midnightraine131 - Tumblr blog

[midnightraine131]

The thing about writing is,

I write to heal myself. I write because I love it, because it brings me joy and happiness.

But, I share my writing in the hopes that, just maybe, it can heal others too. Maybe the right person stumbles across it, and now I’ve brought my own joy to others.

I know I have, and that makes sharing it worth it. Because I know at least one person has read my words, and has been even a bit better for it.

Writing is healing to me. I can’t imagine a world in which I don’t write.

[midnightraine131]

Attack on Titan

[midnightraine131]

EMA and RBA are finally reunited, happy and free 🍂 This is my first Tote bag, it will be available at Japan Expo and on my shop soon ! 🎉

[midnightraine131]

EMA

[midnightraine131]

RBA

[midnightraine131]

TOP 10 favourite AA fanfics?

Hi !! Thank you for the ask ! Sorry it took me some time.

While i love the concept of asking the fandom questions, I'm really the wrong person to be asked about fanfics right now hfhdhdhs-

I'm new... Very very new to fanfic reading. Oh dear... i'm not even sure i've read 10 of them... Do i even have 5 ?? Oh no... oh boi, i'm a fraud..

So... Okay, my top ten will be the list of what i've read so far instead. (and chronogically)

► Black Water by @distortedclouds is the very first AA fanfic I've read ! It is a deep dive into Annie's relationship with her father (amongst other things). And boi i BINGED ... It depicts abusive relationships and its side effects very accurately. And i think Distordedclouds's interpretation of Annie and her trauma is very much on point ! It sparkled my curiosity into reading more fics for sure.

► Aruani in fort Salta series and Village by the end of the world by @moonspirit. Is a serie of events following the rumbling and its resulting responsibilities for the Alliance, more especially Armin. Stories about love, grief, self hate, insecurities and work/life balance. I cried for the first time reading fiction with this... And i relate to Armin very much... Y-Y It definitely confirmed that there is a lot of talented writers out there i needed to check out !

► Neverland of (our) desires by @annawayne. Is a one shot about the canon events succeeding the boat scene. If i had a word to describe Anna 's writing, as a noobie reader and non-writer, i think it would be a caress on the cheek. So even if there was angst and heart string pulled, i felt at peace.... And it has pretty pictures so i'm sold- I also started My yellow light in your soft whispers recently but i'm still at the very begining !

► Tangerine Skies and Muffled Cries by @midnightraine131 is a one shot about cadets Armin and Annie sneaking out from duty on a very special evening. It's very sweet and fluffy ! The idea of them sneaking out together makes me all giggly, and i had my share of "aww" moments~

► All the things that could have been by @mimiwrites2000 explores the thougths of a tipsy Armin during his party time with the scouts back in Marley. I really felt his angst and languish and it hurt me in a very good way ;v; ♥

► By each crimes and kindness (i'm bound to you) by @aruanimess tells the story of cadets Armin and Annie slowly falling for each other and the internal turmoil it might bring. The teen angst is really present and, ooooh i'm sooo here for it !! I was on the edge of my seat everytime they met !

► On the path that led me to you by @the-last-thread-of-my-sanity is also a story taking place during cadet training where Armin and Annie explore their blooming feelings for each other. It has a lot of very sweet moments in a very clumsy-teenagey way and i love it !

Oh hey look, i have more than 5- I have a soft spot for canon compliant/post canon stories, so that's what i tend to read first i suppose. But there's a lot more i have yet to discover. I haven't even started AUs yet... but i will at some point! bear with me, i read slowly ): Anyways, here you go ! i tried to keep it relatively short sorry fhdhs ;;

[midnightraine131]

[midnightraine131]

[midnightraine131]

TOP 10 favourite AA fanfics?

Wow this is interesting.

I'm a real sucker for Modern AUs with a bit sprinkle of Canon-divergence or post canon fics.

Here are my top ten favourite AA fics on AO3 (Not in order)

1. Faking It by brittle_bluebell - I'm sure this is one of the most notable modern au fic and my very first AA fic after taking a very long break from AOT fandom.

