#marley vs eldia

[felineverdure]

I don't mean any hate but I don't think it's true that Jean isn't emotional or isn't a crier. He was crying >>and<< emotional for so many important scenes. When he joined the SC he was literally crying there and made an entire emotional speech that got other people to join. After he beat up Reiner he ran to the forest crying. He was crying when Sasha's apparition showed in the finale. He was screaming and crying (literally) when he detonated the bomb to kill off Eren.

Jean has >>never<< been a stoic character. I would say he maybe >>tries<< to be but he isn't, not in the way actual stoic characters are (like Levi). Jean is the opposite of stoic. He always shows his emotions tenfold. When he's angry, he's shouting more than he has to. When he's sad, he curls up into a ball and holds his hands against his ears. When he's happy or amused he laughs like a maniac. Even when he's excited about little things he's scurrying around like a golden retriever, like when he discovered ice cream and rushed to buy one for Armin and Mikasa. He's a highly emotional person.

As for him not having a reaction to Bertholt dying, I don't think that was OOC. Sorry for any Bert fans, no hate because this is just the truth, but I don't think Jean cared enough about Bert to be screaming and crying when he got killed. They were never that close, so why would he cry? And, Jean didn't know about the Marley-Eldia history back then, so I'm sure like the other SC he just felt betrayed by Bert and that's why it makes no sense for Jean to cry over him.

As for his lack of reaction to Armin's "death", I think that was just a combo of shock and defeatism. They lost a lot of people in Shiganshina. He didn't have time to react. I think it was also a creative choice by Isayama to not have other characters react as emotiomally as Eren and Mikasa, because I'm sure he wanted to highlight EMA's bond in Armin's "death" scene.

I don't know why this is such a big deal hahaha but I'm bored. Thank you for this. (sincere)

Comparing Jean to the other remaining 104th scouts: Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Connie, Sasha (like they're crying every few chapters), Jean doesn't cry as often as them in front of the others. Even Flochie was crying a lot (Haha loser) . That's why I felt like crying isn't really his thing or he just doesn't like crying in front of people. Plus this smartpass of him where Hange questions his lack of crying. And it's fine? Okay, I agree emotional was the wrong word to use because Jean is emotional but emotional expressions isn’t always synonymous with crying. Some people just hate crying, doesn't cry as much or only tear up for a moment and it is fine, it doesn't mean we're acting tough or we're heartless!!! It could also just be an unconscious thing, exhaustion or feeling like you need to be the one who hold things together. (I would know I'm some people!!!)

"When he joined the SC he was literally crying there and made an entire emotional speech that got other people to join" You're right! I could only think of this moment where he broke down completely in front of the others. (I can only find the dubbed version lmao)

In the other instances, it's more of him on the verge of crying or stressing out privately or trying his best not to let the tears spill:

Anon, I just think Jean doesn’t have as big a reaction when he cries compared to when he gets excited or angry. This page is a good one because look!! even Annie has tears streaming down her face vs Jean & Reiner who are teary.

And here too, the moment that fuels the haters. You’re right, Jean probably wasn’t that close to Bertolt, or maybe he was just too exhausted to react. I’d also like to point out that he had already gone through the emotional turmoil of dealing with traitorous ex-comrades when he confronted Reiner moments earlier. That encounter cost him and the Scouts dearly, leading to a huge mistake. Crying over Bertolt at that point wouldn’t have made sense.

And then there’s the huge controversial moment where people think Jean was OOC. I think the backlash stems from the fact that even Connie (aside from Eren and Mikasa) was visibly crying, which led some to label Jean as “heartless” by comparison. But at that point, Armin was burned beyond recognition and unlikely to survive. Jean understood that reviving Erwin was the more logical choice, he didn't outrightly say so but he didn't outrightly defend Armin too. (People often forget that Jean is just as practical as he is emotional, why do you think he succeed in leading the other cadets to safety back in Trost)

"I think that was just a combo of shock and defeatism." 100%. That has always been his reaction to death and one of the few consistent thing about him throughout the whole series. I'd also like to point out that Jean didn’t cry when Sasha was killed and had to get over it quickly. As a CO, I think he felt the need to put up a front for his squad. If you rewatch the whole scene, you can see that Connie still looked somewhat hopeful when the medics were attending to Sasha (telling her to hold on and such), but Jean was already visibly distraught. He even told the others later on that Sasha wouldn’t make it, showing he had already processed the reality of the situation much faster than the others. Lmaooo, I'm sorry this had turn into a Jean Kirstein crying analysis breakdown. But honestly, I think it’s fair to say that while Jean is definitely emotional (ANGRY BOY CODED), he also unconsciously tries his best not to cry excessively. Or maybe he’s just too tired and not that emotional to cry every single time. Just because Jean doesn’t show a big reaction to death doesn’t mean he’s out of character or less emotional. His way of processing grief and loss is just different from others. He may not always cry or react outwardly, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel it deeply.

[dont-f-with-moogles]

Hello dear Terra 🤎

Sorry to bother you but I wanted to tell you I loved the "Hange in Paradis" wip you posted so much! Could you tell us about this story a little more? And you mention mood boards too? And research? I'm so excited about it!It would be great if you could share more info

Thank you and take care 🤎

Thanks Livia! I'm glad people are getting into this already; it's motivating me to keep going. I've got a monster document atm - 18 pages of notes and 22 chapter outlines. There's still more to add to it (why am I doing this to myself? 🤦)

So, the premise of 'A Sunrise Without You is Coming' (aka Hange in Paradis) is very 'Crash Landing on You,' so much that I'll post the fic as a crossover to AO3. We have a research team from Liberio University in Marley: Hange Zoe, Moblit Berner, Nifa, Abel and Keiji. A research expedition goes wrong, leaving Hange stranded on Paradis Island. Captain Levi Ackerman and his regiment attempt to arrest them, only for Hange to escape. Later, Levi finds Hange and has no choice but to hide them. If his superiors discovered that Survey Corps members were assisting defectors rather than patrolling the border, then all of their lives would be in danger... The next step is getting Hange back to Marley undetected. Much easier said than done.

