#sorry this took this long for me to reply to anon!!

[aritsukemo]

“If you ever need me, call my name. I will be there.”

That was Xiao’s promise. You weren’t the only person he’d offered it to, far from the first or last, but you were the only one who had it whispered against their lips, in between stolen kisses that lingered on your skin long after he’d vanished into the moonlight.

“Always. For whatever reason.”

You hadn’t had much need for it prior, beyond the occasional sticky situation or sudden bout of loneliness, but the reassurance was always there. One word was all it took, and he would be at your side. Always with a spear in his hands, and a serious expression, scanning you up and down to check for injuries. Only when he was satisfied you were in one piece, unharmed, he’d speak.

“What do you need?” He asks, putting down his weapon once he realized there was nothing to vanquish. With his free hand, he grasps your chin, turning your face to the left, then to the right. “You aren’t hurt. There aren’t any demons around, yet you called me anyway. Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” You blink, nudging something with your foot. He looks down, frowning at the sight of… a picnic blanket. There were pastries, and fresh fruit, and a box of almond tofu laid out across the ground. When he looks up again, you’re grinning. “I thought you could use a break.”

“A… break?” He says slowly, tasting the words like they were unfamiliar. You roll your eyes, giving his hand a gentle tug and pulling him down to a sitting position.

“Yes, a break. You’ve been working non-stop. This is long overdue.”

Xiao continues to stare at the lavish spread of food, not saying a word. The picnic is carefully arranged, each item selected to match his tastes perfectly. Even the location—a quiet, shady spot underneath the shelter of a tree—was thoughtfully chosen; not too far from Liyue Harbour, but far enough that there was no one around to disturb them. You’d thought through everything, that was obvious enough.

“You…” He swallows, the words caught up in his throat. There’s a dull ache in his chest, but somehow, the feeling isn’t unpleasant. “Thank you. Truly.”

You smile at him, offering him the box of tofu. “No problem. Eat up.”

The pair of you eat in silence, interspersed with the occasional observation about the weather, or your day, or what Xiao has been doing during his absence. It’s quiet, it’s mellow; nothing like what he was faced with before you called on him. He spares you the details, keeping it to a simple “I was purging evil, as usual.” He knows to omit the most brutal parts of his life, keeping them held close to his chest, so as to not worry you even more than you do.

“You look tired.” You hum. “Do you want to take a nap?”

Your suggestion is met with protest of course, but he never could resist your whims for long. Somehow, despite his objections, he finds himself with his head laid in your lap anyway, the tree branches above casting shade over his face, and you smiling down at him.

Xiao can’t even bring himself to feel displeased with the situation. Your hands in his hair is heavenly, a soft, comforting feeling that has his eyes sliding shut, and all of the tension in his shoulders melting away. He doesn’t know how you manage it, unravelling him with the slightest touch, but he voices no complaints. Any reservations or doubts are swept away as your nails gently rake across his scalp, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

“Sleep,” You murmur, kissing his forehead. It’s an odd reversal of your positions; typically, he is the one standing guard as you slumber, but he strangely doesn’t mind as much as he typically would. Perhaps it is because it is you that is caring for him, treating him so tenderly like he’s something worth cherishing. You, who remains the only one he will let see his guard fall completely, the one who has seen his shadows, and his regrets, and loved him through all.

When he wakes, he will return to his role as guardian, but as he sleeps, he is content to have you watching over him.

- 🕸️

OMGOSH I AM SOOOO INCREDIBLY SORRY THAT IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO REAPOND TO THIS!!! I SWEAR I HAD A GOOD REASON!! 😓

THIS WAS SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO GOOD!! YOUR WRITING STYLE IS AMAZING!!!

I've always adored the fact that Xiao is willing to drop everything if we called his name like that always made me feel so loved 🥹 AND FOR READER TO USE THAT IN ORDER TO GET HIM TO RELAX??? UGH I ADORE IT SM

The domesticity in this drabble is top notch like I love how comfortable they are with each other and just imagining it makes me kick my feet!! 😖

Whomever you are 🕸 anon, you're an amazing writer and I promise to pay you back for this gift 💞 TYSM THIS MADE MY WHOLE MONTH!!

[your-unfriendlyghost]

sodapop patrick curtis thoughts on my desk by the end of the week or ur DONE /j

How I feel about this character

  Uh like he’s perfect and should be my wife i think

  Nah but fr Soda’s one of my favorite characters ever. He’s sweet and all, but he’s so much more than that. Pony says he’s movie-star handsome, that he can go from gentle one minute to “blazing with anger” the next, that he gets drunk just on living, and understands everybody. Soda’s a Kerouac-style “mad one”- “mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes Awww!”

