#also has a hint of aruani

[moonspirit]

Pregnant Annie headcanons ft. some Papamin Propaganda #12:-

requested by @leitouris

Atleast some of this is a repeat from my earlier papamin posts, but nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!

When Annie first finds out she's pregnant, she spends a lot of time wondering how to tell Armin. She has many options: surprise him? Give vague hints? prepare a candlelight dinner? or spend an evening at the beach in the sunset where she'll look into his eyes and say, "You're gonna be a papa..." ?

But you know what? She's not really very good at the "planning romantic things" bit. Still, she wants to make it special, so she settles for dropping hints here and there. Because he's so SMART right? Surely, he'll figure it out?

Turns out Armin is very DENSE when it comes to things like this.

He says: "What's this, Annie? Why are you giving me a picture-book for babies?"

And he says: "Annie, why is this towel so small? It's like it's meant for babies... oh haha, I get it, it's very good for cleaning corners!"

Annie becomes incredibly frustrated and ends up spending an hour throwing darts on a picture of Reiner's face to calm down.

One day, however, she comes home to the sounds of loud crying and sobbing. She finds Armin in the bathroom, sitting on the floor, her positive pregnancy test clutched to his chest.

And he says: "Anniiiiiieeeeeeeeeeee, y-y-you're pregnant??? And you didn't tell me?? I'm going to be a dad?!"

How can the world's smartest man also be so stupid sometimes?

So the pregnancy reveal is a disaster. Of course it is. They're both idiots.

Anyway.

As her body changes, slowly, Annie also begins to feel incredibly uncomfortable and a little insecure. She was always so sure and certain about her body before, in her size and strength and speed. Things are not like that anymore; she's gaining weight, sometimes her back hurts, a lot of the times she feels sick and slow too.

But every time she feels awful, Pieck begins to talk about her baby; about who it's going to take after, what the baby will look like, etc., and it makes Annie feel better. Armin also tells her how beautiful she looks and how lucky he is to be with her. How she's a great woman and that she's going to be an amazing mother. Every night. Every night when she cries, feeling scared, he's there, combing her hair and whispering into her ear until she falls asleep.

The morning sickness is BAD. Nausea and vomiting and revulsion to certain smells. Everyone, Armin especially, tries their best to make things easy for her. In this time, Armin learns to properly cook! (Jean teaches him).

Months pass, and as Annie's belly swells, she can no longer wear her usual clothes and has to resort to loose, flowy, comfortable dresses. Armin's very happy with this! It means he can see Annie in pretty floral prints and fluttering hems!

Whenever the others drop by (Jean, Pieck, Connie & Reiner), they always end up fighting with each other over baby names. Pieck has the best ideas, Reiner has the worst ideas, Jean hates everything because he only likes fashionable names, and Connie's the only one with normal suggestions. Aruani watch them loudly argue in the living room, bored and tired of the noise.

(Secretly Armin has a loooooooooong list of girl baby names that he hides from Annie).

But Pregnant Annie is soon glowing. With happiness, with excitement, with some wonder and bafflement that still lingers even after the first trimester. It's hardly believable that there's a new life growing within her. A bit of hers, a bit of his.

She cries a lot.

Late nights are spent in their dim bedroom with the windows open. On the bed, leaning against the headrest, Annie cradles her swollen belly while Armin, laying by her knees, his chin propped up by a hand, talks. He talks a lot to her and the baby in that soft, smooth voice, of everything and anything. He tells the baby she's going to love the world, that she'll love the sea, that she'll love the sky, that she'll love her mother the most.

"I love you both so much," He murmurs, holding Annie in his arms and stroking her hair. "From the ends of this earth to the moon and beyond."

(You see, Armin's very certain it's going to be a baby girl).

When Armin's not around, Annie too, talks to her baby. Quietly, a little awkwardly, but she talks. She tells the baby, "Your father, he talks a lot doesn't he? He's really looking forward to holding you in his arms... he told me that when you were sleeping last night. You're going to be a curious troublemaker, I can tell."

Baby kicks a LOT. Armin jokes that it's all Annie's genes - great lower body strength and powerful legs.

LOTS AND LOTS OF ARUANI KISSES AND CUDDLING.

When they go shopping for baby clothes, Armin very conveniently ignores the boy-section altogether, much to Annie's annoyance. He's desperate to be a girl dad, pls don't blame him.

All that said, Annie's pregnancy cravings are outrageous and awful! She wants all the strangest combinations of food to ever exist! Fish and ice-cream. Tons of plain sugar and soup. Ice and pickles. These combinations will kill an ordinary person, but she's a hungry mother-to-be, what can you say? Armin's very scared sometimes, but humours all her cravings anyway. Midnight trips to the nearest convenience store and ice-cream shop? He'll do it.

But her favourite pregnancy food is steamed sweet potato :3

Everyone is HELLA protective of her. EVERYONE. Armin most of all, because he's hopelessly panicky and over-protective, but when he's not there, Reiner and Jean are fussing Annie over the smallest things like she's incapable of doing shit by herself. Pieck says: "Why are YOU guys so scared? Annie's the one who's pregnant, not you!"

When Mikasa's around though, she's hovering behind Annie like some dark force from the underworld.

But still, the pregnancy isn't easy. There are scares, like sudden bleeding and several emergency hospital visits. But Aruani get through them, somehow.

What makes the final trimester bearable is Connie, the resident jokester. He cracks so many bad jokes for Annie one morning and she laughs so hard and her water also breaks.

...

EVERYBODY PANIC!

Aruani baby is eventually born to a cheering, tearful crowd.

Armin breaks down crying when he sees his baby's tiny face and tinier hands.

Mama Annie is relieved, sweat clinging to her forehead, out of breath and exhausted, but when she reaches out to hold her newborn in her arms, she realizes with a laugh, that indeed; those big blue eyes are definitely those of a curious troublemaker's.

[aruanimess]

Hello, Myrtle! 🖤

I hope you're doing well, and wish you a good *timezone*, and don't forget to take care and rest :3

If it's still actual, and only when you have time and more energy, could you please share your ideas of quiet sings of love prompt "i brought you flowers." "for what?" "there has to be a reason?" for AruAni feat. JeanPiku? I'm curious about your thoughts on this prompt, and I hope it'll also cheer you up and bring a smile on your face while working on it (but only when you have more spare time, no rush!)

Sending you many, many hugs and best wishes, Myrtle⊂⁠(⁠•⁠‿⁠•⁠⊂⁠ ⁠)⁠*⁠.⁠✧

Quiet acts of love prompts

Anna!! Such a lovely prompt! I wanted to finish it for the boy’s birthday, but alas… the tiredness won out T^T

