#maybe zeke was like yeah i guess there really are some people out there living that canva life

[spiralmode]

my man william whips out the most stock photo generic family default canva template looking image and zeke was like no yeah that's his wife and kid and dog

[unproduciblesmackdown]

nonzero people podcasting about goosebumps the musical & it’s never enough. neither extensive enough nor enthusiastic enough & that’s coming from me which is the entire explanation for the assessment. 

on the same topic but a completely different point, i was just appreciating how extra fun i always find understudy buddy to be. and obviously i would like to think that maybe tina & the unit that is brooke & zeke are like, more neutral to amicable after the show lol. tina is a lot of fun as is, like, automatic shoutout to any character just being like, getting in the way being offputting / a pain and all powered by one’s own intensity, that’s fun & funny & who among us? and like yeah she’s also definitely doing the mean girl thing like, in the song as mentioned lmao like please, rein it in. and maybe she will, but then when other suspects are being kind of crossed off the list just before thee play she manages to just be regular supportive towards brooke, so that’s promising lol. and also just shoutout to the Fun of a lively antagonistic role, great stuff, delightful number for her there, and sure helping ramp things up. and zeke and brooke not just showing up for this one horror musical (also i would love to shoutout zeke’s plight there lmfao like, the experience of original readers of poto where the twist is “nah it’s not a phantom it’s just some wet pathetic guy” like he’s so hyped to be The Ghost Lead and then he’s like oh god i’m a romantic lead in a hole & i’m five & it’s embarrassing & i even know my counterpart irl (the bestie) like i guess technically the role’s a ghost by the end & good for the mystery mask wearing element being exciting still) but that they were unnamed ensemble members in guys & dolls & saw that through, they’re bringing support & appreciation for the theatre, & on the flipside tina might just enjoy the theatricality & attention from it but she was having a great time informing everyone that on top of their haunted school it’s a specifically haunted (cursed) play, so maybe she can also relate to zeke and brooke’s horror genre appreciation. and she might warm up at all to zeke when he’s cleared about the fact he wasn’t trying to prank their efforts into oblivion, at least to the same degree she can manage to provide regular supportiveness to brooke when it comes to it. and on the one hand, despite brooke and zeke sure seeming like that hell of an established unit like probably just have their [socializing at school] foundation covered by hanging out w/each other, they could let brian in on that easily enough for something of a triumvirate, but now not only are they bffs since 5ever who love a genre together, they sure had an Adventure in emile messing up by [you never try to scooby doo villain your way through it] but also doing it all wrong where they think You’re the danger here & that you’re going to murder them, plus it’s scary for real exploring the darkness elevator underground tunnels anytime, but also now they have this off the shits experience with that new guy friend who was a ghost for real. kind of its own bonding element & maybe you wouldn’t exactly let anyone else in on it, much less like, tina lmao. she might be interested in The Legend but she was also super interested in telling everyone all about it, and idk, difficult and weird to explain, thing it’d all be quite the stuff to process for one lol like sure we love drama and ghosts and attention too but it’s A Lot. ghosts are real and i online dated one except across time rather than space and he was just some guy hanging out and i also hung out with him sometimes but then in the end it got weird b/c he was the suspicious understudy all along and this role is really not coming through....but also hey, could talk about it all eventually, and tina’s got plenty of context already. next year’s cast n crew party for the last show, be like hey guess what, b/c we’re solidly amicable now also

plus being extracurricular buddies like, ms. walker head in hands dealing with these three menaces lmao....although zeke wasn’t Really up to that much, tina’s sure committed to the show, etc. and it’s like, being a student or teacher or anyone else at a middle school is just always gonna be like that. could really be worse, she can handle it. and maybe she can know of the lore also, she’s out here engaging in irl drama and lore about like avenging her grandmother’s theatrical aspirations, or none of this would be going on lol. get used to these three and actually they’re reliable really, maybe tina will have learned to better accept not getting the dream role, which will be an easier time for everyone. but it’s just always gonna be a handful lol but all these kids were also all about putting on the play too, actually, yes maybe some problems arose from messing around with the platform but they could’ve been worse problems (queues of ghosts in line for their turn at finally achieving one last goal of performing their part in this one damn play lol) and does seem like it’s engineering issues inherently rather than Just messing around backstage unsupervised which isn’t often otherwise going to be fatally risky, and maybe just give people a rundown about the riskiness of things that Isn’t emile’s botched effort where he mostly just made children afraid of Him. like idk, i did shop class throughout middle school, we avoided injury w/successful cautionary rundowns. brian’s one other last goal could’ve been about safety measures, but whaddaya gonna do. anyways point is, hanging out after school for theatre purposes and having an understanding and bonus patience affordance with the teacher in charge of this and maybe everyone gets to know the Real Ghost Story or maybe it’s zeke & brooke’s personal inside secret, it was already a shared adventure for all involved even if they didn’t get the Full story the way those two did, all of them are up for Drama and for Horror, they’re good to go. and good for them

[mangosimoothie]

The Bachelorette: Episode 20 - Parlez-vous Français?

Welcome back to The Bachelorette! Now Aja will go on her fantasy dates with Bastien and Ryan, then it will finally be time for her to send another bachelor home and select the final three who will have a shot at her heart. So, who will be the final three? We’re about to find out...

Bastien of course goes above and beyond, and takes Aja on a romantic hot air balloon ride, a prince charming as always. 

[soundtrack]

Bastien: You’re not afraid of heights, right? Aja: Bas, you know my only fear is worms. I’m SO excited! I’ve always wanted to do this!! Bastien: Well, I live to give you everything you want.

Up and away they go, literally on top of the world! What a beautiful view of the jungles. 

B: Aja, I brought you here to this view to show you that I truly want to give you the world. I know I can be seen as overbearing or as you say ‘extra’ but this is because when I love someone it is with my entire being. There is nothing I would not do, no lengths I would not go to, to show you that. A: I know, Bastien. Things have been so confusing lately, but you’ve always done so much to show me how much you care. B: It’s true. I’m happy to see we can finally begin to right the wrongs of the past.

A: Hold up. What do you mean by that exactly? ‘Right the wrongs of the past?” B: It’s just a saying, ma chérie. It sounds better in French. What I mean to say is that since I have known you, I’ve known that we were meant to be here, on top of the world together. A: It is pretty nice. Maybe you’re right.

While Bastien and Aja are on their date, the guys back at the Bachelorette Pad think they should do some exploring of their own. Zeke checks in with Ryan to see if he wants to join in on the fun. 

Z: X’irron’s never seen a frog before, so I’m gonna help him look around the jungle and see if we can find some. Wanna come? R: You guys go ahead. I feel shitty today. Z: You good? R: …Can I like, confide something in you?

Ryan tells Zeke about his polycythemia vera (Remember, from Episode 4? The rare cancer he has that makes him have too much blood?) and how Atticus had been helping him with it. Since that arrangement ended, Ryan’s symptoms have gotten worse, and he admits to being worried he won’t have the energy for a fun jungle adventure date. The thing is, Ryan’s symptoms weren’t even that bad before Atticus, so he’s not sure why he’d feel this sick after. 

Z: Shit man…I’m sorry. Did he maybe turn you and you’re transforming or..? R: Definitely not. Atticus’s coven is really serious about ‘protecting the bloodline’ or whatever, so he would never turn me. I could be literally about to die and he wouldn’t. I mean, not that becoming a vampire is the most IDEAL way to cure cancer but it’s fucked up that like even as a hypothetical — never mind. Stupid Z: Hmm…Ryan, do you want advice or just support right now? R: Ugh. Fine. Advice. Z: So, mental health can also affect you physically and make health conditions you already have worse. Some people will get seriously ill or progress in sickness if they’re under a lot of stress, or depressed, or something traumatic happens to them, or they lose someone important- R: Yeah no, I’m pretty sure it’s because of the overproduction of red blood cells in my bone marrow.

Z: Alright man, well, take it easy and let me know if I can do anything for you. R: Thanks, Zeke. And…I guess I like, really appreciate you and value our friendship and I’m glad you’re here for me or whatever. Z: Aww, Ryan! Not you openly expressing your feelings and being emotionally vulnerable! R: Not you ruining it. Have fun with your frogs.

After their date, Aja takes Bastien back to the Fantasy Suite. It’s 3 for 3 so far - you go, girl! 

B: Sit and have some champagne with me. I know it’s premature, but we should celebrate finally making it to the end of this game, no? A: I actually brought you back here because I really need to talk to you. In the balloon, you said something about ‘righting the wrongs of the past’ and I figured out why it rubbed me the wrong way - That’s exactly what Cooper told me that you said, and I didn’t believe him. And I STILL don’t know what it’s supposed to mean. Bas. What’s going on? Seriously. B: Cooper is a known liar who uses his buffoonish charm to avoid critique, mon amour. Don’t tell me you’d consider taking his word over mine. A: I just wish I could know CONCRETELY what was said. He said you were talking to your agent - can we call your agent? I’m sorry, I just need a third party to confirm. B: My agent only speaks French. A: But he’s from LA-

B: Aja, you need to stop overthinking and take my word. 

Honestly this is ridiculous. Aja’s right - it would be SUCH a better conflict if somebody got #exposed. I want my ratings spike, so we need a REVEAL!! We dropped the ball not hiring a French translator, but SOMEBODY on this crew has to speak French. Right??? Like, come on. If anyone in this room speaks French, I need you to say something NOW before the network pulls the plug on season 2.

???: Um, I actually speak some French…I studied abroad in Paris.

Aja: Wait, what?

Sorry, who are you again? 

“I’m Rylie, um, I’m a PA? I brought you coffee this morning? I’m sorry I didn’t say anything earlier, but the 2nd AD told me that PAs are supposed to be a kind of a seen not heard thing and I didn’t wanna get in trouble or overstep…” 

Okay, someone go tell the 2nd AD he’s fired. Rylie, congrats. You’re our new translator. 

[soundtrack]

Rylie, who’s an absolute gem by the way, goes through some of our footage that we weren’t able to translate and brought the truth to light once and for all.

Turns out, Bastien’s mom wasn’t critiquing Aja, she was DEFENDING her! She didn’t have a single negative thing to say about Aja, and in reality was telling Bastien that he needed to drop his grudge and move on. She told him that what he was about to do would ruin his reputation forever. Bastien told her that he was doing what he had to do, and that it would all work out in the end.

Bastien was telling the truth about being on the phone with his agent talking about his tour, but he’d omitted a LOT of details. Cooper was right- Bastien was planning on getting Aja to choose him so that he could reject her, and make her see that she wasn’t as perfect as she thinks. Turns out Aja rejected his elaborate proposal to their senior dance in high school, and he’s had it out for her ever since. The scandal was sure to make his Cherie tour the ULTIMATE topic. 

A: Are you KIDDING me?! That was a decade ago!! B: You humiliated me in front of the whole school! You deserve to feel how I felt. You should have realized that I could have been the best thing to ever happen to you, but you were too vain and stupid to see what was right in front of you. A: You’re completely insane. You knew I was going with someone else, and that I HATE elaborate promposals.

“Aja, it doesn’t have to end this way! We can end up together for real-”

“Don’t touch me!! It’s over, Sebastien. I mean it. Pack your shit and get the fuck out. Tonight.” 

“Fine. I’ll leave. But just remember this - one day you will come to realize that missing out on Bastien Cupidon is the worst mistake you’ve ever made.” 

“God damnit. I can’t believe I let the narcissist lead me on for this long. And the worst part is, it means we were never really friends. He was always just waiting for his chance. Ugh, this is so so fucked up.”

The next morning, Aja invites the remaining bachelors back to her suite so she can explain the situation. 

“Hey guys, thanks for being here. So, there was an incident last night and I unfortunately had to send Bastien home on the spot. That means there won’t be a rose ceremony this week because I already know who didn’t belong here. I don’t want this to take away from the experience though! I’m still really looking forward to spending the day with Ryan - wait, hold up—

Aja: — Does anyone know where Ryan is?? 

Neither X’irron nor Zeke are sure. The last time anyone’s seen him was when he told Zeke that his symptoms were getting worse. And he did look pretty worse for wear…  

Aja: Oh my god…did something happen to him?! Where is he?!

[soundtrack]

NEXT | PREVIOUS | BEGINNING 

[feralaot]

random scouts hcs!

I did a post like this for the warriors my beloved (here) and people seemed to like it so here's one for the scouts :) had some input from @afrival for this one luv u

no warnings I think

eren

if he had twitter he would have a vaporwave bart simpson profile picture and tweet lil peep lyrics. also uses way too many hashtags

he's scared of snakes and hates armin's ball python

his eyes are probably crusty as hell and mikasa has to wipe em for him because he won't

when he's losing an argument he goes "ooh you wanna kiss me so bad" and it always escalates things but he doesn't stop

almost exclusively wears american eagle

"what's a pronoun".mp3

uses the 💯 emoji in every other text message he sends

armin

sends his friends pictures of cats cuddling/hanging out and says "me n you <3"

genuinely can't stand when people have dirt under their fingernails. he gets so mad at eren bc his nails are dirty asf and armin forces him to clean them

he calls himself sexy a lot (e.g. "that was really sexy of me")

chews on bottle caps then is like hmm why do my teeth hurt

he hates feet. toes look weird to him. nobody in his house is allowed to take their socks off

unironically uses faces like ^-^ and :3

acne :(

mikasa

she's really bad at giving advice. don't go to her for help she'll literally be like "that's tough"

probably has like 4 instagram accounts made just to follow eren

solid black profile picture and no bio

maybe now and then she'll put a my chemical romance quote on her story but that's about it, she doesn't respond to dms or anything

doesn't wash that damn scarf so it's probably stinky

sticks staples, pins, etc through the tips of her fingers for no reason other than she likes freaking people out

probably hisses at people

jean

the only possible relationship dynamic somebody can have with him is rivals to lovers

very short social fuse and has to stay home for several days after public events bc it's just exhausting

he's an introvert adopted by extroverts (connie and sasha) and has to deal with their shenanigans. truly the mom figure between the three of them

marco has to listen to him ranting about connie and sasha's foolery and doesn't have much advice to offer bc he doesn't know either

for a long time he only knew "straight" and "gay" and when he found out about the concept of bisexuality his mind almost imploded

he sighs and yawns a lot and doesn't even realize he does it. people always think he's either annoyed or tired

probably dresses like a diet e-boy. crewneck king

connie

the kind of kid in your high school gym class that wears mismatching neon clothes. bonus points if it's nike

also the most likely to start a food fight for funsies

he doesn't yell often because his voice cracks when he does and it's embarrassing

sasha and him hate cafeteria food so he always brings an ungodly amount of food in his backpack instead to share with sasha. connie's backpack is 90% food

unironically says things like "pogchamp" and "rad"

he works at zumiez and probably lives there. always rocking their latest drip

jumps up and slaps exit signs

sasha

randomly breaks into song (usually disney songs) and connie will automatically duet

manages to fall asleep in any situation. on buses, while watching movies, sometimes even mid conversation if she's zoned out enough

tried to take armin fishing one time but he almost cried because he felt so bad about it

at least reiner will fish with her though. the himbos always come through

her instagram is all pictures of fish she caught and now and then there's an awkward candid pic of niccolo

stayed overnight in a walmart one time and got away and brags about it but she won't admit it was an accident. panicked and spent the night eating snacks off the shelves to "survive"

while she's talking her voice slowly gets louder and louder and she doesn't realize it until people tell her to stop yelling

historia

pulls people by the ears to bring them down to her level

also kicks people in the shins a lot, if she's arguing with someone they'll usually keep their distance to avoid getting shin kicked

loves climbing on ymir's back and just being carried around like the little creature she is

posts inspirational quotes on her story

would definitely be a cheerleader in high school. nobody would guess a prep like her is dating some grunge girl w a pretty much opposite personality

she always has bandaids with her for some reason. if someone gets scraped she'll whip out a bandaid immediately. her friends call her "mom" sometimes

hates grilled cheese so god damn much. can't stand it

ymir

"damn I don't remember asking".mp3

is always the first one to comment on historia's instagram posts. her comments range from "beautiful my queen!!!" to "damn ma yo ass fat"

she always called reiner gay as a joke then he came out as gay and for a while she thought it was her fault

her and reiner have wlw and mlm solidarity, they're bffs for that matter

if someone tells her that her music is too loud she'll say "huh?" and turn it up

similarly if someone scolds her for something she'll go "hm? repeat that, I'm a little deaf in this ear"