Otherwise, there's sad back stories. Alleged corruption with the Paradis' MPs. Human trafficking. Erwin is up to something. Nile is up to something. Kenny is definitely up to something. Then there's Zeke, sitting like a spider in a tangled web of moves and counter moves.

Val @youre-ackermine inspired me with some incredible mood boards; everything from fashion to settings. I needed to see the contrasting cultures of a modern, liberal, cosmopolitan Marley vs a far more conservative and slightly primitive Eldia. Maybe in my next update I'll post some (with her permission of course!)

Thanks again Livia. I'll keep going with this, bit by bit!

[mr-double-downer]

Please feel free to disregard me but my main gripe with Aot is how it went over the "genocide is bad because people a thousand years into the future will pay for it" only to show us the immediate generation (namely Armin and Co.) living happy fulfilling lives traveling as peace ambassadors throughout the globe. Kinda felt like Isayama saying something along the lines of "genocide bad but look how Eren attained his goal" (seeing his friends free). Not to mention all the characters previous arcs being disregarded (Historia, Mikasa, Armin etc) and it being implied that Mikasa never really became her own person and stayed groveling at Eren's grave until the very end.

I don’t think anyone was happy with Armin’s line of “thank you for becoming a monster for all our sakes Eren” or whatever it was. Like I said, I have no idea what the man was trying to say.

Like really, the whole Marley/Eldia shit is so… weird. “Yeah the Third Reich is awful but what if their treatment of the Jews stemmed from a centuries long blood feud because the Jews used to rule the world and had them as chattel. Also the Jews can transform into giant monsters some of which have special powers, and the Nazis use this for their own expansionist aims.”

Now, if you want my headcannon, is that Marleyians and Eldians are actually one and the same because the whole line of Marleyians being subject to centuries of ethnic cleansing makes no sense and is probably just propaganda to justify Eldian oppression. Plus in spite of supposedly being different races, there’s no physical differences between the two. We know blacks and Asians and even middle eastern equivalents exist, and I think if I wanted to I could find more evidence supported by the manga itself of there being no real distinction between Marleyians and Eldians. So if this is the case, is Isayama saying race is just a construct meant to divide people into groups of us vs them? Idk man, I just don’t know

[itsmaddieforreal]

FMAB / AoT Comparisons and Contrasts Pt. 2

I am not crazy, I don’t wanna hear it.

Ling Yao and Sasha Braus:

Initially introduced as comedic relief with big appetites.

End up having bigger roles in the story later on.

Greed and Ymir:

Selfish characters who are killed off in the middle of the series.

Their powers/memories are transferred to another user (Porco/Ling), but in the end they are stripped of their powers and die once more for good. (Porco dies, Greed dies.)

This is honestly all I have for character comparisons until further notice or until I come back to edit this post, but I did want to compare a couple of the locations in both shows too.

I think the obvious contrast in location is Amestris vs. Ishval and Eldia vs. Marley; these countries who have been at war with each other for a long time and their conflicts have spurred the story forward one way or another.

And then there’s the Gate and the Paths: alternate realms that the protagonist is sent to where an otherworldly being (Truth and Ymir Fritz) aids the protagonist for better or for worse.

That’s it, that’s all I’ve got.

[littlequeens]

not book related but I finished aot a few days ago and needless to say it's consumed my thoughts. so here is an aot verse aelin!

aelin galathynius is an eldian residing in marley. she was born into the royal bloodline on her mothers side, who is a distant relative of dina, and making aelin a distant cousin of sorts to zeke. at the end of the great titan war, a branch of the royal family refused to flee to paradis island with king fritz, which included her parents. they resided in liberio with dina fritz and other eldians, biding their time until the eldian empire could regain power. unfortunately, when aelin was around the age of eight, her parents were murdered, leaving her orphaned.

she was taken in by a man named arobynn hamel, a highly respected leader in the marleyan military who is known for raising impressive warriors (most are orphaned marleyans but it’s not that uncommon for him to have an eldian). where her parents taught the history of eldia with pride, arobynn beat any notion of love she might have for her heritage out of her and restyled her in his own image to the point that she no longer acknowledges her royal bloodline. she only wants to please marley and become an honorary marleyan. he trained her with ruthless efficiency to be a killer, going as far as forcing her to break her right hand so that she could train exclusively with her weaker left, and giving her lashing whenever she failed a particular task. she quickly learned not to fail at all.

eventually, she joined the warrior unit of the millitary with the other eldians. due to her preliminary training as a child under arobynn's supervision, she quickly rose in the ranks and is considered one of the best fighters amongst her class behind the titan holders, but is instructed by arobynn to hold back and remain behind the nine chosen titan holders. this is because arobynn has his own plans for her, wanting to send her to paradis for his own scheming reasons, needing to ensure her life isn’t a ticking expiration date, whether marley approves her going or not. for writing purposes: either they approve her going and she joins marcel, annie, reiner, and bertolt to paradis or she sneaks onto the ship per arobynn’s instructions and joins them at some point once they are there. she then joins the 104th training corps, with a main focus on aiding her comrades and gathering secret intel for arobynn.

