#anti magath

[harley-rose25]

Magath sucks, actually.

I seriously don't understand how anyone likes Magath; and yet I've seen people say they like him and that he's a good guy cause he "cares about the kids". That's like saying you like rando Nazi man number 47 because he's not a complete monster to Jewish children. Like, are you for real?? Magath is still a racist shit that believes that Eldians are devils. He was going to send out Eldian troops on a suicide charge and use then as literal meat shield's and cannon fodder. He's one the high ranking officials leading the invasion to genocide the people of Paradis. He continues to go on about how they were completely justified in trying to wipe out the "island devils" because of the Rumbling; which wouldn't even be happening if Marley left Paradis the fuck alone. Accountability; what's that?? He doesn't admit he and Marley were wrong until after like a 3rd of the Marleyan continent has been crushed by Eren. He would not have otherwise, he wouldn't even be talking to Hanji an the others if Eren wasn't in the process off murdering everyone.

Maybe I'm vindictive but if you spend your life affirming the narrative that my race is evil and then suddenly you wanna work together.... when you're forced to, when you have no other options I'm gonna be like fuck you.

[sonofthesaiyans]

I was just wondering, in regards to my earlier repost......would it have made a lot more sense to position the Tyburs as Eren's main opponent in saving Paradis and thus making them a more proactive presence, regardless of whether the Rumbling remains canon?

The Tyburs are as I said before, an utterly underwhelming factor of the story given how quickly they are killed after the truly baffling revelation that they are Eldian themselves governing Marley. And General Theo Magath hardly justifies his involvement as he too is killed off criminally early in his campaign to stop Eren and perhaps even is too quick to see the error of his ways in the pacing of the final arc. Sure him seeing how badly Marley screwed itself is a slightly better executed "arc" compared to Gabi's bullshit story where she still faced nothing for her crimes, but his impact is still middling by the time he dies with Keith at his side.

Perhaps if Willy had been leading the charge and Lara was actually built up as a warrior in her own right and not some random homemaker lady with no plot or personality to go by....or if someone else had been given the bloody Warhammer and actually executed its awesome power.....I mean it's an Eldian clan willing to wipe out their own kind up against the Eldians determined to reclaim their place in the world, I feel like the points expressed through characters like Magath or even Garbage Braun could have been better conveyed through the Tyburs going up directly against Eren rather than further distracting us with one plot that proved inconsequential and several character arcs that further distracted from the main flow of the story.

And to those of you still foaming at the mouth at Willy's iconic death in "Declaration of War", save your spazzing out for someone who gives a damn, that episode is as shit as the rest of this three year long final season. It's a stupid death when you consider how it voided such a puzzling revelation on Marley's side of the story.

Obviously I haven't worked out all the finer details so I'm sure there's some holes in my logic.....but I feel like several major points could have been salvaged with a different approach here. Something I think worth discussing.

Shout-out to @glassesntea for their original post on the topic of the Tyburs. I think if you're going to introduce this kind of information into the story, you should follow through on it. Make it come full circle. Isayama really dropped the ball on this, harder than when Gabbitch Braun was dropped on her head at birth.

[theysangastheyslew]

Hurray for more pre-war shenanigans 🥳

Feels kinda anti-climatic now considering how long I wrestled with this one but oh well! Who has time to learn how animate things anyways? 😆 Now would this have worked better time-wise if LH were talking to Magath and Pieck? Yes, but it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to call Yelena a bitch :)

[six-paths-of-jeanmarco]

Thank you for killing me slowly by a thousand mental cuts the ask, anon! First of all, lemme apologize for taking so long to answer, but in my defence, you asked me quite the question here.

I want to say first that I used to be a big snk fan. And then the final chapter was released. It was so bad that it made me look at the whole series with a very critical eye, which made me realize that snk has never been that great to begin with. What really made this story good was the anime produced by WIT, and what really carried the story was its big mystery box. The moment we opened it, everything went downhill bc this was no longer a fantasy world, but a lazy parody of ww2 Germany & Japan.

But more importantly, and referring to the final arc, I started to notice all the rot hidden in plain sight: its fascist and antisemitic undertones, the awful writing, the lackluster worldbuilding, the braindead politics and the inconsistent treatment of characters.

Despite my newfound interest for the cautionary symbolism of Reiner and his character arc, I still think it was handled poorly. I have the same problem with characters like Gabi, Annie, Magath, and Pieck. Their individual arcs ended with them facing no real consequences for their crimes. Magath, despite being a literal representation of the nazi, was rewarded by the plot with a heroic death (a baffling choice when you think about who he is and what he did, and just how brutal and meaningless all of the Scouts deaths were pre timeskip). Reiner, Annie, Pieck, and Gabi were all rewarded with the promise of a new, happier life ahead of them, despite being responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths directly or indirectly.

Gabi herself is proof of just how bad the writing is: RBA lived inside the walls for around 3 years, and yet they still went on with their mission. They still killed Marco. Annie still massacred those Scouts. It took Reiner 7 years to fully acknowledge that what he did was wrong and to finally make amends ... by joining an alliance that had the same goal as that of the warriors for the whole goddamn arc: take down Eren. However, Gabi realized she was wrong in like what, just a few months at best? Their development is dictated by however the plot needs them to be or act. But there's more:

Marco, the Levi Squad, Sasha, and -- as victims of similar circumstances -- Pixis, and Hange, the embodiment of pacifism, were all condemned for being good people, and some of them for believing that there is good in everybody, even in their enemies; and punished for believing that conflicts could be solved in peaceful ways. Does the cautionary symbolism of their brutal deaths still holds up when the story rewards violence and crushes pacifism?

I don't think it does.

Showing that even the worst of the worst are capable of change and doing the right thing in the end is an important message, but. The idea that everyone is just a victim of their uprising or their circumstances is simply wrong. Ideologies don't exist without people, cowardice does not justify orders carried out that lead to attrocities. This idea fails to acknowledge that evil exists. Not just nuanced evil, but pure evil as well. It also goes the other way around. This idea also fails to acknowledge that good can exist.

And also to sympathize with Pieck, who was still loyal to marley despite what they're doing to her own people. And Magath, who in his final moments, revealed that he actually cared about the kids he was indoctrinating and instructing to commit genocide all along. I can't ignore the similarity with the way neonazi like to bring up hitler's friendship with Bernile Nienau, a girl of Jewish origins, as an attempt to humanize him. Heck, even Zeke's final moments painted him as more sympathetic than he was. Such is the case with Floch, and the way Jean reacted to his death. All those characters were redeemed in the audience's eyes without facing any substantial accountability.

I also have a huge issue with the false equivalences that were supposed to show us how morally grey everyone and everything is.

