#the 104th

[alexdswfan]

I'd like to talk about something I've always found fascinating between Levi and Hange and it's how Levi sometimes "forgets" Eren is his subordinate in favour of Hange. What I mean by forgetting is how he allows Hange to discipline Eren as if Hange was Eren's superior when Levi is Eren's direct superior. One of the reasons Levi beats Eren in court is so the Survey Corps can acquire Eren under their ranks, for which Levi personally says he will take responsibility for him as his superior (see in chapter 18, What Should I Do Now?). Meaning that Levi is Eren's direct superior. And yet, there are a few times when he doesn't act like it and I find that both funny and fascinating.

The first time we see this leniency from Levi when Hange is involved is in chapter 20, Special Operations Squad, where now Eren is fully part of Levi's squad and Hange goes to see Levi to ask him if Eren is busy the next day since they'd like Eren to assist them in their Titan experiments (classic Hange). Levi's answer is simply "Cleaning the yard" for which Hange automatically assumes it's settled, Eren will spend the day with them and Levi is surprisingly fine with it.

I find this situation overturn quite hilarious especially since Hange personally came to Levi to ask him about Eren since Eren is under him, not under them, and then Hange just made plans for Eren as if he were always under them when it's not the case. We can also not really say there is a difference between Hange's position as squad leader and Levi's position as captain. Hange got that rank traditionally through promotions while Levi's exceptional strength already made him perfect to have his own squad, but at the end of the day, one doesn't outweigh the other, so Hange should've never been able to take over the situation like that and yet Levi let them. This is honestly one of my favourite interactions between them because it shows how much Hange understands Levi's weird way of talking. How "cleaning the yard" means Eren is pretty much free, so Hange just imposed themself to take him instead. And even if Hange technically says they are here to ask for Levi's permission, they didn't really ask for it because they took that decision for Levi anyway and the funniest part is that Levi had no objections to this sudden change of Eren's plans.

This also reminds me of another scene from chapter 53, Smoke Signal, where now the Survey Corps are into hiding as they're being hunted by the Military Police and they take that opportunity to do Titan experiments with Eren. Eren is clearly too exhausted to keep transforming and Mikasa disobeys orders again, rushing to Eren's aid. And Levi then asks Hange whether they should punish Mikasa for this insubordination.

I find it interesting Levi says "we" here when Mikasa is again in his squad only, meaning Levi is her direct superior, not Hange, and we cannot claim Hange started adopting Levi's new squad like in later chapters since their own squad wasn't yet killed by Kenny. And again, Hange naturally takes that decision for him by saying they shouldn't punish her. It's honestly hilarious how much Hange can do as they please with Levi's own subordinates and Levi is totally fine with that. No objections, he just agrees. It's not like Hange is Levi's superior either so he necessarily needs to obey their orders. He just goes along with whatever Hange is saying. I find these moments hilarious that he needs to ask Hange when he has no reason to ask Hange since the 104th are under his direct supervision and yet here he is, just asking Hange how he should deal with his own squad. For a "scary" captain like Levi, truly there is someone who doesn't find him "scary" at all.

All of this is surprisingly consistent with what happens in this smartpass story, The Library That's Covered in Dust. Many people have already talked about how Levi comes to Hange's rescue and saves them from books falling over them or that he makes a comment about how their shirt is wet and therefore "seen-through". And an honourable mention to Hange's "you're kind" that makes Levi all flustered fanfiction style. But what I'd like to add about this story is the reason Levi explains to Hange for seeing them, and his reason is to ask Hange permission about Eren roaming the castle and to ask them if Eren can get out of the basement. This is hilarious in a way because it's actually Hange who needs to ask permission to him about Eren since Eren was put under Levi's responsibility as literally seen in chapter 20. And besides, the order to put Eren in the basement doesn't come from Hange: it comes from Zackly when he was put in charge of Eren's military trial as a condition for the Survey Corps to have Eren as Levi states here in chapter 20:

