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fanmoose12 · 3 years

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friday, i’m in love

“Before becoming an official member of our gang, though, you need to do those four things."

"Alright," Hange nods, listening intently.

"First!" Isabel raises her index finger. "You need to punch Zeke in a face, but I'm sure it's bound to happen."

Hange giggles, getting excited. "What's next?"

"Second, you need to skip a class, and you've already done it, so!" Isabel clasps her shoulder. "Congratulations on that one."

Farlan pats her knee too, and Hange shows them a proud smile.

"Third, you need to smoke at least one cigarette."

"I can't," her smile falls, as Hange briefly shakes her head. "I have asthma."

"I'll do it for you then," Farlan offers, walking to the other side of the rooftop to do just that.

"And the last thing! The most important one!" Isabel makes a dramatic pause, shifting her gaze to Levi just for a second, before looking back on Hange with a mischievous smile. She winks and lowers her voice, making sure that Levi doesn’t hear her.

"The last condition - you have to kiss one of us."

For the most kids her age, moving to a different town and changing schools is a fate worth than death. And, while Hange is a little saddened to say goodbye to the friends she made at her old school and more than a little saddened to leave her dad behind, she is also excited at the prospect of starting a new life.

Changing schools means she can meet new people, and meeting new people means she can make new friends.

And Hange, unlike most of her peers, isn't afraid of change. She welcomes it actually, preferring new experiences over dull and repetitive routine.

They move to a new town and to a small two-story house in the quiet suburbs. It’s a little different from the house they used to live before, a little quieter too, but it’s lovely. Hange likes it instantly. She’s ready to call it a new home.

The first couple of weeks are awfully busy. Hange and her mother unpack their things and buy new furniture. They meet their neighbors and her mother starts making new friends.

Hange can’t wait to meet her new friends at school too.

And so very soon, the long-awaited day comes.

***

When it finally does, Hange is brimming with excitement.

She puts on her glasses and dresses in her favorite clothes that was washed and ironed by her mother the evening before, ties her hair in a ponytail, grabs a lunch box that was waiting for her on a kitchen counter, kisses her mother's cheek, yells "love you!" right into her ear, making her wince and push laughing Hange away, hurries to hop on her bike and makes her way to the school.

She makes a new friend in a face of one Moblit Berner approximately three minutes and forty six seconds later after crossing a threshold and passing below a banner that read Sina High School.

Moblit is a nice and friendly boy, even if a bit quiet and timid, compared to her. Although, Hange also has to admit that compared to her, almost everyone seems to be quiet and timid.

Moblit is incredibly kind and he offers to show Hange around the school. He agrees to walk her to every class and even draws a small, but very detailed map for her.

During lunch, Moblit remains by her side. As they slowly eat their food, Hange points at random students who pique her interest and Moblit shares with her his opinion of them.

"That's Erwin and Mike," Moblit says, when Hange asks him about two blondes that sit in the very middle of the cafeteria. "Erwin is president of a debate club, also his father works at our school, he's a history teacher. Mike is a captain of a football team. They're nice guys, and Erwin is always ready to help, if you struggle with a class. Although, he's not that good at math..."

Hange nods, absorbing the information and committing it to memory. Her gaze lingers at Erwin and Mike for a few more seconds, before it moves on to a next target, this time two petite redheads.

"Ah, Nifa and Petra," Moblit fondly smiles. "They're both cheerleaders. Petra is also a member of a drama club, and Nifa helps me manage a biology club."

"Biology club?" Hange lights up, carelessly tossing her sandwich onto the table. She can’t believe her luck. She loves science and was the president of a chemistry club back in her old school. She didn’t dare to hope that the new school would give her an opportunity to continue pursuing her passions. "Can I join?"

"You really want to?" Moblit asks, biting his lip. Doubt is written all over his face. "We don't have a lot of members..."

"Of course, I want to!" Hange exclaims much louder than she intended to. As a result, she attracts attention of some students who turn to look at her. Some seem curious, others - annoyed. Hange pays no mind to either. She grabs Moblit by the shoulders and stares deep into his eyes. "I'm so excited already! When is your next meeting?"

"This Friday..."

"Awesome! Expect me to be here!" she clasps Moblit's back, almost making him choke, and then sweeps her gaze across the cafeteria, looking for someone interesting.

"There!" she points at the girl with long, dark hair that sits in the far corner of the room with a blonde boy by her side. "Who is that?"

"That's Pieck," Moblit answers. "She's involved in a drama club too, although she mostly just helps with painting the backgrounds for the scenes. And that's... all I know about her. She's nice, and I think she's dating Porco, or, maybe, Porco is dating Reiner, or, maybe, Reiner is dating Berthold... sorry," he rubs his neck in embarrassment. "I don't really pay attention to that kind of stuff, and their relationship is pretty complicated."

"Don't worry," Hange pats his arm. "I get confused with that kind of stuff all the time. Now! Who is that?"

Her finger points at a bespectacled guy with blonde hair.

Moblit's face twists in disgust. "That's Zeke Yeager. He's the biggest jerk and bully of our school. Try to stay away from him, and—" he nods at the redheaded boy sitting next to him. "And his pal Floch. He's even worth than Zeke."

Hange wants to ask more about them, but then she notices a boy, who sits in the furthest corner of the cafeteria.

Hange is sure that wearing leather jackets is prohibited in this school, but this boy doesn't seem to care. He is dressed in a white t-shirt and a big, black leather jacket. His hair is black too and the longer strands of it obscure his eyes. But even that can’t hide the fact that the boy is wearing a displeased, irritated expression. Hange wonders about the reason for the sour face.

"Hey!" she points her finger at him. "Who is that shorty?"

"Shh!" Moblit hurriedly lowers her hand, his eyes widening in panic. "Don't point your finger at him! And, for the love of god, don't call him shorty, Hange! Better yet, try not to talk or even look at him."

"Eh?" Hange frowns. "What do you mean? What's wrong with that guy?"

"That's Levi Ackerman," Moblit says, lowering voice to a hushed whisper. “Those two are his best friends – Isabel and Farlan,” he shows Hange a small redheaded girl and a tall guy with white hair that sit next to Levi. “And you should never mess with them."

"So they’re worse than Zeke and his friend?"

"Much worse," Moblit confirms, his eyes grim and serious. "Everyone says they’re a part of some gang. They say that Isabel is a thief, and Farlan is an arsonist. And Levi Ackerman…” Moblit purses his lips, a shadow of fear flushing across his face. “Once he broke Mike's jaw for calling him a midget, and some say that he had killed a man with his bare hands just for pouring out coffee on him. Whatever happens, try to stay away from the three of them, Hange."

"If you say so..." Hange murmurs. She takes a bite of her sandwich, continuing to stare at the dark-haired boy. Suddenly he looks up, and Hange almost chokes.

His eyes bore into hers with a surprising intensity. They are cold and grey, like the edge of a knife.

Hange lifts her lips in what she hopes is a friendly smile.

Levi Ackerman scoffs and looks away.

Hange continues watching him, waiting for their eyes to meet again. They don’t.

But as Hange leaves the cafeteria, trailing after Moblit like a little lost duckling, she can't get the look he had given her out of her mind.

Levi Ackerman... What an enigma.

***

It is Friday afternoon, and the sun is gently passing through the already yellowing leafs. The warm light paints the world in golden colors, making it seem more warm and welcoming.

Hange, however, has no time to enjoy the beauty around her. It is Friday afternoon, and she is running late.

She was so excited for the first biology club meeting, that’s the only thing she could think about for the whole week. She gathered all the science projects she had done at the old school and she prepared a small presentation for other club members and she even thought of a few suggestions to expand the club, which, as she understood from Moblit’s words, was quite small.

All this work, all these preparations and now she is running late, because she stayed after class to talk with Mr. Smith and forgot about the time.

And, to make matters worse, she is lost. The part of school she finds herself in is completely unfamiliar to her, and she can’t quite understand how she got here in the first place.

Cursing herself, Hange takes out a map Moblit made for her, tracing the drawing with her index finger and muttering Moblit’s instructions under her breath.

“Go to the second floor, take the first turn to the left and then walk to the end of the hallway…”

A second later it dawns at her – she is in the wrong wing and on the wrong floor.

Muttering another curse, Hange turns around and rushes to the stairs. Holding the research notes she wrote the night before to her chest with one hand, she keeps Moblit’s map in front of her eyes, checking it after each turn she takes.

She is just about to enter a hallway that leads to the biology classroom, when she collides with something. Stumbling, she falls down, her papers flying around.

She blinks a few times, trying to get a sense of her surroundings. Moblit didn’t draw anything that would prepare her for the obstacle that caused her fall.

She slowly looks up. In front of her, seemingly larger than life is a pair of steely grey eyes.

Levi Ackerman, Hange realizes immediately. He is on the floor too, right next to her. And he doesn’t seem too pleased about it.

She gulps. For the first time in her life, Hange doesn’t know what to say.

“The hell you’re wearing those glasses for?” the boy growls, getting up. “Watch where you’re going, four-eyes.”

“Ah, sorry!” Hange exclaims. His rude, throaty voice does a great job of pushing her out of stupor. “I’m just new at this school, and so I got little lost, but, thankfully, my friend Moblit drew me a map, and that’s why I didn’t look where I was—”

“Jesus,” Levi groans. “Shut the fuck up. Give me that shit.”

Before Hange can protest, he snatches the map out of her hands. His eyebrows form a line as he studies the small drawing.

And suddenly Hange remembers what Moblit had said about Levi Ackerman and his warnings to stay away from him.

Once he broke Mike's jaw.

These words ring loudly inside her mind. She had seen Mike in the hallways, he is quite a large guy. And Hange, despite being quite tall for her age, isn’t nearly as big as him. If Levi is able to break Mike’s jaw, what can he do to her?

Hange never had her jaw broken before, so by all accounts it should be a new experience for her. She likes new experiences. But she also likes her jaw and the prospect of having it broken… isn’t all that exciting.

Still sitting on a floor, Hange watches the boy warily.

“You’re looking for a biology class, right?” he asks after he finished studying the map.

“Yes,” Hange nods cautiously.

Suddenly she remembers a girl she used to play with at the playground near her old house. The girl had broken an arm once, after falling off a swing. She screamed and cried and then her mother took her to the doctor, and when she came back, she couldn’t play with little Hange anymore, because her arm was in a sling and she couldn’t move it for almost a whole month.

And that was just an arm. Hange can only imagine how much a broken jaw would hurt. She really isn’t that keen on finding out.

“Of course, you’re a nerd, how I didn’t guess it before,” Levi mutters, as he starts to walk away.

Hange stares at his back, wondering if the storm had passed.

Evidently, it hadn’t – Levi turns around. He arches his eyebrow, looking at Hange quizzically.

“Did you hit your head or something, four-eyes? Get up, I’ll lead you to the class. You’re in the wrong wing, idiot.”

Hange is still confused – wasn’t he going to beat her up? But then she remembers the reason for this whole mess.

“The meeting!” she cries out, hurriedly gathering the papers that are scattered across the floor.

As she kneels on the wooden floor, picking up the papers, Levi’s words finally register in her mind.

“Wait!” she looks up at him. “You said I’m in a wrong wing again?”

“Well, aren’t you slow,” he deadpans. “Here,” he hands her the last one of her papers. For a second, their fingers brush against each other, and Hange finds out that in contrast to his eyes, Levi’s hands are warm. But before she can decide if his skin is soft or not, Levi pulls away, turning around. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”

“You’re… going to lead me to the class?” Hange clarifies, cautiousness returning to her face.

“That’s what I said, right?” Levi starts to walk, not looking back at her. “Or is your hearing as shitty as your eyesight?”

“Not really,” Hange chuckles, following after him.

Levi Ackerman isn’t going to beat her up. She is almost certain.

***

“Hange, you’re here!” as soon as she enters the classroom, Moblit is beside her. “I thought you forgot about our meeting!”

“How could I?” Hange grins, easing his worry. “I was preparing the whole week for this! I just got a bit lost on my way here, sorry for being late.”

“You got lost? How did you find us then?” the petite redhead walks up to her too.

Not the redhead – Nifa, cheerleader and Moblit’s friend, Hange remembers.

“You used my map, right?” Moblit asks.

“Eh, no,” Hange rubs her neck, feeling a little shy. “Levi helped me get here.”

“Levi?” Nifa’s eyes widen in surprise. “As in the Levi Ackerman? The scariest guy of our school?”

“I guess?” Hange answers. “He was right there—” she opens the door to show Levi to Nifa and Moblit, he couldn’t have left far away, he had walked her to the door, after all, but unfortunately – the hallway is empty. She turns back to Moblit and Nifa with a helpless chuckle. “And he already left…”

“Are you sure that was Levi?” Moblit narrows his eyes a fraction, looking doubtful.

“I…” before she can reply, Hange remembers that she didn’t actually ask for his name. But those grey eyes… they can’t belong to anyone else. At the same time, Hange senses that no matter what she is going to say, neither Moblit nor Nifa would believe her.

And it doesn’t matter, not really. After all, they have a more pressing matter on their hands right now.

The vast and enigmatic world of molecular biology.

She clasps her hands together, attracting attention of the two boys, who stand at the other side of the classroom. They look up and Hange smiles, making a mental note to introduce herself to them later.

She unzips her bag, taking out her laptop and gathering her notes. “I’ve prepared a small report!” she announces, opening the first slide of her forty minutes long presentation.

***

It is a nice day. Despite the calendar showing that it is already October, the weather is warm enough to mistake it for the end of May.

The sky is clear and blue, the apple Hange is eating is juicy and sweet and her conversation with Moblit is engaging and fun.

With a bright smile on her lips, Hange lifts her face up to the sky, squinting against the blinding light. The sunbeams dance across her skin, kissing her cheeks and nose with their gentle warmth.

It is a nice day. But then a shadow obscures her view of the sun.

Hange opens her eyes, frowning at the sudden intrusion.

Next to her, Moblit falls silent. In front of her, Floch and two of his friends smirk, looking down on them.

"Get lost, Zoe," Floch tells flippantly, sparring her no more than a single glance. "Your boyfriend and I need to have a little chat."

Hange feels her chest fill with rage.

"Like hell I would!" she raises to her feet, fists clenching in anger.

In a month she spent at Sina High, she learnt a lot about Floch. She learnt that he is stupid and simpleminded, cruel and cowardly. Most of all, he is a bully.

Hange hates bullies with all the fierceness of her heart.

She had her fair share of taunting and mockery before. The kids made fun of her for wearing glasses, for having a large nose, for being too loud or too weird. Hange knows that the only one way to deal with endless jabs and sneers is to fight back. And over the course of her sixteen years of life she got amazingly good at it.

"Hange—" Moblit whispers, grasping her sleeve desperately. "Hange, please, do as he says."

"No!" Hange declares, glaring fiercely at Floch. "I'll stay with you, Moblit."

"Your mistake," Floch huffs, the smirk on his face growing wider. Behind his back, his friends flex their fists. "One nerd or two, what does it matter? I'll easily deal with both of you."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Hange warns, narrowing her eyes at him.

Getting into a fight isn't anything new for her. Unfortunately, having her ass kicked isn't anything new for her either. Even so, she isn't going to back down.

Hange braces herself, raising her fists and putting her left leg behind her for support. Watching Floch closely, she wonders where he would hit first. Her left or right cheek? Her nose or jaw? Or maybe, he'd go to the legs first? Hange doubts it, Floch doesn't seem to be that smart.

He raises his fist and Hange closes her eyes, preparing herself for the sharp sting of pain.

It never comes. Instead, a shadow appears in front of her again, this one much darker.

A second passes, and nothing happens. And then she hears Floch's feeble whimper.

Hange gingerly opens her eyes.

Holding Floch's fist in his hand, Levi Ackerman is standing before her, his wide back, as always, clad in black leather jacket.

"What's the matter, Floch?" he speaks in a low voice. "Got tired of picking fights with middle schoolers?"

Floch doesn't answer, his eyes turning wide, and Levi twists his arm, throwing him on the ground.

"Get the fuck out of here," he spits out, turning away as though just the sight of Floch disgusts him.

Not needing him to tell twice, Floch shoots to his feet and runs, his friends following after him.

Hange watches them with deep sense of satisfaction. She would prefer to make Floch leave with the use of her own fists, but that— that is nice too. And totally painless.

"We should go as well, Hange," Moblit mumbles, tugging insistently at her shirt.

"You go first," Hange answers, not taking her eyes off Levi. "I need to go to the bathroom."

"Hange..." Moblit's quiet voice is disapproving, and Hange turns to look at him, curving her lips in a smile. "I'll be right behind you, don't worry."

"Just be careful," he instructs at last, before grabbing his bag and walking away.

With Floch and Moblit gone, Hange is left alone with Levi.

Or... not.

As Hange looks around, she realizes that Levi had left too. By now, his dark figure is nothing more than a small dot on a horizon. Hange hurries after him.

"Hey, hey, Levi! Wait!" she desperately tries to catch up with him. Levi doesn't slow down.

"Go away, four-eyes," he mutters without even looking at her.

Like hell she would.

Hange speeds up and in a matter of seconds, she reaches Levi. Huffing and painting, she struggles to keep up with his confident stride. But she doesn’t give up.

"Hey— hey, I just—" she inhales, then swiftly exhales. "I just wanted to ask," another deep breath, this one's much shakier. "Why did you help me?"

Levi stops long enough to turn around and throw her a dark look. "I didn't."

"You did!" Hange persists. "For the second time!"

"Leave me alone," he scoffs and starts to walk again.

Naturally, Hange follows after him. Levi passes the main entrance to school and heads to the side door.

He's going to skip a class, Hange realizes.

She has never skipped a class before. How exciting!

"It makes me think," she continues talking as though she didn't hear his last words. "Maybe, you're a bit misunderstood. I don't think you're as scary as everyone thinks you are."

"I'm much scarier," Levi mutters, moving up the stairs.

He is going up on a rooftop, Hange guesses. Again, she has never been on a rooftop before. Double excitement!

"And if you don't wish me to show you how scary I can be, I advise you to leave me alone."

"Nope," Hange smiles, not moved by his threat. She almost has him figured out. Levi Ackerman, the presumable gangster and the most fearsome student of Sina High isn't quite as terrible as he appears to be. "You won't hurt me."

"And why the fuck not?" Levi grunts, pushing the door to the rooftop open. He tries to shove it in her face, but Hange is faster, and she passes the threshold before he can push the door closed.

"Because you're nice," Hange easily answers.

"I'm really not."

Pushing his hands into the pockets of his jacket, Levi walks up to edge of rooftop and plops down on the floor. Hange sits next to him. She turns her head around and watches the grand blue sky above her. At the sight of it all, breath catches in her throat.

Paying her no mind, Levi takes out a pack of cigarettes and puts a stick into his mouth.

He lifts a lighter, when Hange speaks.

"Can you smoke later?" she asks carefully. "You see, I have asthma..."

Levi curses under his breath. He sighs and puts the cigarette down. Hange beams.

"I was right after all," she bumps her shoulder against his. "You are a nice."

"I'm going to push you off the edge," he promises darkly. Hange's smile doesn't falter.

"Don't you have to be in class?" Levi questions. "Why are you bothering me?"

"You're nice," Hange repeats. "I want to be your friend."

"I don't."

Hange snickers. As if she would give him a choice.

They don't speak after that. Hange, still smiling, returns to gazing up at the sky, lazily watching the movements of clouds.

Levi seems to be slowly coming with the grips that to get rid of her he most probably would have to act on his threat and push her off the edge. With a sour expression, he braces his hands against the railing and stares at the ground below.

The silence, surprisingly, is pleasant and comfortable. It is broken by the sound of the door opening. Hange turns around, and sees Levi's friends - Farlan and Isabel - climb on a rooftop.

As they notice her, their faces brighten up.

"Levi!" Isabel runs up to him. "So you finally gathered enough courage? I'm so proud of you!"

"Izzy," Farlan takes her by the elbow, just before she can latch herself onto Levi. "I don't think he has."

"Eh?" Hange shifts her gaze from Farlan and Isabel to Levi. Something is going on, but she can't pinpoint what exactly.