-> The link to the post in the screenshot

Jean and Connie and the Scouts that attacked Liberio aren't just wrongfully presented as something they're not, they're also used as tools to rationalize what Reiner and co have done to them throughout most of the series. Jean briefly does that with what Reiner did to Marco before he punches him to a pulp. Then again with the "we're the same" bs. Then again with implying Reiner is one of them as a Scout. There's also no real tension between the warriors and the Paradis side of the alliance. What the warriors did to Paradis is truly horrific, so their only way for redemption is through their victims.

The mistake that most people do when they interpret their relationship or the characters themselves is to only look at the characters' in-story intent. But there's also this thing called the author's intent that overrides everything. Sometimes, you cannot separate an author from their work. Especially when it comes to the final 12 chapters, where the quality of the writing is in the sewer.

But there's actually another way through which these characters were redeemed: the introduction of a much greater evil and a much horrific event that makes everything else pale in comparison. The main conflict of the story was revealed to have always been Eldians vs Eldians. But that wasn't always the case. Not until isayama retconned Eren, and then treated him the same way he treated the warriors. Eren's friends refused to condemn his actions, and instead repeatedly rationalized, then absolved and thanked him for what he did. It doesn't matter that they still did what was right in the end, that Mikasa killed him, or that Armin admitted they're both going to hell for the atrocities they've individually committed. In the anime. Which came out almost 3 years after the release of chapter 139+the extras and the massive backlash that followed. Let's not forget how that conversation went in the manga:

None of that matters because there's a dissonance between their actions & words and their attitude. isayama couldn't condemn any of his genocidal characters in a way that matters, in a way that would leave no room for moral ambiguity. But perhaps the greatest injustice isayama has committed to his own characters, story and messages was to retcon Eren, the character that was at the center of a message as powerful as the idea that we're all special because we're simply born in this world, into a genocidal maniac that cared about no one and nothing (if he actually cared about his friends, he wouldn't have put them through living hell, not when he actually had the power to prevent it, and if he actually cared about his mother, he wouldn't have killed her) through one of the worst executions of the time travel trope I've ever seen.

Snk is not a story that condemns fascism, let a lone a "masterpiece" when it comes to social or political themes, because it's centralized on justifying the oppression of the Eldians and making it an integral part of the plot. Not only are the Eldians an obvious metaphor for Jews, which is antisemitic on its own given how it's executed, but isayama ends up making them truly horrific because he takes real world antisemitic conspiracies and turns them into factual realities in his own story, all while seemingly acknowledging that Jews have been oppressed and the victims of the worst genocide in history. Moreover, the Eldians also seem to be ideologically inspired by imperial Japan, Paradis in particular. As @ shangyang points out in their essay, we shouldn't forget the fact that this is a manga authored by a Japanese man, nor that Japan has its own history with fascism. (Plesse don't skip any of the posts linked here)

All that being said, isayama's true intent is more than clear: violence is praised because his characters were written so to see violence as their only option, and the fascist mentality of eternal warfare as the status quo. Pacifism is not presented as an option. There's no nuance, only extremism. Even the cycle of hatred at the very end only serves as proof that the intent of the story is to present an extremely narrow worldview in which the human species is only capable of perpetual warmongering, hatred, destruction, and death. Which is wrong and is the very opposite of what I'd call "nuance", imo. And the reason this bothers me so much is because snk and other "morally grey" works alike aren't portraying evil people as just that, people, and evil as something that exists in all of us - no, what they're doing is making the unlikeable likeable, the unjustifiable justifiable, and they're making people sympathetic towards things they shouldn't be sympathizing. Such narratives are banalizing evil (if I had a nickel for how many posts I've seen justifying what Magath did or outright saying they love the guy, well I'd have a lot of nickels) and depreciating good (lots of nickels for all the posts I've seen bashing the Scouts). Such narratives serve as propaganda for the things they claim to condemn.

The result is that such stories beget ignorance, and ignorance is a fertile ground, whether is the case of people who are only interested in shipping and blorbofication, or the people who are not properly educated to know what they're dealing with.

And there's a reason actual fascists and neonazi are circling the series like flies, identifying with the yeagerists, and saying that "Eren was right". They're not taking control of the narrative, they're seeing it for what it really is. The progression of Eren's character arc, his motivations, the retcons, the conclusion of the story, Ymir's motivation, the undeserved redemptions, the characters not behaving in ways they should based on their history, none of those things make sense because they don't have to make sense. They're only pretexts meant to mask the actual intent of the story. The cycle of hatred didn't end because the rumbling truly failed. Because "the enemy" (the people outside Paradis, all of them, as Eren made it very clear) wasn't completely obliterated. Because as long as there's "the enemy", there can't be peace. Fascists have a complex relationship with war. They don’t like it, but "the enemy" is always forcing their hand. The rumbling was meant to succeed.

This is not a cautionary tale for anti-fascists.

Snk is a cautionary tale for fascists.

Now recontextualize all of that in present-day fascist politics, and see where it takes you. But ofc, this is only my interpretation, based exclusively on the story itself.

[aoehacker]

[theory] Five Year War

tldr: in alternative timeline Mid-East War was 5 years long, instead of 4.

Illustration by Hajime Isayama for 3rd anniversary of Hita's museum opening.

As you can see, it is an alternative timeline where Reiner and Berthold decided to join forces of Paradis (+Marco is alive). As for the reasons... this theory is not about why Reiner joined Paradis, but I will point out some foreshadowing.

chapter 108 - nice foreshadowing: Porco is looking down on Reiner, and calls him traitor.

chapter 46 - foreshadowing of Reiner becoming a soldier.

chapters 15 and 96 - obvious contradiction; in different timelines Reiner had different experience.

chapters 40, 47 and 95 - obvious contradiction; but I'm not sure how it impacted Reiner's personality; I didn't find any clues that could explain his different behavior shown in chapter 15. Also, Ymir has consistent devil ears in 40 and 47, but in 95 she has normal ears.

chapter 93 - Porco mentions the moment, when contradiction starts.

Alright, enough with Reiner acting different. Let's talk about the war!

chapter 108 - 4 year war, 4 years ago Anti-Marleyan Volunteers

If you are not aware, Isayama is constantly switching back and forth between multiple timelines in his story and trying to present it like it was all a single timeline. It is very easy to spot in artistic choices by WIT. In another cases, you will have to look for contradictions in dialogue. I suggest you read u/Ellen_Yevner theories if you want to be convinced about constant switch of narratives.

So, in essence: every single panel of manga and every single cut of anime can be a completely different timeline. The above image (ch108) is another example of that.

First panel shows Reiner and says that Zeke planned raid on Marley for four years.

