#i've never drawn a battle pose like that before-

[the-lemonaut]

So I spent 2 weeks straight obsessing over these four. Art was bound to happen. Observe!

[ultra-raging-ghost]

I'm very ill about them

Also design gushing under the cut vv

My personal hc is that the reddish outfit is Bad's battle outfit, so it's very heavy material and a lot of leather and metal, nothing too beautiful like my other fit for him but he stays slaying >< u know I had to put him in the corset, also the gold chest plate is something based off like... Old Egyptian pharoh outfits, I feel like he'd have and wear one of those very consistently, id probably put a bit more of a design in it but I didn't feel like it tonight LMAO also that's our bell, yes it's skull shaped and yes I'm cliche

I wanted to give bad a pair of goggles, but I have a lore HC that post-Hunger Games he stopped having those because he passed them down to cellbit before they split up. If I were to draw him in battle mode before hunger games I would give him the goggles.

For Brunim I've never drawn him before but I mostly just looked at his skin, I took liberties with the pocket watch and the way I drew his hair and also his tie. I'm not sure what it's called but I'm so cliche I always have to give my vampire characters one of those. If it was my choice he woulda been in darker pants but the light colored pants are growing on me... Also saw someone draw him with bat wings so I decided to include them as well hehe

Originally the poses weren't as extreme, but I felt like I could do more with them and make them more interesting if I pushed it :3

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

you know, i like hordak as a character. he's interesting, he's likeable, he's a good example of an abuse victim who isn't overly infantilized and coddled by the narrative. his relationship with entrapta was cute, his relationship with horde prime was tragic and i like that he at least gets a proper confrontation with his abuser, where he is able to declare his own independence and get some closure from his trauma.

however, there are two main problems i have with his character (some of which i've already talked about but i want to go into more detail):

1. hordak was not an effective villain. heck, he was barely a villain at all.

you cannot tell me that hordak was the main villain of the first four seasons when the majority of his screentime was spent with him either lurking in his sanctum or canoodling with entrapta.. in his sanctum.

at first i thought that hordak was going to be this looming presence that had control over everything and puppeted everyone's every move, and was this evil masterpiece who orchestrated everything behind the scenes but.. nah. turns out he's just an incompetent manchild who needs a literal teenager with no battle experience to plan everything out for him. how did he conquer half of etheria before that? who knows? not important.

hordak also has no meaningful relationship with adora, the hero. there were actually a lot of parallels that could be drawn from hordak and adora both being raised by abusers who valued perfection over everything else. granted, in that aspect, hordak is more like catra but there isn't even that many parallels with him and catra. there are, in fact, more parallels with catra and shadow weaver or catra and horde prime.

and okay, not every hero and villain needs a deep intertwined relationship or complex narrative parallels. but at least give us something? a proper interaction?? the show even acknowledges the fact that hordak and adora have absolutely no connection with each other, when adora asks him why he kidnapped her and he basically replies with "lol who are you again". and then he just randomly remembers her at the end of the finale and it’s supposed to be this touching, emotional scene except you feel nothing because these characters literally never interacted, what are we looking at?

adora is supposed to be fighting the horde, but it seemed like she was just fighting catra most of the time. as the hero who opposes etheria's oppressors, shouldn't adora mainly be targeting hordak, the person who started it all? and shouldn't hordak, as the leader of the horde, be more concerned about the rebellion having an actual god on their side? i guess it doesn't really matter if said god can be easily defeated by a inexperienced catgirl

it just feels like hordak didn't have to be a villain at all. we only know he does horrifying things, because the narrative says that he does. oh, and he tortures catra once and sends her to crimson waste, so i guess that qualifies as being a villain.

the point of a villain is to drive the central conflict of the story. to oppose the hero and to pose an actual threat to the status quo. any character who doesn't do this is merely an antagonist. in hordak's case, i don't even know if he counts as an antagonist. he's like that one edgy antihero with a dark past where he murdered countless people but it doesn't really matter in present time. it’s just there to add flavor and to enhance his tragic past, because war is obviously a fictional fantasy trope and totally not something that has happened in real life. /s

2. like many other characters in this show, hordak's character almost completely revolves around his love interest.

yes, entrapta taking care of hordak and boosting his self-esteem is endearing. yes, hordak breaking his defenses and being vulnerable around entrapta is very sweet. but apart from entrapta, the only characters who have any kind of effect on hordak is horde prime and catra. and.. i guess, imp? but again, imp is mostly just a stand-in for the cute animal sidekick.

i know that hordak was supposed to be a recluse but it's impossible to believe that this kind of person was able to start an army and feed them with false propaganda. again, if you read my post about cults and their methods of indoctrination, you would know that cult leaders are often very charismatic and friendly people. and i know the horde isn't exactly a cult but we are supposed to believe that at least some of the cadets raised there genuinely believed that they were on the side of good, when their leader was a mysterious shut-in who basically didn't do anything substantial and their mentor/superior officer was just actively radiating Evil Vibes™.

i just wish they did more with hordak’s character and actually made him interact with some of the other characters. he doesn’t even interact with shadow weaver that much, and she was his second-in-command. even if it’s not direct interactions, it would have been interesting to see the characters mention hordak more, especially the ex-horde soldiers. apart from the general “oh no he’s evil and wants to kill everyone”, that is.

like we see people talking about shadow weaver. we see adora open up about her relationship with shadow weaver and ponder about whether there’s some good left in the woman who raised her. we see glimmer talking about how powerful shadow weaver is and how she could help the rebellion. we see catra complaining about how shadow weaver treated her in comparison to adora. we see angella talk about how shadow weaver shouldn’t be trusted.

when you think about it, shadow weaver was much more of a looming menacing presence in spop, despite not even being a villain, let alone the main villain.

even when she was on the good side and helping the princesses, there was always a ceaseless feeling of unease and fear, because we’ve seen what she’s capable of. we weren’t just told that “shadow weaver is sooo abusive, she’s bad!” we see how she treats adora and catra, we see how she manipulates situations and people for her own benefit, we see how she slowly starts to get into glimmer’s head. the show actually does a good job with shadow weaver, and i have to give credit where credit is due. shadow weaver was genuinely a well-written character.

hordak is just.. there, most of the time. he acts evil enough to be considered as one of the villains but he’s not actually a villain if you consider it for more than five seconds. he doesn’t really do anything for the bulk of the narrative, he has one kinda cool scene where he stands up to his abuser and then he just peaces out with entrapta.

i don’t really understand the point of taking a main villain of the show and turning him into this. sure, the OG hordak was more of a comedic villain and wasn’t super complex, but from what i know, he still played an important role in a narrative and his humorous moments made up for the lack of a tragic backstory.

[newobsessioneveryweek]

The Sherman x Connor art I promised to the homie in my ask box

I made a second one where he's smiling instead

This is unprecedented behaviour. I've never drawn ship art for anything except established and well-loved canon ships like Percabeth and Hyapollo. But I have a duty to my people (the people being those who are attached to unpopular characters). So here you go! There will most likely be more in the future.

Okay this is like--humm pshh-- chapter 8 of the Sherman and Connor fic I created while looking for pose references for the ship. Spoiler for the fic that literally has nothing but a rough outline: they start out hating each other :3

If you don't want me to continue blabbing about my possibly-to-be-written fic you are more than welcome to move along 🙈 I'm just excited.

Beginning of my blabbing

So, in the beginning, when Connor (9) and Travis (11) get to camp Sherman (10) is kind of a dick and taunts and makes fun of them a lot. Basically, he's a bully. And Connor, in this AU at least, is kind of an angry child because of his past and takes the rage bait when it's handed to him. For weeks they just go at each other, throwing out insults, yelling at each other, sometimes even throwing a punch or two. And then one day at the dining pavilion during lunch Sherman throws out a particularly hurtful comment and Connor gets pissed and just starts beating the shit out of him. It gets so bad they have to be physically restrained and Chiron calls them both to his office.

While they're there, Chiron gives them a talking to about team work and being civil with one another because demigods needed to have each other's backs in case they need to fight a common enemy and yadda yadda yadda. He orders that they build a better relationship and spend some time with each other... Over the month of chores they are now assigned together.

After their first day of chores during which they simply worked in silence Sherman follows Connor to the woods against his wishes. It's awkward for a bit before Sherman asks why they're in the woods. Connor tells him that he likes being away from everyone and tells Sheman to leave. Sherman obviously stays and keeps talking. He asks why he'd rather be alone than around his friends and Connor says that he has a hard time being comfortable around anyone besides Travis. Sherman asks why. Cue ✨par-for-the-course tragic backstory✨! Sherman realises now why his comment at lunch was uncalled for and apologises. Connor forgives him and Sherman tells him how he got to camp and they bond over their equally shitty backgrounds and form a tentative friendship.

So we've arrived at enemies to friends so far :3

Now, fast forward 5 years! They train together in their free time. They're sparring, one stumbles causing the other to trip as well. They're on the ground, face to face... Nothing happens. At least not on the outside :] they get up, dust themselves off, say goodbye and leave, now with stirring feelings 👀

Fast forward to the Battle of the Labyrinth, book 4. They're talking about the coming war and Connor talks about how he feels he wont survive and that he hopes Travis doesnt miss him too much. Sherman is upset that he's not concerned about him missing him but doesn't say anything because it's not about him. Connor says that he wishes he could be as good a fighter as Sherman so he could be more useful. Sherman doesn't take well to his self deprecation because Connor IS a good figter. Sherman himself helped train him. He yanks Connor by the arms and tells him this very passionately. Then ✨realisation✨ happens and he notices how closely he's holding Connor and Connor realises how closely Sherman is holding him and they both get flustered and Sherman lets go and Connor looks at anything but him and Sherman feels silly and apologises and Connor says its totally okay then says thank you for the encouragement and AHHHH!!

Fast forward a bit to the actual battle. Connor gets hurt really badly and Sherman frantically calls out for one of the healers. That's a scene I am itching to draw. Just thought I should mention. Moving on!

While Connor is in the infirmary he has a nightmare that involves Sherman either being killed or recruited by Luke. I haven't decided yet. He wakes up panicked and leaves the infirmary. Guess where he goes. Go on, guess. So he starts pounding on the Ares cabin door, hoping Sherman will answer. Sherman does. Once he sees that and the relief sets in, his injuries and the exhaustion catch up to him and he collapses. Sherman kneels in front of him and tries to calm him down. Connor tells him the dream and Sherman tries to reassure him that he's fine and will still be there when the war ends. He takes him back to the infirmary. Whether he goes back to his own cabin or stays there has yet to be decided.

