#it will involve them opening up clearer communications though

[tennessoui]

I think I really lose braincells each time you post about couples counselling au - because I have never felt a characterization of Obi-Wan and Anakin fit *so much* to my own headcanon that it drives me crazy. The lack of communication? The desperate need to please (Anakin) the delusion of thinking you're giving someone complete access (Obi-Wan) while keeping them out. It is SO perfect, it's literally my favourite obikin fic, I am so invested in this au. The questions you have them answer at the end. When Obi-Wan said he's "happy to make the list as an obligation" because free time means a lot to an enslaved man. Kit. KIT *stick figure gore of me sinking my talons into your shoulders* When Anakin says he has nothing to hide from Obi-Wan but Obi-Wan never asks and he feels like he's getting away with something each time he learns something while Obi-Wan is like. He can ask me anything. KIT *BLOOD IN MY MOUTH*

ahhh thank you so much!!! i really love writing chapters and answering asks about this fic because i'm really attached to these versions of obi-wan and anakin like. their motivations are so interesting to me, especially at this part of the story, in the beginning, when all they are are motivations

anakin absolutely feels this need to please and be loved and the focus of his master's attentions. he also feels helpless in the face of thinking obi-wan will never let him in like that. he also is unhealthily controlling in small ways (checking and rechecking his closed door, for one, trying to have a say in what he eats out of concerns for his health) but he just loves him so much and he really experienced like.d devastation when obi-wan was temporarily dead that i feel like altered his motivations fundamentally, especially because he restarted his heart so.....probably a tiny part of him....illogically feels as if that's his heart now......

and obi-wan absolutely thinks he is so transparent for anakin!! he has let him in!!! more than he's ever let anyone in at all probably, but it's probably not that much. he's so practiced at keeping him out and hiding his real emotions that that's second nature. not to mention he feels betrayed in his own way at anakin marrying padmé --instead of just having an affair with her-- and he's trying to frantically detach himself before anakin leaves the order because he'll be devastated when that happens. not to mention he can also be shit at respecting boundaries (he reads the messages on anakin's phone when he's asleep)

and it's all just so interesting especially because there's so much narrative bias and just narrative inaccuracies where the narrator/POV character completely reads the other's reactions wrong, which makes the little questionnaire at the end have so much more weight because the counselor is 1000% right when she says that that's what's most important--how they feel about each other and their relationship after honest deliberation and reflection

[fallenrocket]

I get that a lot of Star Wars fans are way ahead of me on this one, but episode 7 of The Acolyte helped me understand "attachments" in Star Wars in a way I never have before.

(Spoilers)

I've complained plenty of times about the Jedi's views on attachments. After all, virtually every Star Wars story is ultimately about love and friendship. Even though we know that Luke goes against Yoda's teaching when he goes to help Leia and Han in ESB, and even though they take a serious hit at the end of that film, we as viewers know that trying to help his friends is still the right narrative choice. And when he leaves them in RotJ, it's not because he's "detached" himself from them. It's because he cares for them--he's realized that Vader senses his presence, and by staying with them, he's putting them in more danger. By leaving and facing Vader, he's doing what he needs to do for him while also trying to protect Leia and Han. The trio is the heart of the original trilogy.

Star Wars is built on relationships of all kinds, whether you're looking at Obi-Wan and Anakin, Jyn and Cassian, Din and Grogu, and so on. But relationships in and of themselves aren't attachments.

Attachments are what we see in episode 7. Sol's desire to bring Osha to Coruscant as his padawan isn't even fully about her. It's about his own feelings, this selfish and possessive want that overrides his reason. It leads him to shut out the clearer-headed voices around him, and he acts rashly and desperately. And as a result, a lot of people get hurt. Including Osha. And including him.

Sol is obviously not the only player involved in the horrible events that transpire. But even though he doesn't intend for these awful things to happen, he plays a major role in bringing them about, and that's because he makes everything else come second to the "connection" he insists he feels with Osha.

I get it now. That's an attachment. Anakin missing his mother and worrying about her well-being (when she's, you know, stuck in slavery!) is a relationship. Anakin slaughtering an entire community of Tusken men, women, and children after she's killed is an attachment. Grogu loving Din is a relationship. Grogu Force-choking Cara when she and Din are arm-wrestling is an attachment.

And it makes sense why the Jedi would be concerned about this. Besides opening them up to the Dark Side, they simply have so much power that that sort of single-minded focus on a selfish desire makes them dangerous. I wouldn't say Sol specifically goes "Dark Side" in episode 7, but he contributes to a horrific level of pain, suffering, and death. All because he lets his feelings crowd out his judgment.

I also understand why the Jedi would be especially wary of familial and romantic relationships. It makes sense that they'd view these as putting a Jedi most at risk of developing an attachment. But I still think that cutting young children off from their families and forbidding romances for Jedi is a shortsighted way to go about it.

In my view, their methods are a little bit like abstinence-only sex ed. If the only teaching is "no romance, attachments are the path to the Dark Side!", that means any Jedi who catches feelings for someone and wants to pursue it will feel obligated to keep it a secret, like Anakin. They won't be equipped to watch out for warning signs that they're developing an attachment, because they haven't been taught what that feels like, and if they do realize they're getting into trouble, they won't be able to seek help from anyone.

I feel like it'd be better if romance was allowed but relationships were "declared" to Jedi HR. Then they could look out for one another, help to ensure that they're finding love and connection in healthy ways that aren't putting others--and themselves--in danger. By just saying "no" and leaving it at that, they're not preventing the problem. They're only forcing it into the shadows where it'll grow out of sight.

[unkat]

For the ask meme: 🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.

Love your Chilaios fics!

-sanityhasforsakenme

!!! Hi hi! I'm glad you like them, i really enjoy writing them and being a part of the fandom! :D

On the grounds of chilaios, i can do some for chil and laios:

Chilchuck

He has become so accustomed to being on edge while working in the dungeon, that he dreams about scenarios in his sleep, even when safely in his own bed on the surface. He is a worrier, and his worries follow him especially when there isn't anything else to keep him occupied. Taking too much responsibility for his party is both his love language and a sign of his learned distrust for others. Anime spoilers about Chil's life: It gets worse when his girls grow up and he doesn't have being a father to distract him. Immersing himself in his guild work is so involved with his dungeon delving that he gets even more lost in it, the distrust seeping from work to home until he doesn't even realize he has begun to drown in it.

Laios

While he is more careful not to share his special interests as much at first, having a small, consistent group of people who have not abandoned him even when he says something that is a social faux pas has improved his self-esteem. I feel like this gets even clearer when the canon events happen because it is the first time he has been with a group without Falin to carry the weight of smoothing social situations over for him. This really makes him more comfortable sharing his lore, and he ends up writing his own book(s) about the monsters from the dungeon, like a revised edition of the Gourmet Guide and then going more in-depth with it. He does all the art himself too.

Chilaios

What initially interested me in the ship was the open communication they had with each other, and their similar tactical mindsets focused on the dungeon itself. I feel as though they have a strong trust in each other, as strong as Chilchuck more obviously, Laios less obviously, CAN trust anyone. Regardless of the shipping potential, there is a strong love and loyalty between those two, carefully buried through Laios' social struggles and Chilchuck's preference to be perceived as socially aloof. ALL THAT SAID, headcanon is that when Chilchuck is feeling more social with Laios, he brings up different scenarios for Laios to visualize and parse through, both tactical and social ones. I think that Chilchuck is used to self-reflection and preparation by imagining hypotheticals, and it is an activity he can do with Laios that they both benefit and bond from. Additionally, Laios being able to map out solutions sometimes cuts through what Chilchuck gets spun up about, getting Chil out of his own head. Their passions both lie with their work, and they learn a lot from each other through this kind of analysis and planning. Shipping-brained, they both are touch-starved and unaware of how desperate they are for a deeper connection with each other, emotions totally blindsiding them when they realize the depths of their feelings. Two pretty logical guys having huge emotions who don't comprehend what they share and how it should look. They find the physical aspects easier than the emotional ones, and settle into a friends-with-benefits relationship before a romantic one.

Ty for your message! Ask Game from here.

[shoutabe]

hi, everyone! i hope you're having a wonderful weekend so far! 🥰 it's just me, ryan, here with another attempt at a fourth muse. i introduced boyoung not long ago, then dropped him, only to replace him with a muse that i had a clearer vision for, and with that said, i'd love for you to meet hinata shouta (b. 2005, he/him)! he hails from tokyo, but has resided in south korea since he was in middle school, so there's lots of room for all types of plots. discover more about him below, and if you're interested in plotting, leave a like and i'll reach out as soon as possible! 🐰

HISTORY.

born in tokyo to a homemaker/baker and an IT director, he lived a rather simple and sweet childhood. he has older siblings that are basically all athletic, and as the youngest, he followed in their footsteps; wanting to get involved in sports himself even if he wasn't especially good at them to start with.

upon entry to middle school, his father received an offer at an IT company based in seoul that he simply couldn't refuse, and though it was a massive transition for the family, they uprooted their lives and moved to south korea. mom opened up a small bakery, the kids joined new schools and learned a new language. all that.

shouta's feelings about this were not extremely positive. he had a hard time making the change. that, and he was bullied way more in seoul than he ever was in japan, which really affected his confidence. he's short, (adorably) bucktoothed, and his feelings get hurt waaaay too easily. it was easy for stronger kids to put a target on his back.

in time, he found community after joining the football club, especially because he kept the peace with everyone by bringing baked goods for them to enjoy after practices and games. they affectionately called him the team's "grandma" and he opened up to them more.

having worked hard to keep his grades up on-top of sports, upon graduation, shouta's college entrance exams were good enough to get him accepted into korea university's department of education. his first semester started in february 2024, and you guessed it, he's involved in the school's soccer club—go tigers! 🐯

DISPOSITION.

as i often enjoy to use astrology in constructing my muse's personality to some degree, i'd like to share that some of his placements are as follows: sun in cancer, moon in cancer, scorpio rising, venus in leo, and mars in aries. ✨ now, onto a (hopefully) brief deep-dive!

hinata shouta's a naturally rather shy person, one who possesses a delicate personality. however, despite being slow to open up, and possibly a bit intimidated by the idea of making new friends, there's a warmth about him that's hard to suppress. whether he likes it or not, he draws people closer to him with his sweetness and nurturing ways. being his friend is like a cozy warm hug, but he doesn't give his trust so freely. terrified of being hurt, he remains close only to a selective few.

that said, whenever he does latch himself onto you, he will never want to let go. is this a toxic trait? i don't know yet, but that's only because i'd have to see how plotting goes. my hunch is that it very well could be. he's a clingy person, he's often possessive of friends. his brothers and sisters all baby him, and he eats all of their coddling up like spoonfuls of sugar. he wants to be babied, and he's almost pathetic about it, but only to those who he considers friends; only when he feels safe.

that's honestly what he's all about. safety. security. he hides in his shell, puts up some type of armor, but beneath the shell is nothing but softness. he protects his own very fragile feelings. he's emotional.

it is impossible for him to hide his emotions. shouta is not a master of faking a smile. you will know how he feels about something by looking at his face. that, and his entire energy and vibe turns darker. in moments of agitation or stress, he can become a bit snarky, whiney, needy, and defensive. these feelings are only amplified when he's hungry. he genuinely loves to eat!

speaking of which, he also loves to share meals with others. his mom's taught him all she knows about baking, and he also spent a lot of time with her in the kitchen as a kid. over time, he's gotten really good at it, and he adores trying new recipes. he's not a professional, but it helps him calm down; reminds him of simpler times.

whenever he's not studying or practicing, he's almost definitely buried under piles of blankets in his dorm catching up on web-comics, which are his current obsession. he often latches onto things and learns everything there is to know about them, then exchanges said topic for a new one. he uses this knowledge to his advantage, even if most of the things he's gotten into are rather niche.

one of the reasons he loves web-comics so much is because of the romance. he loooooooves romance. he watches romance dramas, anime, films, etc. all of the time, and he especially loves the sadder ones. he finds an odd comfort in "the blues", loves content that assists in having a good cry.

in soccer, he's a winger and is known for his speed, flexibility, and agility. despite being somewhat lazy while he's at home, he does take care of his body and ensures that it's up to par for athletics. he eats well, too, even if he can sometimes be indulgent.

there is a light competitiveness to him. scorpio and aries add some edge here, and make him a fighter on the field. it's selective though. these mars influences are channelled only when necessary. he doesn't want to be seen as overly strong, as he loves being babied.

PLOTS.

i honestly prefer to brainstorm plots instead of list options for consideration! if you're interested, let me know and i'll do my best to assist in coming up with something incredible between shouta, and your muse(s)! 🥰

[undercover-monsterlover]

Hii omg i was so geeked when i saw ur page I hope its ok if I ask for a JJBA matchupp parts 4-6 a nsfw section wuld be awesum too THANK YOOOUUUUS!

My pronouns are He/She, I’d like to be paired with a guy and I’m 20 so an adult pleaazee.

Personality wise, I consider myself super easy to talk to.I can easily be pulled out of my shell and talk to you like you’re a good friend, even if we’re just meeting. I have a strong sense of humor, my humor consisting of banter and keeping a bit going. I like to consider myself cool and relaxed, but I have the tendency to geek out, I’m kind of too excitable… I’m a big shit talker, just a little judgmental. I lack empathy just a bit. I still try my best to console, but I either don’t really understand it or…… care. I’ll come to the situation with logic and a level head, but if I’m upset, then it’s almost the end of the world (I’m dramatic). 

As for preferences I can’t stand someone who can’t communicate. I’m incredibly patient, but it gets to a point. I don’t need someone funny or someone who makes jokes, them thinking I’M funny is enough. I also would need someone who’s touchy-feely, maybe not affection wise, but I'm very hands-on; playful smacks when I'm laughing, smacking them on tha butt, sorrryyy!

For hobbies and stuff, I love art. Drawing is my biggest hobby, and it has been for years and years…! I'm also really into listening to music (Rock, metal, melancholic stuff, soo awesum) I also luuv smoking, but I don’t do it alot, baking/cooking is nice toooo.

I lean towards being feminine, I.e longer hair with bangs and stuff. I’m really particular about my hair, not that I want it to look nice and clean, it needs to be purposefully messy. I love piercings, I have an eyebrow, septum, and navel. I don't really dress up.. Comfortability > Fashion.  I don’t really know what else to add for appearance, erm I have a birthmark on my hip that’s shaped kind of like a heart, so that’s cute.

Agaainn thank you SOOOOO MUCH sorry for talking ur ear off, luv u <3

Alright, I'd match you with...

Illuso

I'd say that things with Illuso start out on a bit of antagonistic note. Due to your cool exterior and slightly judgy outlook, he might think you're a bit of a prick at first, which will evolve into somewhat of a one-sided rivalry. HE'S supposed to be the nonchalant asshole around here, and your wit is overshadowing his blatant insults and trolling. Expect plenty of snark and vulgar comments, he's not one for subtlety. However, once he realizes you don't actually give a shit about his trash-talking, or have any opinion on him one way or another, his attitude quickly shifts into, "oh fuck, I need them carnally." At that point his insults would turn into back-handed compliments and negging, he's not great at romance, ok?

I think you would catch onto his affections for you pretty quickly, but instead of him just telling you, like you would expect a grown-man to do, he continues with these weird displays of backwards attentions. Your patience for this would wear thin at some point, wich would devolve into an argument, which would lead to you point-blank telling him to just come out and tell you what he wants. And he reluctantly does so. He's surprised when you rather quickly reciperocate though, he expected you to stay pissed off at him, but now that everything's out in the open your relationship is clearer. You're in looooovveeee😏😏😏.

Your relationship would involve a lot of teasing and messing with each other, his stupid pranks and your sharp comments, but nothing ever crosses the line into genuine cruelty anymore, and real arguments are very rare. Most of your bonding and relationship building would occured after you started dating. You two were a bit to busy with bullying eachother and pining before, but now you have that time to really get to know each other. It's not long before you both have a very deep, intimate understanding of eachother, which you usually don't even use as ammunition for messing with each other. How sweet. You become very close to eachother, but with everyone else you're both still a bit...unconcerned. Your seemingly low empathy makes it easier for you to accept his line of work, so no issues every really arise there, other than when he's show up drunk out of his mind after celebrating a successful hit with the boys. He also loves to brag to his teammates about being the only one in a stable relationship.

Illuso lives for your humour, and he laughs like an absolute psychopath at almost any funny comment. His jokes are more just blatant insults, but you both love shit-talking so much that it works out anyways. And he is brutal, he holds nothing back, he'll bring up people's families, appearence, sexuality, trauma, nothing is held sacred to this man. He's also great at picking up on a bit and keeping it going if you lead, and will double-down on it no matter what.

I'd say he's pretty interested in your art, he's never really had a creative streak himself, so it's cool to him, he doesn't have much constructive criticism or anything to contribute other then "looks cool" but you still appreciate it. However, if you ever draw him, he becomes an avid art enjoyer, he wants you to draw him in every pose😏. He also loves to just point out random shit and say "draw that" and expect you to do so without question. And when you don't feel like it or say no, he acts like you've just insulted him.

