#tftae

I tried not to make them too similar to Levi and Hange. I wanted to play around a little with their appearance whilst also still make you see that they're levihan kiddos. I also did the same for their personality!

I like the idea of Levi being the shortest one in the fam, that's why they're and will become taller than him.

Markus's apperance didn't change much from my initial sketch whilst Maeve and Malachi did, particularly with their hair.

Their middle name (from L to R): Gerasimos, Kuchel, and Hannaniah

Back in 2021, during the pandemic, I did a little marathon of classic period romance films, and one of the films that I watched was Jane Eyre (2011). Just as any shipper would do, I would automatically try to find which of my favourite pairs could fit the characters in the story. 

It wasn’t very hard to draw a connection between the character dynamics in Jane Eyre and Levihan. I mean, a struggling governess who was hired to teach a young ward of a brooding master of a great mansion, it’s giving Hange, Mikasa, and Levi (respectively) to me. I finished the film with a head full of what-ifs and scenarios. I toyed with the ideas for a whole day, and before I knew it, I created a draft for the fic the very next day (I still have the receipt BTW!). 

To think that it was (almost) five years ago!

I have always been interested in history, particularly the Victorian Era, and so I was very excited when I started this project. Initially, I thought that this would only be something that I kept for myself, just like most of my other ideas. But, as I wrote the first few chapters of the story, I figured it would be fun to share it with the folks. 

With only a laptop, a dream, and my love for Levihan, I posted the first chapter of this fic, and I was literally blown away by the warm reception from the community! I really did not expect that people would find this to be interesting, especially since my English and my writing were so awful back then. That’s why I’m very grateful for the support that I’ve received from my day 1 readers! Without you guys, I probably wouldn’t be here with my 300k words and 30+ chapters.

I originally planned to end TFTAE in five chapters. I tried to keep the story simple and avoid any complex conflicts, because I did not think I was capable of writing a long fic. However, as I kept exploring the story and the characters, more conflicts began to surface, and before I knew it, the number of words kept growing until I couldn’t contain it anymore in just 5 chapters. Even the average wordcounts on each chapter kept rising.

A lot of things had happened within the five years that I worked on this fanfiction; it legit felt like I had lived many lifetimes. I started this fic as a third-year university student who kept falling asleep during online classes. I was literally younger than Hange was during the first chapter of this fic, and now I’m the same age as Levi was when he debuted in this fic. 

I learned so many things from writing this fic, especially as a writer. I’m still far from perfect, but this fic helped me improve my English and my writing. Which would not be possible without your endless support for me! Like, I remember doing my first ever round of rewriting for my published chapters, and I was appalled by how horrible my writing and grammar were. I couldn’t believe you guys let me post that… I’m really sorry you had to go through that, guys. 

But even so, despite the quality of my writing, you were still willing to support me, and for that, I can’t thank you guys enough! Thank you for believing in me (and for seeing my vision HAHA). I didn’t know how many of you stuck around from 2021/2022/2023 until now, but I want to say thank you for joining me in this journey and for having faith in me, especially during the period where I would have a long gap between updates! You guys are the real ones!

I also want to give my flowers to LunaAzul788, who was my beta reader from chapter 11 to 14. She taught me so many things about English and writing. I wouldn’t be the writer I am today without her, and this fic would not be the same without her notes. Thank you so much for all of your help.

I love writing with all my heart, and I’m unfortunately a yapper—as you can tell from how long this message is. I could easily get lost in myself whenever I started to put my thoughts into words, and I had lost many hours of sleep in favour of writing (don’t do this, lmao). However, at the end of the day, writing is still a very lonely process, and I still struggle with doubts and worries. There were days when I would question my writing and my ability. 

That’s why your comments and support mean so much to me. I couldn’t count on how many times my days would become better whenever I received a message from you guys. I particularly want to give my thanks to the readers who would always send their love in the comment section after every update. It’s always a delight to read and to respond to your remarks, impressions, and enthusiasm about the new chapter! I would think about you guys whenever I work on the chapter. You guys were the reason why I kept persevering despite everything! 

I’m so happy to know that this fic can bring happiness to those who read it. I had a lot of fun writing this fic, and so it means a lot to know that I can share that joy with the community! And whether you read this fic from day one or maybe only today, allow me to express my gratitude for giving me the chance to entertain you with this silly passion project of mine. Thank you so very much for letting me be a part of this awesome Levihan community!

Honestly, it feels very bittersweet to end this fic. I poured everything into this project because this fic means a lot to me. It’s literally my child! However, all journeys must come to an end, and I’m happy to be able to bring this story to its end. I’m also proud of what this story has become, and especially of myself for this amazing achievement. 

I’m still going to write, and I’m still going to love Levihan, so this won’t be the last time you see me, but I know that no matter how many years will pass, this story will always have a special place in my heart.

And even though this fic will only be a small blip in your entire existence, I hope there is still something that you can take away from this story.

Once again, thank you for reading Tales From the Ackerman Estate!

Much love,