Fast forward to the chariot discourse with the Ares and Apollo cabins. Clarisse has refused aid. Connor is begging Sherman to talk sense into her. Sherman says there's nothing he can do, Clarisse is resolute. Connor is literally pleading with him because if the Ares cabin doesn't join the fight they could lose everything and people will die. Connor will die. They're both close to crying because Sherman can't betray his cabin and Connor can't lose more of his friends because of this. Sherman says that he wants to fight but if he does he could lose his siblings' trust. Connor says that if he doesn't fight Sherman will lose his trust and now there are tears. Connor feels bad but doesn't back down from his stance. Instead he hugs Sherman and continues to beg him to talk to Clarisse. I haven't figured out how to end that scene. Stay tuned.

Fast forward to the end of the Battle of Manhattan. On their way to Long Island the "I have feelings for you" scene happens and they have their happy ending kiss before they cross the border to camp :]

The End!

There will most likely be an epilogue.

End of blab :3

[miscellaneouslibrary]

"Sword Fight" short comic

Lol, more Philomina content.

I drew this in my handheld calendar so that's why there's spotted lines.

For this comic, I was really inspired by the fights in Dandadan(great manga, though a very surprising first chapter). Paneling, perspective, foreshortening, speed lines, dynamic posing, I did my best in incorporating all those in this here mini comic. There's a lot of cut corners, like how Phil and Blade seem to be battling in a white void, and where the heck both their swords have gone, too. Next time, I'll draw the background so the space doesn't feel so barren!

I'm very proud of panel 7. In manga, I love how characters are sometime drawn out of frame to showcase speed or power. In this case, Phil looks like she's jumping into the frame to show her speed to the reader! It's just really neat. Hopefully, the way she's posing guides the readers to the next few panels. Also, the way Blade is flying backwards and the way the onomatopoeia "BAM" is drawn just accentuates the force behind Phil's kick, with the speed lines and negative space attracting your eyes to her shoes 😌 Absolute chef's kiss imo.

Honestly, this is the first time I've ever drawn Blade, so I don't really know if I did the man justice in the handsome department 😅. I didn't draw his mouth most of the time because I wanted his eyes to do the talking. I tried my best to draw him as a beast of sorts with determined and crazed eyes looking only at his prey, in this case Philomina(who we sometimes take the perspective of). His focused expression only falters when Phil does something that surprises him.

I don't know if I showcased it well in the comic but Phil is using her rapier to pierce through Blade and curving the rapier's blade to stab him multiple times in order to restrict his movements(panel 5). Then after that, Phil has the rapier spiral behind Blade to an unrecorded amount of length hence the star. Then, while Blade is confused because he's never fought an opponent who's done this before, Phil kicks him in the gut real hard, the force pushing him back. And you know what's behind him? That's right, a spiraling blade that breaks if applied too much pressure to the sides of it. So while, Blade is being kicked by Phil, he's also getting sliced up in the back by multiple shattered pieces of the rapier's blade. And because Phil is significantly smaller than Blade, she won't sustain as bad of injuries as him.

Little tidbit: Philomina despises the Stellaron Hunters. She believes that the actions they've done are unorthodox and vehemently believes that there are other options in changing fate than committing crimes. Speaking of fate, she doesn't believe it at all. Phil believes that the future can never be predetermined and claims that prophecies are psychological traps that prevent people from recognizing other options than what was shown to them by "fate". You can see why she has vendetta against Elio of the Stellaron Hunters. By looking into the future, you are cementing that future as the only option forward.

Because of that, she doesn't believe the Finality is actually real(never has she seen such evidence aside from stories from the Creed Exequys and Omen Vanguards) and argues a lot with a pink-haired master diviner from the Xianzhou Luofu.

[azvolrien]

Portrait of the Berserker as a Young Man

I've drawn the tattoos on Bruide's chest and arms before (see here), and I fancied designing the ones on his back as well. I suppose it's not really a portrait since you can't see his face, but he's still a berserker - albeit enjoying some downtime here - and a fair bit younger than I've drawn him before. He was in his mid/early fifties when Roan was born, and I'd put him in either his early thirties or the tail-end of his twenties here, after his son (Roan's dad) was born but before he hung up his battle gear to settle down for good.

The three scars all came from the same fight. When he first started out his warrior-adventurer career running with a mercenary band, he decided that he wanted to do the iconic saga thing and go into battle shirtless. The mercenary captain indulged him for one skirmish to let him get it out of his system, that happened, and he invested in a proper hauberk+gambeson combo going forwards.

---

Now comes the part where I ramble at length about history.

So, Bruide and his granddaughter take an obvious inspiration from the Picts. His name is a Gaelic variation of 'Bridei', the name of several Pictish kings, most famously Bridei mac Maelchon -- who met with St Columba, and is one of the first kings we know as more than just a name in a list -- and Bridei mac Beli, who defeated the Northumbrians at the Battle of Dun Nechtain. ('Roan' is not a Pictish name; it's just an anglicisation of ròn, the Gaelic word for 'seal'.) I've also based their tattoos on Pictish designs, sometimes to a pretty specific degree; the wolf on Bruide's back here is drawn from the Ardross Wolf Stone displayed in Inverness Museum, though I've changed the pose to be running rather than walking, and you can find variations of the others on one stone or another.

But: was tattooing a genuine Pictish practice? The romantic Victorian pop-culture view would certainly have you believe so, but the actual historic evidence is inconclusive. We get the name Picti from the Romans -- most likely it means something like 'the painted ones' -- and Roman sources do indeed make reference to designs on the bodies of Caledonian warriors.

Point the first: It's not clear if this is actually referring to tattooing, or to something less permanent like body paint.

Point the second: The people we're usually talking about when we talk about the Picts - the people who lived in north and eastern Scotland, who left the sculptured stones behind - lived a long time after the Romans left. Rome gave up on its Caledonian ambitions and retreated to Hadrian's Wall in 211 with the death of Septimius Severus, and pulled out of Britain altogether in 410; the very oldest Pictish stones are at least a century younger than that, and most are younger still. King Bridei's meeting with St Columba probably happened some time in the 560s or 70s.

Point the third: The writings of Isidore of Seville actually do make pretty specific reference to Pictish tattooing, with needles and all, but he could well have been talking out of his arse; in their book Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North, Noble and Evans note that this could have been just because of the name Picti rather than any real evidence. (They point out that he also wrote that wine is good for the blood, not from any medical data but because vinum sounds like vena -- so, yeah, maybe don't take everything he wrote at face value.)

Point the fourth: The carvings of people on Pictish stones often show some quite intricate detailing where it's survived centuries weathering; the three warriors on the Brough of Birsay Stone, for example, have richly-decorated shields and their leader has quite an elaborate hairdo. They don't, however, show any obvious tattoos. Not today, at least; there could be details that have been lost to weathering, and if -- as has been proposed occasionally -- the stones were originally painted, some of those lost details may never have been carved at all.

So all of this is a long-winded way of saying: we don't really know. It's certainly plausible that they did -- symbol carvings have also been found on things like little bone gaming pieces, so they weren't reserved for monumental works like the sculptured stones or high-status pieces like the Whitecleuch Chain; most likely they were also used on textiles and other artefacts that have rotted away during the intervening centuries -- but ultimately it's just not something we can provide a definite answer to with the evidence we have.

Of course, I'm not writing historical fiction here, I'm writing pure secondary-world fantasy with occasional historical inspiration, so I can do what I want. I think they would look cool with tattoos, I give them tattoos. So there. Nyehh.

[eternal-armin]

the demon you summoned

BY THE GRACE OF THE UNHOLY BEINGS I LOVE I GOT IT BACK IM SO HAPPY

the reader sold their soul to the demon [char] to accompany them across turbulent lands to the great cities, rumored to have huge markets and incredible buildings. but reader is weak and cannot protect themselves, so they instill the help of otherworldly forces.

slight fantasy au heavily inspired by insomniac production's demon armin series (i love it so much i love their work hh)

maybe i should make this an actual drabble series

───── ❝ jean ❞ ─────

༻✦༺ you summoned a demon of pride to help not only with your state of mind, but with a venture across your lands ༻✦༺ you were very unhealthy and multiple people in your village suspected you wouldn't be able to make a journey to the larger cities ༻✦༺ this was essentially your last resort ༻✦༺ you were fully prepared for jean to reject your proposal; you were willing to give up your soul just to visit the cities for one day ༻✦༺ seeing how pure your soul was, jean was more than happy to escort you to your destination ༻✦༺ along the way, jean was compassionate to you ༻✦༺ he would ask you questions and you would respond. the more he knew about you, the more he rued the time when he would have to kill you to complete the pact ༻✦༺ the way that your eyes light up when you talk about your passions and your dream to leave the one place you ever knew ༻✦༺ the way you yawned and leaned against him when you began getting tired ༻✦༺ the smile you got whenever you saw something new and went to examine it ༻✦༺ the way you would look at him when he explained what it is, astounded by the knowledge that he held, and that he was honorable enough to share with you ༻✦༺ every time he protected you from any death or injury, you thanked him. jean was unused to it at first, scoffing. then it made his heart warm every time ༻✦༺ both of you were becoming more and more nervous along the way for very different reasons ༻✦༺ when you arrived, you hugged him and thanked him one last time ༻✦༺ jean wanted to cry ༻✦༺ you were so happy he couldn't possibly ruin this for you, ever. ༻✦༺ he pulled you aside for the time you thought you were going to die. instead, he hugged you, and told you how he felt

───── ❝ sasha ❞ ─────

༻✦༺ demon of greed and gluttony, famed to expose any hidden information and protect the operator if given a good enough offering ༻✦༺ you prepared an initial offering of the best foods your village had to offer, all of which were passed down through generations ༻✦༺ she was fairly impressed to see the spread specifically for her, and so was happy to devour the majority of it while you posed the rather simple pact; in exchange for your soul, sasha would protect you during the month-and-a-half-long journey across the country ༻✦༺ for the effort sasha would be putting in, she demanded a fair amount of food and your soul, depending on its condition ༻✦༺ your soul was far more than enough ༻✦༺ sasha dreamed of you becoming part of her retinue, always with her to provide her whatever food she could ever desire ༻✦༺ your cooking skills were certainly developed enough ༻✦༺ sasha was somewhat surprised by the sheer amount of dangers you were susceptible to ༻✦༺ it wasn't entirely surprising. she wasn't usually summoned for these types of things. in fact, she wasn't often summoned at all ༻✦༺ even though sasha was constantly asking you questions, you answered with eagerness and waited patiently if she had to explain something. it was rather impressive to her honestly ༻✦༺ you would make dinner for the two of you, and while sasha ate, you often fell asleep against her shoulder ༻✦༺ seeing how comfortable you were with her was heartwarming ༻✦༺ and she hated it (for the most part) ༻✦༺ when she asked why the big cities were so important to you, you were kind of surprised that she cared ༻✦༺ she was surprised she had asked in the first place ༻✦༺ but seeing the passion in your eyes, she couldn't possibly extinguish it ༻✦༺ at the same time she still needed that soul ༻✦༺ "[y/n]. i have an important proposition. please... hear me out. you have made me feel things demons were never meant to feel. i.. i love you. i love you and i need to have you. but i need to have your soul, too. i need both and the only way i can have both is if i turn you into a demon. you- you can stay here. stay on earth, live your life. but i need to love you. i don't think i'll ever love anyone else."

