#during the return in shiganshina arc

[apricusapollo]

I'm thinking about that one erwin x levi tiktok I saw years ago that went like:

(e) "this mission is very important."

(l) "more important than *insert thing* (I think it was some part of erwin's body)"

(e) "yes."

(l) "more important than me?"

(e) "that's not fair–"

[arlerts-angel]

in another life — a. arlert

note: misery loves company, enjoy angels 🤍 got some inspo and wrote it in one go

warnings: canonverse (~return to shiganshina arc) | angst/hurt no comfort | gn reader | not proofread sry

armin sat at the shore watching the foamy waves crash against his legs and feet, silently wishing he could feel each grain of salt within the water.

"i had a feeling i'd find you here," you giggle.

"oh, hi. i'm glad you found me," he replied, patting a spot in the sand next to him. you oblige and join him.

"it's calming isn't it, the water?" you ask as you reach into the water and cup your hand, then watching it slip between your fingers.

"it is, i can't even begin to imagine what's beyond it, and what lies deep beneath..." he sighs, "but it's starting to feel like i'll never know."

he begins to go on about how it feels like there's no end in sight, and certainly not a victory for them; and how he's afraid that all of this war and loss will be for nothing.

"i think anyone who isn't afraid of that has lost their mind," you joke, attempting to lighten the mood.

"you're probably right," he half laughs.

it feels so wrong to love amid such despair, during such a tragedy. how could your brain and heart betray you in such a devastating way?

you reckon he feels the same way, sometimes.

it was unspoken between the two of you. there was just no way for a relationship to happen when your future was so uncertain, but you'd be lying to yourself if you said you hadn't thought about it.

"if our fate is death anyway, let's run away... together, armin, and damn it all. we can live out the rest of our time together happily. no matter how long or short..." you propose.

"we can't just abandon our efforts, you and i both know that..." he sighs. "make no mistake, i'd love nothing more than to live our lives differently... happily... but we threw that away when we enlisted into the scouts.

"right," you reply and turn away, "i don't know why i said that."

"you know if things were different—" he starts.

"i know, armin," you assure him as you stand on your feet, brushing sand off of yourself, "i get it. that doesn't make it any less disappointing..."

he nods. "you understand why we can't run off together, right?"

"of course i understand. we have a duty, an obligation as part of the survey corps," you sigh, "i just feel like i can't just not say it any longer, though."

"say what?" he inquires.

"that i love you, armin. even though sometimes it feels like i shouldn't, not during a time like this." you admit.

his breath catches in his throat.

"maybe in the next life we can make this last..." you lament.

in that moment, there was nothing but you, himself, and the ocean. he gently cups your cheek and looks you in the eyes.

"in the next life, we will make this last..." he promises.

taglist: @la-undercover-latina @heliiacus @so-you-like-kpop @milky-aeons @lees-chaotic-brain

@slutforthanatos @layla240 @priv-rose @reiners-milkbiddies @toji-girl-main

@blueberrisdove @darkstarlight82 @pastasauceandmoms @kodzukein @drinklavalamps

@little-miss-chaoss @ravereina

[lostcauses-noregrets]

it seemed very out of character for erwin to conveniently forget the existence of both the beast titan and the colossal during the return to shiganshina arc. why did the author play down erwin’s intellect when usually he is obsessive over every obstacle?

Huh?? What makes you think that Erwin forgot about the Beast Titan and the Colossal Titan during the Return to Shiganshina?? That's clearly not the case. What he didn't expect was for their enemies to be hiding inside the walls, but he certainly hadn't forgotten about their existence!

[darkskywishes]

Why the "Euthanasia Plan" and not the "Sterilization Plan"?

Something that always bugged me about Zeke's plan was how it was always referred to as the "euthanasia plan", not the "sterilization plan". Euthanasia is most commonly defined as the intentional act of ending life or lives to eliminate pain or suffering—aka, mercy killing. Sterilization, on the other hand, refers to the process of making a person (or people, in this case) unable to produce offspring. With these definitions in mind, it initially seemed to me like the latter name would have been more appropriate. However, upon a more thorough reading of Attack on Titan, it becomes evident that the name of the plan reveals Zeke's true intentions.

What was Zeke's fake plan?

Zeke told Paradis that he had a way of guaranteeing their protection through the threat or activation of a limited Rumbling to act as a deterrent against attacks by other nations for as long as it took Paradis to modernize their military. The process of modernizing Paradis' military was estimated to take around 50 years, as Paradis would provide the nation of Hizuru with ice-burst stone in exchange for their aid in developing technology and weaponry.

To ensure Paradis had access to unleashing the Rumbling for those 50 years, the Founding Titan and a titan of royal blood would have to be passed down. The Founding Titan can be passed down to anyone who lacks royal blood (to bypass Karl Fritz's Vow Renouncing War affecting royal inheritors) and the Beast Titan (although it could be any titan that isn't the Founding Titan) has to be passed down to people of royal blood. Thus, this meant Historia would have to inherit Zeke's Beast Titan and bear as many heirs as she could within her 13-year-term.

What was Zeke's actual plan?

Zeke actually wanted to make contact with Eren's Founding Titan to convince Ymir Fritz to prevent Eldians from being capable of reproducing, as Zeke subscribed to an antinatalist ideology and hence believed that Eldians being born was and is a life of suffering. Again, upon first read, this seems more akin to sterilization.

Why does Zeke refer to it as "euthanasia"?

Remember, in order for the current and directly subsequent generations of Eldians to be protected, Zeke has to pass on his titan to Historia and Historia needs to give birth to multiple heirs. Keeping Zeke's actual plan in mind, it becomes frighteningly clear that Zeke never intended on passing on his titan nor for Historia to be capable of providing heirs.

This means that Zeke fully expected even the current generation of Eldians to be killed, as they would have never been able to enact the limited Rumbling at all to deter other nations. He viewed the active slaughter of Paradis as a mercy killing. This lines up with Zeke's attitude toward murder in general, as during the "Return to Shiganshina" arc, he laughed at his massacre of the Scouts while muttering stuff like "you poor things".

It's not "genocide" or "murder," it's "euthanasia". In Zeke's mind, he's a savior and martyr, so he uses language to justify his cruelty as a mercy. This is why it's the "euthanasia plan" and not the "sterilization plan". Paying attention to Zeke's use of language clues us in early to what sort of person he is and the real intentions behind his actions.

[missnobodymadness]

Evelyn Thorburn Playlist

Because they say you can tell a lot about a character by their playlist, so, why not, right? :'D There is a possibility that I will add more songs in the future but for now I think she has a very solid playlist already.

"I've been losing myself in anger, so much broken by the rage, nothing could take my mind off how to make them pay, killing myself for nothing and the pain won't go away"

Her theme song. I really wanted a song from my favorite band to be her theme and I decided to go with Tell Me Why as I feel like it describes very well her arc about the truth behind her parents death, when she starts to wonder if she is on the right side of the story. "Tell me, why am I still here when it's all gone, I'm living with the ghosts of yesterday" this part of the song also reminds me of how she felt after the death of her parents and how that trauma stayed with her until her last breath.

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I was you 'cause I'll forget but I'll never forgive you, don't you know, don't you know? True friends stab you in the front" (...) "You can run, but you can't hide, time won't help you 'cause karma has no deadline"

The song that I imagine as the soundtrack for her scenes during the Return To Shiganshina arc, especially the moment when she literally goes feral after Reiner; real friends really stab you in the front. eheh A good day to be the armored titan, guess armors really can save your life, huh? :'D

"Now there's only one thing I can do, fight until the end like I promised to, wishing there was something left to lose, this could be the day I die for you"

I picked this song for the moment of her death, she died to save Reiner from the War Hammer titan (the irony eheh), only if she'd known that their dead friends would come to save the day before making such decision...just a bad and impulsive choice once again, she died by it, she died being herself.