"bro stfu you always tell me you're gonna fire me for being late"

levi

really really hates cooking pasta because straining the water is for some reason more difficult than it should be

"do not underestimate me, bitches"

always refuses to get his hair cut at places in shopping centers. especially walmart great clips

makes monkey noises when he sees something he likes. he started doing this as a joke to mock zeke but it evolved and now he can't stop doing it randomly

will not hesitate to knock someone on their ass if they're talking shit

coffee makes him jittery so he drinks tea instead but won't admit to anyone that he lowkey also has a redbull addiction

hange calls him a catboy but he doesn't know what that means so he's always like "yeah" bc he thinks it means he's a cat person

hange

buys levi shoes from the kids section and doesnt tell him bc he likes them anyway

such a millennial, they say shit like "doggo" and "adulting"

"for practical reasons I don't exist. do not perceive me"

probably wants to marry mothman

levi has had to scold them on several different occasions for bringing live animals into the house

legally isn't allowed to cook bc they can and they will blow something up

goes on tipsy rants almost nightly

erwin

white skechers king

hosts barbecues in those white skechers. he talks shit about people with nile and pyxis like a bunch of gossiping middle aged fath- wait

his profile pictures on social media are probably pictures of himself taken from awkward angles with an empty expression. it's always posted like six times as well

when levi is getting Out Of Hand he'll pick him up from under the arms and carry him away like "okay, that's enough" and levi kicks around but can't escape

rubs his hands together a lot like a fly. nobody knows why he does it. what are you scheming

falls asleep on couches while watching sports games

[swinging his keys around his finger] "let's rock and roll"

[free-pancakes]

I loved the villain Hange! Now I want to know what Levi said to Hange

villain!Hange drabble :)

hope this isn’t too boring, anon!

————

Hange sat next to Levi, holding a cold towel up to his forehead, carefully swiping the wet strands of hair out of the way.

Eldians within the walls were intriguing to Hange, living in a world unknowing of the horrors occurring not too far outside. But Levi had been particularly interesting to Hange. She had been going undercover within the walls for years, learning all she can about these devils, but she slowly began to see... that they weren’t “devils” at all.

And the person who had specifically changed her mind, was Levi Ackerman.

Zeke shot her down every time she tried to change his mind about those within the walls. The only person with some ounce of understanding was Pieck, but she still urged Hange to be cautious.

She tried to erase the genuinely human moments, kindness hidden in his gaze, out of her mind. But she couldn’t.

And when they had finally made eye contact in her titan form, and then once again in her human form, it was as though...

As though he knew she wasn’t an enemy either.

And now she sat next to him in the flesh, day 3 of looking after him, trying to control his fever and keeping him alive there in the middle of the dark, quiet forest. If anyone found out about this, she would surely have her titan taken away, her life ended. But she couldn’t just leave him there.

She simply couldn’t.

The first night he was as horribly delirious, crying out names she didn’t recognize, apologizing for dialing them, and it made her wonder just how many people had lost to titans. But for whatever reason, he seemed to calm every time she positioned her face in front of his, where he could see her, the black hood of her cloak covering up her messy brown hair.

He kept calling her Kuchel, whoever that might have been. The way he talked to her, she guessed it to be maybe his mother. Hange didn’t want to warp his view of Kuchel as she wasn’t exactly sure of who she was to Levi, and she seemed to be someone very important to him—so she simply let him talk, only ever responding with “tell me more, Levi,” encouraging him to let whatever he had in his heart out. And she learned so much about him, and how right her intuition was—what a beautiful kind and genuine soul.

Levi. A kind soul.

It made her laugh, because she knew none of her comrades would ever believe this to be true, as formidable a fighter he was—it just didn’t fit his reputation.

On day 2, he continued to talk to Hange as if she was Kuchel, but the subject changed.

Subject being a Marleyan wolf titan.

Hange froze, her ears perked wanting to know more about what he thought of herself.

And Levi went on and on about her. The nights he tried convincing Erwin that they should focus on capturing the wolf titan shifter, that he thought they’d be valuable. He said the same to his underlings in the 104th, but they also clearly felt hesitant, unsure to trust a Marleyan, an enemy.

But Levi said he knew there was good in her, and didn’t care that no one else believed in him.

Hange’s heart filled with warmth at his words, but didn’t really understand why he thought this.

So she asked him.

Before he began, his eyes lit up, like he was talking about an old friend.

Levi explained how she only ever made quick moves to save her comrades, and that out of any Marleyan he had faced, she never targeted him or any of the Scouts. She only ever attacked out of self-defense. And in the moments they fought, he said it was as though he could feel her hesitation, her confusion as she fought, as if she didn’t know what she stood for, or maybe, why she was even fighting in the first place. And he wanted to know if he was right about that.

And by the 3rd night, all he could do was smile at Hange. It made her feel a bit uneasy at first, but in the end, she couldn’t help but laugh.

She huddled up next to him for warmth, as the night was particularly colder than the previous. She pulled her arm around him, running her fingers through his hair over and over again.

As she felt him calm down in her embrace, she decided to ask him one direct question—whether or not he hoped to meet and talk with the wolf titan shifter someday.

And Levi nodded. In a weak voice, he whispered just loud enough for her to hear—

“Yeah. But thinking about that makes me a little nervous.”

“Why?” Hange asked.

Levi paused, a blush appearing on his face as he yawned.

“Because she is very, very beautiful,” he said, before he drifted off to sleep.

[stxrrdust]

Okay so hear me out here. I know I'm connecting two really different fandoms here but I can clearly see a parallel between Zeke and Eren from Attack on Titan and The Darkling and Alina from Shadow and Bone. Actually, the similarity in the way their relationships work is uncanny.

For people who haven't read the books let me briefly get you all caught up. So, we're set in a world where people can either have powers and summon stuff or be normal and not have powers. There are multiple and different powers, not relevant here, but their leader is basically this one dude called "The Darkling" who has the ability to summon the darkness and do despicable things cause he's a monster. Summoning the darkness is said to be the strongest summoning there is, BUT it's opposite, the sun summoning, is just as strong.

Now, this is a spoiler for the end of the books but the darkling is thousands of years old so he's had an incredible amount of lifetime to practice and perfect his power.

The only set back? Back in his early days his power got out of control and he created the shadow fold. A huge piece of land covered with shadows and monsters living inside. During the first book, his whole thing is his need to find his opposite power and destroy the shadow fold (cause obv, you can't destroy fire with fire now, can you?).

Now let's go to Alina. Alina grows up as an orphan with her childhood bestfriend Mal (as normal people). At some point, around 18yo, she is forced to go to war and work as a cartographer, her unit working for the darkling while they're entering the fold. Things unravel fast and Mal almost gets killed so Alina subconsciously, unleashes a huge power just to protect him.

Now did you guess it? Alina is the sun summoner!! The only one with power strong enough to challenge the darkling. Long story short, The darkling takes notice of her and he takes her to her palace to work her power and eventually help him "destroy" the shadow fold.

Now let's go to the main part, their relationship

The darkling keeps Alina for himself. He motivates her to practice her powers and eventually help him conquer the fold. Without realizing, Alina falls in love with him and he becomes all pedo and really possessive cause she's what like 18? and he's what like 3thousand? Now, anyway, the darkling treats Alina as an equal (as he should). He gets emotionaly vulnerable with her acting all amazing caring person.

spoiler!

he's not.

In reality he's had an awful childhood, always on the run, manipulated by her mother. Horrible mother to begin with but does that excuse his actions. Well, no. Not to me. At least not all of them.

Anyway let's move on. The Darklinf manipulates Alina into working with her. Now don't get me wrong, the Darkling is Thousands of years old and I get that he wanted Alina cause he felt the loneliness but omgg COME ON NOW YALL.

By the end of the first book, The Darkling has successfully put Alina under his command by putting on her an amplifier to control her power..

Surprise surprise HE is the bad guy. (omg now way how could he)

Noone is surprised that an emotionally manipulative narcissist is the bad guy.

Turns out he only wanted her to expand the fold and kill more people not destroy it. OHHHHHH yeah makes so much more sense tbh.

Now let's connect all that to Eren and Zeke

idk if you get where I was going with this cause I'm awful at explaining but I haven't finished the anime isn't finished so I don't exactly know what goes on the next chapters (should I read the manga? hmm maybe I will honestly)

But let's briefly connect everything

Protagonists- Eren, Alina

Antagonists- Zeke, The Darkling

Zeke The Darkling

- Awful Childhoods ✔ ✔

-Manipulated the only person ✔ ✔

with the power to help them

-Became close with them by ✔ ✔

calling out to the relationship they had with them

-Started out as a noble cause, ✔ ✔

ended up betraying them anyway

-Cared about them. Or did they? ✔ ✔

- Only cared about their. ✔ ✔

power, not them themselves

There are way more parallels and things to analyze but I really gotta go study so yeah imma drop it for now.

ALSO read shadow and Bone yall or my favorite, "Six of Crows" by Leigh bardugo.

They are genius books and Leigh is fucking amazing

[levi-lover]

New Light Part: 3

College Levi x Reader(Modern AU)

W/C: 7.6k

T/W:  Mentions of alcohol, drugs, smoking and blood

A/N: This is a longer piece because I decided to put two chapters together! This series has been so much fun to write and everyone has been so kind to it, I really appreciate it! Also this song reminds me of Levi’s part :(

I’ve put all the parts in one list here: New Light Masterlist

(Pic from here)

Levi’s POV

After Levi saw Zeke place his jacket over you, he rolled his eyes and began walking home. The others followed him. Hange leaned into Moblit’s body and pointed to a house across the street, “I saw them feed a squirrel once.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Levi spouted.  

“Calm down, Mr. Grumps. I’m talking about the squirrel,” Hange managed to say. Moblit smiled at them. 

Levi shook his head and pushed his hands into his pockets. The air around him was numbing and frigid but the anger inside of him kept him warm. The thought of Zeke, of all people, holding you close to him made his blood boil. That fucking entitled asshole, Levi thought. Hearing that you had a boyfriend hurt but knowing it was Zeke Jaeger made it worse. Levi remembered the way he scoffed at Erwin and walked out of their dorm with his friends, the fucking nerve he had. He cursed every time he had to interact with that man. 

He stared at the sidewalk and listened to Erwin’s footsteps next to him. Erwin knew better than to say anything to Levi right now. Erwin had seen Levi when he was angry but this was different, the hate seemed to radiate off the small man. Moblit said goodbye to the two of them when they reached Hange’s apartment, he was used to taking care of them after nights out. Before Erwin and Levi left, Hange ran up to them and gave them both a hug and kiss on the cheek. “I love you losers,” they muttered. 

Erwin and Levi continued their walk home in silence, it wasn’t uncomfortable for them but it was obvious Erwin was worried about Levi.

“Just say it,” Levi said in an oddly calm voice when they entered their apartment.

Erwin sighed in relief, finally feeling free to speak. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, the fuck wouldn’t I be?” Levi responded.

“Levi, I respect your privacy but I-I thought you and (Y/N) were, you know, going to be a thing.”

Erwin was normally eloquent with his thoughts, hearing him stumble threw Levi off. He sat on the couch and stared at the dirty shot glasses on the coffee table and the empty whiskey bottle. 

“Tsk, that’s a dumbass thought,” Levi whispered. I still haven’t called my mom, he thought. 

“I guess maybe it is... I’m going to bed but if you need anything let me know,” Erwin murmured and paused,“I’m here for you Levi, you’ve always been there for me. Good night.” 

Erwin walked over to his room and Levi stayed in the living room. The only light in the room came from a small lamp on the side table next to the couch. Levi looked at the shadows the light cast on his hands and examined the small scars running up and down his fingers. He chuckled remembering how he got them. His Uncle Kenny, tried to each him knife skills because that was the only thing he thought he had to give Levi. He remembered the fear in his chest as Kenny played Chicken with him and jabbed the knife in between the gaps of his fingers, he was a child when they played those games but those were some of his favorite moments. 

Levi threw his head against the couch and sighed. Fuck, what would Kenny do?, Levi chuckled, he’d probably punch Zeke and kiss (Y/N) but I don’t want to be that guy. I don’t want to be like Kenny anymore. He repeated the final line to himself. Levi knew he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. While the alcohol in his body pulled his body to sleep, his thoughts wouldn’t let him rest. He turned off the lamp and sat on the couch for the rest of the night. The sunlight began to pour in through the windows until the entire room was enveloped in a bright yellow glow. This was Levi’s favorite part of the day. 

Somewhere in between the chirps of the morning birds, Levi drifted off to sleep, his body melted into the couch. Erwin walked to the living room in his pj’s and bedhead, he lazily rubbed his eyes and looked at Levi. The poor guy had a line of drool hanging from his open mouth. Erwin shook his head and put water in the kettle. He started to fix himself a cup of coffee and he made a cup of tea for Levi. When he was done, he walked over to Levi and gently tapped his leg with his foot. 

“Levi, wake up. I made you tea,” Erwin said gently.

Levi shot up and gave Erwin a scowl until he saw his cup of tea. He took the mug and took a sip.

“Thanks, it tastes like shit.” 

Erwin chuckled and sat down next to Levi. They were silent as they sipped on the drinks. Levi relaxed into the couch again and ran his fingers through his hair. Mmm, I need a haircut, he thought. 

“What’s on the agenda for today?” Erwin asked Levi.

“Do I look like your damn secretary?” Levi responded. 

“Fine, let me rephrase. What are you doing today?”

“Fuck if I know.” Levi said in a flat tone. 

“I’m going to the library to study. If you want to join me, you’re more than welcome too.”

“Erwin, we just finished midterms. What are you going to study?” Levi asked.

“I need to get ready to apply to internships, a few big applications are coming up.” Erwin explained.

Levi rolled his eyes. I should probably get started on those too.

As if he read his mind, Erwin asked, “have you begun any applications?”

“No.”

Erwin nodded his head, “I could help you if you want.”

“Thanks, I’ll let you know.”

