Hey I know I’ve been a bit absent this past week, i’ve got loads of stuff I’m working on but sadly none of it finished (a lot of it is 50% there). Had real lockdown blues and also getting super anxious about the new state of equilibrium we’ll have and just generally feeling overwhelmed. 💔 But today I decided to get this written and it’s made me feel a little better, I hope it helps some of you too :) These are quite a bit shorter than the essays I wrote for Erwin, Levi, Mike & Hange.
Today I’ve written about Moblit, Nanaba, Ness, Gelgar & Rico ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )
Moblit is an incredibly good judge of character and knows exactly how to read people.
So when he sees you looking nervous/worried and a little too alert he recognises what you’re going through.
Is cautious when he approaches you not wanting to startle you or be too overbearing. He understands that sometimes when people are feeling low the last thing they want is to be crowded by others - but he also wants to let you know he’s there for you if you need to talk or can give you space for now and come back in a bit.
He walks up to you from the front, again not to startle you. He’ll clear his throat and when you make eye contact he’ll offer a small smile, “Hey just wanted to let you know I’m here if you need to talk.”
He wants to give hugs but knows it can be too much so they’ll be a reassuring pat on the shoulder, a slightly more awkward smile and a pause while he waits for you to respond.
If you need space, he’ll come back later with a drink each and just sit with you on the grass while the two of you talk things out. He can relate to a lot of what you’re going through and hearing that makes you feel better. Moblit is someone you can easily sit in silence with and it never feels awkward, it’s just pleasant to be in his company like home.
And if you feel like you don’t belong (in the cadets/scouts wherever you chose to join) he’ll let you know that you’re not alone in that. That many cadets feel somewhat lost and join to find a home, a family, but often it can be confusing - he too had suffered with the same thoughts and nightmares. Being in Hange’s team and finding his place by their side really helped.
Nanaba is a sweet heart and the best big sister to anyone who needs her to be just that.
If you’re not yourself during training exercises or when you’re around others, she won’t ask you then for fear of embarrassing you in front of the others. Rather she’ll wait till the training is over, if you seem to be struggling a little or looking like you’re going to cry/making clumsy mistakes she might call it a few minutes early or ask Mike to take over while she takes you to the side.
Whatever has happened she’ll listen without interruption, acknowledging what you’re saying as you speak so you know she’s taking in your every word.
Is really good at calming people down when panicking, helping with breathing exercise and grounding.
Will take you somewhere quiet but also neutral, so away from others or anything that reminds you of the experience you’re worried about.
Reassuring back rubs/hand holding etc. (if you’re happy with physical contact) if not Nanaba understands and will reassure you with words which she is exceptional with, sometimes it’s like poetry with her.
Like many of the others will tell you a story about when she was younger and in love with someone. She made a mistake which very few apart from her closest friends know about and it still occasionally haunts her.
Hearing someone so strong and determined talk about something that made them feel how you are now makes you feel a lot less silly for feeling that way as well as less alone.
Like Nanaba, if he notices in the class room or during training that you’re not your usual self he’ll do his best not to draw attention to you, picking on the other cadets instead.
When you go to leave the class room he’ll ask to speak with you quickly, “Everything okay?”
There’s something so friendly and genuine about Ness it’s hard not to like him or to open up to him. A day before you’d never have imagined speaking to him about the personal things you ended up telling him, but it turns out he’s one of the easiest people to speak to.
He’ll smile often, it’s not condescending or gloating, it’s just pure kindness that radiates from him.
He may not be as good at advice as some of the others, or really know what to say apart from that time heals and in a few days you’ll feel different. Or that someone else you know is bound to make a mistake or do something embarrassing in the next 24 hours that will distract you and anyone else who knows what you did. It makes you feel better.
When you’re done talking he asks if you’d like to visit the stables with him and help groom and feed Charlotte as well as some of the other scout horses. It’s really relaxing and a perfect distraction to the chaos that’s going on inside your head.
Ness tells you that whenever you’re feeling like this, you’re always welcome at the stables or to come and give him and the others a helping hand.
He also tells you a few things he has done (some in the not too distant past), pranks played that went wrong, embarrassing moments when asking someone out on a date. The stories make you giggle.
Not the best at reading other people as he gets a little too wrapped up in his own mind sometimes. It doesn’t mean he doesn't care but he isn’t as observant as others, so if you want to talk to him about something you’re going to have to be blunt.
Will at first laugh about it, possibly making a joke at your expense. It isn’t meant to be cruel, he’s trying to help you see the funny side of it but you probably won’t see it like that. What’s worse is that even if you do react badly, he’ll probably repeat it several times and exaggerate, hoping that you’ll see the funny side eventually. He also knows if he stops talking he’ll have to address the awkward silence which is bound to open up.
However, when he realises just how upset you are over what’s happened and that you’re still not laughing he’s the kinda guy who will apologise and then continue to apologise for making you feel worse, saying sorry way too many times than is needed. But he will be genuinely concerned and want to reassure you that it was a joke with best intentions.
Afterwards he’ll give you what will probably be a really awkward hug.
Offers to get you a drink (of course he does) so you can go somewhere and talk further. Whether you’re in his room, by the river or in a bar, once he’s had a few drinks he starts to open up, confessing this is how he deals with his own issues.
But Gelgar, for his awkwardness and poor way of dealing with things at first, he recognises the situation and while he opens up to you he doesn’t try to make it about himself, he’ll always bring it back to you and how he can help.
Just listening to him talk does help though and the fact he has opened up to you means something.
Pragmatic to the core - like Levi she may seem a little harsh at first and try to get you to snap out of it and focus on the bigger picture.
Who cares if you embarrassed yourself in training/asking someone out - come tomorrow they’ll be someone else to talk about and more important things to worry about.
Again it isn’t that she doesn’t care but she’s seen so much and many incidents where others have made mistakes which have cost lives.
But, she tells you, the thing is you can’t dwell on it. If you did you’d drive yourself mad.
She tells you this from experience (she kinda looks sad when she confesses this) and in opposite fashion to Gelgar, will make a joke at her own expense to try and make you feel better.
After the initial slightly cold approach she will soften a little and apologise, patting you on the shoulder and letting you know she’s always there if you need to talk.
She understands that it’s not as simple as ‘just cheering up/forgetting about/stopping worrying’ etc. but she tries to put things into perspective while equally letting you know your feelings are valid and sometimes it’s okay to feel like this.
Reminds you that we all learn from our mistakes and that is how we grow as people.