───── ❝ armin ❞ ─────

༻✦༺ the demon of knowledge and strategy ༻✦༺ it was a fair idea to summon armin for passage, but not for protection. however, cunning strategy can be the perfect defense ༻✦༺ that was your point of view going into the ritual ༻✦༺ he was surprised you asked for his assistance when you could've summoned a demon of treachery to protect you, however respected your reasoning ༻✦༺ in exchange for the beautiful soul you had, he vowed to protect you across the dangerous midlands, and provide you with knowledge as to what you should avoid aswell ༻✦༺ he was like an authority figure for a while. telling you what to do and what not to do, asking you questions in the voice of a principal ༻✦༺ but you always answered those questions with warmth ༻✦༺ "i've heard stories about the outside world, especially about the cities, and about all the different people and food and everything. i wanted to experience it, even if it was just once. just once is enough." ༻✦༺ to armin, it was both heartwarming and heartwrenching ༻✦༺ he knew he was going to be the one tearing you away from the dream you loved so dearly ༻✦༺ armin was a little softer with you from then on, turning into a good friend you trusted enough to fall asleep in his lap ༻✦༺ you were so excited you couldn't sleep for a few days beforehand ༻✦༺ you asked if you could hug him ༻✦༺ when he said yes, you didn't let go for hours, and you were smiling the whole time ༻✦༺ armin was in constant internal turmoil for the next few days until the lights were within reach ༻✦༺ he couldn't do anything to take you away from here ༻✦༺ and he knew he wouldn't live long if he devoured your soul ༻✦༺ "you can grow old here, live the life you dreamed of, with everything you've ever wanted. i will give you anything you ask. and when you die, i can turn you into a demon. we can live together. all you have to do is say 'i love you too.'"

───── ❝ levi ❞ ─────

༻✦༺ the demon of war and battle ༻✦༺ for physical protection or vengeance, one of the first demons people tend to go to ༻✦༺ you treated him more with respect than fawning over him in awe, which automatically had him respect you more in return ༻✦༺ you explained professionally what you needed from him, and what he would receive ༻✦༺ you offered him both your soul, and to serve eternally under him until the last white dwarf died ༻✦༺ seeing your desperation, and your willingness to give up everything you've ever had, certainly spiked his interest in your... pathetic case ༻✦༺ he accepted the pact and you left the village in the dead of night ༻✦༺ levi was rather impressed to see a human taking care of themself well. after all of the pacts he had been in, he had developed a strong sense that all humans were rather... stupid ༻✦༺ your poised exterior would fade slightly whenever you read the yokomerfe a ohemfo, the one book you had about the outside world. it was replaced with a beautiful, childlike wonder that he felt profoundly drawn to ༻✦༺ he would gaze at you the entire time you read by campfire light ༻✦༺ why the everloving hell is he finding a human beautiful in any capacity ༻✦༺ the more levi got to know you, the more intrigued he became ༻✦༺ not just in the life of a human, but in you specifically, and he had no idea why ༻✦༺ he realized why soon after but didn't want to accept it ༻✦༺ however, the way it made him feel...? he couldn't just forget it ༻✦༺ he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he took your life and your freedom from you for eternity ༻✦༺ so the day before you arrived, he brought it up ༻✦༺ "i do not wish to complete this pact. i wouldn't be able to live with myself if i had to take away your soul and make you a servant. i'm doing neither. you can live your human life, and you can choose whether to die and go to heaven, or to live forever as a demon by my side. if you go to heaven, i cannot exist without you by my side."

[charmspoint]

Dr Stone review

Finally done catching up with dr stone! I don't feel like I have much to say that I haven't said when I watched the anime or during the manga reading but I really enjoyed it! I don't have much of a science brain so most things just flew straight over my head but I can only imagine now fun this manga is for people who are interested in this stuff.

I heard before i started reading that the characters don't get much development and that we don't know most of their backstories and I thought that would grate on me eventually because i'm a very character oriented person. And that is true, there aren't really characters arcs I can point to and very few characters receive any tangible development that isnt enemy turned friends (Chrome and Suika are exceptions that first come to mind). But that didn't make the story dull at all! Dr Stone is very plot and progress focused and it's more of a story about the humanity than Senku's story. And i ended up really liking that! I really liked the growth of the community from one dude in the jungle to multiple cities working together, I really liked how much the power of humanity as a whole was emphasized. In dr stone its clear everyone has something to offer. Senku is the mover and shaker because he possesses the most how-to knowledge but without different people who have different talents he wouldn't be able to get anywhere no matter how smart he was. Idk it's just rare to find a manga so community focused instead of putting everything on a handful of protags so it's just !!! it's good I like it. It kinda lets you immerse yourself more like, I'm not as smart as Senku nor am I strong as Tsukasa but the more i read the more i've found myself in other characters and i could think of ways i too would be useful in a stone world. It's a lot different that the usual 'well im not a fighter so id be totally useless in this shonen setting'. It's fresh! I like it! And even tho the characters don't grow much they are all fun and memorable people so you'll hardly get bored of them in the first place and there is so many of them and they all work so hard it's doubtful you'll ever get stuck for long with one you don't like.

Boichi's art has been a topic for me and my brother for quite a bit now, since it's...like that when it comes to girls, but also i weirdly?? Didn't mind it?? Like yeah if you look at some shots for too long your eyes hurt but somehow despite the art being horny the writing is so unhorny it kind of balances out? Like i told this to my brother before but there's no 'seeing a girl naked when she doesn't want you to' scene or anything similar to that despite the art looking Like That. Like Kohaku is obviously the worst offender with her weird battle poses but they are just??? in midst battle??? in midst running or looking for something or otherwise being active and affecting the plot. Like the art is horny but it never feels like the purpose of the scene is to be horny, the purpose is never 'lets all ogle Kohaku now'. I said it to my brother and I'll stand by it: I think this is just how Boichi thinks girls are drawn.

But other than that I do enjoy the way Dr Stone handles romance when it does emerge it has such a good take on it. Like Senku isn't interested in romance At All and it's such a nice character trait to see for a protagonist, it's showing kids you can be a full and interesting person even when you don't want to get involved with anyone. And the romantic pairings we do have (Yuzuriha and Taiju, Chrome and Ruri) are so goddamn good and sweet and supportive and silly, i feel like the story is really telling the boys that usually read shonen manga 'girls like it when you're nice to them' which considering some of them might be attracted to dr stone cuz kohakus butt on cover is a very good thing.

Also Senku is just such a good protagonist I honestly love him. Usually in Shonen the protagonist is the character i care about the least but Senku is just!! so good!! Like at first glance he comes off as asshole but I honestly don't think he ever really brags and is always so open to learning and teaching others and despite being verbally unkind he shows so much with his actions. He is a perfect example of someone who shows his love and appreciation for others by making their lives nicer and easier. He is confident in himself and he never gives up and keeps trucking along but is also ready to be humble and admit when he can't do something or when someone can do it better than him. And he does it all while keeping the cool cocky persona so I think he's also a good remodel for young boys to emulate.

Anyway loved it 8/10, my favorite arcs are Senku's dads and Suikas i cried

[thescentoflavender]

Hello! I just wanna ask about the trailer for chapter 24 and the rest of the chapters that comes with it. In that trailer, lucien was holding a chess piece (the king) and I've read somewhere that the king supposedly, is victor. In the translated trailer, Lucien said 'I won this game'. So does that mean that there is any sort of conflict between Lucien and Victor?? And since there are some few snippets of the chess pieces in other trailers, i wonder how chess correlates with the game

Hello! Yay, I get to answer two asks in a single post again.

For others reading this post: Mild spoilers for Chapters 24 and beyond. Proceed with caution.

There’s no conflict between Xu Mo and Li Zeyan, or any of the other suitors for that matter. The way I’ve interpreted it, Xu Mo is referring to his “match” with Zhuo Yi. Both of them want to make use of MC’s powers as Queen in different ways: Zhuo Yi to create a perfect world in ways he could never have seen, and Xu Mo to achieve some unspecified goal. But in Chapter 24, in order to defeat Zhuo Yi, MC forges a deal with Ares, and she promises to help him in return for being trained (as she puts they’re simply “using” each other). So, Xu Mo has “won” in this respect. The king he is holding is probably a reference to checkmate, rather than winning Li Zeyan. 

I’ve read a couple of chess analyses for MLQC in Chinese—I don’t frequently search for English analyses so can’t comment about those—floating around the net, but since I don’t agree with some of them and it feels like a cheat for me to be posting others’ analyses here, I’m just going to write my own.

===========================

Chess and MLQC

Characters as Chess Pieces

Li Zeyan = King

Going to do this one first because it’s pretty much confirmed by the Papergames writing team. 

His Weibo profile is literally “李泽言K”, with the “K” standing for King. There’s even a crown VIP membership symbol to match. I’ve appended a screenshot of his latest Weibo post below:

He’s in the most high-ranking position for everything. He’s CEO of his company, top candidate for leading the Time Controllers and boss of the Evol “Shelter for the Homeless” equivalent. Even in the AU stories (e.g. Banquet of the Fallen Moon, the Vampire AU for last year’s Halloween event) he’s also a nobleman/general of some kind. 

In his official artbook, it’s said that he “carries a king’s air”.

More visually, his art shows it all. Just look at him in Chapter 27, showing off a king’s pose:

MC = Queen

Nothing much to say for this since her identity in the story is literally Queen. I might just add that like how the two queens in chess are pitted against each other, MC too has two identities, each struggling to become the dominant one.

Xu Mo = Rook?

This is not confirmed by Papergames in any way, so I’m just going off on a limb here. I do think there’s some evidence to liken him to a rook in international chess, though. 

Xu Mo’s alternate identity is Ares, the Greek god of war. From my meagre understanding of chess, the rook is one of the more powerful pieces in play, and can force a checkmate in multiple ways. As one of the more powerful leaders among The Twelve, he definitely has the intelligence and clout to win most battles he picks—just like a rook.

