Poised at the edge of the rest of their lives, they have a lot to decide on. Miikwan and her boyfriend, Riel, are preparing for university, but Dez isn’t sure if that’s what they want for their future.

Grief and anger take precedence over their plans after the remains of 215 children are found at a former residential school in British Columbia. The teens struggle with feelings of helplessness in the face of injustice. Can they find the strength to channel their frustration into action towards a more hopeful future?

“We Are the Medicine” is the moving final volume of the best-selling Surviving the City series.

Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Stringfield Joy Revolution

Whitney Curry is primed to have an epic semester abroad. She’s created the perfectitinerary and many, many to-do lists after collecting every detail possible about Paris, France. Thus, she anticipates a grand adventure filled with vintage boutiques, her idol Josephine Baker’s old stomping grounds, and endless plays sure to inspire the ones she writes and—ahem—directs!

But all is not as she imagined when she’s dropped off at her prestigious new Parisian lycée. A fish out of water, Whitney struggles to juggle schoolwork, homesickness, and mastering the French language. Luckily, she lives for the drama. Literally.

Cue French tutor Thierry Magnon, a grumpy yet très handsome soccer star, who’s determined to show Whitney the real Paris. Is this type-A theater nerd ready to see how lessons on the City of Lights can turn into lessons on love?

#weneeddiversebooks #new releases #young adult books

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yandere-daydreams · 2 years ago

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Okay the ask about the reader who was unable to have kids got me thinking.... Obviously for a reader on the pill, Miguel could easily sabotage their birth control or refuse to let them take it entirely. But what about a reader with an IUD, or an arm implant? Would he remove it while they were unconscious or something? And if he did, would he tell them what he did or let them think it was still in their body (not sure if this would work with the implant, but for an IUD it absolutely could) so they fight him less when he cums inside them? These worms are tickling my brain.

not to defend a man willing to throw hands with a fifteen year old, but i think miguel still views himself as the 'doing bad things for the greater good' type, and therefore avoids anything that's just outright evil. sabotaging your birth control because it's 'bad for your health' or refusing to use a condom are pretty indirect ways of doing something openly inhumane to you, but going full unlicensed ob/gyn and removing an IUD is a little too undeniably bad, even for him. unless he can justify it, say it's likely to cause adverse side effects and convince you to get it removed yourself, he'd probably either seethe in his pent-up trauma until it expires or again, do a bit of unofficial adoption and just bring home a child after roughly nine months of finishing inside of you. he's shitty, but he's shitty in a way that he can deny to himself, even if you're convinced he's a monster. if that means he's forced to kidnap another version of gabi who lost her miguel a lot earlier, then i think he'd be able to live with that.

#personal #phantom-ofthelibrary

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vintagealloy925 · 2 years ago

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nerd!reiner - gn reader pt.2

some people wanted me to continue, so here it is! thank you guys for the love. pt.1 here

the next lab, reiner tries really hard to make things normal. i mean really hard. like it is so incredibly obvious that he doesn’t know what to do, but he clearly cares.

the second he mentions some extremely obscure show that you said you liked, you knew he really was sorry. he’s just not sure how to interact with most people, so you try to be as normal as possible too.

after lab, he walks with you and tries to talk. you stop him and tell him that it’ll be okay, and you admit that you just thought he was attractive and wanted to get to know him better.

he’s stunned.

he’s not attractive? why would you say something like that?

so he immediately assumes you mean as friends, even though he wants so much more. but you are just so beautiful, so interesting, such a lovely person, that he thinks you can do better.

but when you invite him into your dorm again, he won’t lose this opportunity. he comes in and immediately tells you what he considers to be the most embarrassing thing about himself.

“i’ve never had someone... pay attention to me before. i’m sorry if i don’t know what to do. all of the friends i have, i’ve known since i was a kid.” he says

‘he just wants to be friends’ you think to yourself. that’s fine, you suppose. maybe he already has someone special.

so the two of you just sit in your room, watching a movie. at an awkward distance apart. you don’t dare remove your eyes from the screen, but he can’t stop stealing glances at you.

every time you giggle or have some sort of reaction to the movie, he smiles. eventually, he decides to try something risky.

he does that stupid yawn and put the arm around your shoulders thing.

to his surprise, you look up at him and smile, lean into his, and kiss his hand. he thought you would push him away. you aren’t interested in him.

and you thought the same thing.

soon, you guys start talking over the movie, ignoring the epic fight scene on the screen. the conversation takes a turn, and suddenly reiner is listening to you talk about your last partner and how they were not that good to you.

on one hand, reiner wants to scream out that he could treat you better. he would buy you anything you wanted. post you on his socials every day. hold you hand everywhere he goes and never, ever, look at some other person. you are all he wants.

but he also knows that he has no idea how to act like a boyfriend. i mean, he’s never even kissed someone, much less been in a relationship.

but he is willing to try. for you.

he kisses your cheek, trying to comfort you, which leaves you both blushing and quiet.

he thinks he messed up, you can’t believe he feels the same way as you, but you know you have to do something about this.

so you kiss him.

he gets all flustered and his mind is running a mile a minute and can’t help it but to say:

“ireallylikeyouandiwantyoutobemypartnerbuti’veneverhadonebeforebutipromisei’lldomybest.”

how does he talk so fast?

but now he’s your boyfriend! and he is faithful to his promise

he got you your favorite coffee/drink the next day and brought it to you before your first class, almost making him late to his own.

the best listener in the world. like any time you want to vent or just ramble, he is all in

in your lab, he does all the hard work, not that you can’t, but he wants you to be able to relax.

you worked out today and your muscles are sore? massage time

buys you dinner at least once a week, and desserts like ice cream almost every day.

and he is trying to get better with physical affection

after the first kiss, he can’t get enough but also doesn’t know how to approach it

he will, however, not hesitate to play with your hair, no matter the length. if it’s long enough, he will braid pieces without thinking (yes he learned how to braid how bc of gabi, no he does not want to be praised for it don’t make him nervous)

he also loves cuddling together. any position is good with him. will have you sit on his lap in front of people. he does have a slight thing about claiming you as his ;)

but as time goes on, he finds so much comfort in you and your presence. you make him so happy, and he makes you happy too.

everything he does is in the hope that it will make you happy and proud

#reiner braun #reiner braun x reader #reiner braun x y/n #reiner braun x you #reiner supremacy #attack on titan #aot #aot reiner #aot reiner braun #shingeki no kyojin #snk #snk reiner #snk reiner braun

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oddinary4bts · 5 months ago

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for the people that are hating on others for having an opinion on a character or situation...people interpret things differently! not everyone will like a specific character, relationship, or situation. that's what makes the responses from readers so interesting.

i won't lie i honestly do not like lisa at all. i feel bad for her but the way she acted towards oc and the way she handled the situation with jk was absolutely weird as hell but that's my opinion. i just do not like her as a character. i don't blame jk for trying to move on whatsoever. i know he hates himself and has issues and stuff but that's not an excuse for treating oc the way he has. the way he treated her after the gaby situation leading up to the current situation in the story is very wrong. i know he doesn't think he deserves her but all he's doing is worse things to make that statement true. i hope we see him develop as a character and also develop in the relationship. oc isn't the most perfect character in the world but she's reasonable. she was also willing to make things work with jk after gaby told her the truth. i just want to see jk treat oc well, go after her, explain everything, and fight for their relationship. jk needs to step up because so far he really hasn't. and hopefully we see their relationship develop into something more positive and healthy. it would be really cute to see how jk treats and loves her in a relationship. i feel like he'd be all over her 😂

This wasn't hate in absolutely anyway because I love your stories and your writing. I think you're a great author. I'm so sorry about what happened to you at the concert ☹️ you looked very pretty and your outfits was cuteeee. This was just my take on everything that's happened so far. Thank you Ella!

Thank you so much bby!!✨✨✨ also I get why you perceive things that way! I agree with most of what you said, and Jungkook will definitely be all over her when they are together🤭

#chasing cars ask #chasing cars #jungkook #chasing cars series #anon ask

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clareguilty · 6 years ago

Text

Kinktober Day 11

11. Begging/Aphrodisiacs | Gabriel Reyes/Reader (Reader is Gender Neutral!) Word Count: 893 Rating: Explicit | No Warnings

When the initial call came in, you were terrified.

GABRIEL REYES | Status: INJURED- exposure to toxic gas - elevated heart rate - other symptoms unknown

The message had come straight from the field medic, a nice enough, no bullshit woman who had always treated you with respect. You had instantly asked for an ETA. No response. You called the agent who was running comms, he couldn’t tell you anything. You were about to strangle someone with how fucking worried you were.

You were waiting in the hangar when the dropship landed, wrapped in a quilt with dark circles under your eyes. The medical team arrived just on time, creating a personnel barrier that effectively blocked your view of the gurney they whisked away to medical. You stalked after them. A doctor stopped you at the door. You raised your fist, two agents pulled you back, locking you in yours and Gabriel’s room until someone had the balls to let you back out again.

They didn’t have to. You fell asleep slumped in the armchair, arms crossed from where you had been seething half-consciously.

The door slid open and your head snapped up, not awake, but alert. Gabriel stumbled into the dark room, sliding out of the flimsy slippers the med bay had given him. Exposure to toxic gas meant that all of his belongings had already been incinerated most likely. You had darted across the room to help steady Gabriel. His breathing was labored and his skin was feverish. Who the hell had released him in this state?

He began babbling desperately as you tried your best to tuck him into bed. He wasn’t having it.

“…Infiltrated an old lab…” He was saying, “Everything was fine until I tripped something.” His speech was only half coherent. “Thought it was toxins but realized on the transport… Doc ran the bloodwork and let me come here, to you.”

“You’re okay, babe.” You whispered, smoothing back his hair, slick with sweat. “Just sleep it off. We can talk in the morning.”

Gabriel’s eyes flared at your words. You tried to pull away, worried you had upset him, only to be pulled back in.

His kiss was hungry, teeth and tongue and desperate growls. A hand on your lower back pressed you flush against him. You could feel his erection through the shitty sweats the med bay had issued him. The pieces were starting to fall into place.

“The toxins?” You asked as Gabe nipped down your neck. In a fit of impatience, he ripped your sweatshirt over your head. “Aphrodisiacs?” You couldn’t help but gasp as he attacked your nipples with ferocity. Holy shit. You had never seen Gabe this worked up before.

“Strong ones,” He said, wasting no time in tearing your pants off of you. “I need to fuck you.” He tore his own clothes off in two easy motions. “Right. Now.”

“Okay, okay.” You placed a hand on his chest. He stilled, but you could see he was practically vibrating with hunger. You leaned over to grab the condoms from the bedside drawer, pre-lubricated thankfully. You doubted there would be much time for foreplay.

Gabe hissed as you rolled the latex down his shaft, cock already twitching and pulsing against his hip bones. The second you had put a few inches between you, he pounced. He placed his forearm across your chest, similar to the way he pinned you to the sparring mats. His fingers worked inside of you, opening you up. You gasped at the sensation, your own arousal on proud display as he spread your knees with his thighs.

You were gasping as he scissored his fingers inside you, heat only made worse by the filth that was pouring from Gabe’s mouth.

“I need to fuck you open. God, I can’t wait to feel you squeezing around my cock. I need this so bad, baby. It’s all I’ve been able to think about for hours.” His head dropped, hot breath blooming across your stomach, making your hips twitch. “Please, baby. I need it. I need it so bad. Need to split you open on my cock, wreck you.” His voice was low, breathy. The sound was hotter than anything you had ever heard before. “Please let me fuck you,” He whined, actually whined.

“I’m ready Gabe.” You said, turning his head to meet your gaze. “I’m good.” You really hoped you were.

Nothing could have prepared you for just how hard Gabe fucked you right then. He was brutal, relentless. His hips slammed into yours so hard you worried you were going to bruise. As desperate and out of it as Gabe was, he was determined to bring you right there with him. Each stroke pulled you further and further from rational thought. The only thing that mattered was how fucking good Gabe’s cock felt inside you.

Gabe fucked you until he was satisfied. He took you on your back, on your knees, face down in the mattress. You don’t even remember how many times you came or how long it lasted; you just know that it felt good.

The next morning, you woke sore and still exhausted. Everything was made up for though when you saw the plate of warm breakfast by your bed and felt Gabe’s arms pull you closer into him.

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leviiattacks · 4 years ago

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teacher!levi and teacher!reader headcanons please 🥺

author note :: i expected for this to be better but idk,,, um, you know maybe it’s just me who wishes i executed it better but i wrote this at 3am that’s my excuse. ANYWAY I HOPE U ENJOY ANON :-))) i know it’s not headcanons but here!! also my ask box is always open to feel free to drop by !!

word count :: 5.4k (after i had to severely cut the word count down because my tumblr wouldn’t let me post the longer version with more detail,,,,)

honestly you’ve never fit in well with the math teachers in particular but you’re still amicable with most

however, there’s one unbearable member of the group that happens to want to play jump rope with your patience constantly

and that person just so happens to be mr ackerman

every single staff meeting the both of you sit furthest away from each other whilst silently exchanging bitter glares

maybe it’s his stony disposition or his unrealistically harsh grading system that makes him seem so off putting to you.

or perhaps it’s your soft and gentle approach to teaching that drives him up a wall

but to make matters simple, the two of you have never got along. nearly everything he says you disagree with and nearly everything you say he has to rebuke.

every outlandish suggestion of his at meetings is met with firm disapproval from you and every time you bring up wanting to provide the children with more time for extracurricular activities he sneers in annoyance

today he’s proposing a plan to set exams as soon as possible

???

you wonder if he’s even thinking with his head attached to his neck because it’ll be impossible for the children to handle all of the content in the form of an exam paper so soon

the workload he’s been pushing onto his math class has become far too ridiculous for your liking and you want to put an end to the man’s reign of terror

it just so happens your classes are scheduled in the blocks next to each other meaning he always sees your students an hour before you do

it’s got to the point where your pupils trudge into english class completely EXHAUSTED

the other day a boy fainted because of lack of sleep and now mr ackerman has the audacity to put forward the exam dates???

“we need to instill these children with discipline. taking them by surprise will give them a much needed reality check.”

you groan at his speech and raise a hand

“may i interject?”

professor ackerman’s tongue pokes at the inside of his cheek the irritation is painted on his face but he nods although he seems reluctant

“these children do not need standardized exams to-”

“would you like for me to completely scrap exams from the curriculum?” without even allowing for you to present your argument he has to cut you off with a mocking grin

“levi, i think-”

“that's mr ackerman to you.”

his blunt correction has you rolling your eyes because YES!! you understand the two of you aren’t exactly the best of friends but he doesn’t even want to be on a first name basis with a colleague of two years??

his pettiness has your blood boiling in searing displeasure

“you have to stop going so hard on these children.”

he’s shuffling through some paperwork not even batting an eye in your direction.