additional headcanons: - her and annie grew up very similarly, and therefore have a kind of unspoken friendship between them, especially as they age - although in the warrior unit, she was trained moreso as an assassin vs a soldier - she would be the first of the group to turn against marley and join eldia - befriends mikasa (much to her chagrin) and forces her to teach her new tricks with the odm gear - armin reminds her of sam

[sailorspica]

the construction of race and nation in AoT: you might think i'm thinking about essentialism and eldia a.k.a. yams' worst world building fuckup but i mean marley. the only two groups relevant to the protagonists is eldians and non-eldians, us vs. them, but we learn about others via the azumabitos, the mid-east war, udo, and mr leonhart so: given the understanding that the great titan war was a civil war like the war of roses that the tyburs "won" via allying with a wee kingdom called marley, then what is a "marleyan" when territorially marley is the old eldian empire? "non-marleyans" include the refugees from the mid-east, but i'm of course thinking of mr leonhart, whose honorary citizenship is conditional to begin with but, sans armbands standing near the brauns and grices, would a marleyan ("white") onlooker assume he's marleyan? doubt it

[theconjurervfx]

[momtaku]

Hi Mom,I was just reading again on the history of Marley and Eldians. Seeing the more recent actions of Marleans(involving using the titans Leke jaw, armoured, collosal and Beast to fight against other countries),It seems they would have more or less did a mini (less brutal)version of what King Fritz did with Ymir on other countries if they succeeded in acquiring the founding Titan from Eren.I even think they might have agreed to Reiner's plan partly to acquire the founding before the others

Something I appreciated about yesterdays episode was how no sane person could look at Floch and the rising nationalism in Paradis and think anything positive was going to come from the rumbling or the political environment it left behind. And I had to laugh when Floch dramatically lamented about how "for 100 years Eldians have been under attack...", when the history of the world shows that for the 2000 years previous the Eldians used their power to similarly abuse and dominate the world. It highlighted the hypocrisy of the tit for tat mindset and the pointlessness of it all.

There is no defending Marley who subjugated and enslaved a race of people and used the titan powers in unconscionable ways, but what we saw in the Marley arc, chapter 93 specifically, was that the world was catching up. With the rise of air technologies and advanced weaponry, the power of titans was becoming obsolete and Marley was fast losing their position as the dominant world power. They thought acquiring the Founding Titan would help them hold onto power a little longer by intimidating the world and providing a morale boost. It's not mentioned but acquiring the Founder would mean having the Wall Titans as a deterrent to anyone who opposed them.

I don't know where I'm going with this anon, except to say that Attack on Titan is at its core a story about showing both the atrocities and the hypocrisy of war. It didn't offer any solutions except in the words of Shadis and Nicolo. Shadis' message was not to throw their lives away but wait until their actions would matter, and Nicolo repeated the idea while we all have a devil inside us, as individuals we need to keep trying to leave the forest.

Thanks for the ask!

[survey-corps-eggplant]

SnK Volume 22, released today in English, breaks a long tradition by not including the character sheets we’ve seen in all the previous volumes. Rather, it contains a history of the Eldian people and its conflict with Marley. I thought it was an interesting read so I wanted to share... 

The spoils of war acquired by the Survey Corps after having retaken Wall Maria: Three volumes left behind by Grisha Yeager, Eren’s father.

Inside them is the truth of the world, knowledge that Erwin was ready to devote his own heart for.

The Sudden Rise of the Eldian Empire

Over 1,800 years ago, Ymir Fritz, the progenitor of the Eldians, made a contract with the Devil of All Earth and acquired the power of the Titans.

Using the power of the Titans, Ymir cultivated the wastelands, built the roads, and constructed the bridges, bringing abundance to the land and wealth to the Eldian people.

Ymir’s power built the Eldian Empire, and when she died it was divided among the Nine Titans. The Empire then brought ruin to the great and ancient nation of Marley and became conqueror of the continent.

Now possessing the power to become Titans, these Subjects of Ymir (the Eldian people) oppressed and subjugated other races. For about the next 1,700 years, even conducting ethnic cleansing.

The Great Titan War, Marley’s Overthrowing of the Nations, and the Dispersion of the Eldian People

The Eldian empire had grown arrogant after 1,700 years, eventually allowing Marley to work from within and instigate a civil war, causing it to grow weak. Marley was also able to acquire seven of the Nine Titans, winning the Great Titan War about a hundred years ago and defeating Eldia.

While Fritz, the 145th Eldian King, had inherited the Founding Titan with its ability to rule over and control all other Titans, he made the decision to renounce war, moving to the remote island of Paradis along with some other Eldians. There, he built three concentric Walls and hid inside them.

Meanwhile, the Eldians who held out and were left behind on the continent were segregated into internment zones, forced to live under Marley’s tyrannical rule.

The Eldia Restorationists’ Turning Point and Marley’s Soldiers

Through help from The Owl, an individual working against the Marleyan government from inside, an underground anti-establishment organization on the continent known as the Eldia Restorationists had expanded their influence in secret and were beginning to make plans to take back the Founding Titan, which had been brought inside the Walls, and return it to the “True Royal Family.”

Two members of the Restorationists, Dina Fritz, a descendent of the “True Royal Family” who had refused to flee to the island, and Grisha Yeager, were wed and gave birth to a son, Zeke.

Meanwhile, with plans of its own to retake the Founding Titan, the Marleyan government began recruiting “Marley Warriors” from the Eldian internment zones around the continent.

They collected Subjects of Ymir both male and female from ages five to seven. The goal of this program was to select suitable vessels for the seven Titans controlled by the Marleyan government.

