i can write the actual starter but i realized i have no idea what we're trying to accomplish so i'll just spam you with my thoughts first. setting is easy. pre-fall of wall maria for wiggle room. new training corps recruits get ushered in and assigned to squads, including mika. what should we do then!!
to give myself ideas, i skimmed his wiki page and i get the feeling that, as a rookie, he'd be really notably good on the field and survive even when lots of other soldiers died so eventually he'd grow to be viewed with pretty high regard by the SC higher ups. so maybe we could just have him assigned to levi's squad after he's been around for awhile.
in figuring this out, i'm mostly curious what he'd think of levi... or what levi would think of him. they probably wouldn't know each other much before he was put on his squad, unless we specifically got them stuck together for whatever reason, because levi doesn't much go out of his way to be friendly - but since he's captain and kind of eccentric, it's pretty easy for any of the soldiers to get an opinion of him without knowing him. levi might have an opinion of him, too, depending on what kind of reputation he had.
LOL IDK THOUGHTS?? generalized bonding? mentor/student? silent drinking and punching guys to defend each others' honor? tell me what u want and i will provide
there's no caked blood option in this hipster lineup
the timeline and all sounds great! i like the sound of it being a first face-to-face meeting (though they could have heard of one another, especially mika hearing of levi's prowess as captain) and generalized bonding to lead into a mentor/student scenario... i feel like they have the same blase exterior that turns into zero-chill-when-fighting sort of thing going on, which would be fun to delve into? once mika decides to follow someone he gets scary intense and loyal, and will go full bullshit shounen rage to protect them.
at first he might come off as weird (weird kids in my aot, you don't say) because he seems kind of mellow and likes to snack at inopportune times and be off training by himself a lot. so his reputation wouldn't precede him by much, if that makes sense?
BUT GET HIM GOING AND IT'S A DIFFERENT STORY...
i was thinking it'd be neat to give him motivation in having him be separated from his orga-figure early on, and having him be so frighteningly intent on surviving so he can find them. then he starts bonding to levi, oops
first meeting sounds good! it can be hard to jump straight into in media res without that establishing stuff out of the way, so yeah! from what i read on his wiki, they seem like they have a lot in common actually ("aloof personality," "difficult childhood," yes all the edgelord tropes), so i don't think it'll take long for that to come out... in which case, bonding feelings and mentor/student feelings can totally happen.
maybe we can start off with them meeting in relatively calm context and then we can time skip onto some kind of expedition where he could get separated from orga. which in aot-land usually means death but yanno. levi can relate to that, his only friends died on his first expedition too.
laughs but yes if that's good i'll get a starter up next
yes excellent, get a little bit of the foundation down for first impressions to see how the dynamic works, then throw them into some action? i enjoy blends like that a lot! mika does really well with some kind of fixed point to work towards (trying to find someone, for example, which i could even spin to be kudelia, the series ojou/noble) and i'll have to tone down his canon co-dependency on orga at first, but as long as he has titan-murdering to do and someone to take direction from, he'll be good to go.
( i'm sorry this took me so long!! but i am here and definitely tell me if there's anything i should change! i was just kinda grabbing for any random place they could bump into each other and be inclined to talk. in this case, because they're alone. also i couldn't be assed to figure out the exact year if you were wondering about my awesome date-numbering. )
[ 8XX. The graduating Training Corps class saw a good turn out this year. Of note, the amount that favor the unpopular Survey Corps has increased significantly since the year prior. In the Capitol, the noble class of civilians speak of it as though they're stunned. Elsewhere, a variety of suppositions are made—people pointing to unrest for the changing policy of the crown, children speaking in high regard for certain military figures. However, for veteran soldiers who may be, in part, responsible for lifting the organization's public image, it is difficult to take the success as a matter of pride.
Levi, in particular, finds himself displeased with the nature of the recruitment. With his recently appointed position of "Captain," he's gained a lot of publicity lately—and he knows, balancing the responsibility to the livelihood of the Corps with his personal desires isn't in the cards. Even if signing more brats up to throw their lives away in some fleeting bout of heroism isn't exactly a burden he wants, in this pithy division, there's always going to be a need for more people. And who is he to stop them?
...
It's different once the recruits become full-fledged soldiers. There's no point in sugarcoating the reality they've locked themselves into now. Frankly, if anyone can still manage to take bets over who's going to shit their pants first come the next expedition, he'll remember their name rather than their bet. Same goes for anybody who needs to ask why.
But as for now, they're persisting through what seem like some final moments of preparation. It's not like it's atypical for expeditions to keep getting set back. As usual, the more hoops they're forced to jump through by those pigs in the assembly, the more they're forced to wait. This coming expedition is no different. It's only that it'll be just in time for their new recruits to join in. That's what's eating at everyone on top of it all.