Anyway, I hope you like it :)

~~~

“N— no, that’s just wrong.”

“Pshaw, no, it’s not. It’s perfectly reasonable actually!”

“I’m sorry but I can’t get behind this. You can stretch the definition, sure, but still it doesn’t apply. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not stretching it, I’m following it to its logical conclusion.”

“No. I’m sorry, Pieck. I disagree.”

Jean enters the kitchen. His pajama shirt is buttoned wrong and he must have opted out of shaving for the day because his patchy stubble is clearly visible. This is what vacation Jean likes to do then: sleep in and skip shaving, thinks Armin, lamenting the fact that in all their years of friendship this is the first time he glimpses this side of him. 

Pieck leans back in her chair, craning her neck to spy at Jean’s ass while he fills up a mug with fresh-brewed coffee. “Babe,” she says in a sugary voice. “What do you think? Is cake a sandwich or not? I’ll give you a hint. The answer is pretty… sweet.” She winks. Or blinks. Both eyes close at any rate. 

Jean narrows his eyes as he sits with them at the table. “What are you guys going on about?” He slurps his coffee loudly. 

His former zeal returns with vengeance. “That’s another issue actually. Sandwiches are generally savory.”

Pieck grins like a lazy, smug cat. “Have you never heard of an ice-cream sandwich, Armin?”

Rats. She has a point.

Jean sets his mug down with a decisive thunk. “This debate is stupid.”

“No it’s not!”

Pieck and Armin glance at each other in surprise. In their affront, they both spoke at the same time. They giggle at their own silliness. 

Pieck recovers first. “No, but really. It’s two pieces of bread-like substance with filling between them. It’s a sandwich!”

“No, no.” He waves his index finger at her. “That’s stretching the definition. A sandwich is framed by two pieces of bread. Period. Not bread-like. Also, you may have noticed the operative word ‘two’.”

“Are you guys seriously gonna keep at it?”

Pieck huffs. She picks up her fork, cuts a bite of her piece of… well, cake, and shoves it in her mouth. “You and your definitions,” she teases as she chews.

Armin sits up in his chair. “Do you want me to bring out the dictionary?”

“Please don’t,” says Jean. 

With a theatrical eye-roll, Pieck tilts her head. “It’s not about the dictionary! This is language in action! Expanding on the meaning of words as needs arise.”

“So you agree it’s expanding on the meaning?”

“I’m only pointing out that dictionaries are not necessarily updated on current vernacular.”

“But no one uses the word sandwich to refer to cake!”

“Not with this attitude, they don’t.”

Thankfully, the back door bursts open, and his glorious girlfriend walks in to save him from her best friend’s deranged ramblings. 

Honestly though, sometimes he thinks Pieck is just messing with him. She likes to debate him on the silliest, most inane things imaginable. After a short period of continuously getting involved in ridiculous arguments, he refused to engage her any longer, but then she started baiting him. She'd open with the most outlandish of claims and then proceed to defend it to the death. He simply had no option but to set her straight. And thus they have found themselves debating whether cake was a sandwich on the very first morning of their vacation, while Jean was still asleep and Annie out for her ritual jog. 

Along with a gust of crisp wind, Annie steps inside. Her cheeks have a healthy flush to them, from the exercise or from the springtime chill or both. She’s wearing a loose top and knee-length bloomers. On her side, she’s holding something obscured by the folds of her clothes. 

Armin tilts his chin up in a silent plea for a kiss. She indulges him, dropping one swift peck on the corner of his lips. Preoccupied by her closeness as he is, he hears more than sees something soft landing on the table in front of him. Annie draws back and turns around, already too busy pulling a loaf and a jar of jam out of the pantry to make her breakfast. Armin stares at her strong hands as they work on her food.

A low whistle penetrates the Annie-induced fog in his brain. It’s coming from Jean, who is glancing meaningfully down. Curious, Armin follows his gaze. 

There on the table, right between his coffee and his plate, sits a small bouquet of bright yellow flowers. More than a little taken aback, Armin nudges the bundle with his pinky finger. “What’s this?” he asks Annie. 

Annie’s spine stiffens noticeably. The tips of her ears are turning red. “I brought you flowers,” she murmurs while spreading butter on a slice of bread, avoiding his eyes. 

He blinks. “For what?”

A tiny irritated shrug. “There has to be a reason?”

Armin is shocked speechless. He takes the flowers in hand and twists them around to examine them from both sides, as if this will reveal to him their secrets. It’s six flowers in total, he notes, chrysanthemums if his memory serves. He digs his brain for their hidden meaning. What is Annie trying to tell him? His mind provides several answers: longevity, amity, joy; but also the death of a loved one. He shakes his head, frowning. No, Annie is not well-versed in flower symbolism, that’s his brand of madness. Still, what could this mean?

While Armin is struck dumb by the bouquet, Pieck most certainly is not. She plops her elbow to the back of her chair and looks at Annie with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Oh, come on, Annie-Honey. You can’t just show up with a bouquet,” the way she pronounces the word should be outlawed, “of all things and not share what’s the occasion!”

Annie pivots to face them. She leans against the kitchen counter, balancing her plate in one hand. “There’s no occasion,” she insists, and, before Pieck has a chance to question her further, she shoves the entire slice of jam-slathered bread in her mouth. She chews obnoxiously. 

Little does she know, she’s only riling her up with her refusal to answer. Armin glances warily between his girlfriend and Pieck, but it’s Jean who speaks next. 

“No occasion?” he muses, an extremely judgemental eyebrow tilt is accompanying his words. “I’m quite positive—nay certain—that gifting your significant other flowers is generally motivated by something. If not to mark an occasion, then perhaps to express some tender feelings?”

“Oh, baby,” Pieck mock-laments, “you shouldn’t be neighing like that.”

All levity bleeds out of Jean’s face. He pouts sullenly. “You and Connie should have never met.”

Pieck grins and blows him a kiss. Then, her attention zeros in on Annie. “But really, Annie, don’t be shy, is it because you loooooove him?”

Armin’s heart is hammering in his chest. He should interfere, he thinks, step in and get them to stop with their teasing. But in truth he wishes to hear Annie’s answer as much as them. This gesture… It’s so sweet, so romantic, so uncharacteristic of Annie, it makes him want to howl from happiness. 

Annie is scowling. The food in her mouth is no longer filling her cheeks. Chewed and swallowed, warm in her stomach, it can’t provide an easy out any more. And Pieck is watching her like a hawk. 

She sighs. “I passed by a vendor,” she says. 

“And?” urges Pieck. 

Annie casts a glance at him and meets his eyes. He doesn’t know what she sees in his expression—longing, embarrassment, tentative hope?—but her face softens. Her lips curve minimally in a fond smile. When she responds, it’s to him and him only: “And they reminded me of you.”

Armin gasps. The scent of pollen hits the back of his throat and he sneezes loudly. Then, he sneezes again and again and again, a proper sneezing fit. Jean is there, grabbing the flowers away from his nose. Annie is to his other side, rubbing his back with a small gentle hand. Pieck is chuckling, but her eyes hold a sympathetic warmth. 

“You’ll kill him with your bouts of romance, Leonhart,” chastises Jean. 

Annie’s palm on his back freezes, halting her caring petting. Her hand slips on his shoulder and then away. Oh no. Armin can’t have that.

He grips her fingers tightly before they vanish. With the other hand, he takes hold of the bouquet from Jean and brings it beneath his nostrils, taking a long showy whiff. 

“No, she won’t,” he says to Jean. Then he beams up at his beautiful, considerate girlfriend, who melts at the sight of his smile. “And if she will, I’ll die a happy man.”

[karizard-ao3]

Hello Kar! I love your fics and the ideas you write here, and I'd love if you could help me with a loose concept I've been thinking about. Idk if you've read the aot junior high manga or watched the anime, but there's a huge - huge - implication of a love triangle between Eren, Mikasa and Annie. It kinda surprises me that they chose Annie since she has her thing going on with Armin in the original (but then again Ereannie was a thing by some fans right in the beginning of aot as well). She clearly has a huge crush on Eren, that's never really epxlored on his side, probably because he's a very dense boy. It's hinted that Mikasa is aware of Annie's crush on Eren and doesn't take it too well. (And poor Bertholdt gets sidelined real bad)

Here are a few examples:

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/shingekinokyojin/images/f/f6/Eren_apologizes_to_Annie.png/revision/latest?cb=20180925140824

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/05/7f/83/057f832b47e724e9a7b7656a1a1b2a44.jpg

https://www.bing.com/images/blob?bcid=sv4zcEhIGykGlQ

https://www.bing.com/images/blob?bcid=TmqOVY.VWykGqxcxoNWLuD9SqbotqVTdP20

https://www.bing.com/images/blob?bcid=Tq77pSOEqSkGqxcxoNWLuD9SqbotqVTdP6Y

https://www.bing.com/images/blob?bcid=Tljap4iUsykGqxcxoNWLuD9SqbotqVTdP08

I've been toying with the idea of Annie having a crush on Eren and how this plays out with Eremika and Aruani. Like Armin being jealous of his best friend? Maybe Eren gets jealous of Armin spending some time with Mikasa as they both feel left out by Eren and Annie? Obviously I'm not asking for Ereanni, but instead how this impacts Eremika, because I sincerely don't know what to think! 😅 I feel this has a lot of Clueless Teens vibes, even though they aren't strictly the same characters. I'd love to hear your take on this, especially how they all deal with it and how Eren and Mikasa finally end up together

I have both read and watched AOT Jr. High so I know exactly what you mean!

My thoughts are this: Annie would be trying to invite herself along to hang out with EMA, which Armin is very excited about until he realizes who it is precisely that Annie is trying to get close to. He gets mad at Eren but won't tell him why because he's afraid if Eren figures out Annie likes him he'll go for her. Mikasa has similar fears but is mad at Annie. Both girls are constantly butting heads over Eren while he's just like, "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo!" Mikasa could probably end this whole thing by telling Eren she likes him, but she doesn't know that. She believes if she gets a concrete rejection then Annie has won, so she can't risk it.

Maybe as far as Eremika getting together, Annie finally manages to get Eren to go out with her on a date (he does not know it's a date). When he gets home from it, he calls Mikasa to tell her Annie was acting really weird (flirting) and what does she make of that? Mikasa realizes Eren was on a date (he still has no idea) and thinks he's trying to get Mikasa to tell him if she thinks Annie likes him. She bursts into tears and Eren starts panicking. She's like, "Why would you go out with Annie when Armin likes her?"