Zeke had been sent to be a Marley Warrior, and around the time he turned seven, he informed on his parents to the Marleyan government.  All the Eldian Restorationists who were then caught were sent to “Paradis….”

…And then came the great tragedy.

[melishade]

Z-King: Hey if you want a real Dark Timeline, think on this. What if Megatron did not see Archind in the ova, but she saw him leave Cybertron and she wants vengeance so she waits as she signals a nearby Cybertronian ship, kills the pilot and taks her and her army abroad and follows Megatron and winds up on the AOT Earth. Titans vs Insecticons!

Well, a few things.

One, I don't like Airachnid. NO ONE LIKES AIRACHNID! If Silas wasn't around, she'd probably be the most hated character in Transformers Prime. The slimy bitch.

Two, her being there would be a lose-lose situation. She would win. Airachnid has an army of Insections, who may or may not be Terror-Cons depending on which ones she's fed off of. And that's if she'd be able to control them after sucking all the energon out of them. Marley and Eldia wouldn't be able to stand a chance. They would be decimated, Optimus and Megatron would be decapitated and mounted on a wall. Whoever's left would become her slaves or just killed off. She doesn't even need the power of the titans. Even if Optimus and Megatron kill her, there's still the matter of the army of Insecticons that may or may not be Terror-Cons. If Megatron says the Decepticons or no more, half are going to be pissed and try to kill Megatron and Optimus. And Megatron can't control the Terror-Con ones because of the synth-en in their systems. The world is destroyed if Airachnid is around. It would most likely force the Rumbling, the Insections and Airachnid would just be able to fly away and innocent humans would die. No one wins, except for Airachnid.

Three, Megatron gets flung through a malfunctioning 'bridge that send him to the Attack on Titan world. The machine probably won't work after Megatron is sent through and Airachnid would just lose track of him.

[0aurelion-sol0]

The importance of the number "3" in SNK.

(This is my second meta so please be gentle with me.)

You might think this meta or theory might be a little bit of stretch but I want to do it anyway because I think there is an interesting pattern with this number throughout the series. It is either something something intentional, the favorite number of Isayama or nothing particular.

But I don't so let's get into it.

Trios.

Throughout the series, there has been an important number of groups composed essentially of three people.

They are even right now in the story, three important trios.

The classic one, the E.M.A trio. ( Eren, Mikasa and Armin.)

The veteran trio. ( Hange, Levi, Erwin.)

The warrior trio. (Reiner, Annie, Bertholt.)

And even Jean, Sasha, Connie are a trio.

They essentially all are a big part of SNK and represents each of them, an important of SNK's narrative.

The E.M.A trio is our first and main trio of the series, they represent friendship and even family to some entent in the face of war and conflict. It is also a trio especially built around the relationship about each other. They are also the basis for many of the other trios out there.

The veteran trio is literally about veterans and how they face their responsabilities against war and themselves, they are with the warrior, an extremely tragic trio built around the importance of carrying your dury to respect your fallen comrades even at the expanse your own health. They are essentially a representation of our own veterans who went through war and hell. They are also what the E.M.A trio could become if they become veterans just like them.

The warrior trio. They are a parallel and a mirror of the E.M.A trio. Their relationship aren't the best, they are child soldiers and essentially are a representations of the dangers of war. They are also the other side of the coin and represent the contrast that has largely changed the story.

Each of these characters reflects in another character from the E.M.A trio.

Eren reflects in both Reiner and Hange.

Hange through their obsession with titans and sometimes extreme violence as shown during the uprising arc and even lunacy in her suicidal approach mirrors Eren sometimes. They are both extremely strong willed. But Hange is also what Eren could have been if he grew up in a different environment. They are also extremely androgynous.

Reiner. I don't think it needs an explanation. You can find plenty of other metas out there about how they mirror each other. They are the hero of two different worlds. Isayama has made an interview about how he is the main character now in the manga during the Marley arc. It is also to be noted that their both suicidal. They also have a strong driving force that can push people to follow them. Their character design are also contrary to one another.

It is also good to note that Hange almost killed Reiner during the Shiganshina arc. Perhaps representing or foreshadowing an older Eren confronting Reiner.

Mikasa is reflected in both Levi and Annie.

Levi. Of course I don't think there is an explanation do here. Ackerman. Heavy and important connection to someone else. Strong characters. Very cold and closed people. He is a representation of what Mikasa could be if she lost Eren. Just like he lost Erwin, Mikasa could potentially become like him after losing Eren. Their character design are very much alike and they are both extremely muscular.

Annie. They mirror each other through how different they are to one another. They have a few common aspect. They are in a relationship that is impossible to one another. Annie - Armin, Mikasa - Eren. They are both excellent fighters. They both are cold but care for their loved ones. However Mikasa is a natural born fighter or atleast one that became a fighter through natural ways. Whereas Annie has trained with her father to get there. While Annie runs away from conflict, Mikasa isn't afraid of it as most her life has been built around it. Just like Reiner and Eren, their character design are also very contrary to one another.

We can also note that Annie killed the whole squad of Levi and fought against both him and Mikasa at the same time and that both of them have fallen asleep and dissapeared for a long period of time, at least in the manga's publishing of the chapter.

Armin reflects in both Erwin and Bertholt.

Again with Erwin, there is this representation of what he could become or what he wants to become. We know Armin has always been against his revival and doesn't think he can live up to the commander. They are both extremely smart and have very good results in their strategy and military operations, they both aren't scared to sacrifice themselves.

