WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

[usurpers]

WHO: eren jaeger and you, the dream intruder!
WHERE: the dream zone.
WHEN: july 3rd and beyond.
WHAT: you're in a dream.
WARNINGS: high chance of violence, gore, death, war, eating people, the whole attack on titan cw where canon memories are concerned!

YOU’RE IN A DREAM

you exist as if you were always here. you don’t know how you got here, you’re just here— not that that’s something people usually think when they’re dreaming. there’s no back door to leave, only paths that take you forward and beckon to do so, shrouded first by an open sky of hues and a seemingly endless blanket of grass. the colors you see are vibrant, more lively than they should normally look, and that itself could give you a jolt of energy. if you smell the breeze, it’s fresh and comfortably chilly, a mix of nature, of sea salt and of plantlife— it almost shouts to you about just how free you are, even if this isn’t really your head.

note that for option ii especially and a few specific prompts for option iii, i’ll be happy to write the starter for you! just comment with which prompt and i’ll start things off.

you’re free to message me through journal pm, liberos or owlteer#3609 @discord for any questions/extra plotting!! you can go for as many separate prompts as you want if desired!

I. CANON MEMORIES

Ａ) ＯＮ ＴＨＡＴ ＤＡＹ. . .

[ you were talking to a very young eren, no more than ten, maybe someone else was hanging around them, and you might not really remember what you were talking about— a terrible sound cracks, the ground shakes, and just over the 50 meter wall, you see it: a titan. it kicks down the barrier between them, causing shattered boulders to rain down on the protected city and cause instant panic, granting hundreds of more titans access to shinganshina district. there’s screaming, running in every direction in sheer terror from the townspeople, some shriek to encounter bodies already crushed under flung debris. one of those kicked boulders lands in the direction of eren’s house, and all he does is make a run straight toward the danger, shouting one fearful shout: ]

Mom is still home!!

Ｂ) ＷＥ’ＲＥ ＮＯＴ ＤＹＩＮＧ ＨＥＲＥ．

[ you’re alongside a younger looking eren and a handful of faces you can’t quite make out, uniformed and weaponized, all fifteen years old at most, dispatched to counteract the second titan attack against their walls in five years. there’s smoke, houses ablaze and sirens wailing to evacuate civilians. except for you— you’re here as back up.

things aren’t looking so good. there are titans everywhere, the middle guard is already backing up into the vanguard, and one of your new comrades says something gut wrenching: the advanced guard has already collapsed. what do you do? ]

Ｃ) ＩＳ ＴＨＡＴ ＦＲＯＭ Ａ ＦＡＭＩＬＹ ＭＥＭＢＥＲ?

[ your surroundings picture the early 1900s— you’re just outside an asylum of sorts where many men, physically and psychologically wounded, are being treated. nurses and doctors in white scurry left and right to tend to them, especially after a balding, elderly man in hysterics they call “mr. jaeger” has a fit, trying to usher him back inside for rest and medication.

other than that, it’s pretty quiet out here. a cripple with a leg amputation and patched eye sits on a bench just by the fence, taking in the sun and looking down quietly at a glove and baseball. he tosses it with one hand, and with the other, holds his crutch. ]

I wasn’t expecting visits. [ he says, trying to get your attention. ] Not from you.

Ｄ) ＴＨＩＳ ＩＳ Ａ ＤＥＣＬＡＲＡＴＩＯＮ ＯＦ ＷＡＲ.

[ you’re in a crowd.

you’re only one among the thousands of people gathered at this city’s center for a formal occasion. bleachers are raised, citizens are situated outside their windows to listen just above a cleared stage, lit like christmas, on it a single man speaking out to the public. his words, you can’t quite make out, distorted— but it’s something that chimes with the crowd. they cry, cheer for him, agree with his speech with applauses and heartfelt roars that hum with the air.

to the enemies on paradis, he bellows, earning one stretch of respected silence. this is a declaration of war—

as if programmed to the word war, the earth trembles, the building just behind the stage bursts from the ground upwards. the families outside their windows are crushed in the sudden split of brick and stone, the stage splinters to make way for the titan that explodes from the ground. it roars like a monstrosity, lifting its fist high and bringing it down against the rest of the stage— and right on the blond man.