"When she was just a girl she expected the world but it flew away from her reach and the bullets catch in her teeth, life goes on, it gets so heavy, the wheel breaks the butterfly, every tear a waterfall, in the night the stormy night she'll close her eyes, in the night the stormy night away she'd fly, dream of para-para-paradise"

Decided to add this song to her playlist because this is the perfect description of her old self and the turn her life took, this song represents her wishes an dreams to go back to her origins, to live in a peaceful and better world. The world to where she goes when she dissociates to escape the pain and stress of her reality.

"There's so much I carry with me, it was always my safe haven and now nothing makes sense, I've lost my best friend and if it's not too much, I ask for signs, there's only one word left, saudade, saudade, nothing more that I can say, says it in a better way" (Translated to english)

First, this is a portuguese song and the word "saudade" is unique to our language, there is no exact translation for it, but if I had to describe it, I'd describe it as a deep sorrow for someone you are missing. It is quite obvious why I picked this song and for which moment of her story it is destined...when she finds out about Sasha's death. Well, not exactly the moment when she gets the news but some time afterwards when it starts to actually sink in, the realization of losing someone is such a painful thing to go through... :(

"Fear is withering the soul at the point of no return, we must be the change we wish to see, I'll come into your world, see through your eyes, I'll try to understand, before we lose what we have, we just can't stop believing 'Cause we have to try, we can rise above their truth and their lies"

Yet another song from my favorite band because they have such relatable lyrics! This song is perfect for her first months in Marley, when she starts to slowly realize how messed up things were and eventually warms up to Reiner again out of empathy, deciding to give him a chance to make amends. Overall this is pretty much the soundtrack I picked for her desperate search for peace between Marley and Paradis.

"Well, you're my friend and can you see, many times we've been out drinking, many times we've shared our thoughts, but did you ever, ever notice, the kind of thoughts I got? Well, you know I have a love, a love for everyone I know, and you know I have a drive, to live, I won't let go, but can you see this opposition, comes rising up sometimes? That it's dreadful imposition, comes blacking in my mind, and then I see a darkness"

I picked this song mostly for her mental breakdown and how unstable she she has become over the years. This would also be a nice soundtrack to how she feels after turning her back on Paradis.

"Keep watching from your picket fence, you keep talking, but it makes no sense! You say we're not responsible, but we are, we are"

Picked this song to represent her feelings towards Paradis after finding out about the truth behind her parents death, that's all she could think about while her anger increased leading to the mental breakdown mentioned above, for her, it became very clear that both sides were at fault.

"Ah, and I don't hardly know her but I think I can love her, crimson and clover, ah, now when she comes walking over now I've been waiting to show her, crimson and clover, over and over"

This song wasn't on the original playlist I made for her but ended up adding it after getting so many vibes of Evelyn and Pieck that I ended up listening to it on repeat for weeks. So yeah, this is basically Evelyn's POV when she is around Pieck, a mix of feelings that she is trying to decode, attraction and a mist inside her head that she can't get rid of.

[lausticzt]

prior / during / a bit after ova acwnr: she spent a good few years in the survey corp before getting engaged and mostly running off with her husband to live a peaceful life.

that day: she lived closed to shiganshina, inside of wall maria. after everything happened, she spent awhile in recovery before joining the MPs.

early post trost: very set in her ways / very much on the path she chose for herself after the fall of wall maria. but god does she have consistent eyes on the survey corp. and eren for so many reasons that she eludes to just not trusting them with a titan. but the trost incident has her true colours begin to break through slowly.

post female titan arc: though she's still so sour from the incident in stohess, she's a lot more inclined to meet with survey corp members because something is happening and she can feel the shift. it's self interest in the fact her alignments and views are reverting, but she'd rather investigate the capital, slowly detouring from her own status as an MP to find answers of her own.

government arc: very much aligning more with the survey corp and what they are doing, because the anti-personnel squad was the tipping point to really set in motion her own feelings on the survey corp. despite her views on erwin especially, she also doesn't want him executed. she has her own moral code. the betrayal to the government is a high cost - and her family name is all but discarded from her by her father, because they know what she's doing. they have eyes everywhere. she's not as subtle and sneaky as she thinks she is. she brings too much of a presence wherever she goes.

shiganshina arc: her father is in custody at this point, given his allegiance to the nobles. she would rejoin the survey corps after recovering from events in the government arc (which I keep vague and mostly non-existent in chiller plotting and writing) but I will separate timelines for her remaining as an MP (I need to really go over my verses again)

marley arc: very much the same as the above. she'd also defy the rumbling completely, because it doesn't align with what she thinks is right. which is funny coming from the girl who has also fought to take down any enemy and obstacle in her way; but innocent people aren't one of them. very much about protecting the next generation, including those on the outside.

post war: laura would have no reason to return to paradis. so she'd spend her time helping rebuild the world, and try find a new reason for living. she doesn't feel as empty as others about it either, or confused. she had a long time to reflect prior to many events, and is, in a twist of fate, one of the better people to lean on in times of that quiet after the long, long storm.

[ly0nstea]

so you agree that the scouts who ran to zeke as a diversion in the return to shiganshina arc died meaningless deaths?

To them it was meaningless in that moment, from an outside view their deaths directly caused the Jaegarist movement to form (seen as if floch wasnt the sole survivor of the attack he never would have had the motivation to help eren start the jaegarists and we know that floch did most of the boots on the ground recruitment, and led them during day to day activities in missions. Without Floch the jaegarists would be nothing.)

Similarly, putting Zeke out of commission (which would have been impossible withoit the charge) was critical to the success of the scouts in Shiganshina, had Zeke still been in his full power he likely wouldve demolished Levi Squad that was inside the walls. At the very least he would have gotten some kills in on them before Mikasa, or Eren fought him off.

Then, attack on titan routinely demonstrates that the afterlife is a tangible thing, seen when Erwin and Hange have the scouts stamding behind them in shadows, this is furthered in the manga but thats major spoilers so I'll avoid it. Even if the afterlife is more symbolic and that isn't actually the souls of former scouts behind erwin and hange, they have a tangible impact on the world, erwin directly references seeimg them in Perfect Game. Ergo it stands that any and every scout death retains some modicum of meaning in the weight that it puts on the shoulders of the leaders of the survery corps.

And lastly the text agrees with me when Erwin (who was shown in his discussion with floch immediately before this to be brutally honest to a cruel degree in these scenes), "[our comrades] lives have meaning because we the living refuse to forget them." Which is shown through floch living on after the Return to Shiganshina arc

So yea, I believe theor deaths were meaningful, no matter how cruel and horrible the circumstances were.

[bayleavesfromthevine]

Yo Saffron,

What the heck is this?

"Levi had blocked the back door with weighted boxes and tarps some time ago after a peculiar… incident… regarding another member of his squad. But they didn’t need to know that just yet."

It's from chapter 10 and it keep me awake at night just kidding but still, I gotta KNOW what happened!?