Bertholt. They both feel weak. They both feel useless. They both use the same logic in some kinda way. They both have hidden talents. They both have a hidden monstrous side in them. They were and are the Colossal Titan. They both have "romantic feelings" for Annie. However, Bertholt doesn't have the same strategic skill as Armin, he even needs people to tell him what to do sometimes. Their character designs are extremely contrary to one another. Armin is bubbly, small and blonde haired. Bertholt is stone faced, tall and black haired.

Erwin and Armin were at the center of Bertholt and their own fates. The Serum event changed the manga. It is only fitting that his parallel gets the Colossal Titan.

If we now look at Jean, Sasha and Connie...

Eren is what Jean can never become. Jean doesn't have the same power or should I say mentality to be able to kill those children in Liberio. No matter how cool he thinks Eren is. He will only have what Eren has failed to use : empathy. And the not-so-much rival of Eren, is in the traditional sense of shonen, the one who respects him the most. Mikasa "loves" Eren and Jean loves Mikasa but she doesn't have the same feelings back just like Eren.

Sasha is what I think Mikasa could have been if she had a family and who she was before losing that family. They have the same moment of definitive action which overcome their insecurities. Sasha facing off against the titan which threatens Kaya, Mikasa killing the man who killed her parents.

Connie's illogical breakdown when he tried to sacrifice Falco is what Armin fears, the feeling of wrong that is inside of him, the feeling of not living up to Erwin. The man who he sees as always putting logic over emotions something that didn't happen when he was revived. The fear of one day responding with emotions rather than logic and will then confirm he was not the right choice.

Historia's trio.

Historia has three different people in her life representing something important to her.

Frieda = Family

Ymir = Love

Eren = Friendship

But they also represent many of her dualities in her development.

Frieda = Selflessness/ Inaction

Eren = Selfishness/ Action

Ymir = Pride

It is very interesting that one of the most complex character of SNK whose themes still rings true today has this particular set of three people who defines her or at least helps define herself. She then must have some importance to what is going on right now.

Three groups.

The latest arc has been a war in all the sense of the word with three groups fighting for supremacy.

The Jeagerist, nationalistic organisation and fascistic of the oldest Eldian King's ideology we know. Led by Eren Jeager and Floch Forster with the help of Marleyan Volunteers, Zeke Yeager.

The Marleyans, colonialist, genociders and fascists fighting for the supremacy of Marley and the genocide of Eldian. Led by Theo Magath with the Eldian Warriors.

The Eldian Army ( Survey Corps at most. ) built around the patriotic values of the 13th Commander of the Survey Corps Erwin Smith or the Survey Corps at large. Against the genocide, the euthanisation and hopes for a peaceful and non-violent future. Fights for Freedom and Humanity. Led By 14th Commander Hange Zoe.

So there is atleast a definitive pattern here. Maybe it's all a coïncidence or a stretch.

But I have more.

So let's pass some of them right now.

_________________________________________

There are nine titans. 3 x 3 = 9.

The Eldian Military has three branches : The Survey Corps, The Garrison and the Military Police Brigade.

The soldiers use an equipment called the "Three" Dimensional Maneuver Gear.

They can use three weapons : Swords, Guns and Thunder Spears.

There are three titans that attacked Eldia : The Colossal Titan, The Armored Titan and The Female Titan.

In Shiganshina, three titans were actively on the opposite side (not counting Pieck as she barely fought unlike Liberio and The Attack on Eldia by Marley.) : The Beast Titan, The Armored Titan and The Colossal Titan.

This resulted in three groups :

Eren and Armin vs The Colossal Titan.

Levi and Erwin and the rest of the Survey Corps vs the Beast Titan

The 104th and Hange vs The Armored Titan.

The 104th has lost three main characters that were on their side eaten by titan: Marco, Ymir and Bertholt.

Eren has lost three who formed his family : Hannes, His Father and His Mother.

There are three commanders from the Survey Corps that we know who have died. Keith Shadis, Erwin Smith and Hange Zoé.

There are three warriors who attacked Shiganshina with Marley : Reiner, Pieck and Porco.

There are three walls.

There are three royal families.

Ymir Fritz has three daughters.

Eren has three titans : The Founder, The Warhammer Titan and The Attack Titan.

We have only seen three Ackerman fighting: Mikasa, Levi and Kenny.

Titan Shifters have 13 years to live.

Erwin Smith is the 13th commander of the Survey Corps.

We have only seen three nations physically: Marley, Eldia and the Middle Eastern Alliances.

Only three nations plays a significant role in the story: Marley, Eldia and the Azumabito's nation.

The Manga has been divided into three different period.

1. The Fall of Shiganshina to the Female Titan Arc.

2. Clash of the titans to the Return in Shiganshina.

3. The Marley Arc to the War for Paradis Arc.

Now let's look at the page cover of volumes.

Volume 3 shows us our first look at a titan shifter.

Volume 1,2,3 act as a representation of the E.M.A trio.

Volume 1 = Eren

Volume 2 = Mikasa

Volume 3 = Armin.

Volume 13, volume where the Uprising Arc start. The most important arc of the manga in terms of this thematics still relevant today.

Volume 23, volume where the timeskip happens and shows us the other perspective of this manga.

Volume 30, shows us Paths and The founder Ymir.

Volume 31, Future Memory of Eren seeing Mikasa facing the Colossal Titans.

Volume 32, Possible Hope, the Alliance happens. Marley and Eldia helps each other to save the world.

_________________________________________

There is still more. My first meta has been about how SNK's afterlife is real.

This makes up for three different dimension.

The Living World.

The Afterlife

Paths

_________________________________________

The Anime also followed that pattern with:

The Third Opening.

Literally called " Shinzou wo Sasageyo " taking the catchphrase of this manga and making an anthem about it while also having many subliminal message about the story.

The Third Ending.