This is news to Eren on two fronts. He was on a date? Armin likes Annie? And also, why is Mikasa so upset on Armin's behalf? Unless... DOES MIKASA LIKE ARMIN? Now he's upset for some incomprehensible reason! "Why do you care so much about Armin's feelings?" he demands.

Mikasa hangs up on him. He's flabbergasted. He's hurt. He is mad at Armin. He doesn't know why.

It's not until he sees Annie at school and starts ranting about how he thinks Mikasa might like Armin because she was acting so weird last night and what the heck is up with that, etc, that he gets some clarity.

Annie is all, "I guess she's the one you really like. Thanks for the date. I give up."

Eren is like, "Whaaaaaaat?" Spends the rest of the morning telling himself he doesn't like Mikasa, but then he sees her and, Oh boy. It all hits him at once.

So, then he goes to bitch at Armin for stealing his girl and Armin is like, you dumbfuck! Mikasa likes you!

So then Eren goes to get his girl.

My kid has a different take on this ask. He thinks Annie should ask Eren out at knife point and was very adamant that I share this option with you.

[dreamingon-forever]

Kawakubo, Isayama's editor, has a HUGE bias with Armin, he went to advise Mappa, so he only expanded on Aruan1 scenes while removing some jeankasa family epilogue and rushing/removing Hanji/levihan, he also made armin extra cooler and eren extra loser

Its why Romi Park forest scene was a lot better during some stage with no kawakubo around

I just dislike the Hanji disrespect.

Yeah. I get why they put so much emphasis on Armin's character, wanting to show how he's the one who finalized the Rumbling since he was always the one who was meant to finish it, becoming the true deciding factor and hero of the story. I get why they focused on him, making his character more likeable and centered on his newfound strength as the commander would make more people understand and side with his character and in turn the ending of the story.

But I do agree that they have put so much effort into Armin that they took away from other aspects of the story we were looking forward to. I really wanted to see Jean's mom of even Connie's mom finally be reunited with them. While they did an amazing job portraying Eremika and Aruani, they definitely glossed over Jean and Mikasa. And they definitely took away a lot of the Levihan scenes we anticipated. But at the same time I feel that MAPPA tried to make up for it with new hints of these couples. The last salute while focusing on Hange's hand reflecting back to Levi's goodbye, and actually showing that Mikasa and Jean did end up together even if brief, it was still better than just the back panel they had of Jean in the manga.

I don't want to hate on anyone since I know how hard MAPPA artists have worked on it. They never were going to be able to make everyone happy, it's an impossible task when every viewer has different expectations. They chose their focus and settled with it, and that's okay. I'm just glad we got a beautiful last episode that mostly reflected on what we wanted. Yes, I'm not the happiest over certain scenes, but I still understand the stress they were under to choose what made it to the end screen. And I think in the end the essence of AoT we all loved since the start is there. And who knows, maybe in 10 years time they might make a remake that maybe isn't as biased, who knows. And we still have the Afterparty event to think about.

Thanks for your thoughts, I'd be glad to talk more about anything else you have in mind!

[annawayne]

10, 12, 13, 14, for the aruani ask game!

-Clouds

Hi Clouds, and thank you a lot for asking! :3 10. Write about their first kiss! HHHMMM... Let's say, I'm certain it's Annie who initiates it - maybe, not till the end, but it's her, who clearly gives Armin a message and quite direct "hint" to not hesitate or to overthink things. So, it's Annie who does the first step, Armin is the one who does the second, so in the middle they would meet with the first 1 second of awkwardness, but then quickly learning what to do :D 12. What's a trope you'd never write? Why? Answered it here :) I would like to add something more, but I'm so confused with the whole "trope" thing, to be honest, so it takes more time for me to understand what tropes exist than to think what I wouldn't write :D

13. Do you use symbolism when writing fics? Tell us about it! Answered it here and here :3 But I would love to add more to it! It depends on chapter and on story, but usually I choose a few metaphors for a chapter and try to explore/develop it through the chapter. Like it was with chapter 4 of MYLYSW, for example, the main symbolism of the act of creation - from the white canvas to the realization that they needed to fill it black before starting with something etc etc + the whole symbolism works with the chapter title as well. 14. Tell us about a detail you wrote that nobody has commented on yet. Also answered it here and here! :) But I want to add another thing, too. It's from the chapter 3 of MYLYSW, when the myth about the Luminous Tides Festival revealed, the names are VERY similar to Armin (Árni in myth) and Aelin (Annie's fake name - Elin in myth). The thing that Armin-Árni it's a pair of "true" names and Annie-Aelin-Elin is a long chain of "fakes" also tells a lot about how Annie sees herself after everything happened.

[migila]

JeanPiku Week, Day 1!

Theme of the day: Free space

Note: I assumed that “free space” meant that we get to pick the subject, but if it didn’t... ah well,  oops.

Day 1: Free Space

“There’ll be a hole on the floor if you don’t stop pacing around soon, Jean” Armin says to the man who just keeps walking back and forth in front of him “Sit down and calm down.”

“I’m as calm as I can right now” Jean says, wiggling his hands behind his back.

“Just let him be” Connie says “If we did get him to sit down, he’d start ranting to calm his nerves instead. I’d rather listen to his footsteps than his whining.”

Jean stops, glaring at Connie over his shoulder.

“You- “

Whatever he had to say, it dies down on his tongue as the door opens and Annie steps in. The men turn to look at her, expectant.

“It’s over” she says. As the three continue staring at her, she makes room to let someone else pass from the doorway. When no one moves, she adds: “Pieck’s fine, and so’s the baby.”

That’s all it takes for Jean to rush past her, vaguely registering Armin scolding Annie about the way she’d started it, saying that it was too misleading, but that’s all he managed to hear before getting upstairs. Wasting no time, he headed for the room he knew Pieck to be in. Meeting the midwife at the door, he quickly gave his thanks before entering.

Pieck laid in the bed, holding her baby in her arms. Their baby.

“Hey” he says.

“Hey” she says back “You can come closer you know; neither of us bites.”

Smirking, Jean says: “I happen to know that that’s a lie on your part.”

Pieck snorts.

“Really? I just gave birth and you’re already telling dirty jokes?” she asks “At least let me rest a day or two.”

“Sorry sorry” Jean laughs as he comes over, looking at their sleeping, black haired baby. One that looked more like its mother, thankfully. The child wouldn’t have horse jokes directed at it… probably “A boy or a girl?”

“Throw a guess”

Jean was pretty sure it was a boy, but he didn’t want to embarrass himself by getting it wrong. But after his wife had said that, not saying anything would make her realize exactly what he was thinking, and that would be an even bigger embarrassment.

“A boy”

“Correct” Pieck answers, holding the baby out for Jean to take “Here, hold him.”

He takes his son in to his arms, seeing the baby stir a little as he is moved, but in the end, he doesn’t wake up. He just continues to slumber, only now in his father’s arms instead of his mother’s.

This was a surreal moment for Jean. So many times, he had thought he’d die in battle, his first time being at Trost, his own home town, at the age of 15. After he had joined the scouts, he sometimes dreamed that, if he was lucky, he’d be permanently crippled one day while on duty, and thus could safely retire with pride before he got himself killed. He had considered surviving the fights with the titans, and later the war, very unlikely. And yet here he was, during a time of peace, with his wife and their newborn son.

“Wife that tried to kill me and who I tried to kill when we met” he thinks, snorting “But well, that’s kind of a thing around here, at least if we ask the Arlerts.”

“What?” Pieck asks, having noticed his laughing.

“Nothing, just thinking” he says “If someone had told me of this situation six years ago, I would’ve laughed to their faces or have them sent in to a mental hospital.”

Pieck laughs, knowing exactly what he meant.

“Had someone told me about this situation six years ago, I would’ve bitten their head off” she says “Literally.”

“Ouch” Jean says “In more ways than one. Surely the idea of you and me together couldn’t have looked that bad to you, could it?”

Pieck shrugs.

“After our fight with Eren, no” she says “But before forming the alliance? We were enemies, Jean.”

“…Point taken” the man says. Wanting to speak of something else, he asks: “Have you thought of a name?”

“I have some ideas” Pieck answers “You?”

“Well, yeah” actually, for a few years now Jean had had an idea of what he’d want to name his son if he ever had one, but he knew that the child’s mother would have to approve of it as well “What would you think of- “

“Knock knock, anyone home?” Connie called out, slamming the door open as he did, waking up the baby while he was at it. Needless to say, the startled bundle started to cry. Connie got a glare from both of the fresh parents, causing him to smile sheepishly.

“Oops…” he muttered “Sorry.”

“You’re lucky that I’m tired” Pieck tells him.

“But I’m not” Jean says, handing the baby back to her before turning to Connie. The shorter man raises an eyebrow, saying: “Fine. I’d rather take you on any time than her.”

But Jean can barely reach Connie before Annie kicks their legs out from under them, saying as they hit the floor: “If you’re going to fight, do it outside.”

“Annie! You can’t just barge in like that!” Armin called out as he too came in “Sorry, Pieck”

Pieck just smiles, trying to soothe her crying baby as she does.

“No harm done”

“Your husband getting thrown on the floor is not harm?” Jean asks, still laying where he’d fallen.

“You’re alive, aren’t you?” Pieck asks.

“Aren’t you two just lovely?” Connie asks as he gets up, and no one misses the sarcasm “So, a boy or a girl?”

“A boy” Jean answers as Armin helps him up.

“Cool” Connie grins “You did once say that if you ever had a son, you’d name him after- “

“Shut it, Connie” Jean hisses “We haven’t decided on the name yet!”

“You already had such a strong opinion on this? You should’ve said so” Pieck scolds, but then processes Connie’s words “But if you say you want to name him after Eren- “

“As if”

“Good” Pieck chuckles “Just making sure. Then, after who?”

Jean hesitates.

“It’s not like we have to pick that one” he says “You had ideas too, didn’t you?”

“So? I should at least hear yours” she says, smirking “And we can always use my ideas for the next ones.”

Jean blushes a little and the others laugh.

“Well,” he says, clearing his throat “I was thinking of the name Marco.”