2. Daisy Chains by brittle_bluebell - Still in its early stage of the story but the plot is quite interesting.

3. Village by the End of the World (Part 5/5) by moonspirits - Can't say more. This whole series saved me from boredom and long hour flights without internet.

4. What Might Have Been by trullie_126 - Super love this high school AU.

5. Who painted the sky? by dude_why_3 - One of the fics I downloaded during the AO3 apocalypse but just started reading recently. My life saver during my sleepless nights.

6.My Yellow Light in Your Soft Whispers by Anna_Wayne - On hiatus but its very worth to read. Kind of a punch in the gut.

7. The Difference Between Us by BreakingSanity - One of the longest fic I read. Very engaging and very unique theme. PS, Armin is extra mega cute here. Break and I have been brainrotting a lot lately so there's more to it.

8. Longing you, longing us two by ladyleonhart - No Strings Attached Aruani. Modern AU ofc

9. Where the Spirit meets the Bones by aruxani - with only two chapters, I know this fic is going to break me.

10. Cigarette Duet by Mihriban - another modern AU, Aruani with ED ( they need a hug like seriously)

Sorry I suck at giving out descriptions but there are more fics out there that is worth to read. (some I have yet to read because my work schedule is shit. I'm sorry)

[midnightraine131]

About the AO3 "No Guest Comments for a while" warning

If you're not following any of AO3's social media accounts you might be in the dark as to what kind of "spam comments" have engendered this banner at the top of the site:

These spam comments have been posted about a great deal on the AO3 subreddit for the past couple of days. Initially they comprised a bunch of guest (logged out users) bot comments that insulted authors by suggesting they were using AI and not writing their own fics. Some examples, from the subreddit:

But it then escalated to outright graphic porn images and gifs being posted in comments, again by logged out 'Guest' accounts. Obviously, I'm not going to give examples of those, but between these two bot infestations, AO3 has clearly decided to act and has temporarily closed the ability to post comments for users who are not logged in with an AO3 account.

Unfortunately, this means that genuine readers who don't have an AO3 account won't be able to leave comments on fics that they enjoy.

If you are a genuine reader who doesn't yet have an AO3 account, I strongly suggest getting yourself on the waiting list for one. More and more AO3 authors are now locking their fics down to registered users only - either due to these bot comments or concerns about AI scraping their work - which means you're probably missing out on a lot of great stuff.

Hopefully guest commenting will be enabled again at some point soon, but I suggest not waiting until then. Get yourself on that list.

Wait times are going to be longer than usual at the moment, due to the current Wattpad purge [info on Fanlore | Wattpad subreddit thread], but if you're in line, then your invite will come through eventually.

Update: There's now a Megathread about this on the AO3 subreddit.

[midnightraine131]

Love Letters from the Skies to the West Coast Chapter 6 - Leap of Faith

Pairing: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart Cover art by: @klaradraws Tags: Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Teenage Love, Awkward First Times, Slow Burn, POV Armin Arlert, Bottom Armin Arlert, Wet Dreams Warning: R18 contains sensitive topics Summary: They say the most judgmental people are those who attend church on Sundays. Despite growing up in a Christian household, Armin Arlert felt overburdened by the pile of ministry activities assigned to him. So he made a pact with himself to never follow in his father's footsteps and become a pastor. With the goal of saving enough money to persuade his parents to let him move to another state after high school, he started accepting paid essay projects in school in secret. Everything in Armin's busy life seemed manageable until he met Annie Leonhart, a Californian girl whose parents had moved her against her will to Vermont. Upon discovering Armin's secret business, Annie approached him with a unique request- to write love letters for a long-distance lover. To craft the perfect love letters, she would help Armin embark on a journey of firsts— his first kiss, first hug, first date, and first everything in a relationship.