"Why not."

"I don't want to."

..."rude."

Illuso will eat anything you cook or bake like a man starving, you'll be lucky to get a second serving of any meal you make. He likes to joke about you being his housewife, until you threaten to never make anything for him ever again, which usually shuts him up. He usually shows affection through gift-giving and physical touch, he will blow all of his money from a job on you in one night if you want him to, whatever you want. He's also very hands-on as well, you smacking him on the butt, or him messing up your hair will always lead to play fighting, which he loves, and play fighting will often lead to...

NSFW

...him wrangling you into a position to fuck you. He loves to see your face, so any position where that can happen is ideal for him. He likes seeing the look in your eyes when you're just drowning in the pleasure of it all. Early on in the relationship, lovemaking is almost like a sexual power-struggle, as you both feel out the dynamics you like. I believe Illuso would prefer being more dominant, but either way he always likes it very rough, especially if you e been a touch too snarky for his tastes that day. (JK he loves that actually but any excuse to fuck you will be exploited.)

Pinning you down is always a turn on for him, though he does make an effort to at least keep you in a comfortable position when he does. But he loves pinning your wrists to the mattress, pushing your head into the pillow, fingers fish-hooking your mouth open, he just needs his hands to be one you in some way. He's not super into BDSM but a pair of handcuffs keeping you in place against the headboard is always nice, and a leash and collar, on you or him might come into play once in a while. He isn't too experimental, but you have tried out fucking to the beat of a metal song once or twice, and that was fun, though he prefers to just go at his own pace. Which is usually hard, fast, and deep. You don't typically go for more then a couple rounds, he puts all his energy and aggression into sex, so you're both usually pretty wiped out after a while.

He knows you aren't really a fan of dressing up, and in the typical day-to-day he doesn't care, but he loves nothing more than dolling you up in lingerie when you're at home, you'll eventually have more than you know what to do with. He also likes to just...watch you sometimes. He might ask you to masturbate or use a toy while he watches, more often than not he's not even touching himself, just enjoying the view. If you indulge this for him, he'll definitely make it up to you later though.

He's a bit into PDA and exhibition, partially because of the rush, partially because when the mood just him it doesn't matter where he is, he wants you now. If you're comfortable with it, he'd love to put on a little show, and if not, he'll just drag you to a semi-public bathroom or dark alleyway. It isn't rare for him to use his stand to pull you into an isolated mirror-realm either. He isn't great at aftercare at first, he's used to passionate hook-ups and one night stands that are over as soon as he comes, but he knows that since he gets rougher with you, he needs to be more attentive to you afterwards as well. It's not long before you both find a nice way to help each other relax afterwards.

[passthroughtime]

coming to your ask box to tell you that what you said about kuwana being protective of yagami is real and true actually. if kuwana weren't so busy trying to keep himself safe, he'd be doing more to try and keep yagami out of this (though he also desperately wants to be with him more). kuwana knows that yagami can handle a few scratches (and an explosion apparently, lmao) but he would take it very personally if anything ever happened to yagami ....i think. perhaps we're having shared delusions

thank you jichan, you're still the only one ever

yeah. though, he knew if he just went and disappeared without letting yagami know where he's going, it would kinda slow his process of getting into shit and endangering himself, even if for a bit. if kuwana actively and purposely involved him into everything, yagami would be in much more trouble i think. killing him was always an afterthought for RK, but if he'd be involved with kuwana more, well... it just paints a target on his back. and yagami wouldn't try to hide. he has ties to other people, he has something to lose.

so pushing yagami away and out of this all was a bit "two birds with one stone" kind of situation

though he also desperately wants to be with him more

yeah lol, i just realized that when kuwana gives him the pendant so he'd help ehara, he says that yagami is the only one he can trust with it, and like, really? you have lots of accomplices whose actions you can literally control, jeez, man xD

and of course kuwana suspected (or anticipated) that yagami would use this against ehara, so there's that also. but. his motivations are a mess, so we can be a little delusional about this as well i think

and an explosion apparently, lmao

explosion is nothing compared to all injuries yagami suffered in the end of JE, kuwana figured, he can survive a little explosion <3 it'd be good for him <3

but he would take it very personally if anything ever happened to yagami

no no, you're right. i mean, he does beat himself up over sawa, as well as mitsuru. he couldn't not feel responsible if this case would lead to yagami's demise as well. if anything, i can't say that kuwana doesn't care about other people. he even cares about his students even knowing that they despise him (i can't stop thinking about the fact that he agreed to meet with yagami so they'd release mamiya... it's not like he was afraid she'd spill everything, i mean, he tells yagami about a lot of things himself)

or maybe i really want to think that kuwana is a better person than he actually is. idk.

tbh i doubt my characterization of them a lot, hence all these disclaimers lol. and i really want to know other's opinions and why i can be wrong in how i view them? i mean, we are a small community. i can see people disagreeing with me, though in silence. but i want to discuss this, because i strive to see all sides of things, and i think it's fun to take their relationship apart again and again

i re-watch quite, uh. let's say, often the cutscenes featuring the two of them, and sometimes the moments where there's only mentions of them. i've started to write an "analysis" of each scene and their (presumed) reactions to their interactions, because it really does make things clearer in my head. i'm replaying the game rn, trying to see anything beyond my insanity lmao, but it's still just one view on things, you know? i really want to have a discussion and see where i can be wrong. and just... it'd be fun to listen other people talking about my favourite characters.

(is this approach insane? of course! but i'm having fun at the very least, and if i can have fun two years after i've finished LJ for the first time, well, i'll take it.)

when i say that i think about them a lot, i really mean it lol. (that's not my first rodeo, so business as usual for me.) but even if i strive to open-minded, and even if i re-visit canon again and again, it's hard to not be biased about lots of things.

and, yeah, i'm really glad to hear that you agree with me on this hc. but even if you, or anyone else, didn't, i'd want to hear all about it

[volucerrubidus]

Updated my Rules recently; there are a few new additions, so I'm going to copy/paste them here for ease of reading! If you don't feel like going through every single line to see what's new, the main section that's new is the "Disclaimers" section at the bottom. Otherwise, I've just altered wording, sorted things into categories, and tried to make everything clearer and easier to understand. Thanks everybody!

--

I am not harsh about enforcing these rules, but I will ask politely that you abide by them! They are in place to ensure that we have a good time together!

I usually hate DNIs, but I do want to make it clear: if I find out you are not pro-Palestine, I will hardblock you and move on. End of story. 

Basics:

Mun is 24. This is an 18+ blog.

Please note that if I can’t see what age bracket you’re in anywhere on your page, then I’m not taking a chance. You don’t have to disclose your age to me, but if I don’t see at least something that says you’re an adult, or over the age of 18 in some way, then I’m not going to follow back, and will softblock you. If you follow again, I will hard block you.  

RP etiquette applies. No godmodding, no metagaming, etc. Mun is not muse. Don’t assume your muse can automatically beat Tim in a fight. There’s more on combat below, but just be fair, and plot it with me beforehand.

Activity:

This blog is selective and mutuals-only. That said, I’m very likely to follow back/follow first. If you don’t follow me back in a week or two, I’ll unfollow again.

If I ever follow you a second time (or more times after that because I have memory issues and I’m not here often enough to remember urls well [I am so sorry]), I promise that I’m not trying to make you follow; it’s likely because I forgot about the first/previous time. Feel free to soft/hardblock me for your own comfort if it happens! I’ll do my best to avoid doing this. 

I am a low-activity blog; I work a full-time job, and struggle with energy and brain fog. Tim is also a finnicky muse.

Please do not pester me for replies. I will respond when I can.

Interactions:

Personals are free to follow, look, and like, but please do not reblog any of my posts.

Asks are a fantastic way to interact with me, and perhaps the best way. Often, I cannot access tumblr on the browser due to my work, so asks are something I can do on mobile at a higher frequency than threads.

If you want to continue from an ask answer, please make a separate post. If you don’t, then I will transfer to a new post on my turn.

I do not do M!A’s (magic!anons) unless I specifically reblog an M!A post– otherwise, I will not respond if you send one in.

Don’t forceship with me. Ships come from chemistry. That said, you are welcomed with open arms to tell me if you want to ship with Tim, and we can go from there! I do reserve the right to deny a ship, but if that’s the case, then I’ll work with you to plot a fun and interesting dynamic that makes us both happy!

I don’t do exclusives or mains; please don’t ask me to make you one or the other. If you do have exclusives or mains, then that’s awesome! No judgement either way; I just personally won’t have them on my blog.

Please reblog memes from the source. This is to keep my activity page easier for me to keep up with. 

Content:

I don’t rp smut.

I don’t use fancy text formatting for the sake of my own ability to proofread my writing. You are welcome to continue to use whatever text formatting you’d like, though!

I will make sure to tag any warnings that I find necessary (and upon request if I miss something!), and in turn, I ask that you please tag topics involving non-con situations. Thank you!

Communication:

If I do something you don’t like, PLEASE tell me! I want this to be fun for everyone involved, but if I don’t know that I did something you were uncomfortable with, then I can’t fix it, and thus, we are no longer mutually having fun. I know confrontation is daunting, and people have probably treated you very poorly when you tried to communicate a grievance in the past; it’s happened to me, and it’s happened to so many people I know. I will do my best to be kind, fair, open, and apologetic, and I will do what I can to help rectify the situation, no matter how big or small. Come open a dialogue; I’ll be happy to have one with you. 

I chat in the tags often.

If there’s something in a thread that you want to discuss, please come chat with me about it!

Please tell me if you want to ship! I want to know!

If you have a plot request, send it my way!

Combat between muses is going to come up often on this blog given the muse and source material. If a thread starts to go in that direction, I require that we plot out the fight before proceeding, so that we can work together to write a scene that both goes the way we need it to for plot reasons, AND goes the way we want it to for fun reasons. The only exception to this is people I’ve written with for long enough that I feel we will not accidentally step on each other’s toes during a fight.

Disclaimers:

I do not and will never ship Tim with Bruce, Dick, Jason, Cass, Duke, or Damian. If you write batcest, I don’t care, but I will not follow you. If you follow me, I’m likely to soft or hard block. The only exception to this is multimuse blogs who have muses I want Tim to interact with, or blogs that have a clear line of separation between batcest and batfamily interactions. I will be HIGHLY selective about this, though.

If you do not make it clear on your blog that you ship batcest, and then we become mutuals, and I see you suddenly start writing batcest, I will softblock you. It is not personal; I just don’t want to read that stuff on my own personal dash. I just ask for honesty. Please don’t trick me into following you; tumblr rp follower counts are not that important.

For full transparency: I do think the pro/anti debate is stupid. Those words are thrown around willy-nilly to vilify people or virtue signal, and I will not entertain that discourse on this blog. In my humble opinion, anyone can write whatever they want in fandom spaces, and I just would hope that tags are used appropriately, so that people can curate what they read or view. I personally could not care less what another writer ships; if there’s stuff I don’t wanna see, I’ll just not look for it, and I won’t follow people who write it. Simple as that.

You’ll see it in my bio too, but I want to address it here as well: I actively dislike fanon, and it will have no place in my writing of Tim. I don’t care if your muse draws from fanon—you do you—but don’t be shocked if my Tim acts surprised or confused by fanon assumptions of him (ex: if your muse brings Tim coffee to drink, he will be very confused as to why that was the choice. Tim Drake is not a coffee drinker). I am not going to gatekeep your experience with comics, and I am never going to send you anything that might make you feel bad for how you write your character. I love everyone’s interpretations, and I like seeing different takes on them! I just think it’s courteous to put this note here to be fully open and honest.

Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this; I know it’s long! I hope you have a fantastic day, and I look forward to writing with you! :D

[myloveforhergoeson]

Uhh... I'd apologize for the wall of text I just left on your new chapter on AO3, but my mother always told me to never tell a lie. ;)

AHHHHH thank you SO MUCH i know it was so long and so much information to take in but im so so so overjoyed that you enjoyed! thank you for taking some time out of your day to write such a thought out and sweet comment 😭 literally my #1 motivator. us james girlies gotta stick together!!!!!!

i know you left the comment on ao3 but i've got a lot to say back so imma take some bits and pieces and write them out here ehehe

"I'd noticed that James seemed a bit hesitant to talk about his parents. Especially his mother. And I saw Roxy wonder if she was the type of girl you bring home to your parents. But I think for her, everything's going to become clearer at Mother's Day. It's not that James is ashamed or anything. I think it's because he loves her so much and he doesn't want his mother ruining what they have. She is a bit... domineering."

YES UGH roxy just doesn't get it bc she has such a good relationship w her dad and mentioned way way back after she broke up with dak that she thought he was hiding their relationship (which he was... but she's just speculating) so she's just a teensy bit freaked out about james potentially doing the same thing. and it's totally like you said, she just doesn't understand quite yet. from what she knows about the diamond family, she sees james' dad as the problem, not his mom. she's in for a ride lol

"But, seriously, side note for these two: OPEN UP TO EACH OTHER!"

mannn they struggle with that don't they 😭 it's so hard to write! not that i'm a perfect communicator in my own relationships but... yeah i remember being 17 and wanting to share ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about myself so...

"Kendall sure knows how to bribe her, doesn't he? And the cheeky payback with Kendall on the ice is so Kendall. I really love how you touched on Kendall being a prodigy on the ice. And of course he was the Captain. I can see it. And the nicknames too. Sir Rounded. Pretty Boy. Tensie. Sensacional. Please, please, PLEASE have the boys refer to each other by those nicknames at some point. Or even Roxy."

roxy and kendall are like brother and sister to me; of course he knows how to get what he wants from her!! especially when joe jonas is involved... but yes!! they talk big hockey game in the show but we never really get to see it; so i wanted to highlight that just a little bit. go captain go! i really don't know anything about hockey irl but i do know that nicknames are a big thing at least in the american league! did my best. if you ask my friends im equally as terrible at nicknames in real life. and don't you worry roxy is definitely calling james pretty boy at some point in the future (she already did in the rockstar au!) but i'll have to find a way to work in the others. did anyone almost catch that kendall nearly told her logan's real name? hortense... 'tensie... oh god she's going to freak lmao...

"Side note: I love how all the hockey guys are super chill. I actually like that image of them being so aggressive on the ice, but actually be teddy bears in real life. (Something that especially fits Carlos.)"

:)))))))) even though they appear for so little in this chapter the hockey boys mean so much to me. if anyone reads my monthly book reviews... well... you know i love a good hockey romance! they're all themed quite similar - the giant, violent sports machine actually has a soft side... god i'm such a sucker for it! james really isn't like that, at least not in the way his friends are, but i gotta squeeze in some self-indulgence in here and there. i named most of the guys after characters from those books! hawkins comes from nate hawkins (icebreaker by hannah grace) ((i know! you can all boo me later)) callaghan comes from russ callaghan (wildfire by hannah grace) graham comes from garett graham (the deal by elle kennedy) miller comes from rory miller (the fake out by stephanie archer) logan (not that one) comes from john logan (the mistake by elle kennedy) and streicher comes from jamie streicher (behind the net by stephanie archer) PHEW!!!! we love a cameo

"And the way Roxy got tricked by Katie was so... that was just glorious. And the way Roxy freaked out when she realized what was happening was great too. This is making me excited for Big Time Crush. Their conversation at the end was such a great touch. I'm glad Katie has that older sister figure in her life."

katie MASTERMIND strikes again... though if she just asked rox would've taken her anway!!! she was just embarrassed... it's hard for her to talk about her feelings when she's growing up with not one, but FOUR, overprotective older brothers! someone left a comment on my wattpad and said they really loved the roxy/katie interactions and i realized they had like. such little time together so i needed to fix that asap! i don't have an older sister, but i am one, so i tried to channel that energy into that scene hehe

"AH! JO SAID THE L-WORD ABOUT KENDALL! Damn. That episode is gonna be even more heartbreaking now."

>:) sorry. had to! bothered the fuck out of me they never said it in the original show soooo

"And the cat's named Hippocrates?! That is such a Logan thing, though. And I love how Logan and Roxy were able to talk to each other about their respective heartbreaks."

eheheh it took me sooo long to come up with a name for the cat, it was originally einstein but we talked about hippocrates in one of my classes the day i edited the chapter and it just felt more fitting... here is the mister in the garden himself. thanks google!

and yess lord i love writing logan and roxy so so so much. out of all of them (even james!) she's most comfortable talking with him; i accidentally made them really similar personality wise and they just get along so well

"Aw, Carlos got Roxy on an early morning run. AND HE BROUGHT A PUPPY! (Her age doesn't matter - all dogs are puppies to me.) Missy sounds so cute! And the way she led the run is so cool. And I'm with Carlos. Keep Missy away from Lightning. He's such a protective dog dad."