So Hange also has no true say in this matter either, and yet they take that decision for him again, saying that Eren can be given permission to roam around since the castle should be safe enough if he ever Titan shifts. And at this point, if Levi truly wanted an official opinion, he could've gone to Erwin since he is the Survey Corps commander, not Hange who is of equal rank to Levi. So this is a very peculiar reason Levi makes to go see Hange, to say the least. Yes, smartpass stories are not technically canon, and maybe there are small inconsistencies, so manga will always prevail over smartpass stories, but it is definitely interesting, to see what reason Levi chose to see Hange in that story. It might be that he wants a second opinion and that's why he asks Hange, but technically speaking, he doesn't really need their opinion since Eren answers to him. This dynamic between them is definitely interesting and questionable then.

I found two plausible interpretations for this behaviour:

1. Levi isn’t confident enough in being a superior as he was put rather quickly by Erwin as captain of a squad, so he asks advice to the closest squad leader he works with, which is Hange in his case. Personally, I don't think that's the case since Levi is already seen as the "leader" with Furlan and Isabel in the Underground and we see Levi take leadership pretty easily especially later on after Hange dies and the Alliance relies on him, but it is an interpretation one could make.

2. Levi just really likes Hange’s company (I have nothing else to say about that). So yet another argument to disprove the "Levi hates Hange" argument. If he hates Hange so much, then why does Levi keep asking Hange for advice about his own squad? Why is he fine with everything Hange says in regard to his own squad that he has complete authority over, I'll repeat? Well, let's say Levi has a very original way to show he "hates" Hange, for sure.

Someone was asking me earlier in the year whether I have headcanons about Levi and Hange and actually I do have one: Levi makes up excuses to see Hange especially in the smartpass story. I think he could've come up with a better reason to see Hange and this is something I think of often. I'm probably the only person questioning this about Levi and Hange in the fandom lol, but I just find it very odd. It's another reason why I find Levi and Hange so compelling. They just have these weird dynamics going on that you can easily miss if you're not particularly a fan of either of them. But I am, so this is a post for whoever is as obsessed with them as I am.

[kingeika]

you know what? let me FINALLY post something on tumblr! what’s up guys? take some silly little clone troopers!

goofy young rex and cody my beloveds <3

[clonememesfrikyeah]

Scenario

Due to an employee error the ration bar factory accidentally laced all their product with space weed, what do you think happens to the GAR?

[thatpeculiarbitch]

[dam-bluecookies]

Oh the 501st and the 104th you were so loved :')

[lmwrenwrites]

“A peacekeeper dead, floating in the remains of a battle. A graveyard orbiting a star. I closed my eyes. It was ironic.”

-Traitors of the Republic

Coming soon

[quillsandblades]

🔫 this is a robbery, hand over your post war Levihan headcanons (please 😊)

The world needs to know

Post war levihan gives me life ok, they're both alive and happy and together and no one spoils that for me. It's canon. Isayama who?

Congratulations, the robbery was a success and here's the loot

So after the Rumbling and the Battle of Heaven and the Earth, these two retire. First they recover in the hospital, Hange’s burn injuries and Levi’s leg and they take a break to just breathe and relax. 

Once they’re on their feet (and wheelchair) Hange drags Levi to travel as many places as they can go.

Queen Historia funds their visits (Hange somehow convinced her to allocate a budget for them cuz she wanted to see everything. And as they were heroes of the war and her parents former superiors, she agreed) and they travel a lot.  

But it’s not just going places and having fun, They plan on helping out in the rebuilding of the areas affected by the Rumbling too. They go around aiding in reconstruction and Hange helps the mechanics and engineers and learns things from them too. 

Levi distributes clothes, food, and lollipops to kids who love him. Hange later teases him for looking too long at the lollipop, “You remembered that clown right?”