Dear Love,   How are you? How is everyone in Vermont? It feels like forever since I last laid eyes on your handsome face. I ache to feel your lips on mine under the moonlight, with my fingers trembling as they trace your cheek. I am writing this letter on the train somewhere in Ohio, unsure if this letter will ever find its way to you. We're hopping from town to town, praying for a safe haven where nobody cares about who we are. My mother and I had probably reached Louisiana by the time you opened this letter. It tears me apart knowing you might not even get the chance to write back. I yearn for your presence, my love, especially in these turbulent times. Here's hoping that in a few years, fate brings us back together, closing the chasm of distance between our hearts.   I love you and I’m writing this with all the love in my heart.   Yours forever darling, Brigitte Wilhelm Richter  

Hitch flipped the envelope, her tired green eyes examining the small piece of paper that had turned brittle and yellowish over time. She read, “To Stephen Arlert.” Carefully, she placed the letters back inside the box, looking up at the ceiling, digesting the contents of the letter in her mind. She commented, “I can’t believe sixteen-year-olds could write this kind of letter back in the day.”

Armin hummed, laying down on his stomach as he plucked a strand of hair from Hitch’s armpit. “Those were the letters my great-grandma sent to my great-grandpa during the war. And PS! Grandpa told me his mother was older than his father. According to him, she told everyone that she was sixteen by the time they met when her family moved here to the States from Germany— when in reality she was twenty-one.”

“Oh really? Okay, if someone dares to pull that lie off, it’s gonna be jail time in our generation,” Hitch retorted, adjusting her crop top cami to cover the upper half of her already exposed tummy.

“I know. I mean, what else can they do? It’s 1944,” Armin said, wiping the tweezer with a tissue before signaling Hitch to move to the other side so he could work on her left armpit.

The ash blonde shifted her position on the bed, twisting the white sheets on her back. The door to Armin’s room was left wide open, as his mother instructed before both teenagers climbed up to his room. Armin rolled his eyes, thinking as if they would do something more than they were allowed to.

Armin had texted Annie the night before about Hitch staying over to finish all the activities they had to prepare for the camp.

Annie: Oh, caramel drizzle girl will be taking my spot on your bed?

Armin: No, she has no plans to sleep tonight and I guess I’m part of her plans too. How’s Arnie?

Annie: I left her in Levi’s care while we were away for the weekend. Hange said she introduced Arnie to her other kittens so she would have playmates while staying in their house. They look like they're getting along well.

Annie sent a video of their kitten playing with a small pingpong ball with other kittens. Arnie’s look had drastically changed since the time Armin took her home. Her fur had finally turned pure white, like the color of clouds, as if she were a cotton ball running around with other kittens. Armin smiled while watching the video.

Armin: She’s so cute! Anyway, I can’t wait to see you at the camp tomorrow, Annie.

Annie: Good night.

Armin debated inside his head whether to reply to her last message, but eventually, he decided to leave it read. He didn’t want her to assume that he was desperate to invite her into the church.

Hitch placed their phones together on the nightstand so they wouldn’t distract them while they worked throughout the night. It was about three in the morning when they finished all the tasks, but as both thought of themselves as geniuses, they both agreed to completely brush off the thought of resting since it would only take two hours before Armin’s mom woke up to prepare breakfast for them.

“So, you’re telling me someone commissions you to write love letters?” Hitch continued, closing her eyes while she talked. “Doesn’t he have the balls to write his feelings of his own?”

“Why would you assume it’s a boy? Anyway, it’s a hundred bucks each letter, so I have no reason to say no,” Armin shrugged his shoulders.

“Because… you said… the name of the recipient is Mina Carolina.” Hitch’s eyes flew open after the realization. “Oh, now I get it. This person is a ‘she’ who likes girls.”

Armin nodded, feeling his heart ripping apart. He was as shocked as she was when Annie mentioned the name of the person she wanted to write letters to.

“How do you always get yourself involved with gay women? I mean, Ymir? Historia?” Hitch elaborated, unintentionally rubbing salt into the wound. Armin decided not to tell her what happened to them, so he hid the pain upon hearing their names.

“I just want to help her, Hitch.”

Armin’s eyes glanced lazily at the clock. 5:15 am. He sighed before refocusing his attention on his task on Hitch’s armpits, but his eyes landed on her cleavage instead. She had pulled her cami too low, exposing a part of her chest. Hitch was indeed beautiful with a body type every boy his age would fantasize about, but Armin didn’t feel that way. He was completely self-aware that she didn’t give him the same feeling he got when Annie was around.

Maybe he likes gay women?

Armin suddenly flinched, startled at the thought. He accidentally pinched Hitch’s skin with the tweezer, causing the ash blonde to squeal in pain.

