#and Erwin got a statue in Paradis

[teakookssi]

Before I Leave You [Eren/Levi x Reader FF]

[ curated playlist ][ full story can be found here or here ] 

➺ pairing: levi ackerman/eren jeager x fem!reader

➺ status: continuous

➺content: mafia au, crime, arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, angst, lol so much angst

➺warnings: SHIT. IS. DARK. YO. violence, blood, strong language, guns/weapons, and illegal activities are all mentioned but hey, that’s attack on titan for you, so if you can handle that, you can handle this (: 

Prologue:

The heels of your dark boots grind against the dirt road as you strut your way across town. Thick fog clings in the air and the smoke of factories burning coal paints the sky an ashy grey.

Your armed cadre follow close behind, sporting guns and knives like a second skin. They are your most trusted guards, your closest confidants, and four of the seven members belonging to your inner circle.

Mikasa Ackerman, a tall female with short dark hair, killer instinct, and sharp eyes, flanks your left side. Jean Kirstein, a strong, willful young man with warm brown eyes flanks your right. Holding the rear is Connie Springer, a young man with a slim build and signature buzzcut. At his side is Sasha Braus, a fiercely driven female with big, brown eyes and long chestnut hair tied in a high ponytail.

You don’t usually walk around town baring such tight security. There’s hardly any need. Your father is Thomas Ymir. Crime boss of the Founding Sector. He owns this town. No one in their right mind would dare touch you—his only daughter and heir— unless they’ve got a death wish they want granted.

But today is different.

Today you’re carrying out a business deal. And your cadre deserve a place at that proceeding. It’s the least you can do for them, given the regrettable circumstances.

As you cross through the heart of town, the townsfolk bow their heads to you a safe distance away. Out of respect or fear, it’s all the same to you. You pay them no heed. Yet you don’t miss the way their wary eyes slide over to your cadre behind you, knowing that if they’re with you, trouble is close at hand.

Down the road, coppers patrol the streets in their forest green uniforms. They too notice your cadre at your heels, but they remain unfazed.

They greet you with a tip of their hat. “Miss Anya.”

You walk past them without sparing them so much as a second glance. They’ve learned not to expect a response from you and do well not to linger, promptly taking note of your destination and carrying on in the opposite direction to resume their daily rounds—knowing when they’re not needed and when to look the other way.

You detest the whole lot of them, but these coppers are under your father’s payroll, and it’s the only reason you tolerate their presence. Yet despite their loyalty to your father, they are not to be trusted. They still carry a police badge on their uniform and are therefore obligated to answer to Erwin Smith, the commanding officer of the Paradis Police Force. And that bloody bastard has been after your father for years. He will do anything to bring your father down, even if it means risking the lives of his own men to plant his spies into Ymir territory.

Reaching the outskirts of town a few minutes later, you approach one of the old warehouses owned by your father’s company, Ymir & Co., that stores some of his rather not-so-privy merchandise.

A handful of his men stand guard at the entrance. They nod to you in greeting as you make your way towards them and move aside to let you pass.

Inside, Historia Reiss and Armin Arlert—your blond hair, blue-eyed duo, and two of the last members of your inner circle—are waiting for you in the center of the rusty, dim lit building with the man you’ve come to strike a deal with. He sits on a crate with his hands tied behind his back and a bag over his face. So perhaps hostage is the more accurate term for him.

Nevertheless, this remains a business deal all the same.

“Historia. Armin. Thank you for keeping our guest company.” Your voice is warm and inviting as it cuts through the tension in the room, but there is an undertone of malice present and the dark glint in your eyes promise violence. “I trust you’ve shown him just how hospitable we can be?”

Historia nods and hands you a manila folder from a black suitcase she’s kept at her side, while Armin removes the bag and reveals to you the battered face of the bastard who dared defy your father: Bertholdt Hoover. Crime boss of the Colossal Sector, and the man responsible for the death of one of your men, Marco Bodt.

Your composed demeanor does not change at the sight of him, but you sense your cadre’s knowing gaze on you, watching you with heed. Only they can see how much your eyes are burning with rage, unable to stand the fact that this traitorous bastard was still breathing when Marco was not.

As they all fan out behind you to surround Bertholdt, you notice Jean’s tense posture beside you, struggling to restrain himself.

Marco was an important asset to your inner circle. His loss was felt strongly amongst everyone. But Jean had always held a special bond with him, and if you were to glance over at him now, you would see the frustration and pain twisted on his face at his inability to avenge his fallen comrade despite having the man responsible for his friend’s death sitting right before him.

For that reason you refuse to look in his direction. Your eyes remain focused on Bertholdt, who stares back up at you with vacant brown eyes as he awaits your verdict, a look of resignation already sprawled across his bloody face.

He knows what your arrival means for him, but he has yet to realize that you are far from finished with him.

You let the manila folder Historia handed you fall carelessly out of your hand in front of him, causing the papers inside to scatter on the floor at his feet. Bertholdt stares down at them with a blank expression.

“I’ve had our lawyer draw up these papers,” you inform the traitor in that dangerously calm tone of yours, masking the burning rage boiling inside you with ease. “Every enterprise in your possession— bars, restaurants, warehouses, establishments you own—you will sign over to my family.” Blood drips from a nasty cut on his forehead and you reach out to wipe it away, letting his blood stain your fingers red. “Or you’re gonna die right here.”

Bertholdt turns his face away from you, refusing to be touched by your hands, but this only encourages you further. You cock your head to the side, curious to see how much more humiliation he’s willing to take under your control before he finally gives.

Or before you lose interest—whichever comes first.

“I would have buried you ten feet underground,” you admit with chilly nonchalance. “You and your whole bloody clan—if my father had not stopped me.” Your eyes get drawn to his ruffled dark hair and you begin fixing it to a more reputable fashion with your blood stained fingers, like a mother tending to her unkempt child. “He says it will be worse for you if I let you live. If we take everything you have.”

You can see him clench his teeth as he swallows down the threat, but Berthold refuses to play along with you.

You give him an annoyed frown. “You are beginning to lose my interest,” you warn him sharply as you slip out a dagger from your sleeve, revealing a small glimpse of the centipede—the symbol of house Ymir—tattooed on your wrist. “And that is a very dangerous thing.”

In one swift movement you circle behind him and cut his hands free from the rope tying his hands together behind his back. He winces as his shoulders involuntarily come forward, feeling the release in tension from his muscles after being held in the same position for so long.

You reach into your coat and offer him a pen.

“Sign.”

You then let it drop on the floor in front of him.

“On your knees.”

Bertholdt glances down at the papers at his feet with clenched teeth. When he glares up at you, you’re surprised to find some fight still left in him. Mikasa notices too. His hands ball into fists, as if getting ready to strike, but the second he looks to your cadre, you pull your gun on him and shoot his left knee.

Your voice is cold and low, the playfulness in your eyes gone. “I said,‘kneel’.”

He lets out a scream and unwillingly falls to the floor, a puddle of blood quickly beginning to form near his leg and trickle down to the documents on the floor.

You point your gun to his other leg and pull down the lever, ready to pull the trigger. “Sign before I take away your ability to walk forever,” you hiss at him viciously.

He whimpers and shakes his head for you not to shoot, eagerly reaching for the pen with trembling fingers.

“Treacherous piece of filth,” you mutter with disdain as you watch him struggle to sign every last document amidst labored breaths.

Historia collects them once he’s finished and double checks everything is in order before handing the blood-covered papers over for Armin to sign—House Ymir’s new chosen crime boss of Bertholdt’s territory and his now officially legal replacement.

“The Colossal Sector is now under our jurisdiction,” you announce to everyone in the room as you stand watching over Bertholdt’s withering body with a bored expression on your face, a hand casually tucked in the pocket of your trousers. “By order of house Ymir.”

Your other hand twirls your gun on your finger absentmindedly as Jean and Connie roughly yank Bertholdt to his feet, positioning him directly in front of you. He cries out in pain as he’s forced to stand on his leg. You lift his chin up with the tip of your gun to force him to meet your piercing gaze.

You lean in close and your lip curls in disgust. He reeks of sweat and blood. ”You should have known better than to risk betraying this house.” You press your gun deeper into his face, pushing his head back. “To touch any of my men.”

You step back to let Jean and Connie drag him away.

“Go run to Reiner and Annie,” you tease behind him, taking a quick glimpse down at his injured knee and knowing full well he won’t be doing that—let alone, much walking—anytime soon. “Tell them what’s happened here, and tell them, if they don’t adhere to the deal they made with my father, we’re coming for them next.”

You raise your gun to point to the back of his head as Jean and Connie lead him out the door.

Mikasa tenses beside you and takes a step towards you, as if to stop you.

“Anya,” Armin warns behind you. The fact you’re so unpredictable has both of them believing your need for vengeance would let you disregard your father’s orders. But they needn’t worry. You may be a wild and vicious thing, but despite your crooked ways, you have principle.

And family and loyalty are the two things you honor and value most above all else.

Your father needs Bertholdt alive to send a message to the rest of his enemies. To remind them of what will happen if they attempt to double cross him. In your anger for Marco’s death, you’d argued his death served message enough, but your father was a businessman, and things needed to be done accordingly.

“If I let you kill him,” he had said to you, “a cycle of vengeance will follow and we will have gained nothing. You must practice patience and learn when to let go of your pride. By taking everything Bertholdt’s father spent years to built and forcing him to walk back to his men, alive and well… to make him have to tell them himself that he willingly signed it all away, and that they no longer have any right to any business in that territory—his pride will be more than wounded. The shame and disappointment he will have brought to his family name—” You father had given you a knowing look. “Well, I’m sure you can imagine how deep that wound will lie…what that will do to him mentally.”

He had pulled you in to a tender embrace when he saw the face you’d made at the thought of it, and began to caress your hair in comfort as you rested your head against his chest. “You can torture him. Prolong his death for as long as you want before you decide to finish him off. But you will only be doing him a kindness. In death, you spare him from pain, from grief, from feeling anything at all and—”

Realization began to dawn in your eyes as you met his gaze. “Mercy is only given to those who deserve it.”

He smiled down at you, pleased to hear you recite one of his mantras. “We are but reasonable people, after all. If the Colossal Sector has wronged us, it is only fair we return the favor.”

So you stand in the warehouse watching Bertholdt walk away with his life, knowing that he is merely a puppet in this great game of power and crime. There are more hands at play pulling the strings. But no matter who the enemy is or how many, they will all suffer the same fate.

Unlike them, you have learned the rules of the game. You know how this goes.

You will stand by your father’s side and watch as every last one of your enemies meet their own ruin—a downfall you will have carefully orchestrated. And in their misery, they will think only of you. Of the one who put them there.

“This is how you destroy them,” your father had said. “How you make them regret having ever wronged you.”

“Yes…” you’d agreed out loud, his words still echoing in your head long after he left. And you were coming for them all.

With your gun still raised in position, you close your left eye, as if to take a more accurate shot at Bertholdt from your distance. You imagine pulling the trigger.

“Bang.”  

#levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman #levi x you #levi ackerman x you #levi x reader #captain levi #levi aot #levi attack on titan #snk levi #levi x y/n #snk reader #aot fanfiction #aot x you #snk fanfiction #attack on titan #levi angst #levi x reader angst #aot x reader #attack on titan x you #attack on titan x reader #eren jeager #eren yeager #eren x reader #eren yeager x reader #eren jeager x reader #eren jeager x y/n #eren jeager x you #eren x you #shingeki no kyoujin fanfiction #aot

[leviiattacks]

Could I request a Canon levi drabble? He realises he’s in love, confesses, then thinks about how he feels guilty for loving the reader

author note :: this was super quick but here u go !! i’m working on a long fic rn which is why it may not be great my brain hurts from all the writing i had to do for the fic 😞 ANYWAYS, shy levi ahead,,,, :-(

word count :: 1.2k

levi is super shy around you. he has no idea what to do, he has no idea what to say, he’s always stumbling over his words. it’s SO obvious that erwin and hange are able to decipher the meaning behind his unsual body language in a matter of seconds

might i add he’s always trying to subtly get your attention or at least look presentable

sometimes he leans against walls with one hand to look cool but one day he misses the wall completely and falls face first into a patch of mud

not a great experience because he sees you giggle at him

levi just ends up ignoring you and avoiding you a lot in an attempt to shake what he feels away but that’s another thing about levi when he’s in love. his infatuation is stubborn and unfading. unless given a valid reason to stop liking you he literally can’t force himself to stop how he feels

but sometimes there are opportunities where he does have to speak to you and despite avoiding you he finds himself surprisingly running into you more often than he thinks is humanely possible??

he’s in the kitchen making a cup of tea and suddenly you’re there to fetch some water.

he’s in the courtyard teaching some younger cadets and you happen to pass by looking for one of your blades you accidentally left behind

like he genuinely does not understand how he’s able to run into you this much because it makes no sense

apart from that he ends up taking a keen interest in your hobbies. he’ll try to understand why you enjoy specific things because the smile that paints your face is always so bright

you have this thing for strawberry jam and he’s never got why you enjoy it so much really ???

frankly he finds it to be so sweet to the point it’s sickening to digest

but that doesn’t stop him from buying some whilst in town and placing it in front of you one day

you look between levi and the jam jar a little confused

“you’ve been working hard and i accidentally bought this and i think you like strawberry jam so take it. i don’t want it.”

his explanation is UNBELIEVABLE because it’s a big fat lie but despite everyone else in the room being able to see through his facade you nod meekly and accept it with a grateful smile

after the jam incident everyone knows about how he has to feel but even if they do they don’t gossip about it when he’s around

now,,, levi is really in touch with how you feel because most of the time the way you feel impacts the way he feels. if he sees you laughing at dinner his mind is at ease but if your head is drooped downwards looking anywhere but up he makes a mental note to talk to you later

one day at dinner he sees jean whisper something in your ear and you laugh so hard you have to apologize to those around you for creating a disturbance

he burns in slight jealousy because he wants to know what’s so funny

that’s when his resolve starts slipping. he notices he’s stopped trying to ignore you and instead he’s gravitating towards you

and he hates it

vulnerability scares him so he stays away for a while until the next time you pull him in with your magnetic smile

once again, levi’s feelings are stubborn and unwavering.

he’s protective. always checking where you are in the formation. he can’t have any biases ruining expeditions so he never changes your position (despite wanting to on a number of occasions)

however, when the corps regroup he always looks around for a second ascertaining whether or not you’re in the vicinity and safe

one time he noticed you weren’t around and only relaxed when someone informed him you were with hange

he’s confusing when in love. hot and cold. left and right. dark and light. every move he makes he’ll make another that makes no sense. it’s because he’s never certain of what he feels. all he knows for certain is that he’s crashing hard and whatever is going on will end up in disaster if he doesn’t address it

it really does take him a long time to finally become mentally prepared enough to confess to you but he realises he has to push himself to do it otherwise he’ll only end up distracting himself and making a fatal mistake on the battlefield some day

he’s very nervous about it because he predicts you’ll reject him

“i’m interested in you.”

and when you don’t understand what he means by that he has to rephrase it a number of times before you do get it

“your actions concern me.” you still don’t get it

“i think we are jigsaw pieces.” again no nod of understanding from you, instead you ask him if he’s lost a puzzle piece and jokingly you suggest that sasha could have ate it

“if you were cold i would give you my jacket.” at that you say thank you but still don’t get what it is he means

he just doesn’t want to say it outright. he thinks it’ll be unbearably awkward.

but eventually he gives in and goes for it anyway

“fuck, what i’m trying to say is that i like you and i care for you...in a romantic way.”

he’s shocked when you beam, as cheerful as ever you say you like him back. he’s totally prepared for refusal so he just kinda stands there like a statue unsure with what he should do next

you take the lead moving to hold his hand with yours and when your fingers intertwine with his something in that moment makes levi feel whole. he feels full and happy.

from then on everything is smooth sailing, you and levi are happy but as the months pass and the tensions rise within paradis, levi’s guilt kicks in

he feels guilty for loving you and having the opportunity to have you love him back

there’s constantly a seed of worry in his stomach, it forever weighs him down and many of his sleepless nights are spent thinking about how he’ll have to let you go

after all, everyone he’s ever loved has had to face death’s door before him.

his fear gets the better of him and he even reaches the point of rehearsing what he plans to say to you in the case of a breakup

but this is levi we’re talking about and despite knowing you’re safer the further away you are from him he still latches onto you like a lost child

he thinks for once everything will be different. that you’re a positive sign. he chooses to have faith you make it out of this alive with him.

because although you could die you aren’t dead yet.

and that’s all that keeps his fiery hope steady.

he’s the candle and you’re his flickering flame of hope and for as long as he stands he vows he’ll keep you burning alive.

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

[smellsfaintlyofvanilla]

hewwo! Would it be okay to request historia x reader? I’m not sure if you’ve finished aot yet but the scenario in my head is set after historia became queen and the reader is a captain of the scout regiment. They’ve been secretly together since their trainees days and it becomes increasingly hard to find time to spend together. So like one day reader decide to dangle outside of historia’s window (how romantic than throwing rocks at her windows👀) and decides to make up for lost time. Lots of fluff and maybe Heheh I wouldn’t mind if it gets a bit (or maybe more) nsfw. Thankiess <33 sorry if it bothers you with this request

Stan Historia hours :) I love her sm

Also I didn’t proofread ‘cause I’m sleepy, so if there are typos... uh... whoops...

Missing You

(Historia Reiss x Reader)

AU: Canon

Warnings: None

Category: Fluff/smut

Summary: Ever since Historia became queen of Paradis, her s/o has been able to see her less and less. So, one day, they show up outside of her window for a surprise.

Words: 4.1K

Gusts of wind delicately brushed your hair behind your ears as you flew through the air effortlessly. You breathed in the cold evening air and gazed at the setting sun over the horizon tranquilly before firing the grapple of your ODM gear into the wall of a nearby brick building. Using the momentum it gave you, you rounded the corner swiftly and let your eyes settle of the sight in front of you--the Reiss castle.

It was a grand sight, no doubt about it, as the pristine stone and marble was decorated with shiny golden accents that fit the grandeur aesthetic. A tall gate surrounded the estate, and guards lined the outside.

Luckily for you, as the commander of the Scouts, you had no trouble bypassing them all quietly. It’s not like you were in any real danger regardless--even if you were caught, the queen would undoubtedly have you pardoned immediately. The worst you’d get out of it was a harsh scolding from a displeased Levi or Erwin.

You were on a bit of a risky mission. Not one sanctioned by the Scouts, but rather, a personal mission. You knew your girlfriend, who was also the queen, resided inside the palace, and due to her newfound status as a monarch, and your duties as a soldier, you found yourself with less and less time to spend with her. Knowing her, she likely missed you as well, and wouldn’t be at all apprehensive about your sudden appearance.

Your fleeting shadow was all that any guard could make out as your body flew over the wall, landing quietly, albeit a little clumsily, in the hedges lining the outer walls. A glance up at a familiar balcony proved that you had hit your target perfectly--you were directly under Historia’s bedroom.

You sat up and brushed the dirt off of your cloak with a scoff. Security was clearing lacking here if someone like you was able to slip by undetected so easily. Still, you were pleased with it’s convenience in allowing you to visit your girlfriend. You shot the grapple of your gear right above her bedroom window, and quickly zipped up to peer inside, placing both of your feet against the wall and letting your arms hang limp as your weight was carried solely on the wire of your ODM gear.

The curtain was already opened, and you took a minute to admire her sleeping frame, which was hunched unceremoniously over her desk and on top of some incomplete paperwork. The messy golden hair, which was out of it’s usual style, and the gentle rise and fall of her chest as her lips parted slightly. Despite her outward calmness, you didn’t fail to notice the light bags under her eyes, and the scowl that painted her usually cheery face.

You decided to cut your creepy staring short, as you balled up one of your hands into a fist and started gently knocking on the glass window. You stopped as soon as you noticed her stir, but you quickly realized she was still asleep. It was probably gonna take a little more than light knocking to wake her up.

You crouched your legs further into the wall, before jumping away and aiming your feet at the window. As your body swung back and into the window, the cheap wooden frame gave way silently, pushing the window wide open. You silently thanked whatever deity was up there that the glass didn’t shatter when you collided with it, because if it did, a rush of guards would undoubtedly storm in to investigate the threat, and you really wanted this little visit to stay a secret between you and Historia.

You gently closed the window behind you, not wanting to let any more of the chilly night air inside, and walked up to your girlfriend’s desk. You placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly.

“Historia...” You whispered into her ear, but the short girl only tightened her lips into a line and furrowed her brows, accompanied by a short, incoherent mumble. You cursed her for being so cute before you gave her a quicker, more forceful shake. “Historia...!” You whisper-shouted, and you felt her body jump at the sudden call of her name.

She yanked her head off of her desk abruptly and turned her body to face you with a slightly panicked expression on her face, but it lightened immediately into a small smile when her gaze met yours.

“Y/n...” She yawned out, covering her mouth and shutting her eyes peacefully.

“Hello, darling.” You smiled, stepping back a few paces to give her space to stretch her arms out above her head.

“What are you doing here?” She muttered, before perking her head up in confusion and continuing. “Actually, how did you get past security?”

You laughed softly before sliding your cloak off of your shoulders and throwing it carelessly onto her elegant, oversized bed. “Well, I missed you, and it’s been ages, so I decided to drop by for a visit. Getting past security was no big issue, either.” You laughed dryly, before continuing, walking over to stand by Historia’s desk chair. “Don’t tell me you didn’t wan to see me?” You smiled.

“No,” She mumbled sleepily, standing up and burying her head in your chest affectionately, wrapping her arms around you tightly. “I’m glad you’re here...”

You smiled at her bashfully and started to run your fingers through her loose blonde hair. She’s always so cute when she’s sleepy...

“So...” She pulled back after a moment, looking up to face you as the tiredness slowly left her eyes. “Did you have anything specific planned?” She smiled, “Or did you visit just for the sake of it?”

You sighed, rubbing the back of your neck with your free hand. “Nothing in particular, but I had an idea.” She raised her eyebrow, signaling you to continue, but you didn’t speak, and instead, you walked back to her window and opened it wide, the gentle winds causing the curtains to flutter. You waved your hand in the ‘come here’ motion, beckoning her to follow you to the window.

“I’ll show you,” You smiled, “But you have to hold on tight.”

She nodded wordlessly, walking over to you and wrapping her small body around your torso. You pet her head affectionately for a moment, before speaking.

“You ready?”

“Mhm.”

And with that, you climbed onto the windowsill and shot off your ODM gear outside of the palace walls.

As you flew through the air, you made sure to be quick and silent, trying not to make a scene, especially now that the queen was clinging to you like a koala. To an outsider’s perspective, it may have appeared like the calmest kidnapping to ever occur, but in reality, Historia couldn’t have been any happier to be so close to you for the first time in months, even if no word’s were spoken.

She finally pulled her head out of your chest when she felt you stop, hitting the ground and skidding along the dirt on your heels from the leftover momentum. You stumbled a little bit, before gaining your footing in the dirt and stopping in your tracks.

“We’re here.” You exhaled, and Historia reluctantly let go and stood up straight. She looked around curiously at the unfamiliar scenery. Tired oak trees towered over the sky, covering the view of the stars completely. Near her feet, green, unkept grass and shrubbery covered the ground, and the occasional patch of flowers gave a drop of color to the predominately brown and green scenery. She quickly concluded that the city was long behind them, and that this place had been free of human inhabitation for quite a long time.