The name was vaguely familiar for Pieck. She remembered Jean asking about someone with that name from Annie and Reiner before they had left for the continent during the war, and remembered that the man had been indirectly fed to a pure titan by the said blonds. And judging from Jean’s reaction from that night, he’d been really close with the guy.

“Sure” she says, and Jean stares at her in disbelief “Seriously?”

Pieck shrugs.

“Why not?” she asks “Marco Kirstein sounds good, doesn’t it?”

“Sure does” Connie puts in before Jean can tell his opinion “Right guys?”

“It does” Armin confirmed “Right Annie?”

The woman just nods.

“This isn’t a majority vote you guys” Jean snaps, but then smiles “You’re right, though.”

Pieck smiles down at their baby.

“Marco Kirstein it is, then.”

[ravenhealer5]

A long JeanKasa post

With the new leaks, it’s been so overwhelming for us JeanKasa shippers. There’s joy because we’re apparently endgame and also a lot of complains. The reaction in the fandom was blown too out of proportion and there was a lot of hate, to the ship and the characters. It made me really upset so I just decided to write a JK post to feel better. It’s gonna be a long post so I’m going to put a cut here.

So, I have mixed feelings about JK being endgame. As a shipper I’m happy to see them end up together but also I don’t like the way it happened. I’ll write it in two sections. First part is about why as a reader I think narrative wise JK was handled this way, and second part is about how as a shipper I see JeanKasa and how beautiful it is.

As a reader

[I’ll criticise the execution of JK a bit so this part might not be fun. But for me accepting the flaw in my ship and understanding why it happened gives me a closure.] 

JeanKasa endgame is not really a very important or impactful revelation AOT’s plot wise. It was also a pretty predictable development. The narrative had been hinting towards it all along, a lot of people, me included, expected it. The only reason the fandom took this JeanKasa endgame thing so seriously is because of ship wars. But narrative wise it’s more like background information. And neither does it change anything too much from the original 139 where the ending hinted towards Mikasa moving on while remembering Eren, Armin telling Eren about Mikasa finding another man, and we saw Jean fixing his hair before meeting Mikasa. We were given the loose pieces and with the extra pages they’ve been tied together for us to see it even more easily. 

Now the frustration about not getting Mikasa’s life with Jean and their family, and instead seeing her visit Eren’s grave twice. It’s a very valid complain. But I’ve already said this before: AOT’s story is about Mikasa’s relationship with Eren, not Jean. That’s why we’re shown how she honours that relationship even when she has moved on to a new chapter of her life. Not because all she did her entire life was visiting Eren. JeanKasa also has a story but that story isn’t AOT and that’s why we're not told that story. We’re only told that IT EXISTS. If we looked at JK’s story, there EM will be background information. It’s like a main character and side character thing. EM is the main character ship of AOT. 

Regarding why the narrative keeps bringing Mikasa back to Eren’s grave in both the panels we get of her, as far as my understanding goes, it’s not about the grave it’s the tree. Remember the chapter name? Towards The Tree On That Hill. And so far in all the leaked pages we’re taken to that tree, every page has a large illustration of that tree. Even when Mikasa is dead and even after a lot of time has passed and things have changed, we’re taken back to the tree again and again. And something is really going on with that tree, it grows enormous and apparently the titans power is lying there or something. The point is, our attention is being drawn to the tree. Our main cast is heading towards that damned tree is on the volume cover. This is Yams’ way of coming full circle. The story started under the tree and it’s ending there. We don’t have any leak of the last page yet but I’m assuming it will have something to do with the tree too. 

The thing is, even though I am a JK shipper myself, I don’t think it was good for them to be canonised this way. They deserved better imo. For example just Mikasa getting reunited with her friends and a small interaction between her and Jean to indicate a beginning of something, maybe him making a comment about how her hair has grown longer would’ve been so much better. JK didn’t have enough romantic build up. They had the foreshadowing but that’s pretty much all they had. So why did we get them as endgame? Married with kids and grandkids even? What about AruAni? Falbi? They were more developed than JK. But from the leaks so far we don’t see them. Why only JK? It’s for the plot. As simple as that. JK endgame thematically gives a conclusion to both Mikasa and Jean’s character arcs. Mikasa lives a long fulfilling life, with a family of her own while keeping Eren in her heart. And Jean gets to live his dream life with the woman he loves. 138 already painted him as the hero, the reason they ended up saving the world. He went from a selfish young boy who only cared about living a comfortable life safe in the interior, to a hero who chose the world over his selfish desires and got sacrificed in the process. That aspect of his character development has already been achieved. So this was the only thing left. Both him and Connie had to give up something to join the alliance. For Connie the desire to bring his mom back and for Jean his dream of a life with Mikasa. Now, since they were brought back in 139, it should be for a reason. So they both get what they gave up on. That’s why we have JK endgame. But not AruAni or Falbi. Because they’ve already played their role in the story. Every canon ship in AOT was there to play some role and for JK being endgame was that role. JK isn’t there for cute shippy moments. And also it’s more about Mikasa, Jean is like her +1 in this situation. Which is impressive given we don’t get any update on Armin, a main character, but get to see Jean with his family. 

Yams has never been too good at handling ships to begin with. But also that’s not a problem exclusive to shipping or JK in particular. For example, throughout the last arc my feelings about JK and Historia have been pretty much the same. Hoping I get something next chapter. Months and months of this and in the end I just accepted that we weren’t getting anything. And frankly, more than JK, Historia’s case is more frustrating. Even Ymir Fritz got sidelined badly. We’re getting a glimpse of her in the new pages but we needed more imo. So, if I start complaining, I can go on. AOT at the end of the day is a battle shounen and battle shounen romance is never top tier. 

And lastly, I respect Isayama Sensei as the writer of the story I have followed for the longest time and enjoyed a lot. I still remember all the moments that made me go WTFFFF, gave me goosebumps and absolutely blew my mind. I will always remember those scenes and the exact feelings they invoked in me. I’m very grateful for them. 

As a shipper

[This is just about JeanKasa. Very shippy.]

So now that JK is canonically endgame we have to take that and fill the gaps ourselves. Mikasa and Jean were close friends who went through hell together. They both have a lot of healing to do but Mikasa more than Jean. We know she took her own time, the three years after the war. So, it’s highly possible that after Jean came back to Paradis they got close again, finding comfort in each other. They both lost Eren, not just Mikasa. Jean loved Eren too. They lost Sasha, Hange. Their pain is shared and it makes sense for them to bond over that. Like, this happens. This is very realistic. I can’t stress enough how realistic it is. So I assume that’s how it happened.

There’s a youtuber I follow, she mainly posts Japanese homecooking videos but also shares snippets of her life with her husband and a very cute baby daughter.  Recently I watched a video of her at a talk show where she told her story. I was shocked to find out she has been through a lot. She lost her ex husband to cancer and that left her broken. She had thought she can’t love or marry again but after meeting her current husband who comforted her until her pain eased, she felt like ‘if it’s with this person, I thought I could keep living while being myself, the way I am’. That part really hit me. You see, sometimes things happen to people that leaves them broken. They can never be like normal people, they’ll always have this burden to carry. It’s not their fault and neither is it anyone’s responsibility to make sacrifices for them. But there are people in this world who are like that. They still choose those broken people even though they know it won’t be easy. Why they do that, I don’t know. But I think it suits Jean’s character. It’s not because he’s a simp. It’s because he’s a caring person. Remember when Armin got molested in uprising arc and how Jean tried to comfort him? It’s in his nature, it’s not because he’s trying to impress anyone. He genuinely cares for Mikasa and has seen her at her lowest and knows all her burdens and accepts them. He always has. Even when he never had a chance with her. So, with him, Mikasa can be herself. Just the way she is. Nothing to hide or pretend. And you can see this transparency in their relationship. A lot of people, quite naturally are bringing up Titanic. I did too but the difference is, Rose never told her husband about Jack so Jack pretty much remained her own hidden secret. While Eren as we can see is someone her whole family knows about and accepts as part of her past. If her past with Eren was a betrayal to her present with Jean and their family, it won’t be possible. The fact that Jean isn’t feeling threatened by it is proof enough. Mikasa isn’t that type of a person to deceive someone and most importantly Jean isn’t someone she can deceive. He knows her too well for that. And also he has always been the one to call her out whenever she needed to be called out. I personally like how from his side, he got to be with his childhood crush but not in a fairytale way. He first was attracted to her just because of some superficial reason and then got to see her for who she is and all the scars she has and accepted her for that. It’s beautiful. It’s very realistic and mature and healing.

I’m going to to quote a few lines from Paulo Coelho’s The Witch of Portobello. The ex husband is talking about the main character. 

When the pain abated- and time is the only cure for that- I saw that life had allowed me to meet the one woman I would ever be capable of loving. Each second spent by her side had been worthwhile, and given the chance, despite all that had happened, I would do the same thing over again.

But time, as well as healing all wounds, taught me something strange too: that it’s possible to love more than one person in a lifetime. I remarried. I’m very happy with my new wife, and I can’t imagine living without her. This, however, doesn’t mean that I have to renounce all my past experiences, as long as I’m careful not to compare my two lives. You can’t measure love the way you can the length of a road or the height of a building. 