He’s a guy who’s sensitive but strong, a “bawl baby” who’s tough, he’s probably got ADHD and dyslexia, the school system failed him. His folks died and left him holding his brothers together by a thread. He’s pretty but not pretty enough for Sandy to stay. He might end up dying in Vietnam, and thank God that isn’t canon, but it’s still there. He’s happy to live life simply, behind a white picket fence with a wife and kids- hell, he’s thrilled to. But that’s not gonna happen, at least not for a while, because Soda is a tragedy. But he loves his brothers and his friends so much that he becomes a beacon of hope despite it all.

  I love Soda. Honestly, this barely scratches the surface of how I feel about him. I haven’t even touched on the adrenaline junkie stuff or the ways he’s sometimes so relatable to me that it hurts. 

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Steve, and sometimes Evie. 

  I’ve found I’m a friends-to-lovers enjoyer, so Stevepop scratches that part of my brain lol. To have someone who’s got your back through thick and thin, aware of your flaws but in spite of them- well, ain’t that the dream? The angst of it being the 60s makes it interesting to me too, because there’s a lot of ways to handle that. Man, when I first read the book I didn’t get the hype for them at all, but idk. It clicked. I get it now. 

  And then Steviepop is my roman empire lol. It’s all I love about Stevepop, but Evie adds even more complexity. I like her a lot and I love writing her, and I love writing her with characters who I also love. There is absolutely no canon anything to back this ship up. But dammit that’s the point of fandom.

  I will say though that I like exploring Soda’s dynamic with Sandy, but I don’t really ship them. I think the fact that Sandy left him (and I mean cheated on him, even if that can be read ambiguously) implies that there’s something about him that could be undesirable, romantically. I don’t mean cheating is good or that people deserve it, just that in this case, the idea that Soda’s an imperfect boyfriend adds layers to a character who is mostly just positives. We’ll never know Sandy’s POV on it, and I don’t think Soda will either. Sandypop to me will never have closure. That’s what makes it hurt so much. That’s what makes it relatable

My non-romantic OTP for this character

  I mean honestly? Steve. I know this isn’t really fair, since I like Stevepop and all, but idk, there’s no one else who I think it could be. 

  Steve’s a character who’s cocky and troubled and prone to assholeish-ness, but even he loves Soda. He knows about Sandy and gets angry on Soda’s behalf at Pony for mentioning her, which means Soda can tell him- angry, tough Steve Randle- about sensitive stuff. And Soda, who I think is a little in love with everyone he meets and could have anyone he wants, sees this bastard and sticks with him. He sees the parts of Steve that Pony can’t. Parts that make him worthy of being his best buddy.

It’s been said before, but no matter how you look at it, romantic or platonic, they’re each other’s person. I don’t think I could put anyone else in this slot.

My unpopular opinion about this character

 I have a few lol.

1- I see a lotta fics and takes where the whole “drunk on living” thing is a lie Soda feeds Ponyboy, and while I like that take, I do also think it’s totally possible and even plausible that Soda really doesn’t drink and Pony’s view of him (in that aspect) is right.

  I dunno, I mean, I know firsthand what it’s like to just get drunk on adrenaline/excitement. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug, and the rush from it is better than any other high I’ve had. Thrill rides make me act as stupid as someone drinking- when I’m excited, I lose all ability to filter thoughts or fight impulses. I’ve done all sorts of dumb moves- climbing onto tables, singing loudly without knowing or caring if it bothers people, play-fighting my buddies so hard we both get genuinely injured, standing up in a convertible going down the freeway... (This is obviously anecdotal and not real evidence or anything, but like, duh. This is an opinion piece lol.)

  I guess what I’m saying is that there’s a lot of interesting things that can still be done with a Soda who genuinely doesn’t drink. (Or at least not much.)

2- I love darker takes on Soda. I love when people dig into his addictive personality, his temper, his relationship with his looks/self image, all that stuff. I love his flaws, and I especially love when they co-exist with his earnest sweetness and genuine sensitivity. In a few of my fics, I’ve explored some slightly darker Sodas- Sodas who are impulsive, pent up, semi-narcissistic and occasionally manipulative. I haven’t delved deep into it or anything, and I usually keep his character wholesome, but I love it when other folks don’t. 

3- I actually really like the Vietnam War storyline. I mean it hurts, but it seems plausible. I hate the idea of him dying there, but I like exploring the idea of him being drafted. Hell, maybe he even enlisted. The military is known for being a good way to earn enough money to pull one’s family out of poverty, and this paired with the flawed ideas of masculinity and strength of the time lead to a really interesting version of Soda’s future.

  I’m real glad it isn’t canon though.

4- This isn’t technically unpopular but brown eyed Soda will always be canon to me. I like Rob Lowe’s Soda a lot but man….he coulda used brown contacts, yk? /hj lol

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Well I still think it’s a crime his emotional monologue got cut outta the original version of the film. Thank God for the full novel version, but man, still.

Woulda also have been cool to see him mentioned in That Was Then This is Now, but I get that SE Hinton wasn’t trying to make an Outsiders sequel really.