“personally, we aren’t hard enough but of course the english teacher has trouble understanding that.”

the jab he makes at your job only causes the anger inside of you to bubble up again

why does teaching english have ANYTHING to do with this???

“you teach math yet you can’t calculate the reasoning behind your subpar love life. do not insult english.”

personal insults are your favourite to throw at him because he always gets so riled up

and actually for once you have the answer to a math question.

the reason why his love life is so uneventful has to be because of this :

his personality + his obnoxious humour + his looks = a good looking but undatable man

his jaw clenches and the grip he has on the stack of papers in his hands strengthens

ok,, that is kinda hot but that is not relevant at all

you’re able to make out miss ral one of the other math teachers make a move to speak and god you fight the urge to punch her every day because she’s always gushing about mr ackerman

seeing as you don’t want to punch her or anyone for that matter you turn to give her a “if you speak right now i swear to god i will lose my shit” look

she gets the memo incredibly quickly because her mouth closes shut immediately

mr ackerman takes a sip out of the cup of black tea next to him. “i would appreciate if you just sat back and let me do what’s best.”

“children fainting in my lesson is not what’s best.” your rebuttal catches him off guard and he seems more than a little surprised

“wait- fainted??”

you eyes flick over to mr zacharias, you had told him to pass the message on but the way he’s sheepishly looking at the floor avoiding your eyes clearly tells you all you have to know

“looks like someone forgot to pass the message onto you but the other day falco fainted in english.”

“is he- is he okay?? did he say why?”

eyebrows raising you’re quite surprised to see any sort of reaction from him let alone concern

“he stayed up all night completing your homework.”

lips pressing together into a fine line it almost looks as if he’s guilty

“i’ll talk to him about it later.” his voice is back to its usually plain tone and any trace of his previous worry has been masked.

an awkward silence follows. he coughs choosing to not continue the discussion about exams.

principal smith takes the hint and moves on to discuss planned school trips

HOORAH victory!!!

yet another day where you’ve saved your students

“who is fallacy and why are they pathetic?” a few snorts and giggles are heard around the class and you force yourself to laugh at falco's miserable attempt at a joke

you’ve noticed falco’s been cracking more jokes around his new seat mate gabi.

she’s small but feisty always willing to debate and she’s really a joy to teach although she can get a little bit aggressive with the others at times

honestly it’s quite obvious that falco has a fat crush on her. well, actually it’s been obvious from the moment she step foot into your class

and... you couldn’t just ignore the way falco looked at her could you?? and there was an empty space next to him too sooooo, what harm would there be in placing the two together?

it seems as if your attempt at getting the both of them to talk has worked. gabi and falco compete desperately for the top position in the class and are two of the best students you’ve had in a while

also after the day falco fainted in class gabi has been noticeably nicer. things like asking if he’s drank water or how much he’s slept

you have a small inkling that she may like him back

and the budding romance is adorable to you because you too once had childhood crushes

it feels rather nostalgic to see the two interact

but today you notice the two aren’t in

in fact, you notice half of the class isn’t?

“where are the others?” your question sends a jolt through one of your present students but he stays silent choosing to pretend to clean his glasses as a distraction

crossing your arms over your chest you walk over towards his desk

“udo, you can tell me what it is.”

“professor ackerman said not to tell.” udo looks petrified and you’re just kinda wondering what in the hell is going on

lucky for you his resolve is thin and he quickly cracks under pressure

“okay. you can’t say i told.”

nodding in agreement he looks around making sure no one else hears what exactly it is he’s about to disclose

“he’s kept some people back to talk to them about something top secret. i don’t know what but he asked for the students who like you.”

at that you feel a little bitter because if he asked for the student who liked you why on earth is half the class still here??

but oh well, you guess you can’t please them all

“oh no, no, no. you’ve got it wrong. we all wanted to stay but he didn’t let us.”

udo looks genuine so you let it slide

either way it doesn’t really matter as long as the majority prefer you over that sick and twisted math teacher you’re alright

“he does know he’s cut into my class time right?”

“falco told him that and he whispered something about how you’re bothersome.”

you???? bothersome???

WHEN HE’S THE ONE BOTHERING EVERYONE?/!:£:!/)

you don’t even look back as you walk out frankly furious at what’s happened

english is important

ACTUALLY!!!

ENGLISH > MATH

you will stand by that till the day you die

your knuckle meets with the wooden surface of your sworn enemy’s classroom door and almost automatically you’re able to hear the shuffle of chairs and padding of numerous footsteps approach

the door swings open and you step aside to allow your missing students to pass through

they look nervous but one look at your reassuring smile lets them ease up and relax

“well.” a voice behind you snaps “look who paid me a visit.”

“we’re talking about this later.”

you try your best to sound serious but you don’t know if you pull it off as well as he does because he just ends up giving you a disappointed sort of look

“y/n. stick to being the good cop it suits you better.”

“we are not on first name basis. you said it yourself.” is your narrowed comeback

finally turning to face him you’re surprised when your eyes travel to the triangle of space behind him and you’re able to get a peek of what looks to be a list of books on his whiteboard

pride and prejudice

wuthering heights

jane eyre

ville-

before you’re able to read the rest he moves in front of your line of vision

he’s got quite the selection but,, when did he of all the people on this planet start showing any interest in literature?

“the books on the board what’s that about?”

your inquiry flies over his head and he shuts the door behind him completely

his face doesn’t move and if it does it only shows the slightest hint of confusion

“what books are you talking about?” he replies and don’t know why your knees feel a little weak when he looks you straight in the eyes

snap.

out.

of.

it.

“i saw books on the board.”

“you saw wrong.” he barks back and he’s getting agitated now

maybe you did imagine it...

and you have to get back to teach your class so okay fair enough you’ll let it go because you do know you have a habit of daydreaming randomly

however that doesn’t stop you from giving him another skeptical look before you leave because there is NO WAY you imagined it, but it is you and it really could be a possibility

the click clack of your heels against the floor sound out as you remove yourself from the conversation

you assume he’s returned to his classroom

that’s why it catches you by surprise when you hear a hesitant voice behind you

“there were no books on the board.”

you don’t know why he has to tell you that again because it only makes himself look all the more suspicious

“but if they were a list of book recommendations then what would you recommend i read?”

the question is peculiar coming from him

are you in an alternate universe?

is this a dream?

are you talking to a clone?

a robot?

because this can NOT be the same man you’ve been working with for two years

maybe he’s having a change of heart?

but that sounds unlikely

maybe he’s planning to read the book and somehow with that big brain of his formulate a calculation to score it a measly two out of ten

yeah. that sounds more likely.

nevertheless, you still want to give him a recommendation, maybe he’ll find out he’s into books this way

“you should totally check out pride and prejudice :-)”

for once you’re smiling at him and he doesn’t know what to do because the change is sudden but he doesn’t say a word after that

instead he retreats into his classroom

god.

now you’re sure he’s just asked to form a stupid calculation or whatever the hell it is math teachers do.

“he likes you.” hange has a shit eating grin on their face and you can’t help but narrow your eyes and sigh in exasperation

no he does not like you but you don’t try to correct hange because you know they’re firm in their stupid belief

“would you ever date him?” hange fiddles with the last of their potato salad absentmindedly waiting on your reply

the question literally has you choking on your lunch

“i would rather fight for survival in the wilderness. thank you for asking.”

“oh come on... he’s got a thing for you. you read romance novels all the time you should be able to tell he does.”

“yeah and that thing he has for me is wanting to shove my head onto a pitchfork. you’ve got the wrong end of the stick.” shoving a piece of pasta into your mouth you sigh dreamily at the taste. it serves as a momentary distraction

you get one lunch break and you are not!!!! in the mood to talk about him whilst you’re on that break

he’s attractive

and you have to admit he looks handsome in his crisp white button up and pristine black suit AND his cologne is really...

okay, you are digressing from the point

none of what you just said means anything!!!

at surface level he seems like a catch but it’s what’s on the inside that matters and he said he finds english stupid

that’s more than enough of a reason to dislike the guy?

he thinks stuff like the pythagorean theorem and y = mx+c are entertaining

y = mx+c ??? over literature???

you read books to teach and you read books for your own enjoyment

it would be a complete travesty if you had a crush on a book hater

and levi ackerman most certainly can be classed as a book hater.

a pessimistic book hater if the specifics are needed

“OH! SORRY Y/N GOTTA BLAST MOB’S OVER THERE!!!!!”

you don’t even get the chance to say goodbye because hange makes an eager run towards moblit

hange and moblit are inseparable, both are the shared heads of the science department and since he’s been off on sick leave recently you understand why hange’s rushed off to greet him

you wish you had a teacher friend like that but the sad truth is you’re pretty much a lone wolf. the other english teachers are wrinkly old pickles and talk about antiques or quiz shows :-(

“this seat free?”

no way.

it’s not him

it can't be

what does he even want??

“um, well yeah it is free b-.”

“good.” he takes the seat without you even inviting him and now you’re stuck in an awkward situation you didn’t even expect to be in today

you're about to burst into tears because is it too much to ask for a peaceful lunch period???

mr ackerman clears his throat and places a book in the center of the table. “pride and prejudice although not my cup of tea was... mildly enjoyable.”

wait...

is this him...

admitting defeat!??

HELLLOOOOO

you are over the moon right now because you know he really had to have enjoyed it a lot and is simply choosing to withhold that information for his own reputation

“i’m happy to hear you took a liking to it.” you’re munching away at your pasta a little more upbeat now

“okay but the start of the book assuming all single men want a wife? no, all i want is a good night’s rest for once. also mrs bennet needs to calm down, elizabeth can marry who the hell she wa-”

“someone’s a little passionate aren’t they?” you giggle into your glass of water and you catch mr ackerman frowning

“i liked it okay.”

“i thought you said it was only mildly enjoyable just now?” grinning and looking at him through your lashes his cheeks become red

you guess he’s angry or something but that’s the usual with him

“yeah, whatever. i just wanted to play fair and apologise.”

“apologise?” oh wow, now your interest has really peaked because never in the past two years has he apologised to ANYONE

not even principal smith for the one time he flipped out and nearly cursed at a mouthy student at parent's evening

grimacing a little before he does it he finally speaks again.

“english is important. i’m sorry.”

your lips tug up into a bright smile

well???

this is a great interaction??

an apology coming out of levi ackerman of all people

“apology accepted! i’m glad to know you liked the book but now that we’re a tad bit friendlier with each other i wanted to ask for a favour.” your eyes gleam and he swears he can see specks of shining stars in them

“...okay, it depends.”

he’s warming up to you so he considers it

“please don’t cut into my lesson time levi.” his name slips out of your mouth but it’s so natural you don’t even care to correct yourself

“i’m sorry about that too y/n.” your name now ventures out of his mouth too as it tests the waters

wordlessly the two of you agree to first name basis

BUT more important matters are at hand such as how he’s issued you yet another apology?

this is satire surely

because why is he so willing all of a sudden...?

well, that's the power of pride and prejudice, wow you’re really thanking the heavens for blessing this world with jane austen’s existence

jane austen. a woman capable of remarkable things, she's even managed to make an unmoving book hater somehow become a lover

poking at your tuna pasta you and levi are now quiet.

“soooooo, any opinions on mr wickham?” you ask the question hoping to initiate a longer conversation than before

and luckily for you your attempt works

SUCCESS!!

levi pinches the bridge of his nose and the creases on his forehead show he clearly isn't particularly fond of wickham

“don’t get me started he’s so indescribably annoying?”

ok, ok, ok

you don’t even know how it happens but you and levi really hit it off

weeks have passed and you and him have even become lunch buddies

it was so shocking to moblit at first that he dropped his lunch on the floor when he saw you and levi enthusiastically exchanging words

then again, two mr wickham haters are bound to get along

you’re seriously wondering how the two of you ever survived as mortal enemies

yeah, you still disagree a lot but you’re getting there!!

sometimes he helps you out when your computer stops running and in exchange you’re willing to offer him book recommendations

he swears he doesn't want any recommendations from you but you know he enjoys it

yesterday he got microsoft excel out and showed you how useful it really was and you went :O because you never really understood the need for it at all

you’re a little bit of a granny when it comes to tech...

and just today at lunch you recommended he checks some plays out but his nose wrinkled at the mention of shakespeare so the both of you went through a long list of dramas and eventually you were able to interest him in j.b. priestely's an inspector calls

another victory for you!!

anyway, right now the two of you are sitting inside of the staff room seeing as it's that time of the month again.

time for the monthly staff meeting

it's the first one you've had since you and levi became friends and you're worried the both of you will be back at it butting heads

wait, are you friends?

well, you wouldn't mind if that were the case but to be honest you would like to be a little bit more than friends mayb-

no!!! no!!! no!!! stupid thought!!! you retract that statement immediately

no you do not want to be more than friends with levi ackerman, yes he's lovely to a degree but you are not going to elaborate on why it's a terrible idea to fancy him

okay wait, let's elaborate for the sake of elaborating

he's surprisingly charming and wittier than you thought he would be. the fun conversations are making your days now and to be honest it is nice to have someone to spend lunch with (hange usually skips out on lunch all together to tinker in the science labs and set up experiments)

wait... weren't you suppose to explain why you don't want to get with him?

you're an idiot and you don't notice how dumb you really are until everyone just kinda gawks at the both of you because it's so odd seeing you in the same room let alone within a three feet radius of each other.

fuck, you completely forgot you and levi sat at opposite ends of the room

principal smith enters and even he looks visibly shocked at the change in seats but he doesn't mention it and you're grateful he doesn't because you didn't purposefully sit here it just happened on accident

erwin turns in your direction and smiles

"would you like to start off with your proposition for extracurriculars?"

nodding your head you begin passionately.

"well, i'd like to say i don't think we offer the children enough. we have spare funding so why not open another club? cooking perhaps? i understand many of you may not understand the importance of teaching them how to cook but-"

"do you have an obsession for setting these children up for failure?" tensing up you notice it's levi who's spoke and he doesn't sound remotely happy

blinking once and then twice he realizes his tone isn't the best and he mutters an apology "sorry, go ahead i'll add in when you're done."

whispers travel through the room straight away

"did he just say sorry?"

"actually why are those two sitting together?"

"do you think they're you know...?"

miss ral who's sat a little further away is the next person to disagree with you

"i understand the intention but would it not be better to let them have extra math lessons?"