I think this beautifully captures the situation with JeanKasa. From my own experience, sometimes shit happens and you feel like this is the end. Life just comes to a halt because everything you thought you’ll ever be and do is suddenly taken away from you and it’s absolutely soul crushingly devastating. But as time passes, you eventually find something, and in general it’s by pure accident. Because when you’re broken like that, you stop even looking for anything good because you come to believe that nothing good can ever happen to you again. It’s just that one day suddenly you realise you’re happy, maybe for a moment only. But you’re happy and it feels so absurd because happiness feels like a forbidden thing for you by now. And then you go seek it again. Again and again. Looking for a moment’s respite from the pain. And as you keep going back, slowly it pulls you back into the present, freeing you from the hold your painful past had on you. Does it mean the pain goes away? Does it mean we get over and go back to who we were before it happened to us? NO. You can’t unbreak what’s been broken. It simply means that in spite of the damage, the pain remaining there, it no longer holds us back from finding happiness again. It no longer remains the centre of your life. A shift happens. And that’s exactly what I believe happened to Mikasa. She didn’t go looking for someone to spend her life with. They got close and she realised if she’s with Jean, she can have a chance at happiness again. It’s literally Mikasa’s character theme. The world is cruel, but utterly beautiful. She lost Eren, that was cruel, but eventually she found love in Jean, the beauty. 

I've seen the Jean is a second choice and Mikasa won’t look at him if Eren hadn’t died takes. IF. If we start making IF scenarios we can go on and on, it’s pointless. So if Mikasa never met Eren? Or met Jean first? If Grisha stayed married to Dina Eren won’t even be born. See how ridiculous this is? I don’t know about others but the way I see it, everything that happened in the past was to lead them to this destiny. Mikasa was missing a piece and wasn’t capable of living on her own. Eren gave her that missing piece and that is the reason she can now live. And she chose to do that with Jean. Jean was always the person for her. That’s how I look at my own life too. Everything that didn’t go the way I wanted them to, took me where I am today. And I appreciate that. Jean is not a rebound or replacement for Eren. Jean is in her life for who he is. I mean he already was in her life even when Eren was alive, it’s just that it grew. A shift happened. We never love two people the same way, that’s why we’re able to have so many people in our life at the same time. They all resonate with a different part of us. No-one can replace anyone, it’s an absurd concept. And thirty year old Mikasa isn’t the same person as she was at twenty. That’s the thing with life, once you’ve grown, your past self starts to feel like a different person altogether. Mikasa grew and that Mikasa fell in love with Jean. She loves him differently from Eren, it’s not a ‘less’ love but a ‘different’ love because she now is a different person and Jean is a different person, he has different charms from Eren. They grew, fell in love. got together and from then onwards grew together, for the rest of their life. She kept loving Eren, but not being in love with him anymore. It’s absurd anyway. Eren died at nineteen, to think a forty year old Mikasa would still be in love with a nineteen year old Eren, with or without Jean in the picture.

Given they were 22 when Jean came back, Mikasa and him spent some 50/60 years together. We can make all the headcanons we want. Them meeting again, getting closer, Jean inviting her for a homecooked meal by his mother, Mikasa accompanying him and their friends the next time they go to Marley, them falling in love, getting married, Armin crying at their wedding and Levi giving her away, Jean crying like a baby seeing Mikasa in her wedding dress, their honeymoon lmao, late night conversations in bed, sharing a blanket, doing chores together, drinking tea in the balcony, Mikasa getting pregnant for the first time and Jean absolutely losing it, all the sleepless nights and changing diapers, the parent teacher meetings at school, Sunday morning breakfasts, going on picnics and family trips, going to their kids’ graduation, Jean crying while giving his daughter away at her wedding, them finding out they’re going to be grandparents, celebrating anniversaries... An entire lifetime. We have so much to explore. Let’s take a moment to remember the fact that they met when they were 12 and have been by each other’s side till the end of their days. First as just comrades, then friends, then lovers, then a couple. That’s INSANE. Since the leaks seem to be true, it’s safe to assume Jean’s chapter 127 dream was a foreshadowing. Even the city in the background looks similar. They lived a long happy life with their kids and grandkids just like Jean had dreamed. I remember the reason I got so deep into JK. It was that panel of Mikasa smiling as she was holding up her baby. It made me feel that we hadn’t seen her smile in a long long time and I just couldn’t help but root for JK. Because there both of them were happy. And now I know it happened. We were already making JK headcanons before these extra pages, now we supposedly have the green light from canon so let’s just keep doing that. We can write fics for ourselves and enjoy our ship. JeanKasa has an inherent healing nature to it and I find it so comforting. That’s all.

[cafedanslanuit]

all the fandoms

oooooooo okay okay

mystic messsenger: i kinda like the idea of zen and yoosung? the saeran ae hinted a lot of zenxyoosung moments lol. ofc i like them as friends so this isn't a shit in itself, but i'd love to see them interact as a couple! saeran and yoosung are also really cute <333

bnha: dabihawks but when they don't follow the manga lmao, haven't read shigadabi but aesthetically i like them!!, denki and jirou, idk about todobaku and tododeku...... i LOVE todoroki, he's my baby and i'm afraid bakugou would yell at him and he would feel bad/have flashbacks of some sort :((( and while deku would treat him better, i hate that mf broccoli for defending endeavor, ohhhhh kiribaku is great!!!

snk: pokkopikku!!!! jeanpikku!!!!!!!! i love those two pairings, ESPECIALLY jeanpikku. only because while i love porco and pieck i can also see them as being great friends. while jeanpikku would be hella romantic and has so much potential!!! @ofoceansandtombsanew and i have talked about arumika becuase ughhh we love them and they have more moments than eremika KSJDHFDSF anyway!!!! also aruani and yumihisu!!! my only canon ships lmao, i love those two. oh oh jearmin is so so cute <333

jjk: makinoba!!!!!!! they're both so pretty and amazing and hot and wonderful im <3333 yuumaki is also cute <333 oh and definitely yuuji and junpei!! idk the ship name but i loved them together, they would have been amazing boyfriends

haikyuu: ooooooo i mostly read x reader stuff here, but i love bokuaka, sakuatsu, osamu and akaashi, tsukki and yamaguchi, hinata and kageyama, OIKAWA AND IWAIZUMI OFC, asahi and noya, kuroo and kenma, hmmmm i think those are all!!

tokyo revengers: maitake, bajifuyu, bajitora, bajitrio, mitsuya and hakkai, the idea of hanma being queer as fuck (not a ship but my personal hc heh), drakema, mikey and a psychiatrist

[mikanyuzu-26]

Is Chapter 139 of Attack on Titan being messed up deliberately?

*Views are my own. I barely post anything on social media but I feel the need to express my thoughts as a long-term AOT fan.

You need to be a genius in getting everything wrong. As a reader who has been following the series for 8 years, the frustration and disappointment the recent chapters brought me are beyond words. The series Attack on Titan has long been known for its well written plotline, with pieces of hints eventually leading to the reveal of mysteries, ranging from the identity of enemies to the origin of titan. Isayama the author is more than capable in building a story, as evidenced by the carefully arranged setups and successful characterization in 130+ chapters. Probably echoed by other readers, the story surprisingly went downhill since Chapter 124 (aka the alliance arc) when pacing becomes slow with no major progress in overall plot. Eren who is the supposedly main protagonist is nowhere to be found in most of the chapters, let alone his inner thought. The conclusion in Chapter 139 is even more confusing, showing clear disconnection with previous chapters and major characters being OOC. There are fans who are kind enough to summarize the inconsistencies.

Chinese netizens’ comment on the story quality

I would interpret the bad writing in Chapter 139 as intentional, with two possible reasons, or both: 1). To betray and hurt the readers as expressed in his interview. He is free! 2). To passively protest against a plot change by his editorial team

“I was a big fan of Game of Thrones, so I can relate to the feelings of those fans who were disappointed with how the series ended. But when I’m drawing, I’m expressing my own feelings, and I think as long as I’m doing that, my fans will be able to accept whatever ending I come up with for them”. The question is – was Isayama hinting at a GOT-like ending that expressed his true feeling? Looking at his response at this point of time, was he foreshadowing a disappointment?

Personally I am a believer of (2) – the plot was hijacked. I see the pacing issue starting from Chapter 124 as Isayama and the editorial team trying to buy time in reconstructing the plot. This is the period when multiple minor subplots (e.g. Connie’s mom, Aruani, conflicts with Yeagerists like Daz, formation of Alliance, Reiner’s mom & Annie’s dad) are introduced and closed off shortly after, while Eren is nowhere to be found.

Also note that Isayama did not even show up in the interview/live stream after the end of the manga in on Apr 10 and Apr 14, 2021. The editor represented him instead. It was also revealed in the most recent live stream that the editorial team had quite a lot of influence over the plot, in which they changed the last few pages of Chapter 139.

As many of you have already raised, early chapters already mentioned the “only way to put a final end to the cycle of revenge” is to do a full rumbling. I believe this is the first draft of the ending of the story as this idea has been expressed more than once directly out of the mouth of Eren.

The other possible change is the way of how Ymir is being freed. In earlier chapter, Eren clearly understands what Ymir has been waiting for 2000 years in Chapter 122, and this is also the reason why Eren is able to start the rumbling in the first place. The possibility of Mikasa freeing Ymir is not being introduced until Chapter 138 (or 139), and certainly comes out of nowhere as the only people outside of path who have seen Ymir are Armin and Ramzi.

How is Chapter 139 being intentionally messed up? The inconsistencies above suggest that at least two plot twists are only being decided at the very late stage of the story. • Eren’s true intention (Eren Requiem vs. full rumbling) and the reasons behind • What Ymir wants

Throughout Chapter 139, there are definitely better choice of words which even average Reddit/Twitter/Tumblr users were able to re-write in the past few days. However Isayama just somehow chose the worst way in presenting the story as if it is a shoutout to readers. The presentation also makes Chapter 139 memorable, though not in a way most have expected.

