#I watched it and decided I had to be the good samaritain

[lethisfleshnotbetorn]

Dear whump community,

I have just finished watching LA’s finest 2x07 and 2x08 and I am honestly shocked that the whump community hasn’t discovered this show yet because I think 2x08 is the best whumpy episode I’ve ever watched and everyone should go and watch it right now

[snkpolls]

My favorite characters in snk

Hi ! I thought about sending my votes as an ask at first - but I just have so much love for these characters and shingeki no kyojin as a whole that I finally decided to share my thoughts ! (My very long thoughts. I hope this post is not too long.)

Now, before I begin : WARNING - THIS POST CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE MANGA, anime-only fans beware

(Also, there’s a tldr at the end if you don’t wanna read my rambling haha)

1. Annie Leonhardt

Annie is one of my favorite characters of all animes. To be completely honest, I don’t exactly remember why she’s my favorite character, as she became it when I watched SnK’s first season, two or three years ago. But I’m pretty sure it has to do, first, with the fact that she is my favorite titan - the female titan. I love its design and its abilities (like creating that crystal armor thingy). I really like Annie herself, because of her fighting abilities and her cold demeanor. I love the fact that she deals with her guilt by isolating herself. I loved the scene at the end of season one when she transforms in Sina and laughs before and then that thing with her ring - that scene was insane. Also, “I guess I just want the weak who do get swept along with the flow to be considered human too”, god, gotta love that line (didn’t even need to look it up, i apparently memorized it).

She better get out of her damn crystal one day, I swear, I really want to discover what she’d do, if she learned about everything that happened since she’s been crystallized. (Or I’d like to see what would happen if the Survey Corps tried to manipulate her into betraying Marley and fighting on their side - could it work ? How would they achieve that ?) Basically, she hasn’t been there for like 70 chapters or something but I still love her lots and I still think she has a lot of potential.

2. Reiner Braun

My second vote goes to Reiner for many reasons. I didn’t notice him all that much in season 1 to be honest, but then I learned he was the armored titan, and then there’s the fact that at his core, he’s a really good person. He wants to protect people and help his comrades… so much that he develops a second personality, more or less - his guilt is breaking him. It’s sad that he finds himself in such a situation - he was led to believe the people within the walls were devils, but then, when he discovers most of them aren’t that bad, he has already caused the death of so many of them ? That’s horrible (and genius, don’t mistake me - I love that).

Now, where we’re at in the manga, he’s in a very unique place. He knows that Walldians (is that an official name for the people within the walls ? I don’t know but I’m using it, this is gonna make this easier) - so, I was saying, he knows that Walldians aren’t actually devils, but the people in Marley aren’t bad either. But it’s not like Walldians are sinless, good samaritains either - they killed Bertholdt, are keeping Annie prisoner… (does Reiner still thinks Annie’s being tortured, btw ? Did he ever find out that she’s just stuck in her crystal ?). I read somewhere that “he’s realizing there’s no good side” and I find this perfectly accurate. He’s kinda stuck, there’s not much he can do, and he’s also pretty much about to die (aren’t his 13 years almost over ?). Talking out of line, trying to tell people that Walldians aren’t worse than Marleyans, that exterminating them won’t restore Eldia’s honor or whatever, doing that would have no point - even if anyone believed him, it would put his family in danger and he’d be a traitor to both sides…

Also, I loved discovering his backstory. He enrolled in the warriors program for his family, for his mom, how cute is that ? His father is Marleyan too, that’s pretty interesting. And as a warrior in training, he was the underdog, he was far from being at the top of the class, that’s kind of a contrast from how he was in the Walldians’ military. His young friendship with Bertholdt was pretty cute too ! It’s nice to think that friendship evolved and got stronger, and to think that they could truly rely on each other when they probably felt so alone because they were traitors.