“You dragged me out of my bedroom at 9PM,” Historia started, and you turned to face her curiously. “To show me some trees...?”

You laughed at this, finding her confusion quite adorable. “Not the trees, sweetie.” You grabbed her small hand in your own, and started to lead her down the closest thing to a path there was near here--an area of beaten down dirt and flattened grass. ‘I wonder how often she comes here...’ Historia thought to herself as you continued to lead her through the trees.

You finally slowed your jog to a stop once you found your destination, letting go over Historia’s hand and stretching out, breathing in the freeing night air. “Now, we’re here.”

She finally turned her gaze away from you, and glanced at the landscape ahead of her, mouth hanging slightly open at the sight of it.

The sky was composed of deep shades of purple and blue, mixing together elegantly like paint on a canvas. Shiny white stars freckled the sky, forming best and constellations. It was nothing compared to the view she got from her palace window.

She glanced down at her feet to see just where she was standing. The two of you were on the edge of the forest, which seemed to be the cliff that oversaw the beach that was at least 50 feet below her. It was a small outcrop of dirt and stone, a tiny little peninsula of cliff where trees and flowers ceased to grow, leaving only the small bits of grass and shrubbery.

“Pretty cool, huh?” You sighed happily, plopping down to sit on the short grass, and patting the space next to you.

She snapped out of her trance and settled down next to you, running her fingers through the soft grass, mesmerized.

You watched her with amusement before chuckling. “How long has it been since you’ve touched some grass??” Despite your playful tone, you were genuinely curious. After all, as nothing more than a soldier, you didn’t remotely understand what the life of royalty could be like.

She ignored the question for the most part, her gaze still fixed on the night’s sky.

“I haven’t gotten to see anything like this in a long time...” She trails off.

“I know,” You say confidently, “I go here all the time to look at the stars since the it’s so isolated, Plus, it has an amazing view. Levi always drags me out whenever he finds me here, but I caught him watching the sunrise here one time. I guess even a pessimist like him finds this place calming.” You chuckle, leaning you back against a dead tree stump and sighing. “But keep this quiet.” You smile. “It’s my little secret.”

She smiled back, a small blush creeping up on her cheeks at your laugh. It was so calming to her, so charming and unique to you. It made her happy to know you were happy.

A sudden gust of wind blew through the air, and Historia shivered, hugging herself in an attempt to conserve body heat. It was pretty here, no doubt, but she wished she had a chance to change out of her night clothes before you took her out.

You glanced at her for a moment, still clad in the standard Scout uniform (which, luckily for you, was very warm), and chuckled for a minute.

“Historia, darling,” You called out, bringing her attention towards you and patting your lap, “Come over here.”

She stood up quickly and made her way over to you, facing you before placing herself in your lap, her arms wrapped around your stomach and one leg splayed to either side of you.

You silently wished you had brought your Scout cloak with you so you could use it as a blanket, but instead, you just wrapped your arms around her in return and hoped that whatever body heat you were giving off would be enough.

It seemed to work, though, as she stopped shivering pretty quickly, and buried her head in your chest. You sighed in relief and started to run your hands through her hair absentmindedly.

“Y’know sweetie,” you start speaking, and although she shows no reaction at first, you know she’s listening intently, “I love you, and I love the cuddles too, but you won’t get a good view of the stars if you stay like this the whole time.” You giggled.

She let out a muffled hum into your chest, before speaking her response. “I don’t mind. You’re much better than some cool view of the sky. Warmer too.”

You laughed at her last statement, before settling down yourself, a hand making it’s way to rub small circles of Historia’s lower back soothingly. It seemed to have worked, as she only sighed and cuddled herself further into you.

The two of you sat like that in comfortable silence for what felt like ages, relaxing in each others’ presences for the first time in months. But, eventually the silence was broken as Historia quietly piped up.

“How has it been?” She asked, and you tilted your head to look at her, only to find her still relaxed against you. “Being commander of the Scouts must be tough work. They’ve been getting a lot of attention recently, both good and bad.”

You sighed and leaned back once again. Things had been tougher and more tiring recently, no doubt. Still, work was the last thing on your mind at this moment. You just wanted to spend time with Historia, free from stress.

“It’s been... okay.” You dodged the question subtly, and Historia elected not to prod you on it as you continued. “But I do miss spending time with my wonderful girlfriend.” You teased, and a smile spread across your features as she flustered up, and turned her head subconsciously to the side, allowing you to see her blushing face.

“And you know what else I miss?” You continued, grabbing her chin with your free hand, and lifting her head up to face you.

“What?” She stared back at you, bewildered and flustered.

“This.”

And before Historia even had the time to voice the words that formed in her mind, you pulled her face to yours quickly, quickly kissing her on the nose, then the forehead, then the cheek.

Historia giggled adorably as you continued to pepper her with chaste kisses against her face, and this time, she didn’t try to fight the blush that spread across her cheeks.

“Y/nnnnn...!” She continued to laugh as you kissed the corner of her lips all the way up to her ear, and her laughter started to infect you as well, as you let out soft snickers and laughs as well as you continued to shower her with affection.

You eventually stopped, and the two of you laughed together sweetly for a moment, before finally settling down against each other once again.

“You know what I missed?” Historia spoke teasingly.

“Hm?” You responded, interested in her response.

She gave no verbal response, much like you, instead opting to show her feelings with actions rather than words as she closed the gap between both of your faces.

Her lips met yours, and you closed your eyes to accept the soft, tender kiss, as opposed to the playful and short ones from earlier.

You continued the kiss, leaning over her slightly, and moving your hands to her lower back, and her hands went to grip your shoulders for support.

You playfully licked her bottom lip, silently asking for permission, but she gave in right away, parting her lips slightly and allowing you to quickly slide your tongue over her teeth. She felt her blush darken at the bold action, but continued to deepen the kiss regardless.

She’d be a liar if she said that she didn’t miss this as well, the more... intimate parts of your relationships. Like how you two would quietly make out in the dorm rooms before meeting up with everyone for breakfast, and how you would quietly finger her behind the barracks after training, and even the cute little noises you made when she went down on you.

She couldn’t help it as these dirty thoughts started to cloud her mind, and she could already feel her underwear growing damp.

You continued to make out with her, asserting your dominance more as your tongue started to explore the inside of her mouth, and Historia couldn’t help but let out quiet whimpers, especially when the hands placed on her lower back started to slowly lift up the hem of her shirt.

Then, in what was most likely a subconscious action, you shifted in place a little bit, and it wasn’t until now that she was reminded that her core had been placed directly on your thigh, and the subtle grinding against her crotch caused her to let out a moan against your lips.

You didn’t realize what you had done for a second, but when you did, you immediately used it to your advantage, and you ground your thigh against her core excruciatingly slowly. At this point, Historia couldn’t help any of the quiet moans and whimpers that escaped her throat.

You pulled away to catch your breath, much to Historia’s dismay, but you at least kept the slow movements of your thigh against her as you spoke up between pants.

“How about we go home now baby?” You asked (though it wasn’t much of a question), wiping your mouth and breaking the thin trail of saliva that connected you two. “This isn’t a very good place for... y’know...”

Historia only blushed and nodded, wiping her mouth as well. “Y-Yeah...”

You stood up to lead her out, and Historia tried her best to ignore the throbbing sensation that lingered between her legs ever since you stopped giving her stimulation.

You wasted no time on your trip home—letting Historia cling to you while you zipped your way back to the palace.

Historia tried to be patient on the way there, but she couldn’t help it as she started to subtly grind her hips into yours as you continued to fly through the air.

You sucked in a little bit of air through your teeth—undoubtedly turned on yourself—but you were quick to reprimand her softly.

“Not here, Historia, just wait until we get back.”

After an excruciatingly long four minutes journey, you one again flew into Historia’s unlocked bedroom window, stumbling on the floor a little bit, before regaining your footing and setting Historia down. You turned to close the window, not wanting anyone but you to hear your girlfriend’s sweet moans but you.

Once you had done that, you removed your coat and tossed it aside aimlessly before pushing Historia down against the bed, continuing to make out with her hungrily. She clawed at your shirt clumsily, and ceased to stop the whine in her throat when you playfully bit her bottom lip.

Your hands roamed to the buttons of her night shirt, fumbling to undo them while keeping all of your attention on Historia. Eventually, you got the stubborn things off, and you threw the shirt to the side carelessly, before immediately abusing your new access.

Your hands roamed her breasts hungrily. They were on the smaller side, but, as you had learned not far into your relationship, they were very sensitive.

You toyed with her happily as she crumbled beneath you, and you relished in the way her breath hitched and back arched as you gently pinched one of the pink nipples.

She pulled away from the makeup session to bite her bottom lip, muting any noises she made as you continued your teasing ministrations.

“Shit... Y/n...” She muttered bashfully, causing you to laugh slyly.

You slowly moved your way up her body, before straddling her hips and sitting up, your crotch flush against hers. You slowly undid the buttons of your shirt, sliding it over your shoulders cleanly once it was loose enough, and you discarded along with the sports bra you were wearing.

Historia shamelessly scanned your body, all the way from your shoulders to your toned, somewhat muscled stomach, and she ran her fingers over it delicately, stopping at the button of your pants. You smiled before leaning down to continue kissing her, curious to see where she was leading with this.

She didn’t seem to lose any confidence when you resumed your dominance, as she unbuttoned the pants easily, and slipped her hand into your underwear. You tensed up and let out a small gasp as her fingers brushed teasingly over your clit, rubbing gentle circles on it.

You pulled away from her mouth and let out a small whine. “Historia...”

She smiled at your reaction, deciding to be just a little bolder as she pressed down on your clit, hard, causing a jolt of pleasure to shoot up your body. You let out a strangled moan before lust took over your mind. Enough foreplay, enough teasing. This is starting right now.

You sat back up again, causing her hand to fall out of your pants to avoid the uncomfortable angle, and you slid of your pants and underwear, throwing it off to the growing collection of neglected clothing that littered her floor. You did the same thing to Historia right after, sliding her skirt down her hips gently, talking her underwear with it.

Your hand instantly settled in between her legs, and you stuck a finger into her up to the knuckle experimentally, and smiling sadistically at the lewd noises that fell from her lips.

You pulled it out gently, causing her to call out your name in both pleasure and frustration.

You didn’t let her go long without stimulation, however, as you lifted one of her legs up to go over your shoulder, pressing your heat against hers, and causing you to close your eyes and let out a pleasured exhale.

Slowly, you started to rock your hips against hers, scissoring her at a slow pace, enjoying the soft sounds she made.

“Y-Y/n...” She muttered, covering her mouth with her hand to mute the noises that fell easily from her lips.

You glanced up at her and grabbed her wrist, displeased with her action. “Don’t cover your mouth.” You groaned, moving her hand away. “I want to hear you.”

Historia nodded hesitantly, blushing in embarrassment as lewd moans and whimpers left her lips.

“Fuck...” She exhaled in ecstasy, causing you to smile. It brought you a lot of joy to make your oh so innocent girlfriend curse as you fucked her like this.

Her dormant hands reached up to grasp at your waist, running her hands up and down it and feeling you up with need, causing you to let out a shuddered moan as you sped your pace.

The increase in speed jostled her for a moment, and a startled, but pleasured yelp left her lips. You sighed and tilted your head back, biting your lip in pleasure as you rocked against her with force.

Slowly, Historia felt a knot grow in the pit of her stomach. Intense, heated pleasure that threatened to burst with every thrust of your body against hers, and helpless whines filled the room, only increasing tenfold when one of your hands went down to grope her breast.

“F-Fuck...! Y/n... I’m getting... close...” She exhaled, causing a surge of arousal course through your body. You could feel your orgasm slowly building in your stomach as well.

“Y-Yeah... me too...” You panted out as your thrusts started to get irregular as you got closer and closer to your climax, and lust-filled moans fell from your lips. You reached your other hand down to rub at her clit, finally sending her over the edge.

The hot sensation in the pit of her stomach finally unraveled as she arched her back up and gripped the sheets, rolling her hips desperately against yours, needy moans of ecstasy spilled from her lips, along with the occasional curse and yelp of your name.

Evidence of her orgasm dripped down her thighs and onto you as you came against her as well, riding out your orgasm with her.

You let out a few, slow thrusts as your hips twitched and legs shook, finally coming down from your high. You thrusted one final time, before exhaling and collapsing next to her, still sweaty and panting from your activities just moments ago.

Historia looked just the same as you, sweat dripping down her red face, the aftereffects of ecstasy still evident on her face. You turned on your side to face her, putting your hands on your back and pulling her close.

She let out a long, contended sigh and wrapped her arms around your back, and pulling the silk covers over you with her free hand, kissing your collarbone gently as sleep started to overtake her.

“I missed this.” You sigh, closing your eyes and running your hands through her disheveled and messy hair. “I missed you.”

You heard her quietly hum in agreement, before muttering sleepily into your chest. “I love you...”

You smile as her breathing evened against you. You were sure she had already fallen asleep, but that didn’t stop you from responding.

“I love you too, Historia.”

THIS IS SO RUSHED BYE EVERYONE SEE YA

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan x reader #shingeki no kyojin x reader #aot x reader #snk x reader #historia reiss #historia reiss x reader #christa lenz #christa lenz x reader #fluff #smut

[o-king-of-suns]

Hi ^^ I've recently found ur blog and read ur meta. Ur analysis is great! I'm kinda new here but I've seen so many ppl talk about Levi's guidebook page, referring to it as "the confirmation of what Levi was solely fighting for in the final battle i.e revenge by fulfilling the promise" I'm sorry if this has been pointed out before but as a Levi fan who believes otherwise, I'd love to read ur interpretation. Also u also believe the GB is implying this? I think ppl are having the wrong impression.

Hi! :) Thank you so much! I am glad you liked my meta! English is not my first language, so I try my best to express what I want to say.

Almost everyone agrees that the final guidebook is just an ABSOLUTE hot garbage! xD At this point that no one is taking seriously anymore! xD It straight up contradicts what happens in the manga, has VERY reductive and nonsensical descriptions of the characters and is FULL of errors.

The main reason to why many people have issues with Levi’s part (apart from it having nothing new or because it mainly focused on the promise) is one word that was used in the text that has been translated by some biased people into “obsessed”.

I asked 3 Japanese people (including my teacher) about the word that was used in the text and the meanings that I was given were: (be) dedicated to; have an uncompromising commitment to ; to really focus on; to be determined to; etc. From what I understood, this term is always a headache as it truly depends on what the writer wants to convey and what it “feels” right in the context. "Obsessed” is like, the most reductive reading of that word, and it's the exact word that Er_ris chose to use xD

Japanese is often qualified as vague, and it CAN leave room for interpretation. For example, the word (きれい) Isayama used to say Levi was the opposite of Rorschach could mean "pretty" or "clean" based on the context, but here's the thing: Rorschach is notoriously ugly, so it makes sense that Isayama meant that Levi is "pretty" (and it IS officially translated to "pretty" ), but I have seen MANY Japanese people say that Isayama meant "clean" not “pretty”! This word meaning in the text literally and solely depended on Isayama's intention even causing translators to get confused and translate it to “pretty”! If we look at the context of Levi’s character description in the last gb, the last line mentions that after his final mission, Levi “meets his friends with a calm heart”. Why would Levi be able to meet his friends with a “calm heart” if his entire arc was about him being “obsessed” with a personal goal and revenge?! Is this why he salutes them and they salute him back in the final chapter?! I am 100% sure that the word “obsessed” was not the one that the person who wrote the description wanted to use.

Now let’s stop talking about language translation and focus on Levi in the manga xD Is the gb version Levi the same Levi whom Isayama described as "as an existence more superior to myself" during Levi’s statue reveal just last March?!

You know, when I asked my native Japanese teacher to help me translate Isayama's statement about Levi, she sent me a 4 minute voice note breaking down the terms Isayma used and explaining how much respect the person speaking (Isayama) has for the person he's talking about (Levi). I was embarrassed to tell her that the person he’s speaking about is actually a fictional character lol

Isyama used 頭 の上がらない which literally means “can’t raise someone’s head” but it actually means “can’t raise someone’s head in front someone else for how much respect they have for this person”

Now let’s look at Levi’s actions in the manga to see if we can reach to the same conclusion.

Levi is one of, if not the most, perceptive characters in SNK. In one the official short stories, he was described as a person who is able to “know the true nature of Man”. For Levi, Zeke is a man who cheered with satisfaction as he threw rocks through fifteen year olds. He’s the person who nonchalantly explained to Levi the process of gassing an entire village of unsuspecting civilians and flinging them into an eternal nightmare in order to weaponize their bodies. Zeke’s manipulations are the origin of almost all of Paradis’ problems, whether it’s encouraging Marley to ramp up aggressions or pulling shady shit with Kiyomi, Yelena and the Jaegerists that destabilizes their already vulnerable island. And what’s worse - because we’re reading a story where torn-up characters are often excused by circumstances of coercion or perceived necessity - he doesn’t care. He feels no remorse. He wants to do this. Levi doesn’t know Zeke’s ultimate reasoning of course, but he recognized through the smoke of the campfire a man who doesn’t give a fuck about the wishes and agency of others. Who will force his own will on a race of humans and call it mercy. AND YET, Levi stays with him for  A WHOLE MONTH in the forest bringing him books, drinks and a pillow to sit on. He keeps asking him about what happened in Connie’s village trying over and over to understand him. And then the guy transforms Levi’s own teammates in front of him, forces him to kill them and taunts him with their suffering. Levi perceives a person who’s arrogant enough to consider his cruelty compassion as he decides whether the lives of their children are worth living.YET, Levi decided to keep him alive because he believed that it is what’s the best for Paradis; a decision that eventually caused Levi’s severe injuries and the activation of the Rumbling!

During the final battle, Levi offered to act as a bait for Mikasa so she can try to bring back Armin and risks his life TWICE to save Jean and Connie risking his chances to ever fulfill his promise to Erwin.

Please tell me now that these are actions of an “obsessed” man who is only focused on killing Zeke and revenge.

The first time Levi mentions the vow after the time skip, he says: “Erwin, I think I will be finally able to fulfill the vow I made to you that day. Your deathS had meaning. At last I will be able to prove it”  Levi clearly associates giving meaning to his comrades’ deaths WITH fulfilling his vow to Erwin. This is the line that proves that the vow has always meant something more.

Levi made a promise that came to represent the fulfillment of the goal all his former Survey Corps comrades laid down their lives for. Slaying the Beast Titan took on symbolic stature, a tangible way of giving their sacrifices meaning - especially in a world where the circumstances had drastically shifted and enemies, allies, and other were suddenly seen from a completely different perspective.

In Ch. 136, Levi remembers his friends and reflects upon their sacrifices and what they meant. They did not sacrifice their lives to “trample the lives and hearts of others”.

We never got a SINGLE panel in which he says that he fulfilled his promise! In the last apparition of his fallen comrades, Erwin isn’t even in the center. He salutes his fallen comrades for devoting their hearts for humanity and they salute him back for honoring their sacrifices.

If there is one thing that Levi was “obsessed” about, it is him trying to give meaning to the deaths and sacrifices of the people who truly devoted their hearts to humanity and whom he truly loved

#anon ask #ask

[pleasantanathema]

Graves into Gardens | Reiner Braun x Reader | Chapter Eight

Chapter 8: The Things We Leave Behind

Pairing: Reiner Braun x Fem!Reader [now with a dash of Erwin x Reader]

Rating: Explicit (18+ Only)

Warnings: Modern AU, spoilers up to season four, slight manga spoilers (only by including characters met later), captivity, mentions of death, violence enemies to lovers, angst

Word Count: 4.7k

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter 

Erwin,

           I don’t have much time, but it’s me—I’m alive. I’m safe. I don’t know why, but I am. They want something from me here, tried to pry into me for information about The Scouts, but not much else. I’ve given over as little as I can, but enough to keep me alive for now. But it’s strange here, even some of the warriors know something is going on below the surface of what we know. You can probably tell by the email that I’m using that I’ve found a strange semblance of refuge with Reiner. He’s the one who has given me the multitude of files I’ve attached this email. He claims most of this intel he gathered he never gave over to Marleyan officials. He also says he can be of help to Paradis, that Pieck and the others can too. I don’t know how much of that is true. To be fair, I don’t know what’s true at all anymore.

           There are files here on Zeke Yeager, apparently put together by warrior members who have become wary of him. Dig into them, figure out what you can. Don’t worry about me, I’ll find a way home. And, for the love of god, please sleep. I know how you get.

           Don’t respond to this email. No one knows I have sent it.

           Always.

           Erwin read the words for what felt like the thousandth time, the black lettering practically bleeding into the screen by this point. His heart had dropped when he sat down in his office this morning to find something sitting in his personal email folder, something branded with the last name of a traitor. His mind had raced into the darkest depths, assuming it was pictures of torture, a letter filled with malacious laughter, an autopsy report. But it was you, you were alive, you’d found a way to reach him.

           He had to keep his hand over his mouth as he grinned. You were so capable, so resourceful and rather ingenious. He’d had his doubts, but on the forefront of his mind, and his tongue, he’d said and knew you were alive.

           He’d stayed in his office with the door locked for hours in the morning as he poured over the information, brows twisting in both delight and disgust as he began to make sense of the documents crafted by the wary warriors. They were impressive, to say the least, and quite frightening.

           Every single urge inside of him was screaming to respond, even as he printed out the rather massive amount of documents you’d attached. He made copy after copy, blue eyes dancing like they were overcome with madness as familiar and unknown faces and information landed into the tray of the printer.

           He carefully separated the files by paperclips, prepping for them to be dispersed.

           You were so good. So brilliant. He’d have you home soon enough.

           The cumbersome stack of papers was too much for him to carry just under one arm. The one he’d lost was burning, itching like it should be able to wrap around the bundle.

           Erwin marched out of his office and into the bustling workspace, clearing his throat to the room.

           “Scouts! Emergency meeting in the conference hall immediately. Drop everything and meet me there.”

           Every head in the room snapped toward him, all chatter silencing. They all stared at him like he had three heads; the last time they’d had every scout in the same room was when he’d pronounced you missing nearly two weeks ago. He knew they were worried that this next announcement was of a death, of war.

           “Now!”

           The bustle picked up again immediately, every soldier, assistant, and intelligence officer scurrying to make it down the hall.

           “Springer,” Erwin caught the young man by the shoulder as he tried to brisk by him, “there’s a stack of papers in my office. Grab it and bring it with you.”

           Erwin continued in his stride toward the small auditorium, taking his known place down in front at the white boards. He could hear indiscriminate whispers behind his back as he took his time setting up a display. There was a small cork board off to the side of the room, littered with headshots of the Marleyan warriors. He cursed the face of the girl who took his arm as he pulled it to the front.

           “Miche,” he called over his shoulder, knowing the towering blonde would be nearby, “Come help me.”

           “Sure thing boss.”

           It didn’t take much time to direct, and before long he had all the warriors lined up on the large board in front of the room. He took his own time to place the picture of your face in the center, fingers brushing over the heavy red letters of Missing that were etched over your features.

           Levi saddled up next to him, never one to fall into the crowds.

           “Erwin, what is all this?”

           “I got an email from her this morning.”

           Levi didn’t have to ask. If there was ever a “her” in Erwin’s vocabulary, he meant you. You were all over his mind, more so than ever before.