"Shut up," Levi barks at his friends. "Four-eyes just decided to follow me up here, and now I can’t get rid of her."

"I just wanted to thank you," Hange grumbles, crossing hands on her chest and pursuing her lips in a pout. "For saving me from Floch and his friends."

"Oh!" Isabel's eyes lighten up. She jumps to Hange's side. "Big brother saved you?" she asks with a dreamy smile. "Levi, that's so—"

"Shut up, Isabel," he growls. "I'm not joking."

"Killjoy," Isabel whispers, throwing him a dark look.

Farlan takes a sit next to Hange, offering her his hand. "I'm Farlan," he says with a friendly smile. "And that’s," he gestures to the girl. "As you may have gathered, is our friend Isabel. Nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Hange answers, shaking his hand. "I'm—"

"Hange," Farlan interrupts. "Yes," he briefly glances at Levi, his eyes alight with amusement. "We know."

"We should be friends!" Isabel announces, throwing her arm around her shoulders.

"I would like to," Hange replies. "But Levi doesn't seem to agree."

"Pay him no mind," Isabel waves her hand. "He’s just naturally that grumpy. As for Farlan and me, we’re ready to accept you in our ranks. Before becoming an official member of our gang, though, you need to do those four things."

"Alright," Hange nods, listening intently.

"First!" Isabel raises her index finger. "You need to punch Zeke in a face, but I'm sure it's bound to happen."

Hange giggles, getting excited. "What's next?"

"Second, you need to skip a class, and you've already done it, so!" Isabel clasps her shoulder. "Congratulations on that one."

Farlan pats her knee too, and Hange shows them a proud smile.

"Third, you need to smoke at least one cigarette."

"I can't," her smile falls, as Hange briefly shakes her head. "I have asthma."

"I'll do it for you then," Farlan offers, walking to the other side of the rooftop to do just that. Levi, who still holds a pack in his palm, doesn't join him, not moving from his place next to Hange.

"The last condition - you have to kiss one of us."

***

After that first time on the roof, their friendship progresses rapidly. Hange starts hanging out in the mall with Isabel, playing basketball with Farlan, skipping classes and walking home with Levi.

And very soon she finds out the truth about her new friends. Isabel isn't actually a thief, Farlan isn't an arsonist and Levi, obviously, has never murdered anyone.

Those rumors are just that - rumors.

"But what about Mike?" Hange asks.

The four of them are sitting side by side on what Hange likes to call their place - up on a rooftop of the school. Their shoulders are pressed tightly against each other, and their feet are dangling off the edge. The light from a setting sun reflects in her glasses, making her squint. On a scale of perfect days, this one is pretty close to the top.

In response to her question, Levi groans. Isabel and Farlan start laughing.

"I'm afraid that's another rumor," Farlan explains to the confused Hange.

"Although, Mike did break a jaw once," Isabel notes with a crooked grin.

"But not by me." Levi grits through his teeth. "That giant idiot got drunk and fell down the stairs. And because he was too embarrassed to tell the truth, he blamed it on me."

"So, you just let him do it?" Hange stares at Levi with raised eyebrows. "Didn't do anything even though he lied about you?” Levi nods and Hange smiles. “I stand corrected then, you're nice."

"I'm serious, four-eyes," Levi growls, sending her one of his meanest looks. "One day, I'll push you off this roof."

Hange throws her head back and laughs. Isabel and Farlan join her.

***

"Well, let's start our meeting, shall we?" Hange rubs her hands in anticipation, excited to tell her fellow club members about a study she recently found.

But before she can turn on her laptop and put on a new presentation, Nifa grips her elbow.

"It's all very thrilling," she smiles.

"It really is," Moblit nods eagerly.

"But we wanted to know something else."

Hange blinks a few times, and then feels color rise to her cheek. She suddenly realizes that in the past two months she was always the one to lead the meetings. It is quite understandable that Nifa wants her turn.

"Of course, if there's something you wish to share, we all gladly listen, Nifa."

"Oh no, I don't wish to share anything. On the contrary, there is so something I want to ask you."

The bright, enthusiastic look in her eyes is intriguing. Hange wonders what is it that Nifa wants to know - is it about a thesis she made last week? Or a week before that?

"I'm all ears," Hange promises, taking Nifa's hands into hers.

"So how does it feel," Nifa begins. "To date the most dangerous boy of our school?"

It takes Hange an embarrassingly long amount of time to realize who Nifa is talking about.

"Levi?" she breathes finally. "But we aren't— we aren’t dating! We’re just friends!"

Nifa plucks her lips and looks at Hange with suspicion and disbelief.

"But you're always together," she notes, staring at Hange through narrowed eyes.

"We're really not," Hange counters easily. "We just hang out sometimes."

"You skip classes with him. And he walks you home."

"And he saved you from Floch that one time," Moblit, the goddamn traitor, adds.

"And you're the only one he talks to, beside his two best friends." Nifa concludes with a confident smirk.

Hange looks from Moblit to Nifa, feeling at a loss of words.

It's not that she has never thought about it, she did sometimes, when Levi walked her home, and their hands brushed against each other, or when they sat on the roof together, their shoulders touching. Levi is handsome, even Hange - as bad as her eyesight is - knows that. But she also knows that Levi thinks she's messy and annoying. The hell would freeze sooner than he'd look at her like that.

So despite her frequent heart palpitations and leaps in breathing levels, Hange ignores her little crush, putting it to the furthest shelf of her mind.

Being friends with Levi is good enough. She doesn't wish for more.

And that's exactly what she tells to Moblit and Nifa.

"You're reading into things," she chuckles, dismissing their claims. "And now, it's time to read into something else!" she turns on the first slight of her presentation.

Moblit smiles and takes out his notebook. Nifa groans.

***

It's one of those days, when the world is bleak and grey, and the heavy clouds reign across the sky.

Looking out of the window, Hange feels an infinite sadness that isn't entirely caused by gloomy weather. For a second, she even debates skipping school at all, her mother probably wouldn't be against it, but Hange gets rid of that thought fairly quickly. It's not who she is, and wallowing in self-pity was never the way she dealt with her problems. Besides, the classes will provide an excellent distraction for her unhappy thoughts.

So Hange gets dressed, puts her hair in the usual ponytail and leaves her room. She greets her mother, who doesn't look quite as lively as she usually does, and kisses her cheek.

"I'll be home at five," Hange says quietly and walks outside.

The wind ruffles her hair, messing it up even more. It gets in her face and Hange pushes it away with a jerky movement of her wrist. She moves past her bike, deciding to walk to the school on her feet.

There are lots of things on her mind, and a lengthy stroll presents a perfect opportunity to think all of it through.

Hange walks through the grey, foggy streets with her head cast down. She stares at the ground, but not even an occasional sight of a sleazy worm is enough to lift her mood.

She reaches the gates of a school, when someone grabs her elbow.

Startled, she looks up. Levi is standing beside her.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, his frown more prominent than usual.

“Nothing,” Hange lies, avoiding his sharp eyes.

Today they don’t remind her of the knife’s edge. Today, Hange thinks, they look just like a sky before a storm.

“What’s your first class?”

Levi stands close to her, too close. People are going to talk, Hange can’t help but think. But Levi doesn’t seem to care about it.

“English,” she answers, staring at her feet.

“Let’s go then,” moving his hand from her elbow, Levi grabs her by the sleeve of her hoodie. He starts walking, dragging Hange along. And because her eyes are still cast down, Hange doesn’t notice that they aren’t headed to a classroom until it’s a little too late.

Of course, Levi leads her to the roof.

He sits her down and looks at her expectantly. Hange shifts her gaze to a side. Under Levi's intense stare, something stirs inside her. There is worry in his eyes, Hange realizes. This revelation makes butterflies in her stomach slowly come to life.

Hange tries her best to ignore them.

"I'm fine, really," she repeats. She doesn't know who she's trying to fool - Levi or herself. She doesn’t achieve success with either of them.

The harsh wind is stronger on the roof, it blows through her hair, gets under her hoodie and sips deep in her bones. Hange suppresses a shiver.

"Idiot," Levi mutters, following it with an irritated tsk. He unzips his jacket, takes it off and drapes it around her shoulders.

Heat rises to her cheeks instantly. She feels incredibly warm and she knows that the jacket isn't the reason for it. The butterflies, despite her best efforts, happily flutter their wings.

"You'll catch a cold..." she whispers weakly. Levi is wearing a thin grey pullover and Hange can only imagine how cold he must be.

"Ackermans don't get sick," he says confidently, making Hange snicker. The corners of his lips twitch and he gently nudges her. "So what happened, four-eyes?"

Hange looks up, staring at the horizon. The skies seem even darker up there, and she briefly wonders how much time they can spend here until the rain starts and a need to hide from it forces them inside.

She wraps the jacket tighter around herself, and the sharp scent enters her nostrils. It smells like soap and cigarette smoke. It smells just like Levi.

Hange glances at him, and his stare is unwavering as he waits for her to start talking.

Hange sighs and begins.

"It's my dad," she confesses softly. "He's... getting married next week. And—" she chuckles, meaning for it to sound easy and cheerful. It comes out bitter and hollow instead. "I found out about that from his post on Facebook. He didn't invite me, didn't even tell me about this. I know— I know that he has a new family now. And I know that I probably remind him of the time when he was married to my mom, and I guess it wasn't a great experience for either of them, but still... he threw me out of his life so easily. It makes me sad, I guess."

"It's his loss," Levi says. "If he doesn't realize it, then he doesn't deserve you."

"Levi..." Hange whispers, aghast. She expected him to ignore her whining, or call her pathetic, but this… Hange doesn’t what to think. The warm feeling inside her is almost too much to bear.

"I know I'm not the best with words," Levi admits, while Hange is still busy processing his last ones and how good they made her feel. "But I can call Isabel, if you wish. Or that Berner boy," he adds with a tight-lipped expression.

Hange smiles, touched by his offer. But she talked it through already, last night with her mother. Today, she needs something else.

"Can we stay like this, please?" she asks, looking at him beneath her eyelashes.

"Sure," he agrees easily. And then— Levi does the unexpected again. He wraps his arm around her, pulling her closer. Her nose is pressed against his collarbone, and the butterflies go wild.

Hange pays them no mind. Levi is warm and he smells nice. She hides a smile into his shirt.

The sadness she felt throughout the morning disappears. With Levi's arms around her, Hange feels impossibly happy.

***

It's almost seven in the evening, and the streets are already dark when Hange leaves the school after another biology club meeting.

The alleyway next to the school is dimly lit, so Hange almost misses a figure that sits on one of the benches. She stops as soon as she sees that dark silhouette, though. Despite the poor street lighting and her own imperfect eyesight, Hange recognizes him instantly. And wonders what is he doing there.

Levi walks her home every day, except Fridays. Fridays are club meeting days, and Hange often leaves the school late in the evening.

Levi never waits for her on Fridays.

So why is he here now?

Hange silently walks up to him, approaching him with a bit of caution. Levi sits weirdly, his shoulders seem too stiff. Her stomach churns with worry.

"Levi?" she softly calls. "Levi, what are you doing here?"

"Hange," he keeps his eyes trained on the ground, and Hange's worry increases. She doesn't like the hollowness of his voice.

Then she lowers her gaze, and the worry skyrockets. Levi's hands— they are covered in blood. She gasps and grabs his chin, turning his face to the light. A bloodied lip, a bruise on a cheek - Hange swears when she sees them.

"What happened?" she is instantly by his side, taking his hands into hers. She brings them closer to her face, looking for injuries.

"Zeke." Levi says.

"He's the one who did all of this to you?"

"Of course not," Levi throws her a sharp, offended look. "He just brought more friends than I could deal with."

"What a fucker," Hange mutters, anger warming up inside her. "Let's go to my place, I'll clean your wounds."

"And what about your mother?" Levi bites his lip. "Won't you get in trouble with her, if you bring me home, looking like this?"

"She has a night shift," Hange stands up, outstretching her hand to Levi. "And besides," she continues. "I’m sure my mom would adore you,” she winks at Levi, grinning. “Just like I do.”

***

Hange brings Levi home and tends to his wounds. She cleans his skinned knuckles and wipes the blood from his lip. She tries to be gentle, apologizing over and over each time Levi winces. Every time he hisses or grits his teeth, the anger inside Hange grows bigger and bigger. She swears to herself that she won’t let Zeke get away with it.

When she starts wrapping bandages around his knuckles, her hands shake and tremble.

She wants to think that her inexperience is to blame, but she knows that the reason for her nervousness is Levi's warm breath on her cheek and his eyes that follow her every move.

Hange stares into them for a second. They look nothing like a knife's edge right now. They don't remind her of a sky before storm either. They're the color of a full moon. They're shining just as brightly.

"You're wrapping them too tight," Levi complains, breaking Hange out of her reverie.

"Oh, sorry!" Hange giggles, embarrassed. She hurries to rectify her mistake, but ends up making even a bigger mess, tangling up the bandages.

Levi sighs and snatches them out of her hands.

"You're shit at this," he says, bandaging his knuckles himself.

Hange snickers and watches him, committing each move to memory. She hopes she won’t need this knowledge in the future. But in case she does, next time she wants to be able to help.

“You can stay for the night,” Hange offers when his injuries are cared for. “We can put on a movie, make some popcorn…”

“Maybe, some other time,” Levi gently declines. “My mom probably worries like crazy. I should get home, before she sends Kenny after me.”

His refusal disappoints Hange a bit, but she doesn’t take it personally. She knows how much Levi cares about his mother. And she knows how much he hates causing her worry.

So she makes him promise to hang out tomorrow and walks him to the door.

"Thank you," Levi tells her, standing in the doorway.

"I didn't do anything..." she tries to protest.

"You did more than enough,” he says, the grey of his eyes softening. “Goodnight, Hange.”

“Goodnight,” she echoes, watching him go with a heavy heart.

***

After that Friday, Hange lets her anger brew for a whole weekend.

On Monday, she comes to school and seeks out Zeke. His friends stand around him, as she approaches, but Hange pays them no mind. She marches up to Zeke, grabs him by the collar and punches him in the face.

His loud shriek and a pathetic whimper that follows are absolutely priceless.

"That's for Levi," she glowers, before walking away, a smirk on her lips and her head held up high.

She gets sent to detention for that, but Levi calls her an idiot with a fond smile on his face, and Hange thinks it was all worth it.

He gets into a fight with Floch the very same day, and during detention they sit side by side, exchanging silly notes and making funny faces at each other.

"Just one condition left," Isabel tells her the next day, winking suggestively.

***

It is another Friday night, and Hange is engaged in a losing battle with her calculus homework. No matter what she does, what formula uses, nothing seems to work.

Her eyes are getting tired from glaring at her notebook, and Hange rubs at them, suppressing a yawn. It’s a little past ten, but she already feels exhausted, drained to the bone.

She thinks of just abandoning it all and going to sleep, when a small rock lands on her desk. Hange blinks a few times, utterly confused.

How did it get here?

She scratches her head, trying to make sense of it. A second later, another rock appears.

Hange looks up, turns to the window— and smile breaks on her face. She squeals in delight, jumping to her feet and coming to grip the windowsill.

Levi is sitting on a branch of a tree that grows near her house. He wears his signature jacket, and he’s looking at Hange with the expression of fond annoyance that he reserves exclusively for her.

“Took you long enough to notice me,” he grumbles. “I was thinking of aiming the next rock at your stupid head.”

Hange laughs, not taking his words to heart. She knows Levi well enough by now to see through his insults and sarcasm.

“Are you free right now?” he asks, before Hange gets her chance to question what is he doing up on a tree.

“It’s Friday night and I’m sick of doing my homework, so…” she shrugs. “I am as free as I can be.”

“Alright. And your mom? Is she at home?”

“She is, but she’s already asleep.”

“Get out then.”

“Eh? What does that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what I said,” Levi scoffs. The confused expression doesn’t leave her face, so he rolls his eyes and adds, “I stole the keys to Kenny’s bike. Do you want to take a ride on it or not?”

Hange feels her lips twitching. She wants to say ‘yes’ so badly, but for the sake of messing with Levi, she puts on a doubtful frown.

“Won’t you get in trouble with your uncle?”

“Only if he finds out.”

“Will he be able to find out?”

“Most certainly.”

"And you still wanna do it?" she asks, just to see the exasperated look Levi throws her.

"Of course," he answers through his teeth, his patience starting to run thin.

"Alright!" she finally agrees. She jumps and clasps her hands together, unable to contain her excitement. "Just wait a sec, I need to change my clothes!"

Levi nods, throws ‘don’t take too long’ and starts climbing off a tree.

Just as she promised, Hange gets ready in record time. She jumps out of the window, landing next to Levi with a pained huff.

"Are you alright?" he steadies her, his eyes shadowed with worry.

"Sure!" Hange assures him with a smile. "The landing was just a bit rougher than I expected."

"You could have left through the front door, like a normal person." Levi notes.

"But where is the fun in that?" Hange counters.

Levi shakes his head and curses her idiocy under his breath. Hange claps his shoulder and chuckles.

"Shall we go?" she raises her arms to tie up her hair.

"Don't." Levi blurts out suddenly.

Hange stops in her tracks, gawking at him. "Eh?"

"Leave it like that," his voice is rough and breathy as he speaks. Levi turns his face away, and Hange desperately wishes to know what it looks like right now. She bets it’s all red and flustered. "When you wear your hair down... It’s not a bad look on you."

Hange can't believe it. Did she mishear? Misunderstood something? Or did Levi really just pay her a compliment?

Now it’s her turn to be flustered. She feels her face redden. Her heart starts to hummer in her chest.

Levi doesn’t give her enough time to process, and, of course, to retaliate.

"I parked the bike near your house," he walks away so briskly, it's hard for Hange to catch up.

When she does, Levi is already standing next to a shining black motorcycle. Hange knows next to nothing about motorcycles, but, in her opinion, the thing looks cool. She runs a hand over it, and her excitement almost makes her feel dizzy.

She has never ridden a motorcycle. But she is sure it's quite a thrilling experience.

"Put that on," Levi instructs, handing her a helmet. "And hold on to me, alright?"

"Of course!" Hange mockingly salutes.

"Don't do anything stupid, four-eyes," he glowers before putting a helmet on his own head and getting onto the bike.

Hange waits for him to sit down and then she follows his suit. She wraps her arms around Levi, fisting her hands into the lapels of his leather jacket.

"Ready?" he asks, his voice muffled by a helmet.

Hange nods, pressing her head to his shoulder.

Levi starts the motorcycle and carefully rides onto the street. He maneuvers out of the narrow path and onto the broad road. He speeds up after that and Hange can't hold in a delighted chuckle. She raises her head and looks around.

The streets they pass by are nothing more than a blur of bright lights and vivid colors, and Hange can't stop staring at it all. To make the experience even more electrifying, she's pressed so close to Levi that she can feel his heartbeat. Or, maybe, that's an echo of her own. Their proximity makes it hard to tell. She also feels incredibly warm, having her arms wrapped around him makes Hange forget about the harsh wind that seems even stronger as they ride through the night city.

Levi obviously has a final destination in mind, but Hange doesn't care, not right now, when she is filled with so much joy and elation.

She feels so free, she feels so good, so happy, she is so—

"I swear to god, Hange!" Levi shouts over the wind. "If you're thinking of dangling your arms in the air or some equally dumb shit, I'm going to throw you off this thing myself!"

Hange laughs, wild and unbridled.

She is so in love.

*** Levi brings them to the beach.

As soon as he stops the engine, Hange gets off the bike and runs to the sea, kicking away her shoes as she goes. She steps into the water and yells, instantly jumping out of it. The water is freezing, but Hange is stubborn. She wants to try again, hoping that her body would adjust. Before she can take a single step in that direction, though, she is roughly yanked back.

She turns around and meets Levi's sizzling gaze.

"Sit the fuck down," he growls. "Or you wish to get pneumonia?"

Hange can't help it - her heart swells and her stomach tingles.

Levi, despite his dark, scary eyes and scowling face, is surprisingly endearing. He's so cute Hange wants pinch his cheek. Desperately so.

And because she's still filled with adrenaline after their ride, or, maybe, the dark sea and quiet night have an effect on her, Hange does just that.