“No, I was thinking about how you chased after cars in Marley with carrots in your hand.” And she gets all embarrassed, crying out how she was just so excited that she couldn’t stop.  

And he says fondly, “There’s no need to get defensive four-eyes, I was happy to see you so excited after months back then.” And she blushes because wtf?! When was Levi so romantic? But then again, he was. When she was about to sacrifice herself and he’d given her his heart. 

They don’t talk about this, nor her proposal in the forest. They don’t need to, not yet. They’ve both reached a stage of familiarity and comfort with each other throughout the years which doesn’t need any words. They both just know and they’re fine with it (levihan telepathy at its peak) 

They stay with the brats whenever they stop by in Paradis—or at the palace and help out with Historia’s orphanage. Eventually they decide to buy a house since they won’t be traveling forever. It’s a nice little cabin in the woods, just like Hange had dreamt of. 

It turns into a kind of summer house, or a place to stay in whenever they stop at Paradis and rest. They have it renovated, repainted and furnished and it becomes their own cozy little place. 

Levihan eventually settle down in their cabin for good once traveling constantly becomes too hectic. They’re used to sharing a bed by now, they did it all the time in their travels, and it comes with the much needed comfort of having someone familiar close by after waking up from nightmares. 

But that night feels different, they’ve finally settled down and this cabin is no longer a temporary lodging for their stays in Paradis, it’s on its way to become their house, their home. A safe place to relax and live in. Just like what Hange yearned for in the forest when she proposed they live here together

So Levi turns to her and sees her awake as well, staring at him. They both know that now words are needed to solidify this thing between them. But neither of them know how to proceed

Hange goes first, cuz Levi may be the strongest, he’s still not the bravest when it comes to certain things. So Hange talks, shapes out their feelings into words and sentences and each sits warmly upon them both like an extra blanket in the chilly night. And when she’s done, Levi just pulls her close and there’s too many words, feelings stuck in his throat, his mind but all he can say is “Yes. Me too.” And he just kisses her, and they hold each other all through the night. 

They look after each other’s injuries, he takes care of her burns, she helps him with exercises for his leg. Both of them are a bit conscious about their injuries. There are times when Hange looks at her scarred, burnt body and she feels broken, weak and just falls into despair. She asks Levi how he can stand looking at her, how can he put up with her, does he want to? She’s not enough. 

But he takes her face in his hands and tells her she’s more than enough. And he places her hand on his own knee, the injured one and looks into her eye. It’s one of those levihan telepathy moments where he tells her with his eyes we’re both broken, you’re there for me and I’m here for you, so we’re each other’s crutches. 

Once again, they’re like two halves of a whole. Even after the war, with their flawed bodies and capabilities, they fit in together perfectly. She’s there as his support when he needs to walk and he’s there as the soothing balm to her burning scars. They don’t need anyone else. 

Things have changed, and now it’s Hange who helps Levi take a bath. She’s careful with him and Levi would tell her to wash his hair again and again, he likes how her fingers feel in his head. But the roles haven’t completely switched, he’d still drag her for a bath as well since she always neglects it. 

Levi is the cuddler.

While they both naturally wake up at the crack of dawn due to years of army training drilled into them, there are days they hold back and relax. But on those days Hange's usually the one who wants to jump out of bed first, there's just so much to do, how can she waste her day in bed? But it's levi who pulls her back and buries his face in her shoulder and cages her in his warm sleepy embrace and says, "Stay still four-eyes, those seedlings aren't going anywhere." And he just. Cuddles.

Hange goes wild in the garden, she plants all that she can get her hands on and Levi goes around ordering her to arrange it all neatly. And his help is needed, otherwise their garden would’ve been a terrible mess. He makes sure there are neat sectors to all the things, vegetables at one side and fruits at the other. 

“I’m telling you shorty, tomatoes are fruits! We’re not planting them on the veg side.” 