           “Care to share? Or was it a love letter?”

           It was an unspoken truth that he’d become involved with you within the last year, and given his rather...emotional response to your disappearance, he was sure everyone was now well aware of your entanglement.

           “A love letter full of promising information.”

           “Tch, sounds about right. Did she give you all that?” Levi tilted his head toward Connie, who was struggling to keep the giant bundle of printed documents from sliding off the podium.

           “She did. It’s time to get to work.”

           Erwin didn’t even wait for the room to settle. There was no time to waste. He turned toward the confused, anxious crowd, took note of how they were all staring at him like lost children. There weren’t that many left after the attack on Shinganshina all those years ago, his scouts had either been killed off or left the ranks entirely. Recruitment had become more of an issue than it ever had been before as well. There was only a gathering of about thirty before him—the size of a small classroom, all piled into the front seats and awaiting instruction.

           “I received word from our missing captain this morning.”

           A shocked gasp filled the space, one of the younger girls—last name Blouse or Braus, he never could remember—literally jumping from her seat.

           “She’s alive?!”

           He held up his hand to calm her, to direct her to sit back down.

           “As far as I know, yes. She found a way to email me this morning to let me know of her safety, and also supply us with a vast amount of Marleyan intel. Now, we need to unpack what we know.”

           Erwin motioned to Springer again, wrist flicking toward the still unsteady mountain of papers.

           “Hand those out, they should be sectioned by paper clips so everyone can have a copy.”

           “But, Sir, I—” I just spent all that time wrestling with those papers, is what he knew he wanted to say. Springer did what he was told anyways, scratching at his short hair as he hurriedly began to divvy out the printed intel.

           “We’ll start with what we do know.” Erwin took a few long strides back toward the large board, feeling his empty shirt sleeve rustle by his side as he used his remaining arm to point toward the faces that had been lined up for him.

          “Of course, we’re all aware that former Scout members Braun, Leonhart, and Hoover were infiltrators sent by Marley to uncover our anti-Marleyan operations. They are members of the Warrior Unit run by this man,” he placed his index finger over the person of interest, “Zeke Yeager. And there are other members of the unit as well, Galliard, Finger, and Grice. There are also candidates for this elite military squad, Udo, Zofia, and the younger Grice and Braun. It is important to note that one of their former members, Marcel Galliard, was killed by none other than our missing captain in question.”

          “Yeah, yeah, we know all this!” Kirstein chimed in, “We don’t need the history lesson.”

          Erwin couldn’t help but grin.

  ��       “It seems a history lesson is exactly what you need. In those files that were sent to me, you’ll learn that all these warrior members and candidates are, historically, from Eldian bloodlines.”

          “Eldians? You mean...like us?” Historia tilted her head, thumbing through the pages in her lap.

          “Yes. Now if you did pay attention in history class,” he narrowed his eyes at Jean, “you would remember that about four hundred years ago, there was a mass immigration of Eldians into Marley in the face of a mass famine here. However, due to Marley’s very strict borders and even stricter control on their governmental processes, it was never truly known to us what became of the Eldians that marched across their border. We knew they had been separated into internment camps, but it also seems that they have been weaponized and trained into being nearly the entirety of their military ranks. And this unit, The Warriors, are the premiere and elite squadron of the Marleyan military. And their motives toward Paradis have been largely unknown. Until now.”

          Erwin took a pause, letting all this information sink in before starting again.

          “Now, we know that Zeke Yeager has been working with our elite right below our noses with the hopes of changing the status quo for Eldians in Marley.”

          “Isn’t that a good thing?”

          Eren sat forward, elbows on his knees as he stared at all the faces on the board. It was no secret that Zeke Yeager was his long lost step-brother, sired by his father before he escaped the Marleyan border to find a better future in Paradis. As far as Erwin knew, the young man had no connections to his step-sibling, only saw him as an enemy force to be reckoned with.

          “Yes, and no. Because, according to the files you’ll find penned by one Pieck Finger, it seems his plan is quite unseemly.”

          “I don’t understand all this data and graph shit,” Miche admitted, eyebrows scrunched together as he licked his thumb to continue perusing the pages.

          Captain Hange stood then, making her way to the front without Erwin having to beckon her to.

          “These are...these are blood samples, DNA testing,” she mused, pencils stuck in her ponytail as she paced the floor before Erwin, “genome analysis, to be specific. Like they were looking for something specific in all these samples.”

          “And they were. Did you get my request this morning?”

          “Oh yes, of course, sir!” Hange scrambled back up to her seat, pulling out a manila envelope and then returning to hand it to him.

          Erwin motioned for Miche to tape these new documents on the board as well, one next to your photo, the other now next to a photo of Historia Reiss. Then Erwin picked up some pictures that would be unfamiliar to his scouts, placing them above your head.

          “These are the parents of our missing scout,” he called over his shoulder as he took an unfortunately slow time to place the photos, the lack of two hands starting to become quite bothersome. “They were Military Police members, killed in action about ten years ago. However, the information within the files on Yeager reveal that before Braun and the others infiltrated our ranks, there were other imposters sent on a reconnaissance mission within the MPs. It is cited that those infiltrators killed two people they were targeting, and I believe it to be them.”

          He could tell he was losing their focus, quite a few eyes glazed over as they tried to make sense of all the new pieces being added to the growing wall of puzzles. He felt like a madman stringing up red threads, but he was almost certain of his conclusions.

          “Why...why do they matter?” It was Armin who spoke this time, normally the quiet one during meetings who soaked up information like a little yellow sponge.

          “Historia,” Erwin called, “does the name Fritz mean anything to you?”

          The small girl sat to attention, blue eyes shining.

          “Of course, they’re another noble family, like mine. Err, or the were, before…”

          “Before they were killed about one hundred years ago. However, I’m inclined to believe that our missing scout’s mother was the last remaining of the Fritz line, having donned a new name for safety and falling into government positions to hopefully remain unnoticed.”

          He took in a deep breath, once again letting a pregnant pause settle into the heaviness of the room.

          “Which is why…” he waved his hand over the graphs next to your face and the photo of Historia on the board, “thismatters. It’s been a long standing belief that elites, that royalty and those that have been elected president in our country, are somehow different. Almost appointed by the gods themselves because of their special blood. You know, it’s the whole issue that many take up on the fact that they see our governmental system as more of a monarchy than a democracy. But the truth of the matter is, you nobles do have different blood and genes than the rest of us. These graphs show that here.”

          “Well that’s very elitist of you.” Levi cut in, standing with his arms crossed near the door.

          “Perhaps. But I had Hange do a genome map between Historia and…” he sucked on his tongue, still finding a bit of pain to say your name out loud, “...and her. My suspicions are correct. Based on the startlingly similar genetic patterns, our missing captain is of noble heritage, and I’m inclined to believe that Zeke Yeager knows this.”

          “And that’s important because it makes her more valuable,” Armin had his face in his hands, “does she...does she know this?”

          “As far as I know, no. No she does not.”

          “And you of all people would know.”

          Erwin wanted to snap back at the snide comment that came from Eren. If he wasn’t such a good soldier, Erwin would have him on fucking patrol duty after this.

          “Commander,” Armin looked sweaty, pale, “It says here that Yeager’s plan is to reinstate Eldian supremacy through uh… a means of genetic mutation. Do you know what that means?”

          “No, Arlert, I don’t. And I don’t know exactly what his plans are for our scout that’s being held hostage. Which is why you’re all here. From this point forward, every ounce of your time will be spent reviewing these documents and dissecting what it could all mean. As far as I can tell, Pieck Finger hasn’t quite connected all the dots yet either. So now it’s our job to do so.”

          All the heads in the room were nodding, everyone undoubtedly becoming antsy from all this news.

          Erwin knew there was more to say. He had debated printing out your email as well, but he wanted to keep the knowledge that Braun and some of the warriors were possibly willing to help stop whatever was happening to himself. He knew that if he even breathed the words that traitors were offering aid, too many would be against it, too many wouldn’t believe it. That would have to be something he pondered on his own.

          “Where do we begin, sir?”

          Mikasa sat up straight and on the edge of her seat, like she was ready to spring into action.

          “First, I think we need to dig deeper into just who was planning to meet with the Warrior Unit the day the captain was captured. We still don’t know who they were, or what was happening that warriors actually had to be present for it. Also…” he looked pointedly toward Levi, “we need to do more investigating on the day she was shot. We still don’t know who shot her, or why. It could have been an assassin looking to annihilate that Fritz bloodline.”

          Levi nodded, “On it.”

          “Everyone else, get to work. Get out the red tape and string if you need to, and all meeting rooms are now open to place questions and findings onto the boards. Nothing is useless; all knowledge about this situation is powerful and paramount. This could be the beginning of a nightmare, but perhaps we can stop it before it happens.”

          He watched everyone leave, all with hurried steps and papers shuffling within their hands. Hange stuck around behind him, rather bewitched by the DNA findings taped to the white board.

          A little voice cleared their throat next to him, making him look down. Historia stood before him, eyes downcast and her toes pointed together like she was nervous.

          “Commander… I…do you have a moment?”

          “Of course, what’s on your mind?”

          He watched her glance toward Hange, then toward the door, and back to him.

          “Would you like to grab a cup of coffee and speak alone?”

          “Yes,” she quickly breathed, happy that he picked up on the fact that whatever she had to say, it must need to stay quiet.

━━━─── • ───━━━

          It seemed that Historia’s nerves were still getting the better of her as she sat in front of his desk. Erwin had always been told he was rather imposing, so he hoped she wasn’t apprehensive to just be speaking with him alone. Her hands were clenched around a mug of coffee, knee bouncing in her seat.

          He’d poured himself a cup as well in the break room, having already drank it before even reaching his office. Your worries had been correct: he wasn’t sleeping much, and after what you’d sent him today, he didn’t know how you ever expected him to sleep again without knowing the truth of what was happening.

          “Commander…” she took the deepest breath, eyes closing for a moment, “do you...you don’t believe in myths, do you?”

          It was an odd question, one that had him pressing his lips together as he looked for an answer.

          “I suppose not. Though, it would also depend on the myth; some of them hold truth to them, as they were stories attempting to cope with the unknown.”

          “You’re going to think I’m crazy,” she scoffed, looking everywhere in the room but at him.

          “Why? Are you here to give me a mythology lesson?”

          “Have you heard the one about Ymir? And the nine titans?”

          “That old tale?” He chuckled, remembering pictures in books he’d read as a child of towering beasts, “The one about how there used to be giant people, titans that roamed the lands before humanity came along?”

          Historia twisted her lips, looking down at the floor.

          “Yeah. That one. Did you ever know her full name?”

          “Her? As in Ymir? No, she was just the goddess Ymir in all the books, gods don’t normally have last names.”

          “Well, she did. Because she was human. Her last name was Fritz.”

          Fritz. Like your possible ancestors. Historia had earned his attention now. He sat up behind his desk, fist unknowingly clenched in his lap.

          “Commander, I don’t know if this is true, but when I was a little girl, my older sister, Freida, she used to tell me all these stories about titans and how we, nobility, are descendants of gods and of...of titans.”

          Erwin was trying to read her face, but the young woman just seemed full of fear, trepidation.

          “Historia, I’ve heard all the propaganda about the noble families being descendants from gods. And if I offended you with my remarks in the meeting then I apolo—”

          “No, no,” she cut him off, “no, that’s not what I meant. I know that my family...that the other nobles and elites have twisted all these myths to give themselves power, but what I’m saying is that it’s true. At least, I think it is. We have all these books back home in my estate that explain this true history about how people used to live in a world of titans thousands of years ago, that there were mindless titans, but also titans controlled by humans… humans that were titans. And I’m just saying, if this was true…”

          He was starting to put the pieces together now. The genetic mutation. The bloodlines. No wonder her thoughts had led her to this conclusion.

          “You’re worried Zeke Yeager believes in these old stories, that his plan is to bring back titans?” He posed it as a question, wanting her to finish her thoughts instead of him imposing on her.

          “Yes, that’s what I’m saying. I don’t know how, but if there was some way to do it, our missing captain, if she’s actually of royal blood, like me, he might want to…” she set down her cup of coffee, finally looking up at him with eyes that shone with wisdom he’d never acknowledged before, “Zeke might want to experiment on her. Or maybe reveal her heritage and try to bargain her back to the elites. I don’t know, I just didn’t want to say this in front of everyone because they might think I’m…”

          “Crazy?”

          “Yeah,” she huffed, “thanks.”

          “Thank you, Historia. You’ve given me something to think about.”

          “But you think I’m crazy.”

          He dared not to insult her outloud, but it was the side he was erring on.

          “I appreciate you being willing to tell me this. It seems I have some mythology to study up on. Actually, if you ever get the chance to get your hands on one of those books you spoke about, I would like to see it.”

          She stood then, leaving her coffee abandoned on his desk.

          “Of course, Commander.”

          He could tell her spirits were defeated as she left his office. But, nonetheless, he took the coffee she left behind as his own, settling back in to continue reading into the files you’d sent to him.

          But his mind couldn’t even register the words anymore. He was so tired, and now, knowing that you were indeed alive, he was filled with nothing but thoughts on how to get you home. It would be a suicide mission to try to send a squad into Marley to rescue you. He also knew that asking the elites, even the President, to act on his behalf would probably be met with a negative outcome since they were in connection to Zeke Yeager himself. It all seemed hopeless, but he knew you were working to get back as well. Between the two of you attempting to reach the same goal, he knew, eventually, he’d have you back again.

━━━─── • ───━━━

          His home was quite lonely without you.

          He felt the emptiness of not having you at the Scout Headquarters, but more so he felt it when he finally drug his tired body to the apartment he lived in across the city.

          It felt like a small cataclysm erupted whenever he opened his front door, all the emotions he kept at bay suddenly budding to the surface of his composure. Your shoes were still by the door, so small next to the ones he took off.

          Signs of you, of your absence, were everywhere. Your coat on the back of a chair. Your favorite books still spread open and marked to forgotten pages in the cozy chair in the living room. Wine only you liked still remained chilled in the fridge, your body wash and shampoo still lined the edges of his shower. He hadn’t even washed his sheets since you left, hadn’t dared to touch the side of the bed you slept on, like the mattress was still full of your ghost when he reached out for you at night.

          Even though you had your own apartment, he couldn’t remember a night he’d spent without you in the last few months. You’d become inseparable, seeking refuge in each other’s bodies against the cruelty this world had dealt you. You accepted him for who he was, even when he felt like half a man.

          There were still words he wanted to say to you; there were still echoes of your voice all around the apartment, your laughter ringing in the support beams, the sounds of your moans still staining his headboard.

           There were so many things you left behind, him included.

           Erwin poured himself a drink before settling into the couch, not even bothering to undress from his work clothes. He needed medicine for his mind, needed to try to drink and find clarity in the too many thoughts thumping in his head.

           You were noble. Of all fucking things.

           He took a very long sip at that realization, almost reveling in the burn the whiskey left behind in his mouth. He could still taste you on his tongue sometimes, still feel the pressure of your lips against his if he closed his eyes. All those times he thought he was kissing something divine, perhaps he was, if Historia Reiss had any merit to her little bedtime stories.

           The thought made him laugh. Titans. Mythological creatures. If there was one thing he knew, his enemies weren’t trying to bring things that never existed back to life. Historia was right about one thing though: you could be a powerful bargaining chip for Zeke. If the elites were holding out on something, all he had to do was dangle a pretty, royal plaything in front of their noses as bait.

           He pulled your email back up on his phone, eyes scanning over all the words you sent.

You’d found a strange semblance of refuge with Reiner. Of all people. Erwin could still remember how much the two of you would fight when you were both soldiers, how you were adamant to take on the hulking man yourself when it came to battle.

           But he also remembered how startlingly well the two of you worked together. It had been the two of you who had stopped Marcel Galliard, it had been Reiner who was the first to appear at the hospital steps when news of your potentially fatal injury had been called over the radio. The man had been panting, Bertholdt too, both of them having run as fast possible from their patrol circuit to check in on your status.

           Erwin always assumed it was because Reiner was sweet on you. Boys had always been taught to tease the girls they liked when they were younger, perhaps he’d just carried that on into adulthood, practically throwing stones at you to get your attention.

           Not that he could blame him. Erwin had always wanted your attention, but had kept himself restrained for professional reasons. But after Shinganshina, after Zeke showed the true force of the Warrior Unit as a warning, Erwin had quickly pulled you from the front lines. He claimed it was because your cleverness would be better served in intelligence work. Truth of the matter was that he wanted you safe. He wanted you working with him, in his sight, every day.

           And now you had completely slipped through his fingers.

           He’d cursed out loud when the scouts returned and revealed that you’d been captured. He even unfairly chewed out Jean for being reckless enough to get his vertical movement gear tangled with yours, but he knew the fault rested in his hands. You’d offered to go, and he’d let you.

           He let you go, and now he was reeling in the ash and smoke of the damage left behind.

           With a finished drink, he let his mind wander to that place he tried to keep it from. He was wondering where you were, wondering exactly what you were doing. Until tonight, he imagined you were left under lock and key, but now he knew you’d gotten yourself into some situation in order to access Reiner’s email. Perhaps he truly was helping you.

           Some of your words ran through his brain again: I don’t know what’s true at all anymore.

           Erwin honestly didn’t know what was true anymore either. In a matter of hours, he’d pieced together information the intelligence unit had been trying to uncover for years. He was steps closer to figuring out whatever truth there was Zeke Yeager’s madness. He was steps closer to keeping the whole country safe from a disaster its own elites had their fingers in.

           But he still felt so far away, so far away from you, from himself. He felt like he’d never actually fit the puzzle together, felt like he’d let you down.

          All he still knew was that he loved you, even if he never actually spoke the words to you. He loved you, and he had some kind of dying hope that you felt the same.

Next Chapter

#reiner x reader #reiner braun #reiner x you #reiner braun x you #reiner braun x reader #snk x reader #aot x reader #aot reiner #snk reiner #snk reiner braun #aot #snk #attack on titan fanfiction

[yerimichi10]

LETTERS FROM ME TO YOU

A LeviHan short fic

NOTE: Hanji was perceived as she/her in this fic. Also this my first fic hihee.

this fic was inspired by this:https://twitter.com/kyuujuuhachi/status/1342171651287339008?s=21

————————-

sunshine

chirping of the birds

smell of black tea

arms tightly embracing her figure

Hanji was awaken by those things. As she opened her eyes she was met by a set of steel blue orbs.

“Good morning shitty glasses,” he said as he played with her brown locks. Hanji didn’t responded. Instead, she bury herself in his neck feeling the warmth that he has.

It was so warm.

“You are being clingy, four-eyes,” the man beside her remarked before chuckling. His chuckle made her heart beat faster. Hanji swore that she could listen to his chuckle forever as it was a beautiful melody to her ears.

“I just want to feel your warmth....I want you to be near me.,” Hanji finally said as she nuzzle against his neck. She loved his scent, his lavender scent. If she could smell something forever that would be his scent.

“I am right here with you.,” He assured her, still playing with her brown locks. “I am always watching over you. You know that, right?,” he added which made Hanji hummed in agreement.

He then made her to look at him. Hanji instantly got lost in his blue orbs upon meeting it.

“Go back to sleep,” he said. “I don’t wanna,” Hanji responded which made him grunt.

“Sleep, it is still early,” he argued which made Hanji actually smile. “You are too concern to me,” Hanji remarked. He smirked.

“Okay fine I’ll sleep,” Hanji said giving in to her man’s request. “But, promise me you’ll not leave me. ‘kay?”, Hanji added for her assurance.

“Sleep,” he said while giving her a faint smile.

Hanji knew something isn’t right from the moment she woke up but she decided not to dwell in it. A few moments later, she fell asleep again.

—————————

Hanji woke up only to be greeted by a cold space beside her. There were no sunshines, no birds happily chirping around, even the smell of black teas is absent, and most especially there were no strong arms tightly hugging her slim figure.

She scanned her surroundings to check if she was just dreaming or not. When the harsh reality slapped her hard, she chuckled bitterly at her own foolishness.

“How idiot you are, Hanji Zoë?....you can’t even distinguish the difference between a dream and reality....How foolish are you to believe that your dream is the reality,” she criticized herself while wiping the tear that escaped from her working eye.

This is her reality, their reality.

—————————

“I brought everyone here.... I killed countless comrades to be here... I will take that burden”, Hanji said with finality in her voice.

They were ambushed by the rumbling and no one saw this coming. No one ever thought that someone will do a sacrifice that early. But here they are, one needs to do a sacrifice so that the majority will be saved.

For Hanji, it is a simple price to pay for their safety. She is more than willing to trade her life for the alliance’s survival.

“Armin Arlert, I’m promoting you as the fifteenth commander of the Survey Corps.....I’ll leave everyone to you..... So that’s it, bye for now. I’ll see you later,” Hanji said before walking away from the group.

Jean tried to stop her as well as Connie and Armin but to no avail she didn’t listened to them. Hanji already made up her mind.

As Hanji made her way to the horde of Colossals, she stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw Him, her comrade for almost a decade, her companion through thick and thin, her “other-half”.

“Hey... Four-eyes.”

He was about to continue speaking when Hanji cut him off.

“You understand right? My time has come.... I want to look cool as I possibly right now... So just let me go, will you?,” Hanji said as she tried to fight back her tears and maintain her composure.

He knew Hanji already made up her mind. He also knew that he couldn’t do anything about it. But he is as persistent and hard-headed as Hanji, he, also made up his mind.

“I understand....But I want YOU to live... They will be needing your more than an injured and incapable man,” He said without looking in her eyes.

Hanji couldn’t believe what she just heard. What is Levi trying to imply? Is he going to sacrifice himself?

No, it must be her.

“L-le....,” Hanji was cut off . “You know that it is MY time right? So please, just let ME go.,” hesaid with full authority even though he is just a trusted subordinate of Hanji.

“But what about the beast?,” Hanji asked in the hope of convincing him to change his mind. But clearly, He wasn’t backing down in his decision. He was sure that this will be a choice with no regrets.

“I know you’ll do it for me. Erwin will understand that.,” he said in a soft tone. Hanji couldn’t move a single muscle, she even can’t find her voice to stop him.

No, he can’t leave

Please, don’t leave us, don’t leave me.

Those are the things that she wanted to tell him but he never gave her a chance to speak.

“Dedicate your heart,” he said as he placed his left hand on her chest. Hanji found herself trying to fight back her tears from escaping her eyes.

“I’ll look for you in our next life, Hanji my shitty four-eyes,” He muttered to himself before turning his back for her and advancing to the horde of millions of titans before them. Unfortunately, Hanji wasn’t able to hear his last words.

Hanji stood at her place, unable to speak nor to move a muscle. Hanji stood there and watched him in horror as he glides in the air and kill as many titans as he can.

The next thing she knew that she was in the plane surrounded by the mourning alliance. How did she got there? she doesn’t know. The only thing that was in her mind at that moment was him, who sacrificed himself for their sake, whose lifeless body will get trampled down by the Colossals, whose lifeless body will be nowhere to be found after the war.

“See you later, Levi.....Please keep on watching over us.”

—————————————

Hanji snapped out of her trance when she heard her telephone rang.

“Hello? This is Hanji Zoë speaking, how can I help you?”, Hanji entertained the caller.

“Hi, Professor Zoë! I called to inform you that the meeting in Stohess was cancelled due to incliment weather.,” the young man from the other line informed her.

