#༊*·˚ kenny. ackerman ◞ ― visuals *ೃ༄

[yeager-eren]

UPRISING ARC.

[anime4lifw]

Visuals for S3 of attack on titan and woop shit gonna down cause welcome uncle kenny aka the man who raised levi for those who haven't watched no regrets ova yet and I'm pretty sure it was officially confirmed

[onigiri-dorkk]

I’ve been wanting to make something like this for a long time. When going back through the timelines of things the biggest thing that hit me was: 145 generations IS A LONG ASS TIME!!!

Think about how many branches of Ymir’s blood have been created in that time to have filled the Walls of Paradis. The Paths tree is known to be a visualization of just how many descendants of Ymir have come to existence.

And THAT ^, my friends, is the same visualization we can and should have regarding descendants of the Ackermans considering Ackermans were created during King Fritz’s lifespan during his Titan DNA experiments immediately after Ymir Fritz died/was eaten by her children. (Ackerman line began when Subjects of Ymir did!)

The Ackermans are likely more widespread than expected. It wasn’t until the 145th King Karl Fritz that they BEGAN to be persecuted. Meaning before persecution, Ackerbabies everywhere multiplying and spreading.

And guess what!? They weren’t totally killed off. It says that the remaining Ackermans, once experiencing persecution, avoided telling their children and children’s children about the world before the Walls. So generation after generation the Ackerman’s grew up without knowledge of world before walls NOR of their Ackerman/Titan DNA descent. (It was a way of making Ackerman’s ignorant to what made royalty/nobles afraid of them… just make them forget over time)

Meaning two important things:

1) There are absoluuuuutely more unknown people of Ackerman lineage around the world who simply don’t even know they have that DNA. If they didn’t know they were Ackerman’s, they wouldn’t be pursued. (I would be interested to read about someone who doesn’t turn into a Titan, only to find out they are an Ackerman!)

2) Levi and Mikasa are DEFINITELY from separate branches that are SOOOOO many generations off from each other. Literally broken off during the 145 generation gap.

We know that Mikasa’s father likely did not even know he was an Ackerman, meaning he is a product of the generations of one of the side branches who did not even learn about their ancestry or the pre-Walls history. (Again, the only branch that DID know was Kenny/Levi’s, who was the Head/main branch!) They painted Mikasa’s dad as such an ordinary human and he never had his powers awakened either.

Isayama’s lineage tree illustrates this so clearly and we’ve KNOWN THIS! Mikasa’s branch breaks off DURING THE 145 GENERATION GAP preceding Kenny’s Grandfather (Levi’s great grandfather).

And AGAIN…

To reiterate it even more?

Canon AoT recognizes that Mikasa and Levi merely share a name. A name that connects them generations and generations and generations ago, almost like a sub-race. Not a small family.

We also know how Isayama emphasizes the power of lineage and bloodlines in general. Come on: Subjects of Ymir! They’re all connected by Ymir and though they share maybe small % of DNA to their ancestor, that is more than enough to turn them into full Titans. Marleyans are Marleyans who hold onto ancient tales of Marley trampled by Eldia; Eldians the same. So Ackermans created by Titan DNA experiments are similar too. By only having any small amount/percentage of Titan/Ackerman DNA, does this allow them to access this inhuman Titan strength. Ackerman’s are emphasized by Isayama to be closer to something like a sub-race of Eldians, just like Subjects of Ymir are a sub-race to Eldians too.

To further clarify this?

If Levi and Mikasa were actually cousins or uncle as 99% of the fandom claims, wouldn’t they claim familial bonds with each other immediately after finding out about their shared ancestry? They both have literally lost all their family. They know they are the last of their lineage. Why didn’t Isayama portray them as family? MAYBE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT FAMILY and they know they are simply part of the sub-race.

Ok, I’m done for now LOL. I am regurgitating all of these thoughts to make sure I can communicate it clearly to my husband when this PowerPoint happens 😂😂😂😂

LEVI AND MIKASA ARE LIKELY LESS RELATED THAN EVERYONE IN THE DAMN WALLS

[selarina]

Warmth

→ Levi Ackerman x fem!reader

Prologue

Series Masterlist | Read on AO3 | Next

Summary: Levi comes to understand second chances, dreary yearning, and comfort.

General Warnings: childhood friends to lovers, hurt/comfort, eventual fluff, eventual smut, description of injuries, soccer player!levi, levi gets injured, high school au, college au (warnings will be added as I progress with the story)

Word Count: 980 words

Author's Note: Hello, I actually hate this but I figured I should post this prequel/sneak peak – to find motivation to finish up this story?

I'm not sure if I want this to be a series or a one-shot. Will most likely be a one-short given my attention span for these things. I'm also not sure if I should post this exclusively on ao3 or not. Let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist :)

Final year of high school

The fading rays of the sun compensated for the fog evading his vision, it left the stadium painted with a hazy golden light blending perfectly behind the confines of the stadium. It always gave him the impression that the world was just on the verge of falling asleep, or on the verge of awakening. It depended on his mood really.

The air around him smelt suffocatingly crisp with wet grass. It was chilly and it made him shiver but not enough to leave him uncomfortably cold. Besides, he figured he wouldn't like it if it was too balmy.

The match was going smoothly, but that was to be expected. They had approximately 3 minutes left. At 23-29, they knew that their win was definite. But, even so, he wanted to score another goal. It was expected of him to paint the visual of the strongest player, delivering that final blow. It was pointless but he resolved to do it for the team; after all, 23-30 sounded better than 23-29.

As he jogged over to make his next move, the violent crowd erupted in support. He could hear people yelling out for him, screaming his name as though this match mattered. It didn't, really.

He tuned them out, only to let the abrupt images of his mother seep from the abyss of his mind, leaving him unfocused momentarily. 

He recalled how she was always present for every single match, with no regard for her already overwhelming schedule. It annoyed him. Why did she feel the need to show up for practice matches? 

He didn’t bother looking at the bleachers like he usually did before he ran over to score the final goal. She wasn’t here now, and he certainly didn’t expect Kenny to defy all of nature and meet his guardian duties for once. He's actually certain Kenny thinks Levi's on the basketball team.

He happened to know you were there though, because in a moment of selfish weakness, he allowed himself to check if you made it. You always showed up, rarely missing some of his practice games, but as he mulled over it the whole week before, he wasn't sure if you would still show up.

And now he isn't sure if you showed up for him, not when he heard about how you're dating him.

He contemplated it for a second, but in the end, he didn't falter. He had decided months ago that he would not seek you out. Not yet, at least.

He liked that he had this game to focus on, and the next game, and the previous game before this game. It stopped him from thinking about wanting to punch Kenny, among other things that he needed distraction from. 

Usually, he'd score and the audience would go loud, much to his dismay. People seem to lose their senses in the loud atmosphere — lost in the excitement, his team would attempt to pat him with their filthy hands, offering their congratulations.

He would pry them off after giving them a moment of indulgence. Erwin would then offer to take the team out after they're done with the formalities, and he would agree, albeit reluctant.

He's always reluctant with these things, he's not sure what to make of it. Besides it doesn't matter, he only agrees because he knew Miche, the evident idiot, would offer to pay for the whole team. 

"Well, I need somewhere to put my mom's money. It would be a waste to spend it on another console, I already have 5!", he would say. Levi didn't believe a single word he said, or maybe their financial disparity was just too large for him to imagine it being a reality for someone else.

Except on this particular day, he ended up in the hospital with a head injury he knew he had sustained during the match.

He tried to recall what took place before everything went black. He remembered attempting to avoid a player's elbow to his face, and given the feel of the bandages on his head, he concludes that he didn't succeed.

He can't really remember the player who hit him. The only description he has to this day is - “He looked like a monkey, I’m telling you”, as Furlan eloquently put it. 

Laying there in the hospital, he felt one of his legs shift stiffly. He moves the soft cotton covering his legs. He notices that his hand is branded with multiple bruises, they’re small enough to heal within a week or two, he safely assumes. 

He has so many questions because he couldn't remember what happened. Did he hit his head on something hard? Is it possible that he was trampled by that player? But all his questions cease when he sets his eyes on the cast that covers his right leg.

A broken leg. Permanent damage to his head from the looks of it. The beginning of a poorly written, achingly mundane tragedy.

Maybe he'll become an accountant now. He was always good at math.

He wanted to pull his hair out of his head at the thought of that, but he remembered the bandages on his head and like an alarm reaching its threshold of time, the throbbing of his head goes off, alarmingly loudly.

Kenny stands there complaining about how much money this would cost him, Levi thinks about how he would much rather go back to when he wouldn’t come home for days.

He tries to sleep that night but he couldn’t. Not when the walls of the hospital were blatantly white, white all over. Maybe he’s just hyper-fixating his frustrations on a color. He moves one his injured hands to the bicep of his other hand, stroking it up and down, a calming move usually. It seems to work, he feels himself go drowsy. He thinks of silver adorned fingers reaching for him before he falls asleep.

[erenisms]

cat got your tongue? | levi ackerman

hange needs someone to take care of their cat but levi isn't home so they drop off the feline on his crush's apartment instead— your apartment.

pairing: neighbor!levi ackerman x reader

genre: fluff, crack lol

word count: 1753

warning/s: cursing, levi in a bad day

cats and ackermans >>>

i cant do this, watch me headcanon modern kuchel and kenny as kids begging their parents for a cat

To say that Levi was pissed is an absolute understatement. Today was supposed to be his day off but Erwin told him that his team should present as early as possible so that's already a blow. Early this morning, he found out that he had magically run out of tea and his coffee maker was broken so he had to settle for some shitty instant coffee that tasted like bitter vinegar. Then on his way to work, an old lady asked him to help her carry three boxes of peaches to her trunk because her 28-year-old, piece of shit son refused to leave the passenger seat which made him late. And during office hours, his co-leader brought the wrong flash drive for their presentation so as the team leader, he had to improvise a new speech for their proposal without any visuals.

Even then, after everything, he was fine. After all, it takes a lot to break a Levi Ackerman. Those were just some minor inconveniences that he could live with for a day. Well, until Hange Zoe happily put the cherry on top when they called him to their office.

They told him cheerfully— Levi wanted to slap that grin off their face... literally, that they left their stupid (not really, he loves the animal more than he lets on) cat on his apartment complex to be babysat thinking it was his day off but after finding out that he's not home, Hange left the cat on his neighbour's instead.

However, that wasn't what made him explode. The worst (though arguably best) thing that happened to him was because of who Hange gave the cat to because out of everyone, out of the four other apartments on the same floor as him, Hange just had to pick yours.

“Which neighbour?” Levi hissed.

“[Name] [Last Name] from 304!” Hange exclaimed a little too proudly to not be suspicious.

So after grabbing the brunette's collar and shaking them vigorously a few times before throwing them back on their chair, he decided he'd rather get the task over with. Not before throwing another deadly glare at Hange who just grinned at him unbothered.