There are two rooks for each side. A possible parallel could be drawn to Xu Mo’s two identities: Xu Mo and Ares. 

In Chapter 24, he says that he will see his Queen’s coronation through. Much like a subject bowing to his Queen?

As for Bai Qi and Zhou Qiluo, I’ve seen some analyses relating them to the knight and bishop respectively, but I’m rather sceptical. I’m waiting for more evidence before I decide what to make of that. 

---

Characters and Chess 

Xu Mo, the Chess Player

In both the main and the Banquet of the Fallen Moon side stories, Xu Mo is normally associated with 执棋人 (literally, “the one holding the chess pieces”).  As the idiom 执棋纵盘 ("holding the chess pieces and controlling the board”) goes, Xu Mo lays out a plan from the very beginning, so that the game will be his. He doesn’t rush into things, instead biding his time for his prey to walk into his trap—think MC in the early chapters and how he slowly got closer to her.

With Xu Mo, there will always be plans involved. Strikingly, we don’t see that with any of the other suitors. When there’s a great plan of some kind in the picture, the one behind it will probably be Xu Mo, which suits his scheming personality. (The phrase I really want to use to describe Xu Mo is “城府很深”, but unfortunately there’s no good English translation for that. “Scheming” is as best as I can get.)

Anyway, if the symbolism for Xu Mo as chess player still isn’t clear enough, there’s even a chess set in his chibi house:

Zhou Qiluo, from Pawn to Chess Player

His name 周棋洛 is a reference to the idiom 落棋无悔, which means never harbouring regret for what one has done. In a way, that’s central to his identity as KEY, and his personal motto “我们在黑暗中 ，坚守光明。” ( “In the darkness, we uphold the light.”) He’ll never look back at the things he’s done, at that darkness in his life, instead looking towards a grander and brighter future. 

A clearer link between him and chess is also drawn in the latest set of Rumours and Secrets. The following is a description from Papergames’ Weibo post (bit.ly/37CMNFJ):

谁都没有想到，曾经的棋子成为了最后的执棋人。 从福利院的高级试验品，到惊艳四座的少年偶像和神秘黑客，没有人知道，这个少年游走于光与暗之间，义无反顾地承担来自未知的风险和牺牲，在黑暗中坚守那片从未熄灭的光明。

No one could have ever imagined that a pawn could have transformed into the one holding the pieces. 

From a high-grade test subject in a welfare home to a breathtaking teen idol and mysterious hacker, no one knew that this youth walked the fine line between dark and light. That he bravely risked the unknown and offered himself as a sacrifice. That even in the oppressive darkness, the brightness he guarded never extinguished. 

That part about “chess player” becomes more prominent in chapter 36, where he’s leading BLACK SWAN and truly having the whole organisation under his control.

---

Chess and MLQC as a whole

This is really more of an easter egg than anything else. In MLQC CN, the slogan for the game is “爱和梦想都要棋逢对手” ( “finding your match for both love and dreams”). 棋  = chess. It can’t be a mere coincidence that they chose to use this idiom. 

N.B. “棋逢对手” is a Chinese idiom which means meeting someone on par with you. The 棋 (chess) relation comes from the monk (and avid chess player) Shi Shangyan’s poem, where this idiom comes from. One half of a line reads “棋逢敌手无”—not having worthy competition at chess—a testament to how much Shi Shangyan missed his friend, one of the only people who could match him in chess.

---

P.S. Anon who sent in the second ask, I’m glad you think so! I always try to answer asks the way I would want my own queries to be answered 🙂

[wuxian-vs-wangji]

Can you recommend me any English shows? I feel like I've seen all of them and I just want new stuff.

Ummmmm...

OK, so I’m going to recommend more obscure or less well known shows, ones that are easily missed or overlooked. Hopefully there are new things on the list--

Farscape-- An American astronaut is sucked into a wormhole and zapped to the far side of the universe. He ends up a passenger on an escaped prison ship and a fugitive from the authoritarian, militaristic Peacekeeper Regime. His only goal is to find a way back to Earth- if he can survive long enough to chart the way. Do not go into this expecting it to be great. It’s low-budget Australian-American Sci-fi from 1999-2003. It’s fantastic if you go into it with low expectations though. 

-- Farscape opening credits (it gives you an idea of the show) -- 

Stargate SG-1-- (Not obscure, but people don’t talk about it enough). A Stargate is an alien device that uses star positions to “dial” (like a rotary phone) distant planets. The Earth gate was used by American marines to explore one such planet, where they ended up in a battle for their lives against a race of aliens whose leader once posed as the god Ra to enslave Ancient Egyptians. He was defeated, but now his kind know Earth is rising once again, and this time it’s in a position to rip apart their stranglehold on the galaxy. The only thing that stands between Earth and the Goa’uld are a series of teams that are basically worthless, and the one team that will change it all: Stargate SG-1. **There is a movie called “Stargate” that covers the battle with Ra. That is the ORIGINAL. The shows are spin-offs of the movie but you DO NOT NEED to see the movie to follow**

(and fun trivia: the last few seasons of Stargate added the 2 lead actors from “Farscape”, but as wholly new Stargate-Universe-Only characters).

-- Stargate SG-1 Trailer -- 

Stargate Atlantis-- (Jason Momoa was in this one!) Turns out the Earth Stargate doesn’t just connect to THIS galaxy, it is the only gate in the Milky Way capable of reaching the Pegasus Galaxy. More importantly- the mythical lost city of the Gate Builders- Atlantis. The trip will be one way, thanks to the extraordinary power requirements to make a connection. An entire new command- and entire new teams- are sent to Pegasus to make contact with the Gate Builder civilization and bring humanity millennia into the future with their knowledge and technology. Except at the other end of that one-way mission is a dead city, slowly flooding as its shields lose power to hold back the ocean that has buried it. When total failure is imminent- and death assured- the city releases from the ocean floor and rises to the surface. But the Ancient City was abandoned for a reason. And waking the city will wake a new and horrifying enemy (Jason Momoa appears in Season 2 as the Wraith-Runner Ronan Dex). **Stargate Atlantis is mostly self-contained. Later seasons get complex with crossover episodes, but for the most part you don’t have to worry about seeing SG-1 to understand SGA**

-- Stargate Atlantis Trailer -- 

Harper’s Island-- (Not Sci-fi this time!) 8 years ago the peaceful Northwest community of Harper’s Island was rocked by a series of horrific murders. The killer was hunted down and killed, but not before Abby Mills’ mother joined the list of John Wakefield’s victims. Abby swore she would never return- but now she’s been drawn back for the wedding of her best friend. They are determined not to let the darkness of the past haunt the present- but one by one people begin to vanish. The bodies begin to pile up. And one thing becomes abundantly clear: John Wakefield is alive, he’s been waiting for Abby to return, and an enemy may walk among them. **Even the actors in the show didn’t know if they would live or die as they filmed the show, or which one of them might be the murderer**

-- Harper’s Island Trailer: One By One -- 

Galavant-- (this entire series can be binged in about 2.5-3 hours, it wasn’t long) Way back in days of old there was a legend told about a hero known as Galavant. Well, that was then, this is now. Galavant did everything a hero was supposed to do- he was successful, had a hot girlfriend, and thought he was set for his Happily Ever After. Right up until the evil and jealous King Richard laid eyes on Galavant’s sweet Madalena and fell in love with her. King Richard kidnaps Madalena and is poised to force her to marry him when Galavant bursts in to save the day--- only for Madalena to tell him she’s actually cool with the whole thing. Hey, she’ll live in a castle and be rich, who wouldn’t want that?! Destroyed by his love’s betrayal, Galavant eats and drinks himself into oblivion for a year. At this point he is approached by Princess Isabelle- whose kingdom has been invaded and her family imprisoned by none other than King Richard and his Evil Queen Madalena- who’s taken a sharp turn bitch-ward since leaving Galavant. It’s time for Galavant to do some situps, sack up, and be a hero once again. **This is a comedy musical, with the songs written by Alan Menkin, the man behind the music in Disney films including Pocahontas, Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

-- Galavant Opening Song --

Chernobyl-- (Not obscure but people don’t talk nearly enough about how hauntingly beautiful this mini-series was) In 1986, while the city of Pripyat slept, something horrifying happened at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. A safety test went awry, Reactor 4 exploded, and thus began the worst nuclear disaster in history- one which in many ways is still unfolding to this day. This miniseries celebrates the heroes who helped contain the tragedy at Chernobyl. The firefighters who stood at the edge of an exposed nuclear reactor to stop the fires belching irradiated ash into the atmosphere. The doctors and nurses whose hands were burned simply by touching the firefighters as their bodies began to liquify. The miners who dug cooling shafts beneath a nuclear reactor in meltdown to stop molten rock from reaching the Kiev water supply. The military and scientific leaders who worked together to contain the disaster and hold accountable those who caused such horrific devastation. Haunting is the only way to describe this mini series.

-- Chernobyl trailer --

Those are the ones that came to mind. IDK, I just thought of shows that we’ve talked about at work that people aren’t immediately familiar with. I’m probably leaving some fantastic ones off the list...

[theexecutionerssong]

Hello, darling! I wanted to say thank you for reblogging that Destiel fic "Ninety One Whiskey" yesterday because it made me read it and I absolutely love it! So I was just wondering if you have any other recommendations? This was my very first Destiel fanfiction, I've never read anything from SPN fandom before so I'm very unware of those tresures out there! :)

ahhhh you have no idea how happy that makes me! here are a few of my favorites that I’m copy pasting from my old fic rec page. Most are a few years old, I’ve got way more and some more recent ones too if you’d rather. They are all deancas centered. If they aren’t online anymore then let me know and I can send you the file as I’ve got over 3000 saved lmao also I LIVE AND BREATHE for angst, if I don’t cry my eyes out at some point then what’s the point sdfghjk you’ve been warned

‘Til the Last by miss_grey (American Civil War AU, my fav ever, probably)

When the war came, Dean Winchester was determined that he was not going to get involved. He had more important things to worry about than some rich man’s fight. He had work on the farm and he had taking care of his family. Nothing else was worth his worry. But in August in the Year of Our Lord 1863, when the soldiers came knocking, they weren’t asking. They dragged Dean away.

Dean and Cas have been best friends since they were kids. When Dean is drafted into the Confederate army, to what lengths will Castiel go to ensure that Dean makes it back home alive?

