#feel free to share the eng version if anyone has it on hand somewhere

[goldenlandfiascos]

i know there's an eng translation of this somewhere, but i can't find it. anyway, basically Genji's like, "Here, Madam, you can wear the wings like this." And Eva thinks it's really cute, and Natsuhi's neck gets hurt, and Eva brings her a whole fucking bouquet of flowers

[kyojuuros]

Chapter 116 Reaction

I was contemplating if I wanted to wait until the official translation is out, but since the JPN→ENG fan translation team has released their version, I think that’s good enough. Also, my work week is going to eat me alive and I probably won’t be very present until next weekend. So here we go.

I was really looking forward to seeing Eren and Pieck interact and while it wasn’t entirely what I expected, I also wasn’t disappointed. While it is clear that they are both playing each other, I cannot see any point in which there is dishonesty in their views and feelings. The only lie told here is that Pieck wishes to ally with Eren.

Eren is very aware of the situation and that the warriors cannot kill them if they want to successfully retrieve the Founding Titan. He knows the repercussions of disobeying orders and he uses that against Pieck, calling out her bluff.

This has made me start to realize even further that Eren has developed a sense of arrogance about his position that’s going to start plummeting him in a downward spiral, and I think the ending to this chapter reflects the beginning of it. He used a similar threat toward Hange back in chapter 107. It’s the same sentiment: “You can’t kill me, I have the Founding Titan’s power.” Just as well, it is the power he possesses that he used to make the Survey Corps come for him in Liberio to begin with. They’ll come for me. They have no choice. I’m the Founding Titan. 

He’s using it as his get-out-of-jail free card and swinging it around without any reservations. The only way that Eren can be allowed to die is by titan inheritance. Weapons... words... none of those are a threat to him. Unless he’s facing the mouth of a titan, he can’t be harmed. 

It reminds me of the small interview Isayama did a while back where he stated that part of the story’s current themes is that one needs to be able to doubt oneself. Top it off with a separate interview where Isayama said that Zeke is a presence which Eren must not become. Zeke is also very arrogant in that he believes he knows what’s best for everyone and that he can’t be harmed because he has royal blood. This will only be further enforced by his resurrection. While Eren’s goals and motives are most likely the opposite of Zeke’s, the arrogance is something that they definitely share right now. 

This sort of arrogance and somewhat cocky attitude that Eren has been emitting in recent chapters has been making him look and feel increasingly more villainous. Personally, I’m hopeful that we are seeing the peak of this behavior and that it will start to tamper down now that the Warriors have made their move.

Back on topic, though, Eren calls out Pieck’s bluff and she backs off instantly. But here is where the mind games begin. Pieck is unaware of Zeke and Eren’s motives. Based on the information she’s gathered so far, and their actions, she starts to appeal to Eren by claiming she is hopeful he can bring upon the destruction of Marley with the Founding Titan. Pieck thinks she understands what Eren wants, but this is proof that she doesn’t actually know at all. We as readers know that the goal has nothing to do with bringing down Marley, so it’s easy to see that Eren is gauging her ruse.

Despite putting on a play with her loyalties, Pieck also doesn’t lie. She confirms later in the chapter that these are her true feelings - she wants Eldians to be free. She doesn’t support Marley. This leads to her also giving Gabi a heavy dose of reality. Something I really believe Gabi needed to her from her own side. 

This made me very happy. Gabi has been struggling a lot with her views about her own race since the day she was born. She was raised to believe that her people are not good. That they have to prove their worthiness through their own sacrifice. That demonizing the same people who share her blood on a small island across the ocean somehow makes her a better person, a better Eldian. That being loyal to Marley will suddenly wash her blood away, despite holding onto one of the 9 titan powers herself one day. Then her views are challenged when she is stuck on that very same island - the island of devils - and she realizes that these people are no different. They are kind, they have conflict, they can forgive, they can hold grudges. The people currently living on this island have done nothing to deserve being wiped out. She knows better in her heart, she truly does, but it’s been hard for her to come to terms with it because she’s wanted so badly to believe everything she learned was true. That her efforts would mean something in the end. 

And finally, for the first time, someone from her own side, who’s shared her struggles, who’s lived through the brainwashing, who’s fought on her side, tells it to her exactly like it is: She cannot escape her blood. Marley does not care about her. She is no better or worse than the people on the island. 

I am hopeful that this will help Gabi solidify her stance and her views, and that she’ll be pushed to do something truly meaningful for her people by the end of this narrative. She won’t have to end up like Reiner. She won’t have to stain her hands with the blood of thousands of Eldians to prove herself a hero or save her people. There is another way. 

Moving forward, Eren continues to cut himself as a threat. After Pieck says that Eldians have to gain their rights through their own power, Eren tells Pieck to prove it. If she’s willing to side with him, then she needs to give him a good reason why he should believe her. Pieck proposes heading up to the roof to point out her comrades. Eren agrees, but I think it’s clear he is not doing so with an ounce of trust or faith in her. He can tell she’s up to something. But he goes with it, if only just to find out what the enemy’s next move is.