Third panel doesn't show Reiner, and says that Zeke snuck Anti-Marleyan Volunteers four years ago.

chapter 90 - waited through winter

Of course it makes absolutely no sense! It was clearly shown in the story, that after battle for Shiganshina, Paradis waited through winter, before they went to explore the southern port, where Marley turned Eldians into Titans. And Paradis came into contact with Anti-Marleyan Volunteers by ambushing them on the sea.

In my opinion, no matter which timeline it is, the earliest Paradis could have met Anti-Marleyan Volunteers is one year after battle for Shiganshina (because they have to clean up the Titans first).

With above assumption in mind, and with the hint from Isayama about Reiner and Berthold joining Paradis, we can conclude that there exists an alternative timeline, where Mid-East War was fought for five years (in this post, I will refer to it as Timeline 2).

Because Reiner & Freckled Ymir didn't return to Marley, Marley would only have Zeke and Pieck. That will surely restrict them in their war efforts, and they would be much more cautious, which would prolong the war for one more year.

chapter 93 - Zeke has 1 year left; ships started missing 3 years ago

In Timeline 2 Zeke would have 0 years left, by the way.

"Alright, but is that it? So what if they fought for five years, instead of four? What does it matter?" I hear you ask.

Well, it does matter! Because what Paradis lacks the most? Time!

Here are some examples of Isayama re-iterating the lack of time for Paradis:

chapter 106

chapter 107

chapter 108

It also matters from strategical perspective, when it comes to The War for Paradis arc.

chapter 108 - Reiner; Zeke has 1 year left; Global Alliance will attack in 6 months

What would change in Timeline 2, if Zeke has 0 years left?

Reiner proposed to attack immediately, because he didn't want to give Zeke time to prepare any plans (because he still has 1 year left).

If Zeke had 0 years left, (we have to remember, that in Timeline 2 Reiner joined Paradis) Magath decision would probably be conservative - to wait for Global Alliance to form and attack in six months.

Although, it is hard to predict. Magath may also think why Zeke even escaped to Paradis, even though he has 0 years left.

From one perspective, Paradis will only gain a mediocre Titan.

From another perspective, Magath may question why raid on Liberio (with the intention of evacuating Zeke) was done in the first place, and what are the future plans of Paradis.

Magath could conclude that they are plotting something, but it is debatable whether he will make a surprise attack. Porco won't propose anything hasty, because in chapter 95 he was described as someone who follows orders.

chapter 118 - Reiner is described as the main reason, why Marley attacked so early.

chapter 118 - sounds very contradicting; isn't Global Alliance not formed yet? Isn't there like still 5 months before they all come together?

So, from above images, without Reiner pushing the decision, I'd say that in Timeline 2 Marley would attack together with Global Alliance, presumably in 6 months (we can't be 100% sure that it will still take 6 months in Timeline 2).

[keischreiber]

I'm here with another artwork done by @okcrk0. This has been long overdue for posting because originally I wanted to write the story behind it too, but I just can't words at the moment for my stories. SO.

To give an idea of what's happening, this happens sometime during the time where Marley is actively fighting a war with the Mideast Alliance. Most of the time, Kristina would accompany Magath and Koslow along with the Warrior Unit. However, for this instance, she was left behind in Marley along with the Warrior Candidates who were still in the middle of their training.

However, she received orders from Magath for reinforcements, and that along with the Warrior Candidates, they'll be part of the extraction team that tags along with the additional troops.

Safe to say, when they got there, they saw the current state of their mission. I can imagine this would be the time when the first Anti-Titan artillery was introduced by the enemy. It was an underestimation on Marley's part. They've been through a few missions where they were under siege. However, the enemy had never been able to truly make a dent in Marley's shield... until now.

So, it wasn't surprising when the extraction team was welcomed by the sight of the Armored Titan, lifeless on the ground, and severely damaged. Maybe everyone was in shock due to how severely destroyed their trump card was, and that affected their ability to move. It's hard to accept being defeated by enemies that would have otherwise yielded on any other occasion.

No one would blame anyone from cowering in their boots. Eldians who were conscripted just to be used as weapons probably never imagined something like this. Movement was slow in this bitter taste of defeat. For now, it was important to extract their shifters out, see the damage that this had brought about. Just because they could heal didn't mean that they were exempt from dying.

Kristina would join in the efforts, and eventually, managed to cut through the nape of the Armored. She knew that they could fix themselves up again, so when she saw how Reiner was still heavily injured despite that ability, it shook her to the core.

Often times, she's so good at keeping her emotions buried beneath the surface. However, she was once again reminded that the world they live in was an unforgiving one. The slightest mistake is all it takes to lose everything. And in this instance, if they weren't careful, Marley could lose the only thing they bank on for victory.

Something that she was once again reminded of. That the Eldian race was no different from her. That even they, if they weren't capable, can be welcomed into death's embrace.

She could hear Reiner mouthing off the words "Sorry", to which she answered him sharply to stop talking.

Something fell on his face. Water.

Reiner would ask himself if it was raining... only to realize that the water that fell onto her face was accompanied by the sound of withheld sobs and curses; probably too quiet to be heard in such a chaotic area, but just enough for someone like him who was close enough to the source to hear.

He thinks to himself that he definitely owes Kristina an apology now, not knowing that the only apology that the officer needed was for him to keep on breathing.

[sailorspica]

🔥 topic: pieck

(drop a 🔥 for an unpopular opinion)

tbf i don't super know what's popular with her Specifically, but my complaints apply to how most female characters are treated in fandom, chiefly that the ships i see for her most do not compel me at all!! and i say this as a forever rarepair/crackshipper in several fandoms over. she has plenty of rich relationships in canon that need not be romantic and offer tons of insight into the position of eldians in marley (see these convos), shipping is the least interesting thing we can offer her

zeke? i think she's never trusted him for a second, and zeke isn't close to anyone/his canonverse anti-natalism is sex averse. jean? tons of people get tucked into armpits in battle here. porco? maybe my only really unpopular take, but imo she sees him as a taller warrior candidate—field experience matters more than similar age, i think her softness toward him is pretty much how she treats the kids. yelena? pieck's flirtation in liberio is mostly a means to an end. hange? idc they meet as adults, i think hange wouldn't be attracted to someone of an age with the 104th, and nothing they say about the cart is all that different to how they treat eren early on

my favorite favorite pieck interactions are with falbi and magath, the odd, cross-generational camaraderie that doesn't get emotional until magath's death, but i'm not a total killjoy who needs to justify every relationship with canon: at the end of the day i see her and connie as buddies who bond over elder care and unexpectedly remind each other of sasha and porco bc in general i hc the alliance fitting into/easing each other's losses imperfectly