“Why Mikasa?” “Well…only Ymir knows that one…” When I reread Chapter 139, it seems to me that Isayama is not trying to shy away from admitting the plot change. The disbelief from Armin’s way of saying “Huh? Did you just say Mikasa?” is an analogy to the readers’ reaction due to the lack of interaction between Ymir and Mikasa before the last panel of Chapter 138. Eren is also drawn with a resigned expression. If this is an over interpretation of the frame, Eren’s next response “Well…only Ymir knows that one…” directly points out how the statement lacks a clear and sound reasoning. You can translate it into “Well…only [the company/my editor] knows that one…” or “Nothing I just want to throw this in”. Isayama clearly knows what he is writing and indeed “only Ymir knows that one” becomes a meme.

Also to add that prior to Chapter 139, Ymir has always been a parallel of Historia/Krista, not Mikasa, even as early as Chapter 51, but this plot was just somehow nowhere to be found eventually.

Why Rumbling? The most disastrous consequence of a plot change, from wiping all history and civilization (that has been repeated in his conversation with Historia in Chapter 130 and his internal monologue in Chapter 131) to an Eren Requiem, is that it takes away all the justification and rationale for Eren to eliminate 80% of the population in the first place. Whether or not Eren executes the rumbling and dies willingly, the world will still be in conflict and future generation will remain in the forest. If the plan is to free Ymir, a better way is probably just asking Mikasa to chop his head off. That saves humanity (Ymir likes drama, after all!).

Isayama could have easily used phrases like “I just want to move forward” but he put “I don’t know why, but…I wanted to do that…I had to”. This is also Isayama speaking from the Eren – he does not know why Eren is doing rumbling just to achieve the 80% plan. He just “had to” draw it.

“10 Years, At least!” This is probably the most debatable and dramatic part of the chapter. Eren expresses his love to Mikasa but the scene is presented in a way as if it is a kid throwing a tantrum. In addition to that there is Armin’s comment “Oh ok…I didn’t expect something that pathetic..” as if it is again, the readers’ comment. The scene is portrayed in an unbelievably comedic way, especially when you compare it with Eren’s conversation with Ramzi in Chapter 131, which is supposed to serve the same purpose in showing Eren’s human/soft side. Most importantly, freedom has always been Eren’s core value throughout the series. The outright contradiction this line shows only makes the whole idea of this panel questionable.

Character Regression Needless to say, characters’ behaviours surprisingly regress back to the first arc, wiping out all developments throughout the series. The worst thing is it even kills the hype of re-reading the manga as you know the characters never grow, after all the sufferings and hearts sacrificed. Examples include: • Eren is still a crybaby • Mikasa remains trapped by her relationship with Eren and the scarf • Historia is not living proudly for herself after the Uprising arc • Reiner sniffs Historia’s letter after going through depression and wars (there is even a petition online asking Isayama to change this! You see how problematic this is.) • Jean and the horse joke

Almost everything that could possibly go wrong is wrong in 1 chapter These are written by the man who have been writing good chapters in the past 10 years. Can you believe it is just a lack of sense?

• “Thank you. You became a mass murderer for our sake.” • The “poop” that Armin gives Eren (Isayama likes using meme right? :P) • Eren’s face when he is punched

Is this the High School AU style?

Compared to Chapter 112...You can tell the difference.

The way how the fandom views Chapter 139 is certainly very divided, but even amongst those who like it, most still think “things could have done better” (source: SNK Chapter 139 Poll), showing how awkward the style is compared to previous chapters. The inconsistencies in character portrayal and plot are too hard to ignore. It pains me to see a well-constructed and reputable series, one step away from legend even just with an average ending, closed with a chapter that almost defeats the purpose of the rest. Trust in Isayama – while he can build a legend in 10 years, he can also take it down with 1 chapter.

By the way, Levi is one of the few characters who isn’t ruined. Probably also a conscious choice.

[ryuichirou]

After reading your eremin smut headcannons (which were amazing) I have to know if you have any for ereannie since I know you don’t feel comfortable drawing smut involving girls. If you don’t feel comfortable giving smut headcannons fluff one are good too either way just curious, plus I feel your one of the few creators who truly understands Annie’s character (since she’s definitely way more submissive than dominant as most people betray her as).

+ Anonymous said:                                                                

Hello Ryu

Thank for the recent EreAnnie fanart, I just want to ask.

What head-canon for this paring when they went through their days?

Love to hear your ideas.

--------------------------------------------

First of all, thank you so much for your high praise <3 It’s cool to hear that you find our headcanons fun and that you think that our perception of Annie is close to canon. It feels weird that she’s still considered one of the more dominant characters, but I guess that scene where she trained with Eren and Reiner was her equivalent of Levi’s courtroom scene. Annie-related content was pretty much entirely made out of pegging jokes back in the day, but now it’s just AruAni, so I don’t even know what’s worse haha.

But yeah, she’s so much more than that. Such a fun character…

Here are some headcanons, and it’s just like you said, first Anon, I don’t think I’ll give you anything too explicit. Buuut there is some mild spice here ~

 Despite the fact that Eren is terrible at getting the hints, Annie would never directly tell him what she wants, even if they’re already dating. It’s too embarrassing to her. Sometimes she gets frustrated with him though, and if she gets too frustrated, she might punch him and leave.

Annie likes Eren much more than he realizes. But Eren also likes her more than she realizes. He thinks that she’s one of the coolest people he knows, he admires her very much and actually likes spending time with her very much.

When they hang out, they spend quite a lot of time together. Without any reason, they just enjoy each other’s company no matter what they’re doing. Sometimes they watch movies, sometimes they train, and sometimes they ride bikes. But they’re very likely to do something active, because it’s easier to ask Eren to join training than to ask him to go watch movies together.

One time when he was super tired (they’ve been jogging together for two weeks twice a day…) he complained about Annie being too darn active for her own good. Jokes on him, it’s never been about jogging…

The reason why Eren started tying his hair in a bun is the fact that he saw Annie doing so with her own hair many many times while back when they were 15. This was just his first thought when he realized that his hair has gotten too long. She is very inspiring to him style-wise in general, and sometimes when he’s wearing boots or black t-shirts it’s her influence.

Because of all the training and stuff, they’re kind of familiar with each other’s bodies. But it was still very unusual (and hot) for them to see each other in a different light when they started getting physical in another sense.

None of them were good kissers when they kissed for the first time. And it was painfully obvious.

Annie is more playful and provocative that she seems (mostly with her touches and movements, like sitting on Eren’s lap for example)… But she also gets embarrassed very easily, so no matter what they do and which position they choose, she’s very likely to hide her face or avoid eye-contact.  Sometimes Eren still demands eye-contact though.

When it comes to sexual stuff, they started with just occasional petting (hands+tongues) with Eren throwing humping in the mix when he gets too impatient and horny. But after some time they’d still end up having sex anyway… too darn horny to resist.

[moonspirit]

I was wondering if you ever thought about how armin and Annie in VBEOW would have their first actual fight? And I’m not talking about the miscommunication they had in the past but an actual heated fight. How long would they fight for, would Annie still sleep in armin’s room or would she go back to her own and now they’re both miserable and alone or would they just sleep with their backs facing eachother. Would they make the other ambassadors uncomfortable with their lovers quarrel? And who would be the first to apologize?

Hi anon!!!

It's funny and also delightful that you ask tbh, because there will be a major, proper "fight" in the winter arc. It may not have been very apparent, but all the ingredients for a fight have been brewing for a while. As for what it's going to be about - the hints are there!

I really liked writing about their miscommunication in the Peace Summit Arc (I remember breaking that one down to the basic ingredients over here), and combined with the circumstances aruani were under and the stress factors weighing in at that time, it explained quite a bit about how these two function during a fight. Annie has a tendency to run when there are things she doesn't want to face, and Armin's immediate thoughts are that he's not reliable enough to prevent her from running in the first place. While Armin tried his level best to talk and communicate with her, he also fucked it up by suppressing his suffering for her sake, which in turn hurt her because Annie believed she wasn't good enough for him to confide in. There were very heavy external forces (ie the success of the Peace Summit and his fever) that, while burdening them to the max, also somehow kept them in check by pushing Annie to step up for Armin when the time came, and forcing communication. If not for these two factors, I believe their misunderstanding would've lasted longer.

Now. That was a prelude to how wrong things can go.

I think that for all of Armin's efforts at getting Annie to "talk" to him about the things that bother her, and how they agreed to "do better" in chapter 24, it won't be that simple. Annie is a character who struggles with communication as a whole. Armin is a character who struggles with deep rooted self hatred and poor self esteem. These will all factor in (among other things) to whatever is about to happen in winter.

As for your other questions, without spoiling anything that's actually about to happen, I'll answer in the context of Aruani in VBEOW, in general:

1. Annie will likely not sleep with Armin. His room is a place of strong comfort to her, and as much as she may yearn for exactly that when they fight, leaving his side to sleep in her own, much more "lonely and empty" room mirrors her habit of "avoidance".

2. How long they would fight for will depend on the severity of the fight itself.

3. The other ambassadors will be distressed ofc. It's not only the tension in the air and Armin's giant cloud of despair and agony floating over his head wherever he goes, but they also genuinely care for Aruani, and seeing them fight is going to be very disheartening.