Erwin looked at Levi surprised he didn’t respond with a snarky remark but Levi was too tired to bother. Last night had drained him more than he thought. The clouds were beginning to block the sunlight and the living room slowly darkened. Erwin got up and went back to his room, he got ready, said goodbye to Levi and left. The room had lost its glow from earlier but Levi didn’t bother to turn the lamp back on. Instead he grabbed his phone and gave his mom a call. Levi froze when he heard his mom’s voice 

“Levi! Hello!” Kuchel said in a soft voice. “Levi? Honey, are you there?” 

“Hey, I’m here.” Levi whispered.

“Good, it’s lovely to hear your voice. How’s school? How are Hange and Erwin?” She asked

“School is good. I’m done with midterms and I feel good about them. Erwin is good and Hange, well, they’re Hange.”

Kuchel laughed, “I’m glad to hear, Levi.” 

Levi paused for a few moments, he was nervous to say what has on his mind, “Mom, I won’t be able to come home for the break. I can’t afford it. I’m sorry.”

She sighed tenderly, “Sweetie, don’t worry about it. I understand. Will you be able to come for Christmas?”

“That’s the plan, I’m going to take on more hours at the restaurant,” he affirmed.

“Levi, I’m more than willing to he-”

“No. Mom, it’s fine. I don’t want you to worry about me.” Levi hated borrowing money from his mom. She’d spent the majority of her life in and out of the hospital and her insurance barely covered the bills. Levi remembered how hard she worked herself to provide for him and he avoided borrowing money if he could.

“Levi, you silly bird, I’m always going to worry about you but I understand. I know you could take care of yourself.”

He laughed, “yeah, we could thank Kenny for that.” 

Kuchel giggled, “that man is a wildcard.”

“Yeah. Hey, Mom, I need to get going now but I love you.” 

“Of course, Sweetie. Be safe and tell Erwin and Hange I said hi. I love you so much Levi. I’m so proud of everything you’re doing.”

Levi felt a lump in his throat, “thanks Mom, that means a lot. I love you. Goodbye.”

He hung up the phone. If only she knew how much I’ve fucked up. Levi shook his head and pushed those thoughts away. There was no time to think about that when he had a mess to clean up. He turned the lights on in the apartment, wrapped a white handkerchief around his head and began to blast music through a speaker. When everything felt wrong and out of control, Levi always turned to his cleaning supplies to give him clarity and today was the type of day for a deep clean of his space.

----

“You made it!” Hange exclaimed.

“I’m surprised you made it,” you jabbed referring to their drunken self last night who couldn’t even walk without Moblit’s help.

“Well, we were celebrating last night, right?”

“I guess so. Anyways,” you sat down across from them, “tell me more about Moblit.”

“Him? He’s just a friend I met in an art elective. I thought painting would be fun but it turns out there’s a skill that comes with it,” Hange shrugged, “I don’t have that skill but he does.”

“Is that so?”

Hange’s face began to redden, “yep but that’s not the most important thing right now. So you’re dating Zeke Jaeger, huh?”

“Ugh, can I at least drink some coffee before we talk about that?” 

The waiter took your order and the two of you made casual conversation until the food came to the table. The both of you thanked the waiter and began eating.

“So, are you ready to talk about Zeke?” Hange prodded. 

“Oh yeah. So I’ve been dating Zeke for a while and that’s it. I don’t understand what the big deal is,” you paused and mulled over everything you’ve heard, “other than there being an issue between Zeke and Levi. Erwin too, I guess.”

Hange kept their eyes on their food, you cleared your throat. 

“Yeah, I guess that would be confusing,” They muttered. 

“Yeah, Hange it is. Can you please tell me what happened?” You begged.

Hange sighed, placed their fork down and looked at you. “Okay, (Y/N). I-I’m not trying to be mean but let’s just say everyone had different side them...

After Erwin’s kickback, tension began to build between the two friend groups. Zeke would make a rude comment directed towards Erwin during floor meeting or Levi would intentionally hog up the washer and dryer if he knew Zeke needed to use them. Levi began to hate Zeke and his smug attitude and entitlement but what he hated the most was how he treated Erwin. 

Levi had always felt protective over his friends, at least the two that he had growing up. He had met Isabel and Farlan in elementary school and they were the first people he trusted. They would spend recess looking for frogs in the stream behind the school. The kids would tease Isabel until Levi punched one of their bratty faces, he got detention but it was worth it to defend his friends. They were inseparable until high school graduation. Levi had earned a full-ride scholarship to Wall Maria University but Isabel and Farlan didn’t receive any help and were unable to attend university. They were still back at home and Levi would visit them whenever he had the chance, or the money. 

When Levi arrived at college, he wasn’t planning on making friends but Erwin and Hange completely changed his mindset. Erwin’s serious yet caring nature and the duality of Hange’s joy and curiosity for life brought out something in him that felt safe and comfortable. So as Zeke’s vendetta against Erwin intensified, Levi took it personally. It was late one night when Zeke arrived at the dorms and he found Levi waiting from him in the floor lobby. Levi pushed Zeke against the wall and told him to back off or else Levi would make sure Zeke would regret ever stepping into his dorm room. For the first time, Zeke felt intimidated, no one had ever called him out, he brushed it off and walked to his room. However, the feeling of uneasiness stayed with him. 

A few months had passed by and Zeke backed up from the duo. When baseball try-out came around, Erwin and Zeke found themselves trying out for the same coveted spot of the pitcher. They both had years of experience but Erwin had a slight edge over him and Zeke was nervous, he felt like he had a reputation to uphold. During practice, Zeke tried to befriend Erwin to learn from him. Erwin was hesitant but eventually he decided to stay after practice to help Zeke with his throws. They began to develop a friendship over their love of baseball. Erwin didn’t tell Levi, he knew Levi had an issue with Zeke and didn’t want to upset him.

The night before the final cut was announced, Ewin was sitting at his desk and Levi was on his bed reading. Erwin’s phone buzzed, it was a text of Zeke asking him if he wanted to hang out before the final practice. Erwin said yes and began to put away his textbook.

“Where are you going?” Levi asked.

Erwin paused, lying to Levi didn’t feel right, “I’m going to hang out with Zeke.”

“Are you fucking with me?” Levi retorted.

“No, Levi. Zeke is actually a nice guy,” he paused again, “we’ve actually been practicing together. He’s different.” 

“This isn't fucking High School Musical, Erwin. People don’t change but whatever, have fun.” Levi rolled on to his side and turned away from Erwin.

“Do you want to come?” Erwin asked. 

Levi grunted in response. 

Erwin met up with Zeke and Porco and they walked over to Pieck’s place and drank themselves to oblivion. As the night dragged on, they wanted fresh air. They walked over to the baseball fields but the fence was locked. The group decided to climb over the fence but Erwin was unsure.

“Just do it, don’t be a pussy,” Zeke teased. 

The entire night Zeke had been pressuring Erwin to do more, he was trying to find his breaking point. Erwin sighed and climbed the fence after everyone else but when he reached the top the lace of his shoe got caught in between the metal, he lost his balance and fell straight into the hard ground. His right arm took the brunt of fall, Erwin cried out in pain. Pieck freaked out and called an ambulance. They took him to the hospital, the doctor said he broke his arm and would need to rest for the next few weeks. Erwin sighed, he knew he wasn’t going to make the cut for the team, his dream was crushed. Zeke looked at Erwin. He didn't want for this to happen but at least he was now guaranteed a spot on the team. 

The next day, Zeke brought Erwin back to the dorms before heading to the field. Erwin entered his room quietly, not wanting to startle Levi who was typing something on his laptop. Levi spoke without turning his body.

“Erwin, I’m sorry about last night - what happened to your arm?” he asked when he faced Erwin.

“Oh, it’s broken,” he responded quietly.

“Zeke had something to do with this,” Levi seethed.

“No, Levi, it was an accident-” Erwin asserted.

Before Erwin was able to finish, Levi was already halfway out the door. Levi’s vision became clouded as he walked down to the baseball fields. The sun was pounding down on the pavement, it bounced off the buildings and shined onto the ground with a dazzling brightness but Levi didn’t notice. His fist was clenched and his jaw was tight. I told that fucking monkey ass bitch to stay away. He reached the parking lot of the field and saw Zeke leaning against his car with a cigarette in his mouth. Zeke saw Levi walking towards him, his face was contorted into a scowl and Zeke felt scared, he’d never seen anyone look that angry before. 

“What the fuck did I tell you, Jaeger,” Levi barked. 

“Pst, it wasn’t my fault-,” Zeke responded but was cut off by Levi's fist in his face. The cigarette fell to the ground. 

Zeke towered over Levi but that didn’t stop the dark-haired boy. He continued to punch Zeke and grabbed him by the collar to bring him closer to his face. Levi could see the fear in Zeke’s eyes but he couldn’t stop himself. He threw Zeke on to the hot pavement and kicked his stomach, leaving Zeke breathless. Levi planted his knees on either side of Zeke and continued punching Zeke. Bright, red blood began to pour out of the cuts on Zeke’s face, it splattered on the sidewalk in angry droplets and it littered Levi’s gray shirt. Levi’s fist grew numb and dark, blue bruises began to bloom on his pale flesh. 

Something stirred inside of Levi and he regained control of his senses. He stood up and wiped his hands on his dark jeans. 

“Fuck you, Ackerman,” Zeke coughed. 

Levi grunted, turned and began walking aimlessly. He didn’t want to go home and see Erwin, he didn’t want to see anyone. He wanted to be alone. He walked to a park off campus and sat on a bench, letting his body and mind cool off before walking back home. 

“Or at least, that what Erwin and Levi said happened, “ Hange said in between bites of their pancakes.

You laid back into the chair and took in the information. You didn’t want to believe Levi had that in him, to be so primimal and aggressive but after seeing a glimpse of his dark side last night, you had second thoughts. 

Hange noticed your silence and spoke, “(Y/N), how are you feeling?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. Zeke told me to be careful around Levi but I…” your voice trailed off. “I wonder if Zeke got Erwin drunk on purpose…”

“I doubt it but I don’t know. I don’t really know the guy,” Hange responded quietly. 

“Yeah, I guess not.” 

Both of you didn’t say a word for a while, the noise of the diner filled your ears. Across from you, a baby was squirming in their high seat. 

“Please let me know if I’m overstepping my boundaries but how is your relationship with him?” Hange questioned.

“No, don’t worry, you’re not. But if I’m going to be honest, things have felt a little off now,” You mused, “actually, it’s been off for a while. I mean, I love him, I really do but I don’t think I’m - in love with him.”

“Mmm, I guess that makes sense,” Hange remarked.

“You guess? You’re the smartest person I know,” You joked.

Hange rolled their eyes, “I know about science not romance.”

“So is that why you’re not dating Moblit?

Hange blushed and looked down, “We’re not talking about that right now.” 

You crossed your arms and smiled at them. 

“Anyways, let’s talk about something else. Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving break?”

“No, I think I’m going to stay here and catch up on some reading or Netflix, more likely.”

“What? Aren’t you going home? You can’t be here alone,” Hange said.

“Home isn’t really a place I like to visit a lot,” You murmured.

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry,” Hange whispered, “do you wanna come home with me?”

“Thank you, Hange but I don’t want to encroach.”

“Psst, don’t worry. My parents wouldn’t mind, the more the merrier! Moblit always comes.” You raised an eyebrow. “And Levi, too.”

“Oh.”

“Come on! Don’t let Mr. Grumps stop from spending an entire weekend in the countryside with me, “ Hange exclaimed. 

You shook your head and laughed, “yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“So you’re coming?”

“Yes, Hange. I’ll go home with you.”

“Yay! I’ll send you all of the information later!” 

The rest of the meal was spent talking about nonsense but it felt like the most important topics in the world. Last night felt like a weird dream and you pushed it away from your mind. Still, in the back of your mind, the thought of Levi kept on bugging you. Who is he? You had Zeke’s interpretation, you had the version of him from freshman year and then you had the version of him who smiled sweetly at you at the cafe. Which one is the right one? Or is it possible they’re all him, just under different lights? You shrugged off those thoughts and paid full attention to Hange. 

After you both finished and paid, you walked out of the diner. The sun was starting to set. It’s been setting earlier and the nights have been getting longer, a sign that winter was coming.  Hange gave you a hug and wished you safe travels to Zeke’s, you thought you should spend his final night in the city with him. As you turned and made your way towards him, your phone began to buzz, it was Zeke. 

“Hey, what’s up?” You answered.

“Are you busy?” He asked, his voice was low. 

“Not really, I’m walking over to your place.”

“About that, I think it would be best if you went home.”

You stopped walking and held the phone closer to your face, “what? Why? What do you mean?

“Look, I’ve been thinking about last night and honestly, about the past few weeks and,” he hesitated, “I think it would be best if we took a break.” 

“A break?” 

“Yeah, I think it would be best if we took the next week to think about us and re-center ourselves.”

“Is that what you want?” You asked.

“I think it would be best. What do you think?”

You took a deep breath and looked at the sky, a purple haze was creeping in from the east. 

“I think you might be right.”

“(Y/N), I love you, I’ll talk to you soon.” Zeke said.

“I love you too. Goodbye.”

You hung up the phone and turned around. The air felt colder yet you felt lighter. You began your trek back home, you prepared yourself to face the emptiness of your studio apartment but that feeling was all too familiar. 

-----

The following Tuesday, you waited for Hange outside of your apartment building. The air was frigid and your breath hung around you. You tucked your arms into your armpits and shifted your weight from foot to foot. You looked down at your duffle bag, unsure if you packed the right clothes for the trip. They said you could borrow anything you need but that felt wrong. A green hatchback pulled up to the curb and Moblit stepped out of the car.

“Hey, (Y/N), let me grab your bag,” he offered.

You thanked him and stepped into the backseat, the car was warm and you rubbed your hands together. Moblit stepped back into the car.

Hange looked to you and exclaimed, “Yay! I’m so glad you’re coming! My mom makes the best Thanksgiving food and she’s so excited to meet you. Is everyone buckled in?”

“Tsk, of course we are. You drive like a maniac,” Levi responded curtly.

He looked at you and gave you a half-hearted smile. You returned it and looked out the window. Hange blasted their road trip playlist and they talked the entire way to their place. Moblit would occasionally say something but for the most part he was happy listening to Hange speak. Levi kept his head in a book and hardly said a word the entire drive.

You were content to simply lay back and watch the city slowly disappear. The tall buildings evaporated into suburbs and those transformed into vast verdant fields. Eventually, all signs of human life disappeared as you entered a luscious pine forest, you pressed your face to the cold glass to see the tips of the trees. You’ve never seen anything as beautiful as the trees kissing the deep blue sky. You were too entranced by the view to notice Levi was taking peeks at you from the corner of his eyes.

Hange pulled into a dirt driveway and drove further into the woods.

“Well, here is it! Casa Zoe!”

You looked through the front window and saw a small clearing where a white, two-story colonial house with dark green window panels resided. The front of the house was surrounded by lush green grass and at the edge of the clearing was an old playground. You rolled the windows down and inhaled the clean scent of the air. Somewhere nearby was a river you could hear the gentle movement of the water. You felt invigorated.

Hange parked in front of the garage and everyone got out. You stretched and relief flooded your cramped body.. Levi and Moblit began to gather everyone’s bags. The front door opened and you saw a woman’s face with Hange’s eyes run up and hug you.