With the following days bearing no more news from Mitras, Levi spends each morning in the stables. The cleaning ritual would begin before long, but when one regularly rises before the dawn, it follows that they must find ways to keep themselves busy. Today, he must really think he's alone, with the way he doles attention out to the horses.
...but it's nothing too bad, just clicking his tongue at someone's aggressive temperament, poking a head into the stalls of other soldiers' animals to ensure they've eaten. Soon he hears a distinctly human scuffle on the ground and turns to get a look at who's there. ]
[ That source of the sound on the soft stables dirt reveals itself without any further prompting. Mikazuki moves into full view of the entrance, the warm morning sunlight at his back casting half of him into deep blue shadow. He hefts a bucket against his middle, his diminutive height causing it to span from stomach to chest. Young, new. Yet he offers nothing formal for the intrusion save a flash of recognition that squares his shoulders. ]
You're early.
[ With that observation out of the way, plain and succinct, he remains still, not venturing any farther in, not making to leave. Nothing paints him as anything out of the ordinary, this hour of morning not mandating he be in uniform or gear just yet. A hefty Corps-issued cloak is the only thing that marks him, and even then, it's bunched into the crooks of his elbows, more as a way to fend off the chill of dawn than it is to display his status. Mikazuki is simply different, for all of his few days into this transfer to Levi's squad. Not scared, not arrogant, not... much of anything discernible, save for the way blades tilt in his hands, the pin of his eyes when he fights. He's similarly up with the sun, doing laps around the barracks and the training grounds. Rumors hound his back, but he doesn't indulge in the gossip of his peers. Or his superiors.
Pulled off the streets, they said. Him and his companion. Homeless, dirty, no where to go. Blood on his hands and beneath his fingernails, eyes like an animal. But he knew how to use a knife a little too well — it'd be a shame to waste the talent when they could just point him at the right enemy.
A direction that's lead here. Arguably, to this person. Mikazuki shifts, wordlessly lowering the bucket as if he means to set it in the doorway and go. ]
While still fresh to any type of leadership, Levi had been given some advisement about which scouts might be best suited to his squad. Mikazuki, however, was not among them. As Erwin had given him the final word on selection, it had been a gamble of his own—or so their peers had been quick to judge. Levi, on the other hand, was not known to make baseless decisions despite his usual brevity.
Hence given his own judgment of the recruit, he didn't expect to see Mikazuki here... but by the same measure, he's not surprised to. He's been able to observe him on the field, in the short time that he's been with the Corps. So you could say that, along with his gut, is his reason. The other veterans don't question him, and the talk that circulates is never bold enough for the talkers to be faced with Levi himself.
Mikazuki faces him though, alert at this hour and finding something to get his hands dirty with. Though he's not the sort to keep up any kind of pretense regardless, this especially puts Levi at ease. He scoffs as Mikazuki motions to leave, but it isn't condescending. ]
What's the hurry? [ If he's here, then it would be a waste to slack off just to avoid him, right... ] Back to bed?
[ He seems to recognize himself that what he's said is a 'joke,' pausing to explain further. ]
...The sooner they eat, the sooner they can be trained.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
what color is gritty soldier bonding
i can write the actual starter but i realized i have no idea what we're trying to accomplish so i'll just spam you with my thoughts first. setting is easy. pre-fall of wall maria for wiggle room. new training corps recruits get ushered in and assigned to squads, including mika. what should we do then!!
to give myself ideas, i skimmed his wiki page and i get the feeling that, as a rookie, he'd be really notably good on the field and survive even when lots of other soldiers died so eventually he'd grow to be viewed with pretty high regard by the SC higher ups. so maybe we could just have him assigned to levi's squad after he's been around for awhile.
in figuring this out, i'm mostly curious what he'd think of levi... or what levi would think of him. they probably wouldn't know each other much before he was put on his squad, unless we specifically got them stuck together for whatever reason, because levi doesn't much go out of his way to be friendly - but since he's captain and kind of eccentric, it's pretty easy for any of the soldiers to get an opinion of him without knowing him. levi might have an opinion of him, too, depending on what kind of reputation he had.
LOL IDK THOUGHTS?? generalized bonding? mentor/student? silent drinking and punching guys to defend each others' honor? tell me what u want and i will provide
there's no caked blood option in this hipster lineup
at first he might come off as weird (weird kids in my aot, you don't say) because he seems kind of mellow and likes to snack at inopportune times and be off training by himself a lot. so his reputation wouldn't precede him by much, if that makes sense?