"oh, so you can get a pay rise?" the comeback you make is aggressive and dripping in displeasure

she sits up face burning up

"no- no- absolutely not i take pleasure in teaching all of my classes." flustered and trying to hide her nerves she takes a sip out of her water bottle

you want to pour all of the water out onto that ginger hair of hers

the reason why her interjection is getting on your nerves is due to the fact you overheard her and another one of the math teachers plan to bring this specific point up

and you are well aware that her reasoning behind it has nothing to do with the children

she couldn't care less about them

"do not make me repeat what you and mr bozado were chit chatting about earlier today."

the threat is enough to silence her and just when you think you've handled the situation levi has to give his input

"let's ignore petra's motivations and talk about how teaching these kids how to cook means nothing if they have no tradable skills to offer in the real world." levi's not looking at you. he's either too annoyed or too preoccupied with his thought process

at that moment you feel naive, you thought maybe he would try to understand your opinion seeing as he's been spending so much time with you as of recent but that looks to not be the case

murmurs of agreement fill the room at his statement and you feel pathetic

it's practically the entire room against you now

genuinely how is it these people can manage to be such spoiled sports about everything?

"recently, i asked all of my classes to write an essay about school stress. maybe you won't understand my views because you haven't read their pieces but they need a fucking break." the expletive flies out of your mouth without warning and you flush in embarrassment

that

was

not

professional.

"oh god, i'm sorry i got worked up i shouldn't hav-" fumbling over all of your words you feel even more mortified

the principal raises his hand signalling you stop and you clamp your mouth shut. you're in huge trouble that's for sure

but,,, in spite of the clear difference in opinion between you and the other teachers, soft and well spoken principal smith says the unthinkable

"i have the final say and i believe you are coming from a good place after reading your student's work. how would you feel about running the new cooking club?"

scanning his face for a second you can tell his question is legitimate and the wave of relief that washes over you has never felt better than ever

sighing contently you agree and as the topic of conversation shifts to something else entirely you sense your heart rate picking up

you feel like you're back to square one with levi.

it's yet another day where you’ve saved your students and you should be feeling overjoyed but if anything you feel a little deflated

you wish he would have come around and understood but you can't teach and old dog new tricks

again, the feeling of disappointment wears you down

two weeks have passed since then and your favourite time of year has come. it’s spring term meaning MACBETH

the english curriculum includes plays and it just so happens that today is your first lesson covering shakespeare

and you LOVE shakespeare

something about all the intricate foreshadowing always has you excited

but some children are missing

and it’s way too many to blame on sickness

so you wait for a few minutes but it's consistently radio silent

the last time this happened the culprit had been levi and he promised to never cut into your lesson time

but you could count on him to break his promise after the fiasco that was the monthly meeting

is he back to hating you and hating literature?

well, that's his loss if that's the case!! and no!! you will not upset yourself over the loss of the budding friendship

sighing you get to your feet making a beeline to the door but gabi and falco rush to stop you

awkward chuckles activated they wave their hands to get your attention “OH NO, they’ll only be five minutes!!” their sentence comes out as one big blur of words but you manage to understand them

now you’re doubtful because you know falco and gabi would usually ignore you and allow you to walk out

giving them a knowing glance the pair look between each other

their eyes are clearly communicating and asking if it’s alright to tell you

“i promise i won’t be mad.” you sigh

perhaps if you reassure them they’ll be more likely to spill the beans

“it’s not that you... i don't know. you might be upset.” gabi isn't one to care much for other's feelings so you're slightly anxious even though you shouldn't be

but you’re a tough nut to crack. so, absolutely not. you are not going to upset yourself over whatever it is

“i won’t be hurt. i’ve suffered through reading some of the most emotional classics to ever exist.” hitting your chest with your fist you wince a little because you hit yourself a little too hard

falco’s seems to be too shy to come out with it so gabi takes the lead as she normally does

“some students were talking badly about you so mr ackerman kept them behind to have a talk.”

oh.

yeah, actually you are a teeny weeny bit disheartened because you think you’re nice to all of your pupils but it’s nothing too bad, not everyone will like you

“if that’s all i’ll go get them. thank you for letting me know.” giving them two thumbs up you leave the class immediately

levi is probably scolding them to hell and back

not because he cares for you but because he hates disrespect in general

as you’re nearing the open door of his classroom you hear something you never thought would emerge from levi’s room

“final question. why does mr darcy say he doesn’t want to dance with elizabeth at first?” oh yeah, that’s levi’s voice for sure

an english question?

is he quizzing them on pride and prejudice?

you wait hoping your students don't fail you and are able to provide the correct answer.

“ummm... she’s not pretty enough!!”

levi hums “you answered all five questions right. do you all know why?”

you can’t see the children’s faces but they have to be confused if there’s no immediate response

he grunts in agitation “because your english teacher works hard to teach you every single day. have some respect because that teacher of yours is one in a million.”

taking your bottom lip in between your teeth you fight the urge to smile

“do you know how at every single staff meeting there’s only ever one teacher fighting for you all and what you want. i can assure you that teacher isn’t me, but i believe you can all guess who i'm talking about.”

your heart does a back flip in your chest and you feel jittery but in that really fuzzy good way

like that super duper fuzzy and hazy good way

he’s really very sweet for saying all of this and you're now smiling like an idiot

one pupil takes a chance to make amends “we’re sorry mr ackerman.”

but before levi can give them a response you clap your hands together and walk in unannounced

“apology accepted, now if you want to all be forgiven forever please return to class and answer the questions on the board!” directing them to the door with your hands you make sure they're conscious fo the fact you aren't mad at them

still, never have you seen them so eager to run off to analyze macbeth. you guess levi's deathly stare is the cause for it

holding back a laugh you clear your throat after the last student leaves

“thank you levi :-)”

it’s quiet for a second and you think to ask him about what has been gnawing at your mind

“you didn’t have to do that. you disagreed with me before so... why did you?”

“i say this at every meeting and you never listen but children need to be disciplined.” his unchangeable tone is unwelcoming

again it’s awkwardly silent and you sorta regret even coming over to see what was going on because now you and levi are just having an uncomfortable staring contest

then he scratches the back of his neck and heaves a heavy breath

“it may also be because i really fucking like you, but i look like an idiot saying that when we’ve been at each other's necks for two years.”

oh.

the sudden and brutally honest confession has the wind knocked out of you, you’re stunned

and then you get hit by it too. the realization hits you like rain hits umbrellas on stormy days. you like him too.

you like him for his witty sense of humour, his pure honesty and his hatred for mr wickham only serves as a bonus

yes, you have your differences. many of them. but you like him

he’s no longer a book hater and so by default you can fancy him. he goes against none of your guidelines essentially

you like him, he likes you back?’//’.;

[SCREAMS]

“well, what do you say? will you be this mr darcy's elizabeth bennet?” hearing the cheesy pickup line from him of all people has the butterflies in your stomach exploding in delight

“you sound weird, where's the grumpy math teacher from before?" now you and him are simply shamelessly flirting but HEY!! you have no complaints at all

he scoffs at your sarcastic question

"do you want the equation for a two dimensional heart on a graph beca-"

"can i just kiss you?"

wOWIE are you being bold today y/n???

thankfully you don't have to wait for his answer. levi’s right hand pulls your face in and he slams his lips against yours. he gives your waist a squeeze and you hold him tighter by the neck in response. he has a way of somehow making it all feel gentle and relaxed in the same breath

and... you know what? maybe you should have recommended pride and prejudice to him earlier

but oh well.

what matters the most right now is that you're kissing your mr darcy!!

and he’s kissing his elizabeth bennet

:-)

#levi #levi ackerman #aot #snk #attack on titan #attack on titan levi #levi x reader #levi x y/n #levi headcanons #levi drabbles #levi scenario #teacher levi #levi fanfiction #aot fanfiction #leviiattacks #attack on titan x reader #levi fluff #modern levi #modern levi ackerman

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ackermanslov4r · 4 years ago

Text

this takes place after the war but doesn’t really contain any spoilers from the manga,so anime only you still can read this !

summary : just a levi x reader moment where they take care of gaby and falco

“ C’mon stop,I can go to bed alone ! I’m not a child !”

Gaby pushed your hand away and went on her bed,her short hair assembled in two tiny braids. She pulled the blankets up to her chest,looking like she was hiding behind them.

“A teen wouldn’t run to my room every night because she’s scared. Don’t try to grow up too fast Gaby.”

“I don’t do that !” the girl yelled,her eyes quickly looking at Falco’s bed. He was sitting on it,a small smile on his face,looking ridiculous in his pajamas was ten times too big.

« I do that too Gaby , so I won’t judge you. »

As she furiously muttered about false allegations,you took a look over your shoulder,taking a glimpse at your husband. He was leaning on the door,his arms crossed over his chest,his expression more relaxed than it used to be. Since the end of the war, Levi had gained some sense of comfort, realizing that he’ll never have to fight again,to see people die. You didn’t have to fear about how many days you had left together anymore, and it was the most precious gift.

« Oi,kids,it’s late ,stop talking and get some sleep. »

« We’re not kids ! And you’re not going to sleep either,so I don’t see why we should sleep. »

Levi let out a « Tch » and took some steps,finally entering the room. Even if he acted like he was always bothered by the kids,he had to admit that he enjoyed their presence. He loved seeing you take care of them,as if they were your own child and he couldn’t help himself from thinking that maybe,one day,the four of you will form a family.

Your relation with Gaby and Falco wasn’t always this easy. You’d met the girl after that she murdered one of your closest friend,and went through a lot of others events before arriving here. But the war had let them without families, and Levi and you had proposed to protect them. You didn’t even talked to each other before taking the child at your house,it had just...like that,a mutual understanding.

And it was one of the best decision of your life. Falco was the sweetest boy ever,always willing to help,to learn new things,and Gaby,even if she had a more difficult temper,was just a girl in need of love. With time,you’d built a routine,a connection,and you hoped that it could grow into something bigger.

« We could...we could play a game ! » said Falco,making small jumps on his bed.

« Falco,I’m trying my best to make them understand that we’re not children anymore,don’t say stuff like that. »

And,while saying this,she grabbed her pillow and threw it at the boy’s shocked face.

« Ga...Gaby ! »

« You’re not kids , uh ? » said Levi,a little smirk on his face as he went to grab the pillow from Falco’s hand. Retaining his strength,he gently threw it to Gaby.

« Eh ! He’s the one who started ! »

« I didn’t do anything ! »

Levi and you nodded in agreement,a smirk on his face and a smile on yours. They were always fighting like this,and even if it was annoying at first,you’d grow into liking it.

« Everyone is always against me anyway. » muttered Gaby,hiding herself completely under her blankets now.

You sat on her bed, pulling the blankets away from her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed,but the ghost of a smile was visible on her face. Shyly, uncertain if she was going to push you away,you put your arm around her shoulders and brought her into a hug. She didn’t move at first,but after a few seconds,her body relaxed as she crossed her arms around your waist,her head resting on your chest.

« She’s the one who throws pillow and she gets the cuddles,that’s unfair ! »

« Come here ,little jealous guy. »

Almost running,Falco quickly crossed the space between the beds,and ,jumping on Gaby’s bed,folded his arms around you. Awkwardly standing on his feet,Levi looked at the scene,trying to understand what was happening. He looked at your smile,that damned smile he could kill to see,and at the children in your arms,at their happy face. He’d spent too many time fearing for his life,fearing for your life,keeping himself away from happiness because he was scared to lose it. But he didn’t have to live in fear anymore.

Slowly,as if he had just learnt how to walk,Levi sat on the bed,next to Falco,and put an arm around the boy’s shoulders. When he saw that no one was telling him to go away,he sighed,letting out a loud breath,and rested his head on yours while patting Gaby’s head. Your four bodies were glued to each other,an the room filled with silence while you savored the instant.

« Falco,we should have pillow fight more often. »

« Definitely. »

And,while they started to laugh,you took a look at them,at the people in this room. There was a man haunted by ghosts and who’s hands had knew too much blood,you and your past,the deaths you’d seen,the death you’d made. There was two children,almost teens,who had seen too much horror in their small time on earth. But,somehow ,the four of you had managed to help each other through everything,and you’d find a way to build something. Something precious,that you’ll cherish until the day you’ll die. A family.

#attack on titan #aot hcs #levi ackerman headcanons #levi ackerman #levi headcanons #captain levi #levi aot #levi x you #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman x you #levi x y/n #dad levi

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aphrodite-would-be-proud · 4 years ago

Note

Reading through your wedding post made me so happy, but then I read about Falco's family 😭 Do you think you could write some of your headcannons of you and Reiner watching Falco for a week while his brother goes on a business trip or something. I can only picture by the end of the week that the house is full of the kids because none of them want to go home because Falco misses his brother and hes sad!! 😭😭

I'm so happy you enjoyed it! And that's such a sweet and thoughtful request how could i say no :( my god it sounds like the perfect comfort fic to write and honestly Falco deserves it💛

And the kiddos comforting Falco is a really adorable idea especially since he's the one looking out for everyone and comforting them most of the time, i can only imagine how loved he'd be by them.

Falco spending a week with you and Reiner

{ Reiner x reader | tw:deceased parents tw:neglectful parents | reverse comfort, fluff | modern }

{ "Tales of Enchantment" by Frank O. Salisbury 1874–1962 }

Around 5am, you and Reiner were waiting in the living room, each holding a cup of coffee. In the past days you got a call from Colt, asking if you can take care of Falco for a week, he sounded really apologetic and so you reassured him it's not trouble at all.

Apparently him and Zeke had a work related trip to a far away town, being understaffed in that town and all, the situation was dire and they couldn't refuse without their rating taking a huge hit not to mention morally too. But as a compensation, the company promised a higher pay to make their effort worth it.

You didn't notice the repeated knocking on the door till a couple seconds later, lack of sleep delaying your senses.

Opening it, you were met with an anxious Colt carrying his little brother in his arms, still asleep in his pajamas. Zeke from behind him carrying a couple bags and backpacks, he waved to you with a smile.

As Reiner took Falco in his arms and some of the bags too, you carried his Marvel school backpack and a list Colt made for all the things Falco needed and liked. He seemed to put a lot of effort in it, somethings in it you didn't even know yourself.

While tucking Falco in your bed, Reiner couldn't help but express his worry over Colt working himself to exhausting, both mentally and physically.

Yeah it was only a temporary thing till Colt graduates college and finds a stable good paying job, whilst taking care of his little brother as much as he can. He's been carrying Falco's responsibility on his shoulder since the funeral without a twitch or a complaint.

You think back to all the times you saw Colt, most being for mere minutes when he came to drop off the kids or pick them up just as his classes ended and before his shift at work started, barely having time for himself yet he chose to spend that little remaining free time on Falco and his friends.

You sit next to Reiner on the bed, gently brushing Falco's hair away from his face as he's sound asleep. He always looked up to his brother more than anyone else and would never let anyone talk badly about him.

It's like his own personal superhero.

"Do you think he'll be sad knowing he didn't get to say goodbye before Colt left?" You ask, still looking at Falco.