[cosmicjoke]

Heyy! Thank you for all the amazing analysis about Levi. They're always so interesting to read 🙏❤ I would like to ask you about sth. As you're aware many Levi antis criticize him in chapter 126 where he wakes up and the first thing he asks of Hanji is about where the monkey is, while everyone including Levi heard what Eren had just said about wanting to wipe out the rest of humanity. I've seen a certain amount of arguments among Levi fans too being disappointed that he didn't mention anything about the rumbling right there and also after he tells Magath his goal is to kill Zeke and again not anything about stopping Eren. Please exclude me from one of those fans cuz I don't believe what they say; however, I'm really interested in reading your thoughts about this. Why do you think Levi talked about Zeke right after he'd listened to Eren's announcement of the horrifying rumbling. Thanks in advance cosmic! 🙏

Hi there,

Well, I've talked about this at length numerous times, so I'll try and keep my answer concise. If Levi's actions up to that point aren't enough to convince people of how much he cared about protecting humanity and the people of Paradis, then nothing you say is going to convince them otherwise. Levi was upset with himself for letting Zeke get away. He was upset at what he perceived as his own failure, once again unable to accomplish what he'd promised Erwin and the other scouts that day in Shinganshina, and underestimating Zeke's commitment to his goal, allowing him to escape and make contact with Eren. I'm certain Levi felt a huge amount of responsibility in the Rumbling activating for this very reason, likely thinking that if he'd just killed Zeke when he had the chance, none of what was currently happening would be. But he didn't kill Zeke, and he didn't precisely because he was trying to do what was best for Paradis and its people. It's just Levi's disappointment with himself and his own sense of guilt and failure being expressed when he wakes up and asks Hange about Zeke. He says "I screwed up". and "It's my fault". Zeke getting away and being able to make contact with Eren is what allowed the Rumbling to start, and, again, Levi doubtless feels a huge amount of guilt over that. He was trying to save people, and instead, the entire world is now in peril. Him asking about Zeke doesn't indicate on any level that it's the only thing he cares about, or even that it's his primary concern. It's just him expressing guilt and disappointment in his own failure.

Him mentioning wanting to kill Zeke to Magath was an olive branch, a way to convince someone who just a few hours earlier had been there to kill them all, that they were now fighting toward a similar goal. Levi and Hange both knew that Zeke had betrayed Marley and that Magath and his allies wanted revenge on him for that, and so they propose a team-up since both of them want Zeke dead. It was simply a strategic move toward getting Magath on their side. Magath at that point was still suffering under the notion that the Eldian's of Paradis were "island devils", and likely wasn't at all inclined to believe in any sort of altruistic claims on their part. So, again, presenting him with the shared goal of wanting to kill Zeke was a more assured way of getting him on board with working together, at least initially.

[aspoonofsugar]

Since I saw your top 10 hxh characters post, I was wondering if you could share your top 5 or top10 snk characters? Thank you

Hello anon!

Sure, no problem! Is top 5 okay?

1) Mikasa Ackerman

She has had my favourite arc. I love that she is a mix of two opposite tropes that are used to create an original answer.

In general, I love how delicate her interior life is and how it contrasts with her strength as a fighter. Mikasa is both feminine and masculine and this is very well conveyed.

I really like the chapters that focus on her interiority like the ones that tell us her past, Island Devils and A Long Dream.

2) Gabi Braun

I adore her arc and development!

She shows us what a positive development for Eren should have looked like.

She goes from a child prisoner of her prejudices to a young girl able to recognize the humanity of her enemies and that can inspire adults (Magath) to grow as well.

I love her relationship with Falco and the one she develops with the Braus. This one especially is very tragic, but also beautiful.

Finally, I like that we can clearly see where she comes from. The little focus we have of her family and environment makes her behaviour very easy to understand.

Also, her ability as a sniper is very cool and I appreciate she is useful to her allies without needing any magical power up.

3) Levi Ackerman

He is a mentor figure that manages to survive by adopting new mentees until the end :’’’)

Jokes aside I really love his arc and found it very powerful. Imo it reached its climax in the Shiganshina arc where he makes his most important choice. That choice is beautiful, cruel and makes perfect sense considering all what Levi went through. it is also a key choice thematically speaking and it anticipates Mikasa’s final choice (in a sense it is both a parallel and an inversion).

4) Historia Reiss

I dislike how Historia is treated in the last arc, but I still love her development in the Uprising.

Her arc is powerful and inspiring no matter what and it remains one of my favourite parts of the series...

Her scene in the cave is great and I love the contrast between freedom (Ymir) and imprisonment (Frida) and how this theme is conveyed metaphorically thanks to details from Historia’s childhood.

5) Eren Yeager

Eren’s arc is tragic, but great.

I really like that he is not the hero and that he embodies the anti-thematic statement rather than the theme. It was difficult to pull off, but Isayama managed in my opinion.

As a minor character, I really like Sasha’s characterization and mini-arc! Sasha is a gift!

Thank you for the ask!

[alexthegamingboy]

Toonami Weekly Recap 02/19/2022

Attack on Titan: The Final Season (War for Paradis Arc) EP#18 (77) - Sneak Attack: The freed Survey Corps eventually decide to help Eren, though Mikasa expresses her doubts about Eren's motives. Meanwhile, the vicious battle of Eren against Reiner and Porco continues, with Eren slowly gaining the upper hand. Suddenly, Zeke arrives as the Beast Titan on top of Wall Maria and begins to attack the Marleyan airships, soldiers, and warriors. The Survey Corps force the Jaegerists to free the jailed members of the Military Police and Garrison Regiment, including Commander Pyxis who offers to lead a group of soldiers who have drunk the wine tainted with Zeke's blood to fend off the invaders. Nile reunites Falco with Gabi and Colt, and together they race to stop Zeke from screaming and turning Falco and the tainted soldiers into titans. Pieck fakes the death of the Cart Titan enabling Magath to fire a shot at the Beast Titan's nape with the anti-Titan cannon, gravely wounding Zeke and causing him to fall from the wall into the city. As Eren limps towards the fallen Beast Titan, Reiner rushes to stop Eren from coming into contact with Zeke.