“Noted, Commander.,” Hanji replied.

“Jean. Call me Jean, How many times do I have to tell you?”, Jean replied. Hanji chuckled upon hearing Jean’s voice. It is obvious that he doesn’t want to be called “commander” by her.

“We are talking about work, right?” Hanji retorted which made the young man on the other line chuckled this time. “So how are you?,” he asked. Hanji smiled at the thought that someone was actually concerned about her well-being.

“I’m fine, Jean. I got alot of works to do so I don’t have the time to dwell in sadness,” Hanji replied. Jean knew that even if she said she’s fine, she’s not. Shortly after their exchange of updates to each other’s life they bid farewell to each other.

“Send my regards to the other 104th and especially to Commander-in-chief Arlert,” she said before hunging up the call.

Over the past years, she buried herself with tons of work, she busied herself in helping to modernized Paradis. But, does she really do this to help Paradis or it was an attempt to forget everything especially the pain that she is feeling. Whatever the answer to that question is yet to be known.

Hanji decided to pasttime by cleaning and arranging her stuff. In the whilst of fixing her cabinet a certain metal box caught her attention..

She knew who owns that box. It is just a simple box that they retrieved from his belongings in Kiyomi’s boat. It is one of his last. And it came in to her possession for years now yet she cannot bring herself to open it.

Why is it important to him?

Why did he always hold onto this box?

What is inside of this thing?

She absent-mindedly opened the box. She was expecting to be seeing a some piece of jewelry or even maybe a cravat. But, she was wrong, she saw pieces of paper inside the box.

Those were letters addressed to her. Gathering up her courage she decided to open the first letter

Hanji smiled as she finished the first letter. It was very heartwarming. She folded back the paper and the proceeded in reading the second one.

The second letter was short yet it somewhat gave Hanji a peace of mind that he was doing fine in that one month.

The third letter was the most heartbreaking for her. She had a hard time in stopping her tears from escaping. It was written hours before that fateful tragedy so it feels like a goodbye letter and his last will.

Hanji knew that she will lost her sanity anytime soon so she decided to hide those letters again but something caught her attention.

“You,” Hanji muttered the word written on upper right corner of the last piece of paper. Hanji decided to recheck every paper and there she found the letter “I” and the word “loved”.

When Hanji realized the meaning of it, tears escaped from her eye.

“I...loved...you”

All this time Levi was trying to tell it to her. All this time, that was the thing that he wanted to say but couldn’t.

“Why? Why you?”

Sadness filled her heart and all the emotions suppressed all this time were coming back to her. She was crying like there was no tomorrow. She was screaming, throwing all her stuff around. She was in deep regret

“You said you wanted me to live!??,” Hanji screamed yet no one answered her. “But how could I live without you!? How!? Tell me!! Answer me!!,” Hanji screamed in frustration.

After a few moments she calmed down but her tears won’t stop anytime soon.

“ I also loved you,” Hanji muttered the phrase that she also wanted to tell.

But it was too late. The fate was cruel to them. He is not with her anymore to hear her say those words. He is already dead.

Levi Ackerman was already gone.

#attack on titan #hange zoe #levi ackerman #shingeki no kyojin #snk fandom #snk manga #levi aot #levihan #snk levi #aot chapter 132 #levihan au #levihan christmas #levihan headcannon #levihan angst #levi x hange #happy birthday levi

[tsukidrama]

erwin is such an interesting character and him dying right before reaching his ultimate goal made his death even worse. i wish we could have seen him as the colossal titan too! i think the story would have definitely been different and levi x colossal would have been a very scary duo on the battlefield.

ooh i see! yeah annie is way more than the cold heart bitch the fandom likes to make her look like. she didn't kill those people for fun, and for almost all the warriors people tend to forget too easily that they were 12 years old and brainwashed when they were sent to paradis so of course they killed a LOT of people but it's not like they had a choice, especially since their families were still in marley. 

omg starting aot when it first aired must have been stressful, you have my total respect, i could have never survived the cliffhangers. but that was smart to notice all of these things and go past what annie did! i didnt even realise what giving up must have meant to her.

i'm pretty new to anime, aot was my third anime and i started watching it in january when season 4 just started airing. i binge watched the first three seasons and seeing all of those plot twists one after the other was a rollercoaster! but because i watched the episodes "too fast" i missed a lot of details and had to rewatch to understand some characters better (including annie). after that i started reading the manga after s4 part 1 finished airing.

annie was totally confused after coming out of that crystal and catching up with what happened in marley too must have been a LOT, she was barely out of her crystal and had to go back to war again, the boat scene seems so out of place! same, the shippers for them can be extreme i avoid them as much as i can. (i saw your tag and wtf) 

i'm not the biggest fan of her dad but it's just me projecting qkjsjsls but i understand his motives and indeed all of that training was because she's important to him. he's the dad grisha wanted to be lmao. 

do you have favourite ships btw? 😊

-j

agreed. a piece of my soul dies during episode 55 every time. erwin should have been the one to get the injection and i will die mad about it.

i honestly don't have a problem if people dislike Annie. i'm kinda like: good stay away from her. she was the first anime girl that i really got attached to so she's got a special place in my heart. she's definitely in the wrong for all the shit she did but i also think that she knows that, and she knows she can't change the past either. that's part of why i think she'd have a pretty substantial breakdown after all the fighting. she's never been in a place where she can truly reflect on and process what happened to her - and crystal jail doesn't count because it effectively put her in solitary confinement and that's just as psychologically stressful as being used as a human weapon. i also don't think any of them LIKE to kill people, they're so brainwashed that they see it as doing what they HAVE to do to be safe *but i pointedly glare at Zeke who is on thin fucking ice*

yeah it was pretty rough, but it also means that ive analyzed literally every plot point, every interaction that ever happened. there wasn't really anything else to do. i definitely recommend paying attention to small details during your rewatches, everything makes so much more sense once things have been revealed (some still don't though unfortunately). it's fun that you're getting into anime! there's a whole world out there to get into and attack on titan is a pretty good starter. a little intense maybe 💀

the boat scene bothers me a lot, ive talked about it before on here. i genuinely don't understand why people see it as a "confession" or in a romantic context at all really, when he's literally brushing her off the whole time and thinking about eren. they really aren't canon in any significant way, not compared to the other canon ships. and it's pretty hilarious how defensive and shrill the shippers will get if you point them out.

oh shit, no no no. that is NOT why i like annie's dad, not even a little bit. im a little worried that's the impression i've been giving off now so i might make a post about him later? the way he treated annie when she was a kid was definitely abuse no matter how you look at it. the fact that he adopted her for the sole purpose of using her to gain status? fucking evil. i had an abusive father myself and i know what you mean about projecting. until her backstory was revealed i hated him with everything in me, but she cares about him so much and wants to be with him again so much that in my opinion anybody that excludes her father from her narrative is in denial. she has a good relationship with him whether anybody likes it or not. i get the impression that now he has a second chance he would do absolutely anything for her to make sure that he does right by her this time. i see him as being pretty haunted by the things he's done to her but he also thinks he deserves to feel like shit so he keeps his mouth shut, it's the least he can do for her after how he made her feel/what she had to do.

#annie-isms #j anon #tsuki answers #snk #annie leonhardt #long post

[snkpolls]

SnK Episode 65 Poll Results (for Anime Only Watchers)

The poll closed with 98 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Manga Readers’ poll, click here.

Anime only watchers, beware of spoilers if you venture over to the manga readers’ poll results.

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RATE THE EPISODE 94 Responses

Although a bit muted compared to last week, the response to this episode was still overwhelmingly positive, with 96.8% of people giving it a rating of 3 and higher. MAPPA’s on a roll!

Amazing!!!!

i just wanna see more!! 20 minutes is not enough. its too good

Awesome episode! Great pacing and the cgi was not too noticeable.

WAAAAYYYYY TOO HYPE

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MOMENTS WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 93 Responses

Mikasa and Levi took the spotlight this week! 30.1% of viewers felt most hyped up by Mikasa’s “explosive” reintroduction to the anime, while 22.6% were stoked to see Levi take on Porco to save Eren. 18.3% were most hyped by the Survey Corps taking on the Jaw Titan and the subsequent cliffhanger.

THE CGI CONTINUES TO BE A POINT OF CONTENTION. BE HONEST, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE EXECUTION OF CGI SO FAR THIS SEASON? 93 Responses

Just under 50% of responses seemed to indicate that they thought MAPPA was doing very well with the CGI utilized. A little over 15% stated that although it was not their favorite, they understood that it could be a lot worse. Other responses (in order) were being neutral about the CGI, not liking it, but understanding the need for its usage and folks who adamantly rejected 3D animation. 

I actually prefer CGI titans because of the way their movements looks, it looks almost slower, to me it fits very well with how the big titans are. Im not an anime guy at all so ive never seen cgi in other anime but i really like the way Mappa's CGI looks, it blends in very well. I dont like CGI people though, the shot with Jean throwing the marly soldier off the rooftop i didn't like very much.

I feel horrible saying this believe me... but I really vibed with the CGI up until this episode. I think maybe because it's the first time its been used on humans (OPM) rather then titans. I'm not massively put off though, I really apreciate the efforts this episode must have taken. TY Mappa

The episode is great no doubt, my only concern is the CG personally, as a 3D artist myself, I think I would prefer an all 2D medium like the battle at Stohess. Using 3D is fine as long as it blends seamlessly to the background, like kengan ashura, it's not perfect but bearable.

I honestly think that 2D will always 100% be better than cgi but I can understand why mappa is using cgi

It was fine in the other episodes, but in this episode, it looked overused and bit bad

HOW WAS EREN’S ROOFTOP SWAN DIVE? 94 Responses

When it came down to Eren’s swan rooftop dive (“Like a fallennn angel…”), the majority seemed to be impressed, with 68% giving it a score of 4 or higher. It was not a monolithic opinion however and many seemed also rated it poorly. Do better, Eren!

WHICH RETURNING CHARACTER’S ENTRANCE WAS YOUR FAVORITE IN THIS EPISODE? 94 Responses

The Survey Corps has returned! Of these reappearances, viewers most enjoyed Mikasa’s (48.9%), Levi’s (31.9%) and Sasha’s (14.9%) the most. Jean and Connie got a little less love, though we’re sure people were still happy to see them!

WHICH RETURNING CHARACTERS HAS THE BEST GLOW UP? 93 Responses

It would appear that the slight plurality sees Mikasa as having the best glow up out of the cast, followed by (in order) Eren, Sasha, Connie, Jean, Floch and Levi. The Old Captain doesn’t like to change up his style, we suppose. 

Eren didn't have a glow up- he had a glow down.

Mikasa can stomp on me please god

OF ALL THE ORIGINAL CAST, WE STILL HAVE NOT SEEM ARMIN, HANGE OR HISTORIA YET. WHICH OF THE THREE ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING NEXT? 93 Responses

In relation to the previous question, we still haven’t seen 3 major members of the cast. Armin, Hange and Historia. When we asked which of the three you were most looking forward to seeing next, the slight majority (52.7%) expressed their excitement for seeing Armin again, followed by 11.8% wanting to see Hange most. Some others have also expressed their desire to see Historia again. 17.2% simply could not choose and 10.8% stated that they simply didn’t care about the 3 characters.

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE WARHAMMER TITAN? 90 Responses

The Warhammer received an overwhelmingly positive response, with the majority expressing much excitement over both its design and powers. 15.6% noted that the design was a bit too creepy for their liking, but the powers were awesome. And on the flip side, 10% noted the Titan’s design was rather cool, in contrast to its rather OP ability. A select few did not enjoy either aspect. 

Would probably enjoy it more if it belonged to someone that likely is not going to be just cannon fodder

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE NEW UNIFORMS? 92 Responses

The Survey Corps returned sporting new uniforms to much fanfare. 30.4% of respondents really enjoy the upgrade, finding the suits to be badass. 23.9% couldn’t find the words and just settled for pure hype. 20.7% enjoy the new uniforms just as much as they enjoy the classic uniforms. 12% felt it was a much needed upgrade, though 10.9% don’t care at all about the uniform change.

I like both but I prefer the old design

EREN SAYS TO MIKASA, “YOU GUYS ACTUALLY CAME.” THIS IS FOLLOWED UP BY MIKASA ASKING EREN TO COME HOME. DOES THIS INSINUATE THAT EREN WENT TO THE MAINLAND ON HIS OWN? 90 Responses

The circumstances of the Survey Corps’ presence on the mainland continues to be a mystery. When we asked about whether Eren was there alone or not a few episodes ago, the majority believed that he was either there alongside the Survey Corps or was sent there by them. Overall, the feelings seem to be the same (that Eren came alongside the Survey Corps). 45.6% think that Mikasa’s words may have some other meaning and that things are way too planned out to be coincidence. 18.9% believe that Eren did go rogue, while 15.6% think that Eren didn’t necessarily go rogue, but wasn’t working with them for a while either. The remaining 20% have already been spoiled on this particular plot point.

THE ATTACK ON LIBERIO SEEMS TO PARALLEL THE BREACH OF SHIGANSHINA. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS EVENT IN COMPARISON? 92 Responses

Now that both sides of the conflict have had their rude awakening, we asked how you guys felt about the two events comparatively. 33.7% feel that both attacks were tragic, but still feel more empathy toward the Eldians on Paradis than they do toward those who were raised on Marley. At a tie, 22.8% of respondents felt that the victims of the Liberio attack got what was coming with them, while another 22.8% felt about the same amount of sympathy for the victims on both sides. 10.9% feel this is way worse than what happened in Shiganshina and feel more sympathy for the victims in Liberio. 

I am yet to know the goals behind this attack.

Marley did this countless times so I don’t feel bad for them. I kind of feel for eldians tho bc they are brainwashed from a young age to give up their lives for a country who doesn’t give a shit about them. 

Honestly they deserve what Eren is doing to them. Excluding Falco, no one outside of Paradis has earned my sympathy, even with the additional context.

SADLY, UDO AND ZOFIA DID NOT SURVIVE THE ATTACK ON LIBERIO. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THEIR DEATHS? 91 Responses

Udo and Zofia have joined the ranks of characters who tagged along with the main cast for a while only to be killed off for character development. 25.3% anticipated at least one of them to die, but not both. Another tie on this poll, 24.2% stated that they were disappointed and was hoping to see more of them, while another 24.2% didn’t care about them at all. 14.3% are happy to ditch the focus on them in favor of more familiar characters, and 8.8% feel pure and utter devastation. 

Good riddance Warrior scum

Sad but allows for Gabi’s development 

sad but okay. death is common in this anime.

EREN AND FLOCH’S LAST INTERACTION IN S3 WAS A VERY TENSE ARGUMENT. NOW IT SEEMS FLOCH IS DEDICATED TO EREN’S CALL TO ACTION, SHIFTING THE “NECESSARY DEVIL” STATUS FROM ERWIN ONTO HIM. WHAT DO YOU THINK THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS LIKE NOW? 91 Responses

Eren and Floch were anything but BFF’s at the closing of season 3. Now Floch seems to be wholly devoted to Eren’s cause… What changed? 28.6% believe that nothing has actually changed in terms of their relationship, but that Floch simply just latched onto Eren’s fight in need of a new devil. 23.1% feel that they still aren’t friends, but are in more comfortable “ally” territory. 15.4% aren’t sure what to make of it. Smaller handfuls feel that they either grew to become friends and/or co-conspired to attack Liberio together. 22% are already spoiled on the details. 

Floch is easily persuaded...and annoying 🤷‍♀️

WE SEE GABI GRAB THE GUARD’S FUN AFTER WITNESSING SASHA KILL HIM. WHAT DO YOU THINK MIGHT HAPPEN? 90 Responses

Gabi moves headstrong into the fight, wanting to play her part in defending her hometown. A large chunk of anime only viewers have been spoiled on future developments for her character. But for those still in the dark - 24.4% feel that she will successfully kill a member of the Survey Corps. 21.1% aren’t sure what to expect, while 10% think she will only manage to injure someone in the Survey Corps. Smaller amounts feel she won’t be successful in any capacity or may even die herself.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

Epic episode, survey corps come back, OH YEAH, but I wished they didn’t use CGI on humans and bettered the CGI on Titans.

It really makes me sad how Eren is continuing the cycle of revenge by killing innocent Marleyan civilians, but it makes sense for his character. 

Real cool ep but w h e r e a r m i n

It sucks that I like the warriors and the Corp bc both of them are victims in different way so seeing them have to go head to head sucks. They all deserve better

SO great I loved it! However, I missed Reiner, Falco, and Zeke. I hope they're okay :-) RIP Udo and Zofia :-(

I think I need more dialogue between the old crew to really settle back in with them. I kinda believe that Mappa's still trying to 'click', they obviously can't just get it right immediately. Other then that I loved the titan scenes, more than ODM scenes 😔

This was a great episode and I was literally vibrating in my seat from excitement! I think MAPPA is doing a great job with the animation and the music works really well with the action. Can’t wait for the rest of the season!

I miss wit studio

Willy seems to have his first daughter really early, he looks like 30 !

I’d say the episode as a whole is a solid 8-9/10, the cgi in some parts really ruins the moment for me

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 88 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

#snk poll #snk polls #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #snk #aot #snk s4

[bnhayyy]

The Call (5)

Chapter Title: Liars

Wordcount: 7.3k

Fic Tag: Click

Ao3 Link: Click

Chapter Summary: Time passes, Levi and Hanji meet up with Erwin, and the slayers attempt socialization.

Notes: Thank you @celadongirl​ for betaing this chapter! Also, I actually have a Yumihisu one-shot taking place in the same universe as The Call, which I'll be posting before chapter six. It's fluffy, was written on a whim, and you technically won't be missing anything important to the story if you don't read it, but I'll be posting it at some point within the next week if you are interested. Anywho, if you’re enjoying this fic, please consider joining my writing discord or buying me a ko-fi!

Two weeks passed.

Two weeks with no more encounters with Ymir.

Two weeks of patrolling and training with Annie.

Two weeks of allowing the goofballs Erwin was teaching about the supernatural to pull her into their conversations.

Two weeks of falling into a rhythm.

It was ruined the second she turned on the television.

The local news was running a piece on a missing man.

Mikasa froze as the information washed over her. The man had gone for a walk two nights before and never returned. He was presented as a mild-mannered middle-aged man. Unobtrusive. Distraught family left behind. Not a student, but the street the reporter said he lived on was only a few miles away from Paradis Community College. With the timing-

"If anyone has any information," the reporter pleaded, "then please call-"

Mikasa turned into the television and stared blankly into its depths.

Ymir had killed again. Of course she had killed again, two weeks had passed. No one new had gone missing on campus, but that didn't mean that there were no more victims. For all that she knew, this man might not even be the only victim in the past two weeks. He probably wasn't.

Mikasa and Annie hadn't been proactive enough in hunting the vampire down. Neither she, Annie, nor Erwin had been able to find anything on Ymir. They hadn't seen her since their last fight either, but that- that wasn't an excuse. Mikasa should have found something else to do, another way to go after her. She was the senior slayer, between her and Annie. This was her city and she had already had two opportunities to kill the thing plaguing it.

Twice she had the opportunity to end it. Twice she had failed.

This man's blood was on her hands.

***

Making it to class was an unusual combination of difficult and easy. There was a part of Mikasa that wanted to curl up in bed and forget that she existed for a few hours. However, a larger part of her knew that she couldn't do that. Forgetting about the world once could lead to her doing it again, for longer periods of time, which could eventually lead to her giving up completely.

She was the slayer. She didn't have the luxury of giving up.

So Mikasa had only allowed herself to feel the shame and guilt for a short while. Then she forced the feelings down, leaned into her rage, and got ready for the day.

There were still fifteen minutes until class was scheduled to start by the time she made it to Biology. The room was empty of all but a single student.

Armin.

Despite her seat being next to his, Mikasa didn't look at him as she sat down. She knew that he watched the news every morning and knew the expression that she'd see if she looked at him. He knew her well enough to know that she would be blaming herself for the latest disappearance, and she knew him well enough to know that he would tell her that it wasn't her fault. They both knew that it wouldn't change anything. That wouldn't be enough to stop Armin though. It never was. He was the sort of person who always had to at least try.

That didn't mean that she had to look him in the face as he did it.

Mikasa pulled her bag onto her lap. As she began what she planned on being the very slow process of extracting her book from her bag, Armin began speaking in a low, soft voice.

"Mikasa, I know you probably aren't in a very good mood today, but I wanted to say-"

Maybe getting her textbook out would be a genuinely slow process after all. She hadn't exactly been careful while shoving her belongings into her bag that morning. A small frown creased her lips as she pushed pens, notebooks, a loose stake, and miscellaneous other items aside in order to reach her biology textbook. This wouldn't do for the night's patrol - not if she wanted to try and track down Ymir. On nights when she didn't want her school supplies to weigh her down, she stopped at home to drop them off anyway. Tonight, she would have to make sure to reorganize it as well, make sure all of her weapons were placed perfectly and ready to go at a moment's notice.

"- you've been doing a good job making friends lately, and I'm proud of you."

Mikasa froze. "What?" she asked, the question leaving her mouth before she could stop to think about it.

"You've been socializing more lately," Armin said. "It's made you happier. And you've been doing better as a slayer because of it."

"There are two slayers now," Mikasa pointed out, voice automatically going quieter even though they were alone.

"Annie counts as spending time with other people," Armin argued. "And you've been letting more people in since you've met her."

"Sasha doesn't really-"

"Mikasa." Armin smiled, tentative but warm. Hopeful. "I'm glad. You should have friends. As a person, and-"

"-slayers aren't supposed to have friends," Mikasa reminded him in a whisper. All of the information she had managed to pry from the internet had been very instant on that; the slayer worked alone. She supposed that Erwin might think differently, given how he had pushed her toward the people who were making a solid attempt at sneaking into her life, but he hadn't done anything to warrant her assigning any true value in his judgment. All she had to go on were her gut feelings, and her gut feeling told her that he was the sort of person who got people hurt.

"That philosophy is scientifically flawed," Armin said. "Human beings get stressed when they don't have other people to lean on, and stress makes people perform poorly, no matter what they're doing. You mentioned the other day that you've been having more success on your patrols, right? Well, I don't think Annie's help is the only reason for that."

Mikasa didn't respond, simply trying to absorb his words. In her silence, Armin decided to add a little more.

"Even if you can't save everyone, you're doing better now than you were before. Don't lose sight of that."

At that, Mikasa finally looked over at him. His expression was a telling combination of nervous and hopeful.

She didn't smile at him, but despite the circumstances, it was a close thing.

"This is a new angle for you," she said.

Armin offered her a small smile. "It's true."

It's better than telling me that it isn't my fault, she thought. Verbally, she let out a non-committal hum.

"Besides," Armin continued, his voice taking on a lighter air, "I don't want you in a bad mood for tonight."

Mikasa paused. "Tonight?"

"Ah," Armin said, rubbing the back of his head. As if to mention it had been an accident and not the fully calculated move that it doubtlessly was. "I heard that Sasha wants to go out tonight and take some friends with her, and-"

"-you assumed I'm one of them," Mikasa finished.

"I know you are," Armin said. "She doesn't have your phone number or any classes this early, but trust me, she's going to find you and ask you later."

Mikasa frowned. "I-"

"-Should go," Armin finished.

"No," Mikasa countered, "I need to go patrolling."