Another scene that made me happy was seeing Eren break his facade momentarily when he’s asked about Falco. He looks worried about it, and his face when he tells Gabi about Falco’s current state is one of the softest expressions he shows in this chapter. I don’t think it makes him at all happy to know that Falco has drank Zeke’s spinal fluid - Eren really likes Falco, and I believe he was genuine when he told Falco he wanted him to live a long life. Now Falco is at risk and there’s nothing that can be done about it. 

Whether Isayama actually does anything with this or not, I like that this ties a common thread between Gabi and Eren. Of course, Gabi feels entirely at fault because Falco was hit with the wine while he was trying to protect her. She hates that he keeps getting himself hurt for her sake. She feels responsible for it. Just as well, I think that Eren also feels responsible. His actions unraveled the chain of events that put Falco in this situation in the first place. One thing these two do have in common now is concern for Falco and his future. Maybe that’ll go somewhere, maybe it won’t. But I like that there is a potential there for them to start connecting to each other in the future if Isayama wants them to. 

Of course, this leads us to confirmation of a topic that has been wildly speculated on since chapter 112: Eren does indeed know about the spine wine. 

As was brought up by @yaboylevi in this post, I think that Eren is not happy about the fluid existing. That it may potentially even be part of what has pushed him into action. The wine has been there since the beginning and the damage has already been done. Anyone who has ingested that fluid is at the whims of his brother and he has no way to stop it without stopping Zeke himself. Making Zeke believe Eren is on his side? That Eren is unquestionably working toward the same goal? That’s one way for Eren to prevent the titanization of his people. Perhaps the issue is that Eren feels the only way he can protect the island from Zeke’s whims is by playing along as believably as possible - if that makes him look like a villain, then so be it. Until he gets a chance to touch Zeke and enact his own plans, this charade must continue. 

“I’m free.” 

Eren is as much a hostage to this situation as the people who drank that wine if his wish is to save them. The only difference is that he knew about it, and that he chose to take actions against it. He is free in that he is informed and has chosen to formulate his own plan to fight back against it. He refuses to stay in that cage. This is what sets him apart from the others. They have to make their own decisions based on the information they’ve been given. 

I’m very curious about the exact conversation Eren and Yelena had more now than ever. 

Pieck asks about Zeke’s special abilities, and Eren dodges. If it wasn’t already made clear he doesn’t trust her, this was the very telling moment that proved as much. He won’t divulge Zeke’s royal blood status (although I think Pieck already suspects it) because that is not the kind of information the enemy should have. Pieck is certain that Eren knows what Zeke’s secret is. She tries to appeal to him one more time by repeating the things that Zeke said to Eren way back in chapter 83. But their conversation is interrupted when the doors are open and Pieck and Yelena see each other. 

Pieck pulls her own power move by low-key letting Yelena know she saw right through her from the very beginning. That she knew it was a game from the beginning and that she’s about to play her hand now. Yelena warns Eren not to trust Pieck, to which Eren confirms that the distrust is mutual. He knows that she doesn’t want to ally with him and was fishing for information and baiting him. He knows he’s walking right into a trap. But he goes. 

Possibly the coolest part of this entire chapter. Eren tells Pieck to point out where their enemies are, she squeezes Gabi’s hand in a silent reassurance that everything is going to be okay, turns around and points unabashedly at Eren. Eren is unamused, and then Porco makes his surprise entry to try and claim the Founding Titan from beneath Eren. 

Eren is able to evade the attack enough that he only loses his legs in the process (Eren in cutoffs when Isayama?) and transforms to fight. 

Can I just say I didn’t think the Advancing Titan would have a new appearance and I’m so damn glad that I was right? I missed Eren’s titan a lot - it’s so nice to see him again. 

Also, Eren’s abs. Wow.

Anyway, thirst mode back off. 

Marley shows up with airships and Reiner, Magath and Colt are all on board and ready to attack. This cliffhanger has me super hyped for chapter 117 and I’m really hoping for some epic battle scenes! 

Now with Eren and Pieck out of the way, let’s talk about the 104th and Yelena. 

They finally get a chance to talk about what happened between EMA four chapters ago. Jean wants to know what Eren did so he can further assess the situation. Armin admits that he is the one who threw punches first and provoked Eren, but not without letting Jean know it was only because Eren had said hurtful things to Mikasa. 

Jean, who obviously still cares a ton for Mikasa, asks what exactly did Eren say. Mikasa doesn’t want to be reminded, and asks Armin not to say it. It’s easy to see by her expression that she’s still struggling with it and probably with herself because of it. I hope that we can actually see her working through it on her own, instead of just a few words here and there....