MISSY!!!!! you are so right all dogs are puppies and missy is no exception!!!! i read somewhere a long time ago that dalmatians are natural leaders, so i just let our girl have her moment! my dog can be like that too though; she has her favorite walking paths! as for keeping her away from lighting... i think missy can hold her own :) but yes carlos is such a protective dog dad. that's his baby!!!! and here is missy, thank you once again google

"And seriously? James needed to ask if he could kiss Roxy at midnight? Also... can I live in Roxy's dream house?"

yes!! he's a gentleman!!! they were drinking!!!!!! but rox was def thinking the same thing as you hehe. and she's sooooo funny! miss ma'am gets a few drinks in her and she just starts blabbing and blabbing (just like me fr) for anyone wondering what her biggest fantasy is... she's literally living it idk what to tell you. dream job, living in her dream city, dating the hottest guy ever who is so sweet and attentive to her, and he's FAMOUS? not that james needs to know that she thinks that :) lord knows she's going to love the introduction of one direction in the third season...

lmaooo there you go - an equally as long wall of text i am also not going to apologize for... i was bursting with all this information and just waiting for someone to ask loll. you know me. i can talk about my own silly story for hours and hours and hours-

thank you so much again for reading! i'm so excited for the next chapter of take a shot in the dark!!! and i noticed you put in a new section of your ao3 for kaelyn knight stories? are we getting short stories in the future!? ahhhh!!!!!!

[alyjojo]

August 🥵 2024 Monthly - Aquarius

Preshuffle: Someone around you - could be family or someone you live with - is very bossy, demanding or insistent that something go a specific way and I’m just hearing you respond like “are you done yet?” You’re patient but at the same time, they’re affecting your peace and you will have no issue speaking up 💯

Meditation: With a pack of other people, a whole farm working together, you’re cutting hay and bundling them into bales. Constant pulling, cutting, twisting, stacking - you’re worn out but it’s the good kind because there is progress in front of your eyes. While taking a break, drinking water and resting, someone shows you their phone which has a ton of drama going on via social media, and you just wave them away like you don’t even care - because you don’t. You’ve got shit to do.

Main energy: Page of Swords

I love this card upright, someone is learning information and feels so knowledgeable now, expressing or discussing how they feel or what they’ve learned to someone else. It’s probably love related for you, there’s going to be a lot going on at work most likely. Or if not you, your person is going to be very busy with work this month and there may not be time for romance. Or dates. You’re expressing disappointment or your person is, someone feels like they’ve got the world on their back and they’re carrying it all. I’m seeing there’s no choice with it either. Defense is at the bottom of the oracles and Forgiveness shows where it’s headed - it feels like a blip on your radar, but could get emotional for a minute. This could be someone you’re helping at work too, like a boss that’s just overloaded with responsibility and you’re doing what you can to help.

What’s going on in August:

King of Pentacles:

Right off the bat I’m seeing another story too. There could be a romantic sort of energy that’s highly emotional over you - and you’re not interested. Or single. Or switch it and they’re not. If so there could be an emotional confession, and clarification that this isn’t going anywhere, someone is involved already, there may be disappointment over that. You may stop talking to this person because it’s weird now.

Otherwise, you’re up to your neck in responsibility at work, and it’s making you kind of emotional, you’re liable to have a moment where you just kinda fall apart, because who doesn’t? Cracking under pressure. You could feel chained to a situation you can’t escape, and though you try to ease your worries (and pretend it’s fine to most people), it’s something that’s very difficult for you to move through. If not you, your boss, a coworker you’re friends with, a partner.

On the outside: I’ve got this 💪

On the inside: I do not got this 🥹

8 Swords:

There’s a lot of not communicating before there’s eventual communicating, that’s the main idea of the month. You suffer silently, or someone does, before finally this Page of Swords opens up and talks about struggles going on, probably relating to work, that’s what’s really heavy here. Or to someone at work even. There’s a long period of time nothing is being said though, because you/they don’t know how or aren’t clear on what is wrong in the first place - so how could they fix it? King of Swords rev isn’t a great energy but I’m seeing it as you don’t know what to do, this King always knows what to do and this one is lost for any solutions. Aquarius’ card. Your keyword being “I know”, when you don’t know all hell breaks loose in your mind. Page of Swords could just be that, you genuinely don’t know so you’re going to find out 💯 Especially if this is in relation to someone else, you’ll ask the right questions to get a clearer idea of what’s going on, or finally crack open yourself.

8 Pentacles:

Your energy is really good. Possibly stressed, possibly confused to all hell on what to do, but you’re taking it one day at a time and avoiding anything drastic that could cause *further* problems. Feeling people out, helping where you can, concentrating really hard on whatever task is in front of you as it comes (and I heard “it never stops coming.”) You’re also avoiding burnout where that’s possible, or attempting to lend a hand to anyone that needs it - wherever you can. You carry a lot of stress on your own, but with others you’re trying to be peaceful and patient. If it’s your romantic partner that’s chaos this month, then you’re putting in the extra effort to cover whatever they can’t. Or a coworker. Aqua can be one of the best right-hand men/women and that’s what’s coming through, a support role. Or you’re needing support from someone else, could be why you’re speaking up, you’ve been patiently waiting and now it’s like “hey…helppp please 🫠,” cuz you’re kinda drowning, no rush though - whenever you get a second.

9 Pentacles rev:

You can’t do something alone, that’s something you’ve kept hidden and it’s coming to light. Or someone else is revealing they need your help with something. They might not have the money, more likely the time, and they’re having a hard time directing all of the things in all of the directions they need to go for whatever reason. At the bottom is a boss again, could be work related. Leader can’t lead, but literally, not because they’re incapable but because there’s some frantic drama going on that they can’t handle alone. A whole shipment of 10,000 somethings never got pulled or packed and you’re having to come in and help save the day - that’s the vibe from wherever it’s coming from. I’m seeing a warehouse now, in the vision it was a farm, somewhere where there should be a whole team of people pitching in and it’s turned into a one man show - and it’s too much.

2 Pentacles rev:

Oooh, on the contrary, you could be having words with someone who doesn’t help when they should be. Even if it’s a boss. Leader doesn’t lead, that keeps repeating and it’s not just this reading either, but I forget who else got that. You or someone else will take it and take it and deal with it until they just can’t do it any longer, and still I don’t see any conflicts or big dramatic scenes. There will be communication though, and someone could get emotional over it. Burden at the bottom of the oracles is showing enough is enough, and Forgiveness is showing it’s ultimately moving in a positive direction, Geranium is being replanted in a brand new pot and it’s a brand new start. One with more wiggle room, it’s needed, could just be you/they only needed to speak up and that’s the whole struggle.

Signs you may be dealing with:

Virgo, Taurus, Gemini, Scorpio & Cancer

Oracle: ✨

23 Forgiveness 😌

It has been said forgiveness is the greatest gift we can give ourselves - forgiveness of others, but also forgiveness of self. We are the most critical and judgmental of ourselves. This inner critic does so much more harm than criticism that comes from others. Forgive yourself for trusting others and getting hurt, for not knowing, for not seeing, for not believing. You are human and you are growing and learning. Human perfection is rooted in imperfection. This card indicates the need for forgiveness in the situation asked about.

Venus Taurus - Romance 🥰

Jupiter Pisces - Seduction 💋

This could be romantic, for the story where someone isn’t single it could be kind of a headache because it’s not going anywhere but it’s being discussed, and that’s not easy. It could be a case of “trying to be nice” and not wanting to be mean or hurt people. These may be placements of people involved or what they mean. Venus Taurus values work, money, stability, things being on an even keel - no drama. Jupiter Pisces is sacrificial in the way they will go all out for people and be kind, putting themselves in other people’s shoes and trying to give more and more of themselves, because “selfish” is the worst dirty word. You or someone else could be giving off martyr behavior - probably the one speaking up, and it looks fair or legit - they’re doing too much.

We enter into August as:

Navy Trail 🎑

“When I am somewhere else, my life will have meaning.”

Now is the time to let go of the feeling that you need to do something to learn a particular lesson. This may indicate you have already learned (or are in the process of learning) whatever it is you think you need. It is in self-truth that we face who we are, and allow ourselves to become who we’re meant to be. How often do we hide from something, fearing the pain that comes with awareness? You may be on a quest that is unnecessary. However, allow yourself the time to discover the lesson of self-discovery that is there for you. If Navy Trail is before you, it is time to look at all you have in your life. Perhaps you would do well to ask others how they perceive your life. You may be surprised to hear how successful you appear to the outside world. Navy Trail represents the difference between teachable and not. Do not miss this message.

What is to be learned in August:

Geranium 🌺:

“This is another beginning.”

What appears to be an end may not be one after all. Often situations that generate our greatest fears turn into remarkable opportunities. It’s time to let go of the past, and trust that whatever is coming is better than what you’ve known to this point. You are ready to begin again. A new opportunity is coming from a place you don’t expect. There is a regeneration of some kind going on. Whatever you were pulled away from in the past was for the purpose of bringing you to a higher place. It’s time for whatever has been dormant to bloom again. Trust there is a higher plan. This is truly an exciting time.

Red may be a lucky color ❤️

[etherfabric]

Hi! If your reading is still open, may I have one? 😊 You can pick the deck.

Thank you! Mg💙

Hello, of course. The Hermetic Tarot deck was calling me for your reading. These are the cards that came up:

Universe, 3 of Pentacles, Knight of Swords

You will come to a conclusion about yourself that will end a cycle of transformational experiences (or maybe this already happened recently). This will empower you to take a much more proactive role in your relationships, and you will be able to communicate your intentions clearer than ever. There have been certain ideas and concepts inside of your inner world you didn't know how to translate into concrete 3D experiences, and you also had trouble conveying them in theory to the people in your life. Something always just felt off. This used to be a root of deep frustration, and you thought this will be an obstacle for the rest of your life.

You are being called to not act on every impulse you get regarding communicating these ideas once the path is clear; your sense for appropriate timing will guide you wisely. Remember that your words have an impact on those around you, and despite the forces much larger than you being at play in every aspect of life, this doesn't resolve you of your personal responisibilty to always try your best for everybody involved.

This doesn't seem like a far stretch for you, though. You are naturally considerate and mindful. It seems more like this will be a true "Heureka!" kind of epiphany, and the giddiness to share it might have the power to cloud your judgement in a way that is not like you usually. Limitations that seemed insurmountable won't be holding you back anymore, so you will have to pace yourself this time. Like a ship that never had its anchor lifted, but still managed to move with the winds, and now suddenly steering it requires a much more subtle hand to get from A to B. Because the resistance everyone got so used to has been removed.

Overall, this is a fortunate turn of events. It will set you up for much more confident plans for security in the future, and get you closer to the realization of your true potential. The world suddenly seems fair again, and not like everything is stacked against you. It will broaden your horizon what is actually possible in this lifetime, and give a boost of tried and tested optimism that will carry you for quite some time.

I hope this was what you were looking for. I would love to know how it resonates 🦋✨️ Thank you for trusting me with your energy!

[hillbillyoracle]

Better Tarot Beginner Questions

One of the reasons I've not been as interested in making tarot content lately is because I feel like I've covered most of what I have to say for beginners. When I open the floor for questions I mostly get the usual ones - "What deck should I buy?" "Do I need to cleanse them?" "What spreads should I use?" - and while I totally get why that's what a lot of people are concerned about, I think that kind of thinking can really limit someone's relationship with the cards. So I wanted to suggest some better questions to ask your favorite tarot writers to illicit more interesting answers and attempt to answer them myself.

"How does tarot work?"

My personal view is that the "universe" + deities + spirits generally can use the random nature of the cards to communicate messages. Instead of having to intuit an entire message from them, I only need to intuit when they'd like me to stop shuffling - when the cards are in the arrangement they want to use - and then read the meanings of the cards to decipher what they wanted me to know.

Pretty straight forward.

"What is tarot good for?"

I think tarot is good for all sorts of things. I learned it because I was drawn to oracular work specifically. I'd grown up having "flashes" of things that would later come to pass and I was looking for a way to tap into that on purpose and not just randomly. I wasn't allowed to explore that openly in my fundamentalist Christian home at the time - I was 15/16 - but a friend got me a pack of tarot cards for a Christmas present that I was able to open in private and hide. Once I started to get the basics down, I wanted to help others with them, so I began to read for other people once I left for college (the first time). Later on as I got asked more questions about spirits, I stumbled into using it as a spirit communication tool. I mention all this because it shapes what I think of as tarots strengths and weaknesses.

Tarot did indeed prove to be a good tool to develop my oracular capacity. I am much better at looking toward a topic and getting flashes at will now. The flashes are also much much more accurate and detailed than they used to be. So if you're looking to learn it for that, I can highly recommend it.

I've found it to be a little hit or miss for helping people. It depends so much more on the other person's openness and capability to act on the reading than my abilities and I think that's always what I've found most frustrating about reading for clients. I can hone my skill for the decade plus that I have but it's completely useless if someone asks a question they don't actually want the answer to. So mixed bag there. 

I think Tarot is actually a little tricky for spirit communication, especially with human Dead and the like. I think it might be a little too complex? I prefer geomancy when working with the Dead. The answers tend to be much clearer with more ways to double check. Tarot has worked alright for communication with deities and the like though. Tarot in general works best for me when I read for a specific need and connect with a more "universal" spirit to pull cards. 

"What are the limitations of tarot?"

It's less of a science and more of an art so that can be really difficult for people. It definitely threw me for the first couple years I was reading them. That art aspect can also leave more room for non-specificity which isn't great for all applications. 

It's not gonna do the work for you, even if it's good at highlighting it. Knowing what you need to do is only so useful unless you act on it. 

Can have that "you see what you want to see" effect if you're not self aware or have some form of shadow work practice. 

"What skills are involved in being good at tarot?"

There's basic intuition - being able to tell a yes/likely from a no/not likely - which I believe most people can develop. Aside from that, I think one of the main ones is being able to take in a lot of visual information + overlapping meanings and begin to pattern match enough to know which ones are most important. Another skill is being able catalog a whole library of meanings and switch between big archetypal level ones and very specific discrete ones to achieve a specific aim. Tying the meanings of the cards to the spread you're using is something that trips people up but it's pretty easily worked through if you treat the spread itself as divinatory material and not a quiz.

When working with querents, I think it gets trickier because often to give a good reading you have to have enough intuition to know you're right about something even when they might disagree with you but you also need enough intuition to know when to hold back some because they might not be ready for a given piece of information. That balance is tricky to pull off. I used to make the mistake of giving all of the information I got out of a reading and not only did the important meanings get lost, but some times a particular piece would become an unhealthy fixation. As I've gotten older and more practiced, that's doesn't happen nearly as much any more and I've seen satisfaction with my readings go way up.

There's also being able to navigate ethical questions and personal boundaries. What are you willing and not willing to read for? Yes even if it's just for yourself. Will you read for third parties who aren't present? Are you willing to stand by those even when I client is angry and threatening? What do you mention from a given reading for others in your personal notes or with other people? How do you handle identifying information?  How you handle those can really make or break you as a reader.

"What practice does it take to become good at tarot?"

I think it depends on you - you level of intuition, your interpersonal skills, your level of energy and timeline. I had the best luck learning to read tarot not from books but from doing reading after reading for people who had burning questions. The summer before I went to college, I did an alternative Freshman 101 course where I spent 8 days climbing, backpacking, and rafting with people in my future dorm instead of a semester course. It was great and I took a deck of tarot cards with me so ~12 people knew I could read tarot alrightish. Who told their roommates. Who told their friends. So I spent several nights a week reading in dorm lounges for random people who'd either heard about me or walked by and gotten interested. 

Doing that many readings, especially back to back, meant I could notice changes in the oracular sense I was developing. It's kind of like sampling different foods. Through contrast you really notice the spicy foods or the bitter ones or the sweet ones. With reading for a lot of different people who often had different kinds of questions over the course of a semester, I could really get that contrast that allowed me to see when I was really on to something or what specific feelings in conjunction with certain cards had tended to mean over time. 

So I personally don't think it's something you can get good at by reading a book or practicing solo. Because there's only so many "tastes" you can introduce yourself to over time. Reading for other people has the benefit of variety and confirming or challenging your predictions so that you can really sharpen those senses to divine at a high level. 

But also - not everyone needs to be GoodTM at it. Good enough is probably easier to achieve but it wasn't what I set out to try to pursue. 

Conclusion

These are just some but I'd love to hear others take on what questions might be more fruitful for beginners to ask. 

And if you've got any questions you've like to ask me, drop them in my ask! 