Now, he stood in front of your place, hand hovering over the wood as he thinks of how he should knock. The light reflected on the stainless 304 that was embedded on the door, looking as if they were glinting smugly at him and daring him to actually do it. He clicked his tongue in annoyance with himself and deduced that he may have been hanging out too much with Hange that he, too, has gone crazy.

Fucking hell, just relax. Knock and pick up the cat then leave.

Levi tapped the door with enough force and the sound of his three knocks resonated across the empty hallway. He wondered if he was too aggressive and nearly panicked until he heard the unlocking of the knob.

You looked so disgustingly cute in your very plain but comfortable clothes when you opened the door. If Levi's heart was really ice cold as his glasses-wearing friend always says, then it's not anymore because he's pretty damn sure it melted right then and there.

“Oh, hello.” You greeted, eyes blinking at him in confusion.

“Did four-eyes leave their cat here?” He didn't mean to sound so disinterested to talk to you because trust him, he absolutely does. He hopes you understand. He's just nervous.

DON'T BE SO TENSE, he scolded himself.

“Four-eyes... Hange? Oh yeah, they did! Kina's sleeping inside right now though, do you want to come in?” You offered nicely after the realization, opening the door wider as a gesture for him to come in.

Levi subtly gulped and prayed to whoever's up there that you didn't notice. He just gave you a wordless nod and walked in. He could cry tears of joy that you didn't find him rude and was still kind enough to invite him. He could and he would, really, but Levi Ackerman doesn't cry.

The first thing he noticed on your home when he stepped inside was the fact that it was clean. The cat's things may be littered on the ground in front of the sofa and his eyes zoomed in on some stray cat hairs but everything else was pristine and organized. Levi managed to stop himself from looking around too much to avoid making himself look like a weirdo and sat on the couch beside the napping feline stiffly.

“Levi, right? I'm [Name].” You introduced yourself, closing the door again and walking over to the living room where the two of them were.

“You know me?” His brows raised a mere fraction.

Levi was unable to hide his surprise. Anyone who knows him well would notice the slightest, uncharacteristic raise of pitch in his tone. He quickly composed himself and cleared his throat, sitting stiffer than before.

Thank fuck, shitty-glasses or eyebrows isn't here.

“Yeah, we met on your first day here, remember? Plus our neighbours like you, I've heard good things. I don't actually have a lot of interactions with you these days though, I was starting to think you're avoiding me or something.” You joked and started packing the cat's toys.

“No, I wasn't.” He answered too quickly for his liking.

He wanted to punch himself and maybe he will later after he gets back to his own home. For now, the only person getting punched is Hange and his eyebrow twitches at the thought in annoyance until he heard you giggle.

And oh god, your laugh is better than any music he's ever heard, better than any band he'll ever listen to— alright, maybe he's just exaggerating now and glorifying you too much. How is he not supposed to? He fucking likes you, okay?

“I'm sure you aren't.” You stated, amused at his defensiveness and walked towards your small kitchen. “Do you want some tea? Hange mentioned something about you liking it when they saw mine. See?”

Levi craned his head and saw you pointing adorably at one of your opened cupboards. He looked at the boxes and boxes of different teas in different brands that he knows aren't some generic shit because obviously, Levi knows his teas.

“Yeah, sure. If you don't mind.” He nodded coolly. “Geneva black tea is good, no milk nor sugar.”

“Wow, you really are as much of a tea enthusiast as Hange said.” You perked up at his choice. “Most people find it floral for a black tea especially when drank plain, but its taste actually depends on the temperature you start steeping it in.”

That surprised him. He didn't think you'll know something like that but here you are. You handed him his mug and he felt a flutter in his stomach when your hand brushed against his. The butterflies in his intestines seemed energetic today. And just when he thought you couldn't be any more attractive, the way you blend his tea was immaculate. Not better than how he does it though, he's his number one tea maker.

Maybe I'm just hungry. He lied to himself, you know, like a liar.

“I'm surprised Hange just left their cat on me, a total stranger.” You started, still baffled at their actions. “Good thing I like cats. Tell them they should be more careful about who they leave their pets with next time.”

“I would, but four-eyes never listens to me. They've always been reckless like that, got good intuition though so they're not entirely useless as a boss.” Levi replied, relieved that he could hold a civil conversation with you.

“They're your superior at work?” You asked, both surprised and impressed.

“Something like that, I'm still surprised about it and it's been two years.” He shrugged, taking a sip of the hot beverage in his hand.

“Well, I hope Kina will be in better hands if Hange— and I hope they don't, leave him with strangers again.”

“Don't worry about it, I'll knock some more sense into four-eyes. Plus I told you they have good intuition so it doesn't surprise me that they left this cat with you.” He rubbed Kina's head, making the cat purr.

“I'm taking that as a compliment then.” You smiled through your own mug as he hummed in reply.

You watch Levi scratch the cat's ears with a soft look on his face. His brows were relaxed, his steel eyes were gentle and although not smiling, his lips were no longer in a frown. His shoulders were considerably less tensed, too. You could almost hear the sigh of content through his nose. You find it cute how his exterior can easily be broken down by such a small animal.

And then your phone rang, snapping you and Levi out of your separate thoughts, and waking the feline from his afternoon nap.

“Oh! Excuse me for a second!” You stood up, grabbing the device from the counter.

Levi can't remember when did he start having this dumb crush on you. Was it when he saw you gave nearly half of your groceries to the street children in town? Or maybe it was when you showed him around the entirety of the apartment building by being perfectly equally respectful and friendly without being put off by his aloofness? He doesn't know and he doesn't care. All he knows is that as every day passes, he just keeps liking you more and more.

You went back to the living room with an apologetic expression and Levi looked up to you with mild concern.

“I'm sorry, my brother called asking for help with his studying.”

“I see.” He nodded. “I guess we should leave then.”

Levi felt a little disappointed that you couldn't talk with him more and based on the small, cute pout on your lips, he guessed you felt the same. He picked up Kina who curled in his arms and you handed him the bag he came with.

“Sorry for waking you up, bud.” You gave the cat's head a pat and he nuzzled further into your hand.

“I'm sure he enjoyed his overstayed welcome here.” Levi glared affectionately at the cat as you lead them out.

You gave one last look at him and the feline, sending them both a pretty smile.

“I'll see you around? I mean you and Kina, maybe Hange, too.” Your tone was hopeful, how could he say no?

For the first time that day (or was it that week?), Levi's lips curled upward genuinely.

“Yeah.”

[une-femme-de-lettres]

Underrated characters NSFW Alphabet

I'm in a headcanon mood today, pick a letter and character in the list and send me an ask.

| Characters |

One piece = Monkey D. Garp, Sengoku, Momonga, Shanks, Buggy, Borsalino|Kizaru, Issho|Fujitora, Aramaki|Ryokugyu, Smoker, Izo, Marco, Silvers Rayleigh, Wiper, Charlotte Katakuri, Kaido, Sasaki, King, Sabo, Heat, Wire

Attack on Titan = Kenny Ackerman, Berthold Hoover, Zeke Yeager, Porco Galliard, Eren Kruger, Erwin Smith, Theo Magath, Onyankopon

Fairy Tail = Laxus Dreyar, Gildartz Clive, Bickslow, Gajeel Redfox, Elfman Strauss, Jellal Fernandes

| Letters |

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex) B = Body Part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person) D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?) F = Favorite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual) G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc) H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc) I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect) J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon) K = Kink (One or more of their kinks) L = Location (Favorite places to do the do) M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going) N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc) P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? Etc) Q = Quickie (Their opinions on puickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc) R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc) S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…) T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?) U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make) W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice) X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words) Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?) Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

[helena-thessa]

Hi Helena! Big fan of your writing here🥺♥️ Your rivamika fics are my safe space 😭 (if you have time to answer) i’d love to know when you first started shipping them, why, and what made you continue to love this ship (or anything else to do with your journey as an RM shipper)? i love your characterisation of both levi and mikasa individually, but even more so, your portrayal of their dynamic as a couple, which is why i wanted to ask so badly ☺️ x

Hey anon! Oh woah, first of all, thank you so much. Second of all, oh god, you probably shouldn't have handed me the mic. heh 😅

I’m afraid to look at the word count of this response, I’m sure it’s much more than you bargained for, but I appreciate the question and enjoyed thinking through my response (: Most importantly, I’m so glad you find my stories as a safe space. It’s really an honor. Thank you for sharing with me 🖤🖤

TL; DR As a longtime reader, writer and lover of stories and story-telling, by being someone who pays attention to how stories are crafted and deliberately developed from beginning to end, I sincerely thought Isayama was setting up rivamika as an endgame relationship. So, I read into and interpreted meaning out of ALL their interactions and became deeply invested.

I don’t necessarily ship them cause of the parallels, age gap, enemies to lover trope, height difference, or some of those common reasons and/or kinks. I’m more basic and boring than that. I love the concept of them coming together as though it’s inevitable.

They both are unbelievably strong, selfless, and have suffered so much loss— so, no one else could truly understand them as well as they can understand each other. They both probably would have always settled for a stable, simple life, and been alone and lonely even without realizing it— instead, they find each other, and realize what it means to actually no longer be alone, to do more than just survive. It’s this understated bond, as opposed to a dramatic and passionate romance, that I envision in them and that I love so much.

Then, the passion, heat, the romantic "spark"— I think that’s an added bonus, the cherry on top, the perfect final puzzle piece. They’re both so physically capable, can speak through their actions, and don’t show much need or capacity for emotional/ verbal communication, so the ability to connect with each other through physical intimacy and mind-blowing sex seems like another given.

Still, at the end of the day, for me it comes back to their ability to fully depend on each other, to the inevitability. Not like some soulmate trope where they 'have no choice' in it, but like the stars aligned to prove it's right. How each of them have only one other person on the whole planet who could see and understand them, to be on par with them, to make them realize there’s more to life than settling and surviving, and they happen to find it in each other.

You asked, I rambled 😅 Here’s a breakdown of my thought process in my rivamika journey. For those who make it to the end or want to skip to the end, I'll finish with the excerpt of the very first rivamika scene I felt compelled to to write.

I've tried before to re-watch and remember the exact scenes, exact moments, that initially captured my full attention, but I guess it was all of them, the gradual and cumulative compilation of their earliest interactions.

Mikasa always appearing cool and indifferent, and paying no attention whatsoever to others fawning over, like Jean initially falling for her, but then her strongly reacting over Levi in the courtroom showed how uniquely capable he was at getting under her skin.

Of course, the scene in the forest chasing the Female Titan was a critical one. I think of that as the first time both Levi and Mikasa were truly able to see the other's strength, mental and physical. And for them, orphans and trauma survivors who have suffered extensive loss, I think that seeing strength in another person made them feel less alone. Less alone in a deep, quiet but cataclysm, life-altering sort of way, even if not a romantic one. Like they didn't know it was something they didn't have, something they didn't expect to get from life, but then found it with each other.