what comes next is a rather terrifying sequence: the crowd is silent, struck with terror enough to lose their voices. the titan crushes the man in its fingers like snapping toothpicks, throws him into the air effortlessly, and swallows what remains of his mangled body whole in a single chomp. reality takes a hold of the city, and one after another, people begin to scream. they trample over each other to get out of the way, to run. some are already crushed or impaled by thrown pieces of rock, wood and metal, others are soon to be crushed as the titan prepares to land another devastating blow on the fleeing.

if there’s anyone who can help these people, it’s you. ]

II. ORIGINAL AU MEMORIES

Ａ) ＣＡＮ Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＩＴ

eren gets his first mecha with his mother. you get to babysit? and listen to a very aggressive kid talk about why optimus prime is the true superhero, superman can bite me.

Ｂ) ＹＯＵ ＤＯＮ’Ｔ ＫＮＯＷ ＷＨＡＴ’Ｓ ＢＥＳＴ ＦＯＲ ＭＥ

wanting him to go after medicine and secure his son’s success his way, eren’s father verbally battles with a young and bullheaded eren to change his mind about joining the air force, leading him to get kicked out of the house once he turns 18. eren storms out strong, but soon shows how much it hurt him.

Ｃ) ＴＨＥ ＡＩＲ ＦＯＲＣＥ

characters will follow eren through a mashup of days of training at the air force. keep up, because you’re there as an air man, too. those will notice that eren starts out eager and happy, getting through basic training shenanigans all the way to the daily e-1 life before . . . slowly showing the opposite.

Ｄ) ＹＯＵ ＤＯＮ’Ｔ ＫＮＯＷ ＷＨＹ ＢＵＴ ＹＯＵ’ＲＥ ＤＹＩＮＧ ＴＯ ＴＲＹ ＳＯ ＧＯ ＯＮ ＡＮＤ ＫＩＳＳ ＤＡ ＢＯＹ

eren realizes his feelings for elliot a little too late, asking him to have dinner with him and finding out he had a casual date with another guy the same night. help him get his head back together as he cries on his mechas and probably on you. he’s very passionate!!!

Ｅ) ＴＨＥＹ’ＲＥ ＮＯＴ ＴＯＹＳ

eren argues with zackery fairweather about his really expensive mecha collection that are not toys?? guess what, you’re in zack’s place. welcome to hundreds and thousands of dollars spent on giant robot models.

III. OTHER AUS

A — why did they do this?; related to the new au, eren’s father is robbed and murdered, sending him into rageful mourning and various personal ways to deal with it. some of it is drumming, which is pretty impressive, other ways have to do with fighting you. does talking help? only when he’s run out of energy. this may or may not hurt.

B — enter melodic screaming; eren’s the lead singer of a hard rock/metal band called the titans and really wants to make a living out of this! in this au, both parents disapprove, earning him zero financial help and a kick out of the house.

C— i’m basically batman and dexter combined; eren’s father and mother both die in this au by criminal hands, turning the boy sour, rich and thirsty for justice. he goes after criminals on his own in gruesome ways and becomes a sought out killer himself. are you a friend, an enemy, or have you witnessed something?

D— i choose you; not pokémon au! lets go on a journey together, lets catch that legendary monster, etc etc, i’m here for character teams like it’s my life.

E— are we drift compatible?; i hope you didn’t think eren, once a mecha nerd, will not dream about piloting giant robots with you. let’s go fuck up some kaijus.

F— may the force be with you; we’re in SPACE, we’re on WORLD SAVING or WORLD DESTROYING missions!! comment and i will wildcard a crazy planet and our mission!

G— attack on shitposting; welcome to the attack on titan canon, you’re a soldier for the survey corps now. you’re also in a dark comedy sitcom.

WILDCARD

if there is anything else you would like to do, whether it not be an option above or your choice on any regains (or even yours), hit me up with it!! it doesn’t have to be dream related either!! eren can be found frequently in the libraries, at the hospital or anywhere for martial arts/drumming! ✨

Comments

I-B

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot had just started this dream and he already hated it. Feeling disoriented, he notices everyone's wearing a uniform of some time- and with the weapons, probably a military one. In fact it's one that seems familiar, but he's having a moment of trouble placing it at the moment. But they all look so young, too young. What kind of army was...