"You really shouldn't," Armin urged. "If Ymir has been watching you, she'll expect you to be out in full force after that report. It would be too easy for her to set a trap. Besides, there would be benefits to going."

"Social benefits?" Mikasa asked, voice flat.

Armin shook his head. "You haven't been able to find out anything about her, right? But not all vampires lurk in graveyards constantly. They can't, logically. If you keep your eyes and ears peeled, it might be an opportunity to learn something useful."

Mikasa's gaze dropped down to her bag. To her textbook, which was peeking halfway out of it. She supposed Armin had a point. No, she knew Armin had a point. There had been enough disappearances that people would be talking, especially after that morning's report. It was still... daunting. Daunting in ways that had nothing to do with slaying.

A flicker of movement in the corner of her eye made her glance toward the door just in time to see one of her other classmates filter in. That was her cue. It was time to wrap this conversation up.

"Alright," she murmured. "I'll consider it. But." She turned to look Armin in the eyes, lest he think she was anything short of serious. "If I go, then so do you."

Armin blanched. "But-"

"If it's a social thing, I'll be able to protect you," Mikasa pointed out. She wouldn't risk him around her most of the time, but in this instance, as part of a group, she might be alright with it.

"Yeah," Armin murmured with a weak laugh. "Only social danger."

"For both of us. And if she does invite me, I don't think we'll be the only ones out of our element." Sasha could say what she wanted about why she was trying to befriend Mikasa, but there was no doubting what had turned her attention to Mikasa in the first place. If Mikasa's status as the slayer had drawn the girl to her, then Annie was probably in the same position.

Even if she wasn't, Sasha would almost definitely invite Reiner, and Reiner seemed like the sort of person who would drag his more introverted friends into non-introverted situations. Either way, Annie was doomed.

"Alright," Armin acquiesced. "It's a deal."

"If she asks me," Mikasa emphasized, since the notion still felt fairly unreal. People didn't ask her to do things with them. But Armin was usually a reliable source of that information, and because of that, she was forced to truly consider the prospect. "If she asks me, then we'll both go."

***

Erwin had gone home after teaching his class that morning and went directly for his computer. That was where he remained hours later, leaning forward with his elbows on his desk and his chin resting on steepled fingers.

He felt like he was making progress. It had manifested with a clarity so strong that it became undeniable, the unwavering certainty that he was onto something, that it would all slot into place if he just found a few more pieces to the puzzle. The trouble was that he didn't have any proof. He didn't even have anything other than that feeling to suggest that he wasn't wasting precious time.

And yet he didn't feel like a fool for chasing it.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of a knock on the door. Just one, sharp and to the point. Erwin started to stand up, only for something on the screen to catch his eye.

He slowly lowered himself back into his seat and leaned forward.

There were several more knocks at the door, loud and excited. They were followed by the sound of muffled shouting. The corners of Erwin's lips pulled up, but he remained seated and kept his eyes glued to the screen as he continued to scroll down the spreadsheet before him.

As expected, the knocking and shouting soon died down in favor of the sound of a lock being picked.

And as expected, his eyes had been tricking him. There were more brunettes among the people who had disappeared over the past several months than blonds, redheads, or people with unusually dyed hair. However, it wasn't so many that it couldn't be attributed to the prevalence of that hair color over the others rather than an actual pattern.

Erwin didn't know if he should feel disappointed or vindicated.

The door swung open with a click. It was followed by the sound of two sets of footsteps, one heavy and steady, the other quick and uneven.

"Rude asshole," Levi muttered as he walked down the office on his way down the hallway. Probably on his way to the kitchen. Given how far he had to drive, Erwin had known to buy and set tea out for him ahead of time.

Hanji was more direct. They gripped the side of the doorway to swing themselves into his office before prancing over. "Erwiiiiiin," they called. "What are you looking at?"

"Data on the people who've disappeared over the past month," he said.

"Ooh." Hanji leaned over his shoulder to get a closer look. "Looking for patterns?"

"Something like that," Erwin murmured.

"'Something like that?' Erwin, I want details!"

Erwin chuckled. "We should wait for Levi," he said.

Hanji groaned. "He's already off going through your cupboards."

"He shouldn't take too long," Erwin said. "I left the tea he likes out for him."

Hanji laughed. "Like a short, angry Santa."

Erwin smiled slightly. "Here," he said, pushing the desk chair back and standing up. "Take a look for yourself."

Hanji didn't hesitate. They rushed to take his place and leaned forward so that they were only inches away from the screen, eyes darting from one side of the screen as they tried to absorb all the information as quickly as possible. Erwin couldn't help but notice that they still had their windbreaker on. A quick glance showed that although they still had their boots on as well, they weren't muddy, and nothing had been tracked in on his carpeting.

Levi would have taken his shoes off before he started down the hallway. He just moved fast. Hanji may have been the sort to abandon their luggage in the entryway, but Levi wouldn't stand for it, which meant that all of their belongings would still be in the hall.

They had been eager to see him. It almost made Erwin feel bad for leaving them to break in. 

"There's a slight tendency toward college students and victims tend to be within a few miles of the campus," Hanji eventually said.

"That's just the location," Erwin replied. "If we assume that they have limited transportation or something's tying them to the college, the perpetrator might not be able to control that. Anything else?"

Hanji stared at the computer screen for another long moment before shaking their head. "No, it seems random."

"Exactly," Erwin said.

"What, exactly?" a dry voice asked from behind him. It would seem that Levi hadn't become any less stealthy in the months since he'd last seen them. "Some thing's randomly snacking on college kids?"

Erwin stepped back and to the side so that he could easily see both of his friends. Unlike Hanji, Levi had removed his jacket since entering the house. He must have; although it was hardly cold, there was enough of a chill that he knew that he wouldn't have gone without. He was holding a cup of steaming tea atop a delicate white saucer and giving Erwin a flat, unimpressed look from over the top of it.

"I don't think it's actually random," Erwin said. "True impulse killers will often end up with some degree of pattern between their victims because of unconscious preferences or sheer coincidence. If you look just at the disappearances on the campus, some of them share the same classes, or go to class with the same person, but it isn't a reliable pattern, and it falls apart when you expand to include non-student disappearance."

"Go to class with the same person," Levi intoned. "That's awfully specific." He paused to give Erwin a long, piercing look. "Is it targeting the slayer?"

"I thought they might be at first," Erwin confessed. "Three of the victims shared a class with Mikasa, but the two other students who disappeared have no connection to her, nor did the four who didn't attend the college. Considering that Mikasa is mostly taking required classes, it could be a coincidence. Quite frankly, even if it does involve her, I think that there's more going on here."

"Alright," Hanji said, spinning his chair around to face him. "What's your theory, then?"

"It could be a particularly self-aware human who's killing additional people that don't fit their target type in an attempt to obscure their true targets," Erwin said.

"Sounds like a lot of work," Levi remarked.

"It does," Erwin confessed. "But so does the other option." He crossed his arms as he cast the computer another look. "It could be a vampire or other demon that is trying to look like an impulse killer when they aren't."

"That's not very in line with demonic behavior," Hanji remarked.

"It isn't," Erwin agreed. "But look at the victims. The genders and appearances all vary. The financial and social information I could gather about them fluctuates wildly. Those victims who do have similarities are too few to stand a real chance at being considered a pattern. And look at the college students; the couple were seniors, but Miss Carolina was a freshman, and one was a forty-year-old late start student."

"They tried for a range even when variation was naturally limited," Hanji murmured.

"I have trouble believing that this is anything but calculated," Erwin said. "It is a far larger coincidence to end up with none than it is for there to be one or two."

"Alright," Levi interjected. "So let's say that some thing is trying to look like they kill. Why? Most demons look for something specific. Vampires don't always, but the sick bastards tend to lean into it when they have a type, not play at being something else."

"Maybe it's hiding something," Hanji suggested.

"If it's pretending to be a random killer, it's already hiding something, four-eyes."

"No, I mean, maybe it wants people to think it kills randomly to keep people off its trail for something else."

"Like what?"

"Ah, I'm not sure." Hanji rubbed the back of their head and offered Levi a sheepish smile. "I don't know enough yet. Anything I say would just be guesswork."

Erwin offered the pair a warm smile. It was nice to see Levi and Hanji banter again, and almost as nice to see how quickly they had reached his own conclusion. "I'm afraid I don't have any detailed theories either," Erwin confessed. "But it is interesting." The demons that acted atypically always were.

"People are dying," Levi pointed out.

Erwin faltered, a faint sight leaving his lips. "I know," he said. "Stopping the thing doing this is my priority. But we need more information. First, we need to rule out the possibility that a human's doing this-"

"-If it is a human acting like a demon, I don't see why we can't just treat it like one and put it in the ground," Levi muttered.

"Don't tell the council-”

“- As if I’d ever tell those bastards anything. -”

“- and I just might let you," Erwin admitted. "But whether it is or isn't, we don't have much to go on." That might have been the point of choosing such a varied pool of victims in and of itself, but everything he knew about demonic nature made him doubt it. “Mikasa thinks that it might be an overly strong vampire named Ymir, but she hasn’t been seen in over two weeks and I haven’t been able to find anything on her.”

“Mikasa,” Hanji cut in. “That’s the slayer who… died… right?”

“Yes,” Erwin confirmed.

"The slayer who didn't tell you she'd died," Levi said. "Any chance you've talked to her about that yet?"

Erwin held back a sigh. "No," he said.

Levi stepped forward to set his tea down on Erwin's desk, then whirled back around to face him. "Why the fuck not?" he demanded.

"This is a delicate situation," Erwin said. "Mikasa has gone without a watcher, or any intervention from the watcher's council, for years, and has apparently experienced at least one highly traumatic event in that time. I can't force her to trust me. I can't even afford to try."

"But you can't keep waiting for her to come to you," Hanji pointed out. "I don't think it'll work. From what you've told us, she doesn't sound like she's anything like-"

Levi and Hanji's eyes met. A second passed, then Hanji looked away.

"- it doesn't sound like it'll work," they finished.

"I know," Erwin confessed. "I just-"

"-Sound like you have a lot of regrets for a guy who talks about not having any," Levi muttered. He wasn't looking at Erwin or Hanji anymore, but some distant spot on the wall.

"This isn't about regret," Erwin said. "It's about not repeating past mistakes."

"Well," Levi said, his voice very subtly off in a way that would be undetectable to anyone who didn't know him well, "making sure she doesn't have a hidden agenda or any other secrets would be a good place to start."

"Probably," Erwin agreed.  A hint of resignation leaked into his voice as he added, "the disappearances and second slayer may not be the only reasons I called you."

"Aaah," Hanji said. "You're useless without us." Their lips twitched upwards. It wasn't enough to dispel the strain that pulled at their voice and lingered in their eyes. 

"Probably," Erwin agreed once more.

There was more to say on the matter. Much, much more. Just not now. He couldn't in good conscience allow them to remain on the subject. Not while Levi was wearing the distant, heartbroken expression that he'd gotten so good at disguising over the years and Hanji looked like someone who'd accidentally punched their best friend. There was plenty of time to discuss the disappearances, Mikasa, Annie, and all the other young people who'd been involved.

That was a lie. In every moment that wasn't spent investigating the disappearances and trying to find a way to stop them, innocent people were in danger. Every moment that he wasn't trying to improve his relationship with Mikasa, he let her slip further away.

The truth was that Erwin was seeing the people he held most dear for the first time in months and wanted to be selfish for at least a few hours.

"Anyway," he redirected, "would you like some help unpacking?"

"God yes," Hanji groaned, flopping back against the chair and sending it rolling a few inches. "I want- I want food. And a nap. Erwin, I cannot emphasize enough how much I want a nap."

"Think the five hundred milligrams of caffeine you drank today might have something to do with that?" Levi drawled, shooting Hanji an utterly unsympathetic look.

"Nah," Hanji groaned. "I just exist this way."

Levi scrunched his nose up in distaste, and Erwin couldn't help but chuckle.

Despite the circumstances, it was good to have them back.

***

Annie did not see how going out clubbing was "for the mission". Reiner could say whatever he liked about it being an opportunity to get closer to the slayer, she would remain certain in her belief that he was just making an excuse to have fun with his human friends.

At least Annie could take comfort in the knowledge that she wasn't the only one uncomfortable there. Sasha, Connie, Jean, Marco, and Reiner took the lead as they approached the brightly lit club, one big, cheerful, chatting mass of dipshits. Meanwhile, Mikasa, Armin, and Bertolt lingered a few steps behind with her, all looking some degree out of place.

"Well," Armin said, a shaky smile inching its way across his face. "This place certainly seems energetic."

"Yeah," Bertolt agreed. "Lots of... energy."

Both of them looked nice. Their hair was done, and while they weren't overdressed, they looked sleek and trendy. If only they didn't look both look like they expected someone to come around and shove them in a locker at any second. Bertolt actually looked a shade worse than Armin even though he could easily kill anyone who tried such a thing.

"These places are supposed to be loud, aren't they?" Mikasa asked. She looked and sounded relatively unbothered by the pair. Her tell was that she walked at the very back of the group, behind even Annie. Such behavior was just as out of place with her appearance as Bertolt and Armin's nervousness, because if they looked nice, she was stunning.

Mikasa was wearing a shimmery black spaghetti-strap dress that went down to her knees, black heels, and a touch of red lipstick that drew attention to the angles of her face and the soft curls of long black hair framing her face.

Annie had quickly thrown on a pair of jeans and a nice-ish blue shirt.

She really was going to kill Reiner one of these days.

"Yeah," Armin said, voice soft enough that it wouldn't carry to the people who actually enjoyed places like this. A small grimace touched his face. "I guess I didn't think about that. I hoped there'd be more... I don't know..."

"Jazz?" Bertolt suggested.

"Jazz would be nice," Armin agreed.

But there was no jazz. They were still a solid hundred yards away from the club and Annie could already hear the techno music pumping from it, the sort of sound that existed primarily for total strangers to grind and gyrate against each other. According to Reiner, Sasha had sworn up and down that they played a variety of music.

With Reiner and Sasha being the ones making the claim, Annie felt like she was valid in having her doubts.

Speak of the devil. Reiner began to slow his pace until he naturally started lagging behind the group of extroverts. When he reached her side, Annie caught his eye and frowned. He winked, then took a few steps backward so that he was walking beside Mikasa.

Mikasa gave him a faintly surprised look at the sudden approach, but didn't say anything. That gave him time to get started with whatever angle he was trying.

"I was wondering, do you have a sword?" Reiner asked.

Mikasa blinked. "A sword?" she asked.

"For slaying," Reiner clarified. "We-" he gestured with his head toward Jean, Connie, Sasha, and Marco, who were shooting occasional glances in their direction now. "- were talking about the best way to behead something, and-"

"AN AXE IS BEST!" Sasha hollered.

Annie winced, both because of the blatant eavesdropping and the oh-so-inconspicuous line Braus had chosen to scream.

Naturally, Reiner called back, "AXES ONLY HAVE ONE SIDE!"

"NOT ALL OF THEM!"

Reiner chuckled, then turned his attention back to Mikasa. "Swords have a bigger advantage than being two-sided though," he said lowering his voice into something more comfortable as he continued speaking. His voice was capable of sounding very warm when he tried. Pleasant. Sometimes even comforting, if you didn't know what he was actually like. "A good-sized one will let you keep some distance between yourself and your opponent without the fuss of having to aim with a long-ranged weapon, and the momentum you build once you get going makes up for the weight. They're the way to go for demons that require decapitation."

Mikasa nodded, expression thoughtful. "It makes sense," she said. "But, why are you talking to me about it?"

"Because every slayer should have at least one good sword, but they can get pretty expensive."

Annie frowned. She saw where Reiner was going with this. Being aligned with the council, Mikasa could probably get all sorts of weapons if she just asked. She didn't seem like she would be willing to ask though. Depending on how deep her distrust and animosity toward the council ran, she might even turn down offered resources.

Offering to arm the very slayer that they planned to kill was a bold move. However, she couldn't deny that it was one that would likely help gain her trust.

Reiner continued on, obliviously confirming her theory. "Me, Annie, and Bertl have several though. It wouldn't hurt for us to give you one."

"We have a horde," Annie corrected, "because you think they're cool."

"So do you," Reiner said.

Annie glanced to the side, but couldn't deny the accusation. Swords were cool. They were effective and felt nice to use, which were the most important qualities in a weapon. That they had an intimidating appearance was only icing on the cake.

"Thank you," Mikasa said. "I'll think about it."

Annie wasn't surprised. The other slayer didn't seem like someone who would accept charity or sincere gifts easily. Of course not. Doing that was a fast track to letting people in. Annie was more than experienced with the steps you take to keep from letting people in, and because Reiner and Bertolt knew Annie, they recognized those steps and knew the exact moves to counteract them.

Mikasa Ackerman really was doomed.

Reiner gave Mikasa a warm smile. "Alright, just let me know what you decide."

With that, he wandered off to rejoin the main group, who were gathering by the club door. Waiting for the stragglers.

Annie sighed and picked up her pace. She reached the rest of the group several moments before Armin and Bertolt, who were a few paces ahead of Mikasa in turn.

"Alright!" Sasha exclaimed. Between her ridiculously wide green and her cheerful orange dress, the girl was practically radiating excitement. It was almost enough to give Annie a headache on the spot. "Everyone ready?"

"It's a club, not a rollercoaster," Jean said. "Calm down."

"She has a point though," Marco said. "It's nice to make sure everyone's ready and actually wants to go in before we do anything." He shot a short, almost imperceptible glance at Annie, Bertolt, Armin, and Mikasa before grinning at the group as a whole.

Lovely. They were being handled with training wheels.

"I'm ready," Mikasa said, short and to the point.

"I'm... kinda nervous, but also kinda excited!" Armin paused for long enough to take in each member of their group as he offered a small grin. "I'll be fine."

"Me too," Bertolt added. "I mean- I'm not the most social person around, but I'm not going to get overwhelmed or anything."

Annie sighed. "Let's get on with it."

She stepped ahead of everyone and pushed open the door without waiting for a response.

Annie's senses were immediately assaulted by a combination of bright, multi-colored lights, the scent of sweat and something sweet, and the loud pulse of techno music trying to drown out all the noise. The last factor was the dominant one. If she'd thought it was loud outside the club, that was nothing compared to the inside. This was the sort of place where you had to scream to be heard.

She didn't realize that she'd frozen until a heavy hand landed on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Reiner asked. Shouted.

"Yeah," Annie said, voice straining from even just the short response.

He nodded, seemingly content. As he turned around to go back to his conversation with Connie and Jean, Annie noticed Bertolt giving her a concerned look. She shook her head, sending him a glance that tried to convey 'I'm fine'. The frown on his face suggested that he didn't quite buy it, but he didn't come over and fret over her either, which was something.

"We should get a table," Sasha called over the clamor of the music.

"Good idea," Marco remarked.

With that, the night set into motion. The group found a table and lingered for a little while before starting to split off. Some to get drinks, some to dance; even Bertolt and Armin eventually let Reiner and Jean prod them into heading out. It seemed like there was something for everyone to do.

Everyone but Annie and Mikasa.

It wasn't that they had been intentionally forgotten or excluded. They had been invited to go get to the bar, go dance, or even just wander around the club when Sasha announced that she wanted to go "people spotting". The slayers were the ones who had turned down every invitation.

Now that she thought about it, Annie realized that it had seemed like it came as automatically to Mikasa as it had to her. That impulse to turn away anything that could potentially distract from the ultimate goal.

Except Mikasa's ultimate goal was, presumably, her calling. And Annie's...

...Annie's goal wouldn't be furthered if she just sat there doing nothing. However, it was also hard to do much of anything with all of the noise. It was loud to an average human. To the enhanced senses of a slayer, it was absolutely ridiculous. It may be true that a vampire's hearing was even better than that of a slayer, but she had absolutely no clue how Bertolt and Reiner were able to shoulder their way through it. For her, there was no ignoring how it put her teeth on edge.

One long, thoughtful look at Mikasa revealed that it was probably the same for her.

Which made it an opportunity.

Annie stood up and gently grabbed hold of Mikasa's wrist. "Come on," she said, already tugging her forward.

Mikasa hesitated, and for a moment, Annie thought she might resist. Then she stepped forward and fell into pace with her.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Somewhere quieter," Annie replied.

Indeed, it grew quieter as they approached the back of the club. A series of semi-private loveseats and more-exposed couches littered the back wall. When they sat down on one, Annie was pleased to find that the noise had been cut down by roughly half. It was still loud, but no longer bordered  on unbearable.

"How did you know that would work?" Mikasa asked, her eyes glimmering in a way that almost made Annie think she might be impressed.

"I've been in places like this before," Annie lied. It wasn't a difficult one to pull off when one of her closest "friends" was so social. At that moment, she was actually grateful for Reiner's demeanor. There was no reason to suspect that he was almost as new to doing things like this as her.

Telling the truth, that she was just familiar with building design, would turn into a much more complicated lie as she scrambled to explain why. So many things about her would, if she let them be known.

Mikasa gave a brief nod. "Thank you," she said.

"No problem," Annie replied. "But I have to ask-" she didn't, but there was a little ember of curiosity burning within her now, pushing her to find an answer. And it was harmless enough that she was willing to give in to the impulse. "-why did you come here? It didn't look like you were excited even before you got in."

"I could say the same to you," Mikasa said.

"Reiner pestered me into it," was Annie's easy response.

Mikasa paused for a moment, a thoughtful look flickering across her face. At that moment, for no reason that she could put a finger on, Annie wished that she knew what it meant.

"Armin and I made a deal," she eventually said. "I'd go if he would."

It was an answer, but one that only made Annie more curious. She furrowed her brow and was in the process of deciding if she wanted to ask more questions when laughter bubbled up from a loveseat a few yards down. It was soft, but happiness made it louder, just loud enough for a slayer to catch it over the weakened cacophony of the music.

The laughter carried a snippet of conversation with it. And with it, a name.

"Ymir, you are-"

Annie's eyes narrowed at the same second that Mikasa went stiff. 

They were both on their feet in an instant. Gentle laughter still echoed from the direction of the voice. A quick glance was exchanged, and Mikasa began prowling in the direction the voice had come from, Annie following a few paces behind.

They were led to one of the loveseats, its tall, curved sides providing the occupants some semblance of privacy from the rest of the club. As she peered in, Mikasa's eyes widened, a faint sprinkle of pink coming to brush her cheeks.

Annie didn't stop to absorb it before looking for herself.

It was Ymir alright. She had no trouble recognizing the vampire who had so gleefully taunted them - even though her face was half-obscured by the blonde girl she was kissing.

And kissing.

And kissing.

The girl gasped as Ymir began to kiss off the girl's lips, along her jawline, and down her neck.  When the vampire nuzzled against the crook between her neck of shoulder, however, she erupted into another round of giggles. Her eyes fluttered open... and immediately landed on the pair of slayers staring blankly at her and her partner.

A number of different things proceeded to happen within the next instant. The girl pressed herself against the back of the loveseat with a surprised yelp. Ymir turned to face them, agitation flashing in her eyes. Mikasa's jaw went a little slack. And Annie's own eyes widened as she recognized the girl who'd been making out with Ymir as Krista Lenz, the girl who was likely kindest, warmest, and all-around best person in Paradis Community College.

Annie and Mikasa exchanged a glance. No words were exchanged; they didn't need any. People like Krista tended to attract vampires with sadistic streaks like moths to a flame. If Ymir was playing with her like this, then Krista was in grave danger.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Ymir groaned.