SO FUNNY THING, i have that flashback written out as an interlude that fills the space during the return to shiganshina arc LOL

[lovelybkg]

big sister | shiganshina trio

pairing : shiganshina trio x fem!reader (platonic)

hints of levi ackerman x reader too <3

request by anon : May I request platonic yandere Eren, Armin and Mikasa with a big sister like darling who coddles and takes care of them. Darling became a scout first and is worried about them becoming scouts as well. Still darling showers them with affection when they can. Bonus points if the Shiganshina trio notices a certain clean freak captain takes a liking to their darling and tries to intervene as much as possible.

note : my first time writing for aot ! forgive me if there are inconsistencies with the canon plot, its been a while since i last watched this arc. and if the ages are a bit inaccurate / weird, pls lmk! math is hard T-T also, i really liked this request !! ur so big brain anon

warnings : slight yandere behavior

here's part two <3

your family used to be neighbors with eren's, and you were quite close with the three even with the 8 years age gap.

you used to watch over them when they were three to seven years old

when you turned 15, you started training to join the survey corps.

at first, they all tried to stop you. i mean, how can they lose you? you were their big sister ! and what if you get hurt? they cant let that happen !

when they couldn't convince you, they tried to make your parents convince you instead.

however, nothing worked :((

you still visited them sometimes, whenever you had time.

you shared stories about the outside world to armin

you told mikasa and eren about your training, even teaching them a few moves that were quite easy and safe for them to do

every time the survey corps returned from a mission, they would be waiting for you to wave at them from the crowd

you were the reason eren wanted to join the survey corps, he wanted to protect you! soon, even armin and mikasa started feeling the same.

but then you got injured

it wasn't really a serious injury, but they were all so worried when they found out. they even tried convincing you to quit the survey corps.

of course, you assured them that you were alright. so in the end, they couldn't convince you to quit.

this went on until they were around 12. you visited them around twice a month, telling them stories about your experience.

then the fall of shiganshina happened

during their training as cadets, you visited them as often as you could.

soon, they became part of the survey corps alongside you.

you stayed with them through everything. forgive me im too lazy to talk about everything like eren titan reveal 😭

you started to notice their weird behaviors during missions.

when you're fighting a titan, one of them would immediately jump in to help you, trying to shoo you away from the titan.

when planning the squad formation, they made sure at least one of them was with you and that you were in the safest area.

when confronting them, they claimed they were just worried about you. you were the only one they had left, they can't lose you.

how can you stay mad at them?? they just wanted to protect you :(( but you still reassured them that you could handle yourself

soon, the four of you joined levi's squad

due to the captain's strict nature and your carelessness, you often got punishments.

like running laps, cleaning the whole building, taking care of the horses, etc

but every time you got a punishment, the trio would berate the captain for it.

how dare he?? does he not see how tired you are? you should be resting right now

then they notice the captain acting weird

why does he keep staring at you?? and why are you staring back??? did you just smile at him?

tries to keep you away from him all the time. you noticed this. but you thought it was harmless, not taking it seriously.

but of course levi noticed. so he fought back, trying to separate you from the brats. he's always calling you to his office, telling you to "help" him with something

it just became a war between the trio and captain levi, with you being unaware the whole time.

[lostcauses-noregrets]

Hi, Lost, you are my favorite Eruri account and the one I trust the most when it comes to characterization and that's exactly what I want to ask for a possible, I don't know, fic or art or something like that? I read a lot of post ACWNR fics that took place right after ACWNR. And Erwin's character usually goes 2 ways: he's either really kind and nice to Levi or he is just cold in a way that he tries to discipline him? How do you see Erwin's character post ACWNR? The whole point of ACWNR feels like Erwin, just like Lobov himself, played chess with the lives of forgotten and poor people of the Underground who were always treated like second class citizens. And I think a lot of people are afraid to explore this but that's the beauty of Erwin's character, because later in RTS arc we see Levi's face when he thinks about how he tricked his comrades. I always believed that Erwin didn't see Levi as a "person", someone with his own life and feelings I mean, and he mostly focused on his skills until they became close. And I think when he started to care about Levi he felt the same guilt again. He didn't regret what he did because humanity needs Levi's skills but he still felt really bad for Levi. I feel the same way about post ACWNR Levi, I think Levi saw Erwin as this fancy squad leader from Above who didn't care about the people living underground and he was just another asshole like Lobov and everyone else until he got to know Erwin and realized that he's actually a really depressed and burdened man who dedicated himself to larger goals. Sorry to bother you but can you at least give me some tips about post ACWNR Eruri?

Hi Anon, sorry it's taken me so long to answer your thoughtful ask. My inbox is a bit out of hand at the moment!

I think this is a pretty good analysis of how Erwin and Levi regard each other when they first meet during ACWNR. There's no denying that it's Levi's strength and skill that initially captivate Erwin and that he wants Levi to join the Survey Corps to further his goal of saving humanity / uncovering the truth of the world / proving his father's theories are true (delete as appropriate). And it's also true that Erwin feels enormous guilt for "tricking" Levi into joining the Survey Corps. However, it's important to remember that Erwin is an extremely unreliable narrator, especially in the run up to the return to Shiganshina. At that point in the story he is crippled by guilt and despair and he sees his own actions in the bleakest light. Erwin believes that he tricked Levi into following him, but that isn't necessarily true. For a start this negates Levi's free will, and if you read the visual novel or the manga, it also doesn't entirely tally with Levi's experience of events. It's interesting that you said that Erwin played chess with the lives of poor, marginalized people from the Underground as in the same way that Lobov did, and again there is a grain of truth in that. However Erwin didn't pick on Levi and his friends because they were poor, second class citizens, he pursued Levi because of his incredible skill. At the same time , you could also argue that Erwin played chess with everyone's lives, his own first and foremost.

In Levi's case it's true that he initially viewed Erwin as arrogant and disdainful, but he quickly changed his tune, when he realised Erwin was above such pettiness. This is the famous "What a man" monologue from the ACWNR visual novel.

"What a man"—Levi thought to himself.  When he'd gotten caught in the underground, he'd felt humiliated. He had thought that Erwin was brimming with an air of superiority as he looked down at his catch—but now, Levi knew that he'd been mistaken. That kind of quarrel about superiority or inferiority had never concerned Erwin even in the slightest.

Regardless of Erwin's original motivation for recruiting Levi into the Survey Corps and the initial power imbalance that existed between them, and despite Erwin's darkest misgivings, Isayama has been at pains to reiterate that their's was a mutual and equal relationship founded on a deep bond of mutual trust (TM). Unless we get a new series to fill in the period between ACWNR and SnK, how Erwin and Levi's relationship evolved will remain speculative. Thankfully we have many talented writers in the Eruri fandom to fill in the gaps in canon 😏

[someonestolemyshoes]

Levihan Fic Masterpost

Hi guys! I figured since I made a new tumblr account, it might be worth putting a post together with all my old levihan fics - just so everything is nice and easily accessible :) 

Three things to note: the first is that a lot of these were written back in 2015/16 when we had no idea what a post-Titans world would look like, so many things won’t line up with canon now. The second is that I switch between using she/her and they/them pronouns for Hange - each fic on AO3 is tagged appropriately so you can read to your own preference!! 

And lastly - I have a Kofi! All of your likes, comments, and reblogs are more than enough support, but if you have money to spare and would like to donate, I’d really appreciate it! 

---

Canon/Canon Divergent Setting 

Kiss It Better - 1.1k - sick fic! Hange gets a miserable flu and Levi is only a little sympathetic 

Of Promises Kept - 2k - set after A Choice With No Regrets - Hange takes Levi out for lunch 

Now I See - 1k - Post-titans fic in which Hange is blind 

One Final Salute - 1.1k - MCD warning - Levi and Hange visit the ocean for the first time 

Remember - 6.4k - Levi-centric fic from his childhood through to his time in the survey corps 

And He Always Will - 461 - drabble - MCD warning - There is a grave at the end of the lane.

Blue - 1.3k -  Blood/Gore and MCD warning - Levi tells Hange they are beautiful 

Storm - 2.4k - post A Choice With No Regrets - Hange offers Levi some comfort during a storm 

Fragile Thing - 2.2k - post Return to Shiganshina arc - Levi gives Hange a bath

Stuck (NSFW) -  7.2k - Hange gets stuck in a titan trap. Levi finds her. 

Good Fight (NSFW) - 4.6k - Levi watches Hange fighting. His reaction is...unexpected. 