It spoils the whole manga and the origin of the story. It reveals the three daughters of Ymir and is the creepiest thing ever put out in this world.

_________________________________________

Now for the last point. Yes there's more but It's the last one I promise.

We need to take a look at every chapter who has a three in it. And we can see that in every single chapter something very important happens.

_________________________________________

Chapter 3 : Presentation of the three branches of the Military, of all the characters and return of the Colossal Titan.

Chapter 13 : End of Trost Arc, A possessed and uncontrolled Eren Yeager, " I'm willing to be the butcher " while we are being shown an untamed Attack Titan. Possible Foreshadowing of the last Arc with a Possessed Eren Yeager, Mikasa fighting titans and saving people and Armin trying to get Eren to his senses.

Chapter 23: The First appearance of the Female Titan and our first look at the possibility of another Titan Shifter. Also our first look at Ymir Fritz appearances in the form of the female titan as she was a woman herself and because there is no male titan.

Chapter 30-39 : Foreshadowings left and right about what lies inside the wall. The Warriors and about the existence of Marley.

Chapter 33 : First appearance of the Colossal Titans inside the wall.

Chapter 43 : The Clash of the titan begins. The Armored Titan is revealed with the Colossal and fights with the Attack Titan.

Chapter 53 : Our First Look at Frieda Reiss and the powers of the Attack Titan and the Founder.

Chapter 63 : Eren and Historia learns the truth about Grisha Yeager. He's the one who killed her family and sister Frieda Reiss. Historia is confronted to a choice.

Chapter 73 : We return to Shiganshina and establishes our main trio's thematics.

Eren = Rage.

Mikasa = Pride.

Armin = Hope.

We also learn how Eren started to know he wasn't free, through Armin's eyes and passion of the outside world.

Chapter 83 : The Serum Event or Serumbowl start. Levi fights with Eren and Mikasa to choose who will get the spinal fluid and eat Bertholt, the Colossal Titan. Armin or Erwin, who is the right choice ?

Chapter 93 : Marley Arc, Zeke pressures Marley to go and attack Eldia, something they didn't want to do which will result in the festival, the attack on Liberio and the retribution for Liberio and the Rumbling. Reiner prepares Falco for their dark future.

Chapter 103 : The Liberio operation is a sucess. The Warhammer is taken, the port is destroyed and Zeke is retrieved.

Chapter 113 : Zeke And Levi fights, Zeke start his operation to euthanize Eldian. Levi is defeated by Zeke putting him out of the action for a short time.

Chapter 123 : The Rumbling is starting. All Eldians see Paths and hear Eren's speech. Mikasa question her perspective of Eren.

Chapter 130 : The Rumbling has finally arrived in Marley. Eren's motivation are slowly being revealed and deconstructed. Historia reappears after a long period of time.

Chapter 131 : The effects of the Rumbling happens. Horrible death for Ramzi and his friend. Ymir Fritz appears. Eren and Armin connect through Paths. A partial answer to "that sight" is revealed.

Chapter 132 : Floch Forster dies bringing an end to the Jeagearist. Hange Zoé dies making her the third commander of the Survey Corps to die. The afterlife is revealed, the plane takes off and our heroes goes to see Eren.

_________________________________________

Again, it's a pattern. I don't know if this is something important or a way of Isayama showing he likes the number three. I don't have a definitive idea as to what this could mean but there is something to dig here.

This leaves us on a interesting and ominous note.

The chapter 133 is right in the corner, if my theory is right. Something important is going to happen.

We've hit our lowest point in the series and the Jeagearist arc has officialy ended. What is going to happen now ? Well...

The possibilities :

1. Historia's pov. It has been a long time, we've asked of her. And it's also been a long time her attitude has made no real sense. At least character wise, she has regressed like every character and it's intentionnal on Isayama's part. She must have some importance.

2. Levi's pov. We've got Armin's, Hange's and Mikasa's. But we don't what he really thinks about all of this of Eren's change.

3. Ackertalk. Levi and Mikasa needs to talk about it. They need to go through this for their development.

4. Levi and Armin talk about his choice to save him over Erwin. They never really got to talk face to face about it. They need this closure and now that Armin is the commander, he needs Levi support the most.

5. Possible talk with Annie about what she did to them. If she ever got on the plane with the kids, I think Annie needs to be confronted with that.

6. Possible new about how or where Zeke is ?

_________________________________________

Whatever it is, we're entering the final phase of this manga. This chapter is going to set up the final plot points of the story and now, more than ever, our characters are going to face their biggest challenge.

[shslmahoushoujo]

Ok, let’s talk Eren. Because there’s certainly a lot to talk about, and I definitely think that Isayama’s still got a few tricks up his sleeve with him. I’ll definitely want to talk about Historia at some point in the future, too, but I need to get more pieces together there, so for now, let’s dive into a timeline of Eren’s mind. Let’s put the events between chapter 90 and the Marley arc in order, and see what we see. And pay close attention to what we don’t, because that’s every bit as important. And now, brace yourselves if you decide to read this, because boy is it a long one. So, time for a read more break!

So to make this easier, let’s start from the start. The moment the disconnect between Eren and the reader starts. (Side note, I can totally see why the anime made this chapter into a single episode more and more, it’s so important)

At this point, Eren gets all of those memories from the future. We definitely don’t know all he saw (”that scenery” and no doubt something related to why his dad still gave him the power) but we’ve got enough to understand his reaction, specially if we consider the shards from chapter 130 also being some of those memories he got. A horrified “I do all of this?” is probably the first thing that he thinks. And so a year passes. Memories from the past from what his father experienced, and memories from the future of things he’ll do that he just can’t believe he’d even do. At this point, his knowledge of the world is also limited to “Eldia good, Marley bad” which is reinforced by experiencing his father’s memories (as if he experienced them himself, as opposed to everyone else just reading the journals), and that certainly has an effect on him. And so we get to one year later, to the ocean scene, where he poses the question based on the future he’s seen. “Those enemies on the other side of here... If we kill them all... does that mean...”