Levi slaps her hand away a second too late. She laughs, and, to placate him, finally sits down, burying her feet in the sand.

Levi takes a seat next to her. A second later, something heavy and warm falls over her shoulders. Hange touches it with her fingers - it's Levi's jacket.

"It's cold," he explains gruffly, answering the silent question in her eyes.

"Thanks," Hange smiles, and, because she still feels inexplicably bold, she puts her head on his lap.

Levi startles, his whole body goes rigid, but he doesn't push her away, doesn't even complain. After a moment, he relaxes - his hand falls on her shoulder and his fingers starts playing with her hair.

It's nice, Hange thinks. She wishes to stay in this moment forever.

She turns to look at the sea - the stars and moon are reflecting in the darkness of the water, illuminating a narrow path. She points her finger at it.

"I once believed that if you follow that path during full moon, you'll become a mermaid," she tells Levi.

Levi snorts. "You believed in something so stupid? Why am I not surprised?"

"What ridiculous thing did you believe in?"

Levi is silent for a long moment, and Hange thinks he's not going to answer. She opens her mouth to change the topic, but then—

"I believed in Santa until I was thirteen years old."

"What?!" Hange shrieks, rising up from her position to gawk at Levi. "You're serious?"

"Unfortunately," he grunts, pushing her back on his lap. "Kenny put a very convincing show. It's not until I caught my mom hiding presents under a Christmas tree that I finally realized the truth."

Hange really, really tries to keep it in, but she imagines the disappointment on Levi's face and absolutely loses it. Laughter bubbles out of her throat, and Hange curls in on herself, laughing without abandon. Her stomach starts to hurt, tears well up in the corners of her eyes, and Hange still continues to giggle, expressing her mirth until she can't breathe anymore.

"Oh god, Levi," she wipes the tears away. "This is the best thing I've heard in weeks."

"Glad you are having fun on my account," he says dryly.

Hange starts laughing again.

When she finally calms down, the silence falls over them.

It's so quiet there, the only sounds are faraway noises of the city and the loud roar of the sea that accompanies the crashing of waves against the shore.

All of it makes Hange feel at peace in a way she rarely does.

After minutes of staring at the seemingly endless sea and basking in the atmosphere of it all, she tears her gaze away from the it, shifting her eyes to Levi. And finds out - he is looking at her too.

His stare is intense, charged with something she can't quite name, something that makes it impossible to look away.

As their eyes meet, Levi swallows. His hand in her hair stills, and he starts to slowly lower his face to hers. Hange lifts her head too. The tension around them is growing, and Hange forgets how to breathe until— until it hits her.

"Of course!" she cries out, jumping up. She hits Levi's jaw with her forehead, but doesn't pause long enough to fully register it. She can't spare her attention to anything else, the math problem she tried to solve for so long— she finally found the solution.

"Levi!" she seizes his shoulders, staring at him with wide, feverish eyes. "We need to go back, quick!"

"What—"

"I realized how to solve it!" she gets to her feet, pacing around and impatiently waiting for Levi to stand up as well.

"Solve what?" Levi grimaces, looking like he has eaten a sour lemon.

Unfortunately, Hange is too preoccupied with her sudden revelation to notice his expression or even answer his question.

"Way to ruin the moment," he mutters before standing up and walking back to the bike, his face as dark as the sea. ***

It's the last Friday before St. Valentine's Day, and everyone at their school starts going crazy.

Hange is spending lunch with Nifa and Moblit, but their sandwiches lay forgotten, as the three of them curiously watch Porco's pathetic attempt to ask Pieck out. He keeps stuttering and his face is so red, Hange is worried he might pass out, but then Pieck smiles and kisses him on a cheek. Cheers and congratulations are heard from all sides of school cafeteria.

"So it's settled then?" Hange turns to Moblit. "Porco and Pieck are actually dating?"

"I guess..." Moblit tentatively agrees.

"I saw Reiner and Porco kissing the other day," Nifa interrupts.

"And I saw Reiner and Berthold hold hands on their way home," Hange mutters, taking a bite from her sandwich.

"I'm not sure," Moblit rubs his neck. "But I think I caught Pieck making out with Yelena the other day."

"So it's still complicated," Nifa mournfully concludes. "At least, their love life is more interesting than mine..."

"Speaking of love," Moblit quietly begins. Both Hange and Nifa whip their heads to stare at him. Moblit's cheeks turn pink, but he stubbornly continues to look at Hange. "I wanted to ask if..."

Whatever he wanted to ask, Hange doesn't get a chance to find out. Because in the next second, a shadow flashes past them. It appears by her side and drapes a leather jacket over her shoulders.

"It's too cold today," Levi explains, as he sits down next to her, inserting himself between Hange and Moblit.

It's not cold at all, and, besides Hange is wearing a warm pullover.

But that's not the only thing that confuses her. What is Levi doing here? Why is he sitting so close to her? And why is he glaring at Moblit?

"Why are you here, Levi?" Hange decides to start with the easiest question.

"Can't find Farlan and Isabel," he answers flippantly, not taking his eyes from Moblit.

Now that's most certainly a lie. Hange can clearly see Isabel and Farlan sitting in their usual spot, in the furthest corner of cafeteria. And even if she didn't turn around to locate them, Isabel's delighted cackling is heard even from a distance.

"It's best if I go," Moblit says, a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead.

"I'll go with you," Nifa offers, taking her trail.

"We are just friends, my ass," she angrily mutters, throwing another exasperated look at Hange and Levi.

Hange turns to Levi as soon as her friends leave, she really, really wants to know what the fuck had just happened, but she opens her mouth in the exact moment that a bell rings.

Levi wordlessly gets up and disappears in the crowd of students. He forgets to take back his jacket.

***

As Hange moves from class to class, everyone keeps staring at her. It’s not bad kind of attention, no one whispers insults behind her back, Erwin actually approaches, offering sincere congratulations, and when she meets Zeke’s gaze in the hallway, she sees a spark of fear there, and it fills her with a deep sense of satisfaction, but— it also makes her confused.

Why did Levi give his jacket to her? Why did he give her his jacket so many times before? Why has she never seen Isabel or Farlan wear it? What makes her special?

Hange always enjoyed solving riddles. She is determined to find a solution to this one as well.

***

After her last class, Hange rushes to the rooftop. Just as she expected, Levi is there. And, luckily, he’s all alone.

He’s smoking, but as soon as he notices her presence, he puts the cigarette out and waves his hand, getting rid of the smoke.

Sitting beside him, Hange shoots him a grateful smile.

“So did you know about the dance they’re organizing this weekend?” she begins, skipping the pleasentries and small talk. As she speaks, she tilts her head to the side to stare at Levi’s profile. In the light of a setting sun, he looks even more handsome. Her heart picks up its speed. She ignores it and forces words out of her throat. “Do you wish to go?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Hange wonders, not saddened by his answer at all. She was expecting nothing else, after all. “Just imagine – me in a dress and with shitty, smeared lipstick and you in a shirt and tie… We’ll be dancing in a stuffy auditorium, drinking spiced punch and having fun with our peers…”

Levi visibly shudders at her words. “I’d rather jump off this roof.”

Hange snickers in her palm. “And if I go with Moblit?” she asks, watching Levi with a sly smile.

“I’ll throw him off this roof.”

That’s exactly the answer Hange was expecting. Even so, her heart does a flip and her breathing speeds up. Her cheeks feel hot and a wide grin is pulling on her lips. The scariest part is over, but the nerves don’t die out. There are still a few questions she needs answers to.

“And if I asked you out to the movies…”

“That’s not a bad idea…” Levi mumbles, keeping his eyes trained on his feet.

Hange gathers the last of her courage.

“And if I kissed you right now?”

Her heart stops, as she nervously waits for a reply. Millennia pass before she hears Levi’s gruff voice.

“That’s… a very good idea.”

He turns to her, staring at her and the intensity of his piercing gaze makes Hange weak in the knees. There is a moment, where nothing happens, but it lasts for no longer than a heartbeat. Then Levi cups her cheek and moves closer, his lips hovering above hers.

Hange closes her eyes and shortens the small distance that separates them.

The kiss is short, chaste and more than a little bit awkward. Even so, it’s the first kiss in her life and Hange lets her lips linger on Levi’s for a little longer, savoring that moment and committing it to her memory.

When they pull apart, Levi doesn’t let her go. If anything he brings her even closer, bumping their foreheads together.

His eyes are warm and soft, and Hange isn’t sure if she had seen anything more beautiful. But then she lets her eyes wander, slipping lower, and she sees a smile that blooms on his face. She can’t decide what she likes to stare at more – his eyes or his smile. After a second of intense debating, Hange comes to conclusion that both his eyes and his smile are equally breathtaking.

She thinks of asking for another kiss, when she remembers something just as important.

“I finally did it, Levi!” she loudly announces, throwing her hands in the air. “I fulfilled the fourth condition!”

Levi pushes her away with a groan. “Why must you always ruin the atmosphere…” he wonders with a deep scowl on his face.

To be honest, Hange liked it better when he smiled. But, luckily, now she knows a sure way to placate him.

With a gentle smile on her lips, she pulls him closer for another kiss.

#types 9k of the cheesiest dialogues ever written and peppers it with lots of cliche: it's time to post a new fic :)#levihan #levihan fanfiction

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cosmicjoke · 3 years

Text

Okay, so on to chapter 3 of “No Regrets”!

I’ve got a few observations, so I’ll just delve in.

First thing, and once again, I found this a huge improvement over the visual novel, but we get more insight here into the reason Erwin was so intent on recruiting Levi. During the scene in which he’s arguing with the other squad leaders about letting a group of “criminals” into their organization, Erwin pushes back against the other scouts deriding Levi and his friends. I really loved Erwin’s line here, where he says “You’re right. These people had no training. They did not earn wings from us. They grew their own, out of necessity.” This shows us that Erwin has a grasp and an appreciation for the hardship Levi and his friends faced while growing up, while most of the other SC leaders and even regular recruits can only look down on them and see them as gutter trash. This shows Erwin’s own scope of vision, his ability to look past a person’s upbringing and background and not make judgments about them based on that. More telling still is his comment about how “those wings will play a part in revolutionizing this organization.”. He wanted Levi’s skills in particular because he knew having someone like Levi around, with exceptional ability, would shift the way they all fight Titans. He was, as always, looking for ways to increase the effectiveness of the SC, and was willing to do whatever he could, and through any means necessary, to ensure it.

The next thing that caught my attention is the glare Levi and Erwin share during the trio’s introduction to the rest of the soldiers. Erwin’s right in front of Levi, standing there, reminding him of his anger and humiliation no doubt, and I think that leads directly into and impacts the next scene, when Flagon shows them their sleeping arrangements. Levi’s already no doubt irritated by having to see Erwin again, and then Flagon makes his frankly deeply disparaging remark about Levi and his friends having spent their whole lives living in a trash heap, implying that they’re filthy gutter trash, and so surely are incapable of keeping themselves and their environment clean. Levi, understandably, reacts badly to this, and gets in Flagon’s face, asking him what he just said, before Furlan intervenes. When you consider the way Erwin already made Levi feel so humiliated and Levi’s subsequent anger at it, then having to see Erwin again not long before this scene, and hearing Flagon just callously make an accusation like that must have only infuriated Levi more. I think, once again, the manga is doing an infinitely better job of portraying the tension, then, that’s starting to form between Levi and Furlan. Furlan scolds Levi after Flagon leaves, almost talking down to him when he says “Didn’t I tell you not to cause trouble?!”. Almost like he’s talking to some misbehaving little kid. Levi’s expression in the following panel says a lot, I think. Levi looks almost chastised, like he knows he’s upset Furlan, before he tries to explain himself, asking Furlan “Didn’t you hear how he talked about us? Like shit calling shit dirty.”. It’s really interesting what this says about the power dynamic in their relationship. Levi is ostensibly the leader of their group, but Furlan’s acting, in a lot of ways, like he’s the one in charge and he expects Levi to fall in line. Clearly, he’s not afraid of scolding Levi, or challenging him. All of Furlan’s insistence that they lay low and not do anything to draw attention to themselves must only be chaffing though at Levi’s already heated feelings about the kind of treatment they’re receiving, how they’re being talked down to, etc... It must be galling to him, to see Furlan not seeming to care that they’re all being so deeply disrespected. But he still continues to defer to Furlan, and agree to go along with his plan for now, though he makes his displeasure known by calling it a pain in the ass.

But seeing Erwin, and then being treated the way they were by Flagon, seems to have rekindled Levi’s desire to take his revenge, and he reminds Furlan that he’ll continue to go along with his plan, but that he’s still going to kill Erwin. Once again, we see Levi being pulled in two different directions. He’s giving priority to Furlan’s plans and wishes, but he’s still thinking about getting Erwin back. He’s annoyed that they weren’t assigned to Erwin’s squad, probably because it means it’s going to limit their contact, giving him less opportunities to kill him. Another line that I think signifies Lev’s annoyance at Furlan and how, well, dismissive he is of Levi’s own feelings, is after he tells them they have to clean the area around their beds before leaving for training, and in response to Isabel’s protests, he says “You wouldn’t want me to cause trouble, would you?”. He’s throwing Furlan’s words back in his face here, and it seems clear to me that Levi is frustrated and doesn’t appreciate the way Furlan’s been talking to him, or how little consideration for his own wishes he’s shown. There’s a lot of tension there.

Another really important scene is the one in the training yard, so I’ll got through it here.

Particularly when Isabel is talking to the Scout helping her with horse riding, and they get to talking about life in the Underground, and then Levi. What Isabel says, and the visual of the panel here, is particularly powerful. She says “It got so I thought I was gonna die. But life’s a little better since Levi saved me from that.”. And we see in the panel Levi lifting Isabels’ head up, obviously checking if she’s alive. There’s all these people, collapsed around her, and the fact that Levi is checking to see if she’s alive is interesting, because it makes me think this is something Levi would regularly do. That he would check to see if anyone was alive when he came across people collapsed in the streets. It’s probably not unusual to come across dead bodies in the Underground, and for someone like Levi, who’s lived there all his life, he’s no doubt seen plenty. The fact he checks Isabel shows a lack of callousness towards the sight, which is incredible, to not become uncaring or apathetic towards suffering, even when you’re surrounded by it your whole life. It’s a highly unusual quality to have, but of course, it makes perfect sense for Levi, who’s so full of compassion.

Nevertheless, it would have been simpler for him to just keep moving and ignore her, but instead he stopped, and when he discovered she was still alive, he took her in and gave her food and shelter and a home. She would have died otherwise. Levi had no obligation towards her, he had no, really good reason to do something so selfless, and yet, he did. And this truly is remarkable, especially when you consider the kind of cut throat world Levi grew up in, the kind of ruthless people he’d encountered, and even lived with, like Kenny, all his life.

Then there’s Furlan’s discussion with another soldier, and his story about Levi. The most interesting thing Furlan says here is how, after his own friends turned on him, he’s followed Levi ever since. And then he says “Though it might be problematic making him any kind of leader!”. It’s interesting what this reveals to us about Levi. People want to follow him because he’s so strong, but Levi himself has no desire for power, or control over others. People willingly attach themselves to him, because they think Levi can protect them, but Levi isn’t any kind of natural leader. So we know Levi was more or less forced into the role of leader by way of others seeking him out and assigning him that role. What’s interesting about this is how it, once again, reveals the kind of person Levi is. He could easily have rejected all of these people and abandoned them. One thing we know is that Levi didn’t need any help surviving on his own in the Underground. But instead Levi allows them to stay with him and willingly offers his help and protection, and though it’s probably more of a pain and a nuisance to him than anything else. It shows that Levi’s never been able to turn away from those seeking his help.

Which leads nicely into the next scene.

I’ve talked about this scene before, and how disappointed I was that they didn’t include it in the OVA. This also wasn’t included in the visual novel, which is, once more, just another way in which the manga is superior.

Flagon is once again criticizing Levi for holding his blades “wrong”, telling him he’s going to end up getting killed outside the walls. And then the training exercise begins, and we see one of the other soldiers trying to compete with Levi, and growing increasingly incensed and annoyed at Levi’s prowess. He thinks “These vagrants with no knowledge as soldiers...” and then “I trained half to death, and these criminals think they’re better?!”. What’s interesting is to see that while this soldier is fuming internally over Levi’s perceived slight of him, glaring at him angrily, Levi clearly hasn’t even taken notice of him. This isn’t a competition to Levi at all. He’s just there to do the exercises. He’s staring straight ahead, blank faced as always.

Now what happens next is once more hugely revealing as to Levi’s character. The infuriated soldier decides he’s not going to accept that Levi’s better than him, and so he intentionally pushes off of a tree and cuts Levi off mid-flight. What struck me about this is how incredibly dangerous it was. Levi’s going, presumably, full speed, through this obstacle course, and this dude, out of petty jealousy, cuts him off by flying right in front of and past him, forcing Levi to pull back and change direction. A stunt like this could have easily resulted in serious injury for Levi, or even death, if he weren’t as gifted as he is. To top it off, this soldier then brags about it, calling out to Levi “Don’t get left behind!”. Of course, his arrogance leads to immediate disaster, as the soldier that went through the course before lost one of their blades in the dummy Titan, and this dude’s flying towards it at top speed, with no way to stop himself or change direction in time. He’s about to be impaled by a blade. Considering the danger he’s just placed Levi in, then, it truly is a testament to Levi’s goodness, that he launches off the tree he’s stopped on, racing ahead and slicing the stray blade free before the other soldier can make contact, resulting in him harmlessly crashing into the pad, instead of dying. This really shows how Levi’s first instinct is always to help others. Even when others have just not only treated him badly, but even endangered his life. He doesn’t owe this soldier anything, and by all rights should be extremely pissed at him for his petty display before. But instead Levi just automatically reacts to his life being threatened by saving the man. He doesn’t even scold him afterward or express anger, just flies off and continues the course.

What makes this whole thing kind of sad is both the soldier’s and Flagon’s reaction to this. The soldier is still angry and upset over Levi’s superior ability, wondering how he can be so fast, not even sparring a thought of appreciation for him just saving his life. And then Flagon grudgingly admits to Levi’s fighting prowess, but continues to doubt him and his ability to stay disciplined. Even after saving one of his own men’s lives, he still continues to look down on Levi. That’s pretty messed up. Levi glares back at him after, as if to say “Who’s the one who’s going to get people killed out there?”. Levi saved a soldiers life, while Flagon could only sit and watch. It’s interesting too how this, tragically, foreshadows what’s to come though, with Levi not being able to save the people he cares the most about. But we’ll get into that when we get there.

Also, just gotta mention also the way Levi reacts to Isabel’s getting upset after he bonks her in the head and calls her stupid. He looks surprised when she starts crying, and it’s clear he didn’t mean to actually hurt her feelings, and it’s just really sweet, the way he rubs her head after. He obviously felt bad.

Okay, into chapter 4 next!

#attack on titan #No Regrets #Levi Ackerman #shingeki no kyojin #Furlan Church #isabel magnolia #Erwin Smith #snk analysis

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sasa-gay-yo · 4 years

Text

Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Cryin’ - Song Drabble Request

Request: Here

Summary: You were the only one who saw Levi cry at night. You were the only one who could soothe him back to sleep after a nightmare. You were the only one for him.

Timeline: Season 3

Warnings: death, mentions of attempted suicide

Art Credits: AoT (I think?)

Don’t let the sun catch you cryin’

The night’s the time for all your tears

Levi shot up again in bed, a sweat all over his body and the freshly washed sheets. The body stirred next to him and it took him a few seconds to realize that he was in bed with you, and not out in the field with Isabel’s head rolling towards him. Still, he couldn’t shake the pain the vivid nightmare had brought him. The pain of losing his best friends. The heart wrenching, disgusting pain of when he saw that Isabel’s head had turned into yours.

“Levi,” you spoke up to him, reaching a hand to cradle his face. Fresh tears made trails down to his jawline and you wiped them away, “Did you have a nightmare again, love?”

Your heart may be broken tonight

But tomorrow in the morning light

“It’s alright, love. Come here.” You held your arms out to him and he paused for a bit, looking down at your figure. You were there, in your shared bed, outside Trost, and not inside a titan’s mouth. His heart clenched thinking about what his mind had played before him. The titans were a wall away, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming. Something that would break him. Even when he laid in your arms, his soul felt restless. You noticed, yet you couldn’t do anything but shush his tears before the sun rose and he had to face everyone.