Untitled (NSFW) - 7.7k - Sequel to Good Fight. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, Levi and Hange end up sharing a tent. Levi is frustrated. 

Onto Something - 5.1k - Erwin, Mike, Levi and Hange attend a ball, during Erwin and Mike make some observations about their abnormal pair. 

Keep Going - 7.4k - Post Return to Shiganshina arc - During some mundane, routine maintenance, Levi gets injured. He refuses to admit how bad it is until he can no longer hide it. 

---

Alternate Universe - University/College

I Was Happy in the Haze - 901 - Hange has a terrible hangover after an eventful night out 

I’m Still Fond of You - 1.2k - Levi is incredibly socially awkward, but Hange isn’t bothered in the slightest 

Ask Me/I Won’t Say No, How Could I? - 1.9k - Hange calls Levi for help 

Fifteen Minutes with You (NSFW) - 3.8k - Hange has been on Levi’s mind an awful lot lately 

Santa Baby (NSFW) - 1.8k - Levi promised Hange he would do whatever she asked of him. It may have backfired 

---

Alternate Universe - Other 

And the Morning (NSFW) - 1.5k - Levihan with a side of Erurihan - lazy morning sex after a heavy night 

Not a Damn Thing - 1.3k - high school AU - Hange is upset at Levi for reasons unknown, and Levi is unreasonably bothered by it

Red - 1.9k - Levi and Hange meet at the airport and bond over a book

Kiss - 2.4k - high school AU - Levi and Hange exchange a few first kisses 

Terrible Things - 3.1k -  MCD warning - Levi is in love with Hange. Life can be cruel and unfair. 

Somewhere Only We Know - 60.1k - high school AU/coming of age fic - Levi spends his summer in the country with some old family friends, and there, he meets Hange. 

Helplessly, Hopelessly - 4.8k - Childhood friends to lovers, university fic - Levi surprises Hange with a visit on New Years Eve. 

The Keeper’s Introduction - 3.3k - Time travel/Alternate universes - `Hange breaks into Levi’s house in the middle of the night and spins him a very strange story

Come to Me - 2k - high school AU - Hange helps patch Levi up after a fight 

Summer Wine - 4.1k - childhood friends/high school AU - Levi and Hange share a drink under the stars. 

Untitled - 1.7k - Office AU - Levi is a quality analyst and Hange is an agent with zero regard for the rules. 

Worth A Thousand Words - 7k - childhood friends AU - Levi likes photography. Hange discovers a secret facet to his favourite hobby. 

Surprise - 3.7k - Hange finds out some unexpected news, and frets over the next step. 

Off the Record - 3.4k - actor/journalist AU - Levi is a famous actor and Hange is a journalist who causes him nothing but trouble. 

Misdiagnosis (NSFW) - 8k - modern/friends with benefits AU - Hange attempts to diagnose a mysterious illness, the symptoms of which keep cropping up around a certain someone

Chance Encounter - 5.1k - modern/university AU - Levi and Hange meet on a crowded train station platform. 

[missnobodymadness]

For the oc ask game, how about 3, 16 and 38? You can answer with any oc(s) you'd like to talk about.

Hiiiiiii!

Thank you so so much for sending some asks! I always get so excited for these. xD I'm gonna go with a mix of OCs like usual, I hope that's okay!

"[3] What emotion is the hardest for them to deal with?"

Gonna pick Evelyn for this one. While guilt is a close second, anger is probably the emotion she struggles with the most, mostly because she is very easily overcomed by it making it hard for her to think clear and control her actions, leading her to make the worst decisions and actions of her life. She turns into a feral creature and is quite scary during these moments, for example when she restlessly chased Reiner during the return to Shiganshina arc, if he wasn't a titan shifter she'd probably have caused him some serious harm or even death and once her anger changed sides, she once again acts on it and does shitty decisions again. :'D So yeah, Evelyn needs to chill before she gets killed because of her anger.

"[16] Do they easily rely on others to help them out, or prefer doing everything themselves?"

Picking Mybuza for this one because I rarely talk about them. ^^' Mybuza is overall someone who would prefer to work with others instead of alone, it's not that they can't do things by themselves, they are pretty capable, but the truth is that they need people by their side to be the best version of themselves. I wouldn't say "rely" but kinda close to that, they'd get really miserable without her family and friends. :/

[38] What do they usually do or where do they go when they need to feel comfortable and safe?

Myline time! LOL Books, books and more books, reading is extremely relaxing to her and gives her some comfort. However, whenever she has free time from her missions she likes to go back to Amegakure to spread some food and books around as pretty much all of the Amegakure population lives in critical poverty, most of the money she gets from her missions end up going towards the poor. Something that genuinely brings her lots of comfort is sitting with the kids and teaching them how to read because most don't even have access to education.

Having deep and meaningful conversations with people she likes is also something she does during hard times, she especially enjoys talking to Konan and Kisame.

That's all! I hope you have an amazing day!

[lausticzt]

my canon timeline consists of

The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission arc,

MPs trying to retain their hold on Eren and putting Laura as a representative to make sure the Survey Corp don't just run off with Eren should their expedition fail (they fucking right though-) because she's the only one with experience for the expeditions and titans ; and god does she hate that.

During the Female Titan arc., I think she's warmed up to Eren by this point. Because god does he remind her of herself, but also that rage of humanity and fight that she once held; though his more honourable then her previous self.

She wouldn't want him to be executed by then. She'd want to buy them more time to figure something out. They wouldn't tell her details of their plan, of course, because what happens in Stohess was inexcusable. God she'd be so unbelievably pissed and once again, her distain for the survey corps would rise; but she's also in too deep -- those remnants of her old self are back, and it's not so easily distinguished. She has loyalty in her heart for people she actually cares about.

Evacuation and the aftermath of the fight are where her priorities are redirected; because you know she'd want to kill the Titan herself, and its a battle of protecting people and fighting. But she also will support Niles decisions ; she was still an MP.

Clash of the Titans arc

The events in Wall Rose afterwards she's not involved in much ; not on the frontlines. Finding out Eren is kidnapped, she'd want to go -- because o h shit, that's right, she cares about these people now, because oh look she can actually show care for the soldiers younger then her ; she doesn't really care much that he's a titan and his role is important, he's just important as he is, human, with passion in his eyes and heart. ** on the fence whether she goes or stays with nile -

Royal Government arc

She would liaise with the Survey Corps behind MPs backs, because her heart was always with them; or rather, for her its no longer about sides, but doing what she feels is right to her.

She has such an active role when it comes to the nobles in the next arc. and especially the MPs. Because her actions aren't unnoticed. And her father has high connections in the government. First Interior Squad knows what's up. And also, the reveal of the anti-odm gear would be something she would never approve of ; for someone who'd criticise the survey corps, having things meant to take them out would make her protective. Even killing Erwin wasn't okay in her eyes ; and she has a lot to say about that man, and never anything pleasant.

If she tried to conceal Eren's location, or help the survey corps in any way, she'd out herself, and be seen as a traitor alongside them. She knows of Historia, watched over the 104th Training Corps members, the new levi squad, as much as she could. If there's interrogation, it's definitely outside of Nile's knowledge ; but, at least, all the beauty she was known for would take a huge hit. She'd be released when the coup happens, her hair ripped and uneven, and definitely shorter once she tends to it. She loses a few nails of her own ; and isn't especially keen to be touched in the aftermath. Except, if it came to Historia, who she finds herself understanding given her childhood, and the lack of love they both shared ; also, for real though, Laura also looks a lot like frieda which I never noticed until rewatching it - but also, they hold themselves so differently that they also don't look anything alike on that alone. and yes, the younger ones are also fine, she isn't a touchy person but god, knowing they are safe? she ignored the pit in her stomach to hug them.