“Oh, you must be Hange’s new friend!”

“Mom!” Hange yelled at her mortified.

You stood frozen, “uh, it’s okay.”

Her mom let you go. “I’m sorry about that, I love hugs. I’m Hange’s mom but you could call me Mama Z.”

Moblit walked to her and gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“You’re looking so handsome, Moblit. And Levi, you’re gorgeous as ever.”

The tips of Levi’s ears heated up as he walked over and gave Hange’s mom a hug.

The four of you walked into the home. It was beautiful and homey, something you were completely unfamiliar with. A tall brunette was in the kitchen, dicing onions, he looked at everyone and smiled. You could tell where Hange got their toothy grin.

“Hello, welcome, I hope the drive wasn’t too bad,” he said in a booming voice. He wiped his hands on the apron he was wearing and went to shake your hand.

“Hi, I’m Hange’s dad,” he smiled at you.

You told him your name and returned the smile. Immediately you felt relaxed and welcomed into the Zoe household. The rest of the night was spent talking, laughing and eating home cooked dishes. Hange looked happier than ever and you had never seen Moblit talk as much as he did tonight. Occasionally, your eyes would meet Levi’s and he would give you a smile. You noticed that even his normal cold cadence had shifted, he looked peaceful. When bedtime rolled around, Levi and Moblit slept on different twin beds in the guest bedroom. You shared Hange’s childhood bed with them. As you sunk into the soft sheets, the silence from outside soothed you until you feel asleep. You hadn’t felt this calm in years.

The next day, you heard a bird tapping on the window. Your eyes fluttered open, for a moment you felt a twang of fear until you remembered where you were. You turned over and saw Hange sleeping. A smile formed on your face. You carefully got out of bed and walked downstairs in search of water. As you turned the corner to get into the kitchen, you ran face first into Levi.

“Fuck,” he whisper shouted as he held his forehead.

You grimaced in pain and looked at him. He had his jacket and boots on.

“Where are you going?” you whispered.

“Somewhere,” he murmured back.

You glared at him and he rolled his eyes.

“I’m going on a walk,” he paused, “do you want to come?”

“Sure, let me get ready.”

“Tsk, don’t take long.”

You got ready quickly and speed walk over to Levi, careful not to wake anyone.

When you stepped outside you were surprised by how beautiful the landscape was. There was a layer of fog floating above the grass. The weak morning light bounced off the spiderwebs on the ground. Everything looked tranquil, you looked up and saw a memory of the night time in the Western sky. The birds flew from tree to tree, singing to the morning.

“This way.”

You followed Levi to a trail hidden behind tall ferns, dead leaves were stuck to the ground, plastered in mud. You both walked in silence for a while, you were trying to remember as much of the moment as possible. You looked at Levi, who was in front of you, you watched the way his black hair swayed with his movements.

“Where are we going?” you asked.

Levi looked back at you and smiled, “you’ll see.”

He continued to walk for a few more minutes. You paid attention to the mushy feeling of the mud underneath your boots. The sunlight was slightly stronger and poured in through the gaps of the branches.

“There it is,” Levi stated.

“Uh, there what is?” you asked.

“My spot,” Levi pointed to a moss covered stone bench in between two pine trees.

He walked over to the bench and took out a small blue blanket from his pocket and placed it over the bench. Levi sat down and patted the seat next to him. You walked over to the bench and sat down. The bench overlooked a bend in the river. From there, you could see the reflection of the trees in the water. The water was high and it licked the roots of the trees, in some spots it completely enveloped the roots altogether. The air was bracing and you crossed your legs to preserve your warmth.

Levi didn’t speak, he had his hands in his pockets and kept his eyes on the river. There was so much you wanted to say, that you wanted to ask, but instead you remained silent.

“I’m sorry,” Levi said quietly enough that he didn’t break the serenity of the moment.

“Huh? About what?”

“About the night at the bar.”

“Oh, that’s okay.” Your voice hung in the air, twisted and small.

Levi glanced over to you, you were staring at the water. He felt his chest heat up, he wanted nothing more than to place his arm around you, to hold you close to him but he couldn’t. He cleared his throat, “So, uh, Zeke…”

“What about him?” you said defensively.

“He’s, uh, an interesting guy,” Levi stared at his knuckles.

You laughed under your breath, “yep, he sure is.” You looked up at Levi. “We don’t have to talk about him.”

Levi’s eyes widened. “(Y/N), I’m not trying to be mean, I swear. I know you two are dating and-”

“We’re on a break.” You cut him off.

“Oh,” he exhaled.

The sounds of the birds filled up the silence in between the both of you.

“So, why English?” you asked.

Levi sighed, he wasn’t fond of intimate conversations but you were different to him. He trusted you enough to share this part of life with you and he wanted to express that trust.

“I love stories. When I was a kid, I would sit and read for hours. I wasn’t too social.”

“Really, you don’t say,” you mumbled

He rolled his eyes and chuckled, “shut up, Idiot. Writing is my favorite form of art. It’s like Calvino said about reading, it’s a special moment between the writer and the reader. I feel connected to others when I write, when they read my work. For the longest time, writing and reading were the only form of family I had. My mother was in the hospital a lot and my uncle, well, he wasn’t the most parental person.”

Levi’s voice trailed off and he shifted in seat. You sensed his discomfort so you placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and you gave him a soft smile.

“I don’t blame you for putting up walls, I really don’t but I wish you wouldn’t be so hard on yourself, I wish you could see yourself the we, the way I see you.”

Levi remained silent, somewhere in the water, the ducks bobbed their heads in search of food, they left ripples in the water behind them. You sat and watched them. Levi’s silence didn’t bother you this time. In fact, it comforted you. The sound of his breathing mixed with yours, his essence radiating from his body. It was heaven in the moment just to be near him.  You wanted to remember it forever. You closed your eyes and breathed in the smell of the water and pine surrounding you.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

You looked at Levi, you traced the sharp outline of his profile with your eyes. His hair caressed his flushed check. You tucked your hands into your pockets and made a fist, trying to hold back the urge to kiss him. You wondered what it would be like to press your mouth to his lips, to run your tongue across his bottom lip. There was nothing else that mattered than the thought of his breath on your skin. You took a deep breath.

“What about you?” Levi’s voice broke your concentration.

You blinked and spoke, “mmm, oh, I joined the Humanities program because I thought it would be the best option. I’m not sure what I want to do but I know I want to do good.”

“I see. Do good,” Levi repeated. “Why did you come to Hange’s?”

You froze, surprised by his blunt question and unsure what to say.

“That sounded rude. I guess, I was curious why you didn’t go with your family?”

“Oh, um. I don’t really-” you took a breath, “get along with them. My mom died when I was a kid and my dad didn’t handle it very well. He became an angry drunk.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nah, don’t be. It’s not that bad after a while,” You gave him a side smile. “What about your dad?

“I don’t know anything about him. Other than he was probably a short, grumpy guy.”

You broke out into a fit of laughter, “Levi, I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to laugh.”

He looked at you amused, he felt a sense of pride knowing he made you laugh this hard.

“Come on! Look at me, I’m not gonna get recruited by any basketball teams anytime soon.”

You continued to laugh.

“I’ll tell you a secret, sometimes Erwin has to grab things for me from the top self at the stores.”

You looked at him, tears in your eyes, “really?”

“Tsk, no way. I’m joking,” he said with a smile. “Come on, let’s go before everyone wakes up.”

You got up and Levi brushed the blanket and put it back in his pocket. The two of you walked side by side back to the house. The sun had almost completely risen and basked the forest in a golden haze. The sunlight bounced off of Levi’s hair and for the first time you could see it’s true colors and dimensions.

The following four days were as wholesome and warm as your first night at Hange’s. While you were there, Zeke hardly crossed your mind and you pushed Hange’s story out of your mind.  All of that felt like issues from another lifetime, the only thing that mattered was the white house in the woods. On Thanksgiving, everyone helped prepare the meal and in the evening everyone gathered around the dining table. Hange has right, their parents did made a wonderful feast but that wasn’t your favorite part of the night. You loved watching Levi interact with everyone else, the way he treated Hange like an annoying sibling, his respectful demeanor towards Moblit and the way he cared about Hange’s parents. Levi sat next to you during the meal and made conversation with you. As he drank more wine, his face flushed and he became looser, happier. He looked over at you constantly and smiled, he didn’t want to leave this table. Unknowingly to each other, you both had everything you’ve ever wanted in that moment.

On Saturday, Hange’s dad helped pack up the bags in the trunk of Hange’s car. Hange’s mom gave everyone a brown paper bag full of snacks for the ride.

“It was so nice to have you, (Y/N). Please, come back again! We would love to see you.” Hange’s mom said while she hugged you.

You hugged her back and responded, “thank you so much for your generosity, this has been such an amazing break.”

Everyone waved goodbye as Hange pulled out of the driveway. During the ride back, you didn’t stare out the window the entire time. Instead, you made conversation with Levi about the book he was reading. For a second, it felt like you both were back in the cafe like if the two of you were the final people in the universe. As the farmland turned back into the suburbs and the suburbs back into the city, you felt your stomach tighten and it showed on your face. You knew you had to see Zeke right away.

“Are you okay?” Levi questioned.

“Yeah, I’m fine just thinking about the mess back in my apartment,” You said nonchalantly. It wasn’t a complete lie.

Hange dropped you off where she picked you up, you looked around the street. It looked like nothing had changed. You thanked everyone for a lovely break and watched Hange drive away. You took out your phone to send Zeke a message but he had already sent you one.

Zeke: I’m back, are you busy?

You inhaled deeply before responding. Something had to change but you just needed the courage to go through with it.

After you got ready and put away your clothes, you began your trek to Zeke’s. It was dark by the time you reached the bus stop. The wind stung your face, still warm from the shower steam. You tightened the scarf around your neck and placed your hands in your pockets. When the bus pulled to the stop, you got on, paid for a ticket and walked to the back. The interior was dark except for the low red light on the ceiling of the bus. You stared out the window, as the city flew by, an emptiness planted itself in your stomach. You placed your hand on your stomach to feel if there was a physical hole, your hand curled up around the fabric of your jacket and you kept it there for the remaining ride. The warmth of your hand was comforting but the feeling didn’t want to leave.

When you got to your stop, you thanked the driver before getting out of the bus and stepped back into the bitter air. As you stood in front of Zeke’s apartment building, you thought about Hange’s house, Levi’s smile, going on a walk with him. Did any of it actually happen? You thought. You pressed the buzzer at the front of the building and Zeke let you in. The lobby was warm and it smelled like dryer sheets and it felt suffocating as you waited for the elevator. When you entered, you pushed the button and leaned your body against the back wall. The walls were made of mirrors and they bounced the harsh fluorescent lights of the elevator in a continuous loop. Your reflection joined the loop but you kept your eyes on the ground. When the bell dinged, you stepped out and walked down the hall to Zeke’s apartment and opened the door. He always left it unlocked for you.

The apartment smelt stale after its week-long isolation. Zeke had lit a soy candle to mask the smell but it was more than a scent, it was a feeling coursing throughout the space. Zeke got up from the couch when he heard the door open and threw open his arms. You walked into his grasp, wrapped your arms around his broad chest and you placed your head on his heart. He smelled like vanilla and spice. You stayed in this position for a while until Zeke cleared his throat. You removed your arms from his body but there was a small part of you that wanted to say in his arms. They were firm and secure, for the past years, his embrace had been your safe place yet you understood that everything was temporary.

Zeke smiled at you and gestured for you to sit down. You obliged.

“How was your break?” you asked him.

He sat down on the opposite side of the couch and spoke, “it was, uh, nice.”

“I’m glad. How was the internship trip?”

“The what- oh, that,” Zeke fumbled to find the right words, “it was, uh, a good experience.”

You nodded your head and furrowed your brows. Zeke wasn’t one to stutter, he always had an answer. You looked at the candle on the coffee table, the crackle of the flame filled the room. For a moment, you felt like you weren’t sitting on Zeke’s cold leather couch, it felt like you were back in Hange’s living room. You took a deep breath and when you exhaled you spoke, “I missed you, Zeke. I thought about us during the break.”

Zeke fumbled with a thread from his sweater, his cheeks were starting to redden. “I thought about us too. Wait, what did you do during the break?”

“I went to Hange’s place with a few friends,” you stated.

“Friends, huh. Was Ackerman there?” Zeke asked.

Your face heated up and you whispered, “yes.”

Zeke leaned against the arm of the couch and ran his fingers through his blonde beard, “I see.”

You looked at him and the loneliness in your stomach grew. Zeke looked deep in thought as he stared off into space. The tension in the room was palpable and you wanted to scream and run away. Zeke looked back to you, there was a distance in his eyes, you had noticed it before but always chose to ignore it.

He opened his mouth and spoke, “(Y/N), I love you, I really do but… there’s something I need to say.”

You glanced at him, your heart dropped at his hesitancy.

‘I’ve... been seeing someone else.”

Your mouth slightly opened and you continued to stare at him. As his words hung in the air you felt yourself fall into the pit in your stomach. Tears began to claw at the corners of your eyes, begging to be released. You didn’t know what to say.

Zeke continued, “you’ve been pulling away from me for the past few months. I didn’t know what to do, I felt so lonely. You stopped kissing me and sex was completely out of the question. When we did it, it never felt like you were there. I felt like I was having sex with a robot. I didn’t understand. Until that night at the bar.”

“The bar?” Your mouth trembled when you spoke.

He took a deep breath before speaking, “I didn’t want to see it but Porco brought it up. The way you looked at him. You never looked at me that way. After that night, I understood.”

You glared at Zeke and thought about what he said and the audacity he had. Something switched inside of you and you snapped at him, “understood what? Zeke, what the fuck. You cheated on me and you wanna justify it with something Porco said. Levi’s a friend, do I like talking to him, yes? But I never did anything with him.”

While you spoke, the tears began to trail down your face. You gritted your teeth and continued, “who is it?”

He stayed silent.

“Zeke, who the fuck did you cheat on me with?”

“A girl from my internship,” he muttered.

“Internship?” you mused, “where did you go last week? Tell me the truth, was it for your internship?”

“No.”

You nodded your head and wiped the tears from your face. You knew things had been off but you didn’t know they were this off.

“So you were with her?”

“I’m sorry,” Zeke choked out, he was trying to hold back tears.

Your gaze returned back to the candle, it flickered shadows around the living room and it casted a weak glow on to your hands. You peeked at Zeke, who was staring into space again. You could hardly pick up any details on his face, he looked like a shadow.

“I still love you,” Zeke murmured.

You paid attention to your breath and processed his words. You tasted the salt from your tears on your mouth and you bit your bottom lip. The anger was still coursing through your veins; it fought with the hollowness inside of you.

 “Zeke shut up, if you actually loved me you wouldn’t have slept with someone else,” you spat out, “I’m done here.”

“Please, (Y/N), is there anything I could to change your mind? To fix this? To fix us?” Zeke begged and tried to hold your hand.

You pulled your arm away and chuckled,  “there’s nothing to fix. Zeke, you ended this relationship when you slept with someone else.”