Don’t let the sun catch you cryin’

The night-time shadows disappear

And with them go all your tears

He awoke when you did, the sun shining from the broken window above the bed. The day had come and the tears from last night were dried up. As he walked to the mess hall, he smelled the breakfast that you were probably making for the early risers. Eggs. Before the others woke up, he snuck in the kitchen, behind you, to hug you, his head resting in the crook of your neck. He took in your scent, trying to stick it in his memory. Something didn’t feel right about the day ahead, but he calmed himself with you.

For the morning will bring joy

For every girl and boy

Horseface was the first one in, interrupting his moment with you, but his heart still beat when he saw your smile. Of course it was him. The one who was in love with you from the first training session you led for the new cadets. Levi secretly found Jean’s pining after you very annoying, but at least he had you in his bed every night, reassuring him that it was only Levi for you.

“I made breakfast. Are the other boys up? I’m sure Mikasa will wake the girl’s quarters. We’re running low on food for everyone and the chef’s are out getting some more supplies.”

“I think Connie’s going to need like, twenty more minutes. He went to bed late after he drank with some others.” You tsk-ed to Jean, mirroring the habit you’d gained from Levi, and dished out a plate and cup to Jean before making you and Levi a plate. He didn’t take his eyes off of you as you ate, talking to Jean about the plans for today’s maneuver. Your hair was messy, per usual, and you still spoke with your mouth full, but it was endearing to him, cute even. That was the hair he ran his hand through, trying to ground himself in reality last night. Your hands, the ones using a fork to break the egg’s yolk, rubbed his back, and made sure the tears were all off his face when the sun started to rise over the horizon.

So don’t let the sun catch you cryin’

We know that cryin’s not a bad thing

But stop your cryin’ when the birds sing

He couldn’t find you. There was a specific rendezvous point in the meat-packing district, and you hadn’t shown up. Levi felt the tears rise to his throat as he yelled at the others for leaving you. Where had Jean lost you? Was it when him and Armin went to save the cart? Was it before then? Jean tried to explain to Levi that you had told the two to get to the cart while you fought Kenny’s soldiers on their left. You would cover for the two kids who didn’t know how to kill humans. You’d kill for them. They were yours to take care of.

He didn’t know what to do, and he realized this is what his nightmares were warning him about. The panic set in, and you weren’t there to soothe him. He was going to go hysteric if he didn’t have your hands on his face in the next five minutes. He needed to find you before they’d rush to Reeve’s to save Eren and Historia. He couldn’t do this without you at his side. He could face Kenny and his past without the only other person who knew. He swore out loud before jumping out a window to survey Trost. He was thankful someone held back the others, as the tears started leaking out of his eyes.

No. No. No. You can’t cry now. You weren’t there. He can’t cry when you’re not with him. Tonight, he would, when you’d finally found Eren and Historia and you could get some well-deserved rest in a newly reformed government. He’d tell you about the nightmares he had, and you would kiss his forehead, calming him down with your slow heartbeat pressed against his ear.

It seemed that his world transformed into that nightmare when he saw your body thrown in an alley way, dried blood coming from your forehead and splattered on the cobblestone ground. In the shade of the building, he picked your body up, not being able to stop the tears now. The only thing that kept him from breaking was your slow, shallow breaths. They were the same speed as when you would try to calm his panic attacks.

It may be hard to discover

That you’ve been left for another

“I’m sorry, Captain, but I can’t say if or when she will wake up. Her brain was heavily damaged, and she’s lost a lot of blood. While you were off in Orvuld, they did transfusions and mercury purging, but we can’t do anything other than that. We have to just sit and wait.” He wanted to punch the doctor. He wanted to kick the window out. Per Historia’s request, he’d moved you to a hospital in Mitras to gain the best medical attention he could, but they couldn’t do anything for you. You were a few minutes walk away from where she was housing the other Scouts, but soon Levi would be drawn into various meetings with the new queen, and he wouldn’t be able to be by your side. He wouldn’t be able to see you wake up.

During the nights, he cried, but this time no one was there to wipe his tears. In the daytime when the Scouts visited you, he remained in the corner, dark circles growing more and more prominent, and showing no emotion. He talked to Erwin with no fervor when he announced the news that you were carrying his child, and that he’d like to keep it if the Commander allowed. Erwin, seeing how horrible and broken Levi looked, permitted it, yet felt a deep cut in his heart when he heard Levi talk about the future like you would be back in it. The doctor hadn’t given a good prognosis, and if the child was to be born, they would have to cut it out. How would a woman who was unconscious be able to go through that without dying? Levi wouldn’t even entertain the idea, but Erwin and Hange prepared behind the scenes if the worst did, in fact, occur.

He cried every night it seemed, and he didn’t care if those outside heard him. He was losing you. Losing his everything. There was no one to calm him down anymore. He could feel the despair consume him more than any other death he’d witnessed. Had there ever been happiness in his life before this? He wouldn’t know. It was something so far away from him now. You weren’t there to see the thing growing inside of you, and did you even know about the child before sacrificing yourself for the boys? It made him terrified, the idea of raising something without you, but it made him feel even worse if you didn’t know about it before you’d left him. This was something you’d wanted so bad. At night, when you were holding him to your chest, you would talk about the future like you were guaranteed one. You’d claim it. Someday, you and Levi would live in a cabin, children running around on a farm raising chickens and horses, and no titans in sight. Someday, you could wake up together and not have to go off and fight. Levi was slowly losing hope of that someday when he’d wake up from exhaustion-induced sleep to see your cold, unmoving body taking shallower and shallower breaths.

Levi cried the day he had to leave to reclaim Wall Maria, hoping that you would forgive him for leaving your side. He begged for you to wake up, hoping to see you at his side again one day. He begged and begged. He cried and cried. He hoped you’d hear his tears, sit up, call him love, and wipe them off his face like you always did. You never did.

But don’t forget that love’s a game

And it can always come again

“Daddy, Jean-ey says that I look like my-” The little girl ran up to him with a bucket of water. Levi took the bucket from her grasp and glared at the back of horseface’s head. Even if Jean was your favorite Scout, he had no authority to tell his daughter these things. Every day, Jean would slip in something about you which would make his daughter light up. Jean was becoming your daughter’s favorite too, besides Armin, and he couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t handle how you were repeating yourself inside this little girl. His heart still broke whenever you were mentioned, the drawing in his pocket carving a square into his chest.

“-You do, love,” he deadpanned while cutting her off and taking a drink. He set the little girl up on the makeshift train, hoping that someone other than Jean or Armin would come and watch over her as Levi continued his work on the railroad. He turned to work again but caught his daughter out of the corner of his eye, messy hair, talking to Armin with a mouthful of water; it was almost too much for him to deal with. Not today. Not on the day he’d lost you forever. The day he made the choice you would have made. A child over yourself, just like when it was the boys over your life. He’d lost you while holding the newborn in his arms. He cried for a whole day, not caring if the sun illuminated his tears.

He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the tears to go back down. He would never cry in front of his daughter now, not after the months of lulling her to sleep, his cries louder than her newborn ones. It took two years to get over the fact that he was holding your daughter by himself. Two years until he got more than three hours of sleep a night. Two years to come to the fact that he had to stay alive for his daughter and he couldn’t leave to go chase you past the horizion.

He tired once to end it all, a few days after you’d died from the c-section, but just as he was about to, his daughter’s cries rang louder than they’d ever had. It was you, he knew it was. You were telling him to stop from somewhere beyond this world. He had to listen. He always listened to you.

That night, his daughter came to him, bypassing Armin who usually soothed her nightmares. He didn’t know why she’d come to him in his office, but now she was laying on his lap, drool running down her face as he hummed her to sleep. You liked it when he hummed to you, and your daughter was the same. Perhaps he’d found a way to live because he started to see so much of you in his little black-haired demon. No, she was you. Mannerisms, braveness, kindness, sass; all of it was you. That’s why he found tears falling again as he stroked her little head, remembering when you would fall asleep like this while he was busy with paperwork. During those times, he regretted not looking down to admire you like he was your daughter.

“I wish you were here, (Y/F/N). Then we all could be together.” He let out one quiet sob, not to wake up the sleeping child in his lap. He glanced out the window, seeing the sun slowly rise in the distant horizon. Soon, he’d have to leave his daughter with your mother, going off to fight for her safety in a foreign land. That thought was also overwhelming, but he couldn’t think about things like that right now. The sun was coming up, and it was time to put on the façade again.

Oh don’t let the sun catch you cryin’

Don’t let the sun catch you cryin’, oh no

#levi ackerman x reader #LEVI ACKERMAN #levi ackerman scenario #levi ackerman x you #dadlevi #levi attack on titan #Captain Levi #attack on titan #aot levi #shingeki no kyojin #shingeki no kyoujin levi #snk levi #aot x reader #aot x y/n

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tilbageidanmark · 3 years

Photo

Movies I watched this week - 28

3 by Miyazaki:

✳️✳️✳️ Never-Ending Man: Another wonderful NHK documentary about Old Man Hayao Miyazaki after his 2013 retirement, and as he slowly comes around to create one more animation, the short ‘Boro The Caterpillar’. It follows him unobtrusively for a couple of years, walking from his simple house to his office at the studio, drawing drawing, struggling with self doubt and old age, and yes - driving a bit in his old Citroën 2CV.

It’s such a privilege to be so close to a legendary artist and watch him at close range - 8/10.

✳️✳️✳️ Kiki's Delivery Service, one of my most favorite Ghibli masterpieces, about a 13 year old witch, who flies on a broom to a new city in order to build her independence. With a magical score by Joe Hisaishi.

- Best film of the week!

✳️✳️✳️ Castle in the sky, Miyazaki’s 3rd feature from 1986, an cyberpunk adventure fantasy which contains many of the elements and characters which will show up fully formed in his later films: Sheeta looks like Kiki, Dola behaves like Yubaba, Pazu as a stand in for Haku, etc. I prefer his quieter, more personal, smaller stories.

✴️

Exit Plan (“Suicide Tourist”) is a Danish film about a quiet man with a terminal brain tumor who signs up for an upscale Norwegian hotel specializing in assisted end-of-life fantasies. Starts as a dark existential tale, ends with a kind of ambiguous mystery.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is the guy.

✴️

The Aerial (”La Antena”) is an innovative Argentinian silent film from 2007, about a city that had lost its voice, and its only savior, a boy without eyes who is crucified on a Star of David. It’s a surreal allegory in German expressionism style, a weird black & white fantasy about mind control. In short, a unique and inaccessible fairy tale.

“Mommy, are you there?...”

(Photo Above)

✴️

For comparison, I revisited ‘Un Chien Andalou’, Bunuel & Dalí disturbing, groundbreaking masterpiece. Even though every outrageous frame of it is part of history now, the raw imagery is still shocking - Pure id. I can’t imagine being in the room in 1929, and watching it for the first time. No wonder the two surrealists were disappointed at the audience's positive reception.

✴️

2 from French director Mia Hansen-Løve:

✳️✳️✳️ The Future / “Things to come“ from 2016. Isabelle Huppert is a resilient middle-aged philosophy professor whose life suddenly suffers multiple setbacks.

It only has 6 scenes with background music, each punctures the quiet delivery of the story at an emotional peak: A Schubert lieder, a Woodie Guthrie song on the radio, a lullaby...

I loved it!

✳️✳️✳️ Goodbye First Love tells about a romance between a 15 year old and a boy who leaves her, and then comes back 8 years later, after she settles down.

Unhurried, sensitive story-telling, reminisces of Eric Rohmer, with careful use of music and language. It also has a couple of scenes shot here at the Kastrup Sea Baths and on the grounds of Louisiana museum.

Loved it! I’m looking forward to see her new ‘’Bergman Island’.

✴️

Love in the afternoon, the last of Eric Rohmer’s ‘6 Moral Tales’. Exploration of sexual and spiritual virtues in 1972 Paris, by a traditional married man who carries on a platonic love affair with an old flame.

✴️

The White Ribbon - Austrian Michael Haneke’s dark, multi-layered tragedy. In 1913, a series of upsetting events occur in a small German village. A horse trips on a wire and injures its rider; a woman falls to her death through rotted planks; the local baron's son is hung upside down in a mill; parents bully their children; a man torments his long-suffering lover; another sexually abuses his daughter. People disappear.

Relentless inquiry into abuse, cruelty and despair. Shot in gorgeous Bergmansk black & white.

(This is an Italian speaking copy). 8/10

✴️

2 more from 1973:

✳️✳️✳️ First watch - Soylent Green, a pessimistic science fiction story happening in 2022. Very prescient in its dystopian prediction of global warming, over population, resource depletion and income equality.

The 2 minutes opening montage was paced brilliantly. 7/10

✳️✳️✳️ In Scarecrow, Gene Hackman and Al Pacino are two drifters who becomes friends as they hitchhike from California to Pittsburgh. 6/10

✴️

In Pig, Nicholas Cage is a reclusive mountain man, living out in the woods outside Portland, OR, gathering truffles with a female pig, who is his only friend. One night, some tweakers attack him and kidnap the pig. His journey to bring her back takes him on a surprising and completely unexpected places.

Very un-American!

✴️

“… and Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lincoln”

6 episodes of the 1982 TV series Police Squad!, a spoof of police procedurals - shorter and funnier than the Naked Gun movies which it later spawned. Zucker-Abrams-Zucker production.

“Who are you? And how did you get in here?

- "I'm a locksmith, and I'm a locksmith”

✴️

“Ever fired your gun in the air and yelled, 'Aaaaaaah?'”

Every time I watch Hot Fuzz, it gets better. "Not just one of the best comedies of all time, it’s one of the best movies of all time", for sure.

Editor Tony Zhou, of ‘Every Frame A Painting’, shot an excellent video essay ‘How to do visual comedy’ about Edgar Wright.

Jim Broadbent as Inspector Frank Butterman: “He had one thing you haven't got... A great, big, bushy beard! “

✴️

Re-watch: Wag the Dog, blackest of black comedies, utterly cynical, nihilistic view of politics. Americans can always be distracted, can always be manipulated, and can always be led to believe anything the powers-to-be needs them to. You can fool all of the people all of the time.

“Look, look, look. He's fine as long as he gets his medications...”

Amazingly, it premiered one month BEFORE the Lewinsky scandal!

✴️

The Invisible Guest, a forgettable and predictable Spanish murder-mystery thriller from 2016. Best part was the soft, minimalist European style score (or am I just going deaf?)

✴️

How to Become a Tyrant, a new docu-series narrated by Peter Dinklage. 6 short episodes about Hitler, Stalin, Gaddafi, Kim Il-sung, Idi Amin and Saddam Hussein. (Mao is referred to, but doesn’t get his own chapter).

And it doesn’t mention trump, even as a Wanna be Dictator - probably because he didn’t succeed in his (first) attempt.

✴️

Seaspiracy, the most depressing documentary I’ve ever seen. Ali Tabrizi starts investigating plastic pollution in the ocean, and quickly realizes that it is commercial fishing that is the bane of our existence. Basically all fishing must be banned, as there will be no more live fish in the seas in 2048. There were some ‘controversies’ about the claims the movie makes, but they came from mainstream entities, who support incremental change.

Utterly disgusting: We deserve all that befall us.

✴️

A colorful and dramatic Vatican drama, The Two Popes, with excellent ‘Odd Couple’ performances by Anthony Hopkins as the first Pope in 700 years to step down and by Jonathan Pryce who doesn’t want to succeed him. Re-watch.

- - - - -

Throw-back to the art project:

Salvador Dali Adora.

Kiki Delivery Service Adora.

- - - - -

(My complete movie list is here)

#movies

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roseherondale · 4 years

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My Way or the Highway

Summary: Whumptober 2020 Day 3. Held at sword-point. Jem is captured by faerie warriors and has to choose between his own safety or his son’s.

Word Count: 1449

Warnings: Violence, threats of torture and murder (but no actual)

Read oh AO3 here

Cold metal pressed against the delicate skin at his neck. Jem breathed shallowly, trying to keep his expression even and uncaring. He would gladly give his life for his family’s safety and here he could prove it.

The Seelie warriors surrounded him, their armour fashioned into leaves and branches, sharp, poison-tipped spears and swords, and they looked out of place in Cirenworth Hall. This was the room where Kit showed him movies, where Mina took her first steps and where he spent the evenings with Tessa, after their children had gone to sleep. In this room, the mantlepiece was decorated with family photos. What once was a safe place, had become stained red.

They had come in when they were sleeping, and Jem had forced Tessa and Mina through a portal, when they barged into the nursery, and Jem had fought them off until the portal had closed behind him. They had dragged him downstairs to the living room and forced him into a chair. It was then that they had held the sword to his throat.

Jem had been a warrior for many years, and he knew when a battle was lost. He was outnumbered and there was no way he could take on that many highly trained warriors at once. It was a defeat on his behalf, but he accepted it graciously; his family were safe, and soon, he would be back with Will.

One of the warriors stood in front of him, surveying him with a cold look in her eyes. She was tall, and it was obvious that she was the one in charge.

“James Carstairs.” She said, as though every word she tasted were poison. “If you cooperate, we will let you go. Our business is not with you. Give me the location of Christopher Herondale. Give me the location of the descendent of the First Heir.”

Jem stiffened, but he kept his expression clear. “Who?”

“Do not play games with us, Nephilim. We know that he lives here; that you took him in like a son.” She sneered. “Where is he now?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jem insisted. He had always been a clever liar when he needed to be, but now, when he was staring down warriors who were trained for thousands of years in the art of avoiding the truth, he felt inadequate.

“Very well. If the Nephilim isn’t willing to talk, we can take him back to the Seelie Courts. There are ways there that will make him talk.” She looked delighted that he wasn’t co-operating, and he felt a strike of fear go through him.

One of the Seelie Knights who were stood by the doors, stiffened. “There is someone here; a portal has been opened.”

Jem felt a stab of fear. Please don’t let it Kit. Please, please make sure Tessa is safe with him. He thought, desperately.

“Keep the hostage.” The leader demanded. “The rest of you, prepare for battle.”

Tessa stood, staring at her home. Cirenworth Hall had always impressed her with its grandeur, but now she had to look at it from a strategic perspective. She had never needed to infiltrate her home before, but now, she needed to save her husband.

Kit stood beside her. She had portalled to New York, where she knew they would be safe, and Kit was there at the Institute. When Jem didn’t follow them through, they had collected their friends and initiated a rescue mission.

Jace stood behind Kit, his hand on his shoulder, in a brotherly gesture that made Tessa smile despite the situation. She was so happy that Kit finally had a family to show him the love that he deserved and needed, and she was all too happy for Jace to form part of that.

The others stood behind them, as Magnus performed a detection spell. Clary was drawing a rune onto Simon’s arm, Alec notching an arrow, and Isabelle stared straight ahead, her whip unfurled and twitching with unspent energy. Catarina moved forward and placed a gentle blue hand on her shoulder. Tessa lent into her friend’s touch, seeking comfort, and was rewarded with a light squeeze.

Mina was safe with Rafe and Max, all being looked after by Ragnor. Magnus had always swore that the only time he would leave his children under the care of Ragnor, was when the world was on fire. To Tessa, her world was on fire, and she was grateful that Magnus had insisted on helping.

“They’re all in the living room.” Magnus said. Everyone nodded and made their way forwards. Magnus forced the door to fly open as they approached. The faeries would know that they were there; they might as well enter with a bang.

The living room doors followed suit, but Tessa froze when she took in the scene. Jem was on a chair in the centre of the room, a sword at his neck. They were at a stalemate before they had even begun; there was no way they could overpower the faeries before they cut Jem’s throat. The others had realised this too.

“Magnus Bane.” One of the faeries said. Her eyebrows were raised, and it was clear that she hadn’t expected Magnus to be involved.

“Who are you?” Magnus asked, rudely, but she didn’t deign a response.

“If you do anything, we will kill the Nephilim.” She said, instead. An involuntary gasp left Tessa’s throat, but Kit came forward and grabbed her arm.