Return to Shiganshina arc

She's going on that mission to shiganshina and no, you're not stopping her. I need her there for her own reflection on the past she tried to forget, and also because you know who's fucking going on that mission ; marlo, her absolute boy. You can bet the death of all the new, younger recruits, was hard on her; as someone who is now developed to nurture and protect the newer generation (she's only 28 but that means old in the aot universe its hard to survive) ; the cart titan? it had to go, die, she will end you. bastards don't get to do all this and have an escape option. The option over Erwin and Armin? She actually shows restraint and maturity for once in her life, despite yes, having blade in hand, because the choice is only Armin, you're wrong, she also leaves the choice to the others ; and puts trust that it will be the right one.

everyone in the walls are basically united now, so there's no differing factions.

Marley arc

still a w.i.p but she's going to have to beat some sense into this little shit- oh hey cart titan, still eyeing you but we fineee. thank god laura doesn't drink, only on the rarest of occasions like before the return to shiganshina. Niles death would hit her deep. She was always about only protecting the people she cared about, so she understands eren's motivation, but she's also not about killing families and children ; next generation is all they can put hope in to fix the world, that means on both sides - no euthanasia plan (it wouldn't affect her anyway; she lost the chance to have anymore kids during the fall of wall maria). She'll rebuild the outside world ; because at least there's nothing here that can contain her anymore, she can just live freely ; which means healing from everything up until this point, another struggle in its own, but thankfully theirs a lot more people who need a lot more support, so you're stuck with her.

bonus:

The Fall of Shiganshina arc

she's a complete mess and mostly hospitalised for many months ; don't visit her, she has nothing but hate and no will to keep going, and she's finally succumb to her biggest fear; failure. as a mother, as someone strong, as someone who held any hope in their exploration of the outside; of any true freedom to be found. it would always get taken so long as they kept pushing back against titans. Also, a year later, when she's newly appointed to the MPs .

OVA / ACWNR

she's within the timeline of this ova, which is extremely entertaining for me because - underground criminals? in her dorms? suspicious, up to something, she's fucking watching you. Isabel would, unfortunately, grow on her a bit ; but also be the one who continuously gives her grief and vice versa, but out on the field you have to protect your own, background and personality preference aside. it's not stalking ; it's making sure you don't get in the way, or do anything shady. bet you have a knife on you at all times. try it on me, dare you. they good with ODM? ... fuckers. bastards. scoundrels. now she's out training again until her bones break. won't be outclassed, only she can be the strongest.

[a-slut-for-smut]

002 | for ereannie? ^^

OOO this is a good one! I actually been wanting to explore what draws me to this ship, so thanks for sending :D

002 | Send me a ship and I will tell you:

When I started shipping them:

Definitely that training scene where Annie wipes the fking floor with Eren- seriously when i saw that scene i was like OH HOHOHO N O I C E

Something about a woman so effortlessly handing an overconfident man his ass just tickles the ovaries so splendidly, ya know? i could (and will) dine on that scene for years to come, i mean, let's be honest- how could you not:

My thoughts:

Full disclosure i'm not a hardcore ereannie shipper (altho i do crush HARD on Annie) but this is my preferred pairing for each of them, especially from the start. I just love a ship dynamic where both characters plays a huge role in each other's development, shared parallels and shown to have a mutual respect for one another. Honestly, if Eren had shown even a fraction of respect he had for Annie to Mikasa it would have made the ending much more palatable for me. Also I am so WEAK for ships where the women could very easily whoop the man's ass, just love the power dynamics involved lol. Admittedly my fervor for the ship waned when Isayama in his infinite wisdom kept Annie stuck in a crystal for 84 years/out of the story, and with the Return to Shiganshina/Marley arc i bought into Erehisu/Eren's baby theory because...well, it made perfect sense given logical character motivations and their development.

What makes me happy about them:

My headcanon of how Annie will time and again beat the crap out of Eren and he freakin McLoves it (he asks for it honestly) XD

What makes me sad about them:

How they didn't have any interaction in the ending/Marley arc. And as with most characters in SNK, it was upsetting how their characters ended up, development-wise. Annie brought back more like an afterthought but had no real service to the plot and ultimately just becomes a female love interest in the end. Eren...jesus i dont even know where to begin so i wont lol

Things done in fanfic that annoys me:

I'll be honest- i haven't read exclusively ereannie fics, what ive read is usually them as a secondary ship in a RM fic. In this instance, I would say one thing i dont generally vibe with so much is infidelity/cheating- its not something i can condone in real life and i have a mutual respect kink so it kinda takes me out of a fic/hard for me to invest fully in that kind of story.

Things I look for in fanfic:

hot steamy smut! (with explicit consent of course)

My wishlist:

I really wish they had an explicit interaction in the end. To think how much Annie contributed to Eren's character (and vice versa) and not having them say one word to each other? What a waste. (i know he "supposedly" spoke to her in PATHS but that whole sequence seemed pretty ehhh/hand-wavey to me honestly). Even Annie having one line/POV during the titan fest brawl would have sufficed- "Eren...was this who you were all along? I could never imagine you could ever be capable of this..." etc etc

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

As i mentioned above, to me Eren with Historia made complete sense given how the manga was progressing/logical motivations/their shared parallels not to mention the character development potential for both was through the roof.

I really vibe with AnnieHitch and Mikannie- i love their dynamic with each other, respectively. I dont mind Aruani (even tho him visiting her alone repeatedly and her having no choice in the matter can come off a bit…creepy...but hey isayama’s warped sense of romance rears it’s questionable head again) BUT i love how Hitch calls him out on it XD

Anyway I think i'd like it better if Annie wasn't brought back to essentially become a female love interest :/

My happily ever after for them:

Honestly...just an ending where their characters aren't completely butchered *sighs*

Actually...on second thought an ending where Annie personally whoops Eren's ass into the next dimension/PATHs or whatever (and he thanks her for it comes to his senses) because i am a whore for those kind of scenes XD

Thanks again for the ask! Happy to answer more :)

[sasa-gay-yo]

Levi Reacting to You Being Pregnant

Request: Here 

Summary: You find out you’re pregnant right after you’ve taken back Shiganshina, but you and Levi both know that you couldn’t raise a kid in this world no matter how much you want to. No, you shouldn’t... but the happiness was so tempting.

Timeline: After taking back Shiganshina arc

Art Credits: ? help pls

Levi was blunt with you. He always was. There was no grey area with him, no reason for you to ever doubt your relationship or his trust; Levi was straightforward and to the point. Sometimes it hurt, him not knowing why you would react in such a manner other than his way, but you were with him for so long that you’d gotten used to each other. If he was upset, he needed space and a cup of tea before he could talk in that calm, unwavering tone of his. If you were upset, you just want to be apologized to and hugged at least once before you went on with your day. The problem was, however, that this problem happened because of both of you. There was no one single person who blame could be directed to and you both were upset, probably more with yourselves than the other. You were now stuck in a grey area, and Levi hated grey areas.

“I’m… I don’t think I’m far along. If you want, I can go to Hange and terminate th-“

“No.” You hung your head again, sitting across from him. He had his head in his hands, elbows resting on his desk, and a massive headache coming on from thinking about this whole situation too much. He was scary like this because nothing you could say would help. You wanted to go get him a tea and leave him alone, but you also wanted to be held. It was happening to your body, not his.

It happened on the night after everyone returned from Shiganshina almost a month ago. The ten of you that were left. Hands of desperation and longing, ripping off clothes, were trying to get as close as possible to the one thought to be lost forever. The emotions were still on you both, having lost a close comrade and a best friend, you were trying to find solace in each other. Again, you were both upset, both crushed by the loss of that many scouts and of Erwin. However, then, you didn’t need tea or a hug, you needed to be completely wrapped around each other. You needed to know that you were both still alive, no matter if it was only physical. You needed to hear Levi’s heart still beating in sync with yours. In that wave of emotion and passion, the will to be as close as possible, you both had forgotten common biology. After that day, you were swept up with paperwork as now there were only three officers remaining in the Survey Corps that you both may have completely forgotten the climax to that last night.