[snidgetwidgeon]

Son of Hylia, Daughter of Farore

A roleswap Zelink AU

Art by @anxioussailorsoldier and used here with permission

This story is a one-shot inspired by the prompts from @drsteggy and was gifted to her in a fic exchange.

~~~

Link awoke suddenly, desperately trying to cling to the vision of a woman surrounded by bright light as it diminished from his foggy mind. Try as he might to enter back into the haze of his mysterious dream, sounds came louder and clearer to his ears, and he registered the rustle of the sheets sliding against his feet as he stretched, his senses slowly returning. Today would be a trying affair. He always remained fatigued after she appeared to him, ever speaking yet rendered frustratingly silent.

Perhaps he could try to lay low, hide in the library, and search yet again on the shelves he’d already scoured for something he may have missed; something to prove it was possible that he was having the visions vessels were known to have had. He just couldn’t interpret them. He spared a bittersweet thought for his late mother. She would have known, would have shown him. Or perhaps she would have bore a daughter, and there would be no question; and he could have supported his sister when they found out the Calamity was foretold to return.

But the Kingdom of Hyrule was left with a Prince at the precipice of doom. He’d never felt more useless, or more determined to do something about it. He would find a way. He would protect everyone.

Zelda shifted her feet, practicing her forms to warm up before training. She missed her scimitar. This new blade felt so different and she had to relearn how to make it an extension of herself. It was humbling when sparring partners she had previously bested came out on top. It just proved she still had much to learn and needed to become proficient with many weapon types if she wanted to be the greatest.

She recalled being a bit intimidated as her group of friends grew over the years. Where they used to be physical equals, they now towered above her; but she supposed she could be thankful for the challenge because it caused her to become an incredibly scrappy fighter, always looking for openings she could wheedle into.

This time she wheedled too far and forgot to watch her flank while in pursuit of one of her opponents. Another warrior swept in and bashed her ribs as she was on an upswing and it sent her flying. As she was pulled up, she couldn’t help but think spitefully that the same would not have happened if she were allowed her weapon of choice. She could have recovered with her scimitar but the swing on the Master Sword was different.

“Nice air you caught there,” her sparring partner teased in Gerudo. “Again?”

Zelda recovered her blade from a few paces away and declined, “I think I’ll just nurse my wounds and ego for awhile, thanks.”

“Suit yourself. I recommend you do solitary for a few days with your new acquaintance,” she pointed her chin towards the Master Sword in Zelda’s grip. “See if you two can make friends,” she winked and ran back to join the fray.

Zelda stared down at the sword with slight contempt. Urbosa had told her of the legends she’d learned from the late Queen of Hyrule, and her son, Prince Link- that the sword was wielded to protect Hylia, and how the blade itself chose its master and would even communicate. Someone being chosen meant that a shit storm was likely brewing.

Urbosa also mentioned that preparations were being made against some sort of Calamity. The word made Zelda’s blood run cold and she knew it was something to be feared. If the sword was not speaking to her, perhaps it chose wrong and she was not suited to the challenge. She had tried everything she could think of, even hours of meditation, which she hated because she didn’t like sitting still for long.

But it was all for naught.

She wove her way through the stalls and bustle of the marketplace, sword heavy on her back, and day after day it had only served to weigh her down even more. She could no longer stand it. She exited the north-western gates and ran along the outer wall. Heart pounding and sweating all over, she dug a rather shallow and pathetic hole, chucked the sword in and kicked sand over it before walking away in a huff, muttering, “Curse the day I found your infuriating silence!”

She’d been training in the desert when she discovered it, exploring further than she ever had over the dunes. Following the statues with their guiding swords, she finally came upon the last one and sheltered under her cloak at its base as a sandstorm passed. Thankfully, it was short and as she stood to shake as much sand as she could off her person, she noticed something strange in the distance. She could have sworn she’d reached the last statue of the warriors. Perhaps she’d miscounted as there stood another on the horizon, the reflection of its sword glinting brightly in its grasp.

Zelda took a drink from her ration, taking note of how much was left before deciding she could manage one more. If anything, it would improve her survival skills.

As she neared the solid figure rising out of the sands she noticed that the sword it held was elaborate. Oddly enough, a scabbard for it was slung over the shoulder which made it appear that someone had just left it there. She looked around but only saw a few cacti bearing voltfruits, perfect for carrying around extra moisture for the return trip. Some movement caught her eye behind a cactus and she ran over, pulling her scimitar, in case there was meat to be had, but she was met with a poof of sparkling petals and could have sworn she heard a childish giggle.

After investigating thoroughly, she cut the fruits and placed them into her bag before returning to the statue. It would be a shame to leave such a fine piece of work out in the middle of nowhere. She climbed the figure and slipped the scabbard off the shoulder, letting it fall to the sand before holding the neck and planting her feet against the torso so she could reach the hilt with her free hand. It did not budge. Hiking herself up, she wrapped her legs around the neck so she could use both hands to pull on the wings above the hilt.

She was straining when she heard the laugh again, accompanied by a rattle, and in her distraction, the blade suddenly came loose and they both tumbled into the sand.

She’d thought nothing of it until returning to Gerudo Town.

During a routine visit to the throne room, Chief Urbosa had nearly sent away visiting dignitaries when she spied the sword on Zelda’s back. After the meeting, Urbosa called her into her private quarters, which was very unusual. Perhaps she was to be given a special assignment.

“Where did you find that sword?” Urbosa asked with intense interest and a hint of concern.

Zelda stood at attention and replied concisely, “In the desert, Chief.”

“Zelda, have you any idea what you’ve found?”

Zelda began to doubt her decision to play finders keepers. Maybe it was a ceremonial sword or relic that should have stayed where it was. Though she had been raised with the Gerudo, she certainly did not purport to know all of their culture and was horrified by the idea that she’d deeply offended them.

~~~

Urbosa removed her bracelets and hair ornaments, letting the thick, red locks fall down her back. Making sure her tea would be in reach, she snuggled into her bed and opened a letter from her favorite Hylian. She always saved his letters for the end of the day when her attention could be undivided and she could imagine actually having a conversation with him. He was so bright and inquisitive, and optimistic- as his letter revealed. Just like her love.

~I have not given up my search. I keep thinking that surely, there is a pocket in the library I have not scoured. But then another duty and another day takes me away from it. I see her, Urbosa. It has to mean something. If only I could find evidence that there has been a son of Hylia. Why else would I be given visions? If only I could interpret them...

Do you know how mother did it? Did she ever say anything?~

He then went on to describe his involvement with the funding of the research at the Royal Ancient Lab as well as other gossip that he and Urbosa kept up on, including their inside jokes about stuffy nobles. He also wanted to hear more about the warrior who had pulled the Master Sword.

~Does the bearer of the Blade that Seals the Darkness fare well? The moment I learned of her, I hoped that it was a sliver of evidence to prove my case. If there is a woman as Farore’s chosen, then perhaps it lends weight to the fact that a man could be Nayru’s chosen. But I’m harping. Perhaps I will be able to meet her soon, though father keeps me tied up in social engagements. He has taken to parading me at events where there are ample amounts of young debutantes to vie for my attention. I’d much rather be studying.~

Urbosa wrote back early the next morning after skimming the letter again.

~It seems our chosen Hero is having trouble awakening the power within the blade. When you sent word of legends that say the sword speaks to a worthy master, she immediately felt inadequate. Zelda excels at any challenge and eventually overcomes all obstacles, so when she continually failed to connect with the sword’s spirit, she took out her frustrations in a childish manner. The other day she was witnessed burying it in the sand outside the town walls. She must have blown off all her steam because she did retrieve it later that night.

I think that learning her fate has been weighing on her. She puts on a stoic face but I can see she has reservations. Perhaps if you two came together, something will give?~

After reading Urbosa’s reply, Link laid the parchment back down on his desk and pondered her proposition. He had been wanting to expand his search outside the castle for sometime and though he enjoyed visiting the Royal Lab, it did not hold any answers for what he sought; they were just a bunch of rowdy mechanics who were a lot of fun to hang around with. But to understand his history and role, he wanted to go on a pilgrimage to the known spiritual sites of Hyrule, and perhaps discover unknown ones as well so he could be better informed on how to defeat the Calamity, and possibly awaken the power of Hylia along the way.

He would start making arrangements right away.

~~~

King Rhoam rapped his knuckles on the door of his son’s study. When Link answered with a curt nod and a polite greeting, he entered, leaving his guard detail outside. He thought it prudent to retain at least some privacy for this matter, considering the gossip it could generate.

“I hear you’re planning some sort of trip,” it came out as a statement more than a question.

“A pilgrimage. To try and find any proof of my suspicions-”

He was interrupted by his father’s large, dissatisfied sigh. “Link, you really must stop harping on about that nonsense. Hylia has only ever been reincarnated into the mortal body of a female, that’s just the way it is. A tradition that extends even far beyond what we have in written history.”

“Exactly. We don’t know everything. How do you explain my visions? Mother had them. She knew how to interpret them.”

“Perhaps they’re just dreams,” Rhoam offered again in a misguided attempt to engage.

Link smacked the book he was about to pack on the table in frustration. “I can’t believe you keep saying that, you just don’t understand.”

“What I understand is that you continue to foolishly insist on chasing dreams and fantasies rather than doing something tangible for your people. You’re wasting time, Link. You should be courting and choosing a wife so that you can pass on the bloodline to a potential Princess who will-” Rhoam saw the shock in his boy’s face and tried to change track, “We have no idea when the Calamity will strike, we should be doing everything we can to prevent disaster.”

Link clenched his jaw as a deep anger and loathing swelled in his breast. Voice trembling in rage, he rebutted, “I am not going to produce an heir just to send her to the slaughter. I will fight my own battles. This Calamity is coming down on us! I just need to figure out how to awaken Hylia’s power.” He grabbed his bag and stormed out before Rhoam could push his agenda further.

~~~

The next letter Urbosa received from Link outlined his travels. She grinned as she read through them, glad that he’d managed to get away.

~The Forgotten Temple was very difficult to access, and though it did not produce any results, it was a breath taking trip. It has the largest Goddess Statue I have ever seen and I felt a peculiar familiarity while standing under her benevolent smile. I think this is promising.

We’re now at the ruins of the Temple of Time on the Great Plateau. I’m no stranger to the place of course, but the Priestess has been most helpful in providing old texts to study that were not available at the Castle. She’s even offered to assign a scribe to make copies for me.

I hope to be underway again soon and I would like to visit the Seven Heroines. I want to leave no stone unturned. I shall send a dispatch for when we expect to be arriving in the desert.~

When the time came, Urbosa bid Zelda to be an escort for the Prince across the sands to Gerudo Town. “Listen carefully, Zelda. Being the Prince is more than reason enough to keep him safe, but there may be a chance that he is so much more. The fact that you wield that sword lends weight to his theory that he may be Hylia reborn.”

Zelda’s eyes widened but she remained silent, nodding dutifully.

“I’ll need you to deliver some supplies to him so that he may enter unmolested upon arrival.”

“Chief?” Zelda asked, uncertain about the order. Hylia possibly being in a boy she could handle, but in all her time there, she’d never heard of a voe entering Gerudo Town. For Urbosa to speak of it almost as if it were done every other day was- confusing, to say the least.

Urbosa raised her brow at the question. “He is my Oten’vehvi and knows how to behave within these walls. You need not concern yourself with the politics, just act as his personal guard.”

“Yes, Chief.”

She made her preparations and checked that all was secure with the ‘contraband.’ The idea of meeting the Prince was troubling to say the least. She felt completely inadequate, bearing a sword that considered her unworthy. Perhaps she could pass it onto him and he could find the most courageous person in Hyrule. With his resources she was sure it wouldn’t be that hard. Then again, legendary swords weren’t known for choosing incorrect Heroes, so what was wrong with her?

They would just have to work together somehow.

She rode most of the way at a leisurely pace behind her sand seal until she noticed a scuffle as she neared Kara Kara. “HUP!” she directed her seal to go a bit faster to investigate.

A couple of Hylian vai shrieked when they saw her. “The Prince! Please save our Prince!” they cried as they pointed west.

There were two Yiga chasing after a nimble blond clad in light blue. She sprung after them, tongue rolling in a call to let her mount know they needed to go as fast as if they were fleeing a molduga.

The Prince was doing well for himself until he fell, a prey disposition coming over him. He scooted back but could only stare at the assassins, frozen in fear.

Zelda used her inertia to whip across the sand and jumped to land between the Prince and his attackers. She drew her sword, imbued with courage and confident that she could easily protect the boy against the likes of this desert rabble. She almost become distracted by the sword’s sudden glow before exchanging blows with the masked Yiga. They soon realized they were no match for her and dispersed in pops of red and orange light, laughter echoing in their place.

Breathing heavily, she turned back to face the Prince who was still flat on his bum. They both ogled the glowing sword.

An ethereal, disembodied voice broke the silence, “Master, it is good to see you again.”

Their eyes snapped to each other and searched for understanding. There was an immediate and unmistakable bond between them. They’d both heard it.

“I see...” Zelda began. She glared down at the Master Sword, fist clenching the handle and shaking with anger. “So you only deign to speak when your charge is present?” Her voice rose, “I wasn’t good enough for you?! You picky piece of shit!” she yelled as she hurled the sword into the dunes.

Link gaped in disbelief that his protector was so uncouth when something profound occurred to him. He fell back into the sand laughing, a massive wave of relief washing over him.

She looked at him curiously. “What? What is it?”

His laughter died down and he gazed into the sky, moisture glistening in the corner of his eye. “She’s with me.”

Zelda’s eyebrows knitted in confusion, unaware of the turmoil he had experienced regarding his identity.

Link stood and brushed himself off then held out his hand in greeting. “You must be Zelda. Bearer of the Blade that seals the Darkness.”

She accepted his shake and added spitefully, “More like the blade that won’t open its trap unless its mommy is around.”

“You know, I find it very intriguing, my mother’s name was also Zelda.”

“Yes, my mother was a big fan. It’s kind of flattering, she was a great lady. But people always joke that I’m the lost, secret princess and other nonsense.” She started to move away but he touched her arm and she paused.

“Thank you- for saving my life; but also for revealing the truth. Now that I know she’s here,” he touched his heart, “I will find her.”

Zelda eyed him like a strange bug, still unsure as to what he was on about. She patted his shoulder as she walked over to retrieve her weapon, “Good luck with that.”

~~~

A few nights later, Link and Urbosa took a stroll just outside of town to enjoy each other’s company, catching up on their daily lives. The stars twinkled brightly and the moon shone pale on the dunes, a steady breeze drifting the sands away to the dark horizon. He’d just intimated what his father would have him do to stay the coming Calamity.

She touched his shoulder in support, “And what did you say?”

“That this was our battle. And I would absolutely not have a child just to-” he sighed deeply. “I mean, I know the legends. There will always be a vessel of Hylia and her chosen Hero, but to be so deliberate and unfeeling about it, I just...”

“It’s alright. Your father has always been rather blunt, and practical to a fault. For what it’s worth, I believe in you. The visions you describe sound very similar to what your mother shared with me.”

He looked up to her with a smile, “It’s worth a lot, you’re my Oten’baba; your opinion matters to me more than anyone else.”

They continued on for a short time in companionable silence when Urbosa stopped and lifted her head to the night, listening and placing a hand on her scimitar.

“What is it?” Link asked, only noticing after he’d taken a few steps ahead.

A raucous laughter cut across the desert and as quick as Urbosa had been to draw her blade and prepare a snap of deadly electricity over her foes, two of them grabbed the Prince and held their sickles to his neck causing her to stay her hand.

“What a lovely package we have here tonight. Not only can we bag the boy, we can finally rid ourselves of the thorn in our side, Gerudo Tempest!” a Yiga foot soldier, hidden amongst the rest, spat the last two words out in disgust.

They attacked and dozens fell upon the Chief, running head on and popping up behind. A dance of blades began and Link struggled to free himself. Urbosa tried to lead her foes away but Link’s captors followed, dragging his feet through the sand.

“You’ll not be using your lightning with the precious Prince so close, will you?” gloated the same antagonizing voice.

Link cried out in terror when he saw a Yiga succeed in cutting her arm. She seethed and decked them right across the jaw. When they fell she jumped onto their back and launched herself in the air so she could shoot off a bolt.

“Oh, no! Is the Tempest in distress?” the voice goaded, and the masks cackled.

Link couldn’t tell where the mocking was coming from, they were everywhere and nowhere at once. There were too many. Urbosa was becoming overwhelmed and aid may not arrive in time- a gash landed on her leg- he was going to lose her. The laughing was getting louder, the air becoming so thick with magic that it tasted like chalk on his tongue- a slice was delivered up her back and she cried out. He squeezed his eyes shut and thought of his mother. What would she do? There hadn’t been anything he could do for her then, but he was here now for his living mother.

Link’s eyes shot open just in time to see Urbosa drowning under the onslaught and his insides fell into oblivion. They were replaced by a warmth that spread through his body and beyond. He jerked his head in confusion as those that held him fell away. He was free. Sparks akin to those he felt when he fell asleep on his hand in the library spread through his fingers and he launched himself into the foray. He clawed through Yiga soldiers to get to her and did not see how each one he yanked was thrown back with a force of golden energy.

“Urbosa! URBOSA!?” They hit the ground.

The desert was lit with a false sunrise as Link crushed Urbosa in a desperate embrace. The light washed over her, healing her wounds as it cascaded around them in a dome, their enemies lying motionless on the outside.

After a few stunned moments, they opened their eyes and picked each other up. Urbosa held his face in her hands and wiped his tears. “Just look at you,” she said, smiling proudly.

“I- I couldn’t. I was,” he stumbled over his words as more tears fell, “I was going to lose you. I couldn’t lose you too,” he cried into her chest and she held him close.

~~~

Link was a natural at seal surfing. That’s what Zelda thought before she realized that he must have actually visited Gerudo Town previously and she just didn’t know it. They had left at sunrise and arrived to their destination mid morning. After taking a much needed rest, re-hydrating and snacking, Link took a leisurely walk around the place to get his bearings while Zelda tended to the sand seals. She joined him after they were settled for a long siesta and the two of them began their research of the Seven Heroines in interest.