(Even when we found out Levi was an Ackerman, I was disappointed if it meant they were immediate relatives, but willing to accept it wouldn't be a romantic end to loneliness, it would be a familial end to loneliness. But... the author never explored that. Not once.)

In that forest scene, manga and anime, the way that Levi pauses to really look and see Mikasa and think about who she is, what she’s gone through, and how strong and dedicated she is now— that was a defining moment. It was also a visual demonstration of Levi breaking character, from aloof and ruthless, to considering and curious. I thought Yams was showing both of them do that on purpose.

Then, Levi getting hurt because of Mikasa in that scene felt like another clue. Sure, it was while saving Eren, and sure, it could have been meant to humanize super-soldier Levi, or sure, it could have been another aspect of how Mikasa rushing into things over Eren ends up hurting other people that later changes in her character development, but it felt like a very pointed statement about Mikasa being a vulnerability for Levi. And that's swoon-worthy, right? Most of us have been exposed to and conditioned by stories about how special and romantic it is to be the one and only girl who can make an otherwise disinterested or unattainable guy actually pay attention to her, and so admittedly I fall right for it.

I’m sure I’m forgetting plenty, but the opening of season 3 felt like confirmation. When Levi figures out Kenny's behind things and entrusts Mikasa with instructions to share with the others, instructions about fighting people instead of titans that ultimately everyone else besides her struggles with, and when Mikasa lets Levi hold her back from chasing after Eren, her most important way of trusting and having faith in Levi, I honestly took that as cues from the author that rivamika was endgame. I let myself get truly invested from then on. That’s that understated bond I was referring to. To me, that unspoken but undeniable trust is the most important dynamic.

Seeing them fight together or fight similarly has always been fun and powerful and fulfilling.

I'm newer to the snk club. I was originally an anime-only fan and started watching in fall 2019, I think. I wasn't on tumblr, twitter, or anything else to see fandom discourse. So, I didn't know that the rooftop scene of Mikasa fighting Levi over the serum was such a staple for our ship until much later. I love the scene just like many do for all the reasons we do, but I don't think the actual scene was pivotal for me, so much as it's aftermath. I thought it represented two things.

One, it was an important marker in Levi's characterization. Hands-down one of the most striking scenes to me is the one where Levi is in the alley, somber and alone, listening in on Eren, Armin, and Mikasa talking together. It artfully shows his longing for hope and connection. So, when Levi chose Armin for the serum, that represented Levi choosing hope. And when Mikasa ultimately gave up fighting Levi and didn't choose Armin, which Armin finds out about later on, I see that as an important marker in Mikasa's development. It puts a wedge between her and Armin/Eren [Armin, because he knows she would have let him die, and Eren, because Armin is too special to him and he couldn't look at her the same way after realizing she would have let him die]. That distance between her and her childhood friends is one I don't think could ever be healed completely, one of those painful lessons in growing up. By doing that, it then also puts a distance in Mikasa's own childhood self to her current self. I thought that matured her and separated her out in a way that was another clue toward eventual rivamika developments.

That's a whole other conversation on Mikasa, but I’ll stay on track. Her love for Armin was absolutely authentic and fierce, but at the end of the day, at the core of her being, she chose survival over hope. Meanwhile, Levi chose hope over survival. To me, that was soft, fertile ground for the reasons why eventually, if/when Mikasa found hope and chose hope, that could directly tie together with her inevitably in coming together with Levi. Again, less butterflies and fireworks, but more natural and in a way that was just a given.

I wrote Beyond the Walls before reading the manga from the Marley Arc and on, so that's why most of that story is her journey into embracing that hope. *manga spoilers* There's a lot of meta, criticism and talk about Mikasa's silent, off-screen and subtle style of character development in the Marley Arc and afterward. I won't go down that road, I'm still processing the end of the manga to be honest, but I think it's fair to say she does eventually end up choosing hope over survival when she lets go of Eren and saves humanity instead. I love the “Stay with Me” line and think it’s perfect; a simple but profound display of trust and their deep-rooted bond in a really understated way. *end manga spoilers*

Here's something I always wanted to talk about in full but haven't. It honestly reads to me like Yams was building toward rivamika, and didn’t do anything to stop that until too late. There are tools authors can use to ensure we stop shipping a pair or start shipping a new one; love triangles are commonly used in every artistic medium and we’ve all been persuaded by these tools. But Yams didn’t use these tools to make sure readers didn’t feel convinced by rivamika. For all the reasons I listed above, more I'm forgetting, and for the following:

If he wanted us to think they were family and it would be incest, he should have added in a conversation between them realizing they were (close) family and that they weren't the only ones left in their biological family like they thought. But he didn't.

If he wanted us to think it was completely inappropriate between a child-and-adult and student-and-teacher, then he could have done something to ensure Mikasa looked childish or Levi looked older, but no. They barely look ten years apart. I do think it's unacceptable and that there's a power imbalance between a child-and-adult relationship regardless of that, and that there can't be true consent when one is a superior and another a subordinate, so I personally age-up Mikasa in my head and try to handle his position of power responsibly in my writings... but the point being, by the end of canon, there's no inappropriate or non-consensual romance between them, yet there's a lot of history and chemistry that could naturally lead to an age-appropriate and consensual relationship. If Yams didn't want us to think so, he could have made it more clear that there were reasons it wouldn't happen.

The only thing that makes sense to me is the author planned on rivamika endgame but was shamed/pressured out of it (either internally or due to others) OR that the author somehow accidentally created such vibrant chemistry and an incredible dynamic between them. Like, he didn't put enough convincing substance of eremika in, didn't make Levi look old enough, didn’t have one of them do something unforgivable in the other’s eyes, etc. Those are some of those tools he could have used. Romance was never a key component in snk. And since we now know Yams planned or needed eremika endgame for sake of plot and the conclusion of the manga, I personally think he didn't know what to do with the riveting rivamika substance and chemistry being much more convincing to readers. Once he had them so well built-up, maybe the only option he felt he had was to just stop putting the characters together. We get little-to-no rivamika interaction, platonic or practical, after season 3 all the way up until the very end. But there was so much of it beforehand ?? So, it simply doesn't make sense. I think the author just straight-up cut any and all interactions out between them because it was too convincing and moving, more convincing and substantial than eremika. But, as the end of canon shows, we needed to have some eremika buy-in. It's messy writing and unskilled in the romance department, but considering for how long and how complicated snk has been in a creative process and how lackluster the eremika romance (the main and apparently pivotal romance) is developed, I think it’s plausible to say the author effed up.

As far as writing fanfiction goes, there's just so much room to explore them. In canon, we aren't given enough insight into their individual perspectives, let alone their dynamic together, so it feels like a blank canvas to work from. I think that's part of why I love to write them, and also why I don't necessarily read much of them. When I first started shipping them while watching the anime, I read a few of the classics that were canon-verse, but I haven’t really read much since. For me, exploring and discovering them as a writer is the most fun. (It's one of the reasons Naruto and Harry Potter have such large fanfiction collections. There's so much world-building and so many characters, but there's also so much left to the imagination.)

In general, I'm drawn to strong characters, especially women, who are multidimensional enough to be real, vulnerable and soft. Mikasa is the pinnacle of that. I don’t necessarily like to write about her love or infatuation with Eren, but I do respect and admire and consider it integral to her character and her amazing capacity to love. We can have strong, kickass women who falter when it comes to love but are still considered strong for it. The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive and Mikasa is a beautiful example of that.

And Levi is strong, but real and vulnerable too; he’s honestly a fantastically developed character, from Petra explaining to Eren in the beginning how he’s not the amazing hero he’s painted to be to the public, to how Levi genuinely cares for Erwin and others and chooses hope despite all he’s suffered.

The end of the manga wrecked me a bit. Kind of like Games of Thrones. You have something that was so epic and well-done for so long, a rushed ending that isn't immediately sensical and isn't fulfilling is hard to stomach. Eventually, I'll move on from the denial of that and process what I think and feel about it. The whole reason we have fanfiction is to expand on canon, but it's made me put rivamika on the back burner until I figure it out. So I'm a little less hyper-fixated on the pairing right now even though interacting with you all and asks like this remind me what brought me here in the first place. 😊

To conclude, I’ll share that the very first rivamika content I wrote was a compilation of moments I thought could be inserted into season 3. These are still moments I plan to edit and publish one day. For anyone that actually read this far, I’ll put a rough and unedited excerpt of the first scene I ever wrote about them.

Thank you again anon 🖤😊

BEGIN EXCERPT [after the rooftop fight for the serum, immediately following the ceremony where Eren touched Historia by kissing her hand]:

Part of her was embarrassed at such a flagrant act of disobedience to a superior, especially to one who saved her and countless others' lives in the past. But mostly, she was anguished by the situation Captain Levi put her in once he revoked the serum meant to save Armin and planned to use it on Commander Erwin instead. Her current ostracization and self-loathing was not entirely her own fault. Anger she felt toward herself was just as easy to wield against him.

It must have shown in the grit of her teeth or defiant tone, because he turned to look at her, more aloof than curious.

Like a flint struck to steel, it ignited the fury she felt toward him.

“I shouldn’t have hesitated. I should have just killed you,” she answered him at last, piercing him with eyes darker than the night.

He wasn���t concerned. “You’re good, but not that good.”

Her hands fell to her side, fists clenched as she stood with a single, fluid movement. Before she could let loose a threat, he sighed.

“What’s the problem, Ackerman?” He was dismissive, his shoulders relaxed and posture loose.

The fire too furious to contain, she went sailing for him with the same speed from the battlefield. Her fingers already curled, she tightened her grasp as she swung her fist into his gods-damned apathetic face.

Levi wasn’t unprepared. He easily side-stepped her, then snatched her wrist to steal her momentum. Though he tried to toss her aside, she was no less fast; Mikasa dug her heel in and spun, her other arm shoving hard into his chest.

Too graceful to stumble, Levi used the chance to hook her second arm too. He caged both her wrists in a grip so strong, she was sure it bruised her bones. Still, he only looked at her warily, almost bored.

“Shouldn’t you be grateful? I chose Armin.” If his reminder was meant to ease her anger, it had the opposite effect.

Fury and desperation gifted her additional strength. She shoved into his chest hard. Levi shifted backward, nearly forced into loosening his grip; within that split second of an opening, Mikasa slammed her elbow into his chin, rocking his head backward.

“You did,” she seethed, but as fast as the fire inside her exploded, it was doused. Her next words came out broken and damp. “But I didn’t.”

Levi remained stern and otherwise unmoving as he attempted to flex his jaw through the spasm of pain. As the momentum of the fight died down, he loosened his hold on her wrists and evaluated her distraught frame.

Mikasa immediately released her own hands and turned away from him, eyes stinging from tears she refused to shed as she focused on the stars ahead. Admitting the harsh words aloud hurt her far more than any injury she could inflict onto him.