“You’re pregnant.” Hange almost dropped her clipboard when the attending doctor told you that. She had brought you for a routine checkup, thinking you had gotten sick from lying with open wounds in a puddle of stagnant water and needed serious medical attention for sepsis. Little did you know that the nausea and vomiting had been brought about by the evidence of you and Levi’s passion.

Hange tried to console you, holding you as you cried into her chest, but she too felt the weight of what was to come. You couldn’t afford a child now. Maria was closed and there were countless of expeditions to be planned to finally eliminate the titans. You couldn’t be left out of those, now being a second to Levi’s skill and to Hange’s orders. You asked Hange what it would take to get rid of it, not even wanting to tell Levi because you knew what he would say. You two had talked about it one night in bed, early on in your physical relationship. You two didn’t want kids. Not now, maybe not ever. If there were titans on this earth, you wouldn’t be comfortable having a child on along with them. Hange was the one who convinced you that Levi would be hurt if you didn’t tell him something this serious was happening to you and him both.

That’s why you had told him here in a place so unintimate as the makeshift office in the capital, mere hours before you were to be congratulated by Historia, MPs, and Garrison. When you told him, he was blunt, like he always was and even if you were crying to Hange about not wanted the child, it still hurt the way he said it. It made it feel like it was your fault you were carrying it inside of you. Deep down, he was also in pain, but you knew he wouldn’t tell you that.

“Do… you want the child then?” He wouldn’t look you in the eye. He couldn’t because if he did, he would tell you to keep it. He would tell you that he wanted the child and if it was a boy, he was going to name it Erwin. Yet, the Captain side of him knew the a child would be devastating to operations and to your lives. If you were to fight with Marely, how was Levi supposed to go off to war when he had a wife and child at home? He wouldn’t be able to peel himself away from that heaven he wanted for so long to go off into Marley’s hell. It was for his scouts and Paradis. Their two best fighters couldn’t have a child, because it would be disastrous in the long fight for freedom.

But he wanted to be selfish. So bad. That’s why he was practically grabbing at his hair, trying to tell himself that he couldn’t have it. He couldn’t have peace. He couldn’t have a family. He couldn’t. He couldn’t. He shouldn’t.

But, Paradis was safe, wasn’t it? They would be able to defeat the Titans in a few months time, and Shiganshina would be populated again. They wouldn’t have to deal with Marley any time soon, as they were focusing on rebuilding society. Even during the recent meetings they had with Historia and the new government, he felt a small strike of hope brimming in him. By the time you would give birth to the child, it would be a new era. You two would have a house or an apartment and would be overseeing the rebuilding of the walls and agriculture around them. No fighting. No titans. For maybe two or three years.

He shouldn’t.

“After the ceremony. We’ll decide then.” He stood up and walked out, leaving you, sitting broken in his makeshift office. Why did it hurt you so much? You two were being realistic like you always were. It was dumb to have any type of wedding, so you just started calling each other husband and wife. You didn’t need a paper to tell you that. Even when you two started dating, it was four months in when you had to put a label to it because Hange was asking over and over. It was hard to be concrete is a world like this. A world where over two-hundred scouts vanish in under ten minutes.

But, you didn’t live in that world anymore, did you? Marley was here, Zeke was still out there somewhere, but you’d held them off once before. Soon you were to be helping farmers plant, organizing the lay of the land and the crop rotations. You had been born into a farming family, and Historia was going to put you to work since you volunteered. There was nothing violent about that. You could raise a child, just like your father raised you: sitting on a horse with him while you tilled the land. If it were a boy…

You lifted a hand to find tears running down your face. You shouldn’t do it. You shouldn’t. Day dreaming about having a family, about a little Levi running around a farm was dangerous. Once you did this, you would get attached to the growing mass in your stomach and give it a name. Then, you wouldn’t be able to part with it. You were trying to be so blunt and realistic so you wouldn’t grow attached.

Yet, that never worked for you. Example: Levi.

“(Y/F/N)?” Hange knocked twice on the open door, seeing you hunched over in the chair. She knew you were crying, and she knew that Levi had walked out on you. She saw his face as he marched down the hallway. For once, she saw Levi in pain. Hange knew more than anyone that Levi and you deserved normal. You two deserved the child you had mistakenly made. But, you two were also too stubborn to be selfish and turn your loyalties away from your job into making a family. Hange had saw the look on Levi’s face. He wanted to give it up so bad. He never ever wanted to tell his best friend to go die. He was in pain because he was conflicted inside. He wanted to have the child, he wanted to do something for himself for once, but he also had never allowed himself to do that. You were the same. She knew you were. The fact that you were here crying over a child you learned about an hour ago revealed it all to her.

You two wanted this child. You two wanted normal. And now everything was perfect, the time was oh, so right to do it, but you two were so scared of having something so right ripped out of your hands, that you never tried it. You never pushed for anything. Hange wanted you two to try it, and so she would make sure you did. Her two best friends needed this. She knew Erwin would want his two best friends to have this too.

“W-w-we… later. Decide later.” She kneeled down to look you in the eye, seeing how red they were. You needed to stop crying so that the hundreds of people gathered wouldn’t know the terror inside of you. They couldn’t know what you and Levi did.

“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t cry, (Y/F/N).” She handed you a handkerchief from her coat pocket and you took it gladly. If Levi couldn’t hold you, Hange easily could. She sat on the chair arm, making you lean into her again.

“Hange…” You wanted to tell her. You needed to tell someone. You wanted her opinion too. She was involved in this. If you kept the child, her two captains would be out for the count for a while. You would leave her by herself, and you couldn’t do that. You shouldn’t.

“You want to keep it, don’t you?” You just nodded into her, and she ran her hands through your hair to calm you down. She couldn’t have a full conversation with you, having the award ceremony in thirty minutes, but she could give you encouragement to face Levi and everyone else again. Levi would never be able to tell himself that he wanted the child and act on it. That wasn’t who Levi was. He did things only for others and never for himself. You were able to be swayed, and you had Levi wrapped around your finger, so Hange knew if you went to him now, saying that you wanted to keep it, in nine months she would have a godchild. Her heart beat faster thinking about it. She wasn’t going to tell you that she also wanted you two to have a child so she could teach it all about titans and science and watch Levi’s annoyed face as she did it.

“If you want to keep it, I’m sure he does too. You just have to tell him that. Levi loves you too much. You two deserve happiness for how much you’ve done for humanity,” she cooed to you, trying to make you feel better about the decision she knew you wanted to make. You just sat there, hoping her warmth would make you feel better, but it didn’t. You were scared. Scared of the thing growing inside of you. You never had a mother. How could you be one if you didn’t know one? You were a soldier. You kill people and titans. You’ve had more peoples’ blood on you than you could count. You watched as your team was murdered by Annie’s titan and you were helpless with a broken leg and arm. How could someone like you, someone so violent and broken and… how could you be a mother?

While Levi stood in some random corner, thinking everything over and over again, that thought came to his mind too. He never had a father and barely remembered his mother. The closest thing was Kenny, and he abandoned Levi. What makes Levi so sure he could be a father? Would he be like Kenny? Suddenly not able to be a father, so he leaves? No. No. No. Levi wasn’t Kenny. He would never leave you. He couldn’t. But Levi… he was a murder. He was a killer. Humanity’s Strongest. He was broken inside. How could he be a father to a child when he couldn’t take care of himself? You were the one who took care of him.