He didn’t say anything and you crossed your arms to keep yourself together. You wished you could be home, you wanted nothing more than to lay down and go to bed. These past few days were like a dream and wanted to go back to bed, you wanted to be anywhere but on this couch. You got up and faced Zeke. He looked up at you, the candle light highlighted his face and bounced off the stream of tears on his face. You gasped slightly, you’d never seen him cry before.

“Zeke, I’m leaving,” you stated.

He got up and took a step towards you. He towered over you and raised his arms and beckoned you into his embrace. You shook your head and pushed him away.

“I will always love you,” he said hopelessly,

“I have to go.”

You turned and began walking to the front door. You heard him slump back onto the couch but you didn’t look back. It would have hurt too much and the emptiness inside of you was painful enough.

Tag: @thefuckupoftoday @philthepegacorn​  @soft-levi-girl-blog​  @whalerus (let me know if you wanted to be added to the taglist!)

[deadpanglossian]

My thoughts on AOT S4 episode 67:

SASHAAAAAAA 😭😭😭😭😭

Why does it have to be this way? That wholesome scene with Connie hugging Jean and Sasha that made me go 'Awww~' then BANG! 😭 The way Connie cried when he told Eren that Sasha died 😭😭😭 It hurts so much

I was already spoiled about Sasha's death thanks to some manga reader but I didn't know how the story would get there so it still hurts 😭😭😭

WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED IN THE TIME SKIP? Armin's expression when he reached out his hands for Eren seems a bit.. distant? And he lets Levi kick Eren with a somehow gloomy look?

I EXPECTED LEVI TO SAY THAT! 🤣 Something about Eren being filthy. That kick tho, brings me back to season 1.

Seems like I was right, Zeke is working together with Eren. So the scouts are forced into this battle because of Eren. He made himself a hostage and infiltrated Marley and worked together with Zeke by making it appear that Zeke has been killed and capture him to make use of his royal blood for the Founding Titan powers. The leaders of Survey Corps didn't seem to agree but they have no choice. When Hange said that they have risked their lives saving Eren again and again only for Eren to make himself a hostage, I feel that. But is there any other way though?

I'm actually amazed that Levi can hold himself from killing Zeke.

There is something disturbing about Floch and the guys cheering at Marley's misery. I mean, yeah Marley brought this disaster upon themselves but it still disturbs me.

Reiner was defeated in like 2 seconds?? Lol but at least he saved Porco. Porco pls, Reiner saved your ass and you've seen how scary the Paradisians can be with your own eyes so stop being mean to Reiner.

Pieck though. How perceptive can she be? She knew the soldier in disguise is one of Zeke's followers. Seems like she could guess that Zeke got something in his sleeve.

Gabi.. sigh. Look what brainwashing does to this kid. I was annoyed at her since the beginning of season 4. But idk if I can hate her. She killed Sasha, yes. But she's also a brainwashed child soldier. All I want is, since she's being taken along to Paradis, I hope she can see that the people there and Marley are no different and not as devilish as what she imagined. She needs to realize how wrong and brainwashed she is. Meanwhile Falco is like a ray of hope. He somehow understood that this happened because Marley sent the warriors to infiltrate Paradis in the past.

Yo, I actually thought that Lobov guy was the same Lobov in ACWNR 😂 I'm an idiot

THE HECK EREN? Did he just laughed a bit when Sasha died or did I saw it wrong? The heck happened to you?

Jean and Connie seems to blame Eren for Sasha's death. So there's gonna be a rift between Eren and the rest? Not sure about Mikasa though.

A heartbreaking episode. Sasha didn't have to die 😭 Let her have her meat 😭 At least, I'm glad that Connie told her and Jean that they are special to him before she was shot to death. It's gonna be hard to rewatch the episode. Can't believe we are halfway through Season 4 already.

Next episode we'll be back to Paradis. I miss that fictional island. But seeing Mikasa crying at a gravestone (Sasha's?), seems like next episode will be another sad one 🥺

Update:

After rewatching, I guess Eren did laugh briefly maybe at the thought of Sasha's last words or reminiscing their funny memories together but soon after, that laugh turned into a dark, distressed or frustrated expression. Realizing that he couldn't stop his friend from her death like how he was when Hannes was eaten.

Aside from that, I feel satisfied at Gabi's shocked expression seeing Zeke and realizing that these are all part of his plan and probably feeling betrayed. What would Reiner and the other warriors do? Reiner would probably do something since his precious kids a.k.a Gabi and Falco (lol) are taken away. Another infiltration to Paradis? Feels like a neverending cycle.

Seeing Mikasa crying her heart out will always bring me to tears. Like in S3 when she thought Armin is really going to die and Hange had to calm her down. Sasha is a precious comfort character in the cruel world of AOT and she's the one who's been able to bring out the funny side of Mikasa like the fart incident in S1. 🥺 Rest in Peace, Sasha. 

Another note, WHY DIDN’T SASHA WEAR THAT METAL CHEST COVER LIKE THE REST OF THE SURVEY CORPS SOLDIERS 😭

[fanmoose12]

Partners

Characters: Petra Ral, Levi, Hanji Zoe x Levi Genre: Action / Mystery / Romance Rating: T

Detective!au

Summary: when Petra was promoted to a detective and partnered up with legendary Levi Ackerman, she felt like the happiest person in the world. 

But, as she soon found out, detective Ackerman she used to admire so much was actually a far cry from the ideal policeman Petra thought he was. He was rude, harsh and easily annoyed. And, in addition, he still hadn’t moved on from the death of his previous partner - detective Hange Zoe.

Chapter 1. 

                                                                      “You two make a good team.”                                                   “Thank you. His last partner cast a long shadow.”

                                                                                            Daredevil, vol. 4

Petra had been a police technician for long five years. She didn’t hate her job per se, and helping other people was always one of the biggest passions in her life, but… She always strived for something better, something bigger.

However, she hadn’t been promoted for so long that she had lost all hope of rising up in ranks. So when, one day, Captain Erwin called her into his office, she'd feared that he decided to transfer her to another division, or, maybe, he noticed some kind of inconsistencies in one of her reports. Her legs were wobbly, while she was walking through the station’s corridors. And as she opened the door to the Captain's office, her hands were shaking and sweaty.

But as it turned out, there was nothing to be worried about. She wasn't transferred, there was no mistakes in her reports. No, instead, she was promoted. To a detective. And her new partner was none other than detective Levi Ackerman himself.

Even outside of their department, Detective Ackerman was a living legend. In the ten years he had served in the homicide department, he and his partner Hange Zoe solved every single case appointed to them. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with, their unusual investigation tactics bewildered and sometimes shocked civilians, but nevertheless, they were a pride of their department. And there was no one, who was more proud of them than their superior officer, Captain Erwin. Those three trusted each other unconditionally, and were not only close colleagues, but dear friends as well.

Although, all of it had come to an abrupt end two years ago, when Hange Zoe mysteriously disappeared during one of the cases. It was quite unclear, if she had really died, her body was never recovered, and both Levi and Erwin refused to give a statement, regarding that accident. The only thing general public knew that detectives Zoe and Ackerman ventured on a mission to capture a dangerous criminal, Zeke Yeager, but only Levi walked out of that building alive.

And ever since that accident, detective Ackerman became secluded and aloof. His success rate dropped significantly and he refused to accept another partner.

Petra became a policeman, when detectives Zoe and Ackerman were in their prime and the talk of the whole city. Petra saw them a lot, as they hurried in and out of the station. They were a weird pair, and if she didn't know better, wasn't aware of just how successful their partnership was, she would never guess that those two genuinely liked each other. They were so different - Hange's lips were seemingly permanently curled into an excited smile, while Levi's face was always set in scowling expression.  They constantly teased and made fun of each other, but there was always an undeniable affection in their words, no matter how biting they were, and in their eyes, as they gazed at each other. And the fact that Levi was taking her death so hard, only further proved that those two were extremely close comrades.

And, of course, from the first time she had laid her eyes on detective Ackerman, Petra couldn’t help, but admire him. He was sharp, collected, hard-working and righteous. He embodied everything a good policeman should be.

And now, she was going to be his partner. Petra couldn't wait to start their new case! As she walked away from Captain Erwin’s office, she kept imagining what her first day of working with legendary Levi Ackerman would be like.

"Good day, I'm detective Petra Ral and this is my partner Levi Ackerman."

Gosh! Just the thought of it made her feel dizzy.

She was so happy! She was ready to do everything to prove herself to Levi. To be an even better partner to him than his previous one.

 ***

The next day, as soon as Petra woke up, she could barely conceive her excitement. She came to work earlier than usual, and she couldn't keep a smile off her face, as she gathered all of her belongings into a box, so she could bring them to her new workplace. She would be sharing an office with detective Ackerman himself! She didn't dare to even dream about that, but now it was actually happening! Truly, she was the luckiest person in the world.

"What got you in such a good mood?" Oluo, her past co-worker asked. "Have they finally fired you?"

"I'm being promoted, dummy," she couldn't resist the smug grin that appeared on her face. "So show some respect. You're talking to a Detective Petra Ral."

"Detective?" Oluo whistled, sitting back in his chair. "And who is that miserable fool who will become your partner?"

"I don't think you've heard of him," Petra put hands on her hips, looking down at Oluo, a sense of pride nearly overwhelming her. "Does the name Levi Ackerman say something to you?"

"No way," Oluo's eyes widened almost comically. "You're fucking with me."

"I'm not."

"Holy shit, you're detective Ackerman's partner? He refused one for years!"

Petra shrugged, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Maybe, he saw something special in me."

"Or, maybe, Captain Erwin pressured him into this."

Petra huffed. "You're just jealous because you'll be stuck here, doing patrol work till your pension."

"Oh, shut up and leave already," Oluo turned to his computer. "I was getting sick of seeing your face anyway."

Petra's gaze lingered on Oluo's back for a moment. Maybe, she was too harsh with him? True, he was oftentimes lazy and enjoyed slacking off, dumping all of his work on Petra, but he was a good man. An honest one, Petra respected him. She liked him, too, even though sometimes that arrogant smirk of his drove her absolutely mad.

Well, she could always apologize to him later. Knowing Oluo, he probably didn't even care about her words. Certainly a cup of coffee would make him forget about any offence.

Besides, she had to forget about him for the time being. Today was important day. She couldn't let herself lose her focus.

 ***

When Petra came to her new office, Levi was already there.

"G-good morning!" she squealed. "I'm your new partner, Petra—"

"I know," Levi harshly cut her off. "I'm sure you know my name as well, so let's skip the pleasantries. Just put your shit somewhere and get to work."

"Oh... alright."

Trying to hide her disappointment, Petra looked around the office. There were four desks there. She decided to take the one that was across from Levi's.

"No!" instantly, Levi covered the desk with his hands. He looked up, glaring at Petra so fiercely, as though she had done some horrible dead. His voice was quiet and yet so cold, it made shivers run down Petra's spine. "That desk is already taken."

Petra gave it a second look. Now that she stood so close to it, she could see that the table was covered in stacks of papers and empty coffee cups. However, despite its messiness, the desk was pristinely clean. 

Petra checked the date on the report that was lying on the top. The report was written almost two years ago. By detective Hange Zoe.

Oh.

So Levi didn't really move on, did he?

"Can I sit here?" Petra pointed to the desk near the window.

Levi looked at her for barely a second.

"That desk is empty," he said, returning to his work.

An uneasy silence fell over the room. At least, it was uneasy for Petra. Levi didn't seem to care in the slightest.

"So..." she tentatively began after a few of excruciatingly long minutes. “What is our first case?"

"Oh, yes," Levi threw a case file on her desk. "A middle-aged man was killed this morning. A rich snob, he was most definitely killed by his wife, because he refused to share his money. I've already run through the possible theory with forensics, all you need to do is to question his wife to see if my theory is legit or not. I'm sure it is, though."

"Ah... okay."

So there won't be any teamwork, huh? Maybe, it was for the best. Levi's attitude left much to be desired.

Still, Petra wasn't going to give up so easily.

So when she returned from detention center, where the wife of the deceased was held (she did kill her husband, Levi was right), Petra brought him a cup of tea.

"I didn't know how you take it," she said sheepishly, putting the cup in front of him. "Tell me what you think."

Levi looked up at her, regarding her carefully. His eyes were sharp, but that was about everything Petra could say about them. They were a beautiful shade of grey, but she could see nothing in them, but boredom and indifference.

Their eye contact didn't last for a second too long. Levi turned to the cup on his desk. He lifted it slowly, staring at the swirling liquid inside. Glancing back at Petra again, be put it to his lips and took a sip.

"It's very good," he said after a moment. "Exactly how I like it."

Petra's heart swelled. Her lips almost curled into a happy smile. But then Levi threw the contents of the cup into the trash can.

"Her tea always tasted like shit," he muttered under his nose, but loud enough for Petra to hear.

She could feel tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

"I appreciate the effort," his voice didn't sound like he truly did. "But don't bring me tea, or some other kind of food, ever again. You shouldn't waste your time with such useless shit."

And then he turned back to his computer, not sparing another glance in her direction.

Petra felt like the biggest idiot, like a naive little girl, who was scolded by her teacher.

Why did she even bother?

 ***

"Petra, right?" Levi asked after a while.

"Yeah?"

"You can go home earlier, Petra."

"But I didn't finish my report—"

"I'll do it for you. Go and rest."

Petra narrowed her eyes. It sounded like Levi was trying to make her leave.

"Were you working on the case the whole day?"

Levi had been glued to his computer screen ever since Petra came. He didn't even go on a break.

"...Yes, of course. What else would I be working on?"

He hesitated, for less than a second, but he did. Why? What was he doing? What was so important to her new partner? Oh, how Petra wanted to know! But she knew she couldn't, there was no way that Levi would be willing to tell her about it.

However, she could always find out in some other way.

Not today, though.

"Alright, thank you," she smiled sweetly. That smile always made everyone smile back. However, it seemed to have no effect on Levi. "I'll be going then. Have a nice evening."

"Sure," Levi answered absentmindedly, his attention already back on his screen.

Before walking out of the office, Petra gave him another critical look.

She'd be damned, but she'll find out his secret. She'll prove to him just how good she was as a detective.

Not worse than his dead partner.

[jeagerism]

i think im lost again

+ word count : honestly idek, ill take a guess at maybe nearly 700-800?

+ characters : levi ackerman, armin arlert, mentions of eruri and eremin (armin and levi r not shipped fuck out of here)

+ warnings : season 3 attack on titan spoilers, mentions of death, modern!au, levi is basically a dad without being a dad (does that make him a dilf??), angst i suppose

+ summary : erwin was always good at this, levi thinks. people stuck to him like glue.