“Christopher Jonathan Herondale.” The faerie said.

“Do I know you?” Kit asked.

“That was my line.” Magnus protested, and Kit turned to him, eyebrows raised.

“No.” The faerie said, clearing her throat.

“Well then, if I were you, I’d step back and leave Jem alone.” Tessa had always been proud of Kit, but now he seemed to emit waves of courage and love for the family they had created, and she felt a sort of pride that she never had before.

“Not a chance.” She stepped forward; sword outstretched. “Christopher Herondale, I sentence you to death.”

“What have I done now?” Kit asked, rolling his eyes.

“I’m sure you can think of many things. However, your death comes so that you cannot fill your lineage,” she spat the last word as if it were poison. “The Seelie Queen will rule all of Faerie and there is nothing you can do.”

“Well, that’s something we can agree on. I don’t want to rule Faerie either; I have much more important things happening here, in the real world.” Kit said, and the faerie woman snarled.

“Nephilim, I propose a trade; Jem Carstairs for the annoying child.”

“She knows you so well, kid.” Jace joked, moving forwards too, his hand on his sword.

“Be careful, Nephilim. We will kill him.”

“I don’t doubt that you will. But, if you want leverage to get to Kit, then you won’t. You’re outnumbered; I suggest that you leave now.”

For a moment, she seemed to consider it, and then, she nodded to the other faerie warriors. Jem was pulled from the chair roughly, drops of blood at his neck, and dragged to the other side of the room, where they produced a portal using Seelie magic that Tessa had never seen. Right before they stepped through, the faerie holding Jem pushed him away, then swiped their sword down in an arch. Tessa screamed as the blade entered his leg and moved forwards.

A dagger, the edge etched with silver herons, buried itself into the faerie’s skull. Tessa spared a brief look at her son, and the deadly cool expression on his face before she flung herself to her husband’s side.

“Jem?” He groaned.

“Tessa?” She nodded, cupping his face with her hand, and running her thumb across his cheek.

“It’s all right, my love.”

“Dad?” Kit dropped to his side and pulled out a stele, tracing an iratze into his skin.

“It’s alright, Kit. I’ll be okay.” He soothed, and Tessa helped him sit up. The faeries were gone, but Tessa still felt unsafe. Magnus had warded their home; there should have been no way for them to have gotten in, yet they had. However, that was a problem for later; she felt a rush of gratitude that both her son and husband were safe. She had come so close to losing one of them, so now, she helped Jem to his feet, pulled Kit to her side, and led them out of the living room where Magnus created a portal back to New York.

They would be safe there. It wouldn’t be home, but Tessa had lived long enough that she knew that a true home was the people you loved.

Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this one - a lot happier than yesterday’s :’) Thank you all for the response to Whumptober so far - it’s been so fun to write for it and has been so nice to have a bit of an escape from uni <3

#kit herondale #jem carstairs #tessa gray #ghosts of the shadow market #the shadowhunter chronicles #the dark artifices #Jace Herondale #simon lovelace #clary fairchild #Isabelle Lightwood #Magnus Bane #Alec Lightwood #whumptober 2020 #violence #threats

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wehavethoughts · 4 years

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A Dangerous Man Review!

Media Title: A Dangerous Man, Elvis Cole & Joe Pike Series, Book 18 Author: Robert Crais Media Type: EBook Genre: Action, Mystery

Reviewed By: MargeMod Content Warnings: Kidnapping, Death, Guns, Violence This Review Contains Spoilers Rating: One Flower out of a Full Bouquet

Summary: In his series of novels starring private detective Elvis Cole and his silent, but deadly partner Joe Pike, Robert Crais has taken us on one exciting, terrifying ride after another. These two ex-Ranger/policemen offer their private investigative and surveillance services to sort out all types of situations. Their methods are often unorthodox but justified. A Dangerous Man, the latest installment of this series, begins with Joe simply going to his bank to deposit checks and be ogled by the bank clerk Isabella Roland. Because of his military and police skills of observation and his own deep-seated sense of obligation to another human, this routine morning evolves into an action packed story where Joe and Elvis save Isabelle not once, not twice but three times from dark characters in her parents' past.

Review: Fans of Robert Crais will not be disappointed by this addition to the Cole/Pike series. It contains all the elements readers expect - a wonderful mix of humor, interesting story-telling, twists and turns, quirky specialists tossed together with a healthy distrust of police and institutions. You will be wrong if you assume that the dangerous man is the bad guy. In fact, in this story the most dangerous man is Joe who uses his deadly skills to make sure Isabella never needs to be afraid of the men who had been searching for her mother for over 20 years. One thing I love about this story, and most books by Robert Crais, is that he does not rely on a magic person that is available to complete fantastical research instantly and come back with a solution that could not in a million years be found by a real private detective. There is no high-tech, easy solution to this mystery. Almost everything discovered in this story comes from online research, talking/listening to people and observing what the situation presents.

Young adults might recognize themselves in the main character - 23 year old Isabelle Roland who is just trying to live her best life. More than once she exclaims "I am an adult!". One of the most chilling scenes is when the bad guys use her own text messages to her best friend to draw Isabelle out of a safe place and puts her in danger again. The author paints an appealing picture of a spunky young lady, inordinately devoted to friends, generally dismissed by adults and completely unaware of her parents' history. The reader does not know until the last chapter if Isabelle actually has the millions of dollars that the bad guys insist that her mother had stolen over 25 years prior.

The reason I didn't give a Full Bouquet rating is because the author spent a lot of time convincing us what a compassionate and principled man Joe is but, his frequent and extremely violent actions didn’t mesh with his new 'softer' side. I appreciated learning more about Joe's depth of character and his many facets make him less of a mercenary caricature, however at some point it just doesn't make sense that such a nice guy could be so brutally violent. In fairness, he only kills the bad guys, but the body count was staggering. Overall, I still recommend this book, it was just easier to root for the Dangerous Man when he wasn’t trying to also be a good man.

#MargeMod #a dangerous man #a dangerous man spoilers #spoilers #Robert Crais #Joe Pike #Elvis Cole #ebooks #mystery #mystery novel #action novel #book review #reviewblr #mercenaries #private detectives #book recommendation

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peace-coast-island · 3 years

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Diary of a Junebug

Art therapy to deal with life's rotten lemons

Art has helped me in so many ways - and no I'm not exaggerating. It's literally something that keeps me going, helping me get through the day. I wouldn't say that art is my whole life, though it's been kinda more prominent in the past few years, but it's something that gives me a purpose.

That's not to say that I've been creating art all the time. Art blocks happen, lack of inspiration or motivation, or just the need of a break to step back and focus on other stuff. For me, creativity and inspiration are kinda like background apps that are running behind the scenes while I do other things. It's usually open so if inspiration strikes, then I have somewhere to put it to use for later.

Usually when I have an idea, I like to sit on it a bit before getting started - I don't know why, but that's how my brain works, though part of it's probably because I tend to procrastinate. That kind of creative process may not be practical if I plan to run a shop like Daisy Jane - who's usually consistent when it comes to creative output - but for me, it works out perfectly.

Since college, I've gotten into art journaling and now it's become kinda my thing as I've been doing it consistently for a long time. And by consistently I don't mean every day or on a regular basis, but it's something that's stuck with me throughout the years, even more so since I started running the camp. Even when there are days when I don't feel like journaling, it's still in the back of my mind, something to use for later when I do have the motivation to create something. Although I'm not creating content all the time, I'm always open to ideas and inspiration, and that's what keeps me going.

From going on adventures, getting into a new show or movie, reading something interesting, to just hanging around and not doing much - I find inspiration in all these things. I like trying out new and different things because it opens my mind to more ideas, more ways I can express my creativity. I guess that's why I've been journaling a lot more over the years - because there's so much I want to explore and expand on. It'll be interesting to look back on my journal entries in the far future to see how much has changed.

I wonder how future me will look back on these years. Hopefully it'll be mostly good memories.

The reason why I've been thinking so much about how art has helped me is because we've been making a lot of art at the camp. A friend of Daisy Jane has come to visit along with their sister and they're both in need of a break and some art therapy.

I've been following Ken at quillinkstudio since about last year thanks to Daisy Jane and I really enjoy their speedpaints and studio vlogs. Turns out that Daisy Jane knows Ken from college, which was why they gave a shoutout to Happy Floral Mail during a stationery haul video a while ago - and that was how I found out they know each other.

In recent vlogs, they've been opening up about mental health and emotional neglect following the death of their mother a few months ago. They have a complicated relationship with their parents and siblings, which was why they pretty much ran off after finishing college. The only family member Ken has the least antagonistic relationship is Carol, the one who has been constantly left to deal with everyone else's shit, resulting in her putting herself last.

Basically their family life's a mess. Their parents argued constantly - father was neglectful while mother was abrasive, and the siblings were selfish and snobbish - it's hard to believe that Ken came from a family like that. Being the youngest as a latecomer, Ken was probably spared most of the abuse as the father died when they were young and all the siblings except for Carol had moved out.

Carol's basically the neglected middle child who desperately seeks to please, only to be stepped on. Since the father's death, Carol stepped in to care for the mother in hopes of earning her love. While the other four siblings have their own lives, Carol was stuck trying to earn the approval of people who constantly put her down. It's pretty fucking sad and it's no wonder why she has all these problems now.

Ken says that they have mixed feelings about their mother. On one hand she kinda doted on them because they were the baby, often to the point where she forced them to fit into her image of what she wants them to be. They only visited her out of obligation because no matter how far they were, the mother still has strings attached. While she would brag about their success as an illustrator and writer, she also undermined them, pitting them and the siblings against each other.

After the mother died, Carol became lost. All five siblings were in the same room for the first time in years and as expected, it was a disaster. Later Carol and Ken got into a big argument in which Ken told her that if she continued with her self destructive behavior, then the next time they visited home it would be for her funeral. The two "had it out" as they described it, and it made them truly realize how fucked up their family was.

At least some good came out of the whole blow up seeing that Carol's here with us now. The day after, Carol admitted that she wasn't okay and hasn't been for years. So Ken suggested that she come along with them, to leave home and start over. She had always spoke about leaving for as long as they could remember, only to be saddled with the responsibility of taking care of the mother.

Like her sibling, Carol aspired to be an artist. She also dreams of being an actress and singer. And of course, the mother shot her down, forcing Carol to suppress her creativity. At least now, she's slowly finding herself again.

It wasn't easy, but Ken managed to convince Carol to get away. She basically took off without a word, which was really the only way she could've left. There's a lot of unfinished business Carol has to deal with, but for now she has to distance herself, which she's still struggling with.

For now Carol's living with Ken, which admittedly hasn't been easy. They worked out a contract with each other, like promising to keep up with therapy and learning how to communicate in a healthy way instead of letting things blow up. Ken wants to help her as much as they can as long as Carol's willing to do her part. There's a lot to unpack as we can't undo years of trauma, but at least we can put the past behind us and move on to a better future.

Art therapy has been super helpful for Ken and Carol. Along with filming a vlog, Ken's also working on their graphic novel, which is about the stuff they've been talking about on the vlogs regarding their family life. It was something Ken had been working on and off for a while before shelving it because at the time it was too difficult to write about. Now with the mother gone, a weight's been lifted off their shoulders, thus giving the novel a more hopeful message as the initial reason why they shelved it was because it ended up being too bleak.

Carol's been trying out different art mediums, figuring out what calls to her the most. So far it's painting and art journaling, the former which she hasn't done in years, the latter being something new. She's also learning digital art, which she's picking up quickly and seems to be getting into. It's good to see that making art has been helping her a lot.

In between art sessions we've been enjoying the scenery as usual. Carol has been practicing digital art by drawing sceneries, something she found out she enjoys a lot. Having spent most of her life in the suburbs, being out here in nature has been a refreshing change of scenery for her. Seeing her and Ken fascinated by their surroundings feels like watching baby birds taking flight for the first time. The two have a tendency to wander so it's been kinda fascinating to see them get lost in nature.

It's sweet but also kinda sad, especially for Carol. I can't help but feel bad for her, for her wings have been clipped for so long that she's unable to find her way now that the strings holding her back have been cut. At least Ken's there to guide her as she tries to find her footing, to finally take back her life after giving everything to uncaring people who just take, take, take from her.

Healing's a difficult process - they will probably drag each other down more than lift each other up. Ken's been open about how hard things have been for both of them, and while it fucking sucks sometimes, they knew exactly what they signed up for by taking Carol in. Ideally, they want to save their sister, but realistically it's not gonna work out like that. Getting her away and giving her the help she needs won't magically make all her problems go away, but it's a start.

Today, we took a walk along the mountain trail, where we collected berries, moonstones, and maple fern leaves. I've never seen maple fern leaves before as they only bloom every few years according to Isabelle. Since they're rare, we decided to collect a bunch to save for a later project. I have no idea what to do with the leaves yet but I'm sure we can come up with something great.

We wound up staying on the mountains all day as we kinda got lost a bit at that fork in the trail where things kinda get confusing. There's a peak up there I haven't explored until today as whenever I try to look for it, I can't find it. The trail only shows up if we get lost but by then it's getting late so we have to put off exploring for another time. Finally, after years of trying, we finally got to explore the peak!

Getting up there was tricky as the slopes are super steep. We had to take the long way around so we could take short breaks and not risk anyone getting injured. It's a daunting climb, but the view was so totally worth it! Not only the view is breathtaking, I can see even more places to explore. That's what I love about exploring new areas - it's like unlocking a door leading to something bigger.

Since we worked so hard to get up here, it made sense for us to spend the rest of the day making the most out of our discovery. Now that I know how to get there, I now have to find a way to make this area more accessible with things like trail markers and ladders. Ken documented the whole trek for the vlog, an impressive feat as, like I said, the climb wasn't planned. As fun as the whole thing was, don't expect something like that again - in other words, don't try this at home, kids.

(Will that stop me from doing something like that again? Knowing how I tend to be a poor planner, probably not. Then again, I guess it's good to be aware because if things go wrong at least you knew beforehand.)

At the peak, we found a field of colorful pinwheel astras. The light breezes caused the petals to spin, which was fascinating to watch. Normally I don't like looking at spinning things for too long because I'm kinda prone to getting headaches but looking at the pinwheel petals was surprisingly calming. It was kinda funny when the four of us immediately pulled out our tablets/sketchbooks to draw the flowers. We also took a bunch of pics too and they turned out great.

After exploring around the peak for a while, we rested underneath a giant lemon tree. The tree was full of perfect lemons - it was like nothing I've ever seen before. Lemons are kinda hard to come by as they don't grow at the camp, so they're only accessible at the market box for me. Finding a perfect lemon is like striking gold, so to see so many at once is like hitting the jackpot. So of course, we collected a bunch and later made lemonade when we got back to the camp.

Speaking of lemons, Ken and Carol are taking the perfect lemons as some kind of a sign. Something about them growing up with a neighbor who always gave them crappy lemons from their tree that end up sitting in the fridge until they get thrown away. Ken says it's a really long story that's funny and interesting so it looks like they'll have to cover it in the upcoming vlogs about the camp. Seeing how the lemons seem to be a sign of hope for the two, I'm intrigued.

#animal crossing #animal crossing pocket camp #Diary of a Junebug #headcanon ramble

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theradioghost · 4 years

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could you elaborate on the long term plot of greater boston? i don't mind spoilers! i tried it but couldn't get past the first episode :( but i trust your taste and i've liked every other show you've rec'd so i wanna keep listening

EDIT: okay for some reason the formatting of this post is EXTREMELY befuckened and I can’t get it to behave, so it’s possible that this isn’t going to display with a spoiler cut and if so I am VERY sorry. the “keep reading” break is in the ask instead of the body of the post I have no idea what’s happening right now but if you don’t want spoilers please be aware this post spoils like everything about the show

Sure thing! I will .... do my best, but because of the nature of GB’s plot it’s a bit difficult to describe it without ending up either way too detailed or way too vague. But I will absolutely do my best because if there is any show out there that deserves it, this is that show. Cut for Obvious Spoiler Reasons!

So, there’s a LOT of plot that goes on, but what a plot summary could never convey is that the real heart and soul of this show is the characters. There are a metric fuckton of them, and every one of them is multidimensional and dynamic and wonderful, even if it’s not always obvious at first.

Leon Stamatis of course starts the show by abruptly dying of Existential Crisis/Panic Attack on a roller coaster, which sets everything else in motion. Of that big ensemble cast, at first the most important players are

Nica, Leon’s little sister who wants to be famous but doesn’t really have any concrete plans as to how

Dimitri, Leon’s little brother who is currently traveling in a submarine attempting to find Atlantis and keeps sending Leon letters, unaware that he’s dead

Louisa, Leon’s recent ex, a wedding photographer who later quits and becomes a crime scene photographer slash detective

Leon’s best friend/roommate Michael, who is unemployed and has just had a relapse after being sober for 12 years because he has no idea what to do without Leon

Gemma, a lesbian who absolutely hates her job as an editor at Third Sight, a company which publishes magazines relating to astrology/psychic stuff/divination/etc

Charlotte, Gemma’s pregnant wife, who has recently lost her job as an animation background artist and is feeling directionless

Professor Paul Montgomery Chelmsworth, aka the Mayor of the Red Line, a slightly eccentric college professor and casual friend of Leon’s who is inspired by his death to call for a referendum declaring that the Red Line of the Boston subway system will become an independent city.

It’s that last one that is the real ~main plot~ of the show: at first, more and more of the characters getting caught up in the campaign to create the city of Red Line, and then the chaos that results when they succeed and actually have to run it. But you also have characters like Louisa and Nica and Michael, dealing with a whole rainbow of grief and distress as they cope with Leon’s death. His eccentric personality is the other driving force of the show’s events -- Leon was caring and compassionate, but also obsessed with timetables, organization, and scheduling every action in his life down to the minute.

The other major force in the show is Third Sight, a magazine publisher with a focus on fortunetelling and the like; Michael ends up working there, along with Gemma and several other major characters. Third Sight also has an enigmatic boss no one has ever seen, who turns out to be a manipulative little bastard named Oliver West.

While Red Line successfully becomes a city, “Mayor” Chelmsworth turns out to have some major commitment issues and vanishes as soon as the vote passes, leaving Charlotte and Gemma to clean up the mess. Charlotte ends up interim mayor, but also begins to campaign for the upcoming mayoral election, in which she has two opponents: Isabelle Powell, a Black realtor and an incredible character whom I absolutely cannot do justice here, and Emily Bespin, Literally The Worst Person Who Has Ever Existed, Holy Fuck I Hate Her So Much.

The election is being manipulated behind the scenes by Oliver West, who also takes advantage of Nica’s isolation and a near mental breakdown to convince her to help him by orchestrating several escalating ~pranks~ in Red Line. Honestly he’s manipulating literally everyone, and also heavily backing Emily Bespin, in an attempt to profit off of influence in the new city. Eventually this ends up with Michael kidnapped and imprisoned, several other characters attacked and one badly hurt during a wedding in Red Line, and Isabelle Powell’s nephew framed for the attack. That results in Powell’s supporters beginning a set of protests which throw Red Line into even further chaos, even as Charlotte and Nica begin to have some real moral epiphanies about how they’ve been acting.

As events continue to escalate and the election draws closer and closer, the now-assembled cast have to figure out just who exactly is manipulating events and how -- not to mention how to prove Powell’s nephew’s innocence, what the hell has happened to Michael, and what the hell they’re going to do if Bespin wins the election and makes good on her promise to evict everyone involved in the protests.

Meanwhile, Dimitri is traumatized by finding a mass grave at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, gets rescued and then imprisoned in Alaska by infamous vanished plane hijacker DB Cooper, finally makes it home to Boston disillusioned and lonely only to inevitably find out his brother has been dead for two years, and then gets totally rejected by his sister, because he basically can’t catch a break.

Also meanwhile, the same conflicts playing out in Red Line play out on a more metaphysical level, in the structure of the show itself. While the first season only hints at the possibility that Leon might not be quite as gone as everyone thinks, as the show progresses Leon’s ghost makes his presence known by starting to argue with the omniscient narration. Increasingly taking over the show’s narration until a brilliant scene where said narrator quits and audibly gets up from the microphone and leaves, Leon, the man who spent his whole life trying to impose order on the chaos of the universe around him, finds himself battling the very structure of the story they’re in, in an attempt to help his friends as both he and they are caught up in the chaos of Red Line and Oliver West’s plans. Unfortunately, the structure of the story has other ideas, and plans of its own.