Exonerated by thecouchcarrot (thriller AU)

Years ago, Dean Winchester was the detective who put serial killer Castiel Goodwin behind bars. Last spring, Cas was proven innocent and his conviction overturned. Neither could’ve predicted the way their lives would intertwine…

Lost Souls by thelastknownwriter (thriller AU)

Homicide detective Dean Winchester is thrust into a past he has tried hard to forget when he finds himself leading a manhunt for an unlikely killer: his childhood best friend, Castiel.

Painted Angels by WinJennster (human AU, so much damn angst but damn it’s worth it)

Author Castiel Novak has finally hit the big time, with a book based on his failed college relationship with a brilliant painter. He’s put all his pain behind him, but at a book signing, he comes face to face with Dean Winchester for the first time in twelve years, and the reunion doesn’t go like Cas hoped. Dean’s a broken man, with a lot of scars and secrets, shoulders weighed down by his demons and self loathing.Cas sees a second chance with the man he’s never stopped loving, but Dean’s moved on, and is about to get married. Sam launches a “brilliant” plan to reunite his brother and his best friend, but Cas is worried it will all blow up in their faces, and he’ll go through the agony of losing Dean a second time.Out of the Deep by riseofthefallenone (merman AU)

Stay away from the light-beds. Stay in the deep.It is the first thing hatchlings are taught the moment their fans unfurl and they can swim without their parents to buoy them along. It is the first rule, the first law. It is the beginning of every boogey-monster bedtime story told when they settle against the cliffs to sleep.Castiel should have listened better. 

To Raise A King by riseofthefallenone (medieval/royalty AU)

This must be some kind of horrible joke at Castiel’s expense. Is he truly expected to protect a King? One who has been their enemy for as long as he can remember? He is much more suited to being a part of the army, or at the very least someone who helps to train the knights. That would be far more preferred than having to watch over the King. It means Castiel would get to keep fighting – and that’s the only way he knows to give meaning to his life.

Tramps Like Us by mkhunterz (human AU)

Dean Winchester’s life is falling apart. He’s lost his job, his apartment, and his brother, all in one day. He seems to break everything he touches. Frustrated and alone, he drives off into the night with no idea where he’s headed. But then he meets Castiel Novak, a quiet and reclusive man with a haunted past, and suddenly he finds himself with a very specific destination in mind.

Kiss You When It’s Dangerous by zoemathemata (thriller canon divergent AU)

When his partner Uriel, betrays him, Federal Agent Castiel Novak is saved from becoming a ritual sacrifice by brothers Dean and Sam Winchester. Discovering the world of the supernatural and learning about werewolves, wendigoes, vampires and things that go bump in the night also leads to learning more about Dean and the strange life he and his brother lead. The more he learns, the more Castiel finds himself drawn into Dean’s world and toward Dean himself.

Until Uriel wants to complete the ritual he started.

Pick It All Up by thepinupchemist (human AU)

Army veteran Castiel Novak is a wreck after his tour in Afghanistan, brought home to his brother’s apartment in Lawrence, Kansas with scars both mental and physical. He copes poorly, and during one night of bad decision making, meets somebody just as much of a disaster as he is – a prostitute named Dean Winchester. And suddenly, two damaged men might not be as irreparable as they believed.

The Bird That Feels The Light by ratgerastory (canon, no romance, Dean is a 5 year old but it’s the first I read almost 10 years ago and one of my favorites ever)

AU from 5.18 (or thereabouts). Castiel awakens in the middle of a smoking crater, stranded and very much human. According to the people who have discovered him, it’s six months to the day after Michael and Lucifer faced off on the field of battle outside of Detroit, and Castiel isn’t the only one to have returned. When, at his insistence, they take him to this other person, he finds a child –a little boy– and realizes that, contrary to all his expectations, he has been reunited with Dean Winchester. The world has changed in their absence, and not for the better. Sam is gone, whether dead or simply missing is uncertain. Castiel is given the name of a man in Idaho who may have answers for him. He is faced with the task of travelling cross-country with Dean, who is dependent on him now in ways he never was before, in order to discover the truth. But along the way, as he and Dean learn to know and trust each other once more, Castiel begins to realize that the answers he thought he wanted might not be the ones he needs. 

the inexhaustible silence of houses by Askance (canon, I adored it but it left me in pieces, it took me weeks to get over it)

Almost two years after the world doesn’t end, Castiel falls from grace—and loses his voice in the process. It is the impetus for confession and change; before long, he is settling into a loving relationship with Dean, the Winchesters are tired, and hunting for a place to land has taken precedence to hunting anything else. Dean and Castiel fall in love with the strange little house on the end of Swallowtail Drive, and for a little while life is as it should be—sweet, affectionate, and beginning afresh. But more and more Castiel sees and hears things in the house that beg the question of whether or not a place itself can be alive. The walls and rooms seem to shift and grow and breathe, and one night, Dean comes home from a hunt changed in a way that Castiel cannot explain. In the months that follow, their domestic bliss takes turns for the dark and sour, and the confusion of their circumstances will ultimately test everything Castiel knows about the man he loves, and everything he believes to be true.

Last Man Standing by cerulea (canon, purgatory!verse)

Picking up exactly where we left off at the end of Season 7, Cas and Dean are stranded together in Purgatory struggling both to save their lives and their friendship amidst constant peril.

After The Fire by Themista (canon, end!verse)

Starting in 2013 and going through 2014 this is the story of Dean and Cas in their ill-fated quest to find the colt and shoot the devil - set in the endverse alternate reality seen in 5x04 The End. The apocalypse poses Dean and Cas many threats along the way, as they have to contend with the croats and Lucifer’s demons, led by Meg, all while trying to work out whether they can trust the infamously devious demon Crowley, with whom they already have a bloody history.

Twist and Shout by standbyme and gabriel (human 60-70s AU) (I don’t care how divisive and unpopular recommanding this one is, I was skeptical going in but it’s been years and I still have to skip Can’t Help Falling In Love and Twist and Shout when they come on shuffle in my playlists, that fic destroyed me))

What begins as a transforming love between Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak in the summer of 1965 quickly derails into something far more tumultuous when Dean is drafted in the Vietnam War. Though the two both voice their relationship is one where saying goodbye is never a real truth, their story becomes fraught with the tragedy of circumstance. In an era where homosexuality was especially vulnerable, Twist and Shout is the story of the love transcending time, returning over and over in its many forms, as faithful as the sea.

I also read ABO fics but I don’t know if you’re into that so I’m not including any in this list ^^ enjoy, let me know if you find something you like!