Not only was Armin one of the only friends she had, but he’d been a steadfast one throughout almost all she could remember of her life. After the trauma of her childhood, it was Eren and Armin who embraced her, whom she learned to love. Now, though, there was a wedge between her and Armin she was not sure could ever be removed. What was worse, as deplorable and selfish as she knew it proved her to be, was the painful wedge it now put between her and Eren too.

Once again, she found Levi standing at the peripheral of her sight, close enough to see but far enough to be a blur at the edge of her watery vision.

“You almost killed me.” Levi repeated his earlier words, but he said them with an odd bite, torn between frustration and patience. “You would have killed me to save him.”

Too late, Mikasa realized he hadn’t meant these words as an accusation, but an odd form of validation. She bit her bottom lip, teeth puncturing too hard; the tang of metal was sharp on her tongue when she swallowed blood.

“You thought about letting your closest friend die,” Levi said quietly, tiredly. “But I did let mine die. I left him for dead, when I could have saved him.”

Mikasa was startled from her selfish reverie, for the first time acknowledging the sacrifice he made on that fateful afternoon. She’d been too absorbed in her own relief, and then, her own regrets to consider what the decision had done to him.

For a brief moment, she considered turning to face him, but the stark reality of the matter made her refrain. How could she feel pity for his loss, when his loss enabled her gain? An uncomfortable knot tightened in her stomach.

“Tch,” Levi sighed. He was only one notch less taciturn, but for him, that was soft. “You’ll live with your guilt, and I’ll live with mine.”

His words granted Mikasa’s tears the permission to spill. She buried her face further into her scarf, both hands trembling at the worn threads. As quietly as he arrived onto the roof, Levi disappeared from it.

.

.

It was rare for him to indulge in alcohol or celebrations, but Erwin’s absence felt more tangible than his presence ever did. Levi distracted himself with the chaos of the few remaining Scouts that Erwin had died entrusting his legacy to, and attempted to drown the pain with whatever drink Connie Springer shoved into his hands.

He found Hanji with their ale long-forgotten about on the table as they half-stood from their seat, frantic while explaining some morbid experiment in great, vivid detail to an unsuspecting and slightly horrified MP officer.

Though Levi wordlessly took the seat beside them, Hanji paused their rant to slap him hard on the back, an enthusiastic greeting flying from their drunken lips. The MP took this chance to excuse himself, a pathetic attempt at politeness, but Hanji either didn’t care or didn’t notice.

“Ah, Levi,” they smiled at his drink, though it didn’t entirely reach their one eye. “Where you been?”

Levi didn’t answer. “You know, shitty-glasses, you’re even more unbearable about your experiments when you’re drunk.”

Hanji waved dismissively and reached for their ale. Years spent in battle and command together had gifted both of them with an eased familiarity, and sometimes, genuine friendship. In the same manner he ignored their question, Hanji ignored his lack of response and went on with their original inquiry.

“Careful, Captain,” Hanji warned lightly. “Now that there’s far fewer Scouts, you having a favorite might cause some division.”

Even though Hanji meant the words, there was a glint of mischief that twinkled in their remaining eye.

“It’s not favoritism,” Levi countered bluntly, turning his vision toward the young man on the far side of the room. “Eren is simply the best chance that we have in this war.”

Hanji laughed as if he’d made a joke and Levi looked back to stare at them, unable to be surprised at their quirks or oddities any longer, but still a touch curious about what spurned this current demonstration.

“I wasn’t talking about Eren,” Hanji said at last, a pointed nod toward his injured chin.

Levi blinked. He didn’t realize he was nursing his injury with the hand not on his drink. As though it were too hot to touch, Levi dropped his hand.

Hanji was not judgmental, nor inquisitive. In a war-torn life of losing too many cadets entrusted to him, the fact that Levi found a soldier with the strength and skill to remain safe was not only rare, but worth special attention. Still, it made him too lenient.

“Sometimes I think you’d let her get away with murder,” Hanji chided halfheartedly.

When he thought of Erwin dead in his grasp, sometimes he wasn’t sure if he already had.

[ackermanshoe]

Rivamika details we haven’t talked about enough - part 2

Idk why we haven’t talked about the parallel between Kenny & Caven duo and Levi and Mikasa?

Caven is one of the few people who was close to Kenny Ackerman, apart from Uri, Kuchel and then Levi. It's also important to note that the first time Kenny and Caven interacted, Caven also took Kenny by surprise. It was her indifference towards a serial killer who was now qualified to lead their squad, this reminds me of mikasa's indifference towards,, everything that doesn't concern Eren tbh. But it's not only that it's the fact that Kenny was "intrigued" by her and came close to her to talk.

And this

From this scene alone it was obvious that she served as his partner in crime, of course Kenny had many men but it was cavens significance that was highlighted from the rest in both the manga and the anime ( in their own ways).

And as of Levi and mikasa's role in battle needs any kind of explaining that wasn't already made clear. Of course Caven and Kenny's partnership didn't go as deep as rivamika for obvious reasons.

This next parallel I have more faith in lmao.

Hitch and Marlo

I always found it very weirdly interesting how these two were introduced to in this episode. I wouldn't have guess them having any romantic connection if it weren't for the oddly placed flirtatious dialogues

Well obviously they were playing around and Marlo disregarded her quickly. But because of the those few lines is why they are shipped together isn't it? It was unnecessary and yet it was there. And that brings me to this

Isayama visually placed these 2 pairs on to each other. It couldn't be more obvious, however I believe it has more to do with than just holding the knife to the throats of their respective person. Like I said if it weren't for the ever so subtle hint of romantic undertone in hitches lines I wouldn't have thought about this at all. But how this parallel is making me think it was a hint from isayama about rivamika relationship. And notice how Armin is placed straight in the middle as well. Didn't we all, as rivamika community, speculate that admin is a rivamika shipper? Because he has always noticed their similar presence, trusted in their strength as not only individuals but as A PAIR. and isayama definitely does not forget to make it known that Levi and Mikasa are being watched by Armin.

Idk about you but to me it seems a little suspicious how those two were placed as a pair on top of another pair with plausible feelings for each other, in front of a person who has always acknowledged rivamika has a pair. 💆‍♀️💆‍♀️

I'll also add this

Idk about other times but hitch is a person who would bite the moment something threatening happen while Marlo has thinks a little deeper. And the fact that Marlo understood Jean testing them and hitch acting on it proves that. The scene above^ is painfully similar to countless rivamika scenes we got in this season. It's the same thing, Mikasa acting recklessly without thinking everytime Eren is in danger and Levi who thinks rationally and stops her.

And I'm not gonna talk about how Marlo died or how Kenny and Caven died because I think these are irrelevant to rivamika completely. They are both Ackerman's not alone like Kenny, and like I said in one of my first ever rivamika analysis, Mikasa isn't a burden to Levi, she is freedom. Where as hitch and Marlo go they both shared different goals at the end of the day, that isn't rivamika. So I don't believe they'll meet a tragic end after all, they are a pair who would break the cycle of death which has been a endless concept of aot and they will be the ones to bring more life in the world.

Anyway that's all as always thank you all for reading ! I have a theory I've thinking about for about 2 months but I don't have a proper conclusion yet, and there's so much which connects to that concept so idk when I'll post but hopefully before chapter 139 😭😭

Goodnight 💓

Edit: Pls ignore my spelling and grammar mistakes lmafo I can't be bothered to fix them aha

[sr-talks-snk]

Soundtrack Choices for Levi vs. Zeke, Round 3, SNK Episode 73

Okay ... I've seen a few people on twitter complaining about the choice of soundtracks for this episode when it comes to the Levi vs. Zeke fight. So ... I loved them. I literally screamed hearing both - all the callbacks to Season 3 part 1 & 2 ... Which we already know is going to be important if we look at two of the previously/scheduled coloured chapters Isayama himself chose: 81 - Levi's first round with Zeke, and 69 - Kenny's backstory with Uri Reiss, as well as big Levi and Historia moments.

Okay, callbacks ... but how? And more importantly, why?

Let's start with Before Lights Out & Chapter 81.

These two link together because chapter 81 of the manga contained the result of the suicide charge, the beast titan fight, and Levi's promise - with the chapter literally being titled 'Promise'. In the anime, the soundtrack paired with the suicide charge is the instrumental version of Before Lights Out.

Considering in the newest episode, we have Levi thinking of his promise to Erwin again, and hoping that he may be able to finally fulfil it, it actually makes sense to re-use this piece of music from the original suicide charge as Levi stares into the eyes of what were once his comrades, and prepares to slice them to pieces in order to pursue Zeke.

Wait ... so then, Levi really is cutting down his men all in the name of revenge, to fulfil his promise to Erwin?

Not exactly. While the vow absolutely is something Levi wishes to fulfil, I believe there's more at play here. What's giving him the resolve to push through this dreadful event isn't simply a thirst for revenge or a need to keep a promise to his fallen mentor and friend.

In Attack on Titan: Chronicle, we actually have the version of Before Lights Out with vocals played over the Levi vs. Zeke fight.

Here are the lyrics:

Freedom! Freedom! Forgive Me! Retake Maria! Victorious, triumphant! All of my kingdom For your return I will let it burn! I will let it burn! Dear departed I’ll cry for you in a dream Now I must rise to be queen Be worthy Be worthy

This doesn't really fit with Levi or even Erwin's POV, but more ... Historia's? But what does Historia have to do with any of this?

Well. I'm not going to get into a big analysis on the manga side of things here, that's a whole other post, but we had Levi's entire dialogue about Historia, her pregnancy, and the idea of turning her into a titan cut from the episode (or moved), leaving a lot of manga readers scratching their heads. So was it not important? Well, yeah, it was. But I think it was misinterpreted by too many people, so instead, it was cut or moved. Historia is absolutely important to Levi's story, because their families are intertwined. I'll go further, too, and say that Historia is as much a key part of Levi's underlying motivations when it comes to his relationship with the Beast Titan as Erwin and his vow are.

The second soundtrack used in this scene only serves to cement this idea of Historia's importance to Levi's arc. Let's look at where K-21 was used previously in the anime ...

We have the initial fight between Levi and Kenny, during the pursuit in Trost where Levi and the squad end up losing Eren and Historia after giving chase. The second occasion is in the cavern beneath the Reiss Chapel, where again, Levi confronts Kenny in a bid to rescue Eren and Historia.

Mikasa is also present in both of these chases, her driving factor being Eren.

Two Ackermans on the same team. Two targets to acquire.

Kenny, their older relative, the obstacle in the way as they try to save their charges from the fate of Historia’s ancestry and the Titans.

Just like Zeke is Historia's older relative, is linked with the prospect of her becoming a Titan, and the obstacle in the way of her future.

K-21 plays again in episode 73 because Levi is once again fighting for Historia's future.

K-21 has been described as literally Kenny's theme, too, so it might also be interesting to draw some parallels between the lyrics and Kenny's position in Season 3 vs. Levi's position now.