BUT GET HIM GOING AND IT'S A DIFFERENT STORY...
i was thinking it'd be neat to give him motivation in having him be separated from his orga-figure early on, and having him be so frighteningly intent on surviving so he can find them. then he starts bonding to levi, oops
no subject
maybe we can start off with them meeting in relatively calm context and then we can time skip onto some kind of expedition where he could get separated from orga. which in aot-land usually means death but yanno. levi can relate to that, his only friends died on his first expedition too.
laughs but yes if that's good i'll get a starter up next
no subject
yes excellent, get a little bit of the foundation down for first impressions to see how the dynamic works, then throw them into some action? i enjoy blends like that a lot! mika does really well with some kind of fixed point to work towards (trying to find someone, for example, which i could even spin to be kudelia, the series ojou/noble) and i'll have to tone down his canon co-dependency on orga at first, but as long as he has titan-murdering to do and someone to take direction from, he'll be good to go.
no subject
[ 8XX. The graduating Training Corps class saw a good turn out this year. Of note, the amount that favor the unpopular Survey Corps has increased significantly since the year prior. In the Capitol, the noble class of civilians speak of it as though they're stunned. Elsewhere, a variety of suppositions are made—people pointing to unrest for the changing policy of the crown, children speaking in high regard for certain military figures. However, for veteran soldiers who may be, in part, responsible for lifting the organization's public image, it is difficult to take the success as a matter of pride.
Levi, in particular, finds himself displeased with the nature of the recruitment. With his recently appointed position of "Captain," he's gained a lot of publicity lately—and he knows, balancing the responsibility to the livelihood of the Corps with his personal desires isn't in the cards. Even if signing more brats up to throw their lives away in some fleeting bout of heroism isn't exactly a burden he wants, in this pithy division, there's always going to be a need for more people. And who is he to stop them?
...
It's different once the recruits become full-fledged soldiers. There's no point in sugarcoating the reality they've locked themselves into now. Frankly, if anyone can still manage to take bets over who's going to shit their pants first come the next expedition, he'll remember their name rather than their bet. Same goes for anybody who needs to ask why.
But as for now, they're persisting through what seem like some final moments of preparation. It's not like it's atypical for expeditions to keep getting set back. As usual, the more hoops they're forced to jump through by those pigs in the assembly, the more they're forced to wait. This coming expedition is no different. It's only that it'll be just in time for their new recruits to join in. That's what's eating at everyone on top of it all.
With the following days bearing no more news from Mitras, Levi spends each morning in the stables. The cleaning ritual would begin before long, but when one regularly rises before the dawn, it follows that they must find ways to keep themselves busy. Today, he must really think he's alone, with the way he doles attention out to the horses.
...but it's nothing too bad, just clicking his tongue at someone's aggressive temperament, poking a head into the stalls of other soldiers' animals to ensure they've eaten. Soon he hears a distinctly human scuffle on the ground and turns to get a look at who's there. ]
no subject
You're early.
[ With that observation out of the way, plain and succinct, he remains still, not venturing any farther in, not making to leave. Nothing paints him as anything out of the ordinary, this hour of morning not mandating he be in uniform or gear just yet. A hefty Corps-issued cloak is the only thing that marks him, and even then, it's bunched into the crooks of his elbows, more as a way to fend off the chill of dawn than it is to display his status. Mikazuki is simply different, for all of his few days into this transfer to Levi's squad. Not scared, not arrogant, not... much of anything discernible, save for the way blades tilt in his hands, the pin of his eyes when he fights. He's similarly up with the sun, doing laps around the barracks and the training grounds. Rumors hound his back, but he doesn't indulge in the gossip of his peers. Or his superiors.
Pulled off the streets, they said. Him and his companion. Homeless, dirty, no where to go. Blood on his hands and beneath his fingernails, eyes like an animal. But he knew how to use a knife a little too well — it'd be a shame to waste the talent when they could just point him at the right enemy.
A direction that's lead here. Arguably, to this person. Mikazuki shifts, wordlessly lowering the bucket as if he means to set it in the doorway and go. ]
no subject
While still fresh to any type of leadership, Levi had been given some advisement about which scouts might be best suited to his squad. Mikazuki, however, was not among them. As Erwin had given him the final word on selection, it had been a gamble of his own—or so their peers had been quick to judge. Levi, on the other hand, was not known to make baseless decisions despite his usual brevity.
Hence given his own judgment of the recruit, he didn't expect to see Mikazuki here... but by the same measure, he's not surprised to. He's been able to observe him on the field, in the short time that he's been with the Corps. So you could say that, along with his gut, is his reason. The other veterans don't question him, and the talk that circulates is never bold enough for the talkers to be faced with Levi himself.
Mikazuki faces him though, alert at this hour and finding something to get his hands dirty with. Though he's not the sort to keep up any kind of pretense regardless, this especially puts Levi at ease. He scoffs as Mikazuki motions to leave, but it isn't condescending. ]
What's the hurry? [ If he's here, then it would be a waste to slack off just to avoid him, right... ] Back to bed?
[ He seems to recognize himself that what he's said is a 'joke,' pausing to explain further. ]
...The sooner they eat, the sooner they can be trained.