“That’s what I’m doing in the future, right? That’s what this all leads up to?” is probably what’s going through his head as he poses that. He doesn’t quite understand how it makes sense. And then not long after, his negative biases start being reinforced. Marley comes in with their expeditionary forces and he worries about a full force attack. Then Yelena comes in with a plan from Zeke, which likely makes him start thinking that those memories make more sense.

“It’s gotta be something we must agree on in the future then. Our one option.” See how he immediately jumps to that conclusion. He’s still spending all that time thinking on how those memories make sense, and that seems to be the answer. And his us vs. them view is further built up on by the Survey Corps’ biggest mistake. Notice someone missing?

While the rest of the Levi Squad gets to open their minds about people on the other side of the walls and make connections with the volunteers and POWs, in their extreme wariness to keep Eren away from the potential of Zeke’s manipulations, they keep him from making a connection. Armin and Mikasa see progress, but Eren just sees the glares of POWs and a serious lack of time. He doesn’t get to experience a potential peaceful option that the rest get to. So at that point it is “we follow Zeke’s plan, we use a major show of force against the world, and we buy time”. Memories seem to make sense for the time being. And so another year passes, and things start looking a bit better. A port is built, and they get introduced to what seems like they may just be genuine allies from the outside world

Finally, right? There’s a chance for things to work out. Eren doesn’t get to interact with the volunteers or the POWs, but at least he can see they’ve upheld their side, the port works, and they have allies who’re following them due to a noble cause. We even see Eren smile, probably for the first time in two years! But then...

Suddenly, things get much messier. Kiyomi’s motivation for Azumabito support gets muddier which supports negative biases on his end towards the outside world, and the plan basically means a repeat of what the royal family did for years. The very thing he sees in his memories he’ll make his father put an end to, no less. “Surely I’m not bringing upon the rumbling to support this, right?” must be one of the things that comes up in his head. And so, he makes the push. All options should be checked out, there must be another way. Him using the rumbling could still be part of an alternative plan, after all. The Azumabito head out, and another year passes...

Boy, if you thought Eren’s biases towards the outside world were negative before, they’re hitting rock bottom right here. Everything here keeps supporting the idea that “the world is the enemy”.  And the time aspect comes up yet again. The 104th discuss passing down his titan, and it reminds him time is running out and if he wants to keep his friends safe and prevent the cycle of titans to continue, he needs to do something. And as if things weren’t bad enough yet, after the railway opening ceremony, Yelena comes over and...

Talk about the motherest of all fucks. He already disagreed with Zeke’s plan on the basis of Historia being used as a baby machine and THEN this comes up? And Zeke’s gonna come in one way or the other. The top brass of the military is compromised. Absolutely everything seems against the island at this point. Zeke just wants to euthanize every Subject of Ymir. The Azumabito are just hanging out like vultures waiting for the spoils from the island. Everyone else plain old wants them dead. He didn’t even get to hang out with the volunteers like Onyankopon to see that they genuinely care for the future of the island! It’s not surprising that at this point, this is the conclusion he comes to.

And that’s it, right? Eren just lost all faith in everything except Paradis (and not even all of it) and wants everything to burn, right? Well, it’s certainly what Isayama wants you to think at this point. See, I don’t doubt that, at this point in time, Eren did mean this. But here’s where the fun part comes: We’re still missing parts in the middle. But we have something starting to build up to that something else. We fast forward a month or so, to 123. The first time Eren experiences the outside world by himself.

I think this moment is pretty important. His perception of the world was mostly about his dad’s memories (which he brings up to Mikasa just before). But this is very different. For the first time, he gets to witness firsthand the scale of what he’s considering. And following that... Well, you already see him in this page, he stands out, but he comes into play. Fez kid.

That likely makes Eren think of other future memories that haven’t come to pass, but most important, it begins showing Eren another side of the outside world. See, so far his impressions are that it’s either people like the Azumabito who’re only interested due to having something to gain, or people like Sargent Gross or Zeke who outright want them dead, whether it’s out of hatred or genuinely thinking it’s the right thing. But Fez Kid and the people he’s with are different. They’re just like Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were after the fall of Wall Maria. I do think that this is the first time Eren truly questions going with the Rumbling

But they also do something that could be the key in preventing the potential destructive course Eren was in at the time:

I don’t think many people really consider how huge this is. Just a month or so before, Eren saw the whole outside world as the enemy. Yet here, in this one night, he sees more humanity to the outside world and something far more positive than he’d considered in YEARS. These people don’t even understand them, there’s a language barrier, and yet during that night a connection is built and for once, it’s just Eren actually sharing a good time with others. Sure, he may intend this as a goodbye considering he left the next day either way, but I genuinely think this is the point where he’d start having some hesitation about his plan.

The next day, he leaves, but then we enter ??? territory from the good few months he spent at Marley leading up to the Marley arc. His talk on the basement with Reiner is no doubt Eren at his most honest in quite some time, and based on all we have leading up to this, it’s clear it takes more than just Falco to make him change his views to these:

The story has made that much clear. He no doubt spent a long time on his own before even infiltrating at Fort Slava (the panel of Eren with his Marley arc look at the town near the fort is proof enough), and we also know Fez kid was a part of his life yet again. The fact we still have two unexplained panels of him tells us there’s more we’re missing.