Reiner thinks for a moment before answering, "probably, but won't show it" he secures the blanket more around Falco, "sometimes I wonder who's more stubborn with showing their emotions, Gabi or Falco."

"I'd say Zofia wins the acting Oscar" you turn the lights off on your way out, "wasn't it for Udo, we wouldn't know how she's feeling half the time."

Around 10am, a very sleepy Falco merges out of the dark bedroom. Making his way to sit between you and Reiner on the couch, while carrying a blanket around him.

He leans into Reiner's hand when he strokes Falco's hair while you secure the blanket around him. Seeming unusual quiet, you and Reiner shared a knowing concerned look.

Offering to make him his favourite food for breakfast got a smiles out of Falco, Reiner even let him choose what shapes he wants his sunny side eggs as.

While he went to cook and prepare food, Falco shyly leans into your lap as if testing the water.

Please assure him it's okay to seek physical comfort from you, wrap your arms around him and he'll be embarrassed at first to ask to sit on your lap but will love it afterwards.

Just don't tell anyone about it okay? It's something his parents used to do when he was little.

When he heard about Gabi coming over today, he seemed to light up. While Udo and Zofia have weekend music lessons they couldn't make it till tomorrow.

While looking away, he asked if you could watch teen titans go with him.

The rest of the day went smoothly after that, Falco was a good kid in general and a really helpful and understanding person. He helped you both with chores and even attempted to cook pancakes.

While it came out burned, don't tell him that! He's really worried so please make him know you loved it and it was super delicious.

You and Reiner even took him to the dogs park nearby, he had pet so many good dogs till he couldn't count, even played fetch with one. After that you got ice cream on the way back.

When Gabi finally arrived, full of energy and enthusiastic about Falco staying over meaning she too will be staying over

All hell broke loose, it's like a switch had been flipped and the well behaved good boy Falco you know was completely weoponised by Gabi as she pulled him into her mischiefs

By himself, Falco is a good kid, well behaved, polite and responsible for his age. But with adding Gabi to the mix? They're a force to be reckon with.

You could see that Reiner was trying his hardest to deny that his closest cousin Gabi, was the bad influence on other kids all along.

You know? The one leading you off a cliff that your moms tells you not to follow? The rebellious kid with very strong opinions and the will to fist fight god? Yeah that one.

Apparently, no one gave Falco the cliff talk yet because he seemed far too eager to follow her to the end of the earth and down that cliff, he'd even jump hand in hand with her just to protect her from the sharp rocks under.

Gabi was actually looking forward to Falco staying over, since either way she'd spend a couple of days with you and Reiner whenever her parents are away or are too busy. She can't handle feeling lonely in the house, it's one of the worst feelings she's ever experienced.

It reached a point that Reiner gave her a copy of the keys, just so she could come in whenever even if you were at work. He too didn't like the idea of her being alone in a house all by herself, yet her parents didn't seem bothered at all.

But now she has a friend to spend the time with!

Falco was finding comfort in the fact that him and Gabi are currently in similar situations, while his was temporarily he felt better knowing he wasn't alone in this.

By the end of the the day, they managed to build a pillow fort in your living room. No one allowed to enter unless they're bearing offerings snacks

Around 10pm, when both of them fall asleep inside the fort. Falco hugging a pillow to his chest while Gabi still had a controller in her hand.

Of course Reiner took some pictures, how could he not? Especially with the way Falco's fingers were tangled with Gabi's as she had cookie crumbs around her mouth.

He also sent it to the groupchat Zeke made, reassuring Colt that Falco is having the time of his life whilst also sharing their adorable cousins with the rest of his friends.

The week went by faster than anyone could notice, good times always fly fast eh?

Each morning you and Reiner would walk Falco to the school bus before watching him sit next to Udo, sending him off with packed lunch and waving as the bus went away.

After school the rest of the kiddos will come with him home, keeping him company and helping him with homework too. They'd make sure to play Videgames right after.

Porco actually took over the duty of taking Zofia and Udo back to their houses, let's just say their mothers didn't like him at all, but reluctantly agreed after Reiner assured them he's a close family friend.

Each day around 6pm, Colt would video call him on his work break, sometimes with Zeke and other times alone. Falco would tell him about his day and Colt would praise him for all the good work he's done, he'd even share stories of his own and remind him to brush his teeth and eat his vegetables.

After each call, Falco will be noticeably more...down. can you blame him? He really misses him brother.

Sit next to him and hug him close please, he really needs it but he can't bring himself to ask for it. Soothe away his worries and don't mention it if his eyes start watering, just pull him against your chest and let him cry his heart out.

On nights he's particularly sad, he'd sneak into your bedroom to sleep between you and Reiner. It's something he used to do back when he was little, he can't help but miss his parents.

It makes him feel safe so make sure to keep a space for him in there always.

Please stroke his hair till he falls asleep like his mother used to do each night, and let him lean against you while watching cartoons like his father did.

You also noticed how...dotting the kiddos are around him during these times.

Gabi is more gentle with him, even willing to play the games he wants instead of hers. She always teams up with him and her words whenever they win make him smile.

Zofia shares her food with him, something so scarce. She gives up her turn on the tv for him and even defends his choice in what to watch if the others complain.

Udo is the one making him space on the school bus and walking with him home too. Helping him with his homework and holding his hand whenever he seemed to get sad.

Udo and Falco are a great emotional support to each other, they're not afraid to speak about their emotions to the other.

And naturally they're the most comforting, with Zofia botteling up her own emotions and Gabi wrestling through it, it's the two of them who work as the group emotional support backbone.

Reiner couldn't stop talking to you about how proud he is of Udo when he saw him comforting Falco these days, you couldn't agree more.

By the end of the week, the three kids were surrounding Falco on the couch as they played Mario karts.

Zofia was threatening to throw hands with whoever threw that blue shell at her making her last place, Gabi was too busy securing her first place spot.

Udo was leaving strategtic traps in his trail while in third place, making Zofia even more frustrated as she fell into every single one.

Falco was racing with Gabi in second place, attempting to push her kart or power through to the finish line.

When the black and white line came into view, Gabi and Falco's karts were separate by mere inches, both of them attempting to outrun the other.

And when Gabi managed to get a hold of the first spot for three seconds, a flying blue shell knocked her away. Making Falco the winner as he crossed the line.

To this day, Gabi doesn't know if which one of Zofia and Udo were the cause of her demise, but oh she will find the traitor and they will pay.

After that intense scene, they all shared a bag of cookies she brought from home! It was animal shaped.

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braunbakery · 4 years ago

Text

salvation, maybe (ix)

☞ reiner braun x reader [fem bodied] [chapter word count: 2.2k] ☞ spotify

☞ sfw, angst, fluff, post-season 3 [after 4 year time jump], season 4 spoilers

☞ cross-posted on ao3

☞ fic plot: you have walked these streets many times before. you have passed this bench many times before. you have seen this man (lost in his thoughts, always drifting, always looking lost) many times before. but this time, this time you take a seat.

prev. next

ix. connect

grass grazes against your bare legs as you sit cross-legged on the ground of the park, watching reiner who is sitting in front of you break apart a loaf of bread in his hands. the park is unkempt and quite overgrown, the blades of grass brushing against the fabric covering your midriff, but you’re somewhat grateful for fraction of cover it offers for the giddy anxiety you still feel when you’re alone with reiner. he sits with one knee bent and an arm balanced over it, intently chewing the piece of bread. the moment seems surreal to you as he practically shoves the bread down his throat. do they feed the warriors?

“stop buying my bread for me,” you say. reiner looks up at you.

“it’s called being a gentleman,” he retorts, pushing the bag of goods from the bakery closer to you with his leg. he had practically shoved in front of you when it was your turn in line, charming his way into paying for your share by gripping your shoulder (you have a feeling he had known that would make you freeze in your tracks) as he smiled in greeting at the shop keeper.

“you’re not going to be saying that when your wallet’s empty.”

“eat your bread,” reiner practically interrupts, tossing the other discarded half of the loaf he had broken apart earlier from his lap into yours. a part of you knew you were just feigning annoyance and knowing that reiner was willing to pay for your share (even though it really was something as simple as bread) made you have to constantly try and bite back your smile. you lean forward onto your knees, shuffling forward and snatching the other half of the loaf from his hand.

“it’s a nice day,” you say, settling back in your spot (albeit this time a little closer) and taking a bite of the stolen loaf. you crane your neck upwards, peering up at the blue sky littered with clouds. every so often, the clouds glide over the sun, and, when they eventually pass, the returned glow of sunlight makes the tips of reiner’s hair shimmer gold.

“yeah,” reiner responds while digging his hand into the brown paper bakery bag. a light gust of wind blows through the trees, causing more dry rust orange leaves to detach from their branches and fly down onto the already autumn leaf saturated grass. you sit in silence, watching them aimlessly fly about above the ground before eventually settling down.

“did they end up saying anything to you when you got back?” you ask. reiner pauses in thought. does he tell you about gabi’s incessant questioning, basically almost pouncing on reiner while falco attempted (and failed) to reel her in? does he tell you about pieck’s teasing ‘oh really?’ after gabi blurted out a practically incoherent ramble? does he tell you about porco’s ‘huh, poor girl’ after he caught wind of what the commotion was all about (and then proceeding to scold reiner for not coming back with stuff for the kids, which was literally the only reason he went out in the first place)?

“not really.”

reiner looks down at the time on his watch, bending his wrist upwards towards him, and then looks back at you.

“do you need to go?” you press, darting your eyes down to his watch as well. reiner looks down at his lap.

“uh…yeah,” he confirms sheepishly, however still unmoving from his position on the grass opposite you.

“so…are you going to get up?” you tilt your head at him questioningly, trying to hide the smile crawling its way across your face at reiner’s hesitance to leave.

“soon.”

frankly, reiner isn’t ready to leave and go back to being the honourable warrior with a steel heart made only to fight for his country. he isn’t ready to go back to the constant reminder of who he is and what he’s done and who he’s hurt in the process. he knows that, eventually, he will go back. he always does. it’s inevitable and it’s been a long time since he’d realised there wasn’t really going to be any escape from this – only the fleeting moments he could sink himself into as a distraction. reiner thinks he wants to indulge and let himself sink into this one for just a little longer, even if the current pressing against him is trying to push him to the surface.

“i’ll see you tomorrow,” you assure him (and also yourself). reiner’s eyes widen slightly at the statement and you can’t help but relish in the warmth that spreads over your face during the few moments it takes for him to register your words. you decide to plant yourself down on your knees and shuffle over closer to him (praying your skirt isn’t patterned with grass stains later), placing both of your hands on his shoulders.

“yeah?” reiner queries, just looking for you to say it again. he peers up at your figure kneeling slightly above him, the light of the sun casting a glow around you, and he wraps a hand around one of your wrists near his head. (his touch is warm, as usual).

“yes, tomorrow,” you repeat, trying to control your heart pounding nervously at your sudden decision to move closer to him (like you hadn’t spent a night in his bed, like you hadn’t just kissed him the day before) and you wonder if he can feel your racing pulse through your wrist. that would be embarrassing. but, for some reason, whenever it comes to him, there’s a sense of clarity that slowly seeps into every second – like every move you make is the one that you’ve been destined to carry out.

“okay,” reiner exhales before gently lifting your hand off his shoulder and starting to get up. but, before he drops your wrist from his grip, you place it back on his shoulder and push him back down on the ground gently. reiner’s mouth has slightly gaped open in confusion and you’re trying not to place your fingers under his chin and push it closed.

“and the day after that?” you implore, grinning as you watch reiner take a few moments to register what you’re trying to say (again).

“what?” he says, “uh…yeah.” you can feel him subconsciously relax into your touch.

“and after that?” you repeat. reiner chuckles, feeling his blood rush to the tips of his ears and finding it harder and harder to avoid your gaze. he thinks, if he’s making you smile like this that maybe he should stay for a little longer (more than a little).

“yes–”

“and after that?” you cut in through huffed laughs, now leaning closer to him and seating yourself down to rest on your calves so you’re no longer leaning over him.

“yes,” he promises, eyes twinkling as he matches the smile spread across your face.

“okay. well, i’ll see you then,” and before you really know what you’re doing, you’re leaning closer and closer to him and time is coming to a standstill. you feel the slightly tense skin between reiner’s eyebrows relax against your lips as you press a small kiss to it, sending flutters down reiner’s neck. reiner holds your elbow, your hands still firmly planted on his shoulders, and he wonders how he’s going to bring himself to leave.

even after he’s gone (turning around a final time and offering you a parting closed-mouth smile before leaving the park), you don’t feel the solitude slowly starting to seep its way back in. often, you’ve been faced with thoughts of how weak you must be to let this hollow isolation, this haunting loneliness, dictate your life. but, this time, maybe for the first time of many, you’re grateful to carry it with you as long as it keeps leading you back to him. as long as it’s letting you watch him smile, and hear his voice grow slowly less and less distant, you think you’re happy to watch him leave as many times as the universe dictates.

so, you’re under the clouds again, walking toward the warrior headquarters during one of the many ‘days after that.’ newspaper gripped in hand, you try not to let your hands get too clammy at the thought of running into any of the other warriors or the candidates when you get there. this is the first time you’ve gone to meet reiner instead of him coming down to liberio during his breaks to see you. you don’t know why he had insisted on you coming to see him, but he had ordered a paper that you know he isn’t going to read so that your permit to leave the internment zone would be valid and, even though your lives had practically revolved around each other for the past week, this shift in the routine makes your heart race.

but to be fair, your heart seems to never be able to stay in the same place when it comes to reiner.

eventually you’re walking through the gated entrance of the warrior unit HQ, acutely aware of every crunch of the gravel beneath your feet as you make your way past the training grounds. you can hear childlike whoops and yells – probably the warrior candidates – and the sense of being out of place is disorienting.

left gate to the training grounds, reiner had said to you.

but as you wait there, fiddling with your fingers and crushing the paper between your arm and your chest, you’re inwardly cursing reiner for shyly circling his thumb over your hand and silently pleading with you to journey out of the internment zone for him the day before. you’re cursing reiner for this hold he seems to have on you – that you don’t even know if he’s aware of – and how it’s so easy for him to make you lose sight of your previous worries. you’re cursing rei-

“oh, hey! it’s you,” a soft voice calls out, and your head is quickly jerking to the source of the voice. dark heavy-lidded eyes accompanied by raven hair meet yours, and a lazy smile makes its way over pieck’s face. she’s sporting one crutch balanced underneath her left armpit and is eagerly making her way toward you.

“hi,” you say, voice fading miles away. pieck tilts her head in amusement, her smile growing larger.

“you here for reiner?” she asks, and you can’t help but try to crawl back into your own body. but there’s another part of you trying not to smile so wide that your cheeks ache at the assumption that he’s the reason you’re here. that you’re directly tied together.