Idk, Soda served his purpose, I think. 

tl;dr- I love him

[reijndeers]

your tag that you might draw olise is a great idea and pleaseeeee do

anon ilysm have some sketches

he’s so CUTE

[mxmasked-alien]

Some people are hating on Zaire because their new favorite white boy «was screwed over by identity politics». I have seen at least four people complain about how PB «ruined Terror Fest» because they didn't make their red herring a murderer. Their justifiable mommy issues actually makes them a good red herring. There are so many hunky white male love interests. Why can't black queer people have that one good thing without becoming the fandom scapegoats? We're talking about a company that gives racist players the tools to erase all black main characters from their stories. A company that disregards female LIs and non-white LIs. People are seriously upset that they can't find a way to kill off Zaire? Every fandom has its jerks but I'm surprised how many openly racist people there are in the choices fandom. I wish that someone over at Pixelberry studios would realize that by completely erasing canon representation from some of their new stories they are cultivating a toxic fan environment.

WARNING: DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THE KILLER IS IN TERRORFEST!!!!!

I'm honestly not surprised people are doing this. Thankfully I haven't seen any of this myself, because I've pretty much blocked off like 70% of the choices fandom on Tumblr and I don't engage with the choices fandom on other social media platforms because of the misogyny, homophobia and racism that runs rampant there but I'm not surprised some of the stans that romance the killer are taking their frustration out on the black trans enby. I say SOME of the Tyson stans because I know not all of them are hateful people, and for those who aren't taking it out on Zaire and all black, trans and nonbinary ppl, I do hate it for you. If Zaire or Lucky had been the killer and we didn't get to choose to support them than I would be pissed too, but that's NOT an excuse to hate on a member of the minority, it's never an excuse to do so.

Its just shitty ppl showing their true colors. Hateful miserable people using any excuse to be racist and transphobic. POC will always be the scapegoat for these garbage people. All we can do is stand up for ourselves and for our black and trans siblings. The more we say, "no, that's not appropriate" little by little we stamp hate out. I do hope PB keeps making more ethnic locked LIs like Terrorfest. Like you said, there's plenty of white LIs, we need more POC representation.

[oken-art]

If Hector got transported to a world with a female Jack... I feel like he'd have an aneurysm. Covering her with his coat when she gets wet or just strips without thinking. Bridal style carry out of nowhere because she was doing the typical Sparrow-sway. Almost had a heart attack when she eats one of his apples suggestively. He catches no breaks.... beats up male Jack as soon as he sees him again though.

my hand slipped

[witchlingcirce]

to me Alec looks like if Gabriel had blue-violet eyes and black hair, I imagine Alec with that sharp features that Will didn't have. Like a more piercing gaze to say it somehow, while I imagine Will with more soft features

Unrelated side note: I would personally wish Tessa pov also mentioned Cecily, I understand she thinks of Will seeing Alec, but maybe if she ever gets another pov saying something like "Izzy looks so much like Cecily", after all they have those features from her. Not because I dislike Will or anything just that I feel female tsc characters sometimes get too forgotten in the narration, like in tlh how it was never said it was Cecily who killed Benedict they always said it was Will and Jem and the Lightwood brothers, or how in TDA Izzy's role in tmi wars was barely mentioned aswell.

Cecily being a forgotten character is so valid :,) I’ve always been so surprised we’ve never gotten a story centred around her and Gabriel again!! I love them, I miss them… Cassie PLEASE care abt ur female Herondales :,(). That’s also such a good argument because while yes the lightwoods are related to will, there Cecily’s descendants!! Manipulating Cassandra Clare to care about Cecily as we speak.

Also your comment about Will & Alec is pretty fun to see!! Mostly because all my reply’s were sayinf the complete opposite! I love seeing how other people view the characters.

[bakaramia]

Okay I need to share this before I go insane:

Alastor putting a chastity belt on Vox, not because Alastor’s afraid of Vox having sex with others but as a “punishment” that would prevent Vox from touching himself or getting any sort of pleasure until Alastor decides he can 😝

OH I LOVE THIS S O MUCH chastity belts are a super fave of mine that I don’t get to use/see used much and it would be PERFECT funishment for Alastor to give Vox. Alastor making Vox wait s o long, working him up, teasing him, making him so desperate he’s begging for Alastor to take it off and let him come and when he does, Alastor barely has to do anything before Vox is coming, whining and crying, so relieved, so grateful, mumbling ‘thank you thank you thank you’ into Alastor’s chest as he comes down, Alastor’s arms around his shoulders, his hands brushing his back, whispering approval low and sweet in Vox’s ears 😌😌.

[elizabeth-mitchells]

ooooooh but what if van does rig the cards to try to take out a bigger character like shauna or idk travis but they get out of it bc someone else dies in the hunt like javi and then van has to just act normal and get along with someone she plotted to kill but has no idea

so i got this ask a day before the finale came out...