“What the heck, Armin! Are you trying to rip my skin off?” Hitch jumped to her feet and ran to the mirror to check her armpit. There was a small part of her skin where the tweezer had left a soft pink mark. She massaged it with her fingers.

“I’m sorry!” Armin immediately apologized. “I’ll be careful this time. Just three more strands left, then I’m done.” He signaled for her to come back to his bed, which Hitch complied with, though she was glaring at him while he smiled.

“If you do it one more time, I will stab you with that tweezer.”

“That’s so un-Christian of you,” Armin teased.

No, it’s rather un-Christian of him to be infatuated with a girl who likes girls, and it’s driving him crazy internally. Armin used every fiber of his being not to think about it, to convince himself that it’s not appropriate.

Not long after he plucked the last strand, they both heard one of the phones on the nightstand vibrate. Not knowing whose phone it was, both teenagers exchanged glances, mentally challenging each other.

Hitch's reflexes were always faster than the blond boy's, so she flipped him down onto the bed before jumping toward the nightstand. Her actions shook Armin, but he wasn't the type to give up easily, so he wrapped his arms around her thin waist and pulled her backward. Her hands gripped tightly on the bed sheets, but it didn’t help her stay in place. She heard a loud thud on the carpeted floor when Armin jumped over her body to take his phone.

Panting, Armin unlocked his phone to check for messages, the faint light of the screen illuminating his face.

Defeated, Hitch crawled to the nightstand to take her phone, finding no messages in it. “You’re a boy! You should be a little gentle with girls like me, geez!” she ranted.

“You started it!” Armin chuckled.

Hitch knew that chuckle came from a different reason. Growing up with Armin, she knew he didn’t usually smile with a sparkle in his eyes without a reason. It must be the person who texted him, and Hitch would kill to know the person behind that smile.

Like a vicious animal, she jumped onto him, causing him to yelp from the unexpected attack as he was dragged to the floor with the taller girl’s body. Her weight pinned him to the floor. Their bodies were so close to each other that if someone caught them in this position, one might mistake them for doing something inappropriate. But…

He is dense.

She is naïve.

And in their awareness, they just fight like siblings.

“Who texted you? Show me. Show me!” Hitch shook him like a little girl wanting a toy.

“Alright! Alright! It’s just Eren!” Armin turned his phone directly into Hitch’s face, her eyes squinting at the sudden burst of light.

Eren: Armin, can I borrow your power bank? I can’t find mine, and mom is nagging like crazy!

Hitch read out loud before clicking her tongue. “How disappointing,” she muttered before hearing Armin’s mother call out from the kitchen. “Kids! Breakfast is ready!”

Armin watched the ash blonde stand on her feet, dust off her clothes, and leave to go downstairs. He, still lying on the floor, quickly looked back at his phone to check the message before smiling again.

Annie: Good morning, Tiger.

Armin hugged his phone to his chest as he stared at the ceiling, letting himself drown in his feelings.

Oh Lord, why did he have to feel this way about the wrong person?

“Armin, honey?” his mother called again.

“Yes, mom. I’m coming!”

-Read more on Ao3-

[midnightraine131]

TOP 10 favourite AA fanfics? (if you have one)

Oh hello xD That's a great blog name! Does that mean more questions will follow ._.?

Anyways, my reading speed has taken a nosedive as of late; too many things have been going on and I'm trying to stick to my own writing schedule too... so my recs remain mostly the same as the previous times I've been asked. Still, here are a few of my faves:

Bury Me in the Shadows of Spring & My Yellow Light in Your Soft Whispers by @annawayne . Features some of the most compelling story-telling I've ever seen. The former is a historic AU set in the 1920s and holy shit the immersion? Anna comes armed with a deep, impressive knowledge base of history and so the fic takes you straight back in time, as if you were standing in the time period itself. BMSS is a story carrying very heavy themes, and the dive into the character's psyches is simply stellar.