There were orbs scattered about the place. Very large, Link noticed. He pushed one with his foot. And heavy. The sand seals might have to work after all. He tasked Zelda with collecting any she could find and in the meantime he studied the statues, picking up rather quickly that some had prominent corresponding symbols to the orbs on various parts of their bodies. Some he couldn’t make out as they were too high so there would be some educated guesses by process of elimination.

Zelda couldn’t help being drawn into his enthusiasm, the way he took notes- the face he made when he took those notes; it was all very quaint, and a bit impressive. Having spent most of her time advancing physically, she appreciated the mental gymnastics they were doing. Where most might sit back defeated, Link pushed through with a calm determination. They tried dropping the orbs in the pedestals in numerous combinations, each with a sound theory behind them. How was Link to know that if shrines had been activated, he would have succeeded in getting a result on the first try? A fact that they both wouldn’t learn for another 103-odd years.

After the sun set, Link scrawled until the dimming light rendered the page unreadable. Zelda had already set about making camp. They could head back to town in the morning, both were knackered. Even with the help of the seals, they’d heaved plenty of orbs around for hours. Eventually he plopped down on the rug with her and heaved a big sigh.

“Wow, you been working all day or something?” she asked in jest as she turned the vegetables in the fire.

“Yeah, something like that. It’s been a long while since I’ve been out in the field.”

She regarded him thoughtfully. “What’s it like up at the castle?”

“Stuffy.”

She chuckled and didn’t press but it wouldn’t be fair to leave it at that. For all its faults, it deserved more. “I loved exploring the halls as a boy. I’m fairly certain I found long lost passages even the castle historian didn’t know about. My favorite places are the Library and the Observatory. “

“Sounds about right,” Zelda smirked.

“Ha ha. But really, the Library has books as far as you can see, you’d never finish them in one lifetime. And my mother used to take me to the Observatory. I still go there to feel close to her.”

They sat in silence for a moment when Zelda touched his forearm. “I’m sorry you lost her.”

Link nodded in thanks and Zelda started to collect the hearty truffles from the coals. “I lost my father,” she began, and Link was a bit surprised she was sharing.

“He was a knight. We didn’t have any other family close by and mom didn’t fancy moving to Tabantha Village. She hates the cold,” Zelda added as she passed Link a stick laden with dinner.

“Thanks. So she just came to the desert instead?” Link asked before blowing generously and taking a bite.

“She had a close friend here who is practically my auntie. I think she was hoping we could just get away and start fresh from everything we knew before. But then I had to take after dad. Took her a while and a lot of arguments to come to terms with the fact that I was also a warrior.” She shook her head. “I feel bad. I’ve put her in a constant fear of losing me too but... you have to do what your soul tells you, right?”

Link closed his eyes and thought of Hylia, feeling a vibration in his core. “Right.” He agreed thoughtfully.

“Anyway, then this happened,” she said, unsheathing the sword on her back a few inches and letting fall back in with a shinck. “That was not a fun conversation.”

“I can imagine,” Link commiserated as he thought of his own recent rows with his father.

Zelda took a bite of her own truffle and regarded him up and down. With no tact for manners, she said with a full mouth, “You’re alrigh’ fo’ a Pince.”

Link laughed and his genuine mirth spread warmth through Zelda’s chest. “And you’re alright for a Hero.”

[starshipsofstarlord]

Omg thank you so much for writing my request for tom :) Can I ask for a part two where you try not to read the comments, but end up doing so, and most are good, so it's fine. Until you post a picture of you on your account, and tom's fans start calling you names, and tom's so tired of all that happening that he posts on his account a whole paragraph about how his personal life it's no one's business?

Posted

This is part two, find the first part here

Summary | previously Tom had accidentally posted a picture of the two of you, exposing your relationship. And so, you decide to purposely do the same on your Instagram, though the response is much different than what his post had received.

Warnings | hate comments, some angst, swear and demeaning words

Quick link to my masterlist, if you’re interested in reading more of my crap 😬

Tom was asleep beside you, his head tucked into the crook of your neck, you were able to feel his gentle, slumbering breathing against your skin, and it caused goose bumps to prickle upon the outer layer of your flesh.

The two of you had vastly fallen asleep upon the couch, and your phone was on the coffee table, and to say that you were itchy to reach for it was an understatement. There would be comments on the picture that Tom accidentally put online, and you were hungry to see them, whilst simultaneously nervous.

Tom was a big actor, known for his presence in the marvel cinematic universe upon many other projects, and some of his fans, whilst proven during Comic-Con panels, were borderline crazy. They’d snap if they even so much as saw something that they didn’t like, and this time, you would be on the receiving end of it.

Being motionlessly captured, with your face on show, was certain to bring much attention. You too were within the acting department, but there had been no correlation between the pair of you until now, most of the world weren’t even aware that you knew each other. And not to mention, your span of reaching an audience was smaller, although, certainly not non existent.

You had reprised fame during your appearance on Modern Family, as the friendly neighbour of Phil and Claire, and a classmate of their eldest daughter, and not to mention Luke was crushing hard on the character you played, though, with that said, your character laughed his efforts off due to the age difference, yet still found his pining weird and often uncomfortable.

Another role that you were becoming known for was your character in Netflix’s Irregulars, where you met Harrison Osterfield, Tom’s best friend. Through filming the show, you were introduced to the Spider-Man actor, and the pair of you had hit it off almost instantly, if you didn’t include Tom keeping his amorous distance, wary just in case there was something going on between you and your mutual friend. To his relief, there wasn’t.

And thus, when he received that confirmation, he was far more forward, yet respectful at the same time with his intentions. That was how you had ended up here, as he half used you as a pillow, his arms wrapped around his ribs, and his soft peaceful snores filling the void in the air.

Stretching your arm at its furthest length, your fingertips wrestled with the side of your phone, padding it closer to yourself, so that you could slide it across the small living room table, and closer to yourself. You were victorious in your efforts, and so on you unlocked your screen, going to your camera app, and leaning sideways so that you could snap a few pictures of your predicament with your loving and sweet boyfriend.

Looking at the images that you had captured, a smile arose upon your face; you truly did love this man, and you wanted the whole world to know how much you adored him. You wanted them to see that you cared about him, and that he was in good hands with you, to cool off any of his fans that were processing their hurt feelings for seeing Tom with another woman, show him that he was getting the love that he deserved.

Extreme courage coursed through your veins, focusing within your fingertips as you opened insta, gulping as you readied to post the image. There was no editing required, it was perfect just like him. And so, the caption was something to think about, you didn’t want to make it too obvious that you were dating as the online community already assumed, the priority was to show them that you cared about him.

‘He’s taking a nap, and crushing my hip a little, but I don’t mind 😌’ you typed, your finger hovering over the post button as you chewed your lip. It was easy to press your digit down, and so, taking a breath, you did just that, encouraged by the previous and kind comments on Tom’s earlier post.

Within a matter of minutes, your phone was blowing up, and you were too tempted not to glance at the growing comment section. There were various accounts, some supporting your confidence to show such a domestic version of yourself with Tom, you assumed that they were your followers, and the ones that weren’t so light hearted were those that intently watched anything on the media that involved Tom.

‘He’s too good looking for her, she should be dating someone within her league. Tom is clearly taking pity on this hoe.’

‘Aw look at him, and ew, look at the state of her. He could do sm better 😔’

‘Why doesn’t she look like his exes, they were hot af, and now he’s with some rando that is after his fame and money. Maybe she should just take better roles if she wants to get noticed so bad.’

Your eyes kept reeling through the intentionally hateful words that continued to come through beneath the image. Tears began to fall from your eyes as you tried to stifle the movements and the sound of your gentle sobbing, as to not wake Tom. Quickly, your fingers raced through the social media, and you, knowing that there would still be presence of the image somewhere online, you deleted it, muting notifications and shuffled back into Tom.

The man stirred, tugging you closer by your waist, pressing a kiss to your locks as he awoke. He noticed however the way that you refused to face him, and so he rolled you over with a gentle grip on your shoulder, frowning when he saw the recognisable redness beneath your eyes, and the sad expression floating within your eyes.

“Princess, what’s going on?” He wiped his thumb beneath your bottom lashes, collecting your tears as he worriedly looked down at you. His brown eyes searched every inch of your face for an idea, but found nothing but your broken hearted expression.

“It’s nothing Tommy.” You tried and failed to convince the man, wincing half heartedly as he sat back on his thighs, gripping your hips so that he could pull you up with him, giving him a clearer view of your face. It was clear that he did not believe you, and he hummed, trying to make you give in. Eventually, after much concerned staring, you gave in, slumping your shoulders as you tucked your arms around the back of his neck. “I posted a picture of us, the response wasn’t great.”

Instantly, Tom’s brows uplifted, surprised by your action, though he had a strong inkling of a feeling that the reaction that you had earned was not complimentary. These were not tears of joy, instead they were stricken rivers of anguish and insecurity running down the length of your face.

“Let me see.” He spoke, softly to you, but his intents towards defending you strong. You shook your head lightly, tracing circles upon his knees as you gulped, flickering your guilty gaze up to his watchful eyes.

“I deleted it. I just couldn’t deal with knowing that the longer that it was up, the more hate would be directed at me. I’m sorry.” Tom grasped your face by your tense jaw, his fingers stroking your chin as he sadly stared at you.

“Never be sorry. Now send me the picture you used so that I can give everyone a piece of my mind.” Reaching for your phone, you sent the image to him, and in a second his device pinged, revealing that it had successfully sent to him.

“Cute.” He described the picture, his hands furiously typing away on his phone, his constant unsettling of his rabidly moving fingers drawing anxiousness from you. “And some.” Tom finally breathed, closing his phone as you went to his account, checking what he had posted publicly.

‘This may concern some people, who keep sticking their noses in where it does not involve them. I appreciate you all, the support, the love, everything. But one thing that I do not stand for is people coming at my girlfriend just because they don’t approve of our relationship. If you check mate, I never asked for your opinion, I love y/n, and some online hate, that needs to stop otherwise you are not someone I want to be calling themselves a fan of me, needs to stop. It makes no one happy or feel healthy with spreading such toxicity around the internet, if you don’t like something, then keep your blood mouths shut, this has nothing to do with you, it is just me and my girlfriend. I’d think you’d want me to be happy, because I want the same for all of you, so can people please give my partner some respect, she’s done nothing wrong but bravely chose to reach out to you all, and she had that spat back in her face. It’s not on, and I want this to stop now.’

“Tom...” you were shocked by the paragraph, it came across as aggressive, and very over protective. His action, that could affect how he was cried by people that put him on a pedestal, and that made you feel guilty that he had reached out to them in such a way.

“It’s okay baby, I’d do anything for you, and you know that. No one messes with my girl.” He put his arm around your shoulders as he pulled you close placing a kiss upon your forehead. Not only was he your boyfriend, but he was your protector, your knight on a shining cell phone.

[solomonish]

Hii I saw astrology and divination talk and got curious! If you are into it, do you have any even vague headcanon of what Solomon's relevant(?) placements could be? This topic always makes me go 👀 and its funny that even ancient demons got their lil sun sign listed on their profiles lmao.

Completely disregard this if u dont like astrology though oh 🙈😳 and also !!! hope you're having a nice day~💌

HELLLLLLLOOO my love I hope you meant big three signs because that's what I did lol! And no I did not BUT the moment I got the ask that prompted this I did wonder "hmmm what would Solomon's big three be?" and then this ask came in SO...I looked it up lol

I will warn you though that I don't know a lot about astrology other than my own sun sign (Aries) so this is all from a quick little search!! My descriptions of what they're about come from here so if it's wrong.........I tried <3

Solomon's Big Three

Explaining his Sun Sign - Sagittarius

starslikeyou describes Sagittarius like so:

"Born with the Sun in Sagittarius, you are gifted with an abundance of warmth, energy and positivity. Your sign is noted for a willingness to transcend the everyday by pushing boundaries, demanding freedom and seeking to explore unchartered horizons whenever possible. Your journey involves discovering all that is possible.

At a deeper level, your sign is also concerned with the cultural, philosophical and metaphysical frameworks which make life meaningful. Your life path involves searching for truth and then sharing that with others."

Honestly, I think this works for Solomon!! I think his energy and positivity are more calm, but he's very playful and welcoming just in general. Obviously he's all about exploring the unknown [gestures @ immortality] and I definitely headcanon that Solomon knows a little bit about everything. A true renaissance man...

IDK this was short I just wanted to address it lol. Onto the good stuff!

Guessing Solomon's Moon Sign - Scorpio

According to starslikeyou...

"Born with the Moon in Scorpio, you are likely to be sensitive and loyal, but have intense emotional needs...You are likely to give the impression of being perceptive, powerful, and transformational.

Scorpio is also a Fixed sign, suggesting that when you align your emotions with something you desire – be that a friend/lover or an anticipated outcome – you will be constant, enduring and unwilling to let go."

In terms of the emotional needs, I think this might be the weakest part of my argument - but hear me out. The website describes emotional extremes that may swing back and forth, as well as intense reactions to emotions. I could argue that Solomon does experience this - although I think he's gotten good at hiding it.

I wouldn't describe him as having mood swings, but I can think of a few instances where he has shown them. I think this would mainly take place in his anticipation of rejection. We've seen multiple times how he's willing to indulge in being with MC, only for a moment - happy, satisfied - but then he quickly realizes that they could reject him, that they might not want him, and he backs off and retreats again. This isn't exactly a mood swing, but it fits for my argument. He easily flips from accepting and eager to show affection whenever he has the chance to reserved and pulling away. From confident to almost insecure. Additionally, his emotional reaction to the possibility of rejection - or of returned feelings, like in the Threads of Fate devilgram - could also help my case. The website also argues that people with a moon in scorpio are self-aware, introspective, and private individuals, which definitely sounds like Solomon to me.

In terms of intimacy, the website accents a need for emotional honesty, and finding an inner transformation as you share more parts of yourself and expose your vulnerabilities. I've talked about this for long periods of time, but I really, really think that this is the type of beneficial relationship Solomon needs. He needs someone he can trust completely, someone who can get him to open himself up and be a little more free because they accept his past and the parts of him that are messy.

Also the website says this:

"Finally, the Moon here often also brings highly developed intuitive and psychic gifts. You may find yourself drawn to explore the mysteries of life, wanting to know more about magic, alchemy or anything occult."

And if this isn't Solomon, idk what is.

Honorable mentions i also considered: Moon in Gemini for emphasis on communication / knowledge exchange and intuition, Moon in Sagittarius for passion / creativity and a call to freedom, and a tentative Moon in Cancer for intuition and need for connections.

Guessing Solomon's Rising Sign - Aquarius

As starslikeyou says...

"Born with Aquarius on your Ascendant (or Rising), you will find a clearer sense of individuality is gained by stepping back to look at life from an objective perspective. A detached point of view allows for a logical assessment of the circumstances around you, giving you the ability to find, at times, lightning fast resolution to key issues.

This is the sign of the collective over the individual, the group over the singular. You are likely to have an especially broad view on society that allows you to mix with a great variety of people. Your awareness of group and social dynamics is paramount for your overall self-expression. Putting group endeavours first may override purely personal concerns.

There is likely to be a pronounced tendency to act in ways that will benefit the collective, rather than provide personal gain. This then is the rising sign of the true humanitarian, who gets what they need in ways that are socially responsible and considerate.

...You may also be drawn to arenas such as science, politics, communications or human resources, and have a strong social conscience. Usually open to scientific innovation, you can be an early-adopter or work with advances in technology."

This one really hit me as correct because of the whole collective over the individual part. Solomon acts as a sort of guardian for humanity, and he spares no expense to ensure the continued safety of humans. I understand that Solomon formed pacts beforehand and maybe for selfish reasons, but at least now he's put himself in the affairs of demons to make sure humans have some sort of voice. Now that he's in a position of power, he uses his leverage and makes his loyalties known. Demons probably wouldn't eye him so warily if they weren't suspicious of him turning on them or using them - and if he did so, it'd probably be for humans. Whether or not it's a side effect of his warped view on his own humanity, I definitely think he'd put himself in "harm's way" (though with him, the goalposts for that kind of shift compared to other humans) in order for the greater human good.

The sign also highlights intellect and the ability to make specific and well-thought out decisions with complicated information, as well as an impressive intuition. It describes those with this rising sign as idealistic yet practical, somewhat unorthodox or seen as eccentric (and paying the price for this perception), and a somewhat isolated and aloof front. Honestly, the further I read into the page, the more it reads like just an explanation of Solomon.

Honorable mentions i also considered: Rising Virgo for being humble yet sometimes self-effacing, critical and practical tendencies, and and urge to be useful over recognition. Also Rising Scorpio for transformation, charisma and perception, and insight.