[cosmicwhoresimpingismyliving]

Is it just me (and you iirc) or is the venn diagram of kent lovers and shane lovers concerningly circular

I believe it, I like to think they go hand in hand. They are both just one pipeline that leads into each other. You like one & then you stumbled into the other.

[kate-bot]

OKAY SO I've gotten two asks about my Noisette cosplay AND THANK YOU SM FOR THE KIND WORDS !!!!!!!! It was sm fun to make this cos, so I will gladly explain everything I did in hopes that it might help someone else!! also both anons please share your cosplays with me when theyre done i would love to see them....

I've tried to link everything where I can, where I got stuff etc... I only rarely cosplay (although I am thinking of going as the noise in May Comiccon) and this was my biggest ever project so!! It's very trial-and-error! But without further ado

KATES EXTENSIVE(ish) GUIDE TO COSPLAYING NOISETTE FROM THE HIT GAME PIZZA TOWER!!!!!!! (warning its kinda long)

THE HAT

Okay i’m gonna be real my mum helped me so much she basically did all the sewing for me. Sewing is the fucking bane of my existence I hate doing it so much so we planned it out together and she basically executed it. Props to her for that she’s so real… She also wrote down what she did!! So i’ll just paste and colour that in for you to read!!

“The black material (seen in the above image) was originally a beanie hat that was picked apart to use as a template…

This was game changing basically. We had experimented with making the hat from scratch but it was far too difficult and we were both too stupid so we just unstitched a pre-existing hat and stole the template. The hat we cut up was one we had lying around for years so i cannot tell you where to get one from, but any beanie that is stitched together will work i guess! So I would recommend finding a hat that fits you snugly and doing the same thing!

…and the wool fabric that was utilised gave the finished product was stiff enough to be structurally sound.

I just got this from my local fabric shop, I would recommend wool over something like felt because it’s super sturdy and I was pulling on my mask a LOT.

Once sewn together, I attached a stiff card facemask to the front to help provide some structure, and to locate where the eye holes should be cut.

I think this picture shows it pretty well, my mum was able to curve the shape of the fabric to fit a pre-existing mask- we got ours from Hobbycraft, just one of those stringed white template masks yknow. We cut off the string, made the eyeholes a little bigger and just stuck it straight on!! I should mention this was pretty much all done with a sewing machine as well!

After that, we made two ears from a paper pattern, stuffed them and put some wire inside to allow them to be positioned, before sewing them onto this headband, which was then sewn into the hat. The bottom of each ear was also stitched to the crown to give it some additional stability and to secure the headband correctly in position (having fitted it on the wearer).

Yeah it was actually less of a mask and more of a headband!! That was what gave it most of the support and meant the ears would stay up, I’m not sure how it would work without it!! The ears were the only part that I could actually help with LMAO i just freehanded a little template, stuffed it, and then put in some modelling wire to make them able to be posed :)

Then it was a lot of hand sewing, and glueing the eyeholes to the mask to create a cohesive look.

AND YEAH that’s pretty much all it was! I also attached some little felt eyelashes to add to it as well. Honestly I could never come up with a step-by-step guide for the process because it was such a trial and error thing (i’d made two test-hats before we even came up with the method) but it was so fun!!

I would 100% recommend if you want the ears to stay UP to stuff them AS MUCH AS U CAN and/or put wire in them!! :) I also made some cute little bows to clip into my wig in the same fabric to make it more cohesive!! I also put a bow (and a bunny tail heheh) on the back of the dress too!!

THE DRESS

Super simple! I just found one online (okay for some reason the link has been taken off of the website, but just look up "overall dress" on google shopping and you will 100% find something super cute)- I made sure to buy the dress first, and then take it to the fabric shop to try and colourmatch the mask fabric as best as I could. Then it was just buying some big ol buttons off eBay and sewing them on!! (I could actually do that bit by myself, I'm bad at sewing but im not THAT bad)

EVERYTHING ELSE

Cute patterned knee-high socks cuz shes cute like that. Leg warmers, I think I got them both off of Amazon... Converse I got from Depop and I had wanted to buy a pair anyway so I was super stoked to get them cheap!! I chose converse over a pair of high-heels or Mary Janes just for comfort reasons, I was walking around loads at the con so... Everything else apart from the shirt was from Amazon or just. Somewhere online(I have no idea where to get fancy white gloves LOL) and the shirt was from Depop as well! I liked how frilly it was, re: Noisette is cute like that!!

oh yeah and the wig. I hate wigs it was awful. I have no idea how to style them. underneath the hat was the most awful bowl cut ever I just. It wasn't my best moment. Dont ask me about wigs please .