His thoughts trail when he catches sight of a younger Eren, and realization dawn on him. Oh no. Not this world.

While others might check to see if their vertical maneuver gear is okay? Elliot's quickly checking to see if he has his ARCUS on him in this dream. He needs something to survive with]

[usurpers]

[ which ever way you look at this dream, it’ll almost always have a bad end— this memory was a bad end, an effect that matched a reckless cause and plagued eren quietly. the importance of teamwork, of a clear mind to make the right decisions. eren was young, here. this eren lost sight of his dreams in favor of hate long ago, years ago. this eren was not aware of the power he held.

he was only a hotheaded soldier here out on his first battle. the eren elliot knew remembers this one and learns from it: hate is a powerful, powerful thing with consequences. there are consequences to everything you do. if you think you’re good— you’ve got something else coming for you.

eren’s team hangs on top of a building, only now arriving from flight across their battlefield. they couldn’t just stand here— and eren takes the reigns. ] Don’t let it hinder you! Secure the area and don’t—!

[ there is something terribly, terribly wrong with this picture. there is someone who wasn’t meant to be here, yet there they were. the eren of this dream recognizes the strike of ginger hair with them, and memories begin to clash. he doesn’t act like a boyfriend, elliot’s boyfriend and long time friend of years, but something in him does register him. he knows him. ]

What’re you . . . What’s he doing here? [ their company doesn’t speak a word, not beyond the quiet eren . . . he’s part of the squad that he doesn’t seem to listen to. he grows restless and yells against it instead, approaching elliot in rising panic. ] What’re you still doing here?!

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot was trying to be discreet as he checked for his ARCUS. It was easy enough with his small stature. He feels tugs of relief as he finds it in a pouch. His staff wasn't with him, but thank god he'd have something to get through this-

And then Eren notices him there. He gives a small squeak as he covers up the ARCUS with the pouch cover, then looks at Eren. He looks...a lot younger. Like he did when they first met. Not to mention, he looked panicked at Elliot being there. He looked as panicked as Elliot felt inside.]

I uh- [He gulps] I-I don't know...? Just sorta ended up here....

III-C

[fiddlestick]

[ Healing power was a very useful power to have, but it could also be dangerous if you lived in a world like this one. When a local crime syndicate caught word of his power, it didn't take them long to decide to get it for themselves.

It hadn't been hard to kidnap him: set fire to his home, then grab his body while he was still healing himself back together. Enough cops were in their pockets to make sure no in-depth investigation happened. As far as the public had known, he'd died tragically alongside his relatives in a fire caused by faulty wiring.

For the next year, he was forced to use his power for the syndicate. Despite his own attempts, he couldn't find a way to escape. But that all changed one day the infamous criminal killer showed up at one of the hideouts they were keeping him. Watching him fight, it was as brutal and gruesome as all the rumors said. He'd been afraid he'd die by this guy's hand as well, but he'd been spared.

But since then, Elliot was pretty short on places he could go. He had no family left and the crime syndicates were still out looking for him. He couldn't even trust the police on this, they had too many cops on their payroll. So eventually he wound up having no choice but to stay at the big manor that Eren had, trying to keep a low profile. It was a little daunting and lonely, but hey anything beats life with the syndicate. He really was grateful for Eren saving him, even if he wasn't exactly...the warmest of housemates.

Still, he's trying his best. Tonight? He's sitting on the front grand staircase, waiting for Eren to return on patrol from he could greet him.]

when you have a crazy fucking dream

[usurpers]

[ eren was not warm at all.

eren had no titan powers. eren had nothing in this world. not a friend, not family that mattered, not an app that he allowed to changed his life. only loneliness, the company of hatred that never sizzled out, and a lot of money. he made mistakes when he grew, errors he’d never commit again, what made him a little calculating and collected to get to where he wanted. the rest, he could allow himself to go all out.

tonight he returns, as planned and articulate as he’s always been with time and planning— because you can’t simply do what he does without a formidable plan to keep your slate clean. he comes back to his home with slight bruising against his temple, a gash that splits some flesh on his arm and caused a delay. he can’t just leave his blood out in the open for prying eyes under microscopes to make a field day with.

when he gets home, inside the comfort and warmth of a manor and a private gate system surrounding it (he had security), he makes his way in, only bobbing his head to elliot without a word, and heading straight to his room.

yeah so what if he’s hurt!! ]

[fiddlestick]

[Well, at least there's a head bob. That's better than completely ignoring his existence. Elliot jumps up when Eren comes in, attempting to greet him]

Hi Ere-

[And the guy passes by him without a word. He'd find it a little disheartening, if it wasn't that he clearly saw some injuries on the guy. So to break away from their usual routine, he steps after him]

W-Wait, you're hurt.