"Let her go, Ymir," Mikasa growled. Her hand was already creeping toward her purse. It was relatively small, but Annie would be willing to bet that she'd still found a way to stash a stake in there.

"Or what?" Ymir asked, voice heavy and eyes dark.

"Ymir," Krista hissed, reaching forward to grip the vampire's arm.

Ymir glanced at the blonde, and through some trick of the light, Annie almost thought she saw her expression soften for a heartbeat.

"Look," Ymir said, looking back at them with a sigh. "Unless walks in the cemetery are your height of romance, I don't crash your date nights. Return the favor and stay out of mine."

"Date night?" Annie parroted.

At the same time, Mikasa said, "that's not going to happen."

"I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding," Krista piped up. She shifted forward a little before sitting up straighter, her voice and expression containing a whisper of something Annie had never detected from her before. It was like glimpsing a flicker of steel while rooting through a bundle of cotton. "I'm not here against my will. Ymir is my girlfriend."

Girlfriend. There was another thing that she wouldn't have guessed about Krista. However, it was something that was far less important than who said girlfriend happened to be.

"She's using you," Mikasa said. That earned her dark looks from both her and Annie, but Mikasa continued. "You're in danger if you let yourself be alone with her. She has- a history-"

"I know that she's a vampire," Krista said, voice flat and blunt.

Mikasa's mouth closed with a click. Meanwhile, Annie found herself staring.

Krista knew? Sweet, innocent, perfect Krista knew that Ymir was a vampire and was dating her?

She supposed it wasn't impossible. After all, Annie was a slayer and she was working with two vampires. But there were special circumstances surrounding her, Reiner, and Bertolt. They had good incentive not to hurt her, the very same incentive that drove her not to stake them. Besides, they couldn't afford to turn on each other.

This was different. It was possible that naivety was driving Krista to put too much trust in Ymir, but what could possibly keep Ymir from turning on Krista?

Mikasa and Annie reached the same conclusion at the same time, but Mikasa beat her to the punch. "She's going to kill you, she just wants to gain your trust first."

Annie nodded and forced herself not to react to Mikasa's statement beyond that.

"Really? And you think she'd keep that con up for over two years?" Krista asked, a hint of bitterness and anger sinking into her sweet years.

Annie couldn't help but falter. "Two years?" Even for an especially sadistic vampire, spending that much time on a betrayal con was... weird. It wasn't impossible though; she'd heard of vampires who spend upwards of half a decade tormenting a specific victim. If that was all, she probably would have recovered fairly quickly.

The thing that made her hesitation stick was the flash of passion in Ymir's eyes. "I would never hurt Krista," she growled.

"You're a vampire," came Mikasa's automatic response.

"So?" Ymir retorted. As she spoke, she subtly shifted to cover Krista. As if Annie and Mikasa were the threat. "Just because I don't have a soul doesn't mean I can't love."

Annie pursed her lips. This, she knew, was true to an extent. Vampires had things that they liked. When they liked a person enough, it was possible for that like to grow into care . And sometimes, once in a blue moon, one was even capable of love. Or something close to it. It was selective and selfish, not quite love as humans thought of it, but for a vampire, it was a lot. 

But it was rare. It was even rarer for the vampire to be able to set their innate selfishness aside enough to not kill or turn a human who had become the target of their affection, let alone for a human to be able to tolerate their love. Never mind reciprocate it.

And yet Ymir was implying...

Annie didn't know what to think.

Mikasa didn't look like she did either. However, her expression was settling into something along the lines of disbelief, which seemed to give her the fire she needed to continue. "It doesn't matter if you do or don't," she said. "You've been killing people. "

"No, she hasn't!" Krista cried, wriggling out from behind Ymir.

"You expect us to believe that?" Annie asked. She forced herself to keep her face placid and didn't dare glance at Mikasa.

"Krista, " Ymir hissed.

"You need to have this conversation eventually," Krista said, conviction in her tone. "It should have been the first thing you told the slayers. 

Annie all but felt Mikasa stiffen beside her.

Krista's eyes were hard in a way that Annie had assumed her incapable of when she looked back at the slayers. "Ymir doesn't kill people," she said. "She gets her blood from the butcher."

"You called yourself the biggest fish," Mikasa abruptly piped up, looking at Ymir.

"Yeah, because I'm the strongest vamp you'll find around here," Ymir said. "It doesn't mean I'm responsible for everything that goes wrong."

Annie scowled and turned her gaze to Krista. "You can't believe her," she said, even though she found that she did. She argued because she believed it, lest Mikasa start believing it and look for another target. "She's a vampire."

"I don't care, " Krista ground out. "She's a vampire who's been by my side for nearly three years, and I would trust her with my life. I don't know why people have been disappearing lately, but it isn't her. "

"She's still a vampire," Mikasa said. "We can't-"

"You can," Krista cut in with a hiss. "She isn't hurting anyone, so you should leave her alone. Or you'll have to go through me as well."

"That doesn't sound like much of a challenge," Annie remarked.

"Krista..." Ymir shot her girlfriend an alarmed look, leaned toward her-

And abruptly lashed her leg out, knocking Annie into Mikasa.

"...Let's get out of here."

It only took a few seconds for Mikasa and Annie to regain their balance and disentangle from each other. However, in those few seconds, Ymir managed to scoop Krista up in her arms and disappear into the crowd.

Mikasa moved to take off, but Annie quickly grabbed her arm. "Look at the crowd," she murmured. "They aren't going to stick around, and we won't be able to catch them before they can get out. Going after them will only cause panic."

A few tense seconds passed. When she felt Mikasa's muscles begin to relax, Annie dropped her arm back down to her side.

"...I may have to ask Reiner about that sword after all," Mikasa murmured.

#mikannie #mikasa ackerman #annie leonhardt #yumikuri #yumihisu #erwin smith #hanji zoe #levi ackerman #ymir #historia reiss #snk #attack on titan #snk fic #my fic #my writing #the call

[ghostmartyr]

SnK 124 Thoughts

Have some faith, Reiner.

As if we’d ever forget Han Solo.

The only nice thing about what’s happening now is that it’s forced the right priorities on people. Despite Eren saying, way back in Trost, that people all uniting to face one enemy is too rosy an idea to have a place in reality, for this one island, in these final, traumatic moments, no one wants all these people to die.

With various faces painted on it, most of our main cast on either side has always been focused on one thing: survival. Now Eren rejects that entire concept for the protection of one group. In the barest of bones, that is what every single villain of this manga has always done. Of course the only option is to reject him.

And of course Gabi, who has always been compared to Eren, who has had the most traumatic series of experiences of her young life, stands up and starts fighting.

(One in shadows, one in light. Winning all the high school book reports here.)

This is the best of Eren, in a child who has been ruined by this world just as thoroughly. Gabi will bring back her friends.

Eren chases after slavers to save a girl he doesn’t know.

Gabi runs into streets full of monsters and saves someone who hates her.

I’ve always enjoyed Eren as a protagonist (his dip into antagonist, not so much). In Trost, he takes on the burden of being a symbol of humanity’s hope, but I’ve always felt that his true symbolic nature is that he’s the one who lays claim to humanity’s outrage.

There are things in this world that are simply wrong. Righteous fury without limits is a satisfying reaction to that, and at the start of the manga, it’s something that all of Paradis has basically lost. They’ve grown complacent with their lot in life. Even when the titans invade, they don’t dream beyond reclaiming the territory that they’ve always known.

Eren’s status as a rage monster is very much a meme, and he’s very much more than that, but it has always been fitting that the main character is a bonfire that lights the sparks of the rest of the cast. Eren inspires motion. Before he has any touch of competence and plot magic, he talks and his comrades find themselves listening.

Gabi takes up that torch here.

Reiner is done (again. sorry, Reiner). The world is probably done. Gabi has spent this whole arc being some kind of done.

Gabi gets up, and goes to look for her friend. Falco follows her onto an airship; she follows him into hell.

Gabi gets up, and protects the girl who wants her dead. She faces down a titan with a weapon not meant for the job, and she wins.

Just like the young woman she murdered.

Sasha joins the Survey Corps after Trost. She comes face to face with a titan, and she falters. She fails to kill it, and it comes after her, and she’s scared. She wants to leave. She considers leaving.

Dot Pixis’ speech reignites her will.

Sasha stays, and a month later she saves her little sister.

Her little sister protects a pair of enemy child soldiers.

One of those child soldiers saves her life.

Paradis begins without a spark. Even the people who are signing up to be soldiers are mostly doing it so they won’t be seen as cowards, or so they can go further into the walls as Military Police. People who want to go outside and kill the titans are nuts. The Survey Corps is nuts. They’re a waste of taxes, and anyone who wants to join them is a suicidal idiot.

Enter Eren. Enter enough fury and impact that the fire can’t be contained in one person, and the sparks start spreading. The people who have been left to tend their own fires for years are given kindling. The people who don’t know what it’s like to not be freezing cold are given a taste of warmth.

For a series that begins in stagnation, a protagonist devoted to movement is going to inspire the most change.

Then he decides to commit genocide and ruin everything, but hey, look at how much that’s inspiring people to get along!

Eren, you’re a fucking disaster.

Niccolo basically hands us the series’ thesis on a silver platter, so I’ll refrain from trying to fit his quotes into anything resembling a paragraph.

Niccolo is not Eldian.

Eldians are the one with the ability to literally transform into monsters. A physical manifestation of the horrors all humans are capable of if you take away their reason. That’s why the world calls them devils. They’re all a bunch of ticking time bombs just waiting to go off; why wouldn’t the world condemn, hate, and fear that?

Those ticking time bombs always take at least one more person willing to start the timer for them.

In the current era, Marley has been the force happily strapping bombs to children’s chests.

Niccolo hits on the truest point. From someone who is not Eldian, who cannot physically manifest the horrors all around them that could not exist without certain genetics--

Niccolo has a devil inside of him, too. He’s given in to it. He has been a monster, so lost in his despair that he’s willing to kill children.

The true enemy of this world is not titans. It’s falling prey to the demons every human carries inside. That is the universal human experience, and everywhere people fall in that fight, evil follows.

Titans exist because a man rapes a slave and has her children eat her.

That evil is a fault of human nature, not blood.

Niccolo and Gabi have been the monsters.

Unlike most titans, they have the option of coming back. They’ve had the fortune to live long enough that they can come back. Hell, it might be because she hits the bargaining phase, but even this chapter Gabi goes from suggesting killing Eren to talking to him and using his power for something actually useful.

-pats Gabi on the head-

Not bad, kiddo.

To the left, we have Jean and Connie.

Hell.

Connie’s simplest (as well as the most exciting, because he’s running off to Wall Rose territory with Falco, who has Ymir’s memories), and rather devastating. For four years, his mother has been a titan. Unable to move. She’s his only remaining family. Everyone else in his village, Connie spent their last night alive praying that they would die. He’s one of the three people left who remember Utgard.

Being trapped on a tower in the middle of the night, being hunted for sport by people he’s known all his life.

On Zeke’s command.

The man Paradis is forced to consider an ally. The man Connie is not allowed to touch. The man who is still, years later, turning people into titans. The man one of his closest friends ostensibly betrays them for.

After all that, his friends have someone who can save his mom, and they try to tell him no. Because that might hurt the feelings of their enemies. People like Reiner, for instance. The guy Connie still cries for in Return to Shiganshina.

Don’t worry about your mother, Connie. Worry about the feelings of everyone else.

Also Sasha is dead and this kid’s bestie pulled the trigger.

But seriously Connie, chill.

[chill not found]

Connie has, frankly, done a fantastic job holding everything together. The fact that he’s only snapping now speaks greatly to his character, and leaves me not too concerned about Falco. Connie ranks as one of the lowest on who’s left of people who would be willing to kill a child. Even if it’s for his mother, if Falco’s awake, I don’t think Connie can do it.

...If he can, the manga will have actually found a way to get even darker, which, if we’re being honest, I sort of thought we were beyond at this point, so flip a coin I guess.

Jean likewise has some of my favorite material in this chapter. He’s grown into a far better commander than he was at Trost, and having the terrain duplicated so well only emphasizes it.

But as ever, the true entertainment comes from Marco.

Who is also dead.

Yes, still.

“You’re not a strong person... so you can really understand how weak people feel.”

Jean is not wrong that destroying the rest of the world sort of fixes Paradis’ main problems. The issue is that it’s horrifically immoral, not that it wouldn’t be effective (until a civil war breaks out).

Because everyone spent all their time hating them, their only protection was murdering them all. And it’s all on one person’s decisions. They’re hardly involved, aren’t they? If they sit back and do nothing, it’s just karma, right? What could they possibly do at this point?

“But you’re also good at recognizing what’s going on at any given moment. You know exactly what needs to be done. I mean... most humans are weak, including me... But if I got an order from someone who saw things like I do... no matter how tough it was, I’d do my damnedest to carry it out.”

Jean’s right. They do reap the benefits of this horrible choice. No more complicated politics. Just a blank slate to do better on. Everyone on Paradis gets to live. Without putting too fine a point on it, that’s an argument we’re probably all familiar with, and here a character is, pointing it all out.

This fixes all their problems. Good, right?

No.

Because standing back and doing nothing while genocide is committed is fucking wrong.

That’s a question this series has grappled with from the beginning; which is more important, survival or doing what’s right?

In the start, we have a protagonist who is fully comfortable throwing his own life away in the name of doing what’s right. At the moment, he’s giving every appearance of being fully comfortable throwing away everyone else’s life in the name of keeping the people he cares about alive.

This chapter, we have Connie arguing for his mom’s life over someone more politically relevant’s.

Bringing back another fandom favorite, Serum Bowl pretty much locks these arguments in a cage and pokes them gently with an assault rifle.

Survival says Erwin. Armin doesn’t matter, except to Eren and Mikasa. Erwin matters to Levi in a way he doesn’t to them. What’s right falls to the floor except to be brandished like a machete against the other side’s wants. Hange has to swoop in and pick it up, and by then Floch’s involved and clubbing everyone over the head with his newfound fanaticism.

Once it’s gotten to that point, humanity’s continued survival still says Erwin.

It’s still saving a man’s life.

A man who will die without this intervention.

For the reason of bringing him back to life to suffer in everyone’s place.

It’s pragmatic, and it truly is best for humanity’s survival beyond the walls.

It is also deeply unkind.

Send these thousands of people to their deaths so  the rest can live. Eat each other. Die, die, and die until someone can live. Anything that promotes survival is, in fact, the right choice.

In the Female Titan arc, when Armin and Jean are watching the full extent of Erwin’s plan in front of their eyes, Armin says that Erwin might very well be evil for it, but given where they are, that’s a good thing. That someone strong enough to be that measured with their few remaining lives is in control--even if he’s committing a moral evil, he’s protecting something more important.

It is the preliminary version of Floch’s eventual conclusion.

They need a devil to ensure their survival.

Levi ultimately rejects that.

He doesn’t bring a man back to life so that he can bear their burdens.

It’s one of the smaller goods of the series. After a life of suffering through what is necessary, Levi chooses to release Erwin from it, even though he’s still tactically essential. Again and again people have discussed how much it would help if one more strategist was out Paradis’ table in these times. Levi’s decision is what prevents the most experienced from taking a seat.

Levi picks to be kind over making the choice that more properly secures survival.

Because the survival of what? More choices leading down the exact same road? The endless cycle of sacrifice that’s turned human bodies into resources instead of recognizing them as people?

Titanization at its core?

In the Serum Bowl, Levi doesn’t choose who he wants to survive. He chooses what. He chooses to recognize a man as human instead of a commodity. Something the two brats screaming at him couldn’t let go of. Something he couldn’t let go of.

Do you want to survive, or create a world worth surviving in?

Eren’s actions will destroy the world beyond the walls he always wanted to see. Indiscriminately. Some of it deserves destruction and worse. The parts that don’t will be swept away all the same.

This plan creates the world the First King told them they all lived in; there is Paradis, and nothing beyond it. The rest of humanity is dead.

Thanks to forfeiting all humanity.

And I guess if anyone on the island has a problem with it, kill them too. Also anyone who encourages anyone to have a problem with it. Just set up your secret task force, give the names, and keep those named living in terror for a century until one of them becoming a serial killer in response seems perfectly reasonable.

For those in need of the reminder, Karl is a douche.

Karl thought genocide was such a bad thing that he committed genocide over it, but it’s okay because his genocide was smaller.

Eren thinks genocide is such a bad thing he’s set up to commit genocide over it, but it’s okay because his genocide is going to be so big it’s going to end all genocides. Until Floch remembers he has a gun, probably. Which seems to be always. In which case this genocide will lead to a series of smaller genocides, eventually leading to not enough people being alive for genocide to be committed.

Curing the world of genocide once and for all.

Yay.

.

What I’m saying is that genocide is bad.

Full stop.

Genocide is bad.

-draws underlines-

-draws angry grrr face-

Bad.

Perhaps maybe these people should stop doing it.

For all the moral reasons, sure, but since we’re clearly beyond that point, maybe someone could just quietly suggest with the force of the world ending that maybe imitating the exact behavior that led to literally all of our cast’s problems is not the best move.

Also, Floch shouldn’t get to point a gun at Yelena’s head. Only Yelena gets to hold guns to people’s heads. She makes it cool. Floch makes everyone wonder why Floch still hasn’t died, only to remember that ah, yes, of course people like Floch don’t die.

BUT HEY, AT LEAST THEY KILLED ALL THE TITANS THAT USED TO BE THEIR COMMANDING OFFICERS. I’M SURE THAT’S NOT RELATED TO FLOCH’S GOOD MOOD AT ALL.

You know, it’s not that things are continuing to get worse. They are simply following the roadmap of horror we were handed in the brochure for this arc. None of this is new, it’s just now in play. So it’s not getting worse, it always was worse.

...Yelena, just take the gun and shoot Floch before you die. I feel like that’s the fastest path to something good happening.

Let’s see... points to all our kidlets being a dominant force against titans now. Them Trost Redux feels. Points to Jean realizing that Eren has power of friendshipped himself into villain status (allegedly). Points to Armin remembering how Pixis gave the humans of Paradis their first victory. Points to all of Sasha’s family because I like them.

Then that’s the chapter.

HOW YOU FEELING, ANNIE FANS?

#Shingeki no Kyojin #SnK 124 #Gabi Braun #Connie Springer #shingeki no spoilers #SnK spoilers #spoilers #tl;dr #chapter post

[erenthecoordinate]

How confident are you that Levi is alive? Will he be able to fight again? I’m happy he might be alive don’t get me wrong but I don’t know what else he can do?

I’m actually very certain that he is presently alive right now.  I’m also inclined to believe he will remain alive for the series’ end.  At the minimum, he’ll be around during the finale climax and have some sort of role in it.

Reasons to believe he is alive now:

The cliffhanger status concerning the severity of his condition shows that there is at least skepticism over his demise.  I don’t recall Isayama ever doing this with another character.  Ymir may be the closest example, and even then her fate was implied and the act was (sadly) offscreen.  We know Levi’s whereabouts are in Paradis, and we know that he is in critical condition, so that needs an answer.

Hange was also quick to “confirm” Levi’s death.  We don’t see them checking for a heartbeat, pulse, or breath.  While they are knowledgeable about the functions of the thunderspears, the primary warning since the weapons’ introduction was that the handler’s limbs would be torn from the body at close proximity.  We’ve seen flesh melting and faces blown off from direct contact, but this is the first secondary contact injury, so it’s hard to say what happens.  It isn’t farfetched that the scorching electricity from the spear would fry someone’s organs, and blood around the mouth and nose can indicate internal damage in the chest and lung area, but with the eyes bleeding it can also be due to a head injury rather than by explosion.  Either way, Hange makes a point of saying Levi died from internal injuries, since there is reasonable doubt when observing his superficial ones.

Hange was tense when Floch offers to check a pulse, which could mean they were offended by the disrespect to Levi’s body or because they didn’t want to reveal the truth.  Hange doesn’t appear depressed or frantic when declaring Levi dead.  I imagine we’d be able to see those emotions clearly. 

And of course, once Zeke distracts Floch and the rest long enough, Hange takes initiative to jump in the river with Levi, which would be a wasted effort to carry the extra weight if Levi was indeed just a corpse.

I also think the injuries we do see are very prominent and intentional.  The deep scarring on his face shows that this is more than likely a permanent character design change.  It would be a waste to emphasize the marks with thick outlines if it wasn’t going to be a consistent alteration from here on out.  It even appears on the volume preview sketch, albeit on the opposite side of the face.

His missing fingers (possibly hand) are also notable because the last thing they grab is the weapon that was going to cut up Zeke’s legs again.  It’s a grim testament to his last actions before being literally thrown into this life-threatening situation.  If those are the only fingers missing, he still has the fingers (and thumb) he favors for his reverse grip, which is another ironic twist to his injuries.  He has that special strength but now lacks the support.

Also, there is the fact he is an Ackerman, with healing properties beyond that of a normal human being.  Enough said.

But can he really fight again?  Hm.

It depends on the time frame between now and the climax, how severe his injuries are, and if there will some compensation for the handicap he gained from the incident.

Time seems critical and Marley is already on the island.  If the climax only involves Marley, then Levi won’t have time to heal to be of any physical support.  If the climax involves international forces, there may still be time.  I predict it will take at least a few to several days for Marleyan forces to attack Paradis, especially since Pieck has Eren held at gunpoint.  They’re probably hoping to secure the Coordinate before eradicating the island entirely.  In which case, Eren needs to stay out of their hands long enough for that to happen.  But again, time is critical, it just depends how soon danger will arrive.

If he is rendered unconscious for a while after rescue, he would need to wake up before the story calls for character assistance.  Fortunately, resting can speed up recovery time, depending where he and Hange take refuge.  They will appear again with the main cast, but time for healing and waiting out the proper moment to evade danger is a must.  If Levi’s injuries are solely superficial, such as cuts to his body and blown digits, he’ll recover fast enough to stand and be of some verbal assistance.  If Ackergenes kick in for speed-healing he could be coordinated within a week (see: his leg/ankle injury and Mikasa’s broken ribs all healed within 2 weeks when normally those injuries would take longer).  If there is internal damage, it’s a matter of how severe it is to continue being life threatening or how he is able to move afterward.  Ackerman blood or not, they are still human to some degree.

But-- I am a sucker for the strongest characters coming out of their struggle by fighting in the end.  While realistically, the possibility is not looking great, there can be compensations for his physical limitations.  We know that 3D maneuvering is not impossible with a missing arm.  Levi has handled single-blade weapons in his underground life; it would be an excellent callback to his roots, a time where he used to make his own decisions.  Except now he has extra discipline and extra understanding of his desired purpose.  There can be an on-the-spot solution like wrapping the blade handle to his injured hand or arm so that it acts as an extension of himself (this one is definitely wild wishful thinking but I’ve seen fanart haha).

Otherwise, Levi may become more of a groundwork assist than an offensive soldier.  It can still work thematically, no longer having to be the big sword of the military.  He would have to put his focus onto his military weaknesses along with his emotional ones, such as proper communication and teamwork.  I think he would, however awkward, still be a good verbal support as well.