“how…how did you know?” you ask hesitantly. you know pieck had seen you with him that night at the bar that seemed millennia ago, but why would she assume that-

“pieck! did you…” a panting and sweat-drenched gabi, probably straight out of training, freezes in front of you, eyes frantically scanning you and pieck before a bright, blinding smile breaks out over her face.

“gabi, this is–”

“you! what’re you doing here?!” gabi is practically bouncing in place, beaming up at you and clasping her hands in excitement. you spare pieck a glance and she gives you what seems like an apologetic smile.

“i’m…i’m delivering a paper,” it comes out more like a question, and you don’t know why you’re excusing your presence but before you can try and find an excuse to run on and find reiner, pieck’s melodic laughter is filling the space between you.

“the paper, of course,” she teases, and you drift your eyes to the ground in embarrassment when you realise she knows you have no reason to be delivering anything this late in the afternoon.

(“did they end up saying anything to you when you got back?”

“not really.”

liar.

you’re cursing reiner again.)

in the distance behind gabi you can make out three small approaching figures, animatedly talking amongst themselves. when gabi hears the chatter, she rapidly twists around and raises her hands up.

“udo! zofia!” she calls out, voice echoing across the grounds. the two candidates gaze across the path at her and you think you can hear falco next to them muttering an embarrassed ‘gabi…’,“i told you we didn’t make it up!” she exclaims in victory, launching off towards them like she hadn’t just been barely able to speak through shallow breaths a few moments ago. udo and zofia lean out from behind gabi and peer at you, before quickly retreating to their position.

“hey–” gabi starts as she makes her way back towards you, but before she can finish a hand is grabbing your wrist and tugging you backward. you look up and meet deep honeyed eyes momentarily peering down at you before they look back up at pieck. reiner clicks his tongue at pieck and she offers him a teasing grin in response. his grasp around your wrist is warm and you’re happy to let him whisk you away back out of HQ.

a part of him somewhat regrets telling you to come up and meet him here. he wishes he could keep you separate from this part of his life, this part of himself. and he loves the candidates, really, he does. they’re his lifeline and the warriors are practically his family, but he doesn’t want what he has with you (he still doesn’t know what to call it) to be tarnished by talks of war, battle, godforsaken titans and the constant reminder that each and every one of his comrades’ days are numbered.

he doesn’t realise that he’s still practically dragging you through the streets of marley until he feels you slowly slip your wrist out of his grasp and interlace your fingers with his. he slows down and turns his head towards you, being met with a smile so warm that it eases the scowl off his face.

“maybe it would’ve been better to meet back in liberio,” you meekly say, butterflies swarming your abdomen as reiner slightly adjusts his grip on your hand, “i didn’t think i’d be meeting them.”

“no, it’s okay…i wanted to take you somewhere,” he replies, offering you a reassuring glance before looking ahead once again, “i don’t mind, really. gabi…seems to really like you,” reiner chuckles quietly.

“i think she likes the fact i proved her right more,” you retort, and reiner laughs louder. he thinks maybe he can live with you not being something only for him, something that only occupies in his mind, as long as you keep coming back for him. it’s selfish, he knows. but when you smile up at him, or squeeze his hand back, or when your eyes twinkle as you watch him laugh, he thinks maybe being selfish isn’t so bad.

“seriously, though,” you continue, “you should’ve told me if you wanted me to avoid them.”

“no, i…that’s not it. um…” the words are escaping reiner, and he’s mortified of letting slip that some corrupted part of him only wants you for himself and doesn’t want you to be exposed to him as a warrior even though he can so clearly see you pleading for him to show you more of himself whenever your eyes lock. whenever silence settles between you.

“yeah?” and you must admit, watching reiner struggle to find the words to excuse his initial stand-offishness when he had dragged you away from HQ is pretty entertaining.

“i don’t think i really care where i meet you,” he says, carefully pronouncing each word as he continues to walk side by side with you. your eyes are widening, waiting for him to finish the sentence and peering up at his furrowed brows and avoidant gaze.

“alright, then,” you fake offence.

“no, no! i mean…ugh, god.”

reiner brings his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose and you lift the hand that isn’t holding his to his arm to tell him that it’s okay. he looks back at your slightly taunting smile, dropping his hand from his face and untensing his brows momentarily. his gaze is averted again before he practically pulls the words out of his mouth.

“i don’t care as long as i’m meeting you.”

you open your mouth, but the words never spill out, ending up with you quietly continuing to walk along with him. you return the hand that was teasingly placed on his arm to your side, trying to decipher the thoughts that are currently hurtling through your mind. you hope reiner doesn’t notice how the hand he’s still holding is getting clammy, or how you’re so flustered that you’ve almost tripped over your own feet about three times already.

eventually, reiner looks back at you to gauge your reaction, and when he sees that the smirk has faded from your face (replaced with a mouth that’s slightly ajar) and you’re bashfully staring at your feet like walking is something that requires your utmost focus, it’s his turn to smile in amusement.

and it’s a sight you’ll never get sick of.

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randomposterofstuff · 4 years ago

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Why I still appreciate AOT/SNK despite how it ended

Hi, all!

I still have a lot of thoughts running rampant in my mind. I plan to express each idea individually. By this, I mean that one idea will be the subject matter of one post. I have many thoughts, and it would be a really long post if I include all of them in just one. Haha.

But for this particular post, I would like to express that even though I have mixed feelings about the conclusion, I still appreciate Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin. I admit that I only joined the fandom recently. Haha. But I became invested in the story and its characters fairly quickly.

I have mixed feelings about the ending. And as of now, they lean more towards disappointment and frustration. (I will elaborate more on what I think of it in another post.) Haha. But despite this, the series still gave us many, many incredible scenes and exciting plot lines. Furthermore, it also offered critical insights on complex subject matters.

Fair warning: This is another lengthy post. Haha.

A. It is entertaining

AOT/SNK is very entertaining. The action scenes alone had us on the edges of our seats. And those epic fight scenes were nicely complemented by compelling storylines involving deception, mystery, and power struggles. A personal favorite scene of mine is Levi Ackerman’s fight scene against Kenny’s Anti-Personnel Squad. The action and the conspiracy which led to it were amazing and jaw-dropping. (Side note: Ackerman Supremacy forever!)

B. It offers critical input on relevant issues

But the series is more than just enjoyable. It is also critical and reflective. Many people have said that AOT/SNK is a commentary on the many ills that plague human civilization and society. And I agree with this.

The series has invited us to think critically about war, violence, and trauma and their various effects on different people. It also has encouraged us to reflect on the power of information and perspectives.

1. AOT/SNK on war, trauma, violence and their effects

It showed us how a once innocent girl like Mikasa Ackerman became a highly skilled combatant because she feared losing her loved ones to violence. After witnessing her parents get killed in front of her while she was helpless to do anything, Mikasa became motivated to fight to protect the very few precious people left in her life.

It showed us how a former thug like Levi Ackerman realized that he could put his exceptional skills to better use by staying with the Survey Corps/Scouting Regiment instead of returning to the Underground. When he lost Isabel and Furlan to Titans, he felt unadulterated rage and pain. This also caused him to see the threat that the Titans posed to humans and influenced his decision to remain as a soldier.

It showed us how a once self-centered Jean Kirchstein transformed into a dedicated soldier and reliable leader after seeing the decimated corpse of his closest friend and companion. Jean’s change of heart was admirable. However, it was unfortunate that the change was caused by something as tragic as losing Marco.

It also showed us how a cowardly Floch Forester became a violent and narrow-minded extremist. When he was first introduced, he was afraid of dying in battle. But the war and struggle against Marley caused him to view anyone who wasn’t an Eldian as the enemy, even if they were only unarmed civilians. Ironically, his extremist views had made him a braver fighter. At one point, he had even told his allies to dedicate their hearts to the new Eldian Empire.

2. AOT/SNK on the effects of prejudice, propaganda, and indoctrination

I think that the series had also brilliantly portrayed how prejudice, propaganda, and indoctrination affect different people from different sides.

i. Propaganda in Marley

It showed us how the current generations of Eldians were forced to pay for their ancestors' sins. The old Eldian empire under King Fritz and his successors until Karl Fritz mercilessly conquered lands and destroyed many lives. Understandably, this caused the other nations and peoples of the olden times to hate Eldians. However, this hatred was unfortunately passed down from generation to generation. The crimes of the old Eldian Empire were committed thousands of years ago. Yet, the Eldians who were borncenturies afterward were still despised and viewed as devils.

This millennia-old hatred was also used by Marley to spread propaganda to keep itself in power and to keep Eldians in the internment zones across the world in check. They taught Eldians that because of their ancestors' sins and their supernatural ability to transform into Titans, they were monsters and plagues upon the Earth. They were also taught that they needed to repent to absolve themselves of the crimes of their forefathers.

This propaganda led to many Eldians believing that they deserved to be treated poorly and that they had to work hard to be respected as actual people. This mindset was what allowed the Marleyan Warrior Program to become successful. One privilege that came with being a Warrior of Marley and a family member of such Warrior was being granted honorary Marleyan citizenship. It was viewed as an honor and a sign of respect.

It was because of this that Gabi and Reiner Braun both aspired to become Warriors. Gabi trained as a Warrior because she wanted to prove to the world that there are Eldians who are good people. She herself had admitted that the struggles she faced as an Eldian were what motivated her to work hard. On Reiner’s part, he joined the program because he assumed that becoming an honorary Marleyan would complete his broken family. He thought his Marleyan father would live together with him and his Eldian mother once he became a Warrior. But alas, he was proven wrong since his father rejected him despite his efforts.

On the flip side, it also caused other Eldians to become hateful and resentful of superpowers like Marley. They were tired of being treated as second-class citizens and formed the Eldian Restorationist Movement. The Restorationists believed that Marley was feeding them deceitful propaganda. While this is indeed true, they instead believed that the source of all Titan power, who they reverently called the great Founder Ymir, was a benevolent being who would never harm anyone. It was eventually revealed that this was not true either.

The Restorationists had extreme views. These views caused Grisha Yeager to use his first son Zeke as a means to an end. The Restorationists had wanted to overthrow Marley utilizing the power of the Titans. And Grisha had immediately offered his son without any hesitation to their cause by enrolling him into the Warrior Program to become a spy for them. The Yeager patriarch was so focused and engrossed with their goal that he had neglected to act as an actual father to his then young son. He was more invested in Zeke's progress as a Warrior candidate than in the latter's growth and happiness as his son.

ii. Propaganda in Paradis

It was also revealed that the inhabitants within the Walls were also taught propaganda. As readers and viewers, we all know that the people of Paradis were initially ignorant of the truth of the world and of the Titans because King Karl Fritz erased the memories of the island’s first inhabitants. We all knew that most of them believed that they were the last living humans in the world and that the rest were wiped out by Titans around 100 years ago. The misinformation spread by Karl Fritz endangered the people of Paradis. It cultivated and propagated ignorance which left them vulnerable to attacks from other nations.

As such, they were clueless and defenseless against the Warriors of Marley when they first attacked. And they would’ve continued to be defenseless had it not been for Grisha’s journals and the memory-related powers of Eren’s Attack Titan. The lack of information and the misinformation they received had placed them in great jeopardy.

When the truth came to light, the Eldians of Paradis were divided. One side sought to broker for peace with the other nations. They wished to show that the people of the island mean no harm. The people of this side were willing to overlook the terrible deeds that Marley had committed if it meant that they could finally achieve true peace.

The other side saw the other nations, especially Marley, as enemies who wished to exterminate them. They were disgusted and infuriated by what Marley had done. These Eldians wanted to take arms and fight for the establishment and freedom of the new Eldian Empire.

2. AOT/SNK on the power of narrative in relation to the cycle of hatred

One thing that the series masterfully executed is the portrayal of the importance of narratives.

i. The Paradis Perspective

During the first arc, it was shown how helpless the people inside the Walls were when Titans attacked the Shiganshina District. We also saw the trauma that a young Eren Yeager experienced when he saw his mother get eaten by a Titan. We witnessed first-hand how a young child lost his parents and his home. And how this loss cultivated his understandable anger and became his primary motivation for becoming a soldier for humanity.

Fans, readers, and viewers sympathized and supported Eren because of this. By presenting how the destruction affected him, we all rooted for him and his allies. This narrative also showed us how countless soldiers of the Survey Corps/Scouting Regiment lost their lives during the fight against the Titans. From a spectator's point of view, the Titans were beasts that killed humans who were significantly weaker and smaller than them and monsters that laid waste wherever they went. As such, this perspective had led many of us to resent Bertolt, Annie, and Reiner when they were revealed to be the Colossal, Female, and Armored Titans, respectively.

ii. The Marleyan Perspective

But this all changed when we were shown the Marleyan perspective. When the Marleyan Arc began, we were shown how Eldians on the other side of the sea were poorly treated. We saw how they were brainwashed to believe that Paradis Island's inhabitants were the true devils beyond salvation, whereas they could still be redeemed. When these things were gradually revealed to us, we eventually understood why Bertolt, Annie, and Reiner did the terrible things they did. Because of these revelations, we started to become more sympathetic towards the Warriors.

The power of narrative was especially emphasized in the Raid on Liberio. During Willy Tybur’s declaration of war against Paradis, he revealed the world's true history and King Karl Fritz's plan. He also announced that the founding Titan's power was stolen from the royal family inside the Walls by Eren and that the latter had planned to use it to attach the rest of the world.

Not soon after his announcement, Eren transformed and attacked the people in attendance. The Survey Corps had also arrived to provide manpower and backup. In the process, hundreds of civilians and visiting dignitaries were killed.

All of these things lent credence to the propaganda about Eldians being devils. From the eyes of a bystander, Eren and the Survey Corps were murderers who destroyed a city full of innocents. This was how Gabi Braun viewed them at the time. She was raised with Marley's propaganda. As such, her already present hatred was amplified when she saw her hometown get destroyed and her friends and neighbors get killed in front of her. While her general prejudice towards the Eldians of Paradis was unjustified, the pain and anger she felt during the Raid on Liberio were very much valid and understandable.

iii. On the cycle of hatred and how to end it

It is because of these narratives that the cycle of violence continued on for so long. No one narrative is more right or less wrong than the other. This is because the losses and struggles that each side suffered were all very real and very valid. It is not fair to quantify the validity of a person’s pain.

The neglect and loneliness that Zeke felt as a child were valid. The grief and rage Gabi felt when her friends were killed were also valid. The heartache that Niccolo experienced when Sasha died was also valid. The depression and trauma Reiner sustained after his mission on Paradis Island were likewise valid. The hurt Connie felt when he was betrayed by people he trusted was valid. Jean's sadness at losing Marco and Sasha was valid. The anguish Levi felt when he was left with no choice but to slaughter his transformed comrades was valid. The point here is that no one's pain is more valid than that of others. There are different types of pain, and they are all valid.