Shenmue The Animation EP#03 - Yin-Yang:  Thanks to the pottery shop owner, Ryo finally deciphers the letter that was addressed to his father. The letter states to seek help from a man named Master Chen. After calling him on the phone and arriving at the town harbor warehouse district, Ryo is sacked by Chen men and secretly taken to their warehouse, where he learns more about the man who killed his father, Lan Di, who is revealed a high-ranking member of the Chinese mafia called the Chi You Men. Ryo learns that Lan Di is after two mirrors, and has already taken the dragon mirror. Ryo and the Chen conclude that his father must have been hiding the phoenix mirror elsewhere. Back at home, Ine notes that Iwao visited an antique dealer days before he died to give him something. Ryo visits the dealer store and learns the item that his father left was the family crest. Days later in a practice session, Fuku mentions two odd slots in the dojo that have been covered by scrolls. Ryo figures out the slots are for the family crest and sword, and is able to unlock a secret room that was hiding the phoenix mirror. At the warehouse, Ryo shows the mirror to Master Chen and Guizhang and learns more about the history of the mirrors that'll resurrect a being known as Chi You. Out of nowhere, Chai, who attacked Ryo at the dojo, ambushes them and manages to steal the mirror, but is unable to escape with it due to quick thinking from Master Chen. Master Chen believes the man to be a member of either the Chi You Men or Mad Angels. Ryo asks if he can locate Lan Di through the Mad Angels. Wanting to know where Lan Di would go next, Master Chen answers Hong Kong, with Ryo announcing his intention to follow him there.

Made in Abyss (Seeker Camp Arc) EP#06 - Seeker Camp: Ozen releases Reg's extendable arms and lowers a gondola, allowing Riko and Reg inside the Seeker Camp. After finally meeting Ozen and her apprentice Marulk, Riko thanks Ozen for carrying her to the surface long ago, though Ozen amusingly points out that she had considered abandoning Riko many times. Ozen lends Blue Whistles to Riko and Reg in exchange for Lyza's White Whistle. Riko and Reg quickly befriend Marulk, who became a Blue Whistle at a young age due to being a direct apprentice of Ozen. After Riko is fascinated by old relics stowed away, Marulk wishes that Riko and Reg can stay a bit longer so they can delve together. However, Riko reluctantly declines since her mission is to find Lyza at the bottom of the Abyss. That night, Riko encounters a strange creature while looking for the bathroom, having to flee back to her bedroom. The next morning, Ozen takes Riko and Reg to her private chamber. Along the way, Ozen says that Lyza is dead, since she recovered the letter from a grave in the fourth layer, also claiming that the note was not handwritten by Lyza. Once inside the chamber, Riko sees the Curse-Repelling Vessel.

Assassination Classroom Season 2 EP#09 (31) - Round Two Time: As the students of Class 3-E are in the process of deciding on their future careers, Nagisa believes that he should become a professional assassin, but Koro-sensei tells him to give it some more thought. Nagisa comes home to his mother Hiromi Shiota, who urges Nagisa to move out of Class 3-E due to his poor grades and becomes hostile when Nagisa insists on staying in Class 3-E. On the next day, Koro-sensei agrees on Nagisa's behalf to impersonate Karasuma for a parent-teacher meeting with Hiromi, stating to her that Nagisa will not be allowed to leave Class 3-E unless solely desired. Unwilling to take no for an answer, Hiromi later drugs Nagisa when he eats dinner and drives him to the old campus. She tries to have him commit arson to the old campus in order to sever his connections with Class 3-E. However, they are interrupted by a whip-wielding hitman who is targeting Koro-sensei. Nagisa uses his assassination skills to take down the hitman and protect his mother. Choosing to pursue a different career, Nagisa decides to work hard to support Hiromi, who lets him stay in Class 3-E.

Cowboy Bebop EP#15 - My Funny Valentine: Faye meets an important man from her past, and the source of her massive debt is revealed.

Slightly Damned Page 1040: https://www.sdamned.com/comic/1040

[simibraun]

The next characters are Pieck and Galliard! The best fighting duet of the Warrior Unit!

Pieck and Galliard are two of the strongest Warriors of the Marleyan army, they always fought in the front lines by each other's side using the power of their Titans.

Pieck was leading the Panzer Unit, using the power of the Cart Titan equipped with fully functional battle armor with four machine gun turrets manned by Marleyan soldiers and later in the battle of Shiganshina District, her Titan was equipped with anti-Titan artillery cannon manned by General Theo Magath.

Galliard with the power of the Jaw Titan was an Assault Unit, as this Titan's small size makes it the swiftest of all. Its powerful claws and jaws can crush just about anything!

" I don't trust Marley. I want Eldians to be freed. But I do trust those who've fought beside me. " — Pieck declares her loyalties to Gabi Braun Based on Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan characters.

[hamliet]

i know we still didn't have the whole chapter yet but do you think that Armin will survive ? I've always thought he will but now with the spoilers and all those theories on the net I also feel like he's going to sacrifice himself and perhaps died alongside Eren in the next chapters. Do you think he can died ?

I really don’t think he’ll die! Honestly at this point I could see maybe Pieck or Connie since they’re the least important characters, but I’m not even that worried about either of them.

Armin, along with Reiner and Historia, are suicidal characters. Eren is as well, but the other three haven’t tried to destroy the world and still find beauty in it. Armin was saved this chapter physically (I did not think he was dead), and has repeatedly, like Reiner and Historia and Eren, had self-sacrifice denied to him. 

SnK isn’t entirely anti self-sacrifice, but if you notice the characters who do it--Erwin, Hange, Zeke, Shadis, Magath, Marcel, Porco--they’re not directly coded as suicidal (anymore, like Shadis) (with the exception of our!Ymir). While yes, several of them have self-hatred issues (Erwin and Zeke in particular) they were not out here actively trying to die to give their lives meaning. 

Almost every time a character has tried to die to give their lives meaning, they’ve been denied. Armin in particular got revived after a heroic sacrifice. It’d be really weird to be like “nah we brought you back to die AGAIN.” It doesn’t make sense. Also, why kill both of Mikasa’s lifelong friends especially if she’s going to kill Eren? That’s too cruel imo; can’t you let her keep the one friend who will understand all she’s been through in a way no one else can? Why punish Annie, who finally decided to fight for those other than herself and should be rewarded for it, not have that framed as useless? What does it offer Armin’s arc, the arc of the boy screaming how much he hates himself as of last chapter, to tell him yeah, what you needed to do was die for the right cause? 

I also think Armin/Annie are, like Gabi/Falco, positive foils to the tragedies that are Eren/Mikasa and Ymir/Historia. 

The exception, again, is Ymir, whose death is framed as a bad thing and part of the reason Historia is in this predicament now. Everything with Ymir and Historia’s plot feels... not great at this point, and I spoke on Twitter recently about how they seem to be their own separate story grafted into SnK with middling success, which is a shame since I love both of them. 