As for the latter, a post-canon fic set 10 years after the Rumbling, MYLYSW is a story that takes an in-depth study into the ways that an intensely traumatic event can affect people - both the victims and of those around them. It's a wonderful telling of grief, heartache, unresolved ghosts from the past, with stunning imagery and descriptive writing. :3

Black Water & everything else in @distortedclouds 's collection. BW is, as another reader very aptly put it, the single best take I've seen on Annie's relationship with her father, and how it affects Aruani's relationship. Clouds' mastery in prose and narration is on a whole other level, and every chapter literally hurts your bones. Aside from that, all the other fics in the collection are simply wonderful reads, with everything ranging from fluff to angst to smut and everything in between! My wife is very talented you see :3 Unparalleled!

Little Bird by @aquietjune . Simply a fantastic Annie-centric post-canon story, with writing skills that simply leave you in awe. June takes a deep dive into many of Annie's issues and problems that are still left unresolved, though the world may be rid of titans. Her dedication to period-appropriate research, and the how's and why's of in-world problems make the story a truly delightful experience, and coupled with her talent of being able to tell so much in so few words, this remains one of the best post-canon fics I've ever read. Please also check out her other works, she has an uncanny ability to make you laugh until your sides hurt xD

Coveted by @honeytheriot . One of the first aruani fics I read after the S4 P3 P1 dropped in March 2023, and holy shit xD Every chapter is a smut-filled goodness and delight, and honeyriot makes it WORK with her writing!

Children of War by @/SeaTempest . Primarily a Jeanpiku fic with Aruani as a side-couple, this fic features some of the best writing I've ever seen. Smooth prose and convincing post-canon world-building, plus very good character monologues?? Hell yeah. Hasn't been updated in a while, but has plenty of content, absolutely worth a read.

Tater Tots & Heavy Thoughts by Anonymous and everything in this collection. TT&HT is a modern AU Aruani fic primarily from Armin's POV, dealing with some very dark and heavy subject matter. The writing is really good, and while I haven't caught upto later chapters, I highly recommend it. The other fics in the collection are great too :3

There are many more tbh, but my head is mushy for the moment xD However, I'll add some fics I've been following as of late!

on the path that led me to you by @the-last-thread-of-my-sanity & By Each Crime and Kindness (I'm bound to you) by @aruanimess - two Cadet Aruani fics taking place that are an absolute delight to read! Wonderful writing, wonderful characterization, lots of fluff, and the impending doom of angst~

Who painted the sky? by @dudewhy3 & Hiding in Plain Sight by @midnightraine131, two Modern AU fics that take a look into the issues Aruani deal with from their past, in a modern real-world setting. Engaging and fun, with sprinkles of heavy angst now and then.

A Force To Be Reckoned by @luciensdefenseattorney . Inspired by Bridgerton, this is a wonderfully written and highly engaging Aruani fic set in the regency era. You just want Armin and Annie to kiss and find out all about each other already.

Legends by @mimiwrites2000-fun . Canon-divergence and wonderfully written, this is an Aruani fic spanning 32 chapters and counting! Lots of emotional, heart-wrenching moments, Mimi is a writer who embraces angst with a passion and doesn't shy away from hurting you T^T

[midnightraine131]

TOP 10 favourite AA fanfics?

Hello!

Thank you for asking me too, since I saw the answers from the dear comrades in AA fandom, and I'm very touched you also asked me. Thank you!

As for TOP, it's going to be my subjective taste and, sorry, more than 10, so without further do, in no particular order:

The whole AruAni in Fort Salta, with the leading role of Village By The End of The World by @moonspirit. The true treasure for the AruAni fandom, but, in my opinion, even for the whole AoT fandom as an incredible and impressive post-canon tale.

Phenomenally written with complex, layered narration and excellent character analysis and exploration of various topics - outside and inside, past and present, and the sheer beauty of human lives with all the struggles, traumas and nightmares, tangled with the incredible moments of mundane and peaceful life. This story makes you love this life and see the beauty in the smallest of things - both the characters and the readers.

(but honestly, read all Moon's works)

Black Water and the whole collection by @distortedclouds

A very precise dive into Annie's (and Armin's) relationships through the lens of the family - Annie's father and the one Armin and Annie try to build on their own. It's a fresh and solid exploration with a fantastic character analysis without any restrictions - raw and honest, in all glory. Fantastic style, impressive depths, and a story that leaves a huge impact.