Historia had noticed something was wrong with you during the ceremony when she looked into your eyes, giving you a bolo tie matching Erwin’s. The one Levi had on his makeshift desk. It made you scared now, having one like his. Would you end up dead like Erwin? Would your bolo tie end up on Levi’s desk? On some shelf in your child’s room? Levi wouldn’t die, you were confident in that, but what about you? You didn’t want to leave Levi alone with something he never wanted in the first place. You wanted it, not him.

Armin was the one who noticed something off with Levi after the ceremony. Rather than being stuck to (Y/F/N)’s side while talking to the other branches of the military, he was leaning on a column, boring holes into the ground. Armin also saw that in place of Levi was Hange, having your arm in hers. You weren’t smiling or chatting with the officers like you always did, Hange was doing it for you. Armin had never seen you like this and he’d never seen Captain Levi so… he couldn’t put his finger on it, but something set in his stomach when he saw the Captain look up at you. Longing. It hurt Armin’s heart seeing that and he was the only one in the room who did. Why was Captain Levi longing for his wife that was only a few feet away?

Levi was longing for a future. When he saw you next to Hange, he was already imagining what you would look like with a smaller version of you at your side. He was making up so many logical plans for this child you told him you were going to get rid of if he wanted. It terrified him that he was acting like this. Right now, he would look up at you and see a small boy following you along, talking up to the officers like you always did. He saw the same blonde boy, with your hair and your eyes, planting flowers in the little garden you’d made outside of Scout HQ while he sat in the shade and watched. Levi’s heart had only hurt like this in three other situations: when Isabel and Furlan died, when Erwin died, and when he thought you had died in a puddle of sewer water at Shiganshina. His heart hurt because it was going through everything that person should have done. That person’s future. Now, he was sitting here going through the future of someone he had never seen or met before. Why? Why? Because he wanted that child so bad, but if you didn’t, then he would be passive. You were carrying it, so you had a bigger part of the decision than he did. If you didn’t want it, he wouldn’t stop you, but he would still think about the child’s future. His child’s future. What could have been.

It was nighttime when you made contact with Levi again, in your shared bedroom. You almost went to sleep with Hange, scared of what Levi would say to you, but Hange gave you a pep talk. She wanted this baby as badly as you did and that gave you some confidence. You couldn’t stop thinking of the little boy who could have been standing next to his father’s feet at the ceremony. The boy, who had his hair and his eyes, sitting on his father’s lap while he unwillingly talked to the Garrison Captain at dinner about the future plans. What were your future plans?  

You walked in and he was already sitting on the bed, only a pair of linen pants on, staring at the wall above the door. When you walked in, his eyes snapped down to you and you saw what Hange was talking about earlier. Pain. Did you look like this too? Instead of talking, you went to change out of your formal attire and into the sleeping gown you always wore. His eyes were hot on your bare skin and he was waiting for you to speak. He was afraid that if he spoke first, he would pressure you into keeping the child you didn’t want.

Replaying Hange’s words over and over in your head, you closed the door to the wardrobe and turned to look right into his eyes. The pain in his eyes hurt you, knowing you were about to trap him into something he didn’t want. You couldn’t let it go. The child you had. If Levi ended up not wanting it and left, then you would find Levi in the child’s eyes. Somehow, someway.

“I want to keep the child.” You wanted it to sound strong when you said it, like you practiced with Hange, but it was soft. So soft, you worried he didn’t hear it, but he did. He heard it and something inside broke. Something made Levi come completely undone, something you’d only ever see happen after Erwin’s death. Tears.

“Thank gods,” he whispered before standing up to take you in his arms. His grasp was tight, like the day he thought he lost you. He wasn’t holding on to only you, but also his child. Your child. Together. He was holding the first ever pure, unadulterated happiness in his life. That thought would change once your child was born and he held it for the first time in his arms.

You cried too, but that was normal for you in Levi’s presence. He only had a few tears running down his face, but you were overwhelmed. You didn’t think he wanted it, but you could tell he did. He wanted this child as bad as you did. You were happy. These were tears of happiness and relief. It felt so good to finally have something to be happy for in your life.

“I want to keep it too,” he whispered again in your ear, finally being able to push back the emotion that was keeping him from holding you. When you cry, you like to be held to his chest like you were now. When he cried, he likes you to rub his back like you were doing now. It was going to be hard, both of you were still soldiers and didn’t know how to raise a child, but you’ve been fighting for so long, this would be easier than that. It had to be. If you could deal with a titan, you could deal with a child. A child that gave you so much happiness and hope, you could burst.

“If it’s a boy, I want to name it Erwin.” He was the first to bring the emotion in the room back to normal, like he always does. You look up at him with a smile, nodding. You couldn’t see any other name for the child.

“We’ll have to think of another if it’s a girl, but I’m sure it’s a boy.” You put one hand on your flat stomach and Levi imagined you, standing up on the edge of the wall, yelling down at some poor farmer, round as a watermelon. It made him laugh a little.

“You’ve only had it in you a few weeks and you’re certain? I don’t think so.” You glared up at him playful, signaling that you were also back to normal.

“Is it inside of you? I don’t think so.” He laughed again into your hair, leading you to the bed so you both could go to sleep. Tomorrow was a long day of meeting and planning, and now he had to look after two people instead of one. It was going to be backbreaking since you had no care for what happened to your body. Levi was going to have to be extra careful and strict with you, and he was even debating making a rule book he could give to the brats so they could help him make sure you didn’t kill yourself.

The next day, you decided to tell everyone right away. They needed to feel something other than pain. They needed the happiness that even made Levi feel lighter on his feel. You could see on their faces that once you announced it, it worked. It made them take their mind off of the impending threat of Marley, or how they were going to have to go out and kill titans again. Sasha and Historia were grabbing at your hands, getting a glare from Levi, asking about how you were going to raise it and how you could stay in the castle during your whole pregnancy. Even their reactions gave you more joy.

“If you’re like, a month along, then if you think about it,” Connie went off, using his hands to try and count back to the days of conception, “you two did it right after-“ Levi smacked him over the head and everyone froze. This was the first time that Levi had outright hit one of them recently, as they thought he pretty much mellowed out when Historia punched him. Admittedly, the streak of nice Levi scared all of them. You scowled at Levi, patting Connie on the head.

“How many times do I have to tell you, Levi? Stop hitting them!” Levi rolled his eyes and smirked slightly.

“Well, how many times do I have to tell them to stop saying stupid things that make me want to hit them?” You glared raising your fist at him and he shrunk back a bit to try and dodge it. 

“Why I outta-“

“You shouldn’t hit me, you’ll injure my chi-“ You scoffed again, cutting him off.

“Your child?! Who’s the one carrying it?!” The others laughed on at the sight, finally feeling some sort of security knowing that their two captains were acting normal again. It all felt normal and happy, the tone of underlying bitterness going away as they watched you two bicker like an old married couple. Well, bickering like you two usually do.

“That kid is going to be 50/50 of both of them, and that scares me more than Captain Levi does,” Jean muttered to Armin who nodded in agreement.

“It’s going to be the safest kid in all of Paradis, though. All of the world. With those two as it’s parents.”

“And the craziest, too.” You turned your assault to Jean, hearing those words.

“What did you just say, horseface?”

xx I hope you like it requestor! I think this is one of my favorite things I’ve written so far! 

[oxygenbefore1775]

Jean and Connie should have become Yeagerists (a 〜very〜 unpopular opinion)

Disclaimer: contains ending spoilers so anime-only nation proceed with caution

Warnings: mentions of death and genocide; obscene language (?)

a/n: it's not a hatepost on the ending or anything. Jean and Connie are my faves in the Survey Corp so I want to explore some of the ending options with their characters

Many people say that chapter 123 was the last good chapter in SnK and it started going downhill from that. I personally didn’t mind the last chapters (hell, I still haven’t formed an opinion about the ending). And I didn’t seem to notice the “downgrade” in content quality until I’ve reread chapters 128 and 129 — the whole battle of the port. I’m referring to the murder of Daz and Samuel and how conflicted Connie and Armin felt about that.