[pwncrackers]

AW010-021622

"Akuma no Kyojin"

PwnCrackers Lore (AOT Fanfic)

"After destroying the Marleyan fort of Slava, Eren Jaeger proceeds to march alongside with the wall titans. The makeshift alliance between Theo Magath and Keith Shadis fails to stop Eren from completely plowing Marley to the ground. However, they are still able to catch up with the Rumbling, thanks to Falco Grice's flying titan. The remaining titan shifters; Armin Arlert; Annie Leonhart; and Pieck Finger latch onto Eren's Founding Titan. Armin, who manages to transform into the Armored Colossal Titan, destroys the Founding Titan's neck, severing the connection between Eren and Zeke Jaeger.

Zeke emerges from a spinal column near the Founding Titan's rear, catching Levi Ackerman's attention. He is later decapitated and puts the Rumbling to a halt. Mikasa Ackerman gets injured as she suffers a fall due to the Founding Titan's body rapidly evaporating into thin air. Falco later returns to grab the remaining Anti-Jeagerists who are in danger of falling from a great height.

A huge explosion shocks Armin and the rest of the Anti-Jeagerists. Eren's Colossal Attack Titan emerges, and engages Armin into combat.

The two would scuffle for control as the Source of all Living Matter tries to reconnect with Eren.

Annie, Pieck, Jean, and Connie try to eliminate the giant centipede-like creature to prevent it from restarting the Rumbling.

Meanwhile Falco and Gabi Braun try to find a way for Levi to attack. Mikasa recovers but limps from her injuries.

A brief silence dominates the battlefield. The wall titans have disappeared, leaving only Eren in the Rumbling. A steam of hot air escapes his titan's nape, revealing a partially recovered body. Only his upper torso and head remain fully enveloped in titan flesh, revealing an exposed lower body in which Mikasa hesitantly strikes. She stops by the nape, not even flinching from the intense heat emitted by Eren.

Eren resurfaces his whole body outside the titan, and smiles at Mikasa. He asks that she must kill him, for the sake of mankind. Levi is ready to pounce at Eren when..."

To be continued...

[oncejaw]

@jawlost​

The last thing he remembers is an explosion... no. The last thing he remembers is the scathing burn of the detonation and shards of shrapnel tearing through his titan’s flesh (the hardened skull of the Jaw the only part left unscathed); and the keen, astute awareness of his brother’s presence beneath the beast’s protective stance. How exactly Porco had found himself smack in the middle of the battlefield and in the line of fire, Marcel had had no time to figure out - nor had he cared enough to even ask himself the question before launching the Jaw above the trenches and into the bloodied, rotten mud of the no man’s land. Marley may have taken him from his brother years ago, but they could never take the brother out of him. Magath’s yelling had been as lost to deaf ears as the rattling of machine guns - even the explosion of the anti-titan rocket had been mere distant echo, compared to the voice of his brother shouting his name - confirming he was alive, confirming, as he had glanced down, that he would be okay.

And then... then everything is a blur. For the past few hours, Marcel has been slipping in and out of consciousness in his military hospital bed, fingers twitching in the heat of the gushes of steam oozing from his maimed body (he would later find out a good chunk of a projectile had hit his titan in the back, severely injuring him in the process). His entire being runs piping hot, regeneration working its cursed magic, regrowing tissue, flesh and limb at lightning speed, leaving only titan marks untouched along aquiline face and tired neck - the Jaw’s rapid regeneration rate has always been a wonder in Marley’s scientists’ eyes; others might read it as the signs of a boy and a monster all too eager to jump back into the fire or make sure his brother had really made it out alive and well. 

His own hitched breathing startles him out of feverish slumber, a hiss of pain smothered against grinded teeth as he struggles for air. The room around him is nothing but a too-bright haze. “Porco?” Hoarse, coarse voice escapes mistreated throat; tens of questions press into his mind, none of which able to take form in coherent words; his awareness and consciousness stuck at a primitive, primal state, an instinct lurching forward and threatening to burst through his chest. Marcel lost a lot of things, over the past few years; himself, his brother, through lies and betrayal; but never the indomitable will to keep him safe at any cost. “Por - “ A couch cuts him short abruptly, silences him in a hiss of steam; and the boy fails to notice the silhouette seated by the side of his bed.

[sailorspica]

omg tell me about the pirate AU!!! and also if you feel like it, what would an angel/demon AU look like 👀..

self-ship AU asks

OKAY i started with what was piracy-adjacent at best but now as i type it's become an earnest pirates AU, so i'm thrilled, cc @marleysfinest

this started as incredibly detailed AoT historical speculation that i imagine you can relate to: trying to get my non-white ass into this universe, so one avenue is pre-walls. AU is set in the late eldian empire around 150 years before canon, so the gender politics and colonialism are... absolutely fucking foul, somewhere between the age of discovery and the napoleonic wars

c. 700, the ackermans function as a warrior house to the fritzes. kenny's probably around 45-50 and a military commander disillusioned with it all. he doesn't have a rosy relationship with the fritzes beyond feudalism, so the closest thing he has to a friend is some random azumabito who just hangs around court. after a major land victory against marley, kenny just kind of fucks off and decides to gallivant around the world with this azumabito guy on a big fancy ship as two hedonistic nobles from the world's biggest empires flaunting their wealth

then they roll up on the world equivalent of southeast asia where i seem to sneak aboard as a stowaway with a foolish assassination plan, see my reading of hizuru. on a chauvinist whim, kenny decides it'd be unfair to kill me and bad bondage practices ensue in his cabin for approximately one (1) day, come to reveal i Am a pirate and my crew fuckin includes the leonharts (muay thai!!!) and magath (has a bit of melanin imo, also he's often my ex) so the power imbalance switches immediately and well!! it becomes a political education and kenny never goes back to eldia (the continent that we know as marley) and is disgusted by hizuru and he's just the pet white guy in this anti-imperialist robin hood pirate crew. hears about the walls going up when he's 90 and i'm 70 like "damn that's crazy"

[kevkesblog]

Translation: Julian Brandt Interview for “11 Freunde” (June 18, 2020)

Attention: long post! Julian talks about overblown salaries in football, why he even stays at two-star hotels, why he thinks football should not be dramaticly reformed and why you won’t see him in Gucci clothing & more.

Julian Brandt, what do you miss the most at the moment?

Ju:     Just going outside and sitting in a café with some friends. Enjoying a bit more freedom. But I think many people have the same wishes right now.

Yet, the break because of the Corona pandemic seem to have lifted you. You were involved in all four goals during the 4-0 win against Schalke.

Ju:     I would still have preferred it, without the break. I mean it’s like this: sometimes you need just a few days to arrive at a place, sometimes it takes months. Feeling well in a city, a club and with my teammates is important. I’m a football player that needs a comfortable environment.

How was it for you at BVB in the beginning?