And then we got the most important factor- plot relevance.  If the story really wants to portray Levi’s lesson as a tragic one, he will have no physical use for the remainder of the series.  But I’ve criticized the excessive bleakness of this manga, so I think it would be more effective for Levi to understand his emotional flaws and change his usual actions.  Make him regret his choices, but then give him the opportunity to not be consumed by his vendetta.  Giving him that chance instead of forcing him in a state of inactivity will benefit his character, if Isayama truly isn’t finished with his development.  There is so much to work with and even in the little time left Levi can be a complete character with very little to no loose ends.  It would be too boring to force him to be a benchwarmer and have him potentially seethe in his resentment.  Especially since his mistake was one with no witness besides his enemy.  He would be too easily validated that his state wasn’t his fault and there is a possibility for no lesson learned for him.  Giving him free agency and having him decide to pull back would be great development and bring him closure from his vengeful mindset, which is the biggest counter to his heroism.

Plus, I believe Levi still has some unfinished business with some characters.  If he were to die later, it’d be premature to write him off with these loose ends.  Zeke is an obvious one, and I’ve mentioned it before.  That’s not to mention Levi is thus far the only one from the other party to know that Zeke’s plan is euthanasia and genocide.  Survival to the point of speaking would give Hange (and therefore the others) information and they would have to decide whether they can trust that Eren wants this or if there is something more going on.  But it gives them a chance to come up with a counterattack or line of defense.

Levi hasn’t had proper time to react to Eren’s scheme-y actions.  All we know is that he doesn’t believe Eren should be the one to be sacrificed for it.  While it’s possible to get some flashback relevance from him, interaction between him and the main cast (Eren included, and probably especially) has been expected for a greater part of this chapter.  Instead, we’ve gotten a bit of Levi and Zeke banter, with very little input from Levi.  Reactions to seeing his state from all of them instead of word from Hange would be effective in stirring their emotions and perhaps affect their actions going forward.  As for Eren, if he truly had been adamant of caring about his friends and comrades, it’d be another moment to see if there is a break in his emotional deadpanning when Zeke directly caused this damage.  It’s quite different from Sasha’s death, who was killed by a miscalculation, as Zeke calls it.  It is why this is lamented over up to now and so forth.  This is no mistake.  So will Eren grit his teeth to suppress because he has to or is he really so distanced from people that he no longer cares about their fate?  Whatever the case, actually seeing the damage (unlikely to be dragged to him in corpse form because what is the point there) can provoke a response and an additional clue to the uncertain characters as well as the readers.  

Also, and I brought this up when looking at this scene in ch105, but I feel like this interaction here needs some explanation.  I think is could serve as some importance.  Eren seems to react a tad bit and this is before he goes stone cold in Paradis.  We already have other characters’ reactions to Eren post-Marley, I would like to have more input by the normally silent observer Levi.

And I’ve already mentioned a possible role in Hange’s own epiphany about themselves.  But he would be the most beneficial support for them, while also realizing a sort of independence within himself.  Neither would have to follow in Erwin’s shadow anymore.  Release that pressure. They support each other while trusting themselves.  It’s a dynamic they have always had before Hange was commander, but now with full-fledged confidence, it’ll be refreshing for Levi as well to encourage that growth instead of lingering in his past vendettas.

A greater question to “why does he need to be alive for this” is “why does he need to be dead?”  He can accomplish stirring these turmoils in other characters just as or more effectively than if he were dead.  Yes, he is strong, but he isn’t an answer to all their problems.  He is injured to an non-measurable degree at the moment.  Even if Levi has a history of kicking Zeke’s ass, they will know that having him guarded by Levi isn’t a foolproof plan.  Is being incapacitated not enough?  Can’t other character still step up to the plate on the offensive even if he is still living?  What purpose besides “it’s a grim story and everyone dies, blah blah” is worth telling without being either dull or frustrating?  

There is still potential for his presence in the story.  I dished out some ideas.  If Isayama does absolutely nothing with Levi’s aftermath, then perhaps I’ll have confused questions over why these loose ends still exist even at the end.  But so far we can only guess (and hope) that there is a purpose yet to be shown.  It’s too early to say there is nothing for him when there is still more story left.

To some degree, I expect him to play a role in taking down the “biggest obstacle” of the story (why wouldn’t you have your most popular character participate in something like that?).  This can mean his physical state is still capable of externally fighting or he must represent morale support to those who will end up fighting in his place.  I hope whatever ends up happening to him will be respectful to the character he was created to be.  He honestly deserves it.

#levi ackerman #levi #snk meta #snk chapter 115 #analysis #theory #reply #mypost #Anonymous

[leviiattacks]

Two Faced | Chapter Nine

↳ levi ackerman, the very person who was about to kindly behead you by a surprising turn of events manages to become your loving husband? you would be elated if this was true love, but it’s all thanks to a mysterious magic spell that your life is spared, for now at least.

pairing :: duke!levi x duchess!reader genre :: royal au ??? (at this point idek) angst, fluff, slice of life etc ?? word count :: 3.8k author note :: omg hiiii it’s been a while and today’s my birthday so i’m feeling pretty happy :-) i’ve been busy with exams and what not so this chapter would have been longer but oh well it’s still over the usual word count of 2ishk!! → next part found here !!

Instead of taking your frustration out on anyone else you take it out on your ODM gear. Anger is best used up resourcefully and you find practice goes by quicker when you imagine the look of horror Levi will have on his face when he sees just how much you've improved in recent weeks.

You sustain a number of bruises, scratches and scars the more daring you get but you take them as accolades indicating your dedication. Erwin occasionally encourages you in his office and informs you of how your commitment shows how you prioritise the safety of your people.

He's incorrect. The people of Paradis are not your people. You hold no relation or similarity to them aside from the fact you all happen to be human. Your people are the people of the Negri Republic.

You think of them every training session, tell yourself you're fortunate to be alive and if it were any other citizen of the Republic they would be working ten times as hard. They would grind their bones to dust just to prove their worth. Stepping above everyone else and working for a place in the top three.

So that's exactly what you do. You work yourself till you're sure you don't have possession of your own body, the spirits of the dead haunt you now that you've been left in the harrowing silence of lost life.

Guilt catches up to you. It nips at your skin and forms goosebumps all over your arms the one time you and the cadets happen to be allowed out to venture into town.

The people of Negri will never be able to bask in such a privilege.

Yet here you are, the only survivor of the attack, basking in that freedom .

You believe you hold no licence to deserve it.

It's another Friday, your shirt is soaked in sweat and you cringe internally as you peel it away from your skin now safe within the confines of the shower rooms.

Another lonesome night for you. Mikasa has fallen asleep long ago and you've just retired from another late night training session.

The air bites at you and you jolt jerking your hand away when the water you come into contact with is ice cold.

You should have remembered warm water is closed off after ten but it completely slipped your mind.

Sniffing at your skin you wince at the earthy scent mixed in with your perspiration.

You can't not shower but the prospect of having to endure the cold water isn't appealing in the slightest.

Fine, you'll get up early and hope to shower before breakfast when warm water is available. If you dare to become ill at this pivotal moment you're back to square one. If Levi has no use for you, you're once again as good as dead.

Groaning you unwind and restart. Pulling your undergarments back on you stare at your sodden clothing. Wearing your damp uniform just to sneak back into your dorm isn't at all appealing and you curse yourself for forgetting to bring your night gown.

No one else is awake anymore and if they are they should be all the way at the other end of the base, you're sure you'll be able to slip away into the shadows and make it to your room within two minutes.

It's a risk but you'll take it, there's no way you're wearing those clothes again. If you make it to your room you can change into your nightwear and sleep. It'll be uncomfortable due to not showering but you'll make do with it.

Pushing your head out into the hallway it's dark and you sigh in relief, your ears are attentive waiting on any sounds but when you hear nothing you assume it's safe to make a move.

But, that's where you're wrong.

One foot out into the hallway you've already been caught red handed.

"Looks like I was forced to married an oaf who just so happens to have a thing for voyeurism." The cynicism is dripping in none other than Levi Ackerman's voice but you don't shrink away despite your vulnerability.

Like a cat you can hear Levi almost silently saunter up to you from behind and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up straight.

Expecting him to berate you you're surprised when he doesn't sound as scornful as he did a few seconds prior.

"Would you like to use the shower in my quarters? The water's warm."

You'd be an idiot to reject the offer and as much as you hate the feeling of unease you feel around Levi you'll put up with it if it means you're able to rub soap against your skin and smell clean whilst you sleep.

You're standing in his shower staring at all of the varieties of body wash he has lined up against the wall. As expected of him his bathroom is meticulously spotless without any dirt in sight.

A little whine escapes your mouth when the hot water hits you for the first time. You sigh feeling satiated as well as satisfied.

Feeling a little lightheaded you rub the pleasant scent onto your skin eagerly. After a long days worth of training you feel rewarded and fulfilled just by being able to indulge in the luxury of warm water.

Suddenly your eyes shift they expand, turning from relaxed to completely appalled. Memories of your home town flood into your mind all at once, memories you don't even recall owning. Flashes of what looks to be fiery red hair, then segments of bloodcurdling screams follow in pursuit.

The soap has slipped out of your hand colliding with the floor and the rather loud noise that follows is enough to have Levi knocking on the door of the bathroom.

Hurrying to finish up you try to act as if what happened didn't just happen but to your discontent you only end up feeling more distressed.

Those aren't your memories you don't recall who they belong to. Have they perhaps been triggered by something?

Looking around the bathroom you come to find that you forgot you hadn't brought your night clothes with you,, again. Hands making their way to rest onto your forehead you groan audibly.

Again your thought process is cut off by Levi's knocking "Hey, did you pass out or something?" and with urgency you finish before he knocks the door down from impatience.

Poking your head out you avoid his gaze.

"What is it runt?" Levi's unimpressed voice asks once again reminding you of his presence.

"I forgot to bring my clothes."

A moment of silence follows your sentence and you're convinced he'll tell you to deal with the problem yourself when he tells you to return inside. But, a few minutes pass and he cracks the door open to shove one of his button ups at you alongside a pair of loose-fitting pants.

Quietly thanking him you take the clothing from him, they're good enough to cover most of the areas you'd like sheltered from prying eyes.

After you're done dressing yourself you practice your breathing in the mirror and for the most part you think you're alright until your mind drifts back to the unexplained fiery red hair.

Finally getting a hold of yourself in spite of all the unanswered questions you escape into his room and make a dash for the door hoping he's occupied elsewhere or has drifted off to sleep allowing you to flee.

"Stop."

Gritting the top and bottom row of your teeth against each other you scowl before masking it away and turning to face Levi.

"You're working hard for Paradis I see."

Meeting his eyes for the first time in a long time you're riled up, the heat in your chest rises and it finally reaches the summit when you sense you're shaking in maddening annoyance.

"I do not work hard for Paradis. I have not forgot the way you massacred my people."

He shrugs his shoulders calmly. "If you say so, and if you must know. I did not order the hit. I did my job, that is all."

He seems almost amused seeing your expression twist around trying to decipher if he is of reliability or not.

"You're a murderer. What is so humorous?" The blunt delivery of your question is sufficient enough to bring an end to Levi's fleeting grin. His face automatically drops and his brows knit together.

Levi is left stunned and speechless. For the first time in his life he doesn’t know what to say because you're correct.

Giving his regretful expression one last disappointed look you storm off. You need to sleep if there's any chance of you waking up tomorrow.

Little do you know that two pairs of eyes watch you leave Levi's quarters that night.

One of those pairs does not belong to Levi.

Training is about pace but with the pent up steaming fury that resides inside of you you're sure you can move up the ranks much earlier than you previously estimated.

Positions, rank and status are what you need to obtain for Levi's plan to happen with no disruptions, if you're no good as a soldier there's no reason to continue persevering through the scrupulous hours of hard work and exercise.

There are points at which you struggle, it's difficult moving on alone knowing that you've been left completely unaccompanied and to your own devices but you make it work. You always have.

The feeling of loneliness is something you should have long got used to within the walls of the palace but after experiencing love and affection for the first time in years it's easier said than done to let it all go.

But you do.

You have to let go of your feelings for Levi to move forward.

All the faith and hope you truly have are placed in Sasha and Mikasa. You trust them with your life and one night after training as you look into your own eyes in the fogged up mirror of the shower rooms you come to the conclusion that you do not trust Levi Ackerman with your life and if you do not trust him with your life what is there to love about him?

The incessant name calling? The relentless pestering? The persistent hot and cold behaviour?

The man who sits at the other side of the hall eating his dinner is not Lev. The look in his eyes is completely different, the way he holds cups is different so is the way they make jokes and most importantly the way they act and you've now come to terms with that. No more allowing him to push you around whenever he pleases, no more succumbing to his touch.

The only orders you'll follow are the ones which permit for you to keep your life. That is all that matters. Nothing will ever matter if you die a meaningless death.

You came to the conclusion not too long ago that forming a clear distinction between Lev and Levi would be pivotal in progressing. After the mess caused by Jean in the hallway and your rude remark it's obvious you should. For the record you do stand by what you said. Levi Ackerman is a bitter hag, but you decide it's for the better that you bottle your emotions and your ever increasing feelings of animosity. You won't allow for them to interfere with your task. You've come here to save your life and that's it.

Lazily you poke at the meat on your plate not feeling particularly hungry today, there isn't much reason to be. Most of the training you've now become used to and you no longer feel exhausted after the training sessions. Instead you feel rather accomplished, you never saw yourself as much of a fighter but you think you've finally got the hang of it now.

Your progress has come as a shock to everyone around you and the cadets who were so quick to make judgement on the first day now come to you for advice. Whenever they approach with awkward smiles you can't help but feel bitter but you never refuse to aid them because what kind of person would that make you?

You haven't realized but all you've done today at dinner is sit and repeatedly jab your chicken with your fork, you nudge it left then bump it right. Eating is the last topic of interest on your mind right now. Recently all you've been able to think about are the people of your Republic. You were never able to ask what happened to your nation, what happened to your people. Illegitimate daughter or not it was still your kingdom and you keep mulling over the possibility of asking Levi about it.

You would have asked long ago but you think he won't give you an answer. After all there is no real reason for him to tell you what he did.

"MAIL!!" Marco's yell is enough to break you out of your deep thoughts all the cadets get to their feet running up to the front and practically submerging him after he's just come dashing in with this week's packages and parcels.

Connie's the first to retrieve his package. His mother is always reminding him in her letters and parcels of how proud she is of him, how she hopes he's eating well and is healthy. Your heart tingles for him. Maternal love is a lovely blessing and you wish you had it yourself but that doesn't stop you from feeling pleased on his behalf.

Everyone receives letters from home without fail, Everyone apart from you, Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie. You've taken a keen note of that detail. The higher ups tend to never receive any mail unless it's from the military. They could have family who are dead or alive but it'll most probably remain a mystery to you.  Maybe there will come a time where all the cadet's families will stop writing too. The reasons as to why may be ambiguous but you can only hope their families remain healthy despite the dangerous terrain of Paradis.

"You never get any mail why is that Y/N?" Armin one of the younger cadets pokes his head over your shoulder, his blonde hair falls over his eyes and his innocent voice is unaware of how dark the true answer to his question is.

You shrug your shoulders forcing yourself to cut some of the chicken you have yet to touch.

"Mother and Father raised me to be independent they were never the caring type." You say shoving a piece of chicken into your mouth, you can't leave the plate unmoved.

He hums in response buying the explanation but Annie clearly doesn't, she's glaring right at you as she swirls her spoon in her soup rather aggressively. She's been looking at you with increasing intensity these past few days but you don't address it. You aren't able to tell if that's her normal resting face, all you really know for certain is that her Hawk like gaze only flicks away when you make eye contact with her.

"How about you Annie you never get any- " Just as Armin begins his sentence Annie's smoldering gaze meets his and it's enough to stop him.

You and Annie most definitely aren't amicable but you know how annoying the intrusive questions can get when you have no real answer to provide people with so you choose to step in and alleviate the growing tension.

"Annie isn't one to dabble in small talk, I'm sure she'll open up with time." Annie grunts and gets to her feet, she shoots you an Armin a subterranean glare demanding you understand she isn't going to carry on being interrogated. She isn't even thankful for your intermission.

"Did I anger her?" Armin is so aware and in touch with others feelings because you honestly can't tell how she feels. Maybe she thinks she's superior to you, maybe she's frustrated like Armin suggests or maybe that's her natural demeanor.

"I'm not sure, she seems to just be this way." You won't get his hopes up high by falsifying an explanation, you'll just provide him with your honest opinion.

Bertholdt looks as if he's about to join your conversation but Reiner places a firm palm onto his shoulder before whispering a word of warning into his ear. Bertholdt indicates his agreement by looking away and making conversation with Connie who is sitting across them enthusiastically pointing at the letter his mother has sent him this time around.

Behind you Jean shuffles out of his seat he approaches your table and places a candle onto the wooden surface. "One for you." He announces, and then he places one more next to Mikasa's plate "And, one for you Mikasa."

The both of you exchange looks Mikasa is as plain faced as usual but she murmurs a thank you and both you and Jean know she isn't just saying that she does mean it she's just not that great at expressing it. You move over and give him some space to sit down with you both.

"Oh my, are these those special editions from the city square?" You rotate the candle in your hand looking at it before gently inhaling some of it. Vanilla, Jasmine and hints of coffee flood your system and you sigh dreamily.

"It's so lovely, my you didn't have to?"

"I wanted to, besides what was I to do with that many candles? Mother got over excessive and sent far too many and I know you liked that sort of stuff. I remember seeing your maid carrying some essential oils and fragrances when I met you in the city."

He's spoken a bit too much and you give him an alarmed look, it's slipped his mind to not mention he's encountered you before but much to your dismay Reiner's inquisitive ears have already heard what's been said.

"Kirstein and you, what have you got going on?" Reiner's back at it forming false conspiracy theories in his head you can tell that much just by looking at him.

You huff and shake your head, "I believe he's got me mixed up with someone else I've never even met him before arriving here."

As soon as you've spoke you've realize your mistake when Connie turns to face the both of you, his eyebrow is cocked up in confusion and he keeps his eyes on you contemplating if he should reveal what he knows.

Begging him with your eyes isn't enough because he just has to open his big mouth and join in.

"Did you and Jean not say you knew each other? I remember it, on the first day you said something like it was a small world if you ran into him again."

Reiner's amused by this all and is fascinated wondering what the reason is for you to bluff like this.

Sucking your bottom lip in not expecting this disruption during dinner you don't know how to save yourself.

"He said you have a maid, would that make you a noble? Only the rich can afford such commodities." Krista cuts in and it's only then you notice everyone crowding around you.

Everyone looking at you makes you uncomfortable and you can't formulate a sentence in your mind that can substitute as a makeshift excuse. Jean has to notice the consequences of his actions because you're playing with your hands under the table evaluating the possible outcomes as his thigh rocks back and forth shaking the floorboards with tension.

Just say the truth.

"My husband, he's a noble so I suppose yes that would make me one too."

The cadets are open mouthed in complete surprise. There are a number of reasons for why this could be the case. Firstly you're married, secondly you're a noble, thirdly as of now only two nobles that have been made known to the cadets, those two are Duke Ackerman and Viscount Kirstein they're probably speculating if the two know who your husband is.

"Someone married you of all the women in this city? And that person's a noble?" At that you don't know how to feel. The added insult to injury upsets you but you don't make it visible.

"Enough." Erwin's firm tone is enough to settle everyone down and the rumour mill stops temporarily.

Levi doesn't do as much as look at you whilst the situation plays out. He continues nonchalantly looking through some letters the military have sent over to the base. It's for the best he doesn't draw attention to himself right now.

Then everything plays out the same way it did the day those cadet's talked badly about your performance, everything plays out the same way as when you lived in your father's palace. Every one swamping you, engulfing you and you find it hard to breathe. Throat constricting your unease only heightens. Giggles and mumbles then whispers of "So she bribed her way up here?" and "Count on a noble to cheat the system."

"I saw her leave Captain Ackerman's quarters a few days back."

That's enough to push you out the room, you don't even realize what you're doing until your legs have carried you out and you can hear heavy footsteps follow after you. It's silent whilst you plot a route towards the training grounds but whoever is behind you is still following behind you loyally. You're too worn out to check in on who it is.

"Y/N, we need to discuss this." You recognize the voice to be Jean's,  it's unusual that he's bothered to follow you outside.

Brows furrowed and shadows cast over your face you can't help but visibly present your emotions. Moving to take a seat on a staircase you hunch yourself forward breathing in and out shallowly, get a grip, slow your breathing. At this point both you and Jean have ventured so far into the base that there's no way anyone will be able to find you both for a while.

Normally you would burst into tears if something like this were to happen but you can't make yourself feel anything apart from simmering dissatisfaction. Whether it's directed at Jean, at yourself, at Connie, you don't really know the specifics.

You're able to harden your exterior this time, Levi is going to kill you there's no use in you being here if your identity is discovered, you've ultimately failed the one task you've been given.

"Ease yourself. Mikasa said she'd handle it I trust her, you trust her."

"We'll dig ourselves out of this mess, I assure you." Jean is droning on and slowly the sound of his voice fades away as you stare at the white wall behind him. He's explaining his viewpoint but he clearly doesn't understand you at all. Of course he isn't informed enough to understand. why you're panicked. You don't blame him.

"Just leave me alone for a second I'd like to think without anyone else present."

Jean sighs deeply but respects your request. He walks away from you although he clearly doesn't wish to do so.

#levi #levi ackerman #leviiattacks #aot #snk #attack on titan levi #attack on titan x reader #attack on titan #levi x reader #levi x y/n #aot fanfiction #aot headcanons #duke levi #levi smut #levi fluff #levi angst #levi fanfiction

[lostcauses-noregrets]

There's no cameras or anything on Paradis, right? Do you think Levi has any portraits of Erwin? Or has a statue been made somewhere for him? After all this time, it's possible the details of Erwin's face are fading from Levi's memory a bit :(

There were certainly no cameras on Paradis before the Survey Corps reached Grisha Yeager’s basement.  The photograph they found there was the first one any of them had seen. Given the unpopularity of the Survey Corps and their lack of funding, I’m not sure there would have been many formal portraits of Erwin prior to his death, however I can easily imagine him giving a small private portrait, a miniature or a cameo perhaps, to Levi. After his death, I’m sure Erwin would have been honoured with statues and monuments and the fandom certainly made sure that he got the memorials he deserved by way of beautiful art and heartbreaking fic. 

There are few things I find more tragic than the thought of the memory of Erwin’s voice, his scent, his smile, his touch slipping away from Levi inexorably over the years, each loss another irrevocable bereavement. It’s moved me to tears, and to words, more than once. 

Do You Ever Wonder?

The Last Time 

The Shape Of His Name

Stillness

We can comfort ourselves with the knowledge that Levi will never, ever, truly forget Erwin though.

#asks #eruri #erwin smith #levi ackerman #lostcauses fic #eruri relationship #snk

[kdtheghostwriter]

SNK 113 - Ruthless Aggression

(A strange light fills the forest. Twilight is shining through the leaves. It seems the journey is finally over.)

(Levi is filled with DETERMINATION.)

The people who pick this story up after it’s been completed will enjoy it so much better than some of those reading it month-to-month. Those who get to read it in one go will in no way believe that Levi - humanity’s strongest soldier - surrounded by high anchor points in the Forest of Big Ass Trees, armed with a full tank of gas and a full stock of blades could ever lose a fight to Zeke or any amount of Titans.