Got the ear of Royalty

Kenny described himself as the 'Reiss' dog.' He fought for the crown as part of the Interior MPs after re-connecting his bloodline with the crown and gaining Uri's trust, moving past the old family feud. He was working for Rod when the soundtrack was used initially. So then, can we assume that Levi is working with or to protect Historia - the next generations of Reiss and Ackerman now paired once again - as he pursues Zeke in that forest?

If you look at it this way, suddenly the soundtrack choices make such perfect sense, it hurts. When manga chapter 139 comes out, people are going to look back at this scene and go OH.

One more small thing I noticed from the scene ...

When Levi blew up Zeke's nape, visually it felt like a call back to the scene where Historia defeats her father with the way the chunks of flesh flew through the air.

We've seen apparent call backs to this in recent manga chapters too, during the moment Levi takes out Zeke by severing his head. The nature of his movements and his reaction seem to mirror Historia's.

These two are ABSOLUTELY connected, there's no doubt in my mind.

[shreddedleopard]

10 Reasons it would make narrative sense for Levi and Historia’s character arcs to conclude together.

I’ve been wanting to do this for ages, but I’ve been nervous of the backlash. Feels like it’s now or never though, and theorising for/analysing stories is one of my favourite things to do - I’m clearly missing those literary analysis essays from university days. So please excuse me if you think I’m deluded - I probably am - but the analyst in me won’t let me be until I’ve got this all out of my system.

Beware, it’s a long one. There's some thoughts on chapter 130 nearest the bottom!

1. Childhood Parallels - The Abandoned Children

Levi and Historia’s childhoods mirror one another - there are striking similarities, but then also sections that fit together to complete each other, as though they are matching jigsaw pieces. The characters start out in worlds that are opposite - Historia has the comforts of a safe home, food on the table, and fresh air and sunshine. She has all the physical nourishment she needs, but she does not have her mother’s love. On the contrary, his mother’s love is the one thing Levi does have, otherwise living in poverty underground. Both their mothers, however, appear to be using sex and the idea of love as a means to survive or way to try and improve their circumstances, and it is out of this necessity that both end up being born.

Levi is clearly affected when he first hears Historia’s tale of her childhood - Isayama shows this through the fact that Levi’s plate is the only one left untouched at the end of her story. He has been so sucked in by what she’s relayed, and probably saddened, that he hasn’t been able to bring himself to eat as the others have. Historia’s story rings true with some of his own experiences, but also highlights the world he may have found himself in without his mother’s love.

Remember, Isayama consciously thinks about each panel he’s drawing - he wouldn’t include a small detail like that without reason. We see more of these instances of small but significant stylistic choices and minor details as we progress. Isayama stated in an interview that he wants to give fans an ending that fans would never guess, but that when they look back, the clues were there all along.

Continuing on with the theme of their childhoods and Isayama’s stylistic choices, let’s take a look at two significant moments:

Both characters, although experiencing different forms of deprivation initially (Physical vs. Emotional Nourishment) were abandoned at crucial moments in their lives - when they were looking for validation from their primary caregivers and the people who should have been responsible for demonstrating affection. Historia was abandoned when, after reading and taking onboard information she read in books just like her mother, she reached out to hug her, and Levi was abandoned at the moment he demonstrated that he’d absorbed everything Kenny had taught him. The parallel between these images is very powerful.

Kenny is a character that highlights more parallels between Historia and Levi.

Kenny’s words highlight the literal lack of growth in height for both Historia and Levi - both are particularly short, and also look youthful - but we can also take the words to suggest that the characters are still very much defined by what happened to them in their pasts, and have yet to step away from their demons and achieve closure on what has happened to them as children.

At this point, we can definitely say that Isayama has chosen to tie both Historia and Levi’s stories together through their childhoods - their backstories are revealed alongside each other, in the same arc of our story, and in terms of experiences, they are both identical and mirror opposite at different points.

2. Shared Values

Despite being deprived of affection for large portions of their childhoods, both Levi and Historia appear to have experienced glimmers of kindness in their darkness as well, and this has shaped some of their values and behaviours.

Levi experienced his mother's love for a short while until he lost her - we know how deeply she cared for him from her refusal to give him up despite Kenny’s advice to her when she fell pregnant. Historia had Frieda’s kindness instilled in her, even though she's not able to consciously remember her actions until later. 

Both display an affinity for animals, with several manga and even anime-only scenes where we see them being affectionate and kind to their horses. We don’t see this as prominently with any other characters.

But one of the biggest shared values is their desire to protect children. I've posted on this before, but here are a few examples of Levi being driven by this value:

It’s clear Levi has a soft spot for children. And Historia? We know her feelings on children from her first action as Queen - realised with the support of Levi.

3. Kenny’s failure … Levi’s success?

These next scenes we’ll focus on represent the moment that Levi and Historia are set up to undergo that ‘growth’ Kenny was referring to earlier in the uprising arc. Note Isayama’s choice of words here, and the symbolism of the whole scene. Kenny doesn’t tell Levi, ‘I couldn’t be someone you looked up to,’ or ‘I wasn’t fit to act as your father figure,’ he literally says ‘I can’t be some kid’s dad.” What does he do then? He shoves the titan serum at Levi.

Isayama pays great attention to this - dedicating several panels to the weighty moment, and Levi’s expression. It’s very dramatic. Notice how the word ‘Dad’ even has it’s own speech bubble. It’s almost as though Kenny is passing the mantle on to Levi - passing that responsibility on to him. It feels as though the passing of the serum replaces the missing words, ‘but you can.’ Isayama didn’t have to have Levi ask that question in the moment before Kenny passed the serum on to him. He could have positioned it so that the discussion about dreams was the precursor to the serum being passed over - which in my head, for the context of the scene, would make more sense. But he didn’t; he chose to have Kenny say that exact line to Levi - to admit his inadequacy as a father figure, with that focus on the word dad - and then hand the item over to Levi.

By itself, the scene could be seen as highlighting the ways that Levi is already a better father figure than Kenny. He has been somewhat paternal in his role as a Captain. But it’s the very next scene that brings Historia immediately into focus.

Historia looks suddenly so much maturer here, and the way the scenes sit immediately after one another feels too much like foreshadowing.

If you want the full effect of what I mean here, just rewatch this section of the anime!

We are presented with parallels between them once again. The focus of the crown and power of the monarchy being bestowed on Historia parallels the gift of the serum from Kenny to Levi - drawing on the ‘titan science’ element of the Ackerman heritage, perhaps?

Let me take a moment here, while we have these two visual representations of the Ackerman and Royal bloodlines side by side so perfectly, to point out that Isayama chose to answer a question in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine regarding the nature of a child born of both these bloodlines in 2018:

Q: If a child were to be born between two people from the royal family and the Ackerman family, which blood would take precedence? 

A: I think that both [of their bloodlines] would be reflected.

4. Blood Lines, Identity and Destinies - the Acker/Royal connection

We are still missing some information about the Ackermans, and Mikasa’s own Ackerman powers and behaviours have been a focus in recent chapters, prompting more questions. This suggests that the role of the Ackermans will be important in the story’s finale. With that said, lets have a look at what information we have about them so far in relation to the Royal Family:

- They worked closely with the Royal Family at one time, even being described as their sword and shield until they fell out of favour.

- They cannot be controlled by the king’s vow or have their memories tampered with. For this reason, they became enemies of the crown and the two bloodlines became at odds with one another.

Do either of these scenarios sound familiar in a romantic setting? The knight and princess trope has been hugely popular in fiction for as long as stories have been told - Lancelot and Guinevere is a well known classic. And two feuding families finally brought back together through love by the younger generation? Romeo and Juliet, anyone?

Okay, so maybe I’m reaching here. But Isayama has opened the discourse around this connection between the two bloodlines without concluding it, so I am certain it will have a part to play in upcoming chapters. Why create two characters from said bloodlines with such satisfyingly parallel but awful childhoods, if not to use them in some way to conclude this part of the narrative in the future?

5. The Beast Titan.

Another common plot point that Levi and Historia have is Zeke. The Beast Titan is a defining element in both their arcs. Levi is driven forward by his vow to kill Zeke, and this is repeated to the point where we expect this to be realised, or at least to see some satisfying resolution between the two. Historia’s situation is defined by her vulnerability to being turned into a Titan in order to consume Zeke. This threat to Historia’s life as a normal girl is also repeated across the later story arcs, just as Levi’s vow and apparent destiny to face off again with the Beast Titan is. If we link back to the knight princess trope, we could suggest that Historia is the metaphorical princess, Levi is the metaphorical knight, and The Beast Titan is the metaphorical dragon. The dragon must be slain in order to protect the princess, and the one to do this is always the gallant knight, or the hero. We know that Levi has been labelled Humanity’s Strongest, and even a hero, before.

It has been Levi’s destiny from the start. What's more, what is the crux of Zeke’s plan for Eldians? 

Euthanasia by preventing reproduction. Zeke’s ideology basically directly opposes the values of Levi and Historia - who wish to save as many children as possible.

6. The Smile

If there is one scene Levi fans lost their heads over, it’s this one. The Smile. Who was responsible for getting the sullen Captain to smile? None other than Queen Historia. The one time we get to see a genuine smile from him, in all 131 chapters of SNK, is when Historia playfully punches his arm. I think by this point, it is absolutely fair to say that Levi has a soft spot for her, although I’m not suggesting this is anything romantic at this stage due to her still being a child. What else is interesting about this scene? Let’s look at it from Historia’s point of view. She’s still a 15 year old girl. I’m hardly suggesting she’s got deep, meaningful feelings for a Captain so many years her senior. What I am suggesting, is that clearly there is the beginnings of her seeing him in a different light, and feeling some sort of fondness towards him too. This is also the stereotype of innocent, youthful infatuation - how many times have we seen teenagers play-fighting or bantering with the object of their affections? Something might just be stirring in Historia towards the Captain as she begins her transition into adulthood.

7. THAT (deleted) Scene

Okay, so we can’t very well talk about the smile in the context of this topic without addressing this scene:

There were a few scenes cut to make the uprising arc in the anime more streamlined. This is one of them, and again, has been one of the most talked about. People either love or hate this scene. In the manga, it absolutely sets up some major character growth for Historia, when she goes from being scared and allowing Levi to threaten her into taking an action, to standing up to him atop the wall at Orvud district, throwing his own words back at him. In contrast to Historia’s willingness, Levi becomes more receptive to her perspective and backs down, which also shows his growth. (More on that shortly!)

So, if it adds to the narrative around Levi and Historia, and is a key part of their development as characters, why did Isayama let the studio remove it? It must be because their influence on one another’s growth is no longer important to the story, correct?