Connie and Jean almost feel like they’re the voices the two different sides of the fandom right now: Those who have no faith in Eren and want to see him to fail, and those who are still holding out hope for him and wish to understand. 

Connie, of course, has very valid reasons for distrusting Eren right now. Eren appears to be on Zeke’s side, and Zeke cost Connie his entire family and village. Eren’s actions - actions that at face value appear to support Zeke - got Sasha, Connie’s closest friend, killed. Eren’s reaction from what Connie could see? Laughter. Connie’s feelings toward Eren are very much fueled by his negative emotions. He’s taking everything he sees at face value and assuming the worst in Eren, that he doesn’t care about them anymore, that he’s turned into irredeemable garbage. 

Jean, however, is trying to look at things objectively. He knows Eren well, knows what drives Eren to action, knows what gets under Eren’s skin, knows how much Eren values the people he loves. They may be friendly rivals but they’ve always had each other’s respect. Jean’s intuition is telling him that Eren wouldn’t have lashed out on Armin and Mikasa that way if there wasn’t a reason for it (of course, see above commentary about Eren playing Zeke to protect them). He still wants to have faith in Eren. He knows Eren isn’t the type to throw away his friends so flippantly. If Eren is truly himself, something is up.

You can see the realization on Armin and Mikasa’s faces.

Yelena shows up and interrupts their brainstorming. I won’t get into the... language that Grior used against Sasha, but I’ve never rooted for Yelena harder than when she quickly put an end to his disparaging. 

I’ve been convinced that Yelena might have her own agenda and may not actually be working with Zeke but I think I’m starting to see that she might very well be what she is at face value. She believes in Zeke’s cause, believes he’s going to transform the world and make it into a better place. If she’s not actively seeking revenge against Marley like we once thought, then it makes sense why she defended the Marleyan POWs when they were captured. Revenge against Marley was the front they put on as Zeke’s secret plan was, well, secret. 

She reveals Zeke’s euthanasia plan to the 104th and they are less than happily receptive of it initially. Jean points out the flaws in this plan, and then we learn the (presumably) real reason why Historia is pregnant (aside from prolonging Zeke’s lifespan once he got to the island) - her child will be the last line of defense for and old and dying population of Eldians when the island meets its final years. 

If her facial expression is genuine, she truly believes in the cause that she is fighting for. She sees Eren and Zeke as profound people who will go down in history as saviors or gods. She’s delighted to be a part of making this happen and I think nothing makes her happier than the prospect of seeing this goal through. 

Armin starts to break down in tears once Yelena starts referring to the Jaegerbros in this way. Is it because he’s relieved because he realizes there’s no way Eren is on board with this plan? Is he laughing because the idea that Eren would want to go down as a god who killed his own people for the sake of the world is so uncharacteristic of Eren he can’t believe anyone would buy that? (Am I just projecting on him!? lol) I think with the help of Jean’s words before Yelena interrupted them, Armin has started to think harder about the situation and has come to realize something important. 

Still, he uses his tears and spins it to his favor by telling Yelena he’s just “so moved by her words” and saying the cause she’s fighting for is such a noble thing. What a load of crap, lol.

I am often not right, and I don’t want to make any bold claims now either. But I feel like the wheels are starting to spin in a more positive direction now. If Armin’s figured something out, he’ll know what to do next. 

This brings me to the part of the chapter that stood out to me more than anything has in recent months: 

The common opinion between the Warriors and Paradisians is the wish for Eldia’s liberation. This sets up a lot of potential for future chapters if they can come to a mutual understanding.... but that’s a whole other post. Just a passing thought. 

But everything in this chapter (and perhaps everything throughout this entire series) ties together with the end of this line: “I trust the comrades who fought together with us.” 

This is what is currently setting Paradis apart from the Warriors. Eren isn’t choosing to trust in his friends - historically, passing along that trust has always gotten his friends and comrades killed or almost killed or severely injured. He doesn’t wanna risk it anymore, and is choosing to believe in his own strength - which is, in turn, creating even worse problems. The Survey Corps have chosen not to trust in Eren - Hange made that absolutely clear when they picked him up in Liberio, despite Eren being honest with them in his letter. Paradis has been a cesspool of deception for the last four years and they are falling apart because of it. The root of this deception starts with Zeke and, by extension, Yelena. 

Zeke has been culled from the Warrior faction - they will show more strengths in this moment. 

The only solution for Paradis is to learn that they have to work together and trust in one another again. Eren has his reasons for doing what he’s doing, perhaps it’s time to simply back him up without fully understanding why- 

-or perhaps it’s time for Eren to remember that greatness can only be accomplished with the many different strengths that different individuals provide- 

-or maybe it is time for everyone to make the choice to believe in the comrades that they have always trusted and relied on.

Strength comes in numbers. Cooperation and trust typically bring about the best results, even if they may not still be ideal. The only way Paradis can overcome this threat is by learning how to trust in one another again. 

There is hope. The 104th can plant the seed.