4. The first to apologise is Armin. Whether or not it's his fault, even if it's mother nature that caused the fight, even if it's nothing either of them can control, he'll apologise*. And Annie will be bothered by this habit of his too.

(* unless... Hehehehehhee)

Thank you for your interest, I deeply appreciate it T___T

[nakamatoo]

So I was a bit hesitant to talk about this because I know how serious some people take their ships. But I feel like I need to reiterate that no matter what you ship, this is not me shaming you for liking what you like, or shipping who you wanna ship. People have preferences that they enjoy when it comes to certain ships and like me, love them regardless. And that’s good! People should ship what they want without being told that they’re wrong and should enjoy what they choose to enjoy.

So in that regard, this isn’t me bashing on Aruani or anyone who might enjoy the ship. Rather, it’s just me verbalizing some of my issues I have with this relationship, and why I believe it is one of the weakest in terms of development, especially when compared to some of the other relationships in this series.

To begin, I’d like to point out that I DO see the respect both Armin and Annie have for each other. Back in the beginning of the manga, Armin was able to see how much Annie actually did care for people, and Annie respected how even though he was afraid, Armin was willing to lay down his life for the greater good.

.

Again, if you see two characters interact you’re gonna wanna ship them regardless. I know I’m guilty of that lol. But in terms of the actual story, this is really the only genuine moment both share right before Annie is reveled to be a titan.

And then we get into the discrepancies between Armins behavior and thoughts towards Annie before and after he inherited bertholts memories.

While Annie was captured by the Survey Corp, there really wasn’t any instance where Armin showed genuine concern for Annies well being or implications that he harbored feelings towards her that was outside the realization of being more than just an old cadet comrade who complimented him on only one occasion.

And when he did mention or think about her, it was only to psychologically manipulate Bertholdts feelings for her.

Now again, you can make the argument that Armin did still care for Annie, but was putting his duties as a soldier first and for most. And to an extent yeah, I can see that. The issues rises from the fact that these are the only times where we see Armin mention Annie in any light, and most of it rises from using her name to manipulate bertholdt. It doesn’t really give off an impression that he held deep and strong enough feelings for Annie that would eventually lead to them being a couple in the future.

And now we have Armin inheriting Bertholdts memories.

Okay look I’m not gonna beat on this dead horse, I know this argument has been done to death in regards to whether or not inheriting someone's memories after acquiring their titan abilities influences their behavior. I’m not going to say that it influences and controls them 100 percent.

But I do think that inheriting someone else’s memories and looking through their eyes and experiences will in some way impact how you perceive individuals that the memories of your predecessors feel. Because you not only seer what they see, you FEEL how they feel and internalize it as something you also experience yourself.

And this is where my issues lie. I don’t really feel any sense of genuine affection from this because for one, nothing was shown in past arcs or chapters that implicated Armin would feel this way about Annie with out it feeling random. it just feels like his feelings for her stem from someone elses, but not really of his own. This accompanied with the fact he only started visiting Annie AFTER he inherited his memories from Bertholdt.

If there were moments where the manga showed Armins gradual affections for Annie growing and culminating into scenes like this, then this wouldn’t feel so out of place and left field. Armin didn’t seem to show any interest in Annie until after he inherited Bertholdts memories, and seemed to have impacted his views on Annie that weren’t there, or hinted at prior. 

And now we have Annie’s view on Armin

I think the some of the issues I have with the idea that Annie harbors romantic feelings for Armin, at least right now, it because her if were to take the recent chapters as indication that she might hold feelings for him, they only ever manifest until after she thinks her father is dead.

She just went through a very emotional episode and was probably in a very vulnerable state of mind. When we hit our lowest, some of us will crave affection from anyone who is willing to give it, especially if we feel so alone in the world.

I def think this is an example of this. Rather than forming a genuine bond or connection with Armin due to past experiences, she seems to be seeking comfort from the only person who was willing to give it, especially since he was the only one to talk to her while she was in her crystal.

In that regard, it feels more like she would accept any forms of affection from anyone at that moment, rather than actually forming as romantic attachment towards Armin. Because again, nothing there’s not enough in the past chapters that would suggest otherwise.

And that’s a big crux of this whole thing. Instead of it feeling like these two forming any romantic implications through their own means, with both development and progression, it feels more like there are external forces that are forcing them to be together Instead of it being of their own volition.I think it would be different if there were instances in the manga where Armin and Annie showed more interest in eachother rather then just one scene, but the fact that there really isn’t and we’re only left to interpret them from off screen feels very forced to me.

Again, I have no problem with people who like this ship, and I can def see the appeal. This is just me giving my thoughts and it’s not my intention to try and offend anybody.

[maoam]

4,9 and 15 for snk 🌼

4. Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?

Levihan/Aruani. They are popular I think. Thank god Isayama never hinted the former one at any point but he really just pulled AA out of his--

Ymir with men of course. Not a fan of Levi with women either because I think it’s obvious Isayama meant him to be gay.

9. Most disliked character(s)? Why? 

I guess Zeke? I just don’t vibe with his condenscending attitude and his eugenics. I wouldn’t say I hate him but I don’t like him either.

15. Unpopular opinion about the manga/show? 

People either say it’s overrated garbage or that it’s flawless and it’s neither. It’s above average and does a lot of subverting tropes which make it stand out, and it has memorable characters. It’s not without flaws, but it’s in no way garbage. I also think Isayama’s art style is fitting for the series’ tone.

Another unpopular opinion I have is that the anime adaptation could be better, it has a lot of good but I think they prioritise the “epicness” over characterization.

[dorovahkiin]

SnK Chapter 128: My personal thoughts (SPOILERS)

My review is late, but I needed some time to process this madness 😨

- Title of this chapter is "Traitor". I first thought the traitor could be Yelena or Kiyomi, but damn I was wrong. My mistake was I only saw it from the POV of the alliance because I support the alliance. But in this case, the title "Traitor" is in the POV of the Jägerists, therefore Armin and Co. are the traitors the title is referring to

- I'm glad it was addressed why the Jägersts didn't already destroy the plane, I was afraid this could become a plothole

- Sleeping Heichou is cute 💕 (sorry not sorry)

- Pieck is a smart character and I loved it was her who pointed out they'd need the Azumabitos. I want her to have more screentime. But above all I want a proper reaction of her regarding Porco's death. I know they are in a war and don't have much time to mourn, but come on, please give us a little something, Yams! 😭

- Interesting how Annie asked Armin directly about his opinion. The fandom seems to argue over this scene. Some interpret it as cute AruAni moment, others think Annie was sarcastic and made fun of Armin and still others think it had no meaning at all. I personally think that Armin is important to Annie as a person and therefore she values his opinion.

- It's the first time AMJC take actions against Eren and their country. I feel their pain and understand their struggle

- Is is just me or is Reiner's hair longer? I like it the way it is now though 😊

- Annie: "I bet if it was up to you... You never would have destroyed the walls that day". 

...I can't stop thinking about Reiner's thought right after, his flashback of Eren saying: "I was right, I'm the same as you". 

Reiner understood what Eren meant: In Chapter 100, Reiner said he destroyed the walls not because of his environment, but because of his own decision, his own fault. He even forced Annie and Bertholdt to join. Eren says he is the same, he does what he does (commiting Genocide what Reiner didn't know back then) not because of his environment, but because of his free will, because he was born this way. 

This is what Reiner understood now. However, imo Eren's comparison is missing some points, he is actually NOT like Reiner: Reiner and Eren do have parallels, but I don't think Reiner would destroy the walls again as adult who is not brainwashed anymore. Eren however is an adult who takes his own decision with actually knowing what he is doing. Reiner did not years ago. In this case Reiner and Eren are different and Reiner needs to understand this. He looks even more depressed when he remembered Eren and I am yet again worried for his mental health

- Another hint Reiner changed: Years ago as I already stated, he kinda forced Annie and Bertholdt to do the mission, but this time, he leaves the choice to Armin, Mikasa, Jean and Connie if they want to do the mission or not

- Annie however seems to be different than Reiner. A few chapters ago she literally said she would do it all again. She mainly wants to protect her dad and I don't know if she actually cares about genocide. Either way I think this might change as she is learning what empathy is. I'm really excited to see in what direction her character development heads to

- In the end Armin and the others decided to make their hands dirty. It must have been a hard choice, but I agree with them

- So it seems like the Wall Titans reached Marley and the rumbling has started. I am still sure genocide is Eren's real plan and it seems like I'm right. Now the question is, is Liberio already destroyed, are the Warriors' families dead? What about Annie's father? The warriors looked shocked

- How much does Yelena know? And where tf is Eren?

- Last time I said give Magath some time to understand he is deluded. I'm glad now the time has come he realised that. Also I liked his speech as he told everyone they are not in charge of what happened

- Floch is back and he is as radical as always...

- Armin and Connie trying to talk and deceive him and the Jägerists - I knew from the start this would never ever work out. Kinda a little teaser talking things out with Eren won't work out either

- Armin is an amazing actor, he can even fake cry. Wow 😆

- Daz and Samuel?! WUH? 😱 I thought they were dead. What a surprising comeback (which didn't last long lol). When did they join the Jägerists? I guess they were in the Garrison with Flock and were closer to him and eventually got convinced to join