Also I should mention I got this bag for the cosplay (which I now use all the time cuz its so cute) because i needed space to store shit and I wanted something on-brand with her cafe... this isnt the exact link I used but I just got it off of ebay :P

PROPS

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of WIP pictures of my props but they were pretty simple to make!! The coffee cup was literally just spraypainting over a reusable coffee cup and using POSCA pen to draw on the front! Fun fact the cup says "To Peppino" because originally my boyfriend was gonna go with me as Peppino before the Cruetly Squad brainrot got to him so. YEA

And the tip jar was also pretty simple, I just painted on the lid a plastic jar (can't be glass, not allowed at ComicCon) and cut out a bit of vinyl to work as the sign. The cobweb was just hot-glued 3D printer filament, and the spider was made with foam modelling clay (literally the best thing ever if you're making small models like that) and i stuck him to the lid of the jar with Kandi string so he'd bounce around :]

AND I THINK THATS IT!! i may as well post a pic of the full cosplay since I dont think many people would have made it this far.... But I think it turned out pretty cool!! I got recognised a few times as well which was amazing!! (cropped out my bf cuz idk if he wants his face on tumblr gfhhfg)

SO YEAH!!!! if anyone has any questions please let me know.. but GOOD LUCK IN UR COSPLAY MAKING FRIENDS!!!! :D

[seamsterspell]

Why do you think Levi only ever said Dedicate your heart to Hange?

What a surprise! Hello there anon!

Oh, I actually like this question very much >:D I’m sure there are many explanations out there by all the amazing people in the fandom regarding this topic. However, since you asked for my opinion, then I will gladly give my two cents regarding this topic.

Let's see if I can put my psychology degree to good use.

Disclaimer: since I'm a levihan slut, I'm sure you know what to expect from this. Also, English is not my first language, so please forgive me if you found any mistakes :D

First of all, we know that Levi had never said “Dedicate your heart” before (as suggested by Hange). 

If that’s the case, then why did he never say that before? Well, I think it’s because he wasn’t your typical by-the-book soldier. Unlike most people in the corps, Levi joined under a special circumstance. We know that he didn’t voluntarily enlist himself as a trainee so he could join the Survey Corps and heroically save humanity from all the titans. Instead, he joined the corps because Erwin personally scouted him. Because of that, he didn't have any particular or specific reason to join it in the first place (unlike let’s say Eren or even Hange), he even planned on quitting the corps at one point. His reason for staying in the corps—other than his belief in Erwin—was just as simple as: “I like the fresh air of the outside world.”

EDIT: Okay, I just want to make myself clear. I'm not saying that his motivation in joining the corps was so shallow or even implying that he does not care a bit for humanity. He cares obviously, if he didn't then we would not have Captain Levi in our SNK story. What I meant by my statement above was to highlight how simple he was as a soldier. Like, he didn't need a grand motivation to join in the first place, because he just knew that staying in the corps was the good thing to do. He risked his life everyday in battles just for a simple wish of breathing the fresh air. He wanted the people in the wall to be free from the stinky air, because for him freedom is in the mundane things in life. To quote my other post: "His simplicity is what makes him kind."

Also, I made a follow-up post regarding my interpretation of Levi's character here. You don't have to read it, but if you want to know how I see Levi as a character, I hope that post can help.

But anyway, since he was scouted under a special condition (as well as having enormous strength as a soldier), I think he somehow had a privilege in the corps to fuck around and be as “disrespectful” as he wanted to be. Not to mention Erwin became a commander around a year after Levi joined, so my man was probably living his best nepotism/VIP life. Therefore, I would think that Levi wasn’t as strict with the rules as other soldiers. He wasn’t the kind of soldier who kept preaching about "dedicate your life" to others. He just came to work, did his job, and went home (just like me fr). I’m not saying he doesn’t care about humanity (he cares obviously) it’s just he doesn’t express it in a traditional soldier way.

No wonder we all were so surprised when he did say THAT WORDS to Hange. It wasn't like him at all. Even Hange was caught off guard by him saying it, right?

But then, this raises another question, why is it when he finally said it, he only said it to Hange? Why, for instance, he didn’t say it to Erwin? I mean, both Erwin and Hange went on a suicide mission. Moreover, out of all the people that we know in the story, we can see that Levi shares many significant moments in the narrative with these two. If that’s the case, then why did he say different things to each of them?

For me, the answer is quite simple, it’s because Levi is an empathetic person. Both “Give up on your dreams and die for us” and “Dedicate your heart” that he said to Erwin and Hange respectively were something that he believed they needed to hear at THAT moment. It was his last words for them right before they died, his last comfort.

He told Erwin to give up on his dreams and die because at that moment, when their troops were cornered by the beast titan, Erwin showed his vulnerable side to Levi. Erwin admitted that he actually had a plan (albeit a suicidal one for him and the rest of the soldiers) to defeat the beast titan but he withheld it at first because: 1) he didn’t want to die because he wanted to see the basement; and 2) he didn’t want to send any more soldiers into their death because he was being haunted by the ghost of the past soldiers who had dedicated their heart to his plan.

Therefore, Levi, out of his compassion for Erwin, took the burden of making that painful choice from Erwin’s hand. He even made a promise to kill the beast titan, as if to say that all of their death wouldn’t be in vain. He said it to make Erwin feel better, which is why Erwin smiled after Levi said that. 