It is from these losses and pain that anger stems. Anger is a very valid emotion. However, the way people choose to act on their anger is not always valid. On this, the choice to express anger through violence is the root cause of the cycle of hatred. It is also what perpetuates the vicious cycle. I think that this message was executed well in the scene where Niccolo confronts Gabi and reveals her as Sasha’s killer to the Brauses.

It is also during this scene that the answer to ending the cycle of hatred was explained through the wise words of Mr. Braus.

Screenshots taken from Season 4, Episode 13 of the Attack on Titan anime.

Mr. Braus acknowledged that the world is like a giant forest where violence is nearly always afoot. He understood that violence will continue to exist unless people put a stop to hatred. He sagely advised that it is up to the older generations to bear the sins of the past and their effects and consequences. This is so that the youth of the future could live in peace. And he backed his words with action by choosing not to take revenge on Gabi despite his own grief and pain.

The series also showed that another answer to ending the cycle was through understanding. This was exemplified through Gabi’s character development. Prior to her arrival on Paradis, she thought that its inhabitants were devils that were beyond redemption. But after spending time with the Brauses, she became enlightened. Gabi eventually realized that she was wrong about her prejudices. And it was because of this realization that her hatred disappeared, and she asked for forgiveness.

Screenshot taken from Chapter 118 of the Shingeki no Kyojin manga.

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Final Words: There are actually a lot more things that the series had touched upon. But I don't think that I can comprehensively cover all of them in this post. Hahaha. In any case, I still like AOT/SNK because overall, it is an epic tale full of action, mystery, intrigue, and most of all, valuable lessons and insights to ponder upon. I know that many fans feel that the ending ruined the series for them. And I understand why they feel that way. But personally, I think that many great things about it deserve to be appreciated. I know that not everyone will agree with me, but this is my take on it.

So, despite my disappointment and issues with Ch. 139, I still thank Isayama-sensei for giving us Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin. Thank you, Isayama! Shinzou Wo Sasageyo!

#aot anime #attack on titan #aot #shingeki no kyojin #snk #mikasa ackerman #levi ackerman #jean kirschstein #gabi braun #connie springer #ackerman supremacy #reiner braun

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rivahisu107 · 4 years ago

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The Unresolved Baby Subplot Chapter 3: Children and Forests

As the Corps returns to Paradis amidst the turmoil that Eren has now placed the island in, there are so many questions about the situation that the rest of the Corps are asking about Eren and if he can be trusted or if it would be better to give his Titan to somebody else.

Meanwhile, Levi begins his month long stay in the Chateau D’Forest of Giant Trees with Zeke, where he so badly wants to fulfill his vow to Erwin but can’t for various reasons, more reasons than the readers may see upon first glance because of how tightly the dialogue is written.

And for some extra comparison, I am going to be incorporating some scenes from the anime adaptation to compare and contrast. It’s easier to see where things will be going in the final part unless there really are going to be some big changes, but artistic detail matters. Without further ado, let’s delve into the next chapter of this (conspiracy) theory of an unresolved plotline!

The first leg of the journey to the forest is by military carriage through streets full of people celebrating the victory of Eren Jaeger in Liberio, but they can’t see how ignorant they are according to Zeke. Levi is not impressed to have to be working with Zeke to maintain island security- he can’t stop glaring at him! He’s not too keen on this “secret plan” either, but he’s more than willing to listen. Remember, Hange has been desperately looking for solutions all this time as well. And it’s not really helping that the Queen is pregnant, so she’s not able to take on the Beast Titan in her condition, which Levi is to blame for as well.

Anyways, after a change of clothes, they arrive at their destination. Oh, what’s this, our second conversation involving children?

“So, you’re worried about those brats?”

What’s with that look, Zeke? Are you so embarrassed about your miscalculation that you have to remind Levi of his? This is going to be a long month in the forest if they can’t even outright mention the reason they have been brought together. Hmm, and Zeke ironically wants to bring Gabi and Falco “into the forest”.

Compare this to the anime. This very line has been cut, but Levi is even more pissed than he is in the manga. We’ll see a lot of that.

Nothing much here to say, except how interesting that like Historia, Levi is having to sit face to face with the rock throwing bully from not long ago. I like the sun/moon motifs in the anime, by the way. The sun was always with Historia, but the moon with Levi was an added detail.

Jump to a month later- ten months into the pregnancy according to the timeline-, and this is one of the many times Levi is asking Zeke about Ragako village and why he did what he did. Why, he had to prove his loyalty to Marley despite how horrific the bloodshed was. Levi shouldn’t be so judgmental; he shouldn’t assume what others are thinking. He must not have been popular with the ladies.

Wait. What? We were just talking about the ethics of slaughtering people to prove yourself loyal to someone or something. What does Levi’s love life have to do with this? Well, we now know that he was popular at one time. Just enough. Oh dear. He really doesn’t want to talk about this with “worrying about those brats”.

The anime in both the sub and dub has perfect line delivery. Plus he looks extra embarrassed and can’t even look at Zeke when answering the question.

Levi can’t do anything about when Zeke and Eren can do their “experiment”, it’s not his call. For once, they aren’t at each other’s necks because they agree that they are “running out of time”. The broader picture is that the world is going to strike back some time. But with that kind of look on his face, why else could Levi be worried about running out of time? Hold that thought.

Uh oh. Darius Zackley has been assassinated, and they can’t really trust Eren anymore because Zeke could be controlling him. But no, Levi’s Survey Corps idealism is getting the better of him. He put his trust in Eren many times before, so how could this farce be happening? So his idea is not to feed Eren to somebody else but instead to feed Zeke to a Jaegerist. And then, here comes the panel that I believe has been the simultaneously most taken out of context, misunderstood, and overlooked panel in this whole mystery. And it is also the key to resolving the plotline as picture perfect proof.

There are so many people who take this panel to mean, based on the dialogue, that

1. Levi is a cruel bastard who is more than happy to slaughter Historia.

2. Levi is relaying false information that was told secondhand about Historia’s due date- which has NOT been helped by Chapter 134 taking place just days later in story. It is more than high time to debunk all of this.

If you read Chapter 2 of my theory, we saw that back in Marley, Levi was absolutely heartbroken about diplomacy being more difficult to pursue than it seemed. Hange never wanted to sacrifice Historia either. They have been trying everything to find a peaceful solution that doesn’t involve the Rumbling or using Historia. It’s a messed up situation for sure, and there are few options due to Eren’s actions in Liberio left.

But remember, Historia was the one who said at the Hizuru meeting that she would take on the Beast Titan if needed for the survival of the island, and she reiterated this to Eren outright in Chapter 130 of the manga. So, it was ultimately her choice, her freedom to choose. Let’s break down the dialogue.

“Then, if Historia’s prepared like she says she is, we’ll feed the Titan to her next.”

Notice the language I highlighted. Levi is trying to do this on Historia’s terms- her words to him back in Uprising must still bite him to this day- in fact, she repeated his words of “there’s no need to run or fight” back to EREN. Only IF she is ready to take on the Titan. This sure doesn’t sound like somebody who wants to turn her by force, ready or not.

“We just need to wait a few months for her to give birth.”

See? Levi does not want to hurt a pregnant woman and her child- his child as well. Of course, when discussing this point about the pregnancy timing with others, I have had so many come back at me with, “Levi can’t be the father he got the timing wrong”.

Sigh. Duh. Of course he's giving the wrong due date. He’s not going to give the REAL DUE DATE, which is ANY DAY NOW. He’s buying her all the time he can. And do you think he’s going to give away the fact that he’s the father of this child who shouldn’t even be happening to two messengers of the top brass? What do you think would happen if he did?

Yes, that’s right. Levi is willing to compromise national security so Historia and their child don’t suffer during the Titanizing process even if she is willing to take on the Titan when she’s ready after giving birth. And I just want to point out a great irony. Those who think Eren is the father because he doesn’t want to turn Historia and her children into Titans believe he is doing a great favor by bursting out and getting angry every time this is brought up. But he disregards Historia’s own feelings twice. Does this sound like somebody who really cares about what the other wants?

And here, I want to do an artistic analysis. This is another big one where us readers have missed the forest for the trees. We focus so much on the dialogue that we ignore the picture. I couldn’t believe it when I actually looked for the first time. The way Historia is drawn made my jaw drop. She looks like a perfect, glowing angel from the most high key maternity shoot ever done in the mind of Levi, who himself is cleaned up and all glowy as well, not to mention that this is the first time since Chapter 69 at this point that he had a slight smile on his face. Why would Isayama make this artistic decision? Levi never has any moments where he thinks about Erwin like this in his mind, or Hange. Let’s compare this to two instances where Isayama has drawn couples in the manga.

See? They are all pretty and cleaned up. There is no other reason why Levi would be thinking about Historia in this manner. Nobody else in the story, not Eren nor the farmer, has any moment where they think about Historia like this. In fact, it’s the only time we see her during her pregnancy that she looks vaguely at peace.

Hold the phone. Levi snaps back from his fantasy because the messengers cannot believe how illogical and stupid his idea is. If they don’t feed Zeke to another with royal blood, the island is screwed! And they may lose Historia to birthing complications!

Er... are you okay there, Levi? You look terrified of birthing complications.

And they don’t sound too confident in your plan of “just strike back”. You have absolutely no resources to do so in your position. And here, we need to compare this to the anime.

Unfortunately, the dialogue surrounding Historia and the “few months” comment is cut- but that’s only a sign that something truly did happen ten months ago. And look at the way that the production compensated. Instead of talking about making sure Pixis gets his shit together, there is this added dialogue that makes Levi sound even angrier.

He’s not talking about ripping off Zeke’s limbs here. He’s talking about ripping off Pixis’ limbs! If any of the original manga stuff was animated, it would have been a huge giveaway.

A month has passed already- uh oh; time is running out- but Levi, while keeping the government plan in mind, is desperate to fulfill his vow to Erwin. Along with whatever was just going on in his mind, he is deeply distracted and wants to give his comrades’ deaths meaning. Unfortunately, he is repeating his same mistake as at the banquet and not paying attention to those he is supposed to be watching, and the wine plan goes into action.

Zeke didn’t think he would be willing to slaughter his way through his comrades, but Levi succeeds and gets to him. It’s cruel, but Levi had to prove his loyalty to his nation- including Historia. If he lets Zeke get to her, she and their child are done for.

There is this other bit of dialogue too.

They were your downfall. Zeke is talking about the global scale conflict about to happen. But what else could this mean for the panel we read in Chapter 112? Levi thought he could work a way around to protect Paradis without sacrificing Historia and their child, but nope. They've managed to screw up national security.

Levi tortures Zeke on a cart ride out of the forest to bring him to be fed to another Titan. Levi is not going easy on him. And then we see Zeke's tragic backstory and how he came to support euthanasia via Tom Ksaver.

Note here. This is some M6 text that has never properly been revisited. I wonder why it was emphasized.

Anyways, Levi learns of this secret plan, and he sure is pissed. It's what Zeke shouts next that triggers him into wanting to further torture him. It's Levi's fault that this child is going to be born into a cruel world, but he can't be against children being born. He helped set up an orphanage with Historia, by the Walls! There has to be a way to get children out of the forest of violence while letting them still exist.

Sadly, that will never happen in this story, and these two will never properly reconcile.

And uh, the animators snuck in a subliminal message here. Levi ended up losing a pair of fingers, but fortunately not a pair of something else!

...

Here, I want to address a possible objection by comparing the "saved those children" comment with Levi and the moment Eren in Paths runs to stop Ymir from euthanasia to disprove I am reading too much into this.

This scene is a common argument used on Team Eren to prove he is having an emotional reaction to euthanasia because he is thinking about Historia and supposedly his child. No.

Eren was already well aware of Zeke's plan; he pretended to go along with it! Eren had his own plan because of the memories from Ymir received from touching Historia. His real intention was the Rumbling. Why? Because he wanted to protect life on the island and nowhere else. So of course he doesn't want euthanasia. The reason he panics is because Ymir has started moving forward to listen to the royal-blooded Zeke's command. But Eren is able to reach her in time because she wanted a connection to the world this whole time, something he gave her, something Zeke could never do because of his worldview.

Compare to Levi when he learns of the plan in context of the current arc. He had no idea what this plan was, unlike Eren, so he could not expect Zeke to say this.

One may argue that Levi is thinking of his slain comrades and just wants to torture Zeke more and be the hero. But he already chopped Zeke up in the forest and in the cart. So, why would bringing up children trigger Levi? Unless we had a scene of Levi listening to a conversation by two comrades about their families at home in the pages prior, there is no other reason than the idea that he himself is bringing a child into the cruel world.

...

As Levi’s life hangs in the balance for at least ten chapters, next chapter will take a turn and focus on another unresolved mystery of Titan lore that ties into our theory: the Ackerman clan. And it will be featuring Yelena, Dina Fritz, and the scarf moment.

#attack on titan #rivahisu #unresolved baby plot #unresolved plotlines

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snkpolls · 4 years ago

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SnK Episode 65 Poll Results (for Manga Readers)

The poll closed with 318 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Manga Readers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll, click here.

RATE THE EPISODE 309 Responses

Overall the episode was a hit with viewers, with the majority ranking it a 4 or higher. Over half of all respondents rating it a solid 5. The hype is real!

I thought this was a great episode. A lot of hype moments and the CGI worked for me, for the most part. Looking forward to the next episode!

All around exceeded my expectations if mappa keeps this up this will go down as the best anime in history

Chef's KISS!!! 10/10 episode, i was extremely hyped the entire time.

It was amazing and I hope MAPPA keeps up with the same quality for future episodes

Amazing episode really hype

I thought the voice acting was amazing! :)

Great episode, not perfect but neither was WIT. No adaptation is perfect. This was fantastic.

It was pretty good just maybe good have been done better but I’m just happy it was done at all.

I’ve lowered my expectations to rock bottom at this point

An enjoyable time.

I think it was great! I was very excited and left me wanting more tbh

It was a very good episode!! I'm so happy to see the survey corps again!

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MOMENTS WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 310 Responses

Mikasa’s reintroduction to the series takes the largest piece of the pie, with 31.6% enjoying the scene the most. In second comes the coordinated attack from the Survey Corps against Porco, with 14.8% feeling that scene really brings the hype. At 10.3%, Levi’s first appearance in the season takes 3rd place, and with 9.7% is the overall fight between Eren and the War Hammer Titan.

Ackermans ran this episode as they should. They're on a whole different level.

Why isn't the Sasha-Gabi moment in the list of favourite moments? That's my actually favourite moment. Gabi seeing Sasha through the fire and smoke, Sasha's reflection in her eyes...chilling.