None of this, of course, even begins to touch on the cheese robots; or Michael’s ongoing struggle with self-actualization and alcoholism; or Mallory the foulmouthed teenager who somehow manages to first witness and then be involved in nearly every major plot event of the show; or the in-depth examination of structural racism as it relates to things like housing and city planning and Boston’s history and well-intentioned white liberals and the imprisonment of Black youth; or Star Trek obsessed chaotic neutral gay reporter Chuck Octagon and that one time he flirted with his own mirror universe self; or the complex but beautiful process of Charlotte and Gemma working on their relationship in the midst of all this chaos because while they have troubles throughout they truly love one another and are trying to be better people; or the fact that one of the other major characters is an insufferable Loud Vegan member of a polyamorous commune who -- on the advice of his ~spirit advisor~ the ghost of 19th century feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft keeps changing his name throughout the show to things including Earthman, Panda Bear, Extinction Event, and Dipshit; or the unfortunately real Olive Garden food truck; or the laughter and the tears and the flamethrowers and the fact that one of the show’s most important and heartbreaking conversations takes place on an amusement park log flume ride audibly filled with liquid nacho cheese.

It’s a good show, is what I’m saying, basically.

#the podcast that never returned #more like THE SUMMARY THAT NEVER ENDED #I have no idea whether this is useful my apologies #Anonymous #asks #my posts

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lady-plantagenet · 4 years

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Unsolicited Book Reviews (n2): Death be Pardoner to Me

Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Even before I had an account, I tended to go to tumblr to see people’s opinions before buying a histfic. Certain books are either severely underrepresented, where I feel like there needs to be something on them, whereas others, though talked about enough, something more can still be said about them. So for my quarantine fun, I have decided to start a series where I review every medieval historical fiction novel I read. Hopefully, it will either start interesting discussions or at least be some help for those browsing its tag when considering purchasing it.

TL;DR: Since the author claims this book is written through her channelling of George Duke of Clarence, I don’t know if I should approach this as a historical fiction review or otherwise. Regardless, well-written and very balanced. The voice throughout was similar to how I pictured the real George of Clarence. Nevertheless, I deduct one star because I have noticed some innacuracies. Whether this discounts the veracity of the author’s claim - I leave it up to you. Despite how dodgy this book may appear, it has gotten very good reviews online and I do assure you it is not trashy or melodramatic at all; it is high quality compared to most modern histfic and other genre fictions in its prose and psychological insight.

Plot: So what essentially happens is, we get a fictionalist account (albeit a very short one) of George’s life. The book’s chapters are split between 1st person (where he (George) intimates what he felt and what thought during an event) and 3rd person limited POV. The author claims that the entire book is told in his own words but I suppose the background descriptions and such in the 3rd person chapters were her own words. We get basically every major event in his life (birth, childhood, marriage, rebellion and death) and some in-between. The in-between moments were by far my favourites as they are what added depth to what is essentially this character analysis (because we all know what he did, we are now interested in why). I was happy to see a lot of little details in this book were confirmed by my research (Caxton dedicating him a book, his penchant for fine clothing, his suffering of headaches (maybe after suffering the recorded head injury at Barnet) etc), his gift for legal arguments (I obviously squealed when I found that out) so I did end up learning something.

On the other hand, I would have wanted an account of the time he spend with Louis XI, Margaret of Anjou, Anne Neville and Jasper Tudor and what he thought and said. I would have also wanted more insight into the whole Burdett and Stacey debacle, not to mention his relationship with Sir Roger Tocotes: the old friend who though was apparently part of the whole poisoning Isabel scheme, Clarence could not bring himself to execute. Warwick surprisingly doesn’t feature very heavily either, nor does Isabel enough. But I’ll take what I can get when it comes to his particular historical figure.

Characterisation/ Historical Accuracy: As I’ve said, since the author claims to be a medium (I shall not comment on this as I myself am undecided on where I stand) any incongruency cannot be taken as merely artistic licence. So, the voice of George (which I suppose has been transcribed into our contemporary speech so we can understand what he says) feels very true to the character. His attitude towards things definitely sounds like a man from the 15th century. He is more reasonable now, than he would be if he were telling us his story during the action itself, because a lot of the book is told through the spirits (?) hindsight. Nevertheless, you do feel as if you were with the character while everything unfolded. The portrayal is more sympathetic than in other novels, nevertheless, he is no Gary Stu or major victim. He is portrayed as someone with genuine principles, intelligence, capable of some love towards other while also being deluded by his own self-importance, sometimes irrational and judgmental. So more or less a real and complex person.

On the other hand, some claims in this novel are quite bold but though unsubstantiated are not strictly speaking innacurate (I won’t spoil here, but if anyone has zero plans of reading this book but regardless wants to know what I mean PM me). One thing that made me deduct one star was this one blatant innacuracy: Ankarette Twynyho’s portrayal as a young woman, when we know that by the time she reached Clarence’s household she had a grandson (John Twynyho who petitioned Edward IV for a posthumous parson). There was also the implausible suggestion that George would not allow for in his household to be said that Richard of Gloucester married Anne Neville for her money (which though spirit George may in retrospect believe he loved her, 15th century George would at worst have been the one starting those rumours and at best, would not have cared). However, the latter unlike the former isn’t disprovable beyond doubt - but still I can somehow feel the Richardianism from the author seep in a bit. It actually has quite blatantly in a couple of instances. For example the suggestion that Richard visited him in the Tower (which I am 90% sure could not have happened). I do believe George and Richard loved each other in some weird twisted way since they were raised together and brothers, but I genuinely don’t believe it was so conscious on either’s part. Also, Isabel Neville was described as very ill from the birth of Richard of Clarence, but as we all know she was actually really well after the birth, she did not die of childbed fever. This is precisely why Clarence thought poisoning could have taken place. Isabel and George’s relationship as a whole was rather sad, and a part of me hopes this is all a hoax just so I can hope they were happier together in real life.

Prose: You may be surprised to know that the prose is actually still better than the vast majority of historical fiction novels. It flows well throughout, the dialogue is engaging and realistic, the descriptions of places and things (what in my opinion is essential for a period novel) is really well done but not too embellished. Certain scenes seriously gave me the feels (happens rarely), but then again it is hard to know if my reaction is more to do with the draw I have towards George in general than the author’s craft - regardless, I still think it is better literary wise than anything Weir or most popular histfics ever wrote, though obviously does not hold a candle to Jarman, Lytton-Bulwer or Scott. But then again, this was not even intended to be a novel in the classical sense. This is where half of the stars come from whereas the others come from insightfulness (as it did give me some avenues of research). There is also a semi-mystical theme throughout (as you would expect from a medium) but it is very subtle and not at all TWQ-esque, an honestly - it is plausible as we do need to keep in mind that medieval people did all believe in Angels, spirits and such. I think this added a nice flavour in some scenes.

Overall, this novel believable or not was much-needed. Too much is written about Richard III and the others. When a mutual told me of it I obvs could not resist haha. Since it was so short (around 200 pages with fairly large font) I think I might go ahead and purchase her Anthony Woodville one too (imagine my luck: two of my favourite historical figures got books).

#lady-plantagenet’s book reviews #death be pardoner to me #the wars of the roses #george of clarence #george duke of clarence #the white queen #dorothy davies

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bytheangell · 5 years

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Elle, my sweet angsty summer child

Where Lost Things Go(Read on AO3)

They try their best, but it isn’t enough. There are too many demons, Lilith has too much strength, and Isabelle used too much of the Heavenly Fire in their journey to get to Magnus to have enough left to fight their way out. They have to leave - and Magnus has to stay behind to keep the rift closed.

“We have to go. Now,” Clary says, clearly struggling to hold the portal open for their escape back out of Edom.

“Go ahead, I’ll be right behind you,” Alec says, giving the others the nod to go through the portal first while he turns back to Magnus. Lorenzo goes first, and then Simon, but Jace and Isabelle linger.

“Alec…” Isabelle says slowly, and Alec gives his siblings a slow, sad smile.

“You couldn’t just leave with the others, could you?” He sighs. “I guess I owe you a proper goodbye, I just- I thought it’d be easier if you found out when there wasn’t anything to be done about it.” There are tears in his eyes as Izzy flings her arms around him.

“I understand,” she says, the words choking in a sob pressed against his shirt. “I love you, Alec. We’ll find a way to get you back. Both of you. We got here once, we can do it again.”

“Are you sure about this?” Jace asks carefully.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything,” Alec says, turning from Izzy to wrap his arms around Jace. “Clary already put the rune on Magnus, so I’m paired with him instead.” For how long, Alec isn’t certain, but it’s a question that no one dares to bring up at this point.. The moment Jace realizes this was his plan all along and not just an impulsive choice he only nods in understanding. “This isn’t forever, Alec,” he swears.

“Take care of him, will you?” Jace says to Magnus, who wears a look of disbelief as the implications of the scene unfolding around him slowly dawn on him in stunned silence.

“Guys-” Clary says, voice strained. “Soon we’re all going to be staying with Magnus. I can’t hold this anymore.”

“Go,” Alec urges, giving Jace one last clap on the back. “Tell mom and Max I’m sorry.”

“This isn’t goodbye. After all, what was it you said... ‘It’s only Edom’, isn’t that right?” Jace says with a forced smile, and though his words waver with emotion he does his best to hold himself together as he drags Izzy back towards the portal Clary is barely holding open for them. The three of them are gone a moment later and Alec watches the portal close with finality.

He looks at the space it once occupied for a few more seconds before he feels Magnus’ hand on his shoulder.

“Alexander, you should’ve gone with them.” Alec only shakes his head, turning to take Magnus in his arms. “My place is with you no matter where that is, and it always will be.”

---

Learning to control the magic he finds within his veins is easier when it’s Magnus’ magic. It isn’t foreign - it’s the same magic that reached out to him time and time again back home, the same magic that welcomed him as a trusted visitor through any ward Magnus created. It finds an easy, comfortable home within Alec, and reacts in kind.

With time Alec’s stele becomes a decoration - a reminder of the life he left behind and nothing more. He takes it out and holds it from time to time, trying to draw a rune or activate his iratze, but never to any avail. Sometimes he simply holds it just to hold it, thinking of his family, or even Clary and Simon, wondering how they might be doing… praying to an Angel he’s never been more disconnected from that they’re still alive, wherever they are.

Magnus walks in on him one of those days, catching Alec holding his stele with eyes closed against a silent trickle of stray tears.

“Do you regret it,” Magnus asks quietly from the doorway,, unable to meet Alec’s eyes when Alec startles at the sudden sound.

“No,” he says quickly, placing the stele back onto the ledge he picked it up from and walking over to Magnus. “Never. I miss them, of course I do. And I wish there had been another option, one where I could still be with them. Too. But I haven’t once wished I left you here alone.”

“I’ll get us back,” Magnus promises. It’s one that Alec’s heard every day for nearly 200 days now.. He tried to stop keeping track but the numbers stay in the back of his mind no matter how hard he tries to forget about them. After all, they may be days in Edom, but they’re days with Magnus, and he means it when he says he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I know you will,” Alec agrees, smiling as he leans in to a kiss that starts slow and reassuring, but quickly grows into something more. Magnus kisses another promise against Alec’s lips, a silent reverence to the man he loves, a reassurance that Magnus may be the King of Edom now but his allegiance is, and always will be, to Alec.

It’s a devotion Alec never doubts.

---

It’s been a year since Alec arrived in Edom. He has a place next to Magnus now. Edom still stands but it’s under the rule of Asmodeus’ son - Alec’s husband. There’s no official ceremony to be had down here but it feels no less meaningful when Magnus declares Alec his husband.

Alec’s presence in Edom is a matter of contention for the first few months he’s there. He can hardly leave the confines of the home Magnus inherited - his home, now - without being attacked. An outsider, an interloper, angelic blood in a place Angels should never dare to tread. Though obviously hunting every demon within the confines of Edom itself would be a fool’s errand, Alec doesn’t hesitate to defend himself no matter how outnumbered.

The first time Alec comes back drenched in sweat and covered in ichor Magnus tries to step in, but Alec insists that he’s fine, that he can take care of himself. Alec plays the refusal off as not wanting his presence here to be a burden, but Magnus soon realizes that Alec needs that danger, the thrill of the hunt, the satisfaction of doing the thing he spent his entire life training to do. Alec knows Magnus doesn’t like to see him put himself in unnecessary danger but Magnus looks the other way. Any demon foolish enough to attack Alec meets the same bloody death. For a while it’s enough… until it isn’t. They day Alec goes out looking for a fight is the day he ends up outnumber and overpowered; the day Alec nearly doesn’t make it back home is the day Magnus can no longer bring himself to look the other way.

Magnus makes it clear from that point on that Alec isn’t to be touched. Most listen, some do not. After several daring demons make a few last attempts to be the one to take out the Nephilim brazen enough to come to their home - only to fail and suffer a fate by Magnus’ hands that makes even a battle-hardened Alec turn away from the sight of - the direct attempts on Alec’s life cease. Magnus takes things a step further, decreeing that Alec is to be treated as his equal. There are many more rumbles over that development but none dare to question their new King. Or, as it were, Kings.

It’s strange, Alec thinks, to be able to freely wander Edom in any capacity, let alone one where he’s to be obeyed, should it come to that. It never does. Rather than be in a position where they have to listen to a Nephilim the demons decide to avoid Alec at all costs instead which suits him just fine.

They’re making progress. Alec can use his stele again, thanks to some magical tempering on Magnus’ part, a fusion of the pure angelic essence within Alec’s blood with the tool so that it can hold its own against the dampening effect of Edom’s overwhelming demonic energy. They learn to channel the magic that Magnus shares with Alec as one so that rather than weakening the effect when they both call upon it at once it actually strengthens.

They’re making progress, more every day, and while Alec doesn’t lose hope that they can find a way to defeat Lilith for good, seal the rift and find a way back home, he finds that with every passing day by Magnus’ side he feels more content than the one before. Life in Edom is far from ideal, but there’s something to be said about the lack of societal pressures, familial expectations, and the general weight of the world which Alec Lightwood, Head of the New York Institute, live under on a daily basis before.

This existence should be a punishment, a prison, but instead it’s almost freeing. The guilt Alec experiences for even humoring the idea, let alone relishing in his time trapped here with Magnus, shuts him down for days at a time when it hits. He doesn’t eat, he doesn’t sleep, he won’t even speak to Magnus, and though Alec can see the pain it causes Magnus to give him space that’s exactly what he does. They both pretend not to notice when Magnus comes back smelling like ichor and death on those days or the strangled sobs that come from one - or both - them that get caught echoing down otherwise silent halls.

---

On day 413 (because Alec never can stop counting), Magnus perfects opening portals within Edom. On day 415 Alec watches Magnus deliver Lilith to the same fate he condemned Asmodeus to. On day 417, without Lilith’s magic constantly battling against his own every time Magnus reaches out to connect to the demonic realm around him, he’s able to focus enough power to permanently close the rift, and keep it closed besides the smallest tear for a portal back to New York, which he’ll have just enough energy to seal shut behind them if they move fast enough during the transport.

Alec is surprised at the mixed emotions day 418, what will be his final day in Edom if all goes according to plan, brings him.

“Ready?” Magnus sounds anxious, but there’s a smile on his face as he makes the final preparations.

Alec knows he should nod and agree, but instead the words leaving his mouth are: “Would it really be so bad to just stay here?”

“...why would you say that?” Magnus asks slowly, and Alec surprises himself by speaking exactly what’s on his mind.

“You know how much things changed in the three months after we met.... It’s been over a year. I know the plan was always to get back home, back to our lives, but… what if we don’t have a life to return to?” Alec knows, realistically, he can’t simply waltz back in and take over the Institute again. He’s not positive he’ll even be welcomed back among the Nephilim after the decision he made to stay in Edom. And Jace, Izzy, and the others… what if they never found a way to get them back because they didn’t want to?

Or worse, what if they do want him to step right back into his old life, when he isn’t sure that’s what he wants after so much time away.

“Then we go somewhere new, and do something different. Just because we’re getting out of Edom doesn’t mean we have to stay in New York. If you want to travel the world, say the word and it’s done. It’s going to take some adjustment, but we’ll figure it out together. Edom was never meant to be either of our homes.” Magnus says the last sentence with contempt.

It’s reassuring to hear the option out loud. The option for change, for growth, for something different. His life with Magnus prior to Edom was a whirlwind, and their time here far from ideal for growing a healthy relationship. It’s enough to hear from Magnus that he has no expectations of Alec once they’re back except that they’ll figure things out together.

The promise of facing their uncertain futures together is enough to ease Alec’s nerves as he reaches out to take Magnus’ outstretched hands.

“Alright,” he agrees finally. “Let’s go home.”

#malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #shadowhunters #jace herondale #isabelle lightwood #clary fray #as usual SORRY THIS TOOK A MILLION YEARS #but I hope you like it!#I actually really love how this one turned out #elle writes a few deadbeat lines #skylar102 #ask rune #long post

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richincolor · 5 years

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Everyone, please welcome Ismée Williams to Rich in Color! Ismée’s book, THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD, is out on February 11th. We are every excited to have Ismée here to talk about it:

When private school student Isabelle Warren first meets Dominican-American Alex Rosario on the downtown 1 train, she remembers his green eyes and his gentlemanly behavior. He remembers her untroubled happiness, something he feels all rich kids must possess. That, and her long dancer legs. Over the course of multiple subway encounters spanning the next three years, Isabelle learns of Alex’s struggle with his father, who is hell-bent on Alex being a contender for the major leagues, despite Alex’s desire to go to college and become a poet. Alex learns about Isabelle’s unstable mother, a woman with a prejudice against Latino men. But fate—and the 1 train—throw them together when Isabelle needs Alex most. Heartfelt and evocative, this romantic drama will appeal to readers of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen.

THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD has been likened to a modern-day retelling of West Side Story. The secret is, I didn’t start out with that intention. My inspiration for THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD was the jungle that is the great city of New York, how individuals from opposite extremes of life can pass each other on the street or be smushed together in a crowded subway. I loved the idea of putting two teens together in a train car who otherwise wouldn’t cross paths and exploring what would happen. I thought of what they would look like, what they would have in common and what would differ between them. That ended up being a girl, Isa, who’s privileged in the traditional sense, blessed with money, beauty, and talent, and a boy, Alex, who’s less so, because of who his parents are and where they were born. Alex has his own privileges, to be sure–his own beauty, his own talent, and the love and support of his mom and step-mom. But one of his wounds is that strangers make assumptions about him because of what he looks like–a massively tall, very fit, brown-skinned boy. He is definitely the ‘Maria’ character in the West Side Story trope.

THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD shares West Side Story’s message of tolerance. I read somewhere that the creators of the famous musical, composer Leonard Berstein, idea-man and choreographer Jerome Robbins, book writer Arther Laurents and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, originally intended for the conflict to be between rival Catholic and Jewish gangs on the East Side. In August of 1955 the Los Angeles times ran an article, “Six Jailed in Fight Death”, detailing how the leader of a Latino gang had been killed in a fight outside a teen dance hall. After reading this, writer Laurents suggested changing the gangs in the musical to white and Puerto Rican. That’s when interest and funding took off. It’s interesting to consider the show could have been East Side Story! I didn’t see the original Broadway musical, of course (I wasn’t born yet!) but I do remember watching the movie and the conflicting emotions it made me feel. I loved the power of the romance, the idea that love could rise above existing prejudices. As a dancer, I was drawn to the choreography and the music, especially the scenes that celebrated Latinx experience. My abuela was too. I can still hear her high heels clicking against the terra cotta tiles of our kitchen floor as she merengued to the music. But the movie also crystalized for me that society viewed being Latinx as undesireable. I saw the film over twenty years after it had won ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, so I consider it to be terribly outdated. As the child of a Cuban immigrant and a white protestant from New Jersey, I was biased into believing things had changed and that it was easier for my parents than it was for Tony and Maria. I was naive, of course. Couples like Isa and Alex still face challenges, which is something I wanted to explore in THIS TRAIN. But I really wanted to show that love is love and that it is powerful. It might be inconvenient to fall for someone people don’t expect you to be with, but it should never be wrong.