III-E

[fullcowl]

[Izuku has stumbled his way into this dream and it's probably chopped off a good 3 years from his lifespan. The set seems familiar that way dreams do, dirty and military. But chrome robots are the core of this place, the hope of humanity's salvation.

He's clothed as if he's a pilot recruit, looking up at a newly commissioned Jeager. Is he really meant to command that? His body is stronger than he's used to, but still unfit for it.

Quietly turning to Eren:]

We're doing this?

[usurpers]

[ eren claps izuku’s shoulder to get them going through metallic corridors and up the clattering elevators. as much as their jaeger was stunning, the golden renegade wouldn’t be going anywhere unless they were in the cockpit, where they should be now that they’ve been called. headquarters was chaotic with movement, but at the same time excruciatingly organized. there have been drills, too many to count as there have been real occurrences, for them all to reasonably know their place and what to do when the target emerges from sea.

(eren loves this dream so much)

their opponent today was an ugly thing, as they all usually were— a category iii big boy dubbed bluemouth. they had to move quickly now, to get the jaeger deployed to the waters and stop it from reaching the miracle mile. as always, the weather is horrid, a typhoon rolls through the city with zephyrs and monstrous waves that weren’t particularly on their side today, but here they were.

eren wasn’t too experienced, he’s only ever piloted once, but he’s been here for a while in search of a compatible co-pilot. the last one, to say the least, was a disaster (no one died, but it was pretty stupid). it’s izuku’s turn now, even if there was a certain compatability— they needed more training, a lot more of it, but you could never truly be ready for an emergency. the city is out of pilots and they both were the lasting refuges. ]

Do what you’ve always done through the drills. [ he’s trying to keep calm, and he might look it with his straight face and focused demeanor, but hell if his heart wasn’t racing. ] Just don’t forget this isn’t one.

[ they’re nearing the golden renegade’s cockpit to suit up properly, where their teams are waiting for them and helping with their gear. this should be the first time they’re really drifting, and before eren wants to speak again, his lips are completely dry. he’s nervous. but it’s going to work out. they were pretty good together. they had the same heart.

(he’s still nervous. izuku’s more of a greenhorn than him, but in the end they both were. ]

III-B idek

[angealwings]

[ Andrew is obviously the bouncer where they are playing, tonight at least.

He's waiting for Eren at the end of the night, leaning his shoulders against the wall, arm crossed. ]

Hungry?

[ Of course he's going to feed him. Of course. ]

[usurpers]

[ eren gets his rest only a very good while after the show, the band’s first actual serious show, an opening to a more well known group at the annual metalfest, but a complete success nonetheless. they caused mosh pits, head banging and more, an excellent warm up for the night that earned cheers and interest. people wanted to talk to them, some about business while others had, well— other personal interest, eren and the others were very good looking men.

but eren could care less and always has. he’s gotten here almost by himself; he’s had to work full time at average jobs, he had to study, he was on the verge of dropping out to work more to be able to pay for his vocal coaching and better sound rentals for the band as a whole— and he’s starting to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. it was working out. he’d be able to follow a dream and what’s always made him happy: singing, and living off of that. he’d be able to live off it soon enough in the future if this keeps up.

the titans have a style that combines melodic choruses, well placed roars and screams from eren’s aggressive vocals, backed up by insane guitars, deep bass and almost chaotic drumming to create a metalcore based group with a distinct style of music.

coming back to have a breather with andrew, eren soon enough shows up, hair (an undercut mohawk tail) wet from a mix of sweat and throwing water in his face to cool off. he might be panting, already on his fifth or sixth water bottle for the night, but it’s clear with the grin on his face: he’s happy. ]

A little, [ but who cares about his stomach!! that was his first show!! ] How’d we do?