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

🏰👑🐲⚔️🥔 - DMODT 72 - I've started today's quota 😜

It wasn't just Eren who's life was pulled to pieces. The second day of the trial saw both Armin and Historia called to answer questions. Armin's on account of how he'd grown up without ever considering the possibility that he could be royalty, followed by what he hoped to shape Eldia into and how would Eldia support Marley if Dina was to not return to the throne. Not having had to give a royal address, or having had to step so far out of his comfort zone, Armin's performance stunted and stuttered, bumbling his way through with a red face at the end. Historia faced an equally rough time. Draecia's stance of non-interference questioned over how it conveniently ceased to exist when it'd come to the princess private friends. They also questioned if the three dragons had actually been insane. Yes, they had been. Yes, magic had been used. Yes, the shackles and collars presented to the court were the ones used on the dragons. No, she'd never personally met the dragon. Yes, their identity had been confirmed. No... well, yes, you'll have to accept the testimony of a three-hundred-year old dragon that lives in the back of Levi's mind. Yes, they have the sword that infected him. No, it wasn't safe for anyone other than Levi to draw and handle it. Yes, it'd been the one Marley had tried to steal. Yes, the sword Zeke wore on his hip was made from Obsydin's mate. No, Eren had not known. Yes, they may examine and compare the scales between the shackles and Vermil's sword. Yes, possible infection may be possible. Yes, both Eren and Levi were both still affected. Yes, Eren's scales had been blackened. Yes, he had excess scale growth on his back. Completely inappropriately Eren was asked to bare his back, Freya using her magic to slice through his robes then to rejoin them. Yes, Zeke had known about this. No, Historia didn't know Zeke intimately and there had been no way to save him, or to save Erwin. Yes, she and Eren had tried to seal Obsydin's sword and failed. Yes, it went against not interfering, but Eren is a dragon with Levi as his human rider. No, it's not a typical arrangement. Yes, he has proven himself a good father to Luca despite the racial difference. Historia held her head high, projecting confidence despite the situation. Ymir, however, was ropable over the treatment of her pregnant mate. For Levi it was relief that Eren wasn't the only one they'd taken a hard stance on, though it wasn't a pleasure to see their friends going through the same treatment Eren had. The omega was holding his hand hard enough to crush it. Marley had been confident until it turned to their turn. Everyone in their party had thought Eren would be called to answer the tribunal again, yet, a rather severe looking man by the name of Theo Magath was called upon. As commander of the Marleyan Army, the man seemed... somewhat lacking. Perhaps it was simply Levi's self drawn conclusion, but it seemed to him that he was a man with his back against the proverbial wall. The way he talked and the way he carried himself indicated he believed in Marley and his home countries actions, but knew he was now in an impossible situation. Dina was the only one who wouldn't be walking away from this trial, and without some form of help from Eldia, Marley would fall. It was clearly a tough internal struggle for the man, shaking his beliefs to the very core. Speaking words of love for his homeland, and hate for both Eldia and Draecia, he served to make Dina proud. His gravely voice speaking of the few times he'd been at the same events Eren and Zeke had attended. Zeke keeping the omega on a short leash, and Eren's only redeeming social grace was that he knew how to keep his mouth shut. Continuing on, he explained how Zeke had betrayed them all at the final hour by choosing Eren over Marley. How unsettling it had been for everyone in Marley to learn that Zeke had impregnated Eren, only for the truth to finally be revealed that the child was not Zeke's at all. As the man began divert on that tangent, he was pulled back into line. The questions pertaining to Eren shifted back to Zeke and the sword he'd left Eren. Again, it fell to yes and no questions. Yes, he'd seen the sword before. Yes, it belonged to Prince Zeke, but... he wasn't allowed to explain his "but". Scolded that the question only required a yes or no answer, Magath clearly didn't appreciate taking orders from someone younger than himself. Keeping to the topic of Zeke and the sword, Magath was questioned over his knowledge of the slaughter of dragons along the border between Marley and Draecia. Initially he denied knowledge, insulting magic users until he eventually tripped over his own tongue, roaring that the threat dragons posed meant they couldn't ignore the great, and while weaponry had been developed, it wasn't enough. Mentally Levi was shaking his head the man, his face turned a ruddy red as he reiterated repeatedly that he'd done what he needed to protect to Marley. If Marley hadn't been completely fucked over by its royal family, the man's loyalty might have actually meant something. If he could take even a drop of that fire and turn it into a bullet... well, the consequences could be scary... if he wasn't going up against dragons, or Eren. Mostly Eren. Eren would protect the people of Marley to the death if pushed that far, and even if it meant destroying himself in the process. Given the gravity of the weigh the omega carried on his shoulders it was painfully easy to forget from time to time just how young Eren truly was. He wasn't even 19 when Levi was infected by Obsydin, yet the first thing he did was attempt to seal the dragon with his soul. A stupidly selfless act. Over and over again, Eren had pushed himself to the very limits of sanity in the search for peace. Over and over again he'd been the light in the darkness for Levi, his fire burning bright even when dimmed by the driving rains and howling winds of the storm his existence brought with it. No. Even if Magath fired that bullet, Eren's fierce and desperate love would ensure it would never reach its target. That's why Marley was left to grasp at straws. Left to twisting the truth and self promotion to prevent the world from crashing down on them in a battle that would erase the country from existence. They were in too deep now, and like many had wished over the centuries, they could not turn back the hands of time. When court let out for the day, the Eldia party retired to Historia's room again. Settling her mate down on their bed, Ymir wouldn't allow anyone close, despite Historia softly scolding her for her behaviour. With his arms around Eren's waist, Eren had his face buried against Levi's neck, simply holding each other as they processed another long day. Luca had caught the attention of Armin, while Viren was in Moblit's hold so that the two mate's might have a moment to regroup. The constant tit-for-tat was far more a strain on each of them than the hours spent standing in the courtroom. Levi could feel Eren's exhaustion almost bleeding into him, his alpha upset that their omega was so vulnerable to everything, and that they couldn't make a single thing about the situation better. Further back in his mind Obsydin was upset that Vermil's sword was still in possession of the tribunal for testing against the scales used to imprison the battle dragons. If all he had left of his mate was a scale, he'd never want to lose the item from his sights. Sighing heavily, Hanji broke the silence as she addressed Freya "Do you know what we should expect tomorrow?" Freya was as clueless as the rest of them "I'm afraid not. Maria and my father are yet to make an appearance in the courtroom. We must also await the results of the tribunal's test. Though their questions were hard, I believe that Marley is not going so well. Their Commander Magath has a clearly deep rooted dislike of magic" "Normally I would be the first to agree, but did you see the looks they gave at the explanation of Levi still carrying Obsydin. I don't think they believed the details" "Levi is what he is. He is an alpha human male, infected by dragons blood. We cannot change that. If we could give them the sword examine in a controlled environment, they may be more willing to accept things. Though, they did acknowledge that magic does run through the blade, so that is something" "But what's to stop them from saying it's Eren's magic? Obsydin was supposed to drive people crazy. Dragons even. Eren is part dragon, so how can we say that, when Eren is... standing there mostly intact" "Obsydin holds a very small part of Eren's soul that impossible to reclaim. If anything, Levi is the one we need to continually watch. Obsydin may have quietened his mind, but there is still an enormous strain there..." Levi would have growled if Eren hadn't given the softest of whimpers, his lover holding him even tighter "How do we know that if we do submit the sword for testing, that they won't use a magic that will cause some kind of issue?" "We don't. Absolutely none of us were prepared for Obsydin to still live. His case is unique, as is the fact he is a human rider. Being paired with Eren is the only precaution we can take... No offence, Levi. I'm purely speaking speculation" "No offence" was easy to say, but it didn't take the pain from Eren's scent, nor did it ease the burden on his mate "Look. Obsydin and I have a deal. If something was to happen, he'd step in. Right now though, I would avoid upsetting him. The tribunal has the sword of his mate, the last traces of Vermil. It's not a pleasant or easy subject" Hanji sighed again "This is something we..." "Hanji, not now. Talking in court is terrifying, and I think both Historia and I need a break from all this heavy negativity. Why don't we have dinner early? I know it's barely late afternoon, but I could sleep like the dead" Snorting against him, Eren nodded "Food and sleep sounds like a good plan" "We aren't going to discuss what happened in there?" Interrupted by both Eren and Armin, Hanji didn't sound pleased. Had Erwin been alive to be there, he would have insisted on a debriefing "We'll talk at breakfast tomorrow. Everyone is far too exhausted Hanji. Don't make me use my prince voice" "Oh no! The Eldian prince is getting bossy, Historia. Whatever shall we do?" Yawning, Historia ruined the teasing moment "I don't know. I'm sorry, I really am rather tired. I think tonight I should just rest" Pulling away, Eren smiled at Historia "I understand completely. Why don't the rest of us have dinner in Armin's room, that way he can deal with the crumbs in the bed" Bowing slightly, Freya then shook her head "I'm sorry. I too must excuse myself. I want to write down what happened today before I forget. Don't let our absence stop you" That was how it ended up with purely the Eldia party in Armin and Mikasa's shared room. Leaving his side, Eren had moved to Armin's. Levi was forced to squash down his jealousy as Armin snuggled into Eren's side, only finally beginning to relax when he realised Eren wasn't about to leave. The alpha hadn't thought of how hard it must have been for Armin to once again talk about how he'd been lied to his entire life. From the way he spoke, the Arlert's clearly loved the boy before their death. Maybe it would have been easier for Armin had they not? That way Armin wouldn't have been left feeling so conflicted over finding out his family wasn't actually his family. The way Levi looked at it, it was basically adoption, and as an adoptive father, he say without a shadow of a doubt that he adored Luca. It didn't matter to him that Luca couldn't speak to them with words, or that he was a dragon. Luca was Luca. He loved him and his mischievous outlook on life. If there was one thing he could change, it would be to undo all the terrible memories he'd left his son with as he was losing his mind. Even Luca's razor sharp claws made it onto his love list, as they were part of Luca. All of this was he couldn't say. He'd sound like a shitty idiot if he tried to put it into words, and may very well end up insulting Armin instead of helping. If Eren was to say it, he was sure the omega would get the point across. Why did his words have to falter when it came to talking to anyone but Eren? Even Hanji... He'd known her for so long, yet as they sat across from each other, she seemed unreachable. That night was far from peaceful. Staying in Armin's room, the silence was disturbed by Freya informing them that Historia had gone into labour, and as such, Ymir had taken her back to Draecia. The female dragon decreeing that if anyone was to follow them, or to disturb them, they'd find themselves small enough to fit within a snuff box... provided she was feeling generous enough to not erase them from existence completely. Eren was both worried and ecstatic, he and Armin quick to start guessing at clutch sizes and names, which Mikasa was soon pulled into. Armin and Mikasa also receiving a lesson in birthing a clutch that struck them speechless, and somewhat queasy looking. Surely they'd both had the "talk" by now, but in Armin's case he may have thought it really never needed given he was much happier with his books than people. It was funny how Eren hadn't been able to draw Mikasa into conversation since their fight, but as they got to talking, they fell back into natural habits, like the fight had never happened. Watching Eren interact with his best friends, Levi sighed wearily to himself having finally decided it was time for that talk with Hanji. He'd been talking himself out of it all along, building the issue to the point he grew angry at the mere thought of her. Eren and their sons would be safe under Mikasa's watchful gaze for a few hours, he'd already retrieved Luca's blanket, and Viren's clean nappies. Quietly excusing himself, he left to face Hanji, her room right down the hall and given Historia had gone into labour, Moblit was probably caught listening to her ask him a million questions over the birth of clutch, while Moblit's cheeks would be red as he attempted to curb Hanji's enthusiasm over the birth of the new dragons? It'd be dragons, right? She was having a clutch... so it had to be dragons? But then, how was a dragon rider born? Did they come from eggs? Shit. Hanji's imagined enthusiasm was wearing off on him, thought he was relieved