Ju:     There were definitely no fireworks at the beginning. But honestly, I kind of expected to need more time. I think thats normal after five and a half years at Bayer Leverkusen. It was a great time there, but in the end it was a comfort zone for me. I switched to BVB because I wanted to do something new.

And because Marco Reus asked you.

Ju:     Many people were in favour of me going to Dortmund. Even my mother wore yellow pullovers astonishingly often, during the time before my transfer happend. And Marco asked me at the national team, that’s true. I felt honored, but I saw a chance playing for a team which plays competitively for the title until the end of the season and is represented in the Champions League regularly, those were the main reasons for my transfer.

What else is different in Dortmund than in Leverkusen?

Ju:     Dortmund is bigger in almost every regard. Even the stadium is enormous and it becomes even more imposing with people in it. Building such a stadium somewhere is one thing. Brining it to live however like in Dortmund – that’s an art in and of itself. You don’t get that very often in Europe. Leverkusen – and I have to be honest here – has never been on my radar for me as a boy. But it’s the perfect club if you want to develop as a young player. I already suspected this after I talked to Rudi Völler for the first time.

I was told, you said „Rudi Völler has honest eyes“ to your father afterwards.

Ju:     He has a sincere attitude. I would have believed everything he said. And his promises became reality. We were playing attractive and successful football. And you don’t get so much pressure as a young player from the outside. The media landscape for example is much smaller in Leverkusen than elsewhere.

Do you miss the fans in the stadium in Dortmund?

Ju:     I was never that guy who was aware of stuff that happend on the stands. But after the game against Inter Mailand, where we were behind 0-2 before the break and won 3-2 in the end – I recognized how important football is for the people here and how much they were willing to support us. It was so honest, authentic and direct. One of the best games thus far.

Before that Michael Rummenigge critized you as „C-youth player“. That was after the Inter game where you scored as well. Was that a key moment?

Ju:     Everybody can voice their opinions that’s totally fine for me. I’m not a person who jumps on it.  And I wasn’t really satisfied with my game as well. Perhaps the 2-1 win against Gladbach a few days before was a turning point. Not only, because I scored twice, but rather because I was able to play on the ten for the first time. After that my game became better.

You said in the beginning of your time at BVB „Peter Bosz liked the risk. We don’t really have that here in Dortmund“. Did the way you play now changed?

Ju:     We play nice football under Lucien Favre. He likes an offensive tactic. Adding that, we score alot of goals. But Peter Bosz was a special coach in that regard because we played a modern version of football with a high amount of ball possesion – often over 80 percent. And we not only wanted to keep the ball all the time, while playing until our opponent gets tired like it’s the case with tiki-taka football. We were always on the attack. At BVB we put more emphasis on the defensive at the beginning. It was a change for me, since I wanted to have the ball and not running behind him all the time.

Is football an elegant game?

Ju:     My room as child was full of „Bravo“-magazine posters with offensive players. Nedved, Robinho, Del Piero and the best among the best: Ronaldinho. I liked it whenever players carry their street football skills to the pitch. Whenever somebody is looking for something spectacular. I want to gamble and not just act in a rigid system.

Doesn’t modern tactics prevent something like this?

Ju:     You are basically being funneled at youth football academies with: receive the ball, passing, receiving, passing. There a strict requirements you have to follow. But I think good teams need self-confident players, saying „No, I won’t fit in, but I rather go into a one-on-one situation“. We have such guys in our national team. Leroy Sané or Timo Werner. Kai Havertz is a player who has a street football mentality too. Often it looks very easy, but it’s not. It just passed over into blood.

You are wearing the jersey number 10 at the national team. Like you also wore at Leverkusen. Does that do something with you?

Ju:     I feel lighter in some sense. Perhaps because I know that you have to earn the number ten. Not like in the past, but I do think it has a certain meaning yes.

We heard you don’t like to talk about your strengths. Why?

Ju:     I think, it looks like I’m a show off. I have enough self-confidence already.

Yet you do know that you can shoot really good. Who taught you?

Ju:     Many things happened because I just tried. I even knew as a ten-year old boy: if I want to become a great football player I have to be able to shoot well with both feet. So, for weeks I shoot with my left foot on our lawn. Shot, flank, pass. It helped a lot. I met Federico Palacios during my youth time in Wolfsburg. He taught me insane techniques. I had a phase were I was obsessively training my first contact: not trying to stop the ball between the lines, but rather take the ball without defender nor midfielder getting the ball instead.

What are your weaknesses?

Ju:     My headers. But I’m currently working on it and I often score. At least without opponent (laughs). Some people say I can work more on my defensive work. And yes, there is some truth to it, even after I already worked on it for quite some time. The thing is: I’m not an aggressive person, its not who I am. But of course, I understand whenever coaches say I need to have a certain minimum amount of aggressive behavior on the pitch.

Do you have a career plan?

Ju:     No, everything I do, I do spontaneously.

But everything you do looks so reasonable: youth football for your home club. Training at a football academy in Wolfsburg. Professional debut at Bayer Leverkusen, your transfer to BVB a year ago…

Ju:     Honestly: I could not have imagined going to VfL Wolfsburg as well at the beginning. Why should a boy do this, when he basically grew up just a 20 minute bike ride away from the Weser stadium in Bremen and was standing in the fan curve in his youth?

Because Werder [Bremen] overlooked you?

Ju:     That’s not true. I even got invited to a try-out training. But then I looked at some other academies. I wasn’t only looking at VfL Wolfsburg. For example I looked at FC St. Pauli as well. Yet, I had the best feeling with Wolfsburg.

Why?

Especially during the ages 15 to 18 a lot is happening: you grow, your muscle mass is increasing, you slowly get to play with the professionals. On the other hand, many doors are opening. Your friends go partying for example. I liked being on a football academy for two and a half years. You couldn’t leave the campus after 11 o’clock in the evening. Apart from that we were very successful and won the German a-youth championship. But I can still remember how perplexed my parents were at the breakfast table, back when I told them about my decision to join Wolfsburg.

You are being called the “Anti-Star” of the business quite often. Does that do something with you?

Ju:     Many people seem to think it’s probably because I have no tattoos and my father is my agent. But to be honest: there are some football player clichées I fit in. I like fast cars. I like playing playstation and I have 40 pairs of shoes in my closet. I just try not to pretend to be someone else. I wouldn’t look good in a Gucci-pullover.

Others like to call you “premature”. You were allowed to train with the professionals at the age of 15 in Wolfsburg. How did you do that?