[angealwings]

[ Well, Andrew is offering to feed him, but hey, feedback is more important. ]

Well, it sounded sufficiently heavy and intoxicating to me, though there're definitely nights when I'm glad I'm enjoying from outside.

[ Fun fact. Andrew actually enjoys said distinct style. It's being with too loud music in enclosed spaces that can be a problem on nights when he can't relax into the groove. ]

And the crowd definitely liked what they were experiencing. How'd it feel from the inside?

I-C

[smothershadow]

[Another dream, another step into a history book. Amelia glanced around to get her bearings--though the shouted "Mr. Jaeger"'s caught her attention, giving her a bit more of a clue as to whose mind she was in this time. That man was old, though, enough to be a certain someone's grandfather or other elderly relative.

The older woman looked quite out of sorts, her dark green dress and formidable height doing the opposite of blending in.

She looked curiously down at the man who addressed her, arms folding.]

I imagine not.

[usurpers]

[ he looks much older than he really is— he’s no more than nineteen here, but he plays the mask he wears well: of a veteran who’s seen a little too much. his clothes are far too large for his frame, making him seem a little more thin and worn than he actually is (under all those fabric folds are eight packs of extremely fit muscle). his messy hair hides a lot of his face, as does the roll around his eye. the other eye, at least, under the bangs are a striking bright blue.

you’d need to get a good look at those features to realize they might be a lot more familiar than you think. eren only gives a faraway glance, he doesn’t need to expose himself to see her dress and dashing color. there’s an empty spot on the bench next to him, hitching his crutch between his legs and resting his hands over it. ]

You’ve come a long way to be standing.

[ quietly, he gestures to the spot next to him. there’s enough space in between them for some comfortable distance, at least. ]

[smothershadow]

[Amelia's eyes flicked to the bench, but she didn't sit immediately.]

Perhaps.

[What was time to her? This was a dream.]

What's your name?

[Who was this man? A few similarities stuck out in her mind, but they could have easily been coincidence. The voice was much coarser, the hair in his face. Perhaps there were others with relatives named Jaeger.]

ignores everything

[parodeity]

[ so it's wednesday night and dave is visiting eren's place to see his ~glorious hot wheels collection~ and to show off his newest dinosaur toy (a velociraptor). he brought a fruit basket for some reason so congrats on that... ]

We should let Admital Vanessa [ the raptor ] go for a spin.

[usurpers]

[ these hot wheels have their own room. they have some tracks put away somewhere too, but most important are the shelves for these babies, customized and gifted by his sister. all collectibles, some of them worn and alive since he was a kid all the way to the ones he got when he was older. they’d be kept in cases, untouched and of value, sort of just there on display for eren to look at and free to remove when he wanted to clean them.

or, let them go for a spin, but no one knows about that. ]

It doesn’t fit on the car. [ he says this with a light smile, humoring dave more than anything while he organizes the DINO RIDER shelf, ironically enough. ]

[parodeity]

[ owlie i can't believe this site

anyway!!!!!!!! dave is impressed by how eren collects honestly...he tries to keep his figures neat but he doesn't really care about how rare a thing is so much as "it's a dinosaur. i love it" which results in some truly unfortunate looking kids toys coming into his possession and staying there forever. ]

What if we let her ride on top?? Like a dino rack instead of a bike rack.

I-A

[invocate]

[Li-Na isn't sure what's going on, but it's not good.

As the crowds continue to panic, Li-Na looks around, trying to find the little boy she'd been talking to. Eren, she'd been talking to Eren, she's sure of it.

She catches sight of him, fighting against the streams of people, running straight toward the giant monster.]

Wait! It's dangerous over there!