Like West Side Story, THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD revolves around the star-crossed lovers. I intended to show not just Alex and Isa’s attraction, but also their connection which arises from what they share: their passions for dance and baseball and poetry, their love and dedication to their families, and how they both try very, very hard to live up to the expectations of those around them. But I wanted to highlight their attraction, that insistent tug that pulls them together and makes it difficult for them to put the other out of their mind. I hope the reader feels the same draw to the characters and their plight that I felt when I watched West Side Story. For that to happen, there has to be more than just attraction. We need to see the tension, that thing that tears the lovers apart. Just like in West Side Story, there are many external factors that threaten the lovers. Isa’s mother, even though she’s Cuban, doesn’t want her daughter to date a Latino because she grew up with a cheating father. Alex’s friends think he should date a Dominican girl from the Heights, not a blondie from the Upper East Side. One even considers him a traitor. Another friend of Alex’s gets drawn into a Dominican gang, which provides even more parallels to West Side Story. There are internal factors that work against the lovers as well, though here the plot is more Shakespeare than West Side Story, with tragic misunderstandings that stem from not being fully honest with one another. And of course, fate plays its own role. There is another big difference between THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD and West Side Story but I cannot share it without spoiling too much!

I read that the music of the famous America dance scene, sung by EGOT-winning Rita Moreno, doesn’t have roots in Puerto Rico. The rhythms are those of a haupango, a folk dance from Mexico. Just as West Side Story hold up the ideal of the US as a big melting pot and incorporated different elements of Latin rhythms, THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD looks at New York as a place where everyone can belong and explores the spectrum of Latinx identity and Latinx families. I hope readers enjoy the ride!

Ismée Williams is a pediatric cardiologist by day and an accomplished author by night. Her first book with Abrams, Water in May, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim. She lives in New York City.

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salmonthestoryteller · 5 years

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Roswell New Mexico Ships - Plot Speculation

(Blame it on Roswell High)

Okay, so, after reading the book series, I notice that a lot of the plots for RNM come directly from it. They’ve been altered in various ways to fit different characters and the time skip, but the basic points fit.

Examples (Spoiler Warnings for Roswell High ahead!):

A Stowaway caused the ship to crash.

There is a civil war occuring on the Pod Squad’s homeworld.

The group believes one of them has committed a murder, but it turns out they were mind controlled by another alien - an adult who survived the crash.

Both Sheriff Valenti and Major Manes (Kyle & Alex’s fathers) are involved in Project Clean Slate. (The Book’s version of Project Shepherd.)

Cameron (who Jenna Cameron is based on) is blackmailed by Valenti (who is the RH version of RNM’s Jesse Manes) to spy on the Pod Squad.

There is a secret facility that houses another survivor of the crash (though in this case only one, not a large group), and that facility is blown up.

Project Clean Slate has a secret weapon that targets alien biology.

Jim Valenti is killed by an alien, and Kyle does investigate. (Though their characters are not sympathetic in the books.)

I’ve posted a lot of excerpts about different plots in the book, but - despite it being a large portion of the series - I’ve left out a lot about the romances along the way. So I figured I owed a whole speculation post about them. Spoilers for the whole series ahead! Read at your own risk.

Echo, Kyliz, (and Liz x Adam)

Echo in the book runs something like this:

Max is in love with Liz

He saves her life when she is shot

Echo get together

Max breaks up with Liz because he feels he’s putting her in danger

Liz goes on a date with someone else (not Kyle), and Max gets jealous

Liz and Max share a moment when their lives are in danger

Max then reiterates they can’t be together because it’s too dangerous

Max is in danger of dying

Echo gets back together while the group searches for a way to save Max

Max’s life is saved

Echo are together and happy

Max personality slowly changes as the Collective Consciousness begins to take over his mind and life.

Max’s altered personality draws Liz closer to Adam (Another alien from the books)

The Collective Consciousness literally break in while Max is kissing Liz (Ew)

Liz breaks up with Max when she realizes he is no longer the same person.

Liz and Adam share a couple moments

Liz tells Adam she isn’t in love with him, and that she’s still in love with Max.

Adam is killed by DuPris

Max’s body is completely taken over by the Collective Consciousness

The group searches for a way to save Max

Max tries to communicate with Liz through dreams

Max manages to seize control of his body once, when Liz kisses him

Max almost dies with the Collective Consciousness - his molecules disbanding

Liz manages to save Max with the power of their bond

Echo get their HEA

While I’m not sure the ten year gap counts as the break up, we’re pretty much at Max almost dying in their plot points - though the plot points are a bit jumbled for RNM. In our case, Max is actually dead right now. So the group searching for a way to save him comes second, not first.

It’s also true that we don’t currently have an Adam, and while I kind of hope we will get an Adam, I’m also hoping they leave him as a teenager the group looks after. I don’t think his plot would work with the time skip. Nor do I think they could convince you that maybe Liz might end up with him as they do in the books.

However, in RNM we have Kyle. Kyle was who Max was jealous of, not a random character, early in season one. Liz trusts and cares about Kyle in RNM, which is similar to how Liz feels for Adam in RH.

While I feel the plot involving the Collective Consciousness in RH isn’t really directly translatable to RNM, the idea that Max is different when brought back after dying could be done for other reasons. He was already acting oddly after killing Noah, so changing more after coming back to life is believable. (I’m still kinda hoping for Dark Max. But Lightning High Max flaunting his powers could be interesting as well.)

This could draw Liz closer to Kyle, and eventually lead to an Echo break up, during which we get lots of Kyliz moments that make us question whether Liz will end up with Kyle instead of Max. I do suspect if that is the case, that we’ll eventually have a scene, like Liz and Adam have in the book, where Liz tells Kyle she still loves Max and Kyle accepts it with the same heartbreaking grace that Adam did. Because that’s very much a thing our RNM Kyle would do.

I’m not sure, without repeating his nearly dying again, how the end of the novels would translate for Echo. Which is a pity because I really liked the literal use of Max’s earlier line: “Even if my molecules were spread out from here to whatever galaxy my home planet is, that wouldn’t stop me. All my molecules would be like little homing pigeons. They’d all zoom to you, and then I’d reform.”

Whatever danger they choose to put Echo in instead of the Collective Consciousness, I definitely feel like Echo will get their HEA.

Malex, Miluca, (Michael x Iz, Michael x Cameron, Alex x Iz, Alex x ?)

This is a lot more jumbled due to the change of love interests. I do feel that RNM has swapped Alex into Maria’s position in the books (romantically) more than Michael into Isobel’s. And, likewise, has swapped Maria into Isobel’s place. There is a chance they are swapping Maria into both Isobel and Cameron’s place, but it seems unlikely. Also including Alex’s romantic plot because they could be mashing them.

Michael and Maria grow close, and he spends a lot of nights in her room rather than with his foster families.

Michael feels jealous when he spies Maria with a guy in one of her dreams. (It’s him, but he doesn’t realize that. I have no explanation for his level of cluelessness)

Michael and Maria kiss (This is important because it’s their only kiss until the ending.)

Maria gets ahold of one of the Stones of Midnight, granting her psychic powers and bringing her under attack by psychic alien bounty hunters

Michael takes the Stone of Midnight, faces off with the psychic alien bounty hunters and nearly dies

Maria confesses to Michael she’s in love with him

Michael is captured by Project Clean Slate, and grows close to Cameron

Michael and Isobel share a moment after his rescue

Maria demands Michael choose between her and Isobel, and Michael chooses Cameron.

Michael discovers Cameron was a spy for Project Clean Slate and breaks up with her

Michael and Isobel attempt to share another moment, but realize they’re too much like siblings and this isn’t going to work out.

The Stowaway puppets Maria and Michael into a makeout session against their will (WTH is with the villains in RH all being voyeurs?)

Maria uses the moment to break his control over her by connecting to Michael through their bond, which leads to the whole group being able to connect and fight back against the Stowaway

Cameron comes back to help save them from the Stowaway

Cameron leaves in the end because Michael can’t bring himself to trust her again.

Michael and Maria suck at being just friends and act more like a couple but don’t realize it.

Michael has a brother, Trevor, who turns out to be a traitor, and Maria is who comforts him

MIchael’s brother redeems himself, and asks Michael to return to their Homeplanet with him

Michael tries to put distance between Maria and himself, causing her to think he doesn’t love her the way she loves him

Michael realizes he can’t leave Maria at the last possible moment. (Literally at the wormhole)

Michael and Maria finally get their HEA... in Book 10

Alex and Isabel start to get together after he discovers the alien secret

Nikolas spies on Alex and Isabel’s date. (See what I mean about the villains?)

Isabel breaks up with Alex for Nikolas (another alien)

During Isabel’s breakdown after Nikolas’s death, Alex sits outside her door night after night, telling her stories so she won’t feel alone.

Alex and Isabel get back together

Alex introduces Isabel to his family

Isabel breaks up with Alex when an old crush on MIchael rears its head

Alex is accidentally sent to the alien homeworld

Isobel writes Alex letters when he’s on their homeworld, sending them up into the sky on fireworks

Isabel sneaks into Alex’s house and steals Manes’s computer files in an attempt to find a way to save Alex

Alex manages to return on his own, with a Stone of Midnight and pursued by another alien

Alex makes it to the Evans house and collapses in Isabel’s arms

After everything, however, Isabel and Alex talk and realize they just want to be friends

Michael's brother is the alien out to kill Alex for the Stone of Midnight

Alex ends up going out with multiple girls after he and Isabel end things

Alex finds out Isabel’s life is in danger, and demands an alien tracking device from his father

Alex is who Isabel turns to when Trevor asks her to return to their homeworld with Michael and him

Alex and Isabel are the snarky commentary for the two couples at the end of the book, neither in a romance

Well, damn. This is convoluted. And, frighteningly, both Michael and Alex’s romances are full of constant breakups, love triangles, and Michael doesn’t actually get together with his will-they-won’t-they until the series is basically over. I really, really, hope, they don’t do this for Malex.

However, you definitely see where Alex took over Maria and Michael's book plot in the flashbacks. With Michael staying at Alex's toolshed rather than Maria's room, sharing moments, etc.

Basically, we’re at the love triangle in Michael’s plotline. Which did strain Maria and Isabel’s friendship (and they were good friends by the time that plot came up in the book), but which is thrown a loop when Michael chooses someone completely different. I actually approved of that, because it really did end the love triangle in an unexpected way. However, they already gave us Cameron’s whole book plotline, linking her to Max instead of Michael.

I'm a bit at a loss of how they'll handle the love triangle. While I've considered it, having Maria betray them to Project Shepherd seems unlikely. Introducing a third love interest to betray them seems like a repeat of Cam's plot. Part of the reason Michael and Isabel considered each other in RH was because they were members of the Pod Squad. It was basically about the fact they were both aliens and trusted each other completely. That part of why there was a love triangle doesn't exist in RNM because Isobel isn't the third party. My best guess is they'll end Michael and Maria the way they ended Alex and Isabel in RH - with them simply deciding they're better as friends.

I can see both Michael being captured by Project Shepherd and Alex being sent to the alien homeworld as plots. With lots of pining and worrying involved. I would love for Michael's brother Trevor to be a character in RNM, and him gunning for Alex would be seriously awesome angst.

If we steal from Alex’s plot, we can have Alex dating a lot of different guys.. Then him demanding a piece of Project Shepherd technology to save Michael with.

While a scene where Michael chooses Alex over returning to his homeworld would be incredible, can we please take a hint from OG and not wait until the end of the series for it?

Nobel, Maribel, Kybel (Isabel x Nikolas, Isabel x Alex, Isabel x Michael, Isabel x Trevor)

Isabel has a crush on Michael when they’re younger

Alex and Isabel start to get together after he discovers the alien secret

Nikolas spies on Alex and Isabel’s date

Isabel breaks up with Alex for Nikolas (another alien)

Nikolas pushes Isabel to use her powers in ways she’s uncomfortable with

Valenti shoots Nikolas

During Isabel’s breakdown after Nikolas’s death, Alex sits outside her door night after night, telling her stories so she won’t feel alone.

Alex and Isabel get back together

Alex introduces Isabel to his family

Isabel’s old crush on MIchael rears its head after she spies herself in a dream of his

Isabel breaks up with Alex after Michael and her share a moment after he is rescued from Project Clean Slate

Michael and Isobel attempt to share another moment, but realize they’re too much like siblings and this isn’t going to work out.

Alex is accidentally sent to the alien homeworld

Isobel writes Alex letters when he’s on their homeworld, sending them up into the sky on fireworks

Isabel sneaks into Alex’s house and steals Manes’s computer files in an attempt to find a way to save Alex

Alex manages to return on his own, with a Stone of Midnight and pursued by another alien

Alex makes it to the Evans house and collapses in Isabel’s arms

After everything, however, Isabel and Alex talk and realize they just want to be friends

Isabel and Trevor share a moment during a party at the UFO Museum

Trevor betrays the group to DuPris

Isabel enters Akino, and Trevor helps them get her through it without joining the Collective Consciousness

Trevor, Michael and Alex kill DuPris after he kills Adam

Isabel and Trevor have several more moments

Trevor asks Isabel to return to their homeworld with Michael and him

Isabel chooses to stay because “My family is here. My whole family. I can’t leave.”

Trevor promises her he’ll return someday

Alex and Isabel are the snarky commentary for the two couples at the end of the book, neither in a romance

Okay, I get the notion of “Not everyone needs a romance to have a HEA”, but after pairing Isabel with pretty much every guy in the book who wasn’t her brother, not giving her a romantic HEA seemed pretty messed up to me. I adore her and Alex as both friends and a couple. I didn’t really care for Trevor with her, so in a way I’m kind of glad she stayed and their romance was left with an ambiguous, “I will return someday” rather than him staying. But, seriously? Can Isobel end at least one series in a happy, committed relationship?

I feel like they purposefully set up Noah as a lawyer and Isobel’s husband because OG fans would connect him to Jesse. Where he’s much closer to a mix between DuPris and Nikolas. Isabel was given Adam’s plot of killing someone while being puppeted, though in her case it’s Rosa and the Girls rather than Valenti. But Noah’s death came early in the series, like Nikolas, unlike DuPris who is not revealed as the villain until much later, and remains a major villain for most of the series. (I am currently eyeing Grant Green, seeing as DuPris ran the alien news tabloid, and Grant ran the fake alien news radio broadcast, but that has nothing to do with Isobel’s romances.)

We know her entire romantic plot with Alex is out the window in RNM. I also feel like they will not be touching on any notion of her and Michael together at all. They’ve stressed the Pod Squad’s connection as familial a lot, and I don’t think they’ll be changing that.

Bookwise that only leaves Trevor as Isabel’s official book romance. I want them to bring in Trevor because I feel his overall plot would be a great addition. But if they do pair him with Isobel, I really hope they give a lot more time to their romance. More interactions before the reveal Trevor is a traitor. Definitely him helping to save her life somehow and redeeming himself against whoever he betrayed them for. More time after he rejoins the group, before they have to make the decision to return to their homeworld or not. Maybe the leaving scene can be season 3 or 4, so he can return in a later season, and Isobel can have a romantic HEA. If that is where they go.

I still have hope for Maribel in RNM. Honestly, Maria and Isabel have the closest relationship for her after her and Alex, and so if we’re reading subtext - how is this: While telling Trevor she can’t leave, she is holding Max and smiling at Maria.

Or, alternatively, since Kyle is so awesome in RNM, we can have her Naughty Nurse dream visit in a totally different scenario, and have Kybel?

Basically, Izzy’s romantic future is completely in the air.

#roswell new mexico #echo #rnm echo #malex #miluca #kyliz #maribel #kybel #rnm nobel #nobel #roswell high #ships #plot speculation #spoilers

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snkpolls · 5 years

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SnK S3E16 Poll Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 352 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

RATE THE EPISODE 338 Responses

This episode gained a lot of positive responses with 87.6% rating it at a 5, with only a couple people not so impressed. Hopefully future episodes will keep up the high streak!

As it stands right now, this is my favorite episode from the anime. How the Beast Titan's rampage was animated was so much more horrific and impactful than the manga, I felt more sympathy with Erwin than I did when I read the manga, and the final series of scenes that depict the suicide charge were so masterfully done I felt my heart grow heavy. Absolutely spectacular. I hope the next episode is even better <3

It was fucking amazing. Perfect game, more like perfect episode

Great job all around the board imo. The rock throwing was truly horrifying either the red mist, and the screams were done perfectly

So far easily the most harrowing, depressing episode of the anime :/

Even though I knew what it is going to happen in this ep, wit has managed to surprise me. Best episode of the season so far with the first one.

Favorite episode of the series so far

It was great, but the poor animation quality really ruins some serious moments in this arc, as many people are dying

Just Perfect, the tension and release were just on point 👌

Took the crown from S2EP6 as the best of the series for me.

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT? 349 Responses

A lot of attention was on Erwin this chapter and many were moved by his scenes. Most notably, his charge with his soldiers at the Beast Titan led with 28.9% respondents picking it as their favorite moment. 17.8% respondents said Levi kneeling in front of Erwin and vowing to take down Zeke was their favorite, followed by Erwin’s motivational speech at 14.3%.

Bombardment scene was made 30 times better in the anime.

It was the moment we were all waiting for, and it happened and now I'm like a deflated balloon of emotion. Thank you, Erwin.

The imagery of the fallen scouts chilled me and I loved that included Isabel, Farlan, Isle Lagnar etc but my anger towards Annie has been resurged seeing Petra's face. Female titan I'll never forgive you for wrecking Levi Squad!

Erwin and Levi's relationship is one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen, and I was happy seeing how it was portrayed, finally. With them having cut so many of the moments that showed Erwin as human, I'm glad they took the time to draw the moment of his smile so much. Long live my Commander, I would have followed him to hell.

I was astonished at how well they adapted Levi and Erwin's scenes. Bravo, the animation was top notch, the voice acting was stellar, like wow.

The bodies on the red background was really dark & was the part that had the most impact on me (as opposed to the manga)

erwin and levi's talk made me a lot more emotional than it did in the manga. the whole team did a pretty damn good job with this episode.

WHO WAS THE EPISODE'S MVP? 348 Responses

Unsurprisingly, Erwin gains the MVP award for this episode. Some think Levi stands out as well.

Erwin is humanity"s greatest soldier. Rest in peace, Commander.

Ono Daisuke is the goddamn mvp

Erwin made me gay

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CONNIE MAKING A PUN ABOUT THE FALLING HOUSES? 346 Responses

28% of respondents can relate to Connie’s stressful comedic moment, with 27.5% believe he has the right to make jokes. Some are rolling their eyes or think this isn’t quite an appropriate time.

I think Connie´s joke was his own form of mental breakdown. It makes him all the more relatable to me.

WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE IF YOU WERE ASKED TO JOIN THE SUICIDE CHARGE? 345 Responses

If asked to join Erwin on the suicide charge, a majority at 38.8% of respondents would have faith in the commander and hope to survive. 30.1% of participants aren’t sure what they would do, while an equal amount of people are between retreating or surrendering on the spot.

Crack a joke like Connie

If Erwin throw himself from a bridge, I would too! The fuck. Ok but being serious, being in that horrible scenario without a chance to survive, just nod and fight until the end.

Fuck it. I'm going die anyway; might as well go out swingin

cry, disassociate, and die. in that order.

Lads you would not catch me within 1000 miles of a battlefield. I'm less useful than Reiner on a battlefield, and that's saying something.

Pull a Floch and shit myself while crying

I would actually with all my heart follow Commander Erwin fucking Smith with no expectations of survival. Never have I ever encountered a man as compelling as him, real or fictional.

Sorry Erwin but... someone’s gotta keep Floch from being an ass. I’m sure you understand.

Not really but what about trying to hide closer to the wall since zeke will be throwing rocks at erwin and the others... then wait until levi is done with the monkey.