THE CGI CONTINUES TO BE A POINT OF CONTENTION. BE HONEST, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE EXECUTION OF CGI SO FAR THIS SEASON? 309 Responses

In general, the fandom appears to be understanding of MAPPA’s usage of CGI, with 38.2% being completely unbothered by it, 20.1% feeling that while it’s not ideal, it could be much worse, and 18.8% not particularly caring for it but not faulting MAPPA for it either. A handful of people just wish that there would be more appreciation that it’s getting animated at all, while others continue to be a bit salty about the usage of CGI this season.

Did people forgot the god-awful Colossal titan's CGI from WIT? Well, I didn't so I wasn't surprised by the same level of CGI in Eren's scene (thankfully just one of them). I rarely have issue with CGI in SnK except for truly awful looking ones so like couple of times in the season, usually.

I honestly wouldn't even know there's CGI if everyone wasn't complaining about it. I honest to god can't see where they use it.

It's mostly fine

I thought the war hammer titan looked AMAZING, the only CGI that looked odd was the scouts in the background, but that’s really it...?

A few sore spots (e.g. Erens titan looked kinda off this ep), but it's not season-ruining yet.

CGI Titans >>>>>>>> CGI Survey Corps

It works fine for titans that already look somewhat mechanical (Armor, Jaw), but it looks incredibly awkward for the others, to the point of taking me out of the story.

Sometimes great sometimes shit

Maybe I've been spoiled by studio orange and the previous seasons, but I know for a fact that they can do better. This is not a new anime, this is the final season of one of the greatest anime of all time, so yeah I expected much better CGI, it was poor and unecessary.

i think it’s gr8/unnoticeable,,,,,like we all put up with the colossal titan in s1-3 lmao

Some Titans like Eren and Beast look a little weird but I just really like how they made effort to make it blend with the art style. Maybe if they had found a way to cut the animation down to 12fps it might not look so bad? Anyways I think it’s good for what it is, MAPPA is doing their best!

I barely noticed it. The animation looks BOMB. Top 5 episodes of the whole series for me and BEST action episode of AOT easily.

I'm always going to prefer 2D but I understand why they're using it. Still sad about what could've been if they were given enough time to work on the season. Definitely going to lower my expectations.

My dumbass wouldn't even notice, I just want to see the pretty people

I think the CGI for the Titans is completely fine. It's the CGI for the Scouts that was a bit off putting for me. Still, not enough to ruin the episode. And if we continue to get animation of this standard I will be fine with it.

At this point after episode 7 onward eventually AOT CGI is going to be worst than EX-arm's CGI

I love it because it makes the titans scarier and more eerie? I also miss the 2D ones because they feel more natural. Overall, I think it's fine!

I think the CGi is well executed (for the most part), I just don't like that they had to use it so much.

It's a great job. They manage to execute it very well and go to a normal animation when it's needed. It doesn't bother me tbh

HOW WAS EREN’S ROOFTOP SWAN DIVE? 309 Responses

Eren’s dive in the anime was a bit different than in the manga, but it seemed to get a few laughs out of the fandom, so we asked you all to rank it. 58.3% felt it was the most beautiful dive to have ever dived, while only 5.5% think Eren really needs to work on his form. He did his best.

WHICH RETURNING CHARACTER’S ENTRANCE WAS YOUR FAVORITE IN THIS EPISODE? 310 Responses

Mikasa stole the show this episode, with 53.5% enjoying her entrance the most. Levi wasn’t too far behind though, with 29% of respondents hyped over his return. 11.6% were very happy to see Sasha again, while smaller chunks were glad to see Jean and Connie.

They massacred my Jean-boy’s entrance 🥲

WHICH RETURNING CHARACTER HAS THE BEST MAPPA-STYLE GLOW UP? 304 Responses

We got a more colorful and evened out pie for this question. Overall the largest chunk, at 24.3%, are enjoying MAPPA’s take on Eren’s iconic “hobo chic” look. 21.1% think Sasha looks the best out of all of them, while Mikasa trails just behind her at 20.1%. 16.1% are grateful for Connie’s design, leaving 9.5% favoring Jean, and smaller handfuls appreciating MAPPA’s take on Levi and Floch.

Chubby Floch

Here I am watching the trailer all over again because that's probably the only way to see Jean animated handsome and with his actual manga face. MAPPA what happened?

Levi has a thicc ass

I’m a big fan of all the time skip character designs, it was hard to pick just one favourite :)

Jean looked stupid... Floch too but that's not important.

OG characters designs feels a bit off to me. I understand why they use CG for some parts and I have mixed emotions about it. I hope they won't rely on it too much on the upcoming episodes.

#ITSTIMEMIKASA WAS TRENDING ON TWITTER BEFORE THE EPISODE AIRED. ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW MUCH DID IT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE? 304 Responses

One of the most anticipated scenes of the Marley arc was the return of the Survey Corps and the way Mikasa paves the path for their reintroduction. The fandom appears to be very happy with MAPPA’s execution of the scene, with 60.9% of respondents rating it with a 5, with 27% rating it a 4.

EEEEEEEEEEK MIKASA

Mikasa! Mikasa! Gosh love her!

im so glad mikasa is back owfejgrnrkdfs

MAPPA INCLUDED FILLER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EPISODE OF WILLY HESITANTLY DEPARTING FROM HIS TEARFUL FAMILY. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE ADDITION? 310 Responses

The series isn’t known for having too much filler, but typically what filler does exist seems to be appreciated by the fandom, and this was no exception. 56.8% of respondents were happy for a little more fleshing out of Willy’s character (also learning that those kids were his!) and being able to sympathize more with him. 19.7% appreciated the more sympathetic addition until they remembered he was willing to throw Liberio under the bus for his plan. 13.5% are appreciative of any and all additional Willy content. A small amount didn’t like the filler and would rather have had MAPPA put their effort into other things.

I liked it. Got to see more of his fine ass. lmao

Don't add extra 2d animation if You can't even handle what's in the manga

It would've been better to show before he was dead. Fleshing him out after the audience already know he's dead doesn't hit as much imo

Wasn't one of the scene itself, but then again I'm always interested in scenes I haven't seen yet.

I am so grateful, willy for is one of my favourites and omg we got to see his family and how is he a lovely papa 😭💕 I can't ask for more bless you MAPPA🤘

fuck them kids

Why should we feel bad for him? He tried to unite the world against Paradis. He got what he deserved.

this was a benefit. as manga readers, we had time to know willy. anime onlies will only ever have these 2-3 episodes and it was very humanizing

How is that possible that Tybur little kids in few seconds were louder nad more chaotic than THE WHOLE CITY DURING THE ATTACK??

It's very regrettable he left so many children fatherless because of what he chose to do. Really saddening..

I’d have rather seen more of the manga animated

I knew why they added it, but I (personally) think willy is crud. Not mad it's there tho!

He did his duty as a Tybur to the very end. Honestly I wish he could have lived longer, he’s a really compelling and interesting character.

I feel like some viewers have carelessly misunderstood Willy because of that scene in the carriage. They're like 'wow, he really hates and shames his own people huh?' but at the beginning of the episode we all saw his abundance of children. Would it not have been extremely contradictory if he had truly wanted the extinction of all Eldians and then at the same time did the complete opposite by mass-reproducing a small army of Eldian children? Maybe that's why that scene was added to the start of the episode, to keep people away from mischaracterising him. Unfortunately, this may have simply been missed or overlooked by some.

they should had polish the damn episode instead of fillers.

Loved it! Mappa is killing it with the episode additions

Reading the manga, I truly didn't even consider the possibility that these were Willy's children because he is so obviously a ~*bachelor*~. Like, it didn't even cross my mind that those children weren't his little nieces and nephews because he is suuuuch a Theater Gay. Nothing can change my mind.

Wait a minute, are these the kids in that ending slide from season 3?

IN THE ORIGINAL CHAPTER 101, MAGATH IS THE ONE WHO ADVOCATES FOR KILLING EREN INSTEAD OF EATING HIM (IN CONTRAST TO HIS SUBORDINATE KOSLOW) AND NOTES THAT “THE AGE OF TITANS IS OVER.” IN THE ADAPTATION, MAGATH INSTEAD ADVOCATES FOR EATING EREN, NOTING THAT KILLING HIM WOULD ONLY PROLONG THE PROBLEM. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CHANGE? 305 Responses

A minor dialogue change didn’t seem to have much of an effect on nearly half of respondents, with 47.5% saying they’re indifferent to the change. 43.3% like the change much better, feeling that it works a lot better with future story developments and makes more sense. A handful didn’t care for the change and felt it tampered with Magath’s overall characterization.

I think the change was logical and more consistent with the story, but I'm naturally skeptical of any AOT manga-to-anime change.

I forgot this.

It ovewrites the flaw of Magath's original plan. Even if I think its unfitting of him, it makes sense.

I'm not sure what I feel about it. Kinda like how they added Falco having a dream back in episode 1. For now, let's just see.

I suppose the new change is a little contradictory because Magath dislikes Marley’s reliance on Titan power and rather just wishes th ey had prowess in other ways.

Realistically eating him makes more sense for them to eat Eren so they gain control of the Founder but I think Magath accepting the age of Titans is now done for is more in character.

It obviously makes more sense logistically, but I think it's important for Magath to stand opposed to Marley national policy on this front, like, symbolically.

BETWEEN UDO AND ZOFIA, WHO WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO SURVIVE TO RECEIVE MORE STORY IN THE MANGA? 304 Responses

Though they are minor characters, the anime seems to have made some of the fandom a bit more fond of them. Still, 38.5% wouldn’t change anything about their fates, stating that they were necessary for Gabi to develop further as a character. 28% would rather neither of them died and are curious about how they would have developed if they lived to see another day. 23.7% say if they had to pick only one of them, it would be Udo due to his relevant commentary. A handful leaned toward Zofia, wishing they could have learned more about her.

Udo. But at the same time Isayama can barely handle all the characters that are still alive so Udo probably wouldn't get a lot of screen time anyway.

Zofia. I didn't care about her while reading the manga, but in the anime she was more unique. I liked her stoic voice a lot. Zofia and Gabi should have switch the places.

None cus i don't like Gabi

Both or neither. One would be just a third wheel to Gabi and Falco. I would love to see more of Udo and Zofia but I think their deaths were important

Udo and zofia's deaths hurt so bad. I didn't particularly care for either of them when reading the manga but i grown attracted to them in the anime. Udo's in particular breaks me. He was such a energic kid and he... got trampled to death. I'm just...

Neither. Both were serving an enemy nation and deserved what they got.

They weren't important to me so I don't really care

OPINION ON HOW THE ATTACK ON LIBERIO WAS PORTRAYED? 306 Responses

47.1% of respondents didn’t want to pick sides, stating that the attack was tragic in both mediums of the story-telling. 25.8% felt that it was much more devastating in animated form alongside the sound, music and voice acting. 18.3% felt a bigger impact while reading the manga.

Both versions are devastating, but Manga hit harder bc I just was so confused and couldn't stop trying to figure out wtf Eren was doing and why. Watching it knowing what I know made it somehow more devastating and yet also more palatable (bc I have a better understanding.)

It was more devastating in the manga. Especially Udo's death scene

I think I have to wait until the battle is over. So far it's alright.

Loved it

It gave me more emotions in the manga.

They got what they deserved

It was far more devastating in trailer 🙄

WE FINALLY HAVE A NAME FOR LADY TYBUR - LARA! THOUGHTS? 307 Responses

One of the few characters left with no name after the large guidebook released a few years ago, Lady Tybur was all we could call her (aside from fan-given names). Now she has an official name! 26.7% found it neat that we finally got this official detail. 25.4% feel that now they can finally sleep at night. 17.6% are forever grateful for the name drop and hated waiting so long for it. 15.3% don’t care at all and 11.7% feel this confirms that Isayama is a fan of Tomb Raider.

Not what I was expecting and wasn't expecting her to get a name. At least people can stop calling her Emma or those other dumbass meme names.

Cool. Next up: names for the Blouse kids, right? Right right?

I'm not kidding when I say I literally jumped up and screeched "SHE HAS A NAME!!!"

she didn't need it. she was the mysterious lady t.

Lara was more lucky than Traute, who got more panels in the manga but her name was mentioned only in the guidebook.

Still died

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 306 Responses

Of all the shots in the preview, 45.1% of respondents were most looking forward to Levi’s staged attack on Zeke. 17% favored seeing Mikasa assist Eren, 15% were most looking forward to seeing Falco emerge from the basement to see the carnage outside. 10.1% were stoked to see Pieck enter the battlefield. The episode has aired as of the publishing of these poll results - we hope these scenes lived up to the hype (even though we guessed one wrong lol).

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

I enjoyed the episode very much. I felt that the CGI was handled fairly well given the time restraints. However, there were a few instances where it was a bit jarring like Eren eating Willy, Eren pulling the WHT's cord, Mikasa landing on Eren, and Jean climbing up on the roof. Also some of the CGI models looked a bit weird for the scouts. I'm hoping some of these issues can be improved on in the Blue-ray version. Overall, these issues were noticeable but didn't take too much away from my enjoyment of the episode.

As much as I don't like the CGI, episode was great.

Just that it was fantastic and I can't wait for the next one!

The music is top notch. I love it. Especially the new version of XL TT near the end

After re-visiting the trailer we got for this season, it's just....saddening. Everyone was wondering how Mappa was gonna animate AoT and after seeing that trailer, all that effort by the animators, I thought "it's in good hands!". Now that we're getting the episodes and it's underwhelming. I don't blame the Mappa animators at all and cgi is unavoidable at some moments. But whoever are the higher ups who said "animate this in the shortest amount of time" ARE the assholes. It's so upsetting for this anime and the workers of it to be brought down like this :'(

Continuing to enjoy the pictures on the page come to life in the anime.

It was pretty amazing, I was waiting for so long to see this part animated! Aaand I'm so happy I got to see again the scouts! (expecially Connie, my personal fav)

Erwin should had lived instead of Armin, so Erwin can nuke Marley dropping from a blimp

I really liked it! I don't understand all the critics about the animation. It looks really neat and smooth

the SC backlit in that final scene was sickkkkk

It was different from the manga, but all the differences just improved the storytelling and fleshed out the people in Marley. Well done, MAPPA!

aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I’m just grateful Mappa actually gives a shit about adapting the story properly. That alone makes this season a 9/10 for me cause that’s rare to see in the anime industry these days.

THE OST WAS FIRE

Gabi's voice acting was amazing this episode ! Also, it feels good to hear the ODM gear sound effect again. The CGI didn't keep me from enjoying the fight, we got awesome camera movements and good choreography, I'm very hopeful for next episode ! Also best boy Onyankopon might appear soon ?

I seriously do not know why people are complaining. It was amazing! Can't wait for the next episodes, it's going to be action-packed and intense!