On my first reading this moment literally brought me to tears. How much has changed in those 4 years, how black-and-white it all was in the beginning and how people who used to be comrades are now forced to be at each other’s throats. 

Shout-out to Isayama-sensei for including a flashback with Bertolt. Although Bertolt’s words here are not stated, it’s implied that it’s “someone has to get this blood on their hands”

Connie is also a brave soul for having it in him to kill his former comrades. (my poor baby has suffered so much already)

But as I’m reading this now… It seems so lackluster to me from a dramatic standpoint. I get why it’s hard for Connie and Armin and the murder felt so emotional because I’ve known their characters for so long and empathized with them. In short, it was hard for me to read because it was also hard for the characters to do. 

But come to think of it, why should I feel sad about the death of Daz and Samuel? They don’t have any outstanding personalities apart from Daz being a scaredy-cat. The last time I saw them was during the Battle of Trost, not to mention flashbacks in the Clash of Titans Arc. Hell, even in the official Encyclopedia Samuel was erroneously stated to be dead. And after more than 100 chapters they bring those characters back just to kill them off and then expect me to care? 

So I was thinking — how to make it more dramatic? An idea came to me. Now hear me out because it would (kinda?) make sense in the end. 

*deep breath in* Jean and Connie should have joined Yeagerists. I think it makes sense from a motivational standpoint. Because — let’s face it — all of the Alliance members have their reasons to stop Eren and the Rumbling.

☆ For Reiner, Annie, Pieck, Falco, Gabi, Magath and Onyankopon it’s to protect their homeland and their loved ones from being trampled to death.

☆ For Mikasa and Armin it’s to bring Eren back home.

☆ For Hange it’s to stop the meaningless genocide. 

☆ For Levi it’s not to stop the Rumbling per se but to kill Zeke and through his death give the meaning to the lives of his comrades that were sacrificed (at least that’s what I understood from chapter 112 don’t @ me)

But when it comes to Jean and Connie there’s no clear motif behind their actions. Why did they join the Alliance in the first place?

You know, for a story that’s built around the idea that there is no good or evil, the ending sure does come off as being lopsided when all of the main characters that we care about unite against the forces of evil. No matter how main of the character Eren is, he is not enough to tip the scale and make the viewers cheer for his victory. Not to mention Floch — I know Isayama-sensei stated that he made Floch into a Yeagerist just to create some opposition against the Alliance — but considering how disliked Floch was even in the Return to Shiganshina Arc, it’s still not looking good for Yeagerists.

Why not 〜increase the tension〜 and have Jean and Connie join the Yeagerists? 

First of all, out of the whole Eren’s friend group Jeanis the only person to question Eren’s true motives. Even his best friends couldn’t come to the conclusion that it was unusual for Eren to act like this. And Jean was right in the end.

The activation of the Rumbling is basically the point of no return. If before Paradis had a small chance at ending the cycle of hatred between Eldians and other nations and mending the relationships — now it is hopeless.

Jean is not driven by idealistic motives like Armin or Hange. The Rumbling leaves no other options — either the outer world is destroyed and the Paradisians live in prosperity or the Alliance stops the Rumbling which would spell the end for the Island. It’s in Jean’s egoistic (and kinda cowardly) nature to question Alliance’s plan. Jean doubts that they even have a chance at stopping Eren. And that’s true. It was a fucking miracle that the Alliance stopped the Rumbling with NO casualties (Hange doesn’t count they died before the Battle of Heaven and Earth). 

Jean acts as the voice of reason. His sense of self-preservation doesn’t allow him to be with a group that is being hunted down and join them on their suicidal mission. 

But then the thought of Marco convinced Jean to agree to the Alliance’s plan. 

“You know... I wished I could've stayed cooped up in my room, ears shut... But... If I had... The burnt ashes of the dead would never have forgiven me…”

I get what Hange says in chapter 127 about the fallen comrades and that they would never sacrifice all of humanity for the sake of their island. The same thing with Marco — I can’t see this precious boy being ok with genocide. But Marco has been dead for 4 years. Back in those days when everything was black-and-white and the Pure Titans were the only concern for humanity, it was easy to distinguish right and wrong. Marco didn’t get to see the ocean and find out the truth about the people outside the Walls. So it’s hard to tell what Marco’s opinion on genocide would be. In this situation it seems counter-intuitive to look for future-determinative answers in the past when the past was so drastically different. So at this point (when deciding on which side he is on) Jean should have left the memory of Marco and aimed for the future i.e. siding with the stronger group that shares the same goal —  successfully finish the Rumbling — and that will appreciate Jean’s support. The Yeagerists.

So I guess it would be in character for Jean to accept Floch’s offer (but for different reasons, his ambitions would have nothing to do with this) and decline the Alliance’s offer to join them.

As for Connie… It’s so sad to see this cheerful baby have all of the joy sucked out of his life. Unlike the golden trio Connie didn’t go through the loss of his parents and family. Up until the Clash of the Titans Arc he doesn’t have any particular reason to be unhappy with his life. But then chapter 37 happens — and suddenly Connie loses his entire family. And not only the family, his entire fucking village — the place where he was born and raised. What’s sad about this is that at this point in the story Connie does not even know what exactly has happened to his parents and siblings. They’ve just disappeared and all that Connie gets to find is a Pure Titan laying on top of his house.

Later Connie learns that the population of Ragako was turned into Titans for the sake of the Marleyan military operation (he finds out about this much later but still) and the Pure Titan was actually his mother. But this knowledge doesn’t bring any relief. In fact, now he knows that his family and fellow countrymen were indeed killed in their Titan form. All he has left is his mother but it’s very likely that she will stay a Titan for good.

After 4 years I think Connie gets used to the fact that he is never getting his mother back and finds a new family in his friends — Jean and Sasha (mostly Sasha). 

And then Connie suffers another blow, Sasha’s death. And again, she dies as the result of the cycle of hatred that has been going on for 2000 years. (Connie himself doesn’t openly blame Gabi for the murder of Sasha so hush)

All of the deaths that deeply affect Connie: his family, the population of Ragako, Sasha — are caused by people from outside the Walls. Those losses break Connie and he consequently becomes spiteful and aggressive. It comes to the point that Connie doesn’t hesitate and kidnaps unconscious Falco when he learns about him becoming one of the Nine Titans. Connie, this goofy guy as we know him, is willing to kill a child — all to get his mother back. 

Connie has no one left apart from Jean. Hatred towards the Paradisian took all of the people he loved from him. Blinded from grief and emotionally scarred, he is ready to do anything in order to protect the few people he still has with him. Connie would want to break the cycle of hatred so that nobody could hurt the people from the island, his friends, anymore. With the Rumbling activated and being in full swing — all it takes is to wait until all of the other nations are wiped out thus destroying one of the sides of conflict.

Of course Connie would realize how cruel it is to let other nations be crushed to death — even after having kidnapped Falco and while being confronted by Armin and Gabi he is aware of the foolishness of his actions. Maybe they would have had the room and the time for negotiations, but the Rumbling left them no other options. 

So I guess it would also be logical for Connie to join the Yeagerists in order to make sure that the Rumbling is carried out fully and on all continents.

Now 〜imagine〜 with Jean and Connie joining the Yeagerists and being in port. How gut-wrenching it would be to watch the Alliance fight not some NPC Yeagerists but their actual friends.

Ok my rant is coming to the end now sorry if you don’t like it. Just wanted to share my very unpopular opinion. 〜bye〜

p.s. sorry for shittily photoshopped together manga panels