+ author's note : this is just a personal modern!au headcanon that i ranted to a friend abt and decided to make it full out

in modern aus i see eren as looking up to levi, bc he ooks up to him in the manga in some ways, levi cares abt his wellbeing n shit

well armin, since he was chosen to live over erwin, he'd look up to erwin in a modern au

and when erwin dies in that au bc ofc he has to die, armin is still a teenager.

i like to think that they all lived in the same town as kids, and erwin always looked out for armin since he had no one else other than his friends. 

he basically lets armin live with him when he's not with eren, who also has no family and sort of couch surfs between jean and sasha - sasha's dad loves eren for whatever reason so he stays there a lot, and welcomes armin and mikasa with him - and so erwin and armin r close

and levi is always around, so he sees armin a lot, even if he takes care of eren more - he lets eren stay at is house on nights when he feels like hes overstayed his welcome at sasha’s.

but levi still cares abt armin bc he sees how erwin cares abt armin and levi is in love with the blond facebook dad

but erwin died when armin is like 15, so he still needs someone to look out for him

and erwin asks levi to do that, bc he trusts him and knows levi would take care of him just like he had  

anyways, he asks levi to take care of him and levi does

but armin is a 15 yr old who just lost yet another person who cares abt him 

and even tho hes grateful that levi cares for him, he misses erwin so much. 

he acts out bc of it bc hes a kid going through trauma and its what kids do. he starts acting even worse than eren and eren is a fucking demon spawn

armin and eren share a room, even tho levi had two empty rooms so they could have their own, and eren has stuff in the other room but armin doesn’t like the dark so eren stays there with him.

and levi isn’t really good at taking care of kids in the traditional way. 

he wakes them up every weekday for school by telling them he'll kick their ass if he has to take them himself - but he'll still drive them when it rains or its cold  

he doesnt really know how to cook bc erwin always did that, but his notes app is full of recipes erwin always recommended that were easy to follow bc he was always worried that levi always ate too much cold leftovers from days before and noodles

armin knows hot to cook pretty well bc erwin taught him but he enjoys laughing at levi failing at cooking simple shit - he burned water somehow

but levi still tries so its fine

he tries letting armin know hes welcome, and that he can ask for whatever he needs

he'll leave him lunch money on the counter

and when he notices armins jackets getting a little too short around the wrist he drops a new one by his lap when he sits on the couch

he pulls the blanket all the way to his chin if he falls asleep on the couch.

he'll mention he's going to get a haircut when he notices armin's hair getting longer, and says he can go with him if he wants

but armin still acts so off. 

before erwin was gone, armin always acted happy, even though he never had much, and levi feels guilty knowing he cant do what erwin did for him, but he's doing this for erwin, and knows erwin wouldnt have put armin in his care in the first place if he didn’t trust him

i see taking care of armin as the task that keeps levi going, just like how killing zeke is what keeps him alive in the anime.

both promises he makes to erwin and wont give up on until he’s fulfilled it

but one day armin just disappears. he doesnt come back after school with eren like usual. so he and levi try calling him and get nothing. eren offers to go look for him and levi tells him to stay safe n waits back home to see if armin will show up there

and he does like 5 mins after eren leaves. 

and levi feels his chest just deflate with relief. it was cold outside, and armin was out there alone. 

his cheeks and nose r red from being outside for so long

when levi asks where he's been, it comes out harsher than he meant, but its just bc he was worried, and armin rolls his eyes and asks why it matters

levi tells him its bc he's a kid and doesnt get to just disappear without a trace whenever he wants. levi never minded armin doing whatever he wanted - within regulation - but most times he knew eren was with him, or mikasa, someone who would call him if something happened

and armin says “you're not my father.” and starts taking off his jacket and stuff

“yeah, but i am the person who's taking care of your ass.”

and that seems to make armin a little more ticked off than he already was, bc he turns to levi and says, “well i never asked you to do that.”

to which levi replies without thinking, “no but erwin did”

levi and armin never talk abt erwin, ever.

its like an unspoken rule between them. its not that they arent as comfortable with each other - they arent anyways but - they just dont do that, talk abt how they feel abt erwin, and him being gone

armin looks like hes gonna cry before he just says “well i wish it was erwin that was still here instead of you”

ALMOST AS IF HES SAYING HE WISHED IT WAS LEVI THAT DIED INSTEADDD

and levi is suprised that armin would ever, it hurts a little, and he just nods in agreement and says “me too.”

armin doesnt say anything back to it, he just turns and makes his way to his room, slamming the door behind him

and levi is exhausted. in his head he wonders how erwin had done it - balanced college and a job and a fucking teenager 

but then he remembers that erwin was erwin, and hed always been good at that type of thing

people stuck to him like glue

thats the first night he lets himself admit that he misses him

he feels like he’s failing at the one thing erwin asked of him

when eren shows back up, levi apologizes for not letting him know that armin had came back

but eren just tells him that armin had texted him when he’d arrived - i have a hc that eren and armin were each others first crushes but uhebdbsi

he tells levi that armin had said hed went to the beach

erwin used to take armin to the beach all the time before he died

he’d collect shells with him, and the ones that armin really liked, he’d give them names

he still has one called smith from the last time erwin had taken him to see the ocean

a few weeks go by after that

they never really talked before, but now it seems almost even worse

the silence that they normally exist in feels empty

but everything felt empty without erwin

eren lets levi know where theyre going to be whenever theyre not home, when theyll be home, etc

levi never asked for him to do that, but he does it anyways

levi’s thankful for the near suicidal maniac at that point

even though he always was

he saw a lot of himself in eren, and he sees a lot of himself in armin too

levi and armin never really apologize to each other, but one night when levi’s attempting to cook, armin walks in the kitchen and watches him place things on a pan

“you’re putting them too close together.”

armin steps beside him and tilts his head to the side, as if hes gesturing for levi to move

and he does, letting the younger and taller boy move the prerolled croissants further away from each other on the baking tray

“they never wouldve cooked all the way through like that,” armin tells him

with a scoff, levi mumbles that he sounds like erwin

armin pauses for a second, before sliding the pan in the oven. levi tells him how long the packaging said they went on so that he can set the oven timer

armin sets it for two minutes longer, and levi’s heart aches

erwin did that, too

“i miss him”

it slips out without him meaning for it to

and he thinks he’s ruined armin’s head again, when he’s supposed to be someone this kid can look up to

but he doesnt leave

armin just leans against the oven and nods “me, too”

after that, things arent bad anymore

sure, it takes awhile for them to completely warm up to each other, but they manage

enough that armin sits in on levi’s cooking sessions just to point out what hes doing wrong - something that helps, bc pretty soon levi is learning

he cooks him, armin, and eren an entire meal without burning anything

eren laughs when armin tells him that the man had forgotten to grab an oven mit and had stuck his entire hand in the oven to grab a pan

levi raises his eyebrow when he notices the way armin blushes at eren’s laugh, of all things

and they talk abt erwin more

they have more to say about him that eren, and its just something the two of them share, so they tend to save it for little moments, tiny snippets of things that remind them of the blond

after about a year, things are good

armin asks to have his 17th birthday at the beach, and who would levi be to say no

levi doesnt particularly like the beach, he detests sand, but its for armin, so he’ll do it

its for his kid

him and erwins kid

at the party, he finds a smile coming to his face when he sees armin actually laughing and having fun

kid had been through too much hell at 17, so he deserved to be happy, even if it was only for a few moments

on their way home that evening, eren and armin passed out from a day of swimming and running on the beach - levi made the both of them bring extra towels to save his car seats from salt water and sand

eren’s head is on armin’s shoulder, and the blond’s is resting atop eren’s head

when they get home, the two of them trudge towards their room, but armin turns and holds his closed fist out to levi

with a raised eyebrow, levi holds his hand out and lets armin drop something into his hand, before the boy pivots and continues his shuffle to his and eren’s shared room

levi glances down at the object in his hand

its a shell

armin names it erwin

[rivahisu107]

Rivahisu antis make me laugh. Sorry for the pettiness, but I got set off to write this last night.

I still can't believe this one clown who told me on other social media that Levi ending up with Gabi and Falco at the end of the story makes more sense than Levi and Historia ending up together. Just because they spoke more in War for Paradis. Ooh, but what interactions did these three have?

List of times Gabi and Falco had any shared connection/ direct interaction with Levi:

The airship in Liberio- this is after HIS SQUAD contributed to Eren's terrorist attack in their recovery mission. They were freaking terrified of him! And he saw them as he captured Zeke and set off a bomb! Not even anything like asking if they were okay after being captured.

The Campfire- Their begging and pleading in desperation for Jean's help wakes him up. He complains about how noisy they are.

The Rumbling- Levi helps Gabi shoot an Okapi Titan. Cute, I guess?

So. I don't know if the subplot changed midway or was retconned or what. I can't even say if my speculations were ever right, which is why I hope the author clears up his intentions sooner or later. But there are many reasons I cannot believe are ignored when it came to arguing for this theory.

List of connections and important interactions Levi and Historia have prior to War for Paradis:

The Ackerman-royal family history

A shared character development arc in Uprising

Shared struggles with pressure to be good and listen to others/be the hero

Childhood abandonment issues. 

“Run or fight”- this was something Historia repeated to Eren in Chapter 130 along with the words of living a life with pride, her former love interest told her. HMM. Very odd to include those very words with these words. Even if you don’t think these two had a romantic connection, he had a strong influence on her.

The Orphanage they set up together after having a rough and tense start when he forced her to be Queen. 

Their interests in the Beast Titan- one for revenge purposes, one for trying to fulfill her role as Queen to protect her people.

And let me do a quick rundown of hints and bits that could have meant something pre-126, the time when the pregnancy actually had focus or mention every other chapter.

In 107: the whole Azumabito mark scene where the two share one panel and then Levi disappears the rest of the scene during a discussion on marriage, children and heritage; Levi and Zeke having some odd dialogue about Gabi and Falco (”worrying about those kids”), the sudden pregnancy reveal.

In 108: the outline of the Hooded Figure which matches exactly to a prior shot of Levi.

In 110: A remark about how Levi was “popular... just enough” with the ladies in a conversation about maintaining loyalty to somebody or something followed by a remark about running out of time (close up shot of his face).

In 112: the darn page everybody overlooks where Levi outright thinks about Historia (why was it necessary to draw that?! Is that normal for men to think of pregnancy women like that they are not involved with?) followed by a look of fear when birthing complications are mentioned after he comes up with a really stupid plan to maintain island security.

Slightly off topic in 113: why does he have an electric surge go through his body when Zeke screams? He never drank wine in the forest. When did that happen? Connects to the banquet theory.

114: The phrase “saved those children” triggers him for no explained reason. 

116: The euthanasia plan which makes no sense on appearance. Maybe it really was that bad, but why show another image of Historia if that wasn’t going to mean anything? Why not just explain the plan? I may have overthought it, but I had an idea based on the Ackerman-Titan turning mystery going on too.

So yeah. Call me insane for even thinking this up, but at least Levi and Historia had potential reasons to be together. They spoke to each other about things that actually developed their characters. 

If Historia really was meant to be with the “farmer” this whole time- let’s be real, the face on this figure changed so much Historia may as well as had the farmer’s kid and married the family chef after the time skip- it would at least make sense to have ONE dialogue with him. Just because Historia may be a side character does not mean that including sudden revelations that she married is good writing. Especially in a subplot where the pregnancy was portrayed as political and a means to save herself.

So that’s my rant for the day. And I leave you with my favorite panel- which I plan to make a post about comparing it to two similar images in the War for Paradis arc.

[hopeymchope]

hey, sorry to barge into your inbox despite being a total stranger (and feel free to respond to this privately if you want) but i came across some of your s/n/k critical posts and i just wanted to say i agree SO much. and i wanted to thank you for vocalizing this opinion because i know both i and some others agree with you. i've personally felt that everything after chapter 80 was a mistake (because i thought the whole serum fight over erwin vs armin was pretty fuckin stupid too) and it's kinda funny (i guess) to see the ending 100% validate my opinion completely. i can't believe every character was done this dirty for the sake of a very poorly constructed "both sides are bad" scenario that was also in VERY poor taste considering the explicit allegories to n*zi germany and a literal race war. like what's up with the jews - sorry, the "eldians" - once ruling the entire world via a bloodthirsty empire and also being inhuman creatures? gee, that sure doesn't sound like every antisemitic conspiracy theory i've ever heard. and way to rationalize oppression, too. the entire point of an oppression narrative is supposed to be "hey, the oppressor's prejudices have no rational basis and are literally mistreating this oppressed group due to their own selfishness and cruelty," not "oh btw marley's fear/hatred of eldians kinda makes sense considering eldians once enslaved the entire planet and can turn into giant man-eating monsters." is*yama SERIOUSLY should've just stuck to writing glorified vore lmao.

and while all the characters were either killed, turned into plot devices, or both, it hurts that EMA and the main protag himself suffered this treatment as well. i still think pre-timeskip eren is utterly irreconciliable with post-timeskip eren and the fact that both fans and the author himself try to make it seem like "hey he was ALWAYS a batshit crazy psychopath from the start!" is sort of pathetic to watch. like yeah, lemme just ignore the first 80 chapters of character development for this guy. or lemme pretend that the author didn't spend the significant majority of the decade making eren the most empathetic character in the entire series. or let me also pretend that eren killing those human traffickers to save a 9 year old girl from being a child sex slave is somehow evidence/foreshadowing/etc of him eventually growing up to destroy 80% of the planet. like, what? not to mention he even rebuked himself for recklessly killing those two men like that in chapter 17...so am i supposed to ignore that too?? and don't even get me started on the "eren went insane and accidentally caused his mom's death." bro. BRO. i've watched the entirety of game of thrones yet i STILL have never seen this level of "edgy plot twist for shock value with no benefit or relevance to the story whatsoever" in any media to exist.

well anyway...sorry for ranting in your inbox like this LMAO i really just wanted to tell you that i agree with your opinions about both the series ending and the series as a whole. i doubt i'll ever engage with this cursed manga ever again but at least pre-chapter 80 s/n/k will always be a thing and i can pretend they all got reincarnated into a modern AU where eren and mikasa are happily married and living with their bff armin in a nice condo or something. they alternate between visiting carla and grisha or mikasa's family on weekends. yeah that sounds pretty good. if you made it this far then kudos to you and thank you for reading lol

Thanks a ton for the kind words of commiseration. It feels like there’s a plurality of people who are unhappy, sure... but it comes off as still being a minority, and even among that minority, it seems like most people are still fine with most of the timeskip so long as they stuck the landing. But I think they were much too far off-course pretty fast after the Timeskip started to really correct it very well. It was possible, but the writing was on the wall. The intentions were already clear pretty early on after the skip. 

That said, I try to keep this Tumblr mostly positive and DR-focused, yet I still absolutely had to rant about SNK 139. The more I thought about it, the more I disliked it... and this comes from someone who was already unhappy for a while, obviously, so. Yeah. Of course I was gonna dislike it on some level, but I thought it’d at least provide closure to the Timeskip arc, even if I do think the Timeskip arc feels at odds with everything else the series was for 3/4 of its run.

And HOLY SHIT I literally forgot about the Eldians’ history of apparently being horrible, vicious rulers of a sinister empire. You know why? Because I NEVER BELIEVED IT. I was so 100% certain that it was going to be outed as bullshit propaganda from Marley that I never once thought it was plausible, so I just... pushed it out of my mind as soon as I read it. After all, all that kind of talk about the arch-conspiracy of Jews has always been total bullshit from anti-semetic monsters, so why would I put any stock in this kind of talk being applied to the Jewish race of Attack on Titan? 

But now, at the end of the story... yup, I guess he never DID go back on that! So it was fucking true?! The Jewish people in this WWII analogy were apparently an evil master race at one point?! Oh. OHHHHH. Go fuck yourself with a shovel for that one, Isayama. 