So, Reiner has got to be lonely now - because of what he knows about Walldians and because of what he lived inside the Walls, and because he is the only one to know those things and to have live that because Bertholdt is dead. I think he feels like nowhere is really home anymore, like he doesn’t have a place anywhere… Anyway. I’m rambling at this point, but yeah because of season 2 and the latest manga chapters (also his beard, at first I thought it looked odd lmaoo but now, god am I on board with this look…) he’s now one of my fave characters.

3. Ymir

Wow, I really love titan-shifters, don’t I ? Anyway. Season 2 wrecked me and amazed me and made me love Ymir so, so much. It caught me by surprise actually, i never thought I’d love her so much. But god - her backstory, her interactions with Christa, her characterisation… all of that made me totally fall in love with her. I feel like in a way, she’s the most original titan-shifter, because she was always kind of between the two sides - Walls and Marley. She’s not a warrior whose mission is to eradicate Walldians, but she’s not a fighter aiming to free the people of the Walls either. She literally fell onto the power of the titans by chance. She’s a titan-shifter that was never meant to become a titan-shifter and I love that.

I love her selfishness a lot. I love how she changed from a false god who died for her people to a girl that took a conscious decision to live for herself. I love how even though she wanted to live for herself, she still, still fell in love with Christa. I love how she revealed her secret and endangered herself to save Christa (in s2 ep 4 and 5). I love how she encourages people to be themselves and to live for themselves like she does. Also, I didn’t mention it in Reiner’s part, but that conversation :

“Ymir : I’m shocked. I was under the impression that you had no interest in women.

Reiner : Yeah. And it doesn’t seem like you have interest in guys, either.” YAAAAS MY QUEER SOUL IS THRIVING !!

Ahem. Anyway. Her whole scene in season 2 ep 10 with the sky just after she’s become human again after 60 years ? That was insanely beautiful. Also her titan form is pretty cool, I love that its strength lies not in its pure physical strength but in its small form and strong jaw. You have to be clever to use that titan and boy is Ymir clever as hell.

4. Pieck

(Wow, another shifter, what a surprise haha). So, this vote might seem surprising because Pieck has barely appeared, she has existed for less than like 5 chapters haha, but I actually already quite like her. I mostly like her for her potential - I’m really looking forward to learning more about her. I like that she forgot how to walk because she spent too much time in her titan form, that brings up new questions about the shifters and brings to light an interesting aspect of shifting (even though staying a long time in titan form might be an ability unique to the cart titan). With the way shifter heals, I think it’s like, one of the first time we learn about a physical consequence of another sort. Apart from that, I also like her because with Annie, they’re the only two women in the warriors (that possess a titan. That will probably change soon with Gabi but whatever. Still, Annie and Pieck are the only women of the “first generation” of shifters).

5. And that’s all !

I hesitated about voting for a fifth character too but in the end I couldn’t decide who I wanted to vote for. Here are some of the people I hesitated about : Hanji, because she’s crazy in the best way, because she’s excited and incredibly smart and curious and idk I just love her. Rico Brzenska, because no matter how minor a character she is, she is badass as hell, and she was really cool at the battle of Trost (or that one time when they used Eren to plug the hole in the wall, idk if I have the right name for it). Hitch, because I love how snide she is, idk. Bertholdt, because he’s discreet but nice, because his guilt makes him interesting (a bit like Reiner), because of his beautiful speech in season 2 ep 11. Levi, because - well, the same reasons as everyone, his strength but also his loyalty to his fellow soldiers, also because of that one manga scene of torturing that one guy with Hanji, also because of his face in s2 ep12 when he learns that titans are humans.

So, that’s it ! I’m looking forward to seeing the results of this poll but I’m gonna be happy no matter what because SnK is incredible and there is no bad character. I’m looking forward to season 3 and to the next manga chapters !

tldr ; so, i apparently like titan-shifters a lot, because my four votes go to : Annie Leonhardt, Reiner Braun, Ymir and Pieck. I couldn’t bring myself to choose a fifth person, I love too many characters haha.