I think the same explanation can be said for Hange's situation. However, to understand why he only said “Dedicate your heart” to Hange, I think we need to talk about the nature of their relationship first. First of all, they were close friends, that is obvious. They had known each other for quite a long time and they had gone on many missions together (and survived), so their bond was strong. To quote Moblit from that one Smartpass AU he shares with Levi: “[Levi and Hange have] a special kind of bond from spending many years together. It’s something that Moblit didn't have with [Hange].”

Speaking of Levi, one of the things that I feel people tend to overlook from Levi is his caring nature. He cares for his squads, for humanity as a whole, and especially for his trusted comrades (e.g. Erwin and Hange). However, since he isn’t exactly a very eloquent person, he has a weird way of showing his affection, like when he told Erwin that he would break his legs so he didn't have to join the dangerous operation to retake Shiganshina. Fortunately, since Erwin knew Levi’s character, he understood the meaning behind his words. Although for most people, it was probably hard to tell. 

Other than Erwin, the other person who could see Levi’s kindness was of course Hange—who also received a lot of care from Levi. It might be because of the nature of her job (getting too close to titans for her experiments + her role as a commander later) and because of her tendency to be a little bit reckless as well as forgetful of taking care of herself when excited (which was why she had Moblit by her side) that made Levi feel the need to pay a lot of attention to her.

And by a lot, I mean A LOT. 

This is just my opinion, but in the canon, I noticed that Levi is actually the one who expresses or initiates a lot of actions toward Hange (believe me, my man is working overtime):

Asking about her new “hobby” in rocks (after Annie’s capture).

Noticing her distress after Pastor Nick’s death and trying to lift her spirit up.

Calming her down when she was upset at Keith Shadis when he finally told the truth about Grisha's past & his reason for leaving his commander position in Survey Corps.

Thinking about Hange’s safety during missions (after Bertholdt’s transformation in Shiganshina and when she was attacked by one of Kenny’s men in the Reiss Chapel).

Telling her to not touch some random things at the beach.

Telling Moblit to take care of Hange because he can't be always by her side (Smartpass AU)

Knocking Hange out to forcibly bathe her (Smartpass AU). Also, the way he worded it in a way that "yeah I don't like her filthiness when I'm off-duty, so I took it upon myself to clean her." I see you...

Levi saving Hange from being hit on the head by a bunch of books + telling her to change her wet clothes (Smartpass AU)

Well you get what I mean. Anyway—at least for me—he doesn’t seem to do this solely because of Hange’s lack of self-care. I think he shows a lot of care for Hange because she’s important to him, which is of course exacerbated when they became the last two veterans to survive after the operation to take back Shiganshina. After so much lost, he clearly saw her as the last person he’s close to. I mean, in one of the Smartpass AU, she was the first person that came to his mind when he was asked about his family.

Not only that, I think he generally likes Hange as a person because she saw him for who he truly was. Like, remember their first meeting, Hange was the only one who was willing to approach Levi (while everyone was sceptical of him) and she did it purely out of admiration. She genuinely was impressed by him and wanted to get to know him better. A gesture that might be alien to Levi, which explains why he was unsure at first about Hange, but it seemed after many missions together, Hange was eventually able to earn his trust. Hange became a person who could freely tease him (him being a clean freak + their poop jokes) as well as became a walking dictionary for him (the way she translates Levi's words to Eren).

On the other hand, contrary to Levi, I noticed that Hange tend to be more neutral with Levi. I’m not saying that Hange did not care for him. I mean, when she found his injured body, she became so protective of him that she willingly risked her life by jumping into the lake so she could save him.

There was also this one scene of her trying to comfort him when he learned that titans was actually a human. Moreover, she also considered him to be her closest friend in the Survey Corps.

I believe she rarely showed her caring side to him because she knew that he is a capable fellow, and so she didn’t think he needed her help in particular. I don't think she had ever think that this man, the strongest man in the world, would ever sustain a horrible injury or even die. Sadly, she thought wrong. When she found his injured and dying body (chapter 115), Hange had to face a horrible realisation that she could actually lose him.

Then, in chapter 126, we finally saw Hange taking care of Levi. She killed two soldiers to protect them. She also tended and healed his injury with so much care. In my opinion, being confronted by the mortality of the only person that she had left in the world, Hange most likely learned—the hard way—about how important Levi had actually become to her. Thus she was willing to do anything for him.

When this realisation mixed with her exhaustion from the war, she finally reached her breaking point. With no one but an unconscious Levi by her side, the passionate-happy-go-lucky researcher and the ever-so-composed commander of the Survey Corps found herself gradually letting down her guard to show her weakness, her feelings. In her vulnerability, she weakly expressed how she would rather live with him in the woods, away from the chaos outside. Like, can you believe this Hange, who always fought for humanity’s sake said, “Humanity be damned, I would rather spend the time I have left with you.” 