that Historia wouldn't have to give evidence again, and that something joyous was finally happening after all the craptastic fun court was turning out to be. Reaching Hanji's door, Levi was quick to close just as fast as he'd opened it. There was a whole lot of nope in that room, that left his cheeks warm as he backed away. Talking to Hanji was postponed. Levi interrupting her and Moblit in a less than desirable position, leaving him with mental scarring he definitely didn't need and a profound regret that he didn't knock. Returning to Armin's room, Levi found Eren settled down for the night with Viren laying on his chest. Armin was curled into Luca, with Mikasa laying on the other side. How they'd all fitted into the same bed together, Levi wasn't sure. All he was left with was his annoyance that Eren wasn't in his arms, and that he'd seen Moblit dick deep in a very naked Hanji. His omega was probably going to laugh himself stupid once Levi informed him of the horrors he'd been forced to witness. * Eren was affectionate when he woke to find Levi sleeping in the room's less than comfortable chair. Rousing Armin to watch over Viren, the omega was quick to take Levi by the hand and lead him from the room. Confused as what was happening, the alpha found himself pinned against the wall between their rooms, Eren hungrily devouring Levi's mouth as he ground up against him for several long moment. Breaking the kiss with a shy smile, his omega nested his face against Levi's shoulder with a happy sigh "Well that was one hell of a wake up" Not caring they were in the corridor, Eren pressed a kiss to his neck "Mmm. I'm excited" With his erection poking Levi's thigh, Levi had already been clued in on his omega's mood. With last night's excitement and the trial's continuance, a horny lover was not what he'd expected "I can see that. I wasn't expecting this" "I know... can we? Fuck it, we can. I want you" Taking his hand again, Levi was pulled into their bedroom. While his dick was now wide awake, his brain was still struggling to catch up. Eren hadn't wanted sex... but for some reason that had gone out the window... again, he was definitely not complaining... he still wasn't complaining as they found their way into the shower, and he found his way between Eren's legs. Or when he was slightly over enthusiastic as he fucked Eren up against the shower will, with his lover's long legs wrapped firmly around his waist, mewing and moaning until both lovers finally came. Coming down from his high, Eren's lips were quick to find his again. His fingers threaded through Levi's hair as his green eyes stared down at him with such love that Levi couldn't find the words to tell him how incredibly in love with he was. It was Eren who finally brought him back to reality, his words mumbled through his kiss swollen lips "I really fucking love you" Snorting, Levi hiked Eren up slightly so his omega could rest his whole weights against the wall "I really fucking love you too. Want to tell me what suddenly changed your mind about fucking?" Eren took a long moment to reply, his fingertips moving to lightly scratch Levi's scalp "I just... had a dream about giving birth to your clutch. Maybe it's because Historia went into labour, but in my dream we had a whole brood of our own. All of this was over and it was me, and you, and Luca, and Viren, and another pup... and I... I think my omega's picked up on Historia's scent and is sending my body all kinds of mixed signals. I just need you... I feel almost dizzy with how much I need you right now" Dizzy wasn't good. Placing his palm to Eren's forehead, he didn't feel a fever. Levi was also fast to scold himself. They were in a hot shower. His hands too warm to tell, given how everything was warm "I'm not sick" "I was more concerned with you going into heat" Eren pouted "I'm not in heat. It's my omega being a shit. It wants it alpha to make everything better, and it wants another baby" Nuzzling into Eren chest, Levi mouthed his way down to take Eren's right nipple in his teeth. Biting gently, his lover moaned and clenched around him "So soon?" Rocking his hips Eren whined at the lack of movement, Levi smirking as he sucked "Not right away... God... Mmmm... my body needs to heal... but yes..." Pulling off Eren's nipple, his mate whined "Don't stop" "I'm not going to stop. I wanted to ask what you needed..." "What I needed?" "From me" "I need you to fuck me and knot me..." "I meant today. Should I scent you? Or wait until we're out the shower and screw your senseless? Cover you with the smell of our sex" Taking Eren's left breast in his hand, Levi moved to tease his neglected nipple "Scent me... I don't... don't want to smell like sex... in front of the kids... shit, you're going to make me come like this..." "Come as much as you like. You're safe with me" "I know... don't let anyone too close... my instincts... she's not even here and I want to protect her and her clutch..." Growling, Levi bit down hard enough for Eren to shriek. He didn't want his love thinking of another "Sorry. Sorry, sir. I wanted... you to understand" "I do, but no more talking of others while we are like this... I want your focus completely on me, sweet boy" "Sorry... I'll be good" "I know you'll be good for me. Always so good for me sweet boy. But I do think you need some form of punishment" Eren's eyes widened, his delight far too evident "No. Not a spanking. No, this one I'm going to save until I've knotted you all over again" "Will I like it?" "You're not supposed to like it" "Be gentle?" Abandoning Eren's breast, Levi cupped his mate's face, Eren nuzzling into his touch "Eren, you know I wouldn't hurt you maliciously as a form of punishment" "I do. I guess I should say you need to think of me like I'm coming out of heat. All I want to do is cling, and fuck, and cry. But I don't want to be a bother" "I would love nothing more than to hold you all day. You're not a bother, I promise you" "I don't want to go to court today" "Neither do I. I didn't have enough sleep last night" "I should have let you sleep" Eren's smile fell, Levi not liking it "Hey, I am more than happy to be woken up by my beautiful lover. I was simply surprised, is all. You said no sex, then you treat me to your body like this... I don't mind being sleepy" "I do. I saw you creep out last night. Where did you go?" So Eren had noticed? "We'll talk about that after. Now I've got you messed up like this, I intended to make the most of it" The second round was hard and fast, Eren begging him not to stop as he came between them again, biting hard on Levi's shoulder as he did. Lapping at the wound mark, Eren was putty in his hands as he cleaned him down, still knotted firmly as they finished showering. Carrying him out to the bedroom, Levi pulled Eren down atop him, covering him with the blanket as Eren curled into him "I'm sorry, I'm sleepy" "You don't need to be sorry. I did wreck your arse" "Mmm... you make me come too hard. Gonna have you in me all day... going to be thinking about it..." "You probably don't want to continue this chain of thought if you want to make it to court in time" "Instincts... what's my punishment" "I walked in on Moblit drilling Hanji last night" Eren groaned, half rising and dropping back against him "You had to tell me that? You couldn't have kept it to yourself? You're still in me... I'm not horny now" "I didn't like seeing it either" "Ugh... how am I supposed to look at her? How am I supposed to look at Moblit? And since when did you... did you not knock?" "No. I thought she'd be talking about Historia giving birth with Moblit, not... In the mood" "I guess... actually, I don't know what to say. I'm happy for them, but I didn't need to know my alpha watched them..." "I didn't "watch". I was traumatised" "Sure you were" Slipping his hands down, Levi groped at Eren's arse "I was. Seeing you talking with the others last night, I wanted to finally have that talk. I have no idea how I'm going to face them" "Me neither. Do you think Historia has had her eggs?" "Possibly. You passed the first few pretty quickly" Eren's scent turned sad. Levi hadn't thought things through apparently. If Eren felt like he was coming out of a heat, his omega was probably being more of a shit than he thought "I mean, I'm sure she and her clutch are fine. Ymir is probably watching over her, as they both bask in happiness" "I hope so. I'm so happy for them..." "It's ok you know, not be as ok as you're saying. This trial isn't easy, losing the clutch wasn't easy. I love you, you know" "I know... but... am I jealous? Is that why I want to protect her and her clutch, even though they're not here?" "No. It's because you care so deeply for everyone" "Is it though? My omega... it wants another baby so badly, but I'm barely coping with Viren as it is... and Luca. I want more time with them, but everything... it never ends" This wasn't a conversation for groping. Sliding his hands up, he wrapped his arms around his mate "I get it. Soon, though. Soon all this will be a bad dream" "If I wake up and find out this is all a dream, I'm going to be pissed" "Obsydin is going to find his sword smashed to pieces if this is a dream" "Mmm... can we stay like this a little longer?" "I'm not going anywhere" "But your knot's going down" "Eren. You told me your instincts are playing up. You told me your all over the place today. Now I know what to look for, I can help you through the day. That doesn't involve ravishing you and leaving" "I'm sorry" "Shhh. Relax... let your instincts calm. You're safe here with me" Mumbling something Levi missed half of it, only catching the end "if only that could be the case forever". A soft plea, not meant to be heard, but that didn't stop Levi from mentally promising his lover that it would be so. * With Eren's instincts being a mess, the omega accepted Levi's touches in the courtroom. Holding him close, Eren's head rested on his shoulder in a position that couldn't have been good for his neck. After the hit Marley had taken the previous day, there were less soldiers in the Marley side of the room, as Magath glared openly at everyone. Overnight someone had delivered new clothes to Dina, the woman now groomed and dressed in fine silks as she sat chained to the chair she was in. Levi didn't like it. Dina shouldn't be allowed such luxuries given her crimes. The first hour or so of the trial that morning was spent explaining that Historia had gone into labour, and wasn't able to attend as she'd returned to Draecia the previous night. Marley was fast to accuse Historia of running from her crimes, yet given the tribunal knew that she may go into labour, all of served to do was make them look petty. It wasn't like she'd magically fallen pregnant just to escape the shitstorm that this trial was proving to be, especially not after she'd stood tall and testified. Even Dina stated that these things couldn't be helped, and when it was time, it was time. Though that may have been to make herself look better. Moving on from the subject of Historia, it turned back to Vermil's sword. Testing having been completed overnight by one of the tribunal members. Rising to her feet, she neglected to make her name known as her long black curls tumbled down her shoulders "She's gorgeous..." Mumbling by Levi's ear, Levi momentarily tensed at the unexpected comment "... her skin looks so silky, and her dress... I wonder if she's a queen somewhere. I get the feeling she's a kind and fair ruler. Do you think she'd be open to trading with Eldia" Dressed in a blood red and gold dress, it hugged every inch of her dark skin. Levi forced to do a double take as he paid closer attention to her. Being seated at the tribunal table, she'd mostly been hidden. Now they viewing her in full regal elegance "She looks the part... she really does" Whining softly, Eren nuzzled into him "Don't go complimenting other people in front of me" "Why not? You just did?" "I know. I didn't expect you to agree so fast" "I'm a simple man..." "You're going to be elbowed if you keep going. She's staring at both of you" Scolded by Mikasa, the pair found that they were indeed being stared at. Despite the height differences, Eren still tried to half hide behind him, as the woman smiled at them. Maybe she was part dragon? Or something similar? Oh well, it wasn't as if they'd insulted her. Eren had jumped right to wanting to be friends with her, not that he expected anything else from him. She was also the first judge he'd been positive towards. Confirming the link between the scales and the sword, she stated she felt that the dragon magic within the scale had been bolstered with use of other scales, over years of use on multiple dragons. With her permission, the sword was going to be returned to Eren's possession, as per Zeke's last will and testimony, and as per the alpha's desire for the sword to be reunited with its partner. Progressing further, it was Willy who was called to testify. Standing on the Marley side, the alpha ran a hand through his hair with his trademark smile on his lips. Beside him, Eren stood a little straighter "I don't know if I want to hear this" "Eren?" "I know we can't trust him, but... I'm so sick of lies. He's going to lie. He's going to tell the court what he thinks they want to hear" "They'll know that" "But how am I supposed to abdicate the throne, when my liaison with Marley is nothing but a liar. Those papers, his papers, how do I know my wishes are going to be accepted? How do I do business with him, when I can't trust his words" "The same way Erwin and I did. The same way you have been. With a smile on your face, fake pleasantries and the knowledge that you're not lying" "That means nothing when you ooze character like Willy does. His family has connections world wide. I'm not like him" "No. You're not like him. He's a master manipulator, where you would rather bare the truth to all" "That's not true..." "Will you two be quiet already? Or do I have to seperate the pair of you?" Mikasa may have a point about being quiet, but she earned herself a growl over her joke of separating them. Eren's scent shifted the moment the words had left her lips, the space filling with the smell of pelting rain and burning forest, disturbing Viren's sleeping against his mother's breast. Hushing and bouncing their son, Willy shot them a confused look. It wasn't their fault that Eren had accidentally woken Viren. Eren was