ANWAY...I hope this is what you meant with this ask because if not I will feel SO dumb. But either way I hope you enjoyed, maybe even agreed, and I sure hope this information was correct!! And also....I hope your day was/is great too 😘

[agape-philo-sophia]

➝ Deocculting 911, Occult Numerology & Gematria, SpiritualWarfare. ⏰

The spiritual supporting pillars of the world’s societal structure were essentially demolished on 9/11…symbolically, allegorically, ritualistically and literally. It was quite a sinister “stroke of genius” and so exemplifies how these dark controllers operate. This is why the wake up to 9/11 Truth is so shocking to people’s systems and they just can’t handle it. It’s overwhelming, which it was designed to be. And so the vast populace rolls over and buries its head back in the sand... Tell A Big Enough Lie …and you’ll eventually get exposed. So full of lies are these controllers it’s beyond the grasp of normal sentient beings. And they revel in the power of that. It’s amazing they can be so brash yet hidden in plain sight. The Twin Pillars Archetype, The effect of occult (hidden) symbolism on the human psyche is a nicely kept secret. Even though psychologists such as Carl Jung have written extensively on this and it’s clearly pointed out by the esoteric community. People just do not realize they are daily the subject of the sophisticated manipulation of these terribly powerful symbols. Like scientific breakthroughs are garnered by the military, these elite psychopaths have to weaponize everything, instead of using it for the betterment of humanity and our world. “Signs and symbols rule the world, not words nor laws” – Confucius There’s much more to this subject. And it wasn’t just Freemasons involved in all this, but they’re a major arm that encapsulates a belief system much of the Illuminati share. Members of this dark cabal are almost always associated with some sort of secret society or practice like Freemasonry or witchcraft, often under a religious cover like the Vatican, Mormonism or Evangelical groups. Rothschild Zionists use both the religious cover and the financial “institution” to disguise and justify their perfidy. At the occult level the 9/11 event was a ritual, empowered, as is often the case, by performing human sacrifice. War is another such ritual, usually instigated and financed by this same dark cabal loosely labelled the Illuminati. I can’t begin to cover the extent of the symbology and esoteric meaning injected into the 9/11 charade, but I hope this opens up a few things for you to look into further. These same tactics are used constantly on an unwary public at many levels. The lie is exposed, the spell is broken and the illusion loses its power over you. But the secret weapon of 9/11 was this: it was riding high on the amplified occult, symbolic preparation of not just decades, seeing the “twin towers” as a symbol of world commerce and the “triumph of the human spirit”, but seeing “twin pillars of society” throughout architecture and logos and literature for millenia, both conscious and subconscious, being destroyed before their eyes, over and over and over. In Revelation 9:11, and please note the time code as well as the number code of 911, Abbadon is described as the Destroyer, the Angel of the Abyss, the King of Plague of Locusts, resembling horses with crowned human faces, women’s hair, lion’s teeth, wings, iron breastplates, and a tail with a scorpion’s stinger, that torments for five months anyone who does not have the Seal of God on his forehead. It is clear that this is a Demon, Fallen God or Black Star, that is directly connected to powering up the Armageddon Software through the Yahweh Matrix. The Black Star Abbadon in the center of the Milky Way is what holds together the 666 Beast Configuration, along with the Yahweh Matrix that creates the Inorganic Four, the Yod-Hay-Vod-Hay system. This system feeds off of living creatures and sends the life force back to the black hole entities. As we have been discussing the shift that has been occurring with the Planetary Staff, the Planetary Staff of earth was tilted in order to align it to the Black Star Abbadon in the center of the Milky Way. This artificial axial tilt in the planet is shifting its alignment now. This shift has activated doomsday prophets wired into the Yahweh matrix that believe the current events are the sign of the alien God’s narrative, that the rapture is coming or that we are entering into the global Armageddon-Megiddo showdown, when we transition out of the final stages of the Piscean Alchemical Law. The current theme during the Paliadorian Activations is the clearing of the Yahweh Matrix and its blood covenant bindings out of the Human 12 Tribes genetic records, with the transmissions and support of the Blue Feathers of Aquaferion. As a result of dismantling this blood covenant network, those who are controlled by the Yahweh system will be agitated and activated to play out these mind controlled biblical dramas. Because the original 5D Ascension plan was not achievable becasue of the False Ascension Matrix and the damage caused through the False Navel and False White Webbing, it required our evolution through the time fields in the Harmonic Universes in the Universal Time Matrix to be drastically sped up. Those serving the Law of One, are moving through extreme amounts of the future timelines, observing its collapse, in order to arrive at the Gateway Octave where the Organic and eternal light is overriding the Artificial Machinery and replicated alien coding. False Timelines and False Software to Mind Control humanity was used to deter humans from their organic and natural ascension evolution. This is why this planet is called, “prison planet”. Meanwhile the negatives desperately cling on to the artificial timeline programs to influence humans through fear to manifest into their enslaved future selves as Negative Form. (Some examples: Nostradamus Prophecy, Armageddon Software, Pestilence Programming, 911 Military Industrial Complex Revolution, any terrorist and cataclysmic inorganic event generated by the Negative Aliens. None of these manipulated programs are sourced as “natural events”. ) Because the planet is ready to drop and collapse timelines from the previous 3D cycle where the planet is playing out the result of the Luciferian Rebellion from Atlantean time cycle, there is a struggle to dominate upcoming events that would influence these future timelines to be solely in Negative Alien or the NAA control. These groups have infighting, and the two primary groups have infected their headquartered control mechanism in two major stargates and power vortexes on the planet. Black Sun Program have headquartered themselves in the 10th Stargate or Iran Gate of the Golden Eagle Grid and lodged their technologies in Iraq/Iran to gain dominance over the power spots in Giza, Egypt. Most of them are Reptile Insectoid Collectives from out of the Phantom Matrix spaces in the parallel systems, which formed alliances with the Fallen Angelic Annunaki Groups to take control over the earth, which are referred to as the NAA. This is why they chose that area of the planet to dominate, it was easier to invade from the genetic key level. The Sons of Belial, the Nibiruian-Annunaki reptilians of the New World Order crews that engineered the 911 Timeline Agendas, have headquartered themselves in the 11th Stargate area in the United Kingdom, this is also known as Stonehenge. These are the creators of the teeth chomping technology of the Nephilim Reversal Grid (NRG). Comprising primarily of Fallen Elohim genetic lines, this reversal network was a rebellion to the hybridization attempts of Lyran-Elohim races, who were responsible in commissioning Nephilim races for genetic hybridization healing. The failure of that program, the banishment of Nephilim (The Giants) and killing of that race, resulted in Wars, and subsequently, the NRG was placed in the UK to reverse all hybridized genetics, especially any genetic material (like the Krystal DNA Silicate Matrix) that was designed to “unify” or “marry” genetics. The unification of polarity within genetics may evolve to Unity Field consciousness which is a part of achieving the Christos consciousness. There is a consciousness war to stop Krystal Star consciousness from potentially evolving and embodying in human beings on this earth. It also is clear that all matters of Blood Sacrifice, whether human, animal or of any living thing, are made to the conjuring of elemental forces that directly connect into this collective Satanic force of the Baphomet field in the underworld realms. Satanists, witches, Santeria, voodoo, violent religion or other related rituals involving drugs or killing, one is allowing their body to be possessed by lower spirits and are being controlled, addicted or feeding into the spreading of this Satanic force field. It is like an viral infection. The act of feeding this force through ritual offering and Blood Sacrifice is purposed to produce Satanic humans running the earth and to keep enslaved the female Christos-Sophia from reclaiming her body parts and creations in the earth. This is enslavement of the Mother principle. Satanism effectively is the worship of earthly forces through patriarchal domination and their False Father earthly conjured gods for selfish material gain. The world of forces can be ritualized through offerings, Blood Sacrifice SRA and its intentions made manifest through superimposing forces or binding others energies without their consent or free will in physical matter. Apparently, it is believed when the luciferian ritualist opens the portal of Daath, the heart complex and physical heart chambers are filled with life force, which supposedly grows a soul from those sacrificed and harvested, on behalf of those who are soul-less. For those of us aware that the Sons of Belial are behind the New World Order and the 911 Timelines, it becomes clearer that humanity was held captive at a global scale, to witness the sophisticated orchestration of an Adam Belial Luciferian ritual that destroyed the Twin Towers and killed many innocent people for the purpose of Blood Sacrifice for the soul-less. The Belial Program described is one faction of the NAA attempting to force the planet to serve the multiple invading species agenda, through imposing artificially replicated time fields, inverting the system and generating a false reality based upon masterful lies, deceptions and illusions. The NAA effectively declared an edict of war against the Christos Founders, and all of the Maji Grail King lines, Indigos, as well as the earth population on September 12, 2000. Exactly one year later they staged an Adam Belial ritual in order to institute a public ceremony announcing their New World Order plan with the culmination of the tragic events of September 11, 2001 in New York City. The destruction of the Twin Towers and Blood Sacrifice of those killed at the World Trade Center, was intended to be the line drawn in the sand to show the NAA were proceeding with their full domination and slavery agenda of humanity and earth. This event brought forward what became known as the 911 Timelines, the institution of the false reality timelines in order take the planet into AI Assimilation Timeline which is the Fallen AI Timeline Loops that the NAA fully control from within the Phantom Matrix. The day of the attack: 11 The Date of the Attack, September 11 or 9/11 = 9 + 1 + 1 = 11 911 is emergency number = 9 + 1 + 1 = 11 September 11th is the 254th day of the year: 2 + 5 + 4 = 11 After September 11th we have 111 remaining for the end of the year. 119 is the Area Code for Iran & Iraq 1 + 1+ 9 = 11 The first plane to hit one of the buildings was Flight 11 The State of New York was the 11th State to join the Union New York City = 11 letters Afghanistan = 11 letters The Pentagon = 11 letters Flight 11 had 92 passengers, 9 + 2 = 11 Flight 77 had 65 passengers, 6 + 5 = 11 Twin Towers look like an 11 Twin Towers had 110 floors George H.W. Bush’s famous New World Order speech to congress was on 9/11/1990. Exactly 11 years before the attacks. In that speech, Bush encodes another 9-11. “Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective, a New World Order” → 5. “An era in which the nations of the world: east and west, north and south…” → 4. 5+4=9. “100 generations have searched for this elusive path to peace, while 1000 wars waged across the span of human endeavor” →100+1000 = 1100 → 11 Through gematria we see the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, actually encodes two 11s. A=1, so AA-11 = 11-11. This also hearkens to the spiritual organization founded by Aleister Crowley known as A∴A∴ The North Tower (WTC1) was impacted at 8:46:40 and collapsed at 10:28:22. An interval of ~101 minutes. The South Tower (WTC2) was impacted at 9:03:00 and collapsed at 9:59:00. An interval of 56 minutes, 5+6=11. (Yes, those times times are exactly at the minute marks. 9:03:00 is the impact time given in the 9/11 Commission Report. However, NIST established this time as 9:02:59… Shucks, only one second off.) September 11th was the 254th day of the year. 2+5+4=11 Thus, there were 111 days left in the year. September 11th in the Gregorian calendar is New Year’s Day in the Coptic calendar, the calendar originating in Egypt, traditionally the source of all the Hermetic traditions. Quran (9:11) - "For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace". (Note the verse number!)

[lizaloveslevihan]

Title: An Accidental Date

Summary: When Hange is late to their night out, Levi and Moblit are forced to spend the entire evening together and are surprised to find that they have a lot more in common than what they had initially thought.

Ao3 Link: Here

Notes: My levihan secret santa gift for the amazing @fanmoose12 ! Thank you for contributing so much to the entire levihan community! So many of us find solace in your work and your blog and I am personally grateful to you for all that you do in the name of levihan <3 I hope you enjoy!

It was a hip, rooftop bar that had recently opened up in their city around a month ago, which meant that everyone wanted to get in. This was why it was fortunate that Moblit had gotten there a little earlier and managed to secure a spot in the line before it got too long.

Hange had invited him yesterday, and a couple of others as well, so that she could formally introduce her new boyfriend, Levi what’s-his-name, whom she met a few weeks ago at a coffee shop. Moblit had already seen him pop up a couple of times in the lab they worked at where he often kept to himself and talked only to Hange. He had to admit — though he made Hange rather happy, he wasn’t looking forward to spending an evening with the man. There were rumors about how he was secretly part of a notorious gang in the city, and Moblit was afraid he’d wake up one day and hear about how his best friend’s body ended all chopped up in a ditch somewhere. Hange Zoe, as brilliant as she was, didn’t really need any more recklessness in her life. 

He looked up and noticed how he was quickly nearing the entrance. His phone conveniently rang with some notifications at the same time, and he pulled it out from his pocket, surprised to see the message, or rather, messages, that were left in their group chat. 

“I’m sorry, something came up. I can’t make it!" — Nanaba

“Same :( I’ll try to see if I can still go later!” — Nifa

“Mike and I are still at work. Don’t know if we can catch up.” — Erwin

Moblit sighed. He was disappointed, but really, what else could he do about it? His friends were busy people and were prone to dip on outings such as these. As far as he knew, he was only left with Hange and Levi as company. That didn’t seem too bad. The night was still salvageable, especially if Hange was going to be there to talk endlessly. Though Moblit suddenly realized, it did imply that he’d be the third wheel. Damn it. 

As long as the booze was good, he supposed, all should be well. 

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice how he was directly in front of the bouncer until they cleared their throat rather loudly. 

“Invite?” the man in front of him asked. He was on the younger side, but towered over Moblit by a couple of inches and had his large hand outstretched. He looked both wary and unimpressed, his piercing blue eyes giving Moblit a once-over. 

“Uhhh,” Moblit stammered. He started patting down his pockets, well aware of the fact that there was nothing in them but his phone, wallet, and keys. Did they need an invite? He just assumed that all you had to do was wait in line like in Disneyland. None of his friends mentioned having to have an invite. 

“I don’t have one?” Moblit spoke nervously. He didn’t normally go out to places such as these, so he was totally out of the loop when it came to handling these sorts of things. Did he have to slap a twenty-dollar bill on his hand or something? Did he have to threaten anyone? Did he have to lie? Damn it, what was he going to do now? Before he could even make a move, he heard someone call his name. 

“Berner?”

He turned and was startled to see none other than Levi whats-his-name. He wore a leather jacket on top of a gray sweater, black skinny jeans, and a pair of boots. He was raising an eyebrow at Moblit, clearly surprised to see him too. 

Moblit cleared his throat, making sure to remain eye contact with him. “Levi.”

Now that he finally got a clearer view of the man (since the only times he saw him were stolen glances every time he dragged Hange out of the lab and such), he was surprised to see that he was much shorter than what he had initially thought. He had to lower his head to be able to meet those steel, gray eyes. However, despite the height difference, Levi what’s-his-name still radiated an intense aura of intimidation. Moblit wasn’t scared of him — dealing with Hange every day and trying to prevent her from blowing herself up was much more terrifying — but he couldn’t deny that there was just something about those eyes that made him want to stay on his good side as much as possible. Levi didn’t seem like someone you wanted as an enemy. As if Moblit had any anyway.

The shorter man narrowed his eyes up at Moblit as if making sure it was really him. After a few seconds, he sighed and turned his gaze to the bouncer. “He’s with me, Reiner. Let him in.”

Reiner’s eyes widened and he immediately stepped away, “Of course, Mr. Ackerman.”

Ah, so that’s what his last name was, Moblit thought in surprise. He never really bothered with knowing it. To him, he was always either Levi, or shorty, or Mr. Grumps, or whatever name Hange referred to him as. He figured it was safer if he’d stick with the first one. 

Moblit darted his eyes back and forth the two. He didn’t like what that little detail of “knowing the bouncer” implied. What if he really was a gangster and he had all those connections in the underground? What if he posed a threat to Hange? What if he was involving her in some illegal activity in a move to exploit her knowledge—

“Tch,” Levi spoke, rolling his eyes. He started to make his way inside without looking back, “Aren’t you coming, Berner?” he called. 

Pulled out from his thoughts, Moblit darted off and quickly followed him. They went through a small receiving area before turning and going up a plight of stairs. As he stared at Levi’s back, he couldn’t help but wonder exactly what Hange saw in him. He seemed cold and distant, someone who he couldn’t really see keeping up with her enthusiasm. But maybe that’s how it works. Opposites attract, after all. He did seem to care for Hange — if he didn’t then he wouldn’t be picking her up every day after work and made sure she got home safely. A small part of Moblit wanted to get along with him, maybe get to know him better for her sake. Hange dated a few men and women who weren't really the best of people, only looking to mooch off of her and all that. Some of them didn’t even treat her right, their egos unable to handle the idea of dating a smart woman like Hange. Hopefully, his thoughts about Levi being this gangster were just the stress and wariness seeping back into his brain. 

Once they reached the top, Levi opened the door and allowed him to go first. Moblit nodded as he passed him, and his eyes widened once he finally got a good view of their vicinity. 

The first thing that demanded his attention was the immaculate view of the city behind a glass wall that prevented anyone from falling to the concrete pavements down below. They were surrounded by a stretch of buildings and towers with lights that twinkled all around them. The place itself was buzzing with activity. There were so many people, all dressed to the nines, lounging around the many sofa chairs, conversing by the wide, open bar, or even loitering around the small stage at the far corner that a couple of people were setting up for some sort of stand-up act. Jazz music blared through the speakers as glasses were clinked together and Moblit couldn't help but feel like this was the missing piece he was looking for in his life. Maybe drinking alone in his apartment while watching “Friends” wasn’t the only option. 