[nevertheless, she gives chase]

[usurpers]

[ more and more titans pour through the massive hole in wall that had been kicked in. they’re some meters away now, eren’s house wasn’t too close— but it wasn’t as if the giants wouldn’t close that space fairly, fairly soon. eren pushes on despite the warning behind him, shouting back to li-na. ]

It’s dangerous for her!! [ his mother. the mother he had argued with the last time he was at home and stormed off. now, he’s absolutely terrified. he keeps telling himself that his house will still be there, right around the corner when he turns it. it smells like blood, pools of them puddling under the fallen debris; eren looks, but carries on as fast as his short legs can. ]

Mom?! [ he calls for her a second time once what’s left of his house is in sights: pulverized by a boulder shard and demolished completely on top of a young woman with so many of eren’s own features that there’s no mistake, that’s his mother. she’s trapped beneath the rubble with her torso dragged out, and upon seeing eren, she panics. eren goes directly to the heaviest piece of wood on her, beginning to pull up with every muscle he had.

but he’s too young. he isn’t physically strong enough to lift a house off of someone. ]

Li-Na, help me with this one!

[ eren’s mother only yells in protest for them to leave— and the earth begins to rumble in rymthic stomps. the titans have invaded shinganshina. ]

[invocate]

[Li-Na clamps a hand over her nose and mouth as she smells the blood. It's horrifying, the collapsed buildings and the people trapped beneath the rubble. The terrified screams of those still able to flee. She fights down her own instinct to run and hurries to help Eren. She grips the rubble and tries to help him lift the collapsed structure off his mother, but it's too much for even the two of them.]

We need something to lift it off. A lever or...

[She breaks off as the feels the ground tremble.]

What... what is that?

[It sounds huge.]

I-C

[dirtdevil]

[ in some way, he kinda knows this is a dream. the thing is, though, that most of his memories have come back to him in dreams, so sometimes it's hard to tell what really happened in another life and what was just his brain making up weird bullshit to pass the time.

...this could be either.

he doesn't recognize Eren at first—the voice sounds familiar, but it's coming from some weird one-legged hobo. he does a double-take, recalling that Eren showed up at his apartment with longer hair not too long ago, and, well... ]

—Eren? [ disbelief mixed with a little concern, with a dash of disappointment with Eren's new look. yikes. ] The fuck happened to you?

[usurpers]

[ don’t disapprove of his disguise, he never asked for this.

his name gets eren’s eyes, somewhere under all that unkept hair, to respond with a brief widen, but— nothing more. maybe he swallowed a fly. it felt like it, from how dry his throat felt, but he’s able to keep his collection eerily unlike the eren levi’s hung around with. the disapproval . . .

it’s not like that’ll be his first one. ]

I’m here to treat psychological wounds and amnesia. [ he says it flatly, as if reading it off a transcript, yet still making it look authentic. ] Can you believe that?

[ a question with two meanings. he doesn’t mind which levi chooses to answer to. ]

[dirtdevil]

[ he'll disapprove whatever he feels like, thank you. ]

Not really, no. Amnesia? Do you even know who I am?

[ this is already getting weird. ]

ii-e.

[selfloving]

[Jasmine fits extremely well into this scenario, whether she's filling in for Zack or not. It's clear already that she has strong opinions on the maturity of owning so many figures.

Another version of herself, someone who knew Eren and cherished him the same way she might her own family, could be kinder in this conversation.

This Jasmine has none of that, however, and she pauses mid-conversation for just a moment, surveying the dream around her. It's a strange place to be, surrounded by essentially a child's bedroom worth of toys being treated like fine art. She'd pause for a moment to get a better grasp of the situation, but...well, she has to be right.]

-- And that's to say nothing of your reputation. What exactly do you think people will say about you living like a child?

[usurpers]

Wh—

[ eren grimaces at the word. child? his reputation? like that’s been soiled just because he like collectible mechs— his room is of a man’s, there’s no doubt about that. his home is that of a man’s, with neutral decor, photographs of family, friends, and even a painting of a giant doing battle with a thorned dragon, in japanese styled watercolor.

it’s just littered with a ridiculous amount of statues here and there of exactly that: robot models. some have been bought the way they are, others have been assembled. eren gestures to a statue that cost him a lot, as most of them did: a model of atlantic rim’s gipsy danger. right next to it are the rest of the jaegers, and somewhere near the speakers of his tv is his ultimate prize— a 28 inch limited edition optimus prime.

there’s a lot more, but that’s the gist. ]

I don’t live like a kid, Jasmine! This is a serious collection!

[ this little guy rolls from behind where he stands, across the floor and beeping as it explores.

listen, it’s interactive. ]