Chapter Text
The ocean... it looked like someone from up above dropped a lot of blue glitter by accident because it was so sparkly, it glimmered till to the end of the horizon. It got Mikasa mesmerized one too many times but this was one of the reasons why Mikasa loved the ocean. Whether it was day or night, the ocean seems to never have lost its signature shine.
She wondered what was on the other side, if there was an end to the endless view. In the books her father had kept in his study, it said that the ocean contained salt. A lot of it. It was so much that even merchants would get tired of it but what got her attention was that there were other islands on the other side.
Mikasa was mind blown when she found out and imagined what it would be like, would there be people? Or would it be filled with land blessed by mother nature? Would there be kids like her there?
Her thoughts were endless which hungered her desire to cross the ocean. As much as she wanted to, there was one problem, she didn’t have a boat. The Ackermans who were known hunters were keen on staying on Paradis Island so they deemed it useless to claim one, they were also set on never venturing down the great ocean or other islands for that matter.
Back then, young Mikasa voiced her opinions on wanting to travel which they rejected immediately and harshly for that matter, saying it was dangerous. She felt shot down of course because she imagined herself feeling the land that her feet touched once they reached the other side, the thrill of discovering something new. The young girl knew their strong opinions about it so after that, she never mentioned it to them again.
It was a taboo subject until she got a request from Kuchel Ackerman, her ‘boss’ in a postal company she works in. Her boss was also an Ackerman but no, they’re not related since their family tree said so. Kuchel came from the Underground whereas her father was raised under the direct sunlight, even so Kuchel and her parents formed a great bond.
Kuchel pretty much treated Mikasa like her own child and Mikasa admired her and saw her as a mentor and second mother-figure. Mikasa noticed she never mentioned any relatives so she questioned herself if she ever had a family, where they were.
She mentioned once that she had a son but he ran away at the age of 12 or at least that's what she thought. She was back from work and found her son wasn't home, suspecting he was just outside but days later she realized that he ran away. Months of searching, the son became a shadow since she never found and heard from him ever again much to her dismay. Kuchel was heartbroken, lost and devastated. He took nothing, not even clothes.
One day, she felt a spark in her and became determined to look for her son.
She finally got out of the dump which was the Underground and arrived at Shiganshina where she met the other Ackermans. She owed a lot to them, once she said that she was in need of a job, they got her one at Rose Postal Company which were owned by the Reiss family.
At 26, she attended Auto Memories Doll School (which was odd since most of the pupils were young girls) and passed with flying colors, she then worked there as an Auto Memories Doll and was quite good at it, so much that she rose up the ranks and became the head of it. All done in the span of a year and 6 months, Kuchel had the talent of swaying people with her words, you can see it in her letters.
Mikasa after becoming 16, followed Kuchel to also work in the company much to the Reiss’ delight and to her parents dismay because to be an Auto Memories Doll, you have to travel. She knew more than anyone that her parents despised the idea of Mikasa travelling.
With a promise and guidance from Kuchel and her ever so sly persuasion skills, they finally let her go and accepted her request. Not letting the family name down, Mikasa aced the school just like Kuchel and became a valuable asset to the company.
Two years later, Kuchel heard news spread about her son, it surprised her since she thought he was a goner but to her relief, he luckily wasn’t. She was desperate to hear from him, to see him and her profession was more than qualified to be able to travel there and send a letter herself but because there is a conflicting war near Marley, she couldn’t risk it.
The article stated, word by word. ‘Levi Ackerman granted the title of ‘Captain’ only after serving for 5 years. Who exactly is this excellence that Marley has?’
Mikasa heard about it and told Kuchel to hire her, to be her Auto Memories Doll. Of course the conflicted mother said no but Mikasa was stubborn and insisted, saying it was to return the favor, for putting her under her care and giving her the chance to travel to far off places even though it wasn’t across the ocean, she was still very thankful for it.