If you ask me, that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Isayama has stated there were some elements of Uprising that he was unhappy with. Just, for a moment, think how this scene would fit into the bigger picture of a relationship (whether that be deeply platonic or even romantic) between Historia and Levi. Could people get behind that knowing that once, he handled her so roughly? Does keeping this scene as canon for the anime open a can of worms in terms of what is and isn’t acceptable (even more so than the age gap already does) when it comes to a relationship? Could Isayama be seen as glorifying abuse and suggesting that female characters are likely to develop feelings for men who have treated them so poorly in the past? I completely understand Levi’s reasoning for acting this way in this scene, and I loved the set up and pay off later in the arc. However, I do believe that animating this, and then having them become much closer later in the story, could make a backlash likely.

My conclusion to this particular section is - if their influence on one another as characters was unimportant, and the payoff of them reaching a stage where they bring out the best in one another wasn’t relevant to the rest of the story, then The Smile shouldn’t have made it in, right? So much of the set up was removed that it would have been far easier to scrap the scene than to try and figure out another reason for Historia to punch Levi, and make him smile.

That punch was important. It remains for a reason.

8. Levi’s Echo

So, since we discussed the impact of Levi’s words on Historia in the previous point, and how Isayama uses them to illustrate her character growth, let’s jump ahead all the way to chapter 130. We’re now post time skip, where Historia is nineteen. She’s matured now into a young woman - a woman old enough to acceptably conceive a child. This is the chapter which caught everyone’s attention due to Historia’s words to Eren regarding the idea of said child. But first of all, I want to focus on a scene which appears a couple of panels before her question:

‘It’s not as if I’ve just been tending to cattle all this time.’

What does this line mean? The only thing we know in terms of what Historia has been doing in the time skip is that she set up an Orphanage that Levi was also very much invested in and supported her with. So she’s not only been tending to cattle, but ... tending to orphans? With the Captain’s help?

Remember how we said that Isayama doesn’t include subtle details unless there’s a reason. Having Levi support her with the orphanage as a way to show how much he cares about the poorer children wasn’t needed - we already know from several instances discussed earlier that he cares about that topic deeply. So surely this must have been a small detail to set up for a later reveal?

This line alone is interesting, but not necessarily enough to suggest a big influence from Levi. But it’s the next line that grabs attention:

‘There’s no need to fight or run.’

What does this echo?

In my mind, the reason served by this dialogue in 130 is twofold. It works with both the literal events of the deleted scene, and also with the reader’s knowledge that the scene was disregarded later:

1. There is no reason to run or to fight, because Levi is on her side now. When he originally spoke those words to her - run from me or fight me - they were used in reference to what he and the corps were going to make her do - ie, become Queen. Now, they are not forcing her to do anything - they aren’t making her comply with the 50 year plan of producing as many royal children as possible and turning herself into a titan. Instead, she’s empowered by them, and very importantly, him, to make her own decisions while they try to figure out an alternative. (Why do I say him? I’ll cover this in the next point). And yet ... she still chooses to bear a child. A child born of love, not necessity. This is the difference between the birth of her child, and her own birth. And funnily enough, Levi’s birth, too. 

The cycle of history is being broken.

2. Her words serve as a reminder that in the revised version of events, Levi never even forced that choice upon her in the first place. He’s always been her ally and treated her with care and respect. Even more reason for her to value and care for him in return. There really is no need to run or fight - from the military police, because she will bear a child, stopping them from turning her - or from Levi, either. 

9. The Hooded Figure

As promised, let me explain why I say that Levi empowers Historia (yet again) to make her own decisions. My good friend Key made a wonderful discovery regarding the hooded figure panel, and honestly, based on the evidence I’ve seen, I’d be prepared to bet a whole lot on this next claim:

Levi is the hooded figure who warned Historia of the plan to turn her.

I’ve shared Key’s original post previously, but here’s the gist, with some added observations.

Levi from the hallway; Levi from that iconic scene, fits the dimensions of the hooded figure perfectly, without having to adjust the panel sizes. 

The jacket worn is lighter in colour than Eren’s standard black one, but is reminiscent of the jackets worn by the Levi Squad in the uprising arc. The only other clue we’re given to work from is that the figure has their hands in their pockets.

Hmm ... you know who else has a habit of stuffing his hands in his pockets?

So if Levi is the one who warned Historia, is that why she subtly uses his words when talking to Eren?

Let me return to chapter 130 once more, and just invite you to read the following panels from a different angle.

10. Mikasa-Eren/Levi-Historia Parallels

Alright, so this is a bit of a head-mash, but just consider what I’m about to say. In our panels with the Historia-Eren-Zeke conversation, Mikasa is never mentioned by name once. Zeke mentions ‘this Ackerman girl,’ however there is no confirmation that Eren was in fact talking about Mikasa when he asked Zeke about the Ackerman traits ...

Isayama only shows us the conversation with Zeke after Eren has just spoken to Historia about her fate and what the Paradis government want her to do in terms of bearing children. If these are just all memory fragments of Eren’s, why would discussing this with Historia suddenly make Eren think of a conversation about Ackerman traits with Zeke?

In this conversation, Zeke puts two and two together and gathers that Eren is asking these questions because of Mikasa. He then tells him how much Mikasa obviously cares about Eren, regardless of any ‘ingrained behaviour.’ What does Eren then link this with?

The conversation where Historia asks him what he’d think if she was to bear a child. What does ingrained Ackerman behaviour and Mikasa’s true feelings have to do with Historia’s child?

I want to suggest this possibility: this conversation has nothing to do with Mikasa’s feelings for Eren, and everything to do with Levi’s feelings for Historia.

Eren even confirms that Zeke has the wrong end of the stick with asking him how he will respond to Mikasa’s feelings.

What are you even talking about?

Here, he is not considering how he will respond to Mikasa, because he can’t even contemplate that with what he is about to do, and how long he has left to live (although this may have then prompted his later conversation with Mikasa after the market - where he sees Levi save the boy that he will later kill - do you see how this is all linking together?)

Here he means the lives of Historia, her child, and potentially even Levi, as well of course as Armin, Mikasa and the rest of his friends. Want to know why I think that? Isayama hinted it. Again.

We have the image of Historia, suggesting the idea of bearing a child, followed by the image of the child Levi saved, followed by the image of Levi himself.

Isayama draws every detail in every panel for a reason. If part of his conclusion to this manga involves Levi and Historia intertwined and the birth of an Ackerman-Royal child, it won’t be a massively random idea.

It will contribute to an ending where the clues were there all along, but we never really considered them.

(There’s more, so much more, but I have to stop somewhere or I won’t leave my computer. If anyone wants a part two because you’re thirsty for more of this crap, drop me a comment!)

[yaboylevi]

Hello! I find your theories very appealing. I would like to ask you what do you think about bond between Levi and Eren from the perspective of recent informations? Eren said that Ackermans form that kind of relationship "in order to protect Eldia`s king" on subconsscious lvl. Do you think that Levi dismissing the idea of killing Eren almost immidiately while having a hedache means that he is influenced like that? Thank you for your time!

Hello everyone, I was surprised to receive so many questions about this topic. This meta has become massive, as I analyzed some interactions throughout the whole manga. Feel free to add your thoughts on it.

Disclaimer:

I’ve seen people argue that Mikasa’s actions make sense even if she wasn’t controlled by her blood, and I agree (112!Eren was probably exaggerating, anyway). And it certainly stands for Levi’s actions as well.

The chances of Levi being bonded to Eren are very slim, in my opinion, and I don’t want him to be, if I had to be honest, but for the sake of answering these questions, and because the most recent chapter is purposely asking us to consider it, I will now ramble about it.

More under the cut.

My experience with ch112 has been me reading the Japanese script first. I was crushed by the EMA talk, then I expected the worst even from Levi’s part, as the page that first leaked seemingly had Levi losing faith in Eren. So I read the soldiers announcing that the plan was to feed Eren to someone, then Levi starting wondering if it even had been worth it to protect Eren, considering all the sacrifices humanity had made. Then it shifted to Levi completely shutting down the idea. No, he said, he would have none of it. He didn’t even care if Eren was controlled or not, he would not kill him. He would kill someone else, feed it to a random person and then titanize Historia. I was blown away. Because I thought Levi to be very opposed to this titan-Historia plan. And I always knew Levi cared about Eren, but it was crazy to read Levi so explicitly confirm it.

Then the chapters images dropped. Mikasa held her head because of a headache, just when Eren was challenging her about it. And right after that, when Levi was debating if he would allow Eren to be killed, he held his head in seemingly (emotional) pain and/or frustration. An Ackerman holding his head just when Eren has just finished talking about Ackerman’s headachesーWait what?!

Images of Mikasa softly placing her hand to the side of the head came immediately to mind. I think it was intentional on Isayama’s part. The coincidence was too obvious to ignore.

So I started thinking about all those times I made fun of Levi for being overprotective of Eren, starting with one of the most recent examples, with Yelena. There is, of course, a logical reason for it, but…But.

What about that time in the Forest of Giant Trees, when Levi was way too much in synch with Eren, just like Mikasa.

This one always felt weird. I loved this parallel. I always attributed Mikasa’s reaction to her overbearing protectiveness, plus she had actually heard Eren’s roar once, in Trost. But Levi had never heard it, as far as we know, he had barely known Eren for a month. It just looked weird and funny in my eyes, and I often joked around with my friends about it, like “Levi, you fool, you’ve known him for like 10 minutes, why are you acting like Mikasa”. But now…I’m reconsidering every interaction Eren and Levi had, from the very start.

Curiously enough, Levi’s first thought when thinking about Eren in 112 is also the very first time he saw him. Eren, so vulnerable. It’s a sweet memory. Levi had found EMA at just the right moment and saved them. When hearing about Eren’s most recent deed, Levi thinks of Eren’s face in a moment of weakness and confusion, instead of, like, this other panel below. Once, the first thing Levi thought about when talking about Eren was this:

Now it’s this.

I feel like Levi’s opinion of Eren has subtly changed over the years, from someone who inspires power and fear, to someone who inspires protection. 

The panel above could be attributed to Levi’s next line of thoughts about all the times he had to save Eren, but that time in Trost is the exception because no one had ordered Levi to save Eren. Yet, he still somehow found him. Mikasa says her bond “wasn’t born by chance”. It’s because it was Eren. Now I wonder if it wasn’t fated that the two Ackermans would find Eren.

This put aside, their next meeting is the famous one, in the courtroom prisons. It’s the first time we see one of the most stoic character, as stoic as Mikasa, show such a strong, impressed reaction to someone. Even before Eren proclaims his intent, his vision we could say, Levi is shaken. 

He decides he will protect him. Erwin probably had already decided this, but I feel Levi was kinda opposed to it before this moment. Levi chose to do so only when hearing such strong-willed words from Eren’s mouth. Words that seem to match Levi’s own vision, as he had just proclaimed as much just hours before on the battlefield.