And yeah, Eren... god, what a sad story. He becomes unrecognizable as the same character thanks to the Timeskip, the new characterization is never explained or justified retroactively - it’s just opposite day now, forever - and he dies accomplishing nothing. I don’t know what to say, except I do know how much I loved that character and this series before things went south. I didn’t even mind the backstory for the Titans and the horrible story of Eldians in Marley... because it seemed so obvious that it was setting up a battle against a hateful, technologically advanced foe that was beyond the darkness of anything they’d fought before, y’know? Marley, as it was set up in the flashbacks before the Timeskip, is Nazi Germany if the Nazis had tech and scientific horrors and numbers far beyond what the Allies had. And nobody EVER feels bad for killing Nazis, so this was obviously going to be a final battle to destroy the Marleyan military, with Zeke likely to serve as a Final Boss who has totally 100% bought the propaganda and who hated everything Eren stood for. It was all RIGHT THERE. Maybe it was just too easy to tell that story, because instead, Zeke is suddenly supposed to be a gray character (very hard to accept given his backstory), and we end with the “uwu both sides were bad bc war is hell” message that is really pretty fucked up, as you already correctly pointed out.

[ryuichirou]

I really don’t understand the story of /tw/ in general. People are using them so much and for everything: it’s so fucking annoying and ridiculous! They even put it for food!??! If we should follow their silly reasonings, TV should put a content warning for every single fucking thing, even food programs. And what’s even the point??? Cause surely I can’t get it at all.

I feel like new generations are pretty much spoiled, so used to live in a crystal cage that expect the whole internet/world to be ready to adapt at their poor and fragile sensibility at any moment. This is a fucking joke, I swear: these (most of times underaged) persons don’t know shit about life, and it shows so much.

The only content that should be tagged is 18+ or NSWF (whatever they call it) content, and that’s totally enough: if they find a page where the creator says there’s the kind of content they don’t like they should just move the fuck on and ignore the page, instead of being angry or flustered because not every content is specifically made for them or doesn’t align with their sometimesboringwhenitcomestoantis taste. But even if they find a pic in their tl about something they don’t like, what’s so difficult in blocking the artist and just ignore the thing? If a pic is able to ruin their whole day, well I guess there’s a serious psychological problem behind the surface. If their sensibility is that much fragile that they need a tw for every single thing, they either need to stop using internet or contact a therapist to resolve their issues imo. If their life is so empty that they can’t stand some artists making a drawing of something they don’t like or that somehow triggers them (Awwwww poor things, as if I give a shit🙄) they should start going out more, experiencing some fresh grass or hanging out with some friends.

I’m so done of these persons making a fucking dictatorship on the internet, feeling allowed to say whatever the fuck they want cause “buhuhu, how dare u hurting my poor soul so bad!!!!” Who the fuck cares? Who the fuck are you??? You are literally noone to me, I don’t know you and I don’t even wanna know you: I make this content for myself in first place and eventually for every one who shares my tastes. Don’t like it? Well, I don’t give a damn and I don’t feel sorry at all: internet is a goddamn free place, where you can find everything. Didn’t mommy and daddy told u that? Welcome in the world, hon! But imma tell u a secret right away: you have the right and the POSSIBILITY to ignore the content you don’t like (WOW!), keep scrolling (OMG!!) and especially leave artists/content creators the fuck alone, you spoiled child, cause yeah the world doesn’t revolve around your tiny ass.

Am I being harsh? Yeah, I know. But I’ve reached my limit with this thing, and this is exeedingly ridiculous.

As a content creator myself, I totally understand you guys. I love you, I love the content you produce and I’ll keep supporting you forever.

Omg Anon look at us getting all mad over this thing haha, but yeah. It’s pretty much exactly how you described.

While I do understand that food isn't exactly what I draw and I understand that people have different limits to what they want and don’t want to see, it’s impossible to consider every single thing that might affect someone. I think it's people's responsibility to manage their own timelines - that's what I do constantly because there's a lot of stuff I never want to see in my life. Maybe it’s us growing up in a completely different internet space (and time…), maybe it’s a matter of taste, but unless it’s an example of severe cruelty or realistically rendered rotting piece of flesh, i.e. something that could legitimately scar a person, I’m sorry, but I can’t see myself tagging these types of drawings… It’s not even graphic, it’s just an anime boy head with some blood on it, you can’t even see the cut and you wouldn’t stop to think about it twice. I redrew a screencap with Eren's arm being bitten off where you can see meat and even the bone, and there, for some surprising reason, nobody said anything. Is it because it was in the manga? I don't know. Zeke's flying head was also in the manga. I plan on redrawing Eren cutting off his leg and eye poking properly this time, it's also fucking graphic. Most of the time I don't even know what tags to use (the mushroom drawing with poorly drawn holes and barely any shading that people enjoyed complaining about - what the fuck did I draw? Body horror? Because I don't consider this child scribble body horror, one of the prompts for the month is actually "body horror", so this wasn't it. It was just a creepy thing, somewhat gross), and if I were to use most of them, like I said, it breaks my posts.

My overall blog has a warning (a poor one thanks to the symbol limit which is mostly eaten by me screaming about the prohibition of reposting my art), and I think it's more than enough.

I can live without people constantly going "what", "wtf", "no", "nah", "the fuck/hell", and whatever unoriginal comment they can come up with under my drawings. If you have nothing to say, then shut the fuck up, how about that. I'm sorry that my art is somewhat popular, and people see it.

Anyways. Thanks a lot for your support and love, we appreciate it a lot <3

[mangosimoothie]

The Bachelorette: Episode 10 - Atticus

Aja lives out her Breaking Dawn fantasies on her date with Atticus, but his vampire charm may be too effective for his own good. Meanwhile, Zeke offers Darion some words of wisdom. Find out what went down!

Soundtrack

Atticus takes Aja to Violet Varicose, the hottest vampire lounge in Forgotten Hollow. Usually humans are strictly forbidden from setting foot anywhere near a vampire lounge; even thralls aren't allowed. But Atticus is a Winthorpe, one of the oldest, most powerful, and most revered vampire lineages in the community. So, he can do whatever he wants.

"I gotta say, Atticus, I didn't take you for the partying type." "No? And what type did you take me for?" "Fancy, very prim proper, maybe a little bookish. I thought we'd like, go to an art gallery and drink wine and read each other poetry." "Then you will find that I'm full of surprises. However I do, in fact, write incredible poetry."

As they dance, Aja gets up close (but not too close!) and personal with Atticus's fangs. "Is it weird that I kinda wanna poke one?" "Not entirely. I've learned that many humans are irresistibly drawn to danger."

Throughout the night, Aja notices vampires disappearing through what looked like a bookcase towards the back of the club. But first of all, what's a bookcase doing in a club?

"Okay, I gotta ask, what's with the not-so-secret door?" "Oh...well. I kind of hoped you wouldn't ask. Vampires are hedonistic creatures. So, the great majority of our gathering spaces have a lower level that's...of a more deviant nature." "Omg, a VAMPIRE BDSM LAIR???" "I guess that's what you would call it, sure." "We are GOING." "I don't think it's appropriate for humans, or for a first date..." "So? Live a little! Hahah 'live' get it? Because you're undead?" After we made a quick call to get an okay from the network, Aja got a small taste of the underbelly of a vampire lounge.

They kept things PG-13, and our crew wasn't allowed to film inside the dungeon, but we're pretty sure they enjoyed themselves.

"Atticus is like something out of a romance novel. And he's a perfect gentleman." You weren't put off by the whole "freaky vampire kink dungeon" of it all? "Please. You should see some of the fanfiction I was writing in 2008."

Meanwhile, Darion seeks some of Zeke's sage wisdom. "I'm just tired of being a fuckboy or whatever, you know? I came here with the intention of really finding something real, but I definitely fucked it up." "I know most people would expect me to say something like ~if you set your intentions in the right place, they'll lead you where you need to be~ but honestly? Intention doesn't mean shit. You gotta do the work to make those good intentions good actions."

"Man, you think I don't know that? You know, I thought that when I transitioned I'd be a better person, because I'd be closer to my ~authentic self~ or whatever, but honestly? I feel like I just got WORSE." "Change happens gradually. It's not a ladder; it's a spiral staircase. So it can seem like you're walking in circles, but if you stop and look around you'll see you've been climbing upwards. You made a big change for yourself for the better. You're more capable of changing your actions and bettering yourself than you're giving yourself credit for."

"Must be easy for you, ol' Guru Pathik ass." "See now, how you gonna come for me after I just gave you all that!!" "Nah, you're right. Thanks for letting me crash your sesh, Zeke."

Meanwhile, there's another bro talk going on. Atticus goes to Ryan for a quick nightcap and to give the deets on his date with Aja. "They let you take her to a vampire lounge???!" "I was surprised too. I suppose my vampiric charm makes me very persuasive." "Yeah, sure, whatever."

"You're being more ill-tempered than usual." "No I'm not. I just hope my time with Aja doesn't pale in comparison to yours, because this is a competition and obviously I wanna win." "Ok...then I'll let you get some rest."

"Don't you need..." "I've lost my appetite. Goodnight."

After his heart to heart with Zeke, Darion goes to Aja to make amends. "I wanted to apologize again for what went down on our date. It was disrespectful, and you are way too good to put up with that. I don't wanna be the type of guy who has a side chick and I'm working on not being that guy, but if you wanna cut me I understand."

"I appreciate that, Darion. And I'm glad you're working on being a better person - most guys are nowhere near that self aware." "Sooo...I'm good?" "Hell no. You're still on sudden death mode."

But it looks like even though Darion is "working" on it, he's still got a ways to go.

Soundtrack

NEXT | PREVIOUS | BEGINNING 

(Do yall like the inclusion of music? I always imagine the soundtrack when I’m writing - it’s fun!) 

[yuusa]

-ˋˏ𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤ˎˊ-

         -ˋˏ  𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒌 ˎˊ-

                 ✧ 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝑬𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝟑 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

·  ·  ·  · ✦ 𝑺/𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝑯𝒖𝒈𝒐 𝑷𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕'𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒋𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑷𝒐𝒓𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒚𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒖𝒎.

𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑯𝒖𝒈𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆.

“Mommy! Mommy! Look I drew you!” You laid down the tablet as you felt Phym place herself onto your lap, she held up a sheet of paper with a box of crayons in her other hand, “I wanted to give you this before you went on your mission, but Amy said it was an emergency!”

You smiled and nodded, “sorry about that Phym.” You picked up the drawing and examined the contents.

There were blobs of color that surrounded the paper, it was extremely messy but you could feel your heart grow warmer at the sight of Phym smiling in happiness. At the very center was you, well, you assumed it was you based on the colors of the clothes and hair she chose to match your original outfit. In her drawing, she also drew herself holding onto your hand with a giant smiley face on her face.

“It’s a very good drawing Phym, do you want to be an artist when you grow up?” You asked.

“Well, I wanna grow big and strong like mommy! I wanna stay with you forever!” She replied, her red eyes shining brightly underneath the room’s light.

You giggled at the drawing and brought Phym closer into your arms for a tight hug, her smaller figure holding onto you as her smile grew even wider. She truly was a beacon of hope for you and everyone else on the vessel, so innocent and pure which made you wonder if it was possible for the world to remain like this forever.

There was a knock on the door, the sound of Hugo’s voice on the other side, “could I come in?”

Before you could part your lips for a response, Phym hopped off of your lap and ran towards the door to open it for him. She gave him a wide smile and held up her drawing up to Hugo.

“I drew mommy! Don’t you think it looks just like her?” Hugo picked up the drawing and held it up in the air, positioning it side by side to your sitting figure. You raised an eyebrow as he compared the drawing to the real-life equivalent and laughed.

“Looks just like her, you did a pretty good job there Phym.”

You merely rolled your eyes as Hugo handed the drawing back to Phym, his figure sitting down next to you on the bed while Phym went towards a nearby table. You assumed that she wanted to make some adjustments or additions to her drawings and turned your attention towards Hugo.

“So mommy, how's that parent life doing?” He teased.

“Shut up you,” you chuckled, “it’s going pretty well actually,” your eyes softened as you held onto your own hands, “it feels as if we just can’t get a rest when everyone in the world wants her. Glepnir, The Crimson Queen, even Doctor Inukai tried his hand. If I had to be honest, it’s getting a bit overwhelming.”

“I can’t help but worry about her,” you ended.

“Well, they can’t have her of course, she’s a part of our family. We’ll stop everyone and everything that stands in the way of family,” Hugo smiled as he reached out to brush your strands of hair behind your ear, “we’re getting one step closer to our dream now, isn’t that exciting?”

You took a deep breath to relax your rapidly beating heart and nodded, “it is quite exciting. Our future is in sight now.”

“Exactly, we only need to push on further to make it happen, but with you by my side, we can do it together,” he grinned, “we’ve always been by each other's side haven’t we?”

“We’re like 20 at this point, we’re getting quite old aren’t we?” You joked, “but you’re right, we have been by each others side since we were little kids, we both know that.”

“Haha right? I still remember the day Zeke and his brothers came to Pennywort the first time. A lot of fond and sad memories back at the port. . .” Hugo pressed his lips together in a frown before sighing, “of course I would rather stay here at Chrysanthemum than that prison.”

He angled himself and flopped his head on your lap, staring up at you with a smug look on his face. Phym turned her head towards the two of you in curiosity while you merely rolled your eyes a second time.

“What do you think you’re doing Hugo?” You whispered, “Phym is right there.”

“Just having some relaxation before our next mission, of course, the guy’s cabinet is noisy when is Zeke playing poker with everyone else,” he replied, “I’m pretty sure the girls won’t mind if I take a nap here right?”

“The girls? What about me, the one you’re laying your lap on?” He only snickered at your question.

“Yeah I’m sure you wouldn’t mind, I’m just gonna take a nap on the most comfortable spot in the Ash Crawler, don’t mind me,” you only smiled and brushed his hair back, his dark-colored eyes still bright and optimistic as the day you met him.

“Whatever you say, Hugo.”

The two of you relaxed in each other's presence for a while until Phym came up to the edge of the bed with a curious and confused glance. Hugo’s eyes opened to see her standing over him and the two of you awkwardly looked back at her.

She held onto her drawing close to her chest with her finger underneath her chin in a questioning gesture.

“U-Umm. . . Hugo, what are you to mommy?” She asked, you glanced down at Hugo who gave you the same shocked look before turning to Phym, “you are always by mommy’s side when she is in danger!”

You realized that you had yet to tell Phym exactly what you and Hugo were. Childhood friends were an obvious one but you and Hugo had always tried to keep your relationship underneath wraps in order to lessen the awkwardness within the Ash Crawler. The only person who seemed to have noticed your relationship was Zeke since he always had the worst timings in the world.

You awkwardly cleared your throat while Hugo continued to relax on top of your lap, seemingly acting carefree and cool in front of Phym. It was too late to act as if nothing was between the two of you, and it would be much worse if Phym were to ask someone else from the vessel about it.

“Well. . . Your mommy and I are dating,” he answered.

You watched as Phym’s eyes widened, “w-what does dating mean?”

This feels like the most awkward conversation with a child you have ever had, you thought. You never really had the time or opportunity to explain to Phym what exactly you and Hugo were, especially during these dire situations where both of your lives were constantly on the line fighting Aragamis.