I think this explains why her confession in chapter 126 caught us (the fandom) off guard, because not only it was out of character for her, but also for the first time, she showed her feelings to Levi.

Later we know that Levi heard about her “confession” but since he also knew that Hange would never ever run away, he instead encouraged her to do the things that she believed in, and that was to stop Eren from committing genocide. However, I think her words had never left him, even after they left the woods. Because as you can see in chapter 132, he somehow made a seemingly random remark to her about how her feelings are not always unrequited. As if he knew which feelings of her that is requited. 

Consequently, we finally came to the big question. We see in chapter 132 that before Hange embarked on her suicide mission, Levi did something that was so out of character for him. He touched her heart and said, “Dedicate your heart”.

Why did he do this?

To repeat my answer above, it’s most likely because he knew that it was exactly the things that she needed to hear the most. So he said it out of empathy. But isn’t it too short or even too formal for a goodbye between two close friends? Well, we have to take into consideration that Hange could read Levi like a book (remember their iconic telepathy?). She could easily translate his roundabout words and expressions, thus he didn’t need to write an essay for her. Which is why “dedicate your heart” was more than enough for both of them.

Moreover, I also infer that the reason why he never said “Dedicate your heart” while he was a soldier before was because he probably thought that he didn't necessarily have to give his heart to the corps and humanity. Again, he didn't have a grand reason to fight in the first place, and so he just wanted to do what he thought was good: to lend all his strength to help humanity. Therefore, by saying it for the first time in front of her, he seemingly wanted to show her how important and special she was to him. As if he was saying that he wants to dedicate himself only to her.

Hence, his gesture and words to Hange combined with all the preceding events (especially events in chapters 126 and 132), I could say that behind those three words, he was actually telling her: “Hey, the things you said in the woods, it was not unrequited. I actually feel the same way as you. I want to live with you as well, which is why I don't want you to go. However, I know I can't stop you because you’ve dedicated your heart to the freedom of humanity. So, I’ll let you go, but before you go I want you to know that you’re the only person I’m dedicating my heart to. My heart is yours.”

I'm not Hange so I don't think my translation is accurate HAHA but that's how I see it.

In conclusion, Levi had only ever said Dedicate your heart to Hange because: 1) he knew it would make her feel better/happy and special; and 2) it was also his answer to her soliloquy in the woods (it was his way of telling her that they share mutual feelings).

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So yeah, that’s my opinion. I hope I was able to express myself clearly :D

Also, I can't believe you are asking me this, anon. No one ever asked me about my opinion before. Usually, people come for me for my silly fanfic(s) xD 

ANYWAY, your question is very much appreciated! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts regarding Levi, especially his relationship with Hange. This was fun to write (and research!), I really enjoyed the process!

Although it was a bit painful too tbh because I had to reopen my old wound by rereading chapters 126 and 132 :') You did it anon, you made me cry... at 12.30 AM T_T)b

[thingthatgoes-butch-inthenight]

When a citizen of the kingdom mentions the royal hound it is no meer pedigree dog they're referring to. The title belonging to the prince's personal guard, while originally given in jest, now holds a more ominous weight.

It's quite common for you to act as my shadow. For my every step be matched in kind by the clanking of metal against metal. You never stray far enough for the metaphorical leash to pull taught, and yet even if you aren't in my immediate sight I know I'm always within yours. When I'm dealing with the common citizens you're always quick to correct someone whose stepped out of line. In most cases disrespect can be delt with by simply stepping forward with your hand to the hilt of your sword as a warning. But may the gods help whoever dares push you to bite rather than snap, for your quick blade cuts through flesh and bone with ease. Some days I'm inclined to intervene before blood is shed, but other times I simply enjoy seeing you in action.

Most seem to view our arrangement as simply your oath keeping you in servitude. A poor mutt pulled from it's litter, restrained by steel, forever at my beck and call. They never seem to realize just how much agency you have. How you act out of pure loyalty and devotion simply because you wish to. If anything you seem to anticipate my desires before I can even think to voice them.

As lovely as you are kneeling in suplication before my throne during the day, you always have a certain liveliness away from prying eyes under the cover of night. When the days are long and marked by endless training and paperwork, it brings about a snarling hunger in your eyes that I adore indulging in. Feeling the press of your teeth against my skin before each kiss always thrills me. To let our hands simply grasp and pet and claw at whatever we can reach. All the while you fuck me at a brutal pace until words are forgotten and all that pass from our lips are guttural moans and whimpers.

Ever humble, 👑

Perhaps I like the short leash you keep me on. When I get riled up feeling that sway you have over me is something truly impeccable. To feel the way you tug at my metaphorical leash to hold me back, it does nothing to calm me, but rather redirects the focus of my intensity towards you.