Little Bird by @aquietjune is, perhaps, one of the best Annie-centric fics ever written with a unique post-canon setting and a very sharp, in the most wonderful ways, writing style, that immediately steals you away from this world, and you're caught hostage by June's imagination and mysteries.

Legends by @mimiwrites2000 is an impressive, emotional rollercoaster of canon-divergence with heart-wrenching twists and a beautiful writing style that makes you feel longing for something that you don't even know a name. I would describe this fic as "bittersweet nostalgia".

(just like with Clouds and Moon, go and read everything, honestly)

By Each Crime and Kindness (I'm bound to you) by @aruanimess, in my opinion, is one of the best Cadets AruAni stories I've ever read - the story holds the tense melancholy of the canon with the bittersweet moments of adolescence which was forced to live and to love in their cruel world. But the world is also beautiful, and, I suppose, this is exactly what this story is about.

on the path that led me to you by @the-last-thread-of-my-sanity is another perfect example of one of the best Cadest AruAni fics, in my opinion. Very honest, and fragile, just like the first love and the first leaves in the spring, story, that, however, holds a very deep analysis of AruAni moments during their time as Cadets - and what lies beneath the surface.

The Difference Between Us by @/BreakingSanity - maybe, the most unique AruAni fic ever written. I mean, where else would you find Human!Annie and... Tiny!Annie 4 inches tall romance with unique, complex story-building and universe, plot twists and a lot, a lot of emotions? The story hooked you just from the very first chapter.

Wait By The Ocean by @/SirCookieton is absolutely stellar exploration of the grief and denial, love and hope, that is already doomed from the start, but the sheer longing, the raw emotions that etched every word through the course of the story, leave huge scars in your heart as a reminder that, sometimes, the most difficult part is accepting the inevitable.

Nothing Sweeter Than You, A Perfect Love by @dude-why-3 are my personal favourites and the stories that are very dear to my heart. This is a magical tale of star-crossed lovers in a Romanian village, set in the 1950's, and these stories are a wonderful example of how to write romance stories in general. But let me also mention Who painted the sky? - a story that granted me an experience I never had, but it's so well-written, that it feels like I experienced something like this. It feels like a memory from a summer.

A Force To Be Reckoned by @luciensdefenseattorney a solid historical AU, with mysteries, tension and great background stories! And as for the similar vibe, I would also mention The Viscount and His Silent Ballerina by @/cherriesinmoonlight

These City Lights by @annieleonhardt was one of the first AruAni fics I ever read, and it's still one of my favourites, even if it's not finished. Silent movie director Armin and silent movie actress Annie, set in the early 1920's? Yes, please.

Tater Tots & Heavy Thoughts by Anonymous is still one of the most honest, of the most delicate stories I've ever read, written with a lot of care, attention and love for the details. This story had a huge impact on me, and it still has, so if you want to dive into a fantastic character study through the perspective of some very heavy topics which are explored with a lot of care - this story is exactly for this.

Coveted by @/honeyriot is a majestically written exploration of intimacy and how two ruined souls find solace in each other embrace. 11 chapters of sensuality, honesty, bravery and vulnerability.

On freer seas by @/astralcrow is a very solid Pirate AU, with incredible and stunning world-building, great character analysis and development, and the tension that don't leave you several weeks after you finish this mind-blowing story.

And, some incredible oneshots I really liked a lot:

Tangerine Skies and Muffled Cries by @midnightraine131

A River, An Ocean by @yourmaejesty

Dawn by @/aikrm

okay by @lunamoon1233

Deep Cuts by @dude-why-3

A glimpse of us. by @/Decoii

invisible strings by @diam-etrical

If our love is tragedy why are you my remedy? by @aruxani

But let me summarize that eveyone who creates in AA fandom is incredible, and I'm forever grateful for all the content we have in fandom.

You all are wonderful and thank you a lot!

[midnightraine131]

WHO'S THE THREE TEENAGERS SMOOCHING

To answer this ask.

Here you go.

[midnightraine131]

😪💤

[midnightraine131]

born to write the beginning and ending, forced to write the middle part.

[midnightraine131]

There are two types of Mikasa's friends. One smells like weed (Eren) The other smells like little babies (Armin)