Her parents were an issue though, they were barely convinced to let her work in the company, what more when they find out that Mikasa volunteered herself to go to Marley, out of all places she could have gone to. Mrs. Ackerman would have a heart attack while her father would riot and trap Mikasa inside the house if he has to.
So Kuchel offered to take the blame by saying she requested Mikasa and threatened to fire her if she rejected which Mikasa strongly voiced her disagreement but she actually meant the firing part. Not because of rejecting to write for her, god no she would never force anything on Mikasa but because of not accepting the responsibility Kuchel decided upon herself.
Leaving Mikasa with no choice, she permitted Kuchel to take the blame.
When her parents found out, they blamed Kuchel and got very mad at her for 'forcing' their daughter to travel but they understood it since it was her son, they're still mad and disappointed at her though.
That’s what happened before Mikasa found herself standing in front of the ocean, cherishing the view in front of her.
It was the day before her departure.
In Mr. Ackerman's study, Mikasa thought that this book in particular looked pretty so she took it and decided to take a look in it. Of course she wasn't at that stage to be able to read full sentences, but she liked the pictures so it still entertained her.
-Auto Memories Doll
An Auto Memories Doll is a woman who writes letters with a typewriter for the ones who cannot do so themselves. The requirements to become one is very high, you need to be able to emotionally connect with the client, type and work efficiently with precision and be able enough to travel anywhere the client demands them to. They spend all their time in expeditions with the clients, no matter the condition, they are there to be of aid to them. If one must travel to conflict areas then they are allowed to carry firearms/weapons.
The job of an Auto Memories Doll is praised highly by women and the writing industry thus gaining respect and increasing the Dolls every year.
Due to the high standards, one must go to an Auto Memories School located near them and graduate in order to work as one. Age requirement to be able to go is 16.
The demand of the Dolls are high so the client/s are only allowed to hire one for a maximum of 30 days with the exception of far-away locations and reasons the company (it can vary to every company) has allowed. They only carry one bag due to the nature of their job.
The pay may vary on the client and can be rewarded in various ways.
One can choose to work at a postal company such as Rose Postal Company or work independently as ghostwriters.
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The origin story of how the Dolls came to be was when Uri Reiss couldn't convey his sentiments for the burial of his deceased father, he stumbled upon Ymir Fritz. A talented woman who knew her way around technology, she always carried a type-writer with her claiming to be a independent novelist. He voiced his concerns and Fritz offered to help him which he delightfully accepted.
He told Fritz some ideas, ways he wanted to tell, because he didn't want to come empty-handed. He thought that their father, the good man that he was, deserved more than a few select words from his oldest. After discussing with Fritz, they together created a letter that perfectly described what Uri wanted to tell, what exactly he was feeling.
Uri saw extreme potential in Fritz and along with his brother, decided to start a small business regarding letters and type-writers. He wanted to help people who cannot deliver the messages themselves just like him. Fritz accepted the deal which makes her the very first Auto Memories Doll.
Uri and his brother, Rod took care of the finance and delivering part meanwhile Fritz dealt with the emotional portion of it. It became well-known around the village and before they knew it, business was booming and word got out to various locations. It became blatantly obvious that their small office was too small.
During the happening of the Great War between Paradis Island and the Mid-East, the demand of Fritz's letter writing became more demanding, it became perfectly clear that it wasn't a one man job anymore. Fritz decided to hire other eight women whom she trusted and knew would do a great job to be Dolls like her. The nine became the role-models Dolls look up to till this day. They were nicknamed the '9 Titans' in the writing industry.
With enough funds, their business continued to grow and grow with more Dolls incoming, hiring postmen as well and other staff members.
After a while, Uri became sickly and passed away and let his brother Rod Reiss to take the reigns from him. Rod thought it was time for Fritz and the other eight to retire so he gave them the choice to either continue working or stop. All nine decided to retire, they were honored and continued to live their life peacefully.
Now Rose Postal Company is known to be the creator of the Dolls and became the wall other postal companies can't climb. Even if they wanted to.