“Zeke always tells me you hold hands during missions and sometimes, you would lock the door to the med-“

Hugo quickly interrupted her, “alright maybe you shouldn’t hear these things from Zeke, and you definitely don’t wanna talk about this outside with everyone else.”

“T-then what does dating mean Hugo?”

You raised your eyebrow towards Hugo, edging him to answer Phym’s question.

“Well. . .” Hugo hummed in thought before snapping his fingers, “it’s like when you wanna be with another person for the rest of your life. You love them a lot and you put your trust in them, no matter what happens you could count on them to be there for you.”

Phym slowly nodded her head as she stared up into space. In a couple of minutes, her red eyes beamed with joy as she hopped around in excitement, “does that mean me and mommy are dating? I love mommy so much!”

Hugo quickly sat up from your lap in shock, “wait hold on you can’t date mommy,” he pointed his thumb towards his chest, “I’m already dating her!”

“Claire said sharing is caring and maybe you should share mommy!”

“Well, Claire is wrong this time you don’t share people you date!” Hugo argued, “you get like one person!”

“Mommy, Hugo’s so mean! I wanna date mommy too!” She whined, “Hugo needs to share!”

You merely giggled at their antics, “Phym, you and I can still be together, but Hugo and I are considered dating. Are you fine with having him as your daddy instead?”

Phym swayed her body as she thought about the suggestion, “okay! Hugo can be a daddy now!”

Hugo breathed a sigh of relief before plopping himself back onto your lap, “well now that's settled, I guess it's time for that nap.”

“Rebellious as ever,” you watched as Hugo shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes. It was a strange feeling to have Phym ask about your relationship with Hugo, but it did make you feel much older than you actually were. Despite being the same age as Hugo you felt like actual parents, Phym really did make you realize how old you could actually be. You decided to continue brushing Hugo’s hair while peering down at Phym, her eyes still full of hope and curiosity while Hugo fell asleep on your lap.

“Mommy, are you going to stay with daddy forever?” She asked, to which you hummed.

“Forever huh?” You smiled at Hugo’s sleeping form. His chest moved at a steady pace as his gentle breaths came out like soft whispers.

Forever seems like a long time for someone like you, an AGE living within an Ash Crawler fighting deadly creatures every week. The dream of having your own port was only a few inches away from your fingertips, but there will always still be more work ahead of you to complete. There are times where you wondered if it was possible to be together “forever”, in the time where Aragamis eat other AGEs, you wanted to know if it was truly possible to make such dreams happen.

“Forever. . . Yeah, that sounds like something I’d do,” you smiled, “I’ll be with him forever.”

With your goals so close ahead of you, it wouldn’t hurt to say that you wanted this dream as well.

“Will you stay with me forever too?” Phym added.

You reached out to pat the top of her head, ruffling her hair slightly, “of course I’ll always be there for you.”

“Phym, did you know that back at our port, Hugo was the most reckless one,” you laughed, “he use to try to sneak a lot of things from our missions back to the port for the kids. Every time he got caught all of us got punished.”

“R-Really? But Hugo is always so nice and he follows the rules here!” Phym replied, “I never knew he had to do that. . .”

“Him taking an Ash Aragami for a walk isn’t really following the rules, is it? It was all in the past though,” you joked, “however, it was pretty reckless of him to do that.”

“You gotta admit, that was a cool pet to walk.” Hugo commented, “no guy in the world will tell you that they would lure an Ash Aragami to save your daughter.”

“First of all, I thought you were going to nap. Second, you worried all of us to death.” You flicked the tip of his nose as he winced slightly, “do you even realize how big of a hole you made in the ground?”

“You say that as if it’s more dangerous than what you do. . . Let's see. . . Jumping in front of a dangerous Ash Aragami head-on? That sounds a lot crazier than just leading one, don’t you think?” He smugly replied, “we do make one hell of a duo though.”

“Hugo,” You pressed your lips together, “sure but it still was quite dangerous-“

“I told you that I’m not letting none of us die, you got to remember that promise,” Hugo smiled, “sorry for worrying you like that, but what counts is that I’m still here aren’t I?”

“I guess you are right in that aspect,” you released a sigh and shook your head, “I can’t believe you can be so reckless compared to Zeke.”

“What can I say, you love that part of me though,” he chuckled, “reckless ol’ Hugo to the rescue.”

“You’re only half right Hugo, you may be pretty damn reckless out there but, “you smiled, “I actually love all of you, not just a part.”

Hugo’s eyes widened as his cheeks grew much hotter than before, it was to the point that his embarrassment was quite obvious. Phym only tilted her head in confusion but smiled as she went back to revise her drawing, most likely to add Hugo into the picture.

“Yeah, looove you too babe,” he replied, extending the o’s in a teasing manner, still trying to keep his cool act in front of Phym who giggled.

“Go back to sleep Hugo, otherwise you’d be nodding off in our mission like Zeke.”

“You wish. The day I nod off during a mission is when Zeke learns how to do division.”

[theotherackerman]

My Mind Turns Your Life Into Folklore

My Mind Turns Your Life Into Folklore

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Any recognizable elements belong to Attack on Titan.

NOTES:

Friday January 22nd

chapter twenty-five: said i'm fine but it wasn't true

It was Mikasa and Levi’s grandfather’s birthday.

Mikasa only knew it was by the calendar in the kitchen.

“He was an ass anyway. You didn’t miss much by not knowing him,” Levi informed her as he did every year.

Armin and Eren left that afternoon.

--------------------

Apparently being a dumbass was contagious.

While Zeke was trying to process the file Levi had given him, Armin had dropped Eren off back at the house on Friday morning.

"Niccolo and Sasha broke up," Eren informed him. "Well, not that they were actually together yet…"

Zeke groaned. "Why?"

"Apparently, he had some issues with her still being friends with Connie...is Pieck drunk on our couch? It's not even the afternoon!"

"You're one to talk, tiny Jaeger," Pieck said from the couch.

"Oh see that dumbass there just broke up with her boyfriend too," Zeke said as he pointed at her.

"He wasn't my boyfriend!"

"Wait, is this the mystery guy? Who was he?"

Pieck face planted into the couch and mumbled something that Eren and Zeke didn't understand.

"Is she drunk?" Eren asked him.

"On sugar probably. She already ate the last of the ice cream."

Eren didn’t say anything as he went to his room upstairs.

Zeke looked over the still face planted Pieck.

“Will you go talk to him already? It is not too late to go back and tell him you are a dumbass,” Zeke said as he looked at the scans of the file on his computer.

“It is! I broke his heart and now he’s going to go out with a younger woman.” Pieck said as she sat up.

Why did Zeke have to be the only sane one in his group of friends?

“You didn’t see his face, Zeke. I destroyed him and just left. Without looking back.”

“Pieck...go back. Go admit your fuck up.”

Zeke had seen Pieck cry a handful of times. Once when her father had been diagnosed with cancer and the other when Dina had died.

But not like this.

Pieck hadn’t been in many relationships. She always said things like she was allergic to relationships or why waste time on something that statistically wouldn’t work out. No, Pieck was married to her art.

It was this moment that Zeke realized Pieck had said all of these things to keep herself safe from this.

The tears were streaming down her face.

Eren came downstairs and stopped there.

“Pieck….” Eren said as he crossed to Pieck.

“I just see him in my head. I go back and he’s already with her. She’s so much younger and prettier than I am. I just...I can’t. Eren, I’m sorry,” Pieck apologized.

“Why?” Eren asked.

Zeke moved from the table over to sit next to Pieck.

“He’s your friend and you’re going to find out very soon. It’s Jean. I’m sorry,” Pieck began crying more.

Zeke did not have the first clue about what to do. Neither did Eren.

“I’m going to make a phone call,” Eren said before stepping out of the room.

“Don’t! It has to be over. I don’t want to feel this….anymore..”

“Okay,” Eren said. “I won’t call Jean.”

Eren stepped out of the room.

After what happened with Armin and Mikasa, Eren said he wouldn’t lie about things like this anymore. But Eren had to lie this time.

He went out of the room and pressed Jean’s contact in his phone.

“What do you want, Jaeger? Now is not a good time,” Jean’s voice rang out on the other side of the phone.

“Are you in love with Pieck?” Eren asked.

“What? Why is that any of your business?”

“Because she’s crying to Zeke in my living room right now.”

“She’s the one who ended it. Not me! So don’t come at me about it.”

“I’m not. I just..”

“What do you want me to do, Eren? Beg her to stay? I told her just to say the word and I’d tell my mom not to set me up on a date. I told her I loved her. She said she didn’t feel the same. She said she didn’t love me and it was just sex. So no, I’m not fucking begging her when she’s made her feeling perfectly clear. We’re not you and Mikasa. If she wanted to be with me, she had the chance.”

Eren couldn’t argue with that.

“I’m sorry,” Eren said after a moment.

“It’s whatever. I’ll bounce back. I mean how can I not? I’m me.”

“If you need to talk…”

“You’d be the one I’d call?”

“If anyone knows about losing the one they love…”

“Well, you’ve got a point there. You do know about fucking things up, don’t you? You idiot. How is that going by the way?”

“Good.”

“Good. Don’t do that again.”

“Oh. Don’t worry. I won’t. By the way, why didn’t you make a move on Mikasa when we were broken up?”

“Because unlike you, I’m not an idiot.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I dropped that idea the day I asked her out and she turned me down. She told me she had feelings for you and then when I saw you two together the next day, I knew. You two were meant for one another. Even if you’re an idiot who fucked it up, I wasn’t. I knew there was no way I could compete with you...when it comes to Mikasa.”

“Did you just say something nice to me?”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“Okay, horseface.”

“Fucking idiot.”

“...you want to get online and shoot some shit?”

“Give me ten minutes.”

“Don’t pull my rank down.”

“Don’t pull mine.”

--------------

Pieck eventually stopped crying.

Zeke patted her on her back while she cried.

And Pieck cried until she couldn’t cry anymore.

She was done.

���So teach me another song.”

“Do you..”

“No.”

“Okay. Yeah, sure.”

----------------

Mikasa’s writer’s block had begun to disappear. She spent most of the day in the sun room writing lyrics to one of the unfinished pieces she had from Historia.

Annie had given up on work half way through her shift and shuffled into the sun room where Ymir was restringing her acoustic guitar.

The sound of power tools in the basement could be heard.

“They having any luck down there?” Annie asked before she sat down in one of the chairs.

“They brought up some ripped out carpet,” Ymir said as she tightened the string down.

“So this is actually happening. We’re going to record,” Annie gave a small smile.

“We’ve come a long way in a little over a year,” Ymir replied as she finished tightening the string down. “Speaking of coming a long way, how’s our social media numbers looking?”

Annie sighed, “well, Facebook sits at the same numbers. Twitter gained a few. YouTube has gone up. Instagram is the problem. We’re dropping views on whatever we post in the feed.”

“Why?” Mikasa asked as she stopped playing.

“It’s the algorithm. The more people who see and interact with our stuff, the more it spreads but it has to show up on the feed first. We’re fucked sometimes. I’ve been trying to put everything into stories where I can but people still have to interact with it.”

“You remember the days when things were just chronical on our feeds?” Ymir asked. “Now you have to be a math genius like Annie to get anywhere.”

“To be fair, I still haven’t beat it.”

“You’ll figure it out. You always do.”

“We all need to interact with the posts. That’ll help too. I know we have been but we have to keep it up.”

“Just tag me in that shit and I’ll share it everywhere. Speaking of genius...are we going to have another new song or what?” Ymir asked as she looked over at Mikasa.

“I’m working on it. Have we thought about the idea of collaborating with The Restorationists? Their follower numbers are larger than ours. Plus, they just got a new bassist. Might be a good idea to see if they want to do a livestream with us or something,” Mikasa said before she shrugged.

“What about Niccolo and Sasha?” Ymir asked.

“Yeah, I’m worried about that too,” Mikasa sighed.

“Wouldn’t hurt to ask,” Annie shrugged.

-----------------

Sasha kept her word of not speaking to Niccolo for a little bit. He didn’t try to contact her and she didn’t try to contact him. However, as Sasha had said, the farm was doing great at the farmer’s market. Mr. Blouse even gave both Sasha and Historia a bonus when they finished work today.

“I don’t know how we’re going to have four guitars,” Ymir scoffed.

“And a bass,” Annie added.

“Yeah, that too. I love the song as much as you all do but I’m wondering how we’re going to pull it off.”

“What about a collaboration with The Restorationists?” Annie asked.

“Oh yeah. Niccolo did tag us on their Instagram. We should do that,” Sasha said.

“Even with you and Niccolo being all….whatever?” Ymir asked.

“I can be professional. Besides, I thought you all wanted this to be a more stripped down song. I can use the cajón,” Sasha shrugged.

“What the fuck is a cajón?” Ymir asked.

“The percussion box,” Sasha answered.

“Then just call it that!”

“This song is pretty personal, Historia. I’ll leave it up to you,” Sasha said before she hit the cymbal, causing Ymir to jump.

Ymir responded with a very horrible sound from her bass.

Annie sat down on the piano bench next to Mikasa and Historia as she sighed.

“It is pretty personal,” Mikasa said as she looked over Historia.

“We need four guitars, two percussion, and a bass. Can they read music?” Historia asked.

“Eren can,” Mikasa answered.

“Pieck is their bassist now. She can read music,” Annie said.

“Didn’t she work at the tutoring center with you for a while?” Ymir asked.

Annie nodded.

“Small world,” Ymir said.

“That leaves Zeke and Niccolo,” Historia said.

“Niccolo can,” Sasha answered before looking down.

Levi walked by the sun room with Sawney and Bean following him.

“Hey Levi, can Zeke read music?” Ymir asked.

“Why would I know the answer to that?” Levi asked as he stopped.

“He’s your therapist. Maybe you two bond over music or something. I don’t know but do you know?”

“No, I don’t. It really doesn’t come up in conversation.” He continued on his path with Sawney and Bean followed him.

“I’m sure Zeke can read music. I can always call Eren after practice,” Mikasa said as she turned to the next page of her sheet music.

“Are you okay with it being a collaboration, Mikasa?” Historia said.

“I’m okay with it,” she smiled.

“Guess that settles that. Just need to ask The Restorationists. Do you want me on bass, electric, or acoustic for this song?” Ymir asked.

“Acoustic,” Historia and Mikasa said at the same time.

“All of our band…” Historia started.

“On acoustic,” Mikasa finished.

“Add their band here,” Historia said as she pointed to the music.

“Should we do all five of us singing this lyric here?” Mikasa asked.

“Wait, I didn’t agree to sing on this song!” Sasha said as she stood up from her drum set.

“Oh yes, let’s do that. That should be low enough for everyone to sing, right?” Historia asked.

“It’s hopeless, Sasha. They’re in the zone. They’re not hearing a thing we’re saying,” Ymir said as she put her bass down on its stand.

“If that’s the case, I’m going to go figure out what to make for dinner,” Sasha said as she left the sun room.

“I’m going to go make myself some more tea before I get morning sickness again,” Annie said as she placed her guitar on the stand.

Historia and Mikasa were left alone in the sun room to continue work on the song.

While Rod Reiss sat on his throne, his daughter was dismantling it in her music.