I’ve always liked this interaction, but I’ve never really thought about the meaning it had in the story. It could simply be a means, like in any other shonen, to show the protagonist’s efforts and value be acknowledged by a not-so-easily impressionable character. Here, Levi’s decision is based simply on Eren’s will, which is Eren’s main trait. But there could be more. Every panel seems to always convey something specific in this manga, and as time progresses and more info are revealed, the meaning of certain panels changes.

Particular focus was put on Levi’s reaction in the anime, too. Could be a strategic move to stir female fans, but the manga focuses on it, as well.

Then, some other interactions have a kind of weird feel when it comes to Levi’s behavior in regards to Eren.

Levi stands in the middle between people who might decide to kill Eren (Zackley, and in 112, it parallels to Pixis, who is in Zackley’s place now) and Eren himself. No need to mention that Levi’s beating was merely a farce, due to Erwin’s orders with the goal to save Eren. Levi, in the visual novel, says he didn’t like it, but it was necessary to save his life. In this occasion, Eren screams “Bet on me!” and I idly wonder if this could be the order an Ackerman needs.

Currently, Levi is totally betting on Eren still being their only hope for freedom.

After that, a totally unjustified gut feeling tells Levi to protect Eren, even if he was absolutely pissed just mere seconds before and he has no reason to trust Eren with his titan.

Then, in the forest, again for no reason at all, he jeopardizes Erwin’s plans when he gives free choice to Eren. If Eren had decided to fight the Female Titan, it would have never reached the point where Erwin and the other soldiers were waiting for it. Levi has always given precise orders to his subordinates. But he left free choice to Eren.

The same happened in the Reiss cave. They were about to die, and instead of thinking about a solution himself, or giving some orders, he recognized Eren’s will and left him a choice. They could’ve died, but he decided to trust Eren. These could simply be ways for Isayama to let the protagonist grow and gain experiences that will shape him in the future, but usually, the characters act for very specific reasons. I’ve always believed it was because Eren and Levi are fundamentally really similar and Levi understood this and respected and accepted Eren because of it. It could still be it. But now I am reconsidering Levi’s reasons for trusting Eren so much in the first place, since the very beginning. 

Now, when it comes to Erwin’s orders conflicting with protecting Eren…

In Stohess, Levi, upon Erwin’s orders, couldn’t participate in the battle, and, when hearing Eren’s roar again, he looks like this.

In the Forest of Giant Trees, when Erwin prevents Levi to get to his squad and to Eren, it very much looks like Levi wants to oppose it, but he trusts Erwin, his current liege.

In Shiganshina, the same happens.

Towards the end of that battle, when Levi sees Eren again, he looks distraught. 

Then he recomposes himself and comes up with a half-assed plan that would cause his own demise and that of everyone else, but Erwin and Eren would survive, and that’s all that matters because they are the hope of humanity for Levi. Sounds familiar? Yeah, it sounds like the plan in chapter 112, a pretty bold plan that goes directly against orders ー its faults clearly pointed out by othersー and is based on sacrificing important people in order to protect “hope”.

The timing of Levi clutching his head in the latest chapter was suspicious. It might not be a headache, but I think Isayama wants to make us wonder, of course.

I…honestly don’t want Levi to be ackerbonded to Eren and he probably isn’t, as I said before. I want every one of their interactions to be nothing but genuine, between two people who understand and trust each other on a basic, instinctual level, without even an ounce of magical and/or scientific stuff in the middle.

But Eren has the Founder and it looks like Ackermans were made to protect it. I wouldn’t find it farfetched if fate, or “Paths”, whatever, brought all the Ackermans to be around Eren. Mikasa and Levi specifically, both with the self-appointed mission to protect Eren. Levi’s has never made us suspect anything because it was also his official mission in the SC. But both Ackermans are making the same pained expression when finally confronting Eren in Marley, and it can’t be a coincidence.

The images are so painfully similar, they overlap (my friend checked lol).

I am aware Ackermans can still have independent feelings for their host. If Kenny’s granddad’s story taught us anything, it would be that the Ackermans can ideologically oppose their host’s decisions. I am unsure if they can, physically, but I bet they can. Eren seems to think the bond works both mentally and physically, like a twilight imprint, minus the romantic aspect of it. But I don’t think the Ackermans’ most inner feelings are influenced, albeit the bond possibly forming during an “extreme situation” when the Ackerman (or the Liege?) is in life-threatening danger is certainly worrying. You know, trauma and bad coping mechanisms.

About those knee-jerk reactions Eren called Mikasa out on, I’d like to point out Levi’s punch to Eren in Shiganshina (possibly in response to the instinct to protect Erwin) and Mikasa’s subsequent violent reaction to Levi (possibly in response to her instinct to protect Eren). 

But there’s another instance, in Levi’s visual novel “Burning Bright in the Forest of the Night”, that happens when Levi hears Eren’s roar.

“Facing that conclusion head on [that Eren is in danger], he flies like a released arrow. His heart - it is as cold as ice.”

I have no idea what will happen next, if Levi will survive or how he’ll react to Eren’s new…personality. But not even Eren using the SC to attack an entire nation could make Levi lose faith in him, not even knowing that Eren is working with Zeke and most probably asked Levi not to kill his brother, not even hearing Eren has escaped from prison and he’s leading a coup. Just like when Levi found out Erwin’s dream was more important than humanity’s survival, even if shocked, Levi has decided to accept and trust the man. 

I can’t wait to see Eren and Levi meeting again. A mentor-mentee relationship surely calls for more, even if Levi’s headache in 112 isn’t really a headache. I don’t think the story requires a new Ackerbond with Eren when there’s Mikasa’s already, but it would be interesting to see Levi protecting Eren once more, in spite of everything. It might be the last time, too.

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E1 Poll Results

The poll closed with 1,336 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

This is just a general warning for potential manga related spoilers in the comments! Tread carefully!

Rate the Episode

Overall, viewers were excited about the new episode and ranked it well. It seems everyone is fired up and ready for the anime to pick up where it left off. Bonus points for a short one year hiatus this time!

I'm really excited to see this new version of the Uprising arc unfold. This episode did a great job at highlighting the paranoia and "on the run" aspect better than the manga counterpart, with the safety net feeling well and truly gone. The tagline for volume 13 was "No Safe Place Left", but it's the anime that really made me feel that was the case.

Trust WIT studio to surprise even the manga readers with their content. Everything from the OP to the pacing was completely unexpected, but I love it!

GREAT start, a good way to hype both Manga readers and anime only fans into the start of the new season !  (putting it in the ‘was this a good start’ question)

Is it 7/29 yet?

Rate the OP

There have definitely been mixed reviews on the new opening. The majority of voters were happy or content with it, while about 22% of respondents could have thought better on it. Maybe it will grow on people as the anime continues!

For me the opening was a masterpiece. The melancholy and the foreshadowing for those who don’t read the manga is fantastic. As I am current with the manga it made me sad for the kids because I know how things are now and I was also excited to see them again in animated form.

I must admit, on my first listen, I was thoroughly disappointed by red swan and thus hated it with passion. But shockingly I LOVED it just on my very second listen (which was when I actually watched the episode)! I then understood that there was nothing wrong with that beautiful song nor the opening itself. It was all my personal expectations, biases and unwillingness to accept something new.

Something about the animation in the OP was weird and the still shots they included looked like someone else's fanart.

I'm disappointed with the opening. I just feel like it's not on bar with the previous ones. But I guess people are right about it being more suitable for an arc that's focused on character development, so I don't hate it as much now. I just hope that we get a second opening when the action kicks in (since they're covering up to the ocean) that makes the viewers more hyped. My problem with the current opening is that it doesn't feel like Attack on Titan anymore. I'm also not super happy with the drawings in general.

The opening really fits this part of the story because this is the part when shit gets real.

This OP is very different from the previous three. What is your favorite opening so far?

Shinzuo wo Sasageyo took the lead by a huge margin (including votes for our lovely typo version, “Shinzuo no Sasageyo”), managing to outdo the iconic first opening, Guren no Yumiya!

Bring Linked Horizon back.

Regarding Red Swan: While it is a departure from the bombastic hype we've had before, this is such a good OP for this arc. It takes the OP in the complete opposite tone, which is exactly what this arc does with the rest of the series. The visuals are stunning, and the song itself is an absolute tune. #RedSwanDefenceSquad

Also, regarding the OP, the song isn't bad, but it doesn't really fit the AOT style of epic openings. To me, it feels more like an ED, which have always been softer. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a more epic second OP as we move into the RTS arc.

There was no ending theme this time. Will this become a consistent thing?

Respondents were confident that we’ll be getting an OP. Of course, as we’ve learned over the week, this is true! And surprise! It will be Linked Horizon!

Which of the below were your favorite moments?

It was close to a tie between “Kenny’s explosive entrance” and Levi’s “KENNYYYAHHH!” with the former barely taking the lead. Safe to say, the cliffhanger in this episode left us all impatiently awaiting episode 39! Other notable favorite moments were “Moblit ready to throwdown for Hange,” “Hange promising to torture Sannes,” and seeing Eren at the ocean.

Still salty about not seeing Eren build a house in his Titan form

I really enjoyed that they moved certain conversations like Eren and Historia to that particular part of the episode. It just fit so well! My kids. :')

Where is my jeankasa moments???

KEEENNNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!1!!11

I am just glad to get to watch SnK again.

hanji hot

I liked the moments between Levi and Mikasa - she asked him about his wounded leg and she was really worrying about him. I'm glad that she shows some interest in other people (not just Eren and Armin).

What do you think of the new episode’s pacing?

The largest denominator are waiting to see how more of the season plays out before making a final judgement call, and many are confident that everything will be okay. Still, there is a small percentage who are concerned that they won’t get to see everything they hoped for.

Uprising is my least favourite arc, mainly due to the pacing issues. So I am very excited that they will be tackling those. I'm going to need a few more eps to correctly judge things, but I am hopeful.

I was kind of disappointed. I know they want to change the pacing and all, but I don't accept them sacrificing some important and necessary scenes for character development. I've yet to see how the rest of the season will unfold before judging it, but yeah, I really hope they won't rush things again, especially when it's my favorite arc!

I watched with an anime only and he was confused by the pacing, and how we got to the cabin from seeing the beast titan at the end of the last season. I hope they don't keep rushing through the manga chapters. I was not enthusiastic about the episode.

The pacing was really fast, but that's the price of having to condense such a complex manga into an anime, that probably had limited time/budget, as they all do. So I am happy to get what I can, and enjoy the hella beautiful animation, instead of complaining about all the scenes they cut out…

A lot of stuff really quickly, but it's understandable. This is my favorite arc and I love political intrigue, so I'm hoping we start to fill in some of the scenes we've already skipped past as we go along and the Anime-onlies are already hooked. I *really* hope we get to see the badass competence of our Vets - they deserve it!

Which main character got the best S3 glow up so far?