He also couldn’t help but wonder exactly how Levi knew the bouncer and how he had access to this obviously exclusive place. If his gang theory was correct, then that would probably explain it. Hange didn’t really give him details about Levi’s personal life. 

Levi made his way to the very back and sat at a secluded sofa chair, right next to the glass wall. Moblit followed suit and sat on the empty chair right in front of him. He turned his head and leaned in to take a view of the busy streets and was surprised to see just how far up they were, considering how that plight of stairs wasn’t exactly long. 

“I’ll have the usual, Eren,” Levi suddenly spoke up, and Moblit turned back to look at a young brunette that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He wore a nervous expression along with a blue button-up and jeans and held up a pad paper and a pen. His shoulders were stiff as he quickly scribbled down Levi’s order before turning his attention to Moblit. 

Moblit hesitated for a couple of seconds, considering his options. He quickly glanced at Levi who gave him an expectant gaze before looking back at the young man, “Vodka,” he said, going with his favorite, “on the rocks, please.”

The Eren kid nodded and wrote down his order as well. But before he could leave, Levi suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him down to his level. Moblit noted the obvious discomfort and anxiety the young man was harboring as he gulped and listened to every word the midget said. 

"I did,” Eren nodded profusely, a drop of sweat making its way down his face as Levi pulled away, “She’s just talking to Mr. Kenny downstairs. I can go get her if you want—”

“No,” Levi said firmly, crossing his arms and leaning back on the chair. He stared at Eren, a threatening look plastered across his face, “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t doing any funny business, Yeager. You understand?”

“Yes sir.” Eren laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his neck. He bowed his head and all but ran off. 

Moblit couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at him. Was that how he treated waiters? It seemed like he knew the kid, but still, it didn’t excuse how rude he was to him. A person’s character could always be deciphered by the way they treated waiters and waitresses or people who just generally worked in service. And by the looks of it, Levi didn’t have a good one. Moblit didn’t like that one bit. His previous thoughts of trying to get along with him were slowly exiting out of the door. 

“Where are the others?” Levi asked, looking at Moblit boredly. 

Moblit crossed his arms. “They couldn’t make it.”

“The fuck?” Levi spat, narrowing his eyes, “What do you mean they couldn’t make it?”

“Everyone was busy. They all texted me in our group chat the moment I got to the front.” Moblit explained skeptically. The excitement he felt from coming to this new environment was slowly fading as he spent more time with Levi Ackerman. Sure, he didn’t want to be on his bad side, but the way he treated that waiter really rubbed him the wrong way. 

Levi’s face immediately turned sour. “I fucking go through all this trouble and you’re telling me—”

Before Levi could continue, his phone rang abruptly, cutting him off. He didn’t even check the caller ID before answering it and pressing it to his ear, “Where the fuck are you, shitty glasses?

Moblit’s eyes widened at the mention of Hange, and he carefully observed the way Levi listened to her. It was quiet for a bit as Hange rambled off an excuse, and Levi’s face turned even sourer. Moblit had a feeling of what her excuse was, and he mentally scolded himself for not dragging her with him when he left the lab. 

“The fuck?” Levi said annoyingly. He paused before glancing at Moblit, “Yeah, Berner is here. I can’t believe you. You dragged me into this damn mess and you and the rest of your friends aren’t showing up?” Moblit narrowed his eyes at Levi’s harsh and dictatorial tone, “You dragged me into this mess so you better show up, okay? And don’t blow yourself up for fuck’s sake.”

Moblit didn’t like the way he was talking to Hange one bit. Sure, it was pretty annoying to have someone flake out on you, but you didn’t need to be an asshole about it. Was Moblit disappointed at Hange for leaving him alone with this guy? Absolutely. He was more pissed off than anything. But he knew better than to blame her and make her feel bad about it. He may have only known Levi for a couple of minutes, at best ten, but he decided then and there that no matter how “good” this guy is — him talking to Hange like that, or to anyone for that matter, was completely unacceptable. He felt the anger bubble in his stomach at the thought of him speaking to Hange that way every day. 

Levi gave her a couple more short responses before hanging up. “Tch.” he scoffed, glancing at his phone and shaking his head. Once he pocketed it, he met Moblit’s irritated gaze. “What are you looking at?”

“You don’t have to talk to her that way,” Moblit sneered, his line of defense rising, “she’s just stressed with work. You have no idea—“

“I know enough,” Levi cut off, carefully leaning forward, he spoke: “the way we talk to each other doesn’t concern you. Mind your own damn business.”

“It is my business because she’s my best friend,” Moblit huffed out, matter-of-factly. He leaned in as well, mimicking Levi’s movements, “And I won’t let some asshole like you talk to her like that, especially when it comes to her work. You have no idea how much it matters to her.” 

“Of course I fucking know how much her work is important to her,” Levi emphasized, clearly offended, those gray eyes starting to catch fire, “and what did you just call me?”

“An asshole ,” Moblit responded, all hesitation now leaving his body. Who cares if he was Hange’s boyfriend? Or if he was some sort of notorious and dangerous person? The way he talked to waiters and women was not okay and he deserved to be held accountable. “You better not talk to her like that again.”

“For fuck’s sake, that’s how we normally talk to each other.” Levi growled, clenching his fists, “You have no business snooping in another person’s relationship, even if they’re your best friend.” Levi paused as if he just realized something. Moblit noticed how his fists clenched tighter by the second. He pulled back and crossed his legs, those gray eyes now holding a blazing emotion Moblit couldn’t exactly pinpoint. Whatever it was, it was worse than earlier. “Unless…” Levi started, scoffing, “I’m missing something here, Berner?”

Moblit raised an eyebrow at that statement. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Exactly what it means.” Levi spoke, each word coated in that dark emotion again, “Your job doesn’t exactly require you to be away from her now, does it?”

Moblit looked at him curiously, “And what the hell does that have to do with anything?”

Before Levi could reply, Eren appeared with their drinks. 

“Black tea for you, Mr. Levi.” Eren placed the cup in front of him on the table. “And a vodka on the rocks for you, sir,” he said, placing a glass filled with alcohol in front of Moblit. 

“Thank you, Eren,” Levi said, his eyes never leaving Moblit’s face. He glanced down at the drinks, his eyebrows scrunched together as if contemplating something. After a few seconds, he finally spoke up: “You know what? Why don’t you get vodka for me too? It’s gonna be a long night.”

Eren’s eyes visibly widened. “Uhm,” he started, looking at Levi strangely, “Are you—”

“I’d like to order a bottle,” Moblit cut off, copying Levi’s movements. “If you would be so kind. Thank you ,” he said, emphasizing the last words. 

Eren darted his eyes between the two men as silence suddenly enveloped them. Sensing the upcoming argument, he simply nodded and left as quickly as he came. 

“Look, man. I don’t want any trouble.” Moblit started, uncrossing his arms and grabbing his glass. “I just want what’s best for Hange and so you better learn how to talk to her properly to her or there will be damn consequences.”

Levi rolled his eyes, which further irritated Moblit even more. “That’s how we always talk to each other, Berner . It’s our relationship. How dare you think I would ever disrespect shitty glasses like that? You don’t know shit. Stop assuming. And what the hell? Consequences? Really now? ”

Moblit wasn’t a hundred percent sure he could do anything consequential to the likes of Levi, but he sure as hell was going to try. “Who the hell talks like that to their girlfriends?” Moblit said, changing the topic, his eyes narrowed, not entirely convinced with Levi’s reasoning. 

“I don’t have anything to prove to you. It’s our relationship,” Levi huffed, taking a sip from his cup of tea. “As much as I really want to fucking leave you alone right now, she said she’ll be here in an hour or so. So can you stop being a fucking snoop or shit while we wait?”

Levi broke off eye contact and looked at the twinkling city lights on the horizon. They fell into an uncomfortable silence once more as Moblit grabbed his glass and gulped it down in one go. Eren arrived and left a bottle of vodka which he placed in the middle of the table before eagerly disappearing again. He felt slightly guilty for going off on Levi like that, especially since he was the one who got him into the bar in the first place. But still, his rudeness was unnerving. Moblit also didn’t like how Levi implied something about his and Hange’s relationship. Sure, he had felt something for her before, but it had been ages ago. She’s grown to become something more as a friend to him — family even. Besides, Moblit already spent way too much time with her. He loved Hange, but even she could be too much for him sometimes. All he wanted was for her to be happy and treated well by anyone she goes out with because that’s what she deserves. Call him overbearing and all but he just wanted to protect his best friend. Especially since there were so many assholes out there these days. 

Assholes like Levi Ackerman. 

Before Moblit could indulge himself with another glass, his phone rang. 

He checked the caller ID and felt a sense of relief to see Hange’s name on the screen. He quickly answered and pressed the device against his ear, “Hey, Hange.”

This garnered the attention of Levi, who immediately looked at him with wide, yet narrowed eyes.

“Moblit!” she spoke exasperatedly, and he heard some shuffling noise in the background, “I know Levi is there with you, but I’m really sorry I’m going to be late! I swear, I was going to leave but then—” 

“You found where Sawney and Bean were hiding, didn’t you?” Moblit cut off. 

“Yeah! How did you know?”

He darted his eyes towards the sky before looking back down again, “You wouldn’t be staying back at the lab for any other reason.”

Hange chuckled nervously. “I saw Nana and the others cancel on us, man, I’m sorry! I swear, I’ll just be really quick and I’ll get there.”

“It’s okay,” Moblit said softly, glancing at Levi who was glaring at him. He smirked a little bit before proceeding, “Take your time. I’ll still be here when you get off from work.”

“And Levi?” Hange asked expectantly, her voice going a little soft, “He’s all right? I feel really bad for dragging him out and being late and all.”

“He’s fine . We’re fine .” Moblit lied, “Don’t worry about it, okay? Remember where their food is, and don’t forget to leave their cages locked this time.”

“Jeez,” Hange laughed, “You and shorty are really starting to sound like each other these days. Anyway, I got it! I’ll see you guys in a few. Don’t have too much fun without me!”

Before Moblit could say anything more and ask about what she had meant, Hange hung up. 

“Is she still coming or what?” Levi scoffed, drinking his tea and finishing the cup in one go. 

“She will,” Moblit said, pouring himself another glass, “In a few. Which is going to be around thirty minutes to two hours.”

“I’d say she’d be here in three hours,” Levi rolled his eyes, “Are you willing to wait that long?”

“I have nothing else to do.” Moblit answered immediately, taking another swing of vodka, “you can leave me alone here.”

“Not a chance,” Levi said, taking the bottle of vodka and pouring it in his now-empty teacup, “I have all night,” he said before taking a huge gulp. 

“Good for you, then,” Moblit responded. They fell back into the uncomfortable silence as they finished the bottle. 

Levi glared at him, his cheeks turning a little red, “You don’t seem drunk.”

Moblit scoffed. “I know my way around alcohol. A bottle is nothing .”

“How about three then?” Levi challenged. 

He raised an eyebrow at the man in front of him. “Are you trying to prove something here?”

“Just curious as to how long the guy who dares to call me an asshole can last.”

Moblit swallowed. He did know his way around alcohol, but he didn’t like the challenging gaze Levi had on his face. “Fine,” Moblit said as Levi raised his hand and waved over Eren who quickly scurried back to their table. “You’re on.”

*******

One would think that a guy like Levi Ackerman, with his leather jacket, intimidating aura, and steely gray eyes, would have a rather high alcohol tolerance. And so Moblit wasn’t expecting to see just how tipsy he’s become after about five more glasses. His black hair was disheveled from the sweat that had accumulated, his eyes a little bloodshot, and his jacket laid discarded on the other side of the sofa. They ordered a couple of snacks from the bar, such as nachos and enchiladas, but they were mostly left untouched. He felt people drilling holes at the back of his head, but they kept their distance. He supposed it had something to do with his new drinking buddy. Moblit had to admit, he didn’t think a guy like him would go along with this thing. But it really did seem like he had something he wanted to prove. They had only been doing this for an hour and thirty minutes at most. 

But Moblit wasn’t any different. Though he was accustomed to drinking (something Levi clearly wasn’t), he couldn't deny the fact that his senses were off. He did hear his heart beating rapidly against his chest. Huh.

Before he could pour himself another glass, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He grabbed it with his aching hands and saw a message from none other than Hange herself. 

I had another discovery, Moblit! OMG. Tell Levi I’m really sorry but I gotta check this out. It’ll take me thirty more minutes. See you guys! — Hange

Moblit groaned and slammed his phone down on the table. He didn’t know if he could take this anymore. 

“Let me guess, she discovered some new bullshit again, didn’t she?” Levi said, stretching the last word. 

Moblit, as apprehensive as he still was, nodded in agreement, “I should have dragged her here when I left the lab. Now, look at what happened.”

Levi slumped against his seat and started massaging his temples, “And why didn’t you?”

“She said she was going to ‘follow soon’ after finishing up some paperwork,” Mobit rolled his eyes and finger-quoted. He reached out and took a nacho chip, finally getting some food in his system. 

“Please, she always says shit she doesn’t mean,” Levi sputtered, his face getting a little redder with each passing second. He reached out and sloppily got some food as well, “Like how she keeps telling me ‘Oh Levi, I took a bath!’” Levi imitated her voice as he waved around his piece of nacho chip and stared at Moblit with wild eyes, “But every time I smell her, she obviously doesn’t. Like how the fuck does her hair look all nice and soft and shit and still smell like actual shit?”

Moblit couldn’t help but bark out a laugh. “That’s why I am so glad we have to wear masks at work sometimes. She used to go on weeks without taking a bath, like, it got so damn bad to the point a couple of people asked to be transferred to a new department.” Moblit said, finally grabbing more food. He didn’t realize just how hungry he was. “I leave little hints too! I’d say ‘Uh Hange, I think the test subjects need to be in a clean and objective environment or something.’” Moblit imitated as well. 

“You? You actually say shit like that to Hange?” Levi asked in disbelief, pointing a finger at him like a child. 

“I have a nose too! Have you ever sniffed someone who didn’t bathe for weeks?” Moblit gasped, “It was hell. It didn’t help how dense she is and didn’t take the hint—”

“Ha!” Levi suddenly exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table, “Shitty glasses is so fucking dense! We’ve been seeing each other for almost two months now and it only took her… what? Two weeks ago to figure out we were… something? ” Levi scoffed as Moblit looked at him with wide eyes, “She gave me all this bullshit about being really good friends and shit.” He glared at Moblit, using his hands and arms expressively, “You don’t fucking make out with your friend at a coffee shop parking lot! Twice! ”

“Seriously? ” Moblit asked incredulously as Levi poured himself another glass and drank it, “She never mentioned this to me.”

“Probably because she wanted to preserve your friendship or something,” Levi muttered bitterly, only enough for Moblit to hear. “It’s all shitty four-eyes’ fault,” the small man droned out, leaning back against the chair. He groaned, rubbing his temple, “She kept… yapping about this night out and shit, and I just wanted to make her happy…

“She fucking means so much to me!” Levi exclaimed, slamming a hand back on the table. This garnered the attention of more people around them. Moblit suddenly started to feel a little embarrassed amongst other things. He supposed they weren’t going to get kicked out due to the nature of Levi’s influence, which still very much remained a mystery. He was also rather surprised at the things that were coming out of his mouth. He didn’t realize just how… deep Levi and Hange’s relationship were. 

“She… fucking… means,” Levi glared, slapping his hand on the table again, “so much to me!” He glared at Moblit, “You’re just a jealous and shit cause you,” Levi coughed, “like her too.”

Moblit had been drinking another glass when Levi said that, and so of course, he really had no choice but to spit it out all over the table. “What?”

Levi immediately stood up, which was a bad idea, considering he was far from being his normal self. “The fuck!” he exclaimed. He fell back into the chair ungracefully, “Yeah! You! You like her and shit… and I just… you always take care of her and I’m glad you do because she would be blown up by now…”

“‘Oh, Moblit! I discovered this thing!’” Moblit said, imitating Hange’s voice once again as he waved around his hands. Okay, perhaps he was drunker than he initially realized, “She’s always trying to blow herself up! And then she tries to test things without seeing if it was safe or not. Like who does that? Don’t you have a bloody Ph.D. or something? Like why do I have to be the responsible one? How did you even get through grad school? What the hell?”

“Exactly! It’s like I’m babysitting a fucking child.” Levi rolled his eyes, which he probably shouldn’t have done since he looked like he was going to be sick. “Aren’t you supposed to be a genius? Top of the class at some fancy-ass university? Why the fuck do I have to make sure you eat three meals a day and make sure you take a fucking bath and wear all the proper clothes and shit? Like.... the fuck man?” He drank another glass. 