And this is where I think Isayama’s leading the audience into a narrative trap. It reminds me of The Last of Us 2, in a way. Being vague here for people who haven’t watched and/or played the game, Ellie’s flashbacks seem to reinforce a certain perspective on why she’s gone on her quest, only for further ones down the line completely change what we thought she knew and recontextualizing her motivation. I think this is similar, it just happens to be a monthly manga that’s letting you sit on each assumption for months as opposed to it being a 20+ hour long game that you can get through in a few sittings.

But yeah, before I end up digressing even further, that’s what I think is happening. Isayama is reinforcing certain assumptions, and organizing the flashbacks in a way that obfuscates the full truth. At this point, I end up referring to @jaegerbroshoe​‘s theory on Eren finally making full sense of those memories during Willy’s speech in chapter 100. So summing up how I think it went, Eren did mean for the destruction of the world 9 months before current events, upon arriving at the mainland, interacting with Fez kid and haivng to live there for a few months he started questioning his plan and reconsidering what those memories meant (”Do I really do this despite what I’ve now learned?”), and finally, as Willy’s speech happens and he talks to Reiner, he gets some true clarity.

But then you ask, if his plan isn’t the destruction of the world, why would he still push his friends away? I think it’s a complicated situation. First off, he still does intend to make himself into a monster in the eyes of everyone else, and he’s not just gonna go “ha, just kidding!” last second. He needs to commit to the role. But also, because he already locked himself into it. Floch has already formed the Yeagerists. Zeke’s plan is in motion. The Liberio festival and raid is gonna happen either way. And there’s a whole other post I have to make on Historia’s pregnancy at some point, but I suspect it’s fake and that Historia herself isn’t even in Paradis anymore at this point. The memories now make sense, he understands his own plan, but it doesn’t mean he can just walk back on things and pretend there’ll be no consequences. All he has left is to keep moving forward and trust that this last interpretation of his future memories is right.

[attack-on-neverland]

1.2 The spectrum of good and evil

L: Reiner vs. Eren, R: Leuvis vs. Gracefield kids

One of my favorite things about both Attack on Titan and The Promised Neverland is its multiple point-of-view storytelling. It’s easy to empathize with characters even when they’re doing cruel things because we’ve been with them on their difficult journeys. However, it definitely is different when you watch how those actions affect the people from the other side. If there’s anything, AOT and TPN excel in ensuring that good and evil isn’t all black and white. We’re first shown the cruelties experienced by our protagonists, however, when they flip the script, we also found ourselves empathizing with the supposed ‘antagonists’. Instead of painting people to be good or evil, the writers of these series are able to show how people act based on context, experience, and desires rather than a hollow desire of just being a hero or a villain.

Reiner and Bertholdt's betrayal

In Attack on Titan, we’re first exposed to the gruesome realities that Eren and the Eldians face. Their loved ones are eaten, houses crushed, and live in fear that the walls would break. This makes Eren’s desire to exterminate all the titans a cause that us viewers would support. We’re made to see how the Colossal Titan (Bertholdt), the Armored Titan (Reiner), and the Female Titan (Annie) seemingly have no mercy as they break through the walls and cause the demise of thousands of civilians. It’s safe to assume that most viewers felt immense hate at the betrayal of these loved characters, and this is with good reason. After all, the very people empathizing with Eren and fighting to liberate humans were the same people who caused the destruction in the first place. In fact, if not for Bertholdt, Eren’s mother could still have been alive.

Bertholdt, Annie, and Reiner were really just child soldiers

However, in the latter episodes, we’re shown flashbacks of what actually went down with the Marley warriors before they reached the island of Paradis. It was revealed here how Bertholdt, Reiner, and Annie were really just children around 10/12 years old forced to do these cruelties to provide a good life for their families. In fact, Bertholdt and Annie wanted to retreat after Marcel was eaten by Ymir. We’re also shown how Bertholdt confesses that he still believes that they were comrades despite committing those atrocious acts. This just shows how they were all equally victims of the system as Eldians. The Eldians of Paradis are constantly being attacked by Marley by having Titan shifters destroy the walls, while the Eldians of Marley are treated discriminatively by Marleyans and are sacrificed as soldiers of their wars. It’s hard not to sympathize with the warriors despite their crimes because of their background. They were really just kids forced into the cruelties of war and the cycle of hate.

Mr. Braus stops Niccolo from harming Gabi as they found out that she was the one who shot Sasha and killed her

Another important moment is how despite feeling despair at the death of his daughter, Mr. Braus manages to keep a cool head when faced with Gabi. In fact, he rationalizes this as the natural cycle of life. Sasha has taken many lives to fight for freedom, and now the same thing has happened to her. Despite Gabi killing Sasha, she is also a victim of Marley’s brainwash propaganda and a witness to Eren’s unjustifiable war crime. As the series progresses, the point of view continues to shift between Eldia and Marley, showing how war is just a back-and-forth of unnecessary violence and cruelty, making everyone a victim as much as the other.

The hidden side of Mama Isabella

On the other hand, The Promised Neverland manages to show early on the cruelty of the demons and those who work on the farm, including the adults such as Mama Isabella and Sister Krone. While it was already a given for the children to hate the demons, they also felt the same hatred upon discovery of Mama’s betrayal. This is similar to the betrayal of the Marleyan warriors in AOT as well as the children would have never thought that their loving mother was raising them to be food. They could not stomach the fact that their beloved mother could go about her day smiling and doing her business knowing that she assisted in the death of their siblings. Instantly, the audience is also made to hate Isabella for seemingly enjoying