a bundle of nerves as it was, praying for the day to pass without major incident like they all were. Scowling coldly back at him, Levi pulled Eren back firmly against him, making a show of standing by Eren's side no matter what came from Willy's mouth. Confirming his name, Willy smiled broadly as his family ties were explored, agreeing that his family was indeed connected world wide and well travelled. Around him, the Marley soldiers all seemed to move away, leaving Willy to stand with no close support, unless that was all part of his plan. Asking Eren of the relationship between him and Willy, Willy confirmed that he was acting as Eren's point of contact for Marley. From there, Willy launched into a speech of his own, the tribunal not happy over it, yet letting him speak as it was related to the case. He'd approached Eren after Dina was arrested, as he'd been a close confidant of Zeke's, and Zeke had held grave fears over Eren's safety and that of what he believed to be his child. He'd also been appointed as Marley's temporary leader, a position he legally couldn't take with Eren still being alive. When he'd first met Eren, he'd been shocked that Eren didn't know he was legally a prince, recognised through Marley law as its legal ruler. Since then, his own concern had been for Eren taking up rule in Marley, advising him to draw up his legal papers to abdicate the throne, yet to wait until the trial had been presided over and a verdict delivered. Marley was in a bad way, and needed a stable monarch to help them find their feet again. He'd hoped Eren would take up the mantle, having legal claim to it and being an omega of "superior stature". As Willy talked, Levi's frown grew. His eyes narrowed and his scent sharpened. It was all to perfect. Is all sounded as if Willy was reading from a script, both staring in and directing a play so to speak. The courtroom his rapt audience. With careful words, he spoke of his closeness with Zeke. How Zeke had felt he was the only one he could turn to, to protect Eren from his mother. It struck Levi that that wasn't strictly the case. Eren had said Yelena was the one closest to Zeke, that the alpha had trusted her right up to the moment she'd run him through with her sword. Once he'd established that lie, every other word coming from his mouth only strengthens his suspicions. Dismissed early so the tribunal could discuss what Willy had presented, Eren had chewed his lip bloody on the walk back to the hotel. Allowing Armin entrance into their room, the Eldia party opened the door to find that Eren and Levi's room had been completely trashed. Even the bed had been torn to shreds by what Levi guessed was a sword. Handing Viren to Armin, Eren ignored his own safety as he rushed from Levi's side, to where their trunk contents had been strewn everywhere. It only took Eren a moment before he fell back on his arse, his hands going to the back of his head as he drew his knees up "They're gone. All my papers are gone. The spare copies are gone..." Off loading Luca to Mikasa, Mikasa was in the middle of altering the guard of what had happened as she accepted the dragon in surprise, Levi already by Eren's side by the time the female alpha comprehended what happened. Squatting down next to Eren, Levi rifled through the broken trunk to find the false bottom had been smashed through and that every single one of Eren's carefully penned papers were gone "Fuck... I'm going to fucking kill him" Looking up to Levi, Eren blinked "Who? Do you know who this was? They've used something in the air and I can't smell them" "Who the fuck do you think it was? It could only have been Willy. He saw how many documents you had. He spoke about them in court today. He was the only one who could have... orchestrated this" "Willy... are you sure?" Levi's anger manifested as he snapped at his mate "Are you fucking kidding me? Don't tell me you believed his lies, Eren. You fucking heard him. He stated that he took a copy of your papers from you. A copy. He probably had Marley going through all our rooms while we were at the courthouse!" "But..." "Really? You're going to stand up for him? There are too many inconsistencies in his story. He said he'd accepted the position as temporary ruling power, but couldn't take the throne because you are alive. He said that, Eren. We let him get too close, even though we suspected him, and look what happened! I know you had sensitive information in those papers, and now Marley has a copy of them!" With a miserable whimper, Eren pushed himself off the floor. Fleeing to the bed, he sank down on the edge "This is all my fucking fault" Shit... fuck... he'd forgotten Eren was on edge and basically a slave to his omega at the moment "Eren..." "No! This is all my fucking fault! I copied everything down! I insisted there were copies! I didn't trust him, and I let him close! All because I wanted to pass the crown off as soon as I could!" "Eren..." "This is karma! I caused all of this! I wasn't a good mate to Zeke. I wasn't a good mate to you. I couldn't leave Marley on my own, and just turn the crown down! I had to run off sprouting garbage about peace and freeing our people! Why the fuck am I not on trial?! I'm a murderer! I killed people and people were killed because I exist! Now I'm acting like this, because the man who was ostracised from Marley finally..." Waving his hand, Eren shook his head. Carrying Luca over to him, Mikasa had a fierce glare on her face as she sat beside her brother "Eren, we don't know it was him. He was at the courthouse with us all day. This is clearly an act of desperation on Marley's behalf" "How could it be? We're only three days in! Three! All we've been doing is giving statements. None of the information coming through has been vetted and processed. That could take weeks. Weeks, Mikasa. With Willy's testimony, it doesn't make things better. He made Zeke sound paranoid. He made him sound as if he was jumping at shadows while we still lived in Marley. That's wasn't... when we were alone, it wasn't like that. He believed himself safe there, and believed that the army backed him. Magath makes it sound like the army acted before consulting Dina, forcing her to sign off on the mess they created after the fact. What we need is Porco, Pieck, or Yelena to testify what really happened, but I killed two out of those three. He also made it sound like Zeke wasn't a man-whore. He spent the days after we were wed fucking other people. For all his talk, he never knocked anyone up to his knowledge. I feel like there's more to all of this, but I'm too fucking stupid to see it all" Placing Luca in Eren's lap, Mikasa went to place her now free left hand on Eren's shoulder. Eren immediately whimpering away from the touch "I'm sorry. I can't... not right now" "I'm not going to hurt you" "I didn't say you were" Clearing her throat, Freya drew the attention to herself "Mikasa, please do not take it personally. The lingering pheromones of Historia's labour have left Eren in a somewhat heightened state. It's called out for the dragons around her to protect her and her young. Both Steege and I are also affected. However, we've been exposed to these pheromones before, so are used to them. For Eren, it is most probably a new experience. I didn't think to notify him, as Historia's labour had barely started when Ymir left with her. I simply placed your need for Levi by your side down to your omega dynamic. For that, I am sorry. You're also right about the scent in the room. I would say something along the lines of a pepper was used, hence the irritation to the nose. You won't be able to rest here comfortably. Steege and I can change rooms with you" All eyes were on Eren. Levi anxious for his mate to accept the swap. Twice someone had been in their room, and now this had happened "No..." "Eren, you can't be serious" Armin summed up everyone's thoughts on the matter "I... if Willy's playing a game, we need to come together. If he's lying to us and toying us along, than what's to say he hadn't already considered Levi and I changing room, and set some kind of trap?" "And what's to say he doesn't know that you staying here is exactly what you would do? Zeke told him about you. About how you don't back down, Willy said that in court today. I think whatever he planned, he would have planned to take place in this room" Eren gaped at Armin for a moment, before nodding "I suppose so... I mean, you have a point" "Then we need to change rooms. Since Armin and I aren't affected by pheromones like you are, we'll move to Historia and Ymir's room. Eren and Levi can use ours. It's not as big, but it'll have to do. I'll station Connie and Sasha in this room, where they were supposed to have been. Sasha wanted to have lunch down in the dining room, and Connie has yet to discover how to say no to them. Jean swears he heard nothing at all, despite their room being so close. I also think it would be a good idea if we all took stock of our personal items to ensure nothing is missing. Freya, how hard is it to manipulate those letters?" Again, Levi found the words taken out his mouth and vocalised by Mikasa "That depends on how Eren signed them?" "With ground scale in the ink, and a wax seal. Each stack was bound with ribbon" "Scale in the ink... I can't say I've seen that approach before. It would hold, far better than a normal letter. You didn't think to place a spell on the seal, did you?" "No. Even if I had, my magic isn't at it's full strength" "Right. Of course. It perplexing as to why that is, but that's an issue we can address once the trial has passed. Mikasa is correct. For now we focus on changing rooms. Once that's done, I'll use my magic to clean this room up" Eren sucked down an overly loud and shaky breath "Thank you. You're right... I don't feel safe in here" Eren paced their new room back and forth, Viren cradled against his shoulder as the omega walked off his frustrations. With Luca sitting in his lap, Luca was watching his mother carefully, so carefully that pats hadn't distracted him. At least Obsydin's sword hadn't been taken, while Levi could understand how upset Eren was over his papers, if that sword had fallen into Marley's hands things could be so much worse. The alpha had forgotten to retrieve the sword thanks to Eren's "happy" mood, then they'd been running far too late to do much of anything after an unintended round three. Chirping at Eren, Luca was done with his mother's pacing "I know. I know... I can't stop" Levi had asked him to sit, only for Eren to ignore him. Luca on the other hand... "Eren, you're upsetting him. You're upsetting yourself. You need to sit down and take a breath" "How can I? Marley knows absolutely everything. Levi, my copy of the court papers are gone. They know how awfully I described the outer regions of Marley are. They know... all my thoughts. All my feelings. They were in those documents" "Freya..." "Freya has a copy. The copy you gave her, but... they weren't supposed to know" They couldn't have been that bad. They may have induced tears and anxiety in Eren, but Levi couldn't see them being as bad as Eren seemed to think they were "Eren..." "Levi, I wrote everything... everything that happened. Zeke's cruelty to begin with. His repeated liaisons before my pregnancy was confirmed. How they treated me at parties because I am omega. How they feed omegas barely enough to survive. How I was put in a dress and made to play a woman... everything that is wrong with Marley, I put in there. Now Marley knows what I think. They... if they think Armin thinks like this, they could force another war..." Oh... so that was what Eren was worried about. This all devolving into war "Marley already dislikes us, but they can't go to war with us. Not when they're trying so hard to find a way to get her off these charges. If they do try to go to war, I'm certain the tribunal will step in" "I hope so... the woman today seemed more down to earth than the rest of them" "I noticed that. You seem to like her" "She just gives me the feeling that she's trying to remain objective in all of this. And she's really pretty" "I don't think I've heard you talk about someone like that before" "Historia's really pretty" Levi rolled his eyes at the pout in Eren's voice. Tapping Luca's butt to their son jumped off "Come sit here" Breaking his pacing Eren plonked himself down in Levi's lap "Now. We're not going to talk about pretty people. We're not going to talk about this war. We're not going to talk about Marley anymore. We're going to sit here like this and you're going to calm down. We can't be sure of anything until this trial ends" "But it doesn't look good for Marley, and it doesn't look good for us..." "Maybe whoever took them was looking for something in particular?" Huffing, Eren rested his chin against the top of Levi's head "I thought you said we weren't talking about it" "I did. You're right. At least not until Mikasa comes back to report what's going on" "I don't know if I want her to. I don't think I want to know what's going on..." Probably because Eren smelt terrified, even with the change of room, and the overlaying hues of anger and despair "What can I do then?" "Nothing. Scent me? I don't know. Instincts..." It was the worst day for this to be happening. Eren couldn't help the confusion or being overwhelmed by his emotions today "I know, sweet boy. Just sit up a bit for me? Your chin's digging in" Nothing was missing from the other rooms, besides a sheet from his and Eren's room. Mikasa's working theory was that someone had paid the cleaner for the floor and had them set the room in such a way after smuggling the papers out in a dirty sheet. The cleaner had already left for the day, and the hotel wasn't prepared to give out her details. Not that they knew their way around the city well enough to seek her out. It was entirely possible that Marley had paid her enough that she wouldn't be returning to her old job. Levi was furious that the cleaner had been allowed on their floor again, though the others didn't hold the same anger as they didn't have an omega with anxieties to think of. Despite the fact they should all know well enough that Eren had more than enough on his plate as the only omega in their group. Stationing Sasha and Connie outside their door, it was a long night for all of them as they waited for some kind of fall out, only for the night to pass with nothing happening.