I don't know if I liked the episode or not. I usually prefer manga so even episodes I like I prefer their manga versions but there is something in off with the episode and usually, Titans fight are more excited but this one Nah it was not at all. War hammer was great in animation it served a better understanding of its powers but the fight, in general, was like boring?? idk maybe because I am a manga reader so the titan power/character's introduction was not as thrilling as they were when I've read the chapters. anyways, there is still more of the attack on liberio in the next episode so I'll give my final thought when we conclude the arc

I really enjoyed and the CGI doesn't bother me.

I think the reason Attack Titan looks a bit off is it looks a bit thinner! Warhammer looks amazing because it's a true copy of the manga. If Attack Titan was a bit buff, I think nobody would have that much of a problem. Overall the chapter is amazing!

as much as i adored everything else i must admit... what is wrong with the character design? what happened to everyone's jaws?? i think jean, mikasa and pieck were the worst drawn. in the manga, they look flawless.

I just hope we would get actual discussions in the sub instead of circle jerking or bitching about the cgi/ost etc.

The soundtrack was epic as hell

Mappa is doing a good job, with the little time they had. But sadly, they had the capacity to do way better and I will always regret this situation. And the Jojo memes on Mikasa are on point: in that specific panel, she looks ugly and unlike her cute face in the manga. For the rest of the episode, she's well portrayed

I think this episode is a taste of what is to come. It’s one thing to read still, silent pictures of complete devastation, and it’s another thing to hear the explosions, the screaming and crying. Seeing the blood painted red instead of black and white. When Eren rumbles the world, more people will realize how evil it is, how completely irredeemable. Less people will be #teameren once they get to see it in the anime. I can’t wait to see what MAPPA has in store.

So many nice details in the battle that weren’t there in the manga, the war hammer animation was particularly great

I feel bad complaining, but this was the first episode of the season that has disappointed me at all. Every other episode I feel has elevated the manga. I don't want (and never expected) to be that person, but the CGI, especially on the humans (WHY??) was so awkward it was distracting. We also lost a little bit of expressiveness from Eren, which is kind of a big deal when there's so little from him to begin with.

Soundtrack was lit!!!!

It is what it is. But after I finished the episode I went back to watch the trailer and got sad that the season just isn't going to look like that. It's not bad by any means and I understand that these are people, not robots working on this with an extremely tight schedule. This entitled fanbase is super embarrassing with it's behavior and harassment of the people working on it. I kind of hope the final arc doesn't get animated now because these people don't deserve it.

Awesome! I was a bit distracted how the pacing was, cutting a bit weirdly from one episode to another, but I really enjoyed it!

That closeup of Eren's Titan after he nom'd Willy is NUTS.

It was emotionless and almost boring. The sound director keeps fucking up big time. I didnt feel anything close to the hype I felt watching the Armored/Colossal reveal animated. There were no exciting goosebumps, or tears. Nothing. Also the CGI was terrible. There were good things, but I expected much more for suck a climatic episode

It was a good episode after all, graphic was ok but i think that if they continued with the same titan 2d animation of first episodes and maybe changed a bit some sound it would have been waaay better. Still a good episode imho

The episode was very average. I'm not trying to complain, I know that the anime is mostly for anime-onlines, while we have a manga, but I expected better. I imagined the titan fight to be smooth, but in reality both - WHT and AT - moved like two, fat elephants. In the manga I felt that WHT was fast like a wind. In the anime Lara was slow, she looked like she had a hard time to even hold her hammer. The moment between Eren and Mikasa was disappointing. In the anime when Mikasa was upset about Eren's actions, he was completely unfeeling, while in the manga we see him being full of emotions and almost crying. I know he will turn into a cold bastard but MAPPA shouldn't dehumanize Eren so much now. I was surprised by Connie's glow up. MAPPA has done better job with him. In the manga he still looks like a kid, while MAPPA made him more mature-looking and masculine. That's good for underrated Connie. I'm grateful for the scene between Willy and his children. This way he feels more sympathetic and isn't ""just a guy who declared a war and was eaten by Eren"".

I really like how the warriors and Marleyans seem to be getting a somewhat equal amount of screen time as the scouts have gotten after they've come into the picture. I hope this helps to make clear for the anime-onlies that understanding the experiences, emotions and the development of the other side is just as important as understanding those of the scouts/Paradis.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 279 Responses

Thank you again to everyone who participated!

#snk poll #snk polls #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #snk #aot #snk s4

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blueeyedgeorgie · 4 years ago

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Close My Eyes(4)

I close my eyes and I make believe You’re the one that’s holding me

Pairing: WillNE x Reader

Word Count: 2.3k+

Pronouns: She/Her

A/N: This is where I made the changes to the story. Big changes.

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Five months. It had been five months since Will had last spoken to Y/n. Will had finally caved into Everett's demands of him keeping his distance. He did everything he had to keep her away. He blocked her contact, blocked her social media. He told Gee if Y/n had ever shown up at their front door, he wasn't going to speak to her. Will couldn't even tell if Y/n had been trying to reach out to him, he couldn't tell how long it took for Y/n to finally give up on their friendship. It hurt horribly, but it was worth it if it meant Y/n would be safe as she could be. At this point, Will's friends had learned not to mention Y/n around him. Whenever her name had been mentioned, he'd practically shut down. He'd end up closing up, becoming stiff and tense. He'd try and leave the room or setting as quickly as possible to get away from the conversation. Will had soon taught himself to tune the thought of Y/n out. He learned how to forget her. He figured out how to forget all the memories he had with her. For the first month or two, it hurt like hell. He missed seeing her. He missed being able to be in her presence. He missed the way her smile could light up a room. He just wanted to hold her close. He wanted to be able to whisper sweet things to her, reminding her that he'd always keep her safe. Keeping her safe... it was strange to think he was keeping her safe by keeping his distance. The day Y/n had figured out Will blocked her out of his life was a heart-shattering day. She had sobbed for hours, the only person to comfort her was her maid of honor. Everett hadn't shown any signs of sympathy, he almost seemed proud to have Will cut Y/n off. Y/n had left voicemail after voicemail for Will, which he never received. When she snuck out to stop by his flat, she had been ushered away by his flatmate. Gaby had even tried to reach out to Will, only to be given the exact same treatment as Y/n. After a month, Y/n had finally accepted it all. But Will lingered in her mind almost every day. She missed him. She just wanted to be with him. She wanted to hear him say everything would be okay. As the wedding date rolled closer and closer, Y/n had become quite more anxious. At this point, she wasn't sure if she was ready to get married. Everything was moving so fast, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to be Everett's wife for the rest of her life. But it seemed to be too late to cancel things. "How do you feel?" Gaby spoke behind Y/n, tightening the back of Y/n's white gown. Gaby. She had been Y/n's rock throughout all of this. She had been Y/n's shoulder to cry on. Gaby felt sympathetic for Y/n. She had watched everything happen from the beginning. She was clever enough to not call Everett out on his decisions and choices, otherwise she wouldn't have been in Y/n's life anymore. "Gaby. Get out." The room had gotten cold of all sudden. Everett walked in, a look of distaste on his face. "But I was-" "You heard me," he snapped in a stern voice. Without saying another word, Gaby took her exit, leaving the engaged couple alone. At this point Everett had started to circle Y/n, his eyes roaming her body. Y/n felt so vulnerable, she didn't like it one bit. She stared at herself in the mirror that sat in the corner of the room. She felt scared to even look at her soon to be husband. "Why are you wearing your wedding gown, Y/n?" Everett spoke in a low tone, sending a shiver down Y/n's spine. "I just wanted to try it on one more time before our wedding." Y/n couldn't help but speak in a low tone. It sounds so abnormal for Y/n to be speaking in such a tone. Everett stopped his circling, walking up behind Y/n. As soon as he stood right behind her, his hands reached out, grabbing onto her arms harshly. It felt like he wanted to leave bruises on her, as though they'd be some type of cruel trophy showing his ownership of her. He made eye contact with Y/n through the mirror, they stared at each other for a moment before Everett made a tutting noise. "Y/n... you're quite the fool, aren't you? You're going to ruin your dress. And a week before my wedding?" He yanked Y/n, turning around to face him, his grip tightened on her arms as they faced each other now. Leaning down, he raised his voice, almost growling. "How dare you? You don't realize I'm tired, overworked all for my wedding? I've been trying to make it perfect, yet you keep getting in the way. What a disappointment you are. Have anything to say?" Y/n debated with herself, should she really say anything? Or was this another trap to give him a reason to get angry at her? Y/n kept their mouth shut, their eyes emotionless as they fought back tears. "Answer me!" His voice dripped with venom as he began to shake Y/n by the grip he held on her poor arms. He definitely would leave bruises now. Again, Y/n stayed silent. That had only made Everett so much more infuriated. Within seconds, Y/n fell to the floor, her cheek stung. That's when she realized it. Everett punched her. The tears immediately started to fall as soon as his fist collided with her face. Glancing up, all she could see was the scowl on Everett's face. He had shown no sign of regret for putting his hands on her. Muttering a small 'clean yourself up,' Everett disappeared out of the doorway. "Oh my god, Y/n! What happened?!" What felt like seconds had only been minutes when Gaby appeared again to find her best friend crying. By now Y/n had finally gained her strength to stand up from where she crashed to the floor. "I-I need to go," Y/n whimpered, passing by her bridesmaid. There was only one person she needed right now. And she was willing to go and see him even if he didn't want to speak to her.

Will had invited the Eboys over for drinks and future video planning. So far they only had three video ideas planned out, but no idea where they'd be filming the videos. "I just think we shouldn't even try to film a football video-" George had flinched at the sound of the front door being pounded on. "Will, it's me. It's N/n. Please, I need you. I only need you right now," Y/n could be hear on the other side of the door. "Is she... crying?" Alex raised a brow, his eyes looked on the door. Will froze, staring at the door. If he didn't answer it, she'd go home. 'But she's crying you asshole.' "Will, I'm so sorry. He was such a bad man." Y/n had slid down to the floor, leaning against the front door as she sobbed. "You've got no balls, Will." George gave his friend a look before making his way to the front door. As soon as the door opened, Y/n sat up, quickly rushing into Will's arms. Will automatically wrapped his arms around Y/n, holding her as tight as possible, he didn't want to let her ago again. He could feel his eyes water, was this actually her? This wasn't some cruel dream? When they finally pulled away from the hug, Will kept his arms around her waist, still holding her near. As soon as Will got a good look at her the first thing he had noticed was her gown. 'Runaway bride?' But the most important thing he noticed was the bruise forming on her cheek. He knew exactly who did this to her. "I'm going to kill him and no one will find his pathetic body." As Will made his way to the front door, he had been stopped by James. Somehow, Y/n had gotten Will to calm down after a while. She had promised to set charges against Everett for assault and to put a restraining order against him. After getting that all sorted out, Y/n had explained the whole story to her old friends. She told them about the way he yelled at her. She explained how he made her cut everyone out of her life. She mentioned how he chose everything for their wedding, even the gown she was wearing at the moment. After spending the day with her friends, catching up on everything and being comforted by them, James, George, and Alex decided to head back to their homes for the night. "Not to sound as demanding as your fiance-" "Ex fiance. I'm not gonna go through that marriage." Y/n cut Will off for a moment. "Yeah. Not to sound as demanding as that jackass, but you're gonna stay here tonight. We still have your old room from before you moved in with him and if you need clothes you can borrow Gee's or mine." "Yeah, sounds like a smart idea," Y/n nodded. "By the way, Y/n." Will smiled a bit, "You look good in a wedding gown." "Thanks, Will. But I think you're gonna have to help me upstairs in this gown. You would believe how hard it was to drive here." Y/n replied in a sheepish tone, trying to fight back the small blush on her cheeks. Will grinned, looking from the staircase to the love of his life. "We can make that work." Quickly, he picked her up in bridal style, making Y/n let out a small squeal. As the pair made their way up the stairs, Y/n decided to mention another thing to Will. "Also, I'm gonna need you to loosen this dress and get me that one t-shirt I use to steal all the time. You still have it, right?" "Why wouldn't I have it? I remember the last day you gave it back to me I didn't wash it until it didn't have your scent anymore." "You're a dork," Y/n giggled, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. "How am I the dork? You're the one asking for the t-shirt." "You offered your clothes, stupid," Y/n smiled as Will put her down. They reached the top of the stairs. "Am I stupid or am I a dork?" "You're both." Will was laying in bed scrolling through Instagram. He had unblocked Y/n, only to scroll through the Instagram posts she made in the past three months. At first, he hadn't noticed the figure standing in his doorway. But as soon as his eyes landed on her, he knew it was Y/n. "Will?" "Yes, N/n?" "I thought... nevermind. It's stupid." "What is it?" Will sat up, turning off his phone. "Can I cuddle with you? I just need you." "Of course," Will nodded, patting the spot next to him in bed. "C'mon." Y/n climbed into bed, laying down on Will's chest. Will put his phone down, wrapping his arms around the girl laying down. After all this waiting, maybe he would be able to have his happy ending with her.

Will jumped at the sound of pounding. He glanced down, noticing the sleeping girl in his arms. So it wasn't a dream. His mind had been pulled away from Y/n when he heard the pounding for a second time. Slowly, he got out of bed, trying not to disturb Y/n. As soon as she was out of his grasp, Will made his way downstairs. The pounding got louder, someone was knocking on the door. When Will realized who was at the front door, he opened it. "Give her back, Lenney-" Everett had been interrupted by being pinned to the wall. "How dare you put your hands on such a sweet girl. Y/n didn't deserve any of the pain you put her through. I'm not gonna let that keep happening. Instead of stooping as low as you and resorting to assault, I'll be getting in contact with the police. Also, you might want to leave before someone calls security from how loud you've been." When Will had finished speaking, he had shoved Everett, shutting the door on him before he could have the final word. He waited for a minute, wanting to make sure Conway wouldn't bother to knock on his door for a second time. After being sure he wasn't going to try anything, Will turned to go upstairs, only to find Y/n standing there at the end on the staircase. "You weren't in bed when I woke up." "Sorry," Will sighed, approaching her. "I had to deal with something. Do you want to go out for breakfast?" "Breakfast sounds great." Within a week Y/n had divorced Everett, pressed charges against him for assault, and placed a restraining order on him. Just as she promised Will. Everyone was happy, except for the one person who didn't deserve happiness. When fans saw Will and Y/n were back to hanging out, they were excited. They had missed Y/n so much, people adored seeing they had reunited. Months after Y/n's divorce, Will had finally asked Y/n out. He didn't want to rush her into a new relationship after her last one was a dumpster fire. When Y/n was able to call Will her boyfriend, it seemed like everything was going right for once. Everything was perfect now, and that's how it'd stay.

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