Upon his return to Marley, Zeke hoped and prayed to the gods he doesn’t believe in that he would never see an Ackerman ever again. Now you see why. Zeke fights an Ackerman; Zeke goes splat.

I’d like to introduce to you the concept of ‘reads.’ Many of you are no doubt familiar. For those that aren’t: it’s the concept of predicting your opponent’s next action based upon whatever habits you have perceived from them. This concept is relevant in every kind of sporting event but also in video games and even chess, where much of a player’s moves are determined by the characteristics of whatever piece they are using.

TL;DR – Zeke attempted a hard read on Levi and got exposed.

If Zeke was anything more than a disconnected third party – if he had lived in the hell the Survey Core has known for years – he would have known better than to tempt Levi with a choice of morality. Levi Ackerman came from nothing. Born in the underground amongst outlaws, raised by a serial killer to be stronger than his frame would allow. Levi has done many heroic deeds, but no one, not even his colleagues in the military, would confuse him for a hero. Not in the classic sense anyway.

Think about Batman. DC Comics’ most enduring icon, he has been in publication for more than eight decades. He has to his name some of the most daring feats in fiction (including beating the shit out of Superman, repeatedly) but is he a hero, though?

Sadfleck is right! Bruce is a “good guy” by all accounts. He fights villains and saves his hometown. And he does so in highly illegal fashion. Levi is quite similar. He’s a vigilante with diplomatic immunity, that is unless I imagined the whole military coup to overthrow the puppet monarchy. The famous panel of Levi forgoing his humanity as Armin has so often referenced has been reposted too often to count, but it’s the most important one to his character. We know for a fact that Levi’s empathy is his defining trait; however, people like Zeke mistake that empathy for all-around goodness.

Levi is a good soldier that does horrid things, but he does those things in the interest of completing his goal, which usually involves saving as many innocents as possible. Thus, when you give him the choice of killing his comrades or dying and failing his mission, there is no choice anymore. You didn’t stop him. You didn’t even slow him down. All you did was make him mad. An angry Ackerman is scarier than any giant.

(Hanji feels like they are going to have a bad time.)

Again, I’ll say: Hanji Zoe was the right and only choice to succeed Erwin. I’ll add to that this chapter by saying that Keith Shadis wasn’t as bad as he thinks he was. Just unremarkable. Erwin’s scouting tactics were a stroke of genius that only a gifted mind could have devised. For the last decade, Shadis has been carrying the weight of his shortcoming and punishing himself. It’s why he doesn’t reprimand the students in the newly minted 109th Squad who brazenly call him obsolete for the entire class to hear. It makes the following interaction very interesting.

Floch Forster and the Jaegerists (what a punk band that would be) storm into the hall in order to recruit the graduated soldiers to their cause. Floch gives them the Durden-esque task of assaulting their instructor Shadis until he can’t stand. What I find interesting here is Shadis’ reaction. Hanji does their best to defuse the situation, and the rookies even look hesitant about attacking. That is until Shadis provokes them, and they brutalize him in a fit of rage. Is this the retribution that Shadis has been seeking all along?

If Eren is the Heel who thinks he’s the Face and Zeke is the monster Heel that destroys everyone (except his rival, lol), then Floch is the classic chicken shit Heel that gets all his confidence from hiding behind his meal ticket. It is a classic archetype that precedes wrestling by many centuries and Isayama has executed it to perfection with Floch. So over-the-top and dastardly. No person could be this mean unless they were written to do so. It makes the eventual comeuppance that much more satisfying when it happens.

 We finally have a name to put with the face we’ve seen in past flashbacks. The previous owner of Zeke’s glasses whom I must assume is the previous holder of the Beast Titan based upon the impromptu game of catch. In a pain-filled haze, Zeke recalls his sensei and tells him to wait, as he still must complete his mission. You can imagine that sentiment extends to his half-brother as well.

If that’s not Archvillain Energy, I don’t know what is.

Stray Thoughts

- We got a new tally of all the people under Zeke’s influence. Spoilers: it’s a high number. Falco is included, Hanji is not. Not only did she avoid the wine but it also tells me that Onyankopon is legit (for now at least).

- Floch apparently had this little revenge planned for Shadis from the rip. Add “petty af” to his long list of offenses.

- We still don’t know everything about how P A T H S work. Given that Zeke is royalty and Eren is related, there is at least a slim chance the next chapter ends with the older brother being tracked and his sibling showing up at whatever location Levi is taking him.

- The 104th has been detained and imprisoned. We see them in varying states of discouragement and sadness - except for Mikasa, whose face is hidden entirely. Big yikes.

- The Queen is a ticking time bomb in more ways than one. Her status and well-being means nothing less than the future survival of Paradis. If that’s where Levi is headed, boy is he in for a Soo-Prise.

#snk meta #shingeki no spoilers #snk 113 #levi ackerman #hanji zoë #floch forster #keith shadis #zeke jaeger #eren jaeger #the jaeger faction #meanwhile in eren's head

[sparda3g]

Attack on Titan Chapter 108 Review

Survey Corps may have their own problems at Paradis Island, but that won’t stop a war coming for them. Ever since they returned home, nothing has been sunshine and rainbow. Only depression and misery. Eren appeared to no longer care about his friends. Historia is pregnant for reason unknown. Everyone else is falling apart. Is there a solution to this mess? This chapter presented answers to many questions with a couple of interesting setup for certain characters, and a sign of a next grand chaotic battle.

There’s nothing more disgusting than a dinner with nothing but disgusting people. The only exception is Nile, Erwin’s old friend. He’s practically the only sane and good person in that table as the rest are celebrating for their accomplishment for apprehending Yelena and others. For the record, I still like Commander Pixis despite his action. It’s only because politics forced him to do the dirty work. Despite them enjoying Marley branded drinks, they don’t take people as friendly. That’s racist.

Their reason to backstab Zeke and others is because they don’t trust the fact he can use mind control or alter their memories. On one hand, it would have been seen reasonable, knowing Zeke still has a bad reputation with Paradis Island. On the other hand, Zeke’s group and Survey Corps built a trust for a while, so why start now. Even Nile doesn’t think like them, showing how selfless he is in compare. In short, the politic is still crappy as ever.

The revelation of Historia’s status begins to surface when Roeg spouts out their true plan. They intended to have Zeke makes his return and by surprise, a titan that would have been Historia comes in to eat him, so she can inherit the Beast Titan. They don’t plan to wait until Zeke is ready to pass down; bunch of assholes. It turns out her pregnancy isn’t part of their plan, rather a move to prevent them to use that plan. Kind of sad if the case is forced pregnancy. If being racist isn’t bad enough, the douchebag only saw her as a low-life girl with a name Queen attached. That’s sexist.

For pairing fans or fans in general who desperately wants to know the father, the answer is here. It’s some guy from the past who bullied Historia by throwing rock at her; maybe asking for attention. Around the present time, he worked at her orphanage to redeem himself. From there on, they got together. Unless you’re like my friend, that’s how the story was told; you might as well move on. Unless NTR is really poisonous to you.

The real problem for the douchebags isn’t the love story, but the timing of her pregnancy. She cannot be turn into a titan without any damage effect while carrying a child. To them, it’s fine for her to carry one, but the timing is too coincidence. Basically, they have an idea that someone hidden told Historia that she’s about to be used for their plan, so to prevent that, she and the guy did their thing. Now, she is pregnant. Perhaps that’s why she doesn’t look so happy for she is treated like a tool; leaving her no room to make her own decision. It also explains why the guy doesn’t sound cruel or anything. He cares about her.

The hidden person is said to be Yelena because according to their logic, Marleyan plus Zeke’s right hand person equal the mastermind. They have no proof, but they believe so since it stopped Zeke’s demise. It’s not confirmed who the culprit is, so we got something to think over. Although Historia is pregnant, Roeg is like, “The hell with it! Let’s make her into a titan.” Nile, the reasonable man, warns him that the side effect can be dire to the child or her. Good to see him again. Roeg practically ends the argument by stating nation over people. Why I am not surprised?

Basically, Historia’s pregnancy is planned to prevent the backstab plan, not that the politic forced her to do so. Even so, she’s still forced to be pregnant under different circumstance. That’s just sad. The dinner table scene pretty much clarified that those guys are still bunch of craps. They have the courtesy to obtain some Marleyans to be their butler; more like slaves than anything. Even poor Nicolo is dragged into this mess; still broken over Sasha. It would be fantastic if the drink is poisoned, though that would mean Zeke did hide something. I don’t mind though…

The scene with the Survey Corps in the room is discomforting and concerning. The first page set the tone of unsettling feeling about the whole fiasco. It’s clear the effect of Sasha’s death is still looming around them. Now that they know what happened to Yelena and others, it’s like everything keeps falling apart for them. The first flashback was a sign of hope and carefree; now, it’s just growing dreary.

It gets worse when Jean raise a concern with Eren and his possible backstabbing plan. He starts to question if Eren is working with Zeke behind their back, especially since Zeke did say his plan at Marley provided great results. Supposedly, they did talk before, yet no one knows the content. After the last chapter, it’s hard to understand Eren’s intention or attitude.

What’s startling is Connie. It’s clear that Sasha’s death affected him greatly. His glare to the window is telling how much he can’t take this anymore. It got to the point that he will show no remorse if Eren is a traitor. Even with Mikasa trying to stop him, he doesn’t hold back his anger; unusually shows dominance in his stand. Mikasa is trying to keep hopeful about Eren, but she is struggling to keep it up. This whole corps is slowly falling apart.

There’s another flashback scene; this time is them working together on building a railroad track as they’re waiting for the response. Isayama really like pulling this stunt with Sasha still around; almost feel like he regretted killing her off. Seriously, it’s a nice scene with them working together like a family. It’s amusing to see how everyone acted their ways, including Sasha hogging all the water and Mikasa carrying woods with ease.

They waited to see if Hiruzu can start an international relation with the rest of the world using the connection to Paradis Island as well as the human rights. Hange and Levi returned to deliver the news; it’s no good. It’s because Hiruzu is a greedy nation that refused to share the resources of Paradis Island with others. I knew that drool scene was a terrible sign. Greedy bi---. Excuse me. The human rights failed as well since nations only saw the group as eccentrics with no one willing to support the cause. Lastly, they saw Paradis Island as a convenient source of trouble, so to keep them united and stable, they will leave it as it is. What a crappy world.

I felt bad for them since they did hope, even if it’s little, that they can start a peace rally and not resort to the flattening the world plan. It sucks for Armin since he would have love everyone to stop fighting and not resort to become the world’s enemy. I got to credit Hange for trying to uplift the corps’ spirit. She nailed it on what made them special in the first place; investigate the unknown. I don’t know if there will be a flashback with them confronting the political world, but it could be the turning point for Eren’s transformation.

Probably my favorite scene of the chapter is the train ride. It’s not plot heavy, but it’s filled with charming and lighthearted moments from the characters. It’s amusing that while heading towards to their mission, they speak about what they should try and take from outside the walls’ resources. They’re hanging out like the good old times. It’s a shame that Zeke’s time is basically their time limit since he’s the source of the plan. They’re pressured to take it or doomed themselves. It comes down to the next question: who will inherit the titan after Eren?

This is the best part in my opinion. Mikasa wanted to take it, but Jean told her many drawbacks that prevent her to become it, including being an Ackerman. Imagine her as a titan though. She will be godly. Jean insisted for he felt that he will handle it with care; obviously taking a shot at Eren’s reckless behavior. Connie disagreed for they don’t want an “awesome” commander to be on a death clock. How nice. He insisted to take it, but Sasha disagreed because he is stupid. Why she had to die again? She wanted to, but Connie snapped back by calling her out on her contradiction. Nice comeback.

This got me laughing, but more importantly, awed by their friendships. What sealed it surprisingly is Eren’s thoughts. He doesn’t want anyone to inherit it, rather prefer for them to live long. It somewhat suggested that he will die and probably end the cycle. I don’t know if it works that way. The point is he cherished his friends. It’s funny how Eren actually blushed, which made the moment more awkward than it already is. Armin said it’s because of the color from the setting sun that made everyone seems blushing, which it did. I believe Eren did genuinely blush, but if not, his words still hold great value. It begs the question: why is he acting so different now.

Mikasa is standing by Eren’s side and claims that he’s still with them and have no intention to discard his friends like fodders. Jean, on the other hand, press on the doubtfulness on Eren’s trust and the disaster could have been avoided, let alone Sasha’s death. It’s a bit of a stretch to say Eren believed in everyone to fulfill the mission. That’s such a reckless and risky move altogether. That said I can oddly believe in Mikasa’s words, because Eren has shown great concerns of his friends. Then the bomb is dropped by none other than Connie.

Mikasa and Armin didn’t see Eren’s reaction to Sasha’s death, but we the fans did. Last time we saw him, he looked guilty and upset. However, Connie said he laughed, and Jean backs this up. I don’t know if the panel shot of Eren’s reaction is considered laughing, but if it’s true, I don’t know what to say. It must have happened after that said panel. That said it’s strange, considering we just saw him reacting like a caring man losing a friend. What is going on here?

Armin, the peacemaker of the group, calms the atmosphere and reassure everyone that Eren can negate Zeke’s ability. If that wasn’t the case, this series would end dark. However, if Zeke roams around with army of titans attacking everyone, then Eren isn’t negating the effect; thus, he’s with him. That is a logical explanation; always count on Armin to bring balance. What I didn’t expect is his solution to the problem.

Armin usually handle the problem in the most peaceful manner possible, especially with Eren involved. After that trip, he won’t hold back. It is fine to go and ask Eren about his agenda, and that would be the end of it. But Armin takes one step further. If he’s with Zeke, Armin suggests one to take the Titanization formula and eat Eren. Wow. What the hell?

I get that it’s a logical approach for safety measure, but this is his best friend we’re talking about. Even Mikasa is caught by surprise that he would suggest something like that. After going through the flashback, the irony couldn’t be any crazier. I don’t think it will come down to it, but I am seriously curious on Eren’s positon. This can be the final nail to the coffin (no pun intended?), the point of no return. Hopefully, the issue will be solved in the next chapter.

This chapter shifts the scene to where Falco and Gabi are located at; taking a small break. I know the fans despise Gabi tremendously, but I do like how Isayama is handling the case of a lost brainwashed child with a small sign of intellect. She is similar to Eren from the first chapter, but instead of striving to survive to kill all enemies, she is a lost cause. Falco, on the other hand, is more “free” to make choices of his own. When Gabi tells him to do whatever he pleases, he takes out her armband of Marley. It come across like a smartass remark, but he is trying to help her.

She reacts badly, like an obsessed person who don’t want the collection to be touched. I can’t fault her so much because it’s pretty abundant that she is like Reiner back in the day. The words she spouting is what a trained brainwashed warrior would say; willing to die by the name of the country. It's a bit sad to be honest. I also can’t fault her since she does prefer Falco to live and not go in her way to death. You got to respect her to be thoughtful at least, rather than “I hate everybody! Die!”

A girl appears in the forest, asking them what they’re up to. I heard the girl is the same one that Sasha rescued a long time ago. I don’t know if it is her, but if so, well, the detail is nice yet eerie. Another example of brainwashed Gabi is when she was preparing to kill her with a rock. It’s only a harmless girl, yet she’s willing to kill her. Thankfully, the suspense ends with no one getting hurt; only now Gabi and Falco are invited to her place. I wonder if it’s where Historia is at. This should be interesting.

The chapter closes with the aftermath of Marley; reminding how bad the damage was. Pretty grim to see a child with missing limbs. Surprisingly, Magath found out that Zeke has faked his death and allied with their enemy. He should have died first to avoid this smart observation. Actually, the credit can go to Pieck as well. She theorized that Zeke has planned this for four years, which is true, and used collaborators from inside the Marleyan Army, which is also true. Damn, she’s good. It also helps that the 3D Manoeuver Gear was upgraded with their own technology. So much for dumb villains’ syndrome.

Just before the hype to strike back was about to begin, Magath orders everyone that they will take the war back at Paradis Island in about half a year. Thank God for the power of time-skip. That said although bringing all countries’ army together sound pretty intimidating, that would leave Falco and Gabi alone. God speed is what I would say. Thankfully, I think, Reiner objects this plan, because he wants the hype rolling.

Seriously, either he’s smart or suicidal, he wants to attack them now. He believes Zeke is expecting them to attack later on, not immediately. If they do the opposite, it may corrupt his plan altogether. Reiner doesn’t want to wait; he wants to surprise attack. This is an interesting endpoint. Reiner seems to have reignited his spirit; probably because of Falco and Gabi, since he did call them his reason to live. He probably wants to attack now to save them and maybe along the way, take everyone down. I would joke and think he wants to die quicker this way, but really, I am glad to see him in firing spirit.

This was a pretty interesting setup chapter. There was a good amount of new answers and questions (of course), with plenty of moments to look forward to, including Eren’s agenda. If anything, this chapter set up plenty of point of no return. The series is good at changing your view with each chapter. I don’t know what to make of Eren but hopefully, it’s a misunderstanding. I don’t think the heated action will ensue next, but it has planted that seed. When the time comes, hell will break loose. It’s this series’ nature.

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #chapter 108 #review

[tundrainafrica]

So, it took months for me to finally let go of my anger & disappointment towards Yams for writing ch132. But then recently I found this tweet https://twitter.com/helmn9R/status/1315427848467947520?s=19 and suddenly it all came back to me. Nevermind the backstory, her character development is alr strong enough w/o it. But she had so MANY unresolved story with Eren, Flegel, most importantly, herself (read the tweet for more explanation). What a waste of character for her death being so pointless that it didn't give any improvement to the plot at all, neither to any other characters development. We all know, Armin would still be Armin in recent chapter with or without her death. So WHAT'S THE POINT ACTUALLY? ;-; I'm sorry for ranting:(

Okay, I really agree with you here. There are times I find myself realizing that I will never be completely satisfied with Hange’s death. Yams can pull off the most mind blowing ending to AOT and I will still have this hole in my heart left by her  death. And I’ll be writing Levihan fanfiction and metas for an incredibly long time because Hange is really an underappreciated character in this fandom and Yams just gave her the most beautiful yet most unsatisfying and unnecessary death. 

That is… if you look at it in the grand scheme of things. 

I feel like if we meta Hange’s personality a bit and follow the story from Hange’s POV and put her character as a focus we could actually paint the story as a good tragedy for her character and somehow we could put meaning into her death. 

Although Hange had started off a little wide eyed and naive, we can all agree that Erwin, Moblit and the death of the whole survey corps did a number on her psyche. Even before she could completely process their death, Hange was placed in one of the highest and most important positions in the government and suddenly she has to deal with the opening up of Paradis, diplomacy issues and the rapid progression of technology. 

As the commander of the survey corps which brought all these hopes and possibilities in, which also brought the threat of a war from an external force in, Hange had responsibilities much larger than Erwin ever had. I think given the fact that she started her position in such an inopportune time, and she got placed into a position so unfamiliar even for her, she would be incredibly uncertain. I mean who could have been prepared for what lay outside the walls really? Hange may have been a genius but her experiences were limited to the simple life that lay within the walls. I think her being dropped into that type of position from a medieval setting to a 1940s world war 2 setting would be a lot even for a genius like her to handle. 

And that uncertainty and the stress of just everything changing and having to take the reins would have eventually lead to some self esteem issues on her end. And mind you, even before they opened up paradis, Hange had self esteem issues with becoming the commander. One hint of this is in the scene in season 3 where Levi and Hange had a meeting with the reporters and Hange was still reeling from her sudden rise to power and suddenly, Levi (who usually never talks) had to be the one to face the reporters because Hange, (for the first time) had nothing much to say. 

And what if she never really completely recovered from that?

Imagine what happened after with everyone just coming in, technology rapidly progressing and Hange having to quickly adjust her plans and her way of thinking with the endless developments she has to address. And here’s another thing which can completely trample Hange’s self esteem. She is the leader of the country stuck in the medieval ages. She is literally the least up to speed among all the other diplomats and representatives of other countries and a war is brewing and she had to deal with that too. 

And things just take a turn for a worse when they attack Liberio and when Eren, the person who she believed to be the hope of humanity, the young boy she had somehow raised herself decides to betray them.  I mean they will have their scenes in season 4 when she references their conversations and how he used to listen to her until dawn years ago. Dam that scene where Eren grabs her by the collar of her shirt is just so dam heartbreaking.

Then all the soldiers under Hange, who she was tasked to lead suddenly turn against her. And before she knows it the rumbling starts and the world is about to be completely destroyed. 

Of course Hange would manage to twist it to her own fault. If we look at everything at face value and think ‘who the hell was in charge? How the hell did this happen to the survey corps? Who was supposed to look out for Eren?’ Anyone would blame the person with direct responsibility over that. The one who was supposed to be leading the survey corps and the development of Paradis, Hange. 

So it is not too outrageous to think Hange would have blamed herself for everything there and her shitty self esteem is obviously feeding into that too.

 I mean she never had the confidence to begin with. She never had the time to adjust to her new position and she could easily rationalize every loss to her own ‘lack of capability’ as a commander. 

And what does Hange decide to do with the weight of all those mistakes on her back. She decides to scramble for a way to atone for them in whatever way she can. She wanted to sacrifice herself. She wanted to give her life for them. 

In the grand scheme of things, yes her death was pointless but when I watched the build up of her psyche and the battering of her character, I couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t a horrible way to go out. 

It was unnecessary. It was pointless and it was unsatisfying. 

But god, the build up and just the analysis of her storyline all the way to that point made it so depressing. Made it so heart wrenching to analyze the desperation which had pushed her to the point of thinking…

“I’m useless. I’m stupid. I’m careless. It’s every bad decision I made that pushed Eren to betray us. For two separate factions of the survey corps to be created. Erwin would have done a better job.” 

And the cumulation of those thoughts and the trampling of every bit of her self esteem probably led her to think. I may be commander but I’d probably be the most useless one on the field. I’ll try to be as useful as I can, even if I die in the end. 

And that’s why when they were desperately looking for a way out, Hange obviously volunteers herself. After all she’s been through, after seeing her psyche and self esteem break one by one, I don’t think Hange would have been the type to volunteer anyone else. Her guilt and her self loathing wouldn’t have allowed her too. She probably genuinely believed Armin and Jean would have done a better job leading than she could, I mean she’s probably still reeling from the fact that she couldn’t keep the survey corps in one piece as their commander and she was probably thinking “Erwin would have kept it in one piece” 

So I think somehow there was build up to her death character wise and the build up was beautifully tragic. 

I wouldn’t say it was a masterpiece though because honestly Yams, could have just have avoided a situation with Hange dying. But I can’t help but think, Yams has been giving pretty sad ends to a lot of his characters and AOT has been pretty dark and a lot of deaths turned out to have been pointless anyway. 

I mean how many people have died for Eren only for him to turn into the asshole of the century? 

Hange died selflessly, she died for what she believed was right and at her last moment, she couldn’t send anyone else to die in her stead and I think this very much aligns with her character. 

Really, I probably would have lost a lot of respect for Hange if she left Connie behind instead or something. The only other person I think I would have found reasonable seeing there sacrificing their life would have been Levi. Hange and Levi would not have let anyone else go. It’s just not in their character. The 140 cadets are all their babies after all.

Thanks for asking this though. Really interesting question.

I actually wrote a fic recently analyzing Hange’s psyche towards the end of the story which I’m linking here for anyone who’s interested. 

#hange zoe #hanji zoe #meta