The sidelong glances I'm able to catch of you, perched on your throne, gentle smirk betraying that regality you've so long practiced, it throws fuel on the fire. The way you sit there, acting all strong and powerful with your jewelry glinting over fine clothes, I can't help but linger on your neck. The line of your jaw just barely peeking over the ruffled collar of your fine silk shirt captures my eyes. As I quietly return to the foot of your dias, whatever poor fool I got my hands on pleading with you behind me, I drink in every inch of skin I can find on your body. I think of how soft it is, unmarred by toil and battle, I think of the sweet scent and tastes I yearn for, I think of the marks I could leave on you tonight.

When your voice curtly ordered me to stand down all my thoughts went to the last time your fingers were tangled in my hair, telling me how to make love to you. As though you held any real power over me. A knight is bound only by loyalty. That metaphorical leash exists because I allow it to, and we both know that. But oh how I love to serve. How I love to hear your orders melt into cries of pleasure as I succeed in my task. My duty is to serve. My duty is to press my lips to yours, then down to your neck, and your chest, your nipples, your stomach, finally biting your inner thighs and sinking between your legs. Your hand tangled into my hair, locking us together in the only spot you can reach. The pull is intoxicating. The desperation with which your legs wrap around me is second only to how your hands claw and caress me when I come back up to kiss you.

The rest of the audiences that day pass like a blur to me. All I can think of is how I'll remove every garment from your body with a feverish pace. I imagine pressing my mouth past the silk ruffles to take purchase on the side of your neck as my hands grope for the buttons of your jacket. I think of how ravenously I'll take you tonight, and every word from your lips in the court instead draws up a memory of the way you moan and whine for me. I glance back to you as subtly as one can. Your legs look elegant in those pants but all I can think of is how they look thrown around me. I imagine running my hands across your body, my lips following, and just taking in every part of you.

Court couldn't end soon enough

[palestinegenocide]

hello! Saw an argument that the journalists reporting in Gaza are actually rich and ran off with the donation money and I’m going to explode! FUCK anyone who’s trying to justify that Palestinians aren’t being massacred as we speak because ‘some of them are rich and can actually hold resources 🥺’ cool, are we letting them die because they have money that has no worth during a BLOCKED IN UTTER BOMBING ZONE???

Hi there!

It truly is awful that there people who risking their lives to highlight what's going on Gaza yet people will still be like "they have money now, they're fine". It truly disgusting that people will use this as an excuse to justify murdering CHILDREN? Money has zero value if you can't use it

[infamouzsky]

Do any of your ocs play musical instruments?

HELLO!!!!!!!! SORRY IT TOOK ME A BIT TO REPLY SOBS

But yes! A good few of em are familiar with music ^^

Here are some that I wanted to doodle out!

Jade has a group of her own called The Graveyard Kids, they are a garage band still working their way up to fame, but pretty good at what they do!

Caíque has been playing the harmonica since a young age and learned drums entering his teenage years. Futurely, I have plans for him to play in Jade's band once, hehe <3

Luke has always loved remixing songs and messing around with music in general, sometimes hes the DJ at birthday parties as a part-time thing!

Lysander just- had way too much free time to learn everything LOL hes a talented vampire for sure xD

There are a few others like DG, Danika and Nick who play the acoustic guitar, Jayce on the kalimba and Miles on the piano and saxophone, maybe one day Ill get to draw them out as well! :D

[silly-epicthemusical-confessions]

the four song anon sparkle

IM GLAD SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS ME. i actually have so many thoughts about those 4 songs because of how the fandom interprets it. yes, calypso is cursed to fall in love with heroes who wash up on her island, shes just lonely and what not, but it still doesn't excuse her behavior.

not sorry for loving you is one of the songs I love for its symbolism. calypso is apologizing. she is taking accountability and responsibility for her advances but still playing herself as the victim. she apologizes for coming on too strong, for ambushing ody. but still chalks it up to her feeling of love, not her choices and actions. which is more than what we get from zeus who believes it's his right, the suitors who do it because they can, and circe only does it for protection so her nymphes don't have to be in her position.

in love in paradise, when circe sings

It will be fine, dear Come back inside, dear Love of my life, come back to paradise

you can subtly hear penelopes theme with calypsos instruments. shes trying to become odysseus's wife so he will have to love her. she is doing everything possible to make ody love her. i like calypso but I don't trust the fans that ignore and excuse her actions. same with the circle fans

This.

[imjustsomebodyelse]

Ok back to pieck and the pregnancy thing- what if- she had a cryptic pregnancy and didn’t know she was pregnant until she had the baby. just think about it. IMAGINE THAT SHIT SHOW!

-🌻

Oh my gooooood, cryptic pregnancies are so freaking scary! 😱

You are so right about this starting a whole shitshow!!

In the other AU I mentioned the other day, the one I’m currently working on, one of my friends brought up the idea of Pieck giving birth while on a mission - maybe even inside the cart titan!

Imagine her being between fights (or even in one right at that moment) when the first contractions start!!! And she might even consider that she’s hurt before thinking of this option!!!

Scary, absolutely scary!! 😭