Levi is (unsurprisingly) the clear winner in this competition. We think his new bedhead hair is charming, too! In second place came Eren, followed by Mikasa and Historia.

i don't think there was any glow up this season. kenny's great tho, 10/10 would stan

The girls aren’t animated with lipstick anymore. Yay or nay?

The vast majority are either unphased or delighted by WIT moving away from the colored glossy lips of the girls. A small percentage of respondents are going to miss the look.

Don't actually care about the lipstick, it just makes sense that they won't put it during the whole action.

The characters are finally starting to look truer to their manga counterparts this season! How do you feel about it?

76% of respondents are thrilled about the anime starting to match the appearance of the characters’ manga counterparts.

The changes to animation and character styles were kind of weird but I got used to it eventually

How do you feel about Mikasa taking down Reeves and his cronies by herself?

46% are happy with the development and seeing Mikasa get a chance to shine on her own. Meanwhile, 18% are disappointed that Levi didn’t tackle Reeve’s cronies with her, while 14% are simply upset they didn’t get to see Levi do his iconic chokeslam at all. Let’s be hopeful WIT will make up for that in the future!

i proper wanted to see the Ackerman duo but watching Mikasa chokeslam some bitches made me pop a boner and i don’t even have a dick

I would have LOVED the duo action, but I anticipate to see that in the following episodes (or else Wit and I are gonna have some words). At least it's nice that Levi trusted Mikasa to handle this mission without his supervision!

Mikasa was great! A little sad they cut Jean being protective over her safety after Sasha shoots the arrow though.

It was alright but developing her personality and relationship with the other characters is more important than constantly just giving her ~badass~ scenes.

Considering that Levi had to be somewhere else, I'm fine with it since it's such a small scene. But I still want some Levi/Mikasa duo action

i liked it, but it was mikasa AND sasha

too OP

Manga readers, what best describes how you felt about seeing Eren at the ocean?

Nearly half of voters were surprised to see this animated so early, followed by 28% who were moved by the scene. A small percentage weren’t happy that WIT implied about the ocean so early.

I NEED MORE EREN WITH LONG HAIR!!!!!!!!!

It was a great decision to show it in the beginning. It sets the tone for the following episodes.

I'm already finding delight in the sense of dread anime-only watchers will have when things start going off the rails and they have Eren alone in this scene in the back of their minds.

It was the most beautiful "eye close-up" this anime could have ever done! Amazing scene - wonderfully colored, animated, and sad and touching. 10/10

Interesting choice, nice way to bring it all back at the end though

As a TV producer it's understandable. They would want to hook people early on, esp for anime only viewers

stop lowkey spoiling ffs

I watched the season premiere at the movie theatre and when that scene came up I could hear a discrete general gasp coming from the audience. I liked how everyone was shocked but still tried to contain their excitement for anime watchers.

Felt like they’re trying to make it seem like a dream sequence rather than a reality.

I felt it gave more mystery to how the plot will develop for anime-onlies. It was a great decision to show it at the beginning, especially Eren alone.

Anime only fans, what best describes how you felt about seeing Eren at the ocean?

An uncertain number of voters are most definitely certain they read the manga! Meanwhile. 37% of anime only viewers were really pumped by the implication of getting to see the ocean. A smaller percentage are confused but still here for the ride, while 18% don’t really feel anything about it either way.

My sister is anime only, and she said a mix of options - confused and shocked and excited - looking forward for the rest!

Anime Only, don't know how I feel. It was played out well so looking forward to it.

I was shocked yet I was amazed on that scene

shocked and excited - looking forward for the rest!

Your reaction to Kenny?

The overwhelming majority are #readyforkenny and excited to see him! We suspect that the 7.6% of voters who don’t know who he is are anime only viewers. We’re excited to see how you guys think of him in a few weeks!

I'm not sure how I feel about Kenny. I imagined him a bit differently. While reading a manga I saw him as harsh, cold, mysterious man with deep voice and scary looks. In the anime however he looks too young and his face is different.

Looks like WIT was really anxious to introduce Kenny. I didn't mind it overall, but I hope their shuffling scenes around doesn't become overwhelming.

Kenny: Omae wa mou shindeiru Nifa: Nani? *bangbang*

Rate Eren’s abs on a scale of 1-5

The majority of respondents are thirsty for Eren’s animated abs! 105 of voters will take a hard pass, however.

I was so scared they were gonna draw Eren with the body of a 12-year-old like so much of the official art back in the day did. Thank you WiT for keeping him manga-accurately ripped

Do you feel this episode was a strong start to the season?

While a fair number of voters are tentatively waiting for more of the season to make their judgement, the majority of respondents agree that the season started off with a bang and are looking forward to more.

GREAT start, a good way to hype both Manga readers and anime only fans into the start of the new season !

Which group are your favorite characters?

All of the characters are winners in this poll! 

Do you read the manga or do you only watch the anime?

The majority of respondents are loyal manga readers. We had 162 anime only respondents this week! 

Where do you primarily discuss the series?

Reddit takes the lead!

Additional thoughts on the chapter?

I miss Levi’s speech about how he’s ‘just being an asshole’ when eren can’t harden his titan 😰 it was cute

It really was just an extended trailer, everything included in the trailer was in the episode, it was very good and I enjoyed it nonetheless!

I'm so glad to be seeing my loves in animated action once again

I’m excited for the rest of the season!

The episode was definitely awesome for a first episode. I’m kinda disappointed that they skipped Historia’s explanation about her past, but I hope they will show it in a future episode. Also, the opening was stunning. Seeing my favorite characters as kids made me smile so much. Overall, this episode got me excited for the next episodes.

Amazing! Glad that it was not Eren centric and We'll be seeing Levi alot. I hope they show more of Mikasa and Levi moments. It was awesome. I first watched the episode at the cinema so I couldn't watch it with the opening. But I loved it!

Small Levi in the opening is so beautiful I want to cry !!

Where is abswin?! I have priorities, WIT, where are yours??

This is so good! I was at first worried that they will shove Levi down our throats (as much as I love him), but now I'm surprisingly confident in this new season! I trust Wit to make great changes in the pacing, because the anime version definitely need some improvement. The animation is stunning and Mikasa and Levi were amazing, they can slay me when they want.

Trust WIT studio to surprise even the manga readers with their content.

MANGA SPOILERS: I'm most curious to see how different the plot will be now that they seem to have skipped the whole SC/Reeves company collaboration. The OP was honestly a shock at first watch but now I can't stop listening to it. I think it's perfect, especially for us manga readers, because it really tugs at your heartstrings when you think of what's currently happening in the manga. Especially that scene with kid!Eren bumping into soldier Eren. I'm still crying. :( All in all, brilliant episode, can't wait for next week!

RIP to my bae Nifa

They cut out a shitload of little dialogue that isn't important to the plot between the characters I was hoping to see animated so that was pretty disappointing. I'm expecting that trend to continue. On the opening, I'm a manga reader, I get what they were going for and all the undertones and such but I still didn't like it much. I don't like how some of the characters got the shaft completely and how characters important to this season like Erwin, Levi and Historia and characters related to them barely got any parts in the opening.

Baby Erwin!!!

I can really now feel the connection of the anime and manga! Can't wait for the other episodes, it was spoiling some parts (if you read the manga) but either way if you watched or read or both Attack On Titan you'll still love and appreciate it

Thank you everyone who voted! We’ll see you back with episode 39!

[snknews]

New Season 3 Animation Featured as After-Credits Scenes of 3rd Compilation Film

As the first screenings of the 3rd SnK Compilation Film, ~Kakusei no Houkou~, conclude, various Japanese fans are reporting that there are brand new animated scenes of season 3, including a cabin moment with Levi’s new squad and Kenny Ackerman and Levi’s battle, which are set to be fully featured in SnK Season 3 starting in July 2018!

These sneak previews of season 3 are similar to the Hanji and Pastor Nick scene that appeared at the end of the 2nd Compilation film, ~Jiyuu no Tsubasa~, which previewed season 2.

A new Season 3 key visual of Kenny and Levi was also released earlier today.

Update: You can read a text description of the after credits scenes from @yaboylevi here! The account reconfirms what Japanese fans have described above.

Related News: Compilation Films || Season 3 Archival News: Compilation Films || Season 3

[recentanimenews]

SPY x FAMILY TV Anime Declassifies More Cast Members

  Just like any good spy ring, the SPY x FAMILY TV anime has a colorful cast of supporting characters to not only help Twilight on his mission but also to evade capture by the master spy. Four of those characters were announced today alongside their voice actors and character setting designs.

  Hiroyuki Yoshino (Present Mic in My Hero Academia) as Franky Franklin

  Yuko Kaida (Isabella in The Promised Neverland) as Sylvia Sherwood 

  Kazuhiro Yamaji (Kenny Ackerman in Attack on Titan) as Henry Henderson

  Donovan Desmond (voice actor not announced)

  Previously released visual:

  The TV anime adaptation for SPY x FAMILY is scheduled to start in April 2022 with Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Hunter x Hunter 1999, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn) in the director's chair at WIT STUDIO and CloverWorks. Kazuaki Shimada (The Promised Neverland, Mahou Shoujo Nante Mouiidesukara) is adapting the original manga character designs for anime. (K)NoW_NAME is producing the music for the series. Crunchyroll will be streaming the series as it airs in Japan, describing it as such:

  Everyone has a part of themselves they cannot show to anyone else.

  At a time when all nations of the world were involved in a fierce war of information happening behind closed doors, Ostania and Westalis had been in a state of cold war against one another for decades.

  The Westalis Intelligence Services' Eastern-Focused Division (WISE) sends their most talented spy, "Twilight," on a top-secret mission to investigate the movements of Donovan Desmond, the chairman of Ostania's National Unity Party, who is threatening peace efforts between the two nations. 

  This mission is known as "Operation Strix."

  It consists of "putting together a family in one week in order to infiltrate social gatherings organized by the elite school that Desmond's son attends."

  "Twilight" takes on the identity of psychiatrist Loid Forger and starts looking for family members. But Anya, the daughter he adopts, turns out to have the ability to read people's minds, while his wife, Yor, is an assassin! With it being in each of their own interests to keep these facts hidden, they start living together while concealing their true identities from one another.

  World peace is now in the hands of this brand-new family as they embark on an adventure full of surprises.

  SPY x FAMILY begins on Japanese TV on April 9 at 11 PM, with Crunchyroll streaming soon after.

  Source: Comic Natalie

  ---- 

Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.

By: Daryl Harding

[reblog-your-kenny]

Kenny Ackerman - Season 3 visuals

[otakunews01]

Shingeki no Kyojin S3 TV Anime new key visual and PV!! Airs july 22nd.

The anime will run for 24 episodes.

The official site has also revealed two new cast members. Kazuhiro Yamaji (One-Punch Man's Silver Fang, Psycho-Pass' Jouji Saiga) will play Kenny Ackerman, and Yūsaku Yara (The Legend of the Galactic Heroes' Narrator, Saint Seiya's Sagittarius Aiolos) will play Rod Reiss.