Moblit did the same as he nursed his glass, “It’s cause you care about her man,” he said, starting to feel a little emotional. What the hell was going on with him? “Cause she means a lot to you, right? And she means a lot to me too... but…”

“Okay!” Moblit suddenly exclaimed, feeling some of the tears build up behind his eyes, “She really helped me through college, man. I was in deep shit cause I didn’t have the motivation but she came in… and just helped me turn my life around? Like I don’t know how she did it, she was crazy let me tell you, I mean she still is… but she always pulled through for me. She means so fucking much to me, and sure I had fucking feelings for her ages ago, but I realized we were better off as friends. I mean, look at you, already having so much trouble. I just wanted her to be treated nice and all, especially since she dated a shit ton of assholes before you....”

Levi nodded as if he understood what it was like to have your life fucked up and saved by Hange Zoe. “So you… don’t like her and shit…?” Levi asked, his face a little guarded. 

“I fucking love her,” Moblit declared firmly, “but not that way.”

Levi looked as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. His shoulders relaxed a bit, and he actually looked rather calm and collected despite the obvious mess he harbored. “I swear, the way we talk is all bickering and shit… I would never…”

“No man, I understand that now,” Moblit cut off, feeling bad. Even though he didn’t get that whole communication they had, he could see how much Levi cared for Hange. “I was being pissy and snooty about it.”

Levi agreed, not even denying it. He absentmindedly drummed his fingers on his thigh, as if trying to figure out how to say his next words: “She’s lucky to have you, you know? Four-eyes probably would have been rotting on the ground if it weren’t for you.”

“Well,” Moblit coughed, his head starting to feel heavy, “Thanks for making her take a bath. And you know… making her happy.”

Levi blinked. He leaned and looked at Moblit curiously, “I… do?”

“Man, she’s always extra livelier at work these past couple of days.” Moblit explained, moving to the enchiladas and stuffing a bit to his face, “You can see it in her eyes and crap. They’re all extra... sparkly.”

Levi snorted and scratched the back of his neck. Moblit could have sworn his cheeks became even redder. “Man, when I saw her at that coffee shop, I wanted to stay away as far as possible. She was so fucking loud and... obnoxious and shit. But she kept coming back and shit and I kept coming back too…”

“Love at first sight, huh?” Mobit scoffed. He really needed to stop drinking. “I didn’t think you’d be the type of guy who’d be into that.”

Levi narrowed his bloodshot eyes at him, “And I didn’t think you’d be the kind of guy who could handle alcohol really well.” the small man spoke disbelievingly, “I thought you were some fucking nerd. But a quiet one.”

“Hey! being Hange Zoe’s assistant is something that requires weekly alcohol consumption.” Moblit droned out, “And here I thought you were some gangster or shit.” Moblit laughed nervously, hoping Levi would disprove it immediately. To his surprise, Levi didn’t. Instead, he nodded and shrugged. 

Moblit paled. So the rumors were true. Damn it, he thought. He insulted Levi and had gotten him all pissed drunk. Just as he was starting to open up to him, this happens. As he started to think about a possible escape plan (he needed to get an Uber or something since he was obviously in no place to drive himself, but his phone was dying and it was nearing midnight), Levi let out a small chortle. Moblit looked up and couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Throughout the night, Levi had kept an impassive face that had switched between anger and annoyance. He never imagined Levi would grace him with a small smirk. 

“Tch, you should have seen how constipated your face was, Berner .” Levi said amusedly, leaning to grab another glass, “You looked like you were... about to shit your pants.”

“Wait, so…” Moblit started, feeling a little dumbfounded. The alcohol wasn’t doing any help clearing his mind either, “You’re not part of a gang or something illegal like that?”

“That’s fucking hilarious! The only thing I’m part of is this family business,” Levi said, waving to the place around them, much to Moblit’s confusion, “And if I were a part of a gang, like those things at like aha… the TV and you know, movies… and shit fucking shit like that, I wouldn’t be telling you .” Levi said, emphasizing more words than the others. 

“So you actually fucking own the place?!” Moblit cried out, waving his hands all around. So that explained his whole connection with the bouncer and the waiter. He was their boss . Moblit couldn’t decide if this was worse or not. 

“Scream it louder for the whole city, Berner!” Levi said as he slammed his fist on the table, “Yeah idiots!” Levi screamed as he stood up, gaining dozens of eyes on him, “I fucking own the place!”

“What are you doing?” a disbelieving voice suddenly asked. 

Moblit turned to see a young woman in all black — a black shirt, leather jacket, jeans, and boots. Her red scarf being the only pop of color on her body. She appeared out of nowhere right in front of their table, crossed her arms, and looked at Levi expectantly. She had the same steely gray eyes, raven hair, and stoicism Levi had but was much taller than the man himself. Levi squinted his eyes, peering at her curiously as if he didn’t recognize her. “Satan?”

“What the—” she shifted her eyes to the bottles and untouched nachos on the table and finally to Moblit. After a few seconds, her lips turned into a small smirk. 

“I was going to reprimand you for talking shit to Eren again, but oh wow , when he told me you were actually drinking alcohol, I almost couldn’t believe him.” the woman said in disbelief, the smirk on her face becoming more apparent. Her voice was stiff and very straight-forward, but she harbored a sense of amusement as of the moment. She pulled out her phone and directed the camera towards Levi. “This is gold.”

“Oi! What the fuck do you think you’re doing, you brat!?” Levi sputtered out as he tried to grab the woman’s phone without much success. She raised her arm and suddenly Levi wasn’t the intimidating figure he once was. 

“Blackmail, obviously,” the woman rolled her eyes, “This is what you get for scaring Eren again, you boomer.” 

Levi fell back onto the sofa chair after multiple attempts and had no choice but to glare at the figure looming over them. He breathed in deeply as he massaged his temples once more. 

“What exactly did you do to my brother, and how can I make him do this again?” the woman coughed, turning her gaze towards Moblit. “This is the first time in our lives he’s ever been this drunk.”

Moblit hiccuped. Ah, he figured these two were related. The physical resemblance was almost uncanny, but not as much as their resemblance in personalities. “I just called him an asshole. Seemed to do the trick.”

The young woman narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head, “You’re kidding, right? No way,” she said incredulously, her phone still filming the sight in front of her, “I’ve been calling him that all our lives. What the hell?”

“Oi! Mikasa! You better fucking stop that shit,” Levi sputtered, moving to stand up, but failing. “I don’t want Hange to… Hange...look at me like this.”

“Ohhhh, so this is all about Hange then,” the woman—Mikasa scoffed as she raised an eyebrow, “He’s been obsessed with her ever since they met. So that must mean…” she looked Moblit up and down, “you’re Moblit, aren’t you?” 

Moblit nodded. His eyes were starting to close. What was exactly going on again?

“He’s been so jealous of you, it’s annoying . He keeps muttering to himself how much he hates you cause you spend all that time with Hange and crap. And he thinks he’s not loud enough for us to hear him.” Mikasa rolled her eyes, “The boomer is fucking whipped.” 

“I can still hear you, satan,” Levi sneered, waving her away as if she could disappear, “I’m not fucking deaf.”

“Uh-huh,” Mikasa said, smirking at her phone screen. “This is what you get for always crapping on me and Eren. Don’t worry, boomer,” Mikasa hummed, placing a hand on her hip, “I’m sure Hange will still like you and shit.”

As Levi mumbled curses after curses, it was then she darted her eyes toward the end of the bar. Her eyes widened as if she just had a brilliant idea. 

“You need some water or crap.” Mikasa declared. She raised her hand and waved once. Eren was once again by her side, a little calmer than before. 

“What are you doing?” he whispered-yelled, eyes wide. 

Mikasa grabbed his arm, pulled him close, and whispered something to his ear. Eren’s eyes widened even more as he pulled back. He gave her a crazy look that said “really?”

“No,” he coughed, backing away from her, “that’s a horrible idea.”

“He’ll be fine ,” Mikasa scoffed, giving him a pointed look, “he won’t know.”

“Of course he will , someone’s gonna post it on YouTube or something.” Eren argued, “Which is probably going to be you .”

“Have you seen him? He’s a fucking boomer .” Mikasa retorted, “He doesn’t know how to work that crap. Besides, it’s payback from that stunt he pulled with you last week.”

“I told you! It’s fine if he makes me work extra shifts! I need them anyway!” He darted his eyes back to Levi who seemed to be just staring into the space in front of him now. “I really think this isn’t a good idea, Mikasa.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t get in trouble. I’ll take the blame and he’ll probably be too hungover to remember anything.” Mikasa told Eren firmly, “It’s gonna be great .”

Eren hesitated for a couple of seconds before sighing and leaving. Moments later, he was back with two bottles of water. 

Mikasa took one bottle and handed him her phone and instructed him to keep pointing it at Levi. She carefully approached her older brother and kneeled in front of him, “Oi! Boomer! Drink up,” she said, throwing the item on his lap, “You don’t wanna look like a mess in front of Hange now, do you?” 

Levi eyed the bottle of water curiously before looking back up to Mikasa who now had a passive expression on her face, “What the fuck is this?”

“Water, obviously,” she rolled her eyes, “You blind now? You gotta drink that crap so you can start being sober. Isn’t Hange going to be here soon or something?”

Levi looked at Moblit who simply shrugged in return, “Can I have one too, by… by any chance…?”

Mikasa glanced at Eren for a quick second before handing Moblit the other bottle of water as well. “Sure.”

Before Moblit could even open the bottle, Levi was already drinking his. The moment he drank the first sip, he gagged. 

This isn’t water, Mobit thought to himself, inspecting the bottle and sniffing it, it was more alcohol.

He didn’t even get a chance to warn or say anything to Levi as he had already finished the bottle. 

Moblit shrugged and finished the bottle as well. 

“Okay boomer, let’s get you up.” Mikasa said slyly, placing a hand on her brother’s shoulder, “I think I see Hange over there at the far end of the corner.” She looked on over to Moblit as well, the smirk coming back to her face and deepening further. “Oh, this is going to be amazing.”

*******

They were going to kill her. 

Of course, her experiments with Sawney and Bean, their beautiful and lovely lab mice Hange had initially lost the day before, ran longer than expected. She couldn't help it — she felt extremely bad for losing them under her watch. She had finished around thirty minutes after her last message to Moblit, and she would have gotten to the bar much earlier if only her car’s battery hadn’t died on her. It was lucky she had charged her phone before she left the house today and was able to get an Uber. There weren’t any buses this late into the night anymore, which would have been a huge problem. 

She was rather tired from today’s activities, but the thought of hanging out with at least Levi and Moblit had been enough to keep her awake. She was sad her other friends couldn't come, but at least those two had pulled through. 

On the car ride there, other than her thoughts of hanging out with her best friend and her boyfriend, she scrambled to think of an excuse on what to say to the latter. She had wanted Levi to meet her friends for so long so that maybe Levi could not only get out of his shell, but they could also possibly schedule more hangouts as a group. Levi only really hung out and worked in his family’s bar with his uncle and his little sister. Hange didn’t want the others to know he was the owner out of fear of her friends possibly freeloading and putting him in an awkward position. Which was why she just omitted that little detail when she called for everyone to get drinks. Levi had been hesitant to go forward with the meeting but had agreed anyway, which made her feel incredibly guilty about being the one late. 

She also wondered just how well he was getting along with Moblit. Though, she was pretty confident things were going to be, or they already were, awkward between the two. Another thing to add to her guilt list. 

Hopefully, she thought as the car stopped in front of her destination, her scolding wouldn’t be too bad. From either of them. 

She paid the driver and got off and scanned the long lines in front of her. Normally, she would have waited in line like any other normal person out of respect, but she was already running late. Mumbling apologies, she headed straight to the entrance where Reiner stood. 

“Oh! Hange! You’re finally here!” the blonde exclaimed, his face lighting up at the sight of her, “The boss already went in with another guy a couple of hours ago. I heard it was pretty crazy up there.”

“Hi, Reiner!” Hange smiled warmly, “Yeah, I had been too preoccupied at the lab and almost lost track of time! I’m here now, though, so hopefully Levi won’t scold me too much.” she said sheepishly. 

Reiner instantly stepped away to let her in, “I’m sure he won’t be too angry with you. You are his number one after all.” which made Hange blush and look down on the pavement, “Have fun!”

Hange gave him another smile before hurriedly making her way inside and up the stairs. She almost tripped a couple of times but had managed not to. Throwing open the doors to the rooftop, she panted, eyes searching for the two. Knowing Levi, he would be in his usual secluded spot by the very back. However, she was surprised to see how virtually empty that side was. She then directed her gaze towards the other side to the small stage where a comedy act was usually situated at. Her eyes then widened at the sight in front of her, and she had to do a double-take to make sure what she was seeing was real and not a figment of her imagination. 

“There were moments of gold and there were flashes of light!” Moblit screamed with his eyes closed. His hair and his button-up shirt were a certified mess. He threw an arm around… Levi?

“There were things I'd never do again!” Levi, the normally quiet, stoic, and clean person screamed into the microphone he held as he wrapped a free arm around Moblit’s waist, leaning towards him. His eyes were also closed, his normally tidy and neat hair a disheveled mess covered in sweat. “But then they'd always seemed right!”

“There were nights of endless pleasure!” Moblit sang in an extremely ridiculous high note which made Hange visibly cringe. The crowd that had formed in front of them, however, thought otherwise and all started cheering him on and clapping, “It was more than any laws allow!” Moblit dipped a little backward at that last note. 

“Baby, baby!” they both screamed as they let go and proceeded to face one another. 

“If I kiss you like this, ” Levi said, placing a hand on Moblit’s neck as he opened his bloodshot eyes. Yes, he was absolutely wasted.  

“And if you whisper like that,” Moblit sang affectionately as he cupped Levi’s cheek. The crowd gave another holler at the action. 

“It was lost long ago!” they sang together, holding onto one another for dear life, “But it's all coming back to me!”

“If you want me like this,” Levi whispered almost… seductively? That’s it. Hange must be dreaming. There was no way in hell this was happening. What was worse was how both men knew each line of that Celine Dion song and had it memorized. She stood frozen in her spot, unmoving, not knowing whether she should laugh, cry, or take out her phone to record first.  

“And if you need me like that,” Moblit yelled, pulling Levi close to him once again. The shorter man wobbled and held onto him for support, “It was dead long ago!”

“But it's all coming back to me!” they screamed together before tumbling down. The crowd gasped and laughed at the sight in front of them. The instrumental music kept playing as Hange heard a wretched puking noise. The crowd all collectively groaned in disgust and dispersed, enabling Hange to get a better view of the fallen men. 

What the actual fuck.

They both had puked their guts out, and so they were both covered in chunky pools of vomit. Moblit had passed out immediately, his arm still wrapped around Levi’s. The smaller man’s eyes were lidded and bloodshot, trails of vomit still leaking down from his chin. He looked around, confused, before screaming: “Oi! Four eyes! It’s no funty!” he groaned, attempting to wipe away the vomit from his chin but instead spreading it even more, “The brat said you were here already! Show perself! I just want to be with youuuuu!”

Hange’s mouth fell open. The shock she felt was even bigger than the comedy of the situation, and she had to slap herself to make sure all of this was real. How did they even get to this point? How in the world had Levi allowed himself to get to this point? He didn’t even drink, with tea being his go-to beverage. His uncle was the alcohol guy. And Moblit, calm and normally shy Moblit, how the hell did he get to this? Hange knew he was accustomed to drinking, so he had an incredibly high alcohol tolerance. So for him to get wasted like this must have taken a hideous amount of alcohol consumption. Which meant that whatever Moblit had drunk Levi had as well. 

“Ah, you’re finally here,” Mikasa appeared next to her, holding up her phone and recording the entire… situation. Hange gaped at her, still dumbfounded at the sight in front of them. Mikasa gave a deep breath, obviously trying to hold in her laughter, “They’ve been quite lonely without you.”

“What. The. Hell. Happened?” Hange asked, appalled. She was so damn close to breaking down in tears. Both good and bad. 

At the last word, Levi let out a large groan and exclaimed, “Hangeeee if you don’t come back here with your shitty ass glassesssss I’m gonna dump you and date Berner insteaddddd!” he slurred, punching the air and then passing out next to Moblit, right on the pool of vomit they created together. 

“Oh wow, the boomer is gonna replace you after just one night with another guy? What a joke.” Mikasa scoffed, fiddling with her scarf and shaking a little bit from quiet laughter. “I don’t think they’ll be waking up anytime soon.”

It was quiet for a few seconds as some of the staff started to clean up the mess, only leaving the bodies untouched before the shock finally left her body and Hange found her voice: “You gave them Spirytus Vodka mixed with rum, didn’t you?”

“Yep.”

“And you recorded the entire thing?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And you know what my email address is?”

“Yes. I’ll also send you the YouTube link later tonight.”

“You know he’s going to come after you, right?”

“But I have you as a backup.”

“Touche.”

“Can you run me through the story of how they ended up like this?” Hange asked, looping her arm with the younger Ackerman. 

“Sure,” Mikasa said, turning off her recording and leading Hange to the bar. “Pina Colada?”

“And some cheesy fries.”

Hange didn’t need to worry about those two. There’d be enough pictures and videos about them tomorrow on social media. Though, she was rather worried at the prospect of her best friend stealing her boyfriend from her. Now that would be a really difficult situation.