- What I didn't understand was Daz'(?) phrase "We took the explosive off". Why? Who? What does that mean?

- Kiyomi is a badass indeed. I laughed so much when Floch looked like a crybaby. Reminds me of the times in Rts arc. He took off his wannabe boss attitute for one time. I wonder - Will we get another Floch flashback next chapter?

- As the others, it was the first time Mikasa acted against Eren and his sake, even spilled blood against his sake. I can see her character developing. 

On the other hand, does she only do it because she she is against the Jägerists and genocide or maybe also because she gets faster to Eren when she defeats the Jägerists? I am not sure. But personally I hope she will eventually detach from Eren. I used to like EreMika myself, but since genocide reveal I think there is no way they will end up together

- Mikasa looked like Levi in this chapter

- Magath wearing Survey Corps uniform lol

- Armin getting shot out of the sudden was a surprise. But he is a sifter, he will be okay

- Seeing Reiner and Annie transform was one highlight for me. But that raises the question: Who is building titans now? Is Ymir still in paths building them? Is Eren against it or okay with it? How much control does Eren have over the Founder in the first place? And my personal assumption: Has Zeke something to do with it? 

- Another highlight for me was that one Bert panel. Not only because I love and miss Bert. Armin realises that he is now in the same position as Bert was years ago. He doesn't want to kill his old friends, but in his opinion he has no choice because they fight on opposite sides now. Armin and the others became traitors just like Reiner and Bert years ago. Also Connie was the one who was most disappointed in Reiner and Bert when they exposed themselves, and now Connie understands them as he is in the same position

- Connie shooting Daz and Samuel to save Armin and the ship. Well... It raises the question if Connie did the right by shooting them and I'm sure he will always ponder on if it was right or not. But in my opinion Connie had no choice anymore. It was a matter of seconds and Samuel and Daz would have killed them either. It was literally "Kill or be killed bro"

- Character of this month: I'm not sure. I would say Magath, Connie or Armin? Or maybe Daz and Samuel because they were actually dead and resurrected again only to be killed again 

- My rating for the chapter: 8/10. It was a good chapter, but nothing super mindblowing happened

[kyojuuros]

Am I the only one that thinks these recent Aruani interactions are really cheap? Like Yams is either hinting at Bertholt’s influence on Armin (which shouldn’t be possible if the logic of memory passing stays consistent) or he’s entirely changing Armin as a character for literally no reason? This is the kid who turned in Annie bc he had to which showed him gaining confidence, now going back to being insecure/weak(and suddenly pining for a girl he barely knew) His arc has basically reversed

I haven’t felt that way. Armin and Annie had an interesting relationship early in the story. Armin didn’t want to betray her but he also didn’t have a choice because of the damage she caused and would continue to if he had said nothing. He was able to see the good in her and resented that the situation was the way it was. To some degree, I’m sure he admired her. 

I think the situation is complex but I’ve still not felt any reason to believe that a shifter’s memories from a previous holder can affect them so much it would change who they are or what they feel. If Armin has feelings for Annie, I’d want to believe that they are his own, and not just Bertolt influencing him. 

He also mentioned something about touching her in hopes that it would help him figure something out via the paths, so it makes me wonder if maybe he really hasn’t actually seen anything from Bertolt’s memories at all, and is hoping he can trigger it somehow. He knew that Bertolt liked Annie and obviously they had a history together as Warriors. So maybe she was like the prime candidate for it (aside from being the only one, given he couldn’t see Eren). 

I think Armin’s just really lost and confused and is trying to reach out to Annie in any way in hopes to learn something to help him understand better. 

[sunshinearmin]

I Want Something Just Like This

I didn’t have anything planned for the theme of the day, so I’ll just post an Aruani fic I have in my notebook. 

AO3

Cover photo by feramis (which is also what inspired this fic 

Word Count: 1172

She remembered a conversation in class once, when they’d been given free time.  The class had begun to talk about what they looked for in a lover.  She didn’t remember how the conversation had started.  But they all talked about all sorts of things.  Big and strong.  Lithe and charming.  Tall. Smart.  Pretty.  Handsome.   Bertolt had leaned over to her.  “What do YOU want, Annie?”

           Annie had just shrugged.  It wasn’t that she didn’t know, it was just that she didn’t know how to put it into words.  She didn’t want some super hero or fairytale.  She wanted something real.  She wanted to be with someone who listened to her.  Who she could be herself with.  Everything else was superficial.  She figured she’d know it if she ever found it.

           “Where are we going, Armin?”  He was pulling her along a dark path on one of the nearby hiking trails, the only light coming from his flashlight.

           “We’re almost there.” Was his only answer.

           “Why do I feel like I’m going to get murdered?”

           “I couldn’t overpower you if you were sleeping.”

           He had her there.  “I can’t fight a bullet though.”

           “Where would I get a gun?”  Shit.  He had her again.  “Here we are.”  They stepped through the brush out onto one of the rocky overlooks.

           “Holy shit.”  Annie gasped, staring up at the sky.  There were so many stars.

           “The light pollution that we get from town isn’t visible with here.”  Armin said, sitting down and pulling off his backpack.

           “It’s amazing.”  Annie didn’t think she’d ever seen so many stars in her whole life.

           “Careful of the edge.  That’s a long way down the gorge if you fall.”

           She looked down, and with the light of the moon, she could just see the sparkle of the river.  “How did you find this place?”

           “Uh, it’s sort of a long story.”

           “I think we’ve got time.”  Annie backed away from the edge, and sat down a couple feet from Armin.

           He let out a sigh as he pulled out a sketchbook. “I don’t really talk about it.”

           “Oh.” Annie got the hint.  She pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them.  “Sorry.”  There were a lot of things Armin didn’t talk about.

           Armin was sitting crosslegged, his sketchbook of his lap.  He was drawing the constellations.  Annie watched him out of the corner of her eye.  He was good.

           She had started hanging out with him over Christmas break, months ago.  She’d never really talked to him before, hadn’t really noticed him before.  He was a quiet kid with long blonde hair that he used to hide his face, and wore baggy sweaters to hide the rest of him.  He hardly talked to anyone and mostly kept to himself.

           It had been an accident that she had started talking to him.  She’d almost run over him with her bike one Saturday outside the mini mart.  Instead of getting angry, he’d just apologized, and then smiled at her.  Annie had felt her heart melt.  She was instantly addicted to that smile.  She craved it.  Needed it. From that day on, she started to spend time with him.

           He was a quiet kid. Unlike most of the kids at school, he rarely talked about himself.  She didn’t even know where he lived, though he’d been to her house countless times.  She suspected that he was abused.  It would explain a lot, from the mysterious bruises to his demeanor to his incessant need to apologize if he got any inkling that the other person was upset. It broke her heart to think that anyone would hurt this angel.  How could anyone want to do anything besides hug him close and bring out that smile? His smile was like the sun.  And his eyes, those deep blue pools were like the ocean.  And his laugh…that was like heaven itself.

           “How long have you been drawing?” She asked after a long while.

           “Since I was little.” He said, glancing at her. “I’m not super great at it.”

           “You’re better than me.”

           “I practice.  I bet it wouldn’t take long for you to pass me.  You can pick up anything.”

           Annie felt herself blush.  “You flatter me.” She said, looking down.  

           “I’m telling the truth.”

           It was too bad he was so skiddish around other people, because he was a great friend.  Always complimenting her and helping her.  Well, too bad for everyone else.  It meant she got him all to herself.  If anyone else gave him a chance, she was sure they would love him as much as she did.  Hell, even Dad liked him and Dad didn’t like anyone.  Annie didn’t want to share her angel, so she was grateful that everyone else was stupid.  Her gaze flicked back up to the stars.  “I wanted to be an astronaut when I was younger.”  She said, crossing her arms and resting them on her knees.

           “I wished I could be a star.”  Armin said, looking up at the sky.  “Just a great big ball of burning gas.  A star has no worries.  No one can hurt a star.”

           Annie looked at him again.  He had this sad, wistful look on his face.  “Must be awfully lonely to be a star though. Never interacting with anyone.”

           “Yeah, but if you never talked to anyone ever, would you have any semblance of loneliness?  If all you’ve ever known is solitude, you wouldn’t even know there was another way.” He finally looked at her.

           “You may not be able to out a name to it, but I think you’d still feel it.”  She stared into his eyes.

           “Maybe.” He shrugged his shoulders.

           Annie was quiet for a while.  “What do you want to do now?”

           “Hmmm?”

           “With your life.  Once you graduate.”

           “Oh.  Get far away from here.  There’s nothing keeping me here.”

           “Oh.”  Annie didn’t know why she felt so upset.  It wasn’t like they were dating…were they?”

           Armin clearly saw the look on her face.  “Wait, Annie I didn’t mean-“

           “It’s fine.”

           “No, it’s not.  I didn’t mean it like that.  I didn’t mean you.”

           “Armin, it’s really fine-“

           “Annie.”  He dropped his sketchbook and pencil, and knelt in front of her.  “You are the best thing – the only good thing that has ever happened to me.” She glanced up and gasped.  His face was right in front of her’s.  “You make me want to think about tomorrow, and how I’ll get to spend it with you.”  He put a hand on her chin and tilted it up.  “Run away with me.”  His voice had dropped to a whisper.

           “Okay.” She whispered back. He smiled, before closing the distance and kissing her softly.

           This.  This was what she wanted.  Something just like this.  She couldn’t believe she’d found it with this soft, warm, kind-hearted boy.  Slowly, she lifted a hand and buried it in his hair. Her heart felt so full.  If he always made her feel so happy, she’d follow him anywhere.