Levi’s got a side of the garden all for himself where he grows tea and he cherishes his little tea garden. Whenever Hange comes across any exotic or new species of tea, she makes sure to get plenty of seeds for Levi to plant. 

She goes about experimenting with plants and seeds, she does grafting and makes hybrid seeds and plants them to observe the results. They have plenty of land around the cabin and she’s got all the time in the world now. She also tries to make hybrid species of flowers. 

She works together with Levi and does the same things with tea. They end up opening a tea shop and Levi tells her it was once his dream as a kid. It gets a lot of customers, and it keeps Levi and Hange busy. Hange continues to experiment with tea and they get the most unique blends that way. Eventually they add a few other things to the menu but their tea remains the most famous one in Paradis.   

The 104th often visit their home or the shop. Armin’s often at their place, asking Hange for commander advice and they talk politics for long hours. 

Mikasa prefers the tea shop more, it’s a cozy, comfortable place, not too quiet, and not too loud. It suits her mood and the aroma of tea calms her down. Levi would often find her asleep in one of the cushy armchairs and just throw a blanket over her if it’s cold. She doesn’t like to go back home since it’s mostly empty and quiet (and she misses Eren, we don’t blame her) so Levihan often invite her over to their place. By now they’ve practically made the second guest room as Mikasa’s bedroom. She often spends the nights there and when she can’t sleep she comes out and sits on the porch. 

Levihan also have sleepless nights, so when their daughter she’s staying over they all gather outside or in the living room and have hot tea and talk to forget their worries. It’s a good way to keep unwanted memories away for all of them. The morning finds them all asleep on the carpet, Levi and Hange leaning into each other, Mikasa with often her head on Hange’s lap. 

Jean and Connie visit a lot as well, and whenever the 104th all come together, Hange makes sure they all stay the night no matter how much Levi grumbles about them being too noisy. She brushes off his complaints, he was always an old man hiding away from fun and excitement. 

They have drinking games on the porch and Hange and Levi get a lot of dares to kiss each other. They kids were always betting on them to get together, and now that they officially are, they wanna see all the proof they can get. Plus it’s good to see their tough captain all red faced and embarrassed. 

Whenever their Marley friends visit, Levi and Hange go meet them. Gabi and Falco get along surprisingly well with Levi, they steal him away from Hange for the day and zoom around the city with his wheelchair. He pretends to complain. Pretends. 

Pieck, Onyankopon and Hange get along the best together. They always fill her in about the situation of the world, the aftermath of the war. It starts out with just people collecting the pieces after the rumbling and focusing on rebuilding everything. But over the years as the states get stronger Hange and Levi get news about more conflicts, more schemes, no war in sight but the usual political disagreements and disunity. It saddens her how quickly humans revert back to their divided state, fighting once more over land or money or people. 

Pieck tells them they don’t have anything to worry about. They’ve retired, all they gotta do is enjoy the rest of their lives.  

Hange wants to write about their dead comrades, document everything about their lives within the walls and outside them, their training and the survey corps. She wants their memories to remain and Levi agrees on that. So they begin, it turns into a book with a few volumes. Hange writes down all she and Levi can remember and fills the pages with their friends’ laughter, tears and blood. The war and Paradis’ side of the story behind the genocide. 

It gets published and it’s a hit. People around the world would eventually read it (but by that time Levi and Hange would probably be dead) and it’s one of the crucial things that changes the views of the masses about the ‘Island Devils”

They talk about having children, Hange asks Levi if he wants any. The idea is nice, having a little brat of their own. But it turns out they’re too tired to manage a baby and the crying and wailing that comes with it and the attention it would demand. Besides they already do have children, the brats from the 104th. 

Perhaps if they were younger and had lived different lives, they would’ve been more serious about it. But not here. Now they’ve survived through hell and want to be selfish with the rest of their lives. And they are. 

💚💜

[callsign-denmark]

I made some wallpapers! Please feel free to use, but like and reblog if you do use them please! Let me know which one is your favorite!