Ju:     That was insane and unreal. I was riding my bike to the training ground one day and the assistant coach Bernd Hollerbach took me to his side and said: “Introduce yourself to the coach”. So, I went into his office. “Hello Mr. Magath, I’m Julian from the under-17 team.” Of course, I was suspecting he already knew me otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten an invitation. But he was just staring at the television. After a while – it felt like an eternity – he looked at me, didn’t say a word, total silence and then he turned away. And then I was sneaking out of the room.

Magath wanted to test you?

Ju:     I was unsettled a bit, but I wasn’t thinking about it anymore on the pitch. It doesn’t matter who is on your side, or whether your opponent is twenty years older than you and who your father is.

Did you nutmeg someone?

Ju:     I would have been beaten for that. On the other hand: the pain fades away, the nutmeg stays (laughs). I remember I unintentionally shoot a ball into Marvin Hitz’s face.

How many agents were lining up at your doorstep at the time?

Ju:     I stopped counting it after a while. I don’t think all agents are bad but I don’t need one at the moment. I have my father. He may not be Mino Raiola with thousands of contacts all over the world. But he doesn’t need them.

Nevertheless: this son-father-constellation also has it’s potential conflicts…

Ju:     Our family sticks together – we are very harmonic and strong. I can’t remember a time where we were had an argument. I lived together with my brother in Cologne. I also have a connection with my father because of football. He used to play for the first team at SC Borgfeld – which was also my first club. I still remember: we went into the clubhouse whenever the Champions League was on. It was the best day of the week.

Now it’s about big business. Do you know your own worth?

Ju:     It was downgraded since the outbreak of the pandemic. I read that on so some sites.

But it’s still 40 million euros. What does such a number do with you?

Ju:     I can handle that because I can manage those numbers quite well. There is a lot money floating around in football. And I know its not easy to comprehend it with normal standards anymore. We live in our own bubble in that regard. The salaries in football are in no relation to what normal people earn – even with football being the greatest sport on earth. But why is that the case? Because sponsors are flushing so unbelievable high amounts of money into football. I think it’s important not to make the sport a luxury item. It has to stay affordable. In the stadium as well as in front of the TV.

Explain to us: why does a professional football player negotiate whether he should get 10 or 11 million euros per year?

Ju:     It shows how greedy people can be sometimes. But that’s not football specific. It’s as unfair as the richest one percent of the world’s population owning more than half of the world’s wealth, right?

Could this crisis perhaps be a chance in order for football to calm down?

Ju:     Perhaps in the short term. For the next one or two years. If any. I can’t imagine a player like Mbappé being sold next year for 80 million euros. Someone will always pay those insane sums of money.

How do you ground yourself?

Ju:     Through my family and friends. Many are studying or doing an apprenticeship. It’s never about money when we talk, I just like having a great time with them. We don’t need a luxury vacation. But one time: we went to Mallorca for four or five days just as we qualified for the Champions League with Bayer Leverkusen. We stayed at a normal two-star-hotel, one room with a bed and a bathroom – that was it. We went to the beach and relaxed.

Has there never been a situation where a friend or family member had to take you back to the ground?

Ju:     No. I can’t remember that I ever reacted arrogant or snooty. Or a situation where I thought: “Wow. That’s not who you are”. I’m fully aware of my very privileged life. In short: my greatest worry is whether we will win or loose on the weekends. It’s important to be thankful and to remind yourself what you got every once in a while.

Why do you have to remind yourself stuff like that all the time?

Ju:     In order for it never to become normal. I know cheese costs about 69 cents at the grocery store and a different one costs 1,29 euros. But if a tool or device breaks down I sometimes just buy myself a new one. Whereas in the past I would have repaired it by myself.

But is football still the same game you fell in love with as a kid?

Ju:     Absolutely. The game itself hasn’t really changed much. Okay, we have the goal line technology – which I support. And we got the video assistant referee, were people can argue. I abstain in that question. Once in a while, new ideas are being floated: like reducing the playtime to 60 minutes, new tournaments, elite leagues – I think it’s all bullshit. Keep football like it is. The way we learned it. With all its faults and tricky aspects. Even if something goes wrong.

Like during the World Cup 2018. Did you know that you could be the first DFB-team leaving the tournament after the group stage?

Ju:     At some point he heard of it. It doesn’t really look good on your vita but it happened. Perhaps we needed this in order for something new to emerge. You have to remember: other great football nations also failed in similar ways. Italy, Spain or France all crashed out of the group stage after they won the World Cup.

Did the photo with Mesut Özil and Erdogan brought some unrest into the team?

Ju:     The fact that almost all reporting was revolving around that topic was irritating sometimes. Don’t get me wrong: I think its important for the media to cover political topics extensively and with background stories. But I remember after the game against Sweden – after we barely won because of Toni Kroos free kick: shortly after the game you get asked whether the poor performance during the first 75 minutes were due to the photo – and you thinking: why don’t we talk about the game? Mesut became the poster boy for the disappointing World Cup. That’s nonsense. We all played shitty.

During the Confed-Cup the year before, many young players were in the team. At the World Cup the established players came back. Did Löw put his trust into the wrong players in Russia?

Ju:     You can come to that conclusion afterwards, but you don’t know it in advance. I could fully understand Low though. He was loyal and in some cases he felt some gratitude. He couldn’t and he didn’t want to replace a World Cup winner from 2014 with a young player. The way we were defeated at the World Cup was not foreseeable. Because we also played great football between 2014 and 2018.

The team made it to the semifinals at the EURO 2016 and you became second with the Olympic football team in Rio.

Ju:     A great experience with a team that was just thrown together. A contribution of Horst Hrubesch.

What makes him special?

Ju:     He is just great, the guy! He’s from a different generation which you can tell with a lot of things around him. Once he wanted to show me how to shot from the side. I almost tore my muscle fiber doing it. But he manages it very well forming a team with young players. He’s a very free coach and very direct. He always called me lazy (laughs). And he has a very nice and dry sense of humor.

An example?

Ju:     Me and the Bender-twins were sitting together shortly before the semifinal against Nigeria. He came up and said: “Guys, losing today doesn’t make any sense anymore.” A funny sentence, but also true if you think about it.

Julian Brandt, you made over 200 Bundesliga games, played Champions League and participated in one World Cup. You just turned 24. Do you even still have time to suck it all in and enjoy it?

Ju:     Football is quick. I can still remember coming to Leverkusen – as if it was yesterday: my first game for the under 23 team against Essen. My Bundesliga debut against Schalke a week later. That was a little more than six years ago already. Crazy. Veteran players always say: “Enjoy it, because quickly your career will be over.” But how should you enjoy it? A game every four or five days. New photos, new events. You don’t have an awful lot of time to let everything sink in for a moment. I usually do that on new years eve. On a friend’s balcony. I even get sentimental then.