I would have never been stupid enough to join the survey corps to begin with lol

DO YOU THINK LEVI MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE TO FOLLOW ERWIN’S PLAN OVER HIS OWN? 346 Responses

41.3% of respondents believe that there was no other choice Levi could have made except to defeat the Beast Titan. 39.9% think the plan was the better of the two strategies.

It was the only viable narrative choice, but if it was a real battle retreating with as many survivors as possible might have been sensible.

Levi gave Erwin salvation by making the choice for him and gladly transferred Erwin's own burden of guilt and responsibilities onto his own shoulders. Which also why the word choice of "follow" seems iffy. Erwin is a proven master strategist and brilliant tactician, so of course you always go with his plan. BUT Levi didn't just 'follow' his plan, he made an active *choice* to implement the plan. It is Levi's plan as much as it is Erwin's.

Levi let his personal feelings get in the way of determining what would be the best hope for Humanity's survival.

I sincerely doubt Beastie would have let the survivors go unmolested all the way back to Wall Rose, and Levi knew it which was why he said he doesn't really expect anyone to survive this situation. Erwin had to make his last contribution to humanity in that moment, and they both knew that.

i think the plan should have been to stunt the beast, as we know that he doesn't get killed here anyway (obvs they don't know that), just buy some time ans save as many souls as possible.

HOW MUCH DID ERWIN’S INSPIRATIONAL SPEECH MOTIVATE YOU? 345 Responses

A large majority of voters are willing to believe in Erwin’s encouraging words and die by them no matter the risk.

I'LL FOLLOW YOU TO THE GRAVE COMMANDER ERWIN!!

ERRRRWWWIIIINNN!

WHO YELLED THE BEST INSULT TO BERTOLT? 345 Responses

Out of the few distracting insults, Sasha calling Bertolt a “massive pervert lord” was the best out of the three for 69.6% of respondents.

BEST SHOCKED FACE THIS EPISODE? 348 Responses

It isn’t often Levi is caught off-guard, so his shocked expression this episode was favored by 41.1% of voters. 23.3% of people thought Erwin had an expressive reaction as well.

Erwin’s face when he got hit... Wish we could’ve seen the gore though.

HOW WELL DID WIT ADAPT THE CORRESPONDING CHAPTERS? 343 Responses

There were a couple unsatisfied viewers, but overall a majority of participants believe the episode was fairly accurate to the manga.

the suicide charge was perfectly done.

that slow mo scene of the first boulder shower was amazing! and then the red mist of blood, the screams and cries of fear, pain, and death of the soldiers, the shock, despair, the ghosts of the dead soldiers, the emotion of Erwin and Levi’s last conversation, gosh this episode was beautiful in a morbid and heartbreaking way

It was very well done. It hurt, but not quite as much as the manga did.

Incredible adaptation. I’m tempted to call it flawless.

erwins soft smile after levi confirms what they must do was so special, especially since they hung on erwins face for a while

This episode was far more horrific than the manga version - the blood mist and the screams really upped the fear.

WHICH VERSION OF CONNIE'S JOKE DID YOU LIKE BEST? 346 Responses

There were a few different translations of Connie’s joke depending on the medium. 43.9% preferred Connie’s pun in the manga about Eren having a roof over his head again, while 31.8% thought Connie’s “Yeager” pun in Japanese was the funniest.

The only funny version of connie's joke is the japanese one...

HOW DID THE ADAPTATION OF ERWIN’S MOMENT OF GRIEF AFFECT YOU? 340 Responses

Erwin’s moment of grief was a somber scene for many, and over half of participants feel the adaptation tugged on their heart strings more than when they read the manga. Less than a quarter felt more sympathetic, with quite a number preferring the original manga version better.

There’s something about actually hearing his voice that made me want to cry again

I dunno, I think both mediums had different but equal impact in terms of the actual speech. The anime is very emotionally and viscerally effective, whereas with the manga you take longer to process what's in front of you at your own pace, in the privacy of your own skull. Both very moving.

Can't reproduce reading it for the first time but this was great.

I really liked it, but the manga is still more powerful for me.

Doesn't matter to me. I felt the same sorrow and overwhelmed like in the manga was a couple years ago. Great job WIT, absolutely!

I prefer the scene in the manga because of Erwin having more moments of being himself instead of colder than a summer day in Colorado, as the manga clues in more to him being a sad old man. However, Ono Daisuke’s voice acting was ON POINT. Erwin’s voice cracks like he was going to cry, the distance in his voice, it just made me cry.

I was practically sobbing on the floor, take from that what you will.

The hidden option of: Both were heartbreaking to me

KNOWING FLOCH NOW, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HIS BREAKDOWN? 348 Responses

Since RtS, Floch has become a paramount character in the current manga arc. Viewing his breakdown in the episode, 37.1% respondents think the moment was great in humanizing him. 18.4% respondents are less moved and found pleasure in his despair. Several were reminded why they used to like Floch and some gave praise to his seiyuu’s performance.

Back when I read the chapters, I found Floch to be annoying, now with the recent ones I really dislike him more. I still felt the same watching the episode but the seiyuu did a good job

Um, a combination of the above options I think. I was always 'meh' about Floch until his jerkface side began to show. So I never actually 'liked' him, but I certainly empathised with him at this point, and his seiyuu was definitely brilliant!

I have never liked him, really

I don't agree with his mindset in the current chapters of the manga but seeing the fucked up shit that he went through being the sole survivor and even then not being able to revive the Commander. I can see that trauma changed him to just follow Eren's instructions that he would let someone like Zeke live on but give far lesser thoughts to his actual saviour, Levi. As such, in the particular episode and the extent of the anime, I pity him and his VA did an amazing job of displaying a normal soldier's reaction.

Independently from his future actions, I think his breakdown is irresponsible and it doesn't help, given the circumstances.

Floch's a prick, but his VA was fantastic here and actually made me sympathize with him quite a bit. Can't wait to hate him again in a few eps though.

I had a lot of sympathy for him at the time in the manga, and seeing it again has made me think about how he's come to the point he has in the current story. PTSD and survivor's guilt explain a lot.

Hate him with a passion. I had forgotten that Levi actually kinda saved him, and now knowing how he wanted to kill Levi in recent chapters made me hate him even more.

I don’t give a floch

I think there still a hidden motive that Floch has since he is definitely following Eren now. I predict that in his mind he is honoring his fallen comrades by acting the way he is in recent chapters. Might be messed up externally, but I think there is more to Floch since his motives likely match Eren’s who we still haven’t quite figured just yet.

Of course we can have sympathy for someone without justifying their actions. I do sympathise terribly with Floch's trauma as the sole survivor of the suicide charge, but I do NOT accept it as a reason to become a militant ethno-nationalist. (His seiyuu was beyond amazing tho, props)

who the fuck is floch?

MARLOWE AND MOBLIT’S DEATHS ARE COMING UP AND SOME HAVE EXPRESSED THAT THEY WOULD LIKE SOME ADDITIONAL ANIME ORIGINAL SCENES FOR THEM - THOUGHTS? 347 Responses

Sadly, Marlowe and Moblit’s death scenes will be shown within the next couple episodes. 50.1% of respondents believe these scenes are impactful enough to stick with the manga while 36% would want to see the anime had something more.

Additional scene definitely for Moblit!! Poor boi is so underrated :'-(

Marlowe :( :( :(

I would definitely like to see more of Moblit, we have barely seen him this season. I feel like the only scenes we'll see him in are pre-death and post-death (we could see him as a ghost in Erwin's grief scene). Moblit deserves way more than this. Marlowe is adorable and seeing him die will be enough to break my heart, especially when you think that the only person surviving that suicide charge was not a great person like him, but the disgusting scumbag that Floch is.

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 348 Responses

A majority of readers at 69.8% can’t wait to see the infamous first battle between Humanity’s Strongest and the War Chief. 23.3% are more enthusiastic for Armin’s face-off against Bertolt. Needless to say, it’s going to be an eventful episode.

I AM NOT READY FOR SHINGANSHINA FRIED ARMIN.

Isn’t it wild that next episode we’ll likely see the defeat of all three of the Warriors? Bye Zeke, Bye Reiner, Super-Bye Bertholdt.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

This was the best episode so far that has been aired. The emotions were high, the soundtrack was impeccable, the animation/drawings were fantastic (aka Levi had emotions!!!), and it really did a good job manifesting the hopelessness of the situation to the audience.

I forgot how hopeless the situation was during all of this. The constant narrating on stones in the background and the recruits screams really showed that

My only gripes were the music choice and lack of proper facial expression (Although, maybe that's just because Isayama is amazing at expressions)

That red mist was so horrible and made everything look so gruesome, I was in shock. This episode really hit me hard, I wasn't ready to watch it and now that I have, I'm having a hard time recovering

I was HEARTBROKEN at the end of this episode. Hard enough to read the chapter, worse still to see it on screen. So much sorrow and regret for poor Erwin.

I need that piano ost

Rip Erwin. Shinzou'ed his last sasageyo.

I've never felt something watching SnK until this episode. Erwin's face during the suicide charge was something... That was the real face of fear. He knew he had to let go his dreams for the sake of humanity, unlike previous times where he used this excuse to move forward his dream.

The music and Erwins’s voice actor made it nearly perfect

WIT is playing a dangerous game with the amount of CGI they're using. It hasn't really "ruined" anything for me yet, but they're getting close.

I cried even though i already knew what would happen. Is it normal doctor ?

The episodes have just gotten better and better, and this one might just be my favorite in the series. Definitely top 3. Just fantastic execution all around. It truly managed to bring back that feeling of hopelessness. Daisuke Onoue is an absolute legend. Not ashamed to say I cried about 3 times opon rewatches.

This episode broke me. Literally. I was mourning for Erwin for a while after, still am. I thought having read the manga would prepare me somewhat for the Vow™ conversation, but holy shit. I dunno if this is in the manga but Erwin had tears in his eyes when he sat on the crate. Erwin Smith was *crying*. And his voice (kudos to Daisuke Ono!!!) just. Absolutely wrecked me. Amazing, amazing episode. The kind you badly want to rewatch again and again but can't without bolstering up your emotional strength each goddamn time.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 332 Responses

Thanks to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again in a few days!

#snk spoilers #snk s3 #snk polls #snk poll #poll results

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themusechronicles · 5 years

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Family Day II || A TMC Fanfic

Fandom: Shadowhunter Chronicles Ship: Malec Plot: Dinner with a homophobic father while pretending to be dating [but also madly in love] should be easy, right? Alec and Magnus are about to find out.

Part of the Dorm Life Drabble series [ AKA: My gifts to @ofdemonicmagic ]

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Isabelle had left just over an hour prior and with each minute she was gone; likely spending time with their parents, the more tense Alec got. Magnus checked on the enchiladas they’d decided to make and sighed when he found Alec tapping his fingers nervously on the counter of the breakfast bar. “Alexander, relax. Everything will be fine.”

“Will it?” Alec asked. “My dad is so convinced that me being gay is just some phase that he is going to be extra, extra attentive once they get here and if he doesn’t think we’re legit, he’ll just blow up and of all the things in my life I could not handle, it would be my father losing his mind on you over some stupid slip up, and-” he was cut off as Magnus placed a finger on his lips, blue eyes looking down at the hand, and then following it as Magnus pulled it away. “Magnus, I-”

“Shh,” Magnus quieted him, turning the seat so that Alec’s body was facing him. “We are going to get through this. You are strong, talented, and beautiful and if your father can’t see that, then he and I will have some serious words because you deserve happiness and he should not try to control you like that.” His tone was fierce and he reached up to lay a hand on Alec’s cheek. “You’re so stressed out over this. Are you sure you want to go through with it?”

Alec blinked, fighting the urge to lean into the warm hand on his cheek. “I’ll be fine, Magnus. I just didn’t want you to meet them like this.” he admitted, smiling sadly. “I know how my dad is and he really doesn’t like who I am and I don’t want him to take it out on you and I-” He was cut off once again, but this time by warm lips taking his into a kiss. He gave a startled noise before he relaxed and kissed back, one hand moving to Magnus’ hip and drawing him in. It was warm and gentle, nothing like what he’d experienced in the past, and he tilted his head to deepen it, humming as he felt arms around his neck. As with everything that came with Magnus, it was careful and caring and he fell into it as he pulled Magnus closer still, letting himself forget about the stress of seeing his father again. Content and wonderfully blissed out, he didn’t hear the knock or the door open until the sound of a throat clearing startled him. The two pulled away and looked over, Alec’s face flushed with pink as he looked over at where his parents stood with Isabelle. “Mom, Dad, hi…” he started.

“Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood.” Magnus said, reaching to lay a hand on Alec’s knee and squeeze reassuringly before walking over. “I didn’t realize Izzy would be bringing you so soon. I’m Magnus, Alexander’s boyfriend.” he held out his hand, smiling as the woman with long hair tied back at the base of her neck took it with a warm smile and a nod.

“A pleasure, Magnus. I’m Maryse, and this is my husband, Robert.” she introduced. “Isabelle tells me you two haven’t been together very long.”

“Not very long at all,” Magnus agreed, nodding.

“And by that, don’t you mean as of today?” the man asked in a tone full of disdain, but before Magnus could answer, there was an arm at his back.

“Watch the way you talk to Magnus in our home, dad.” Alec said, anger hidden beneath the casual words. “We’ve been together just over a month.” he said, blue eyes unwavering a he stared at his father. HE then turned to Maryse and his entire demeanor softened. “Mom, hi.”

“Oh, Alec, how are you, darling?” Maryse asked, hugging her son. Magnus didn’t miss the way Alec happily hugged back.

“I’m doing good, mom. Really good.” Alec answered. “Magnus and I made enchiladas.” he offered, moving to motion at the table.

“You cook together?” Robert sounded doubtful, and Magnus felt his body tense up angrily. “And who pays for the food?”

“We both do.” Magnus answered this time. “So before you start thinking that my being with your son has anything to do with your failed status as a senator, you’re sadly mistaken. Alexander is an amazing person, and if you have a problem with me - or with us - then I will happily let everyone on campus know how you stand on our rights.” He wasn’t trying to scare Robert, he was just making his point known, but he saw the fear brush through the man’s features as he stood up to him. “Now, we’ve worked very hard to make a wonderful dinner to share with you and Isabelle, but if there’s a problem, I’ll have to ask you to kindly leave and your wife will meet up with you later.” He reached to take Alec’s hand, anger subsiding a little as Alec’s fingers laced with his own and squeezed gently. “So are we going to have a problem, Mr. Lightwood?”

There was a tense moment between the men as Robert stared Magnus down and Magnus stared right back without faltering until, at last, Robert broke and put on a fake smile. “Not at all.”

Magnus cocked his head as he nodded, letting Alec’s hand go to hug Isabelle. “Hello, beautiful girl. Thank you for bringing them to dinner.”

Isabelle had stood watching the exchange, proud of her brother and of Magnus, and as she hugged Magnus, she smiled and whispered in his ear. “You two are perfect.” She then moved to get some tea, sitting at the table as Magnus and Alec plated food and brought the plates over. “Oh, it smells wonderful, guys.” she praised, grinning.

“Alexander said you guys enjoy Mexican food, and my mother had an amazing recipe, so we made it. Enjoy.” Magnus replied, sitting down next to Alec. He looked at Alec and when he saw the smile on the other’s lips, he smiled back. He turned to look when Maryse made a pleased sound, proud of the response.

“This is fabulous, you two!” Maryse praised, dabbing her mouth with the napkin. “Your mother is a talented cook, indeed.” She paused as Magnus looked down, her smile fading. “What is it?”

“Magnus’ mom died when he was young.” Alec said, reaching to grab Magnus’ hand and squeeze gently.

“Oh. Oh, my. I’m so sorry, dear.” Maryse apologized.

“How did she die?” Robert asked, looking up at Magnus.

The look wasn’t missed, and Alec squeezed Magnus’ hand in apology, knowing how much Magnus hated talking about his mother’s death. “Dad, that’s not an appropriate-”

“It’s okay, darling.” Magnus said, squeezing his hand back and lifting their hands to kiss Alec’s knuckles. He took a deep breath, then looked up and leveled Robert with a stare. “My father wasn’t a nice man. He found out my mother was becoming close with another man and killed her.” he explained. “He stabbed her numerous times while I hid in a hall closet.” He was quiet for a long moment. “The family of my best friend were there for me through the trial and adopted me after it was all done. I grew up with them.”

“Where was this, exactly?” Robert asked.

“Robert!” Maryse’s voice was offended. “That is most certainly inappropriate.”

“Maryse, it concerns me that this man is the son of a murderer. Did it not occur to you that it could be a rouse-” Everything went silent as Alec pounded his hand onto the table and stood up so fast the chair fell over.

“Get. Out.” he snapped.

“Alec…” Izzy whispered, stunned by the anger in her brother’s eyes.

“Sit down, Alexander.” Robert said simply. “Quit making a scene.”

“A scene?” Alec asked, a sarcastic laugh escaping him as he ran a hand through his hair. “A scene? This? This is not a scene, Robert . This is you trying to guilt Magnus into whatever it is you want. My guess is money. Lots of money to leave me and never look back, right? Just like with Sebastian?”

“Alec, Sebastian was different.” Izzy said calmly, though there was a quiet fear in hr,

“I know that was different, Izzy. Honestly, I’m glad he took that money and ran. But this is ridiculous and I am done letting him try and mold us into the perfect children he wants.” Alec answered, turning back to Robert with a dangerous glare. “You think I don’t remember your little mind games?” he asked, voice harsh but hardly raised. “You don’t fool me. You came here to try and win votes for a re-election after your failure when you publicly made an actual scene of disowning me last year. You think you can just come to the school where Izzy and I are excelling and happy then you dare to imply that Magnus would hurt me - kill me - to get at you. Do you hear yourself? The abuse and control you have to have over us? I’m done. Get out, and I swear to whatever gods you’re faking belief in this time, you better not ever show your face in my life again. Do you understand?”

Robert had been staring in stunned silence as his children spoke, but his eyes never left Alec. “Alexander.”

“It’s Alec to you.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s Alec to you. Now get out, or I will call security and have you escorted out.” Alec snapped. He watched as Robert wiped his mouth, slowly stood and looked at his mother.

“Maryse, let’s go.” Robert demanded. When she didn’t immediately stand, he looked at her harshly. “Maryse, now!”

“No, Robert.” Maryse snapped, looking up at him from where she sat next to her daughter. “You can go, and I will meet you at the hotel. Just because you have an image in your head of what our children should be does not - by any extension of our marriage - mean that I must cut my children from my life.” She stared at her husband, back straight and gaze fierce. “I am proud of our children. Of Alec for having the courage to come out. Of Isabelle for having the determination to make a company all her own. Of Max, for studying so hard to be a lawyer despite his young age. Our children have done nothing wrong, and I am tired of you treating them as slaves and scapegoats for your failure as a father and husband.” She looked back down, her gaze going from Izzy, to Alec and then Magnus, smiling. “I am going to enjoy dinner with our children and Alec’s wonderful boyfriend and that’s the end of this discussion.” Robert seemed as if he’d been slapped in the face, and for a moment he just stood. Then his fist collided with the table - causing Maryse and Izzy to both jump, before he stormed out.

The door slammed and Magnus was stunned at the way Alec and Maryse visibly relaxed. He was quiet before he squeezed Alec’s hand, looking at him in concern. “Alexander?” The name seemed to break whatever was going on in Alec’s head and he looked up, sighing and smiling at Magnus in a way that made Magnus’ heart ache.

“Thanks, Magnus. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without you.” Alec answered, lifting their hands to kiss Magnus’ knuckles.

“I’m proud of you, big brother.” Izzy said, smiling. “And you, mom.”

“Thank you. All of you.” Maryse said. “I doubt your father will let me do anything, so I believe I will be staying the night, if that’s okay, boys? Tomorrow I have things I need to do.”

“Things to do?” Izzy began.

“Starting with a divorce lawyer. And then I will be making an announcement that I plan to run for Senate.” Maryse replied. “It would honor me if the three of you would come and stand with me when I make the announcement publicly.”

#tmcff #tmcff; Family Day II #College Dorm Life Series;; tmcff #malec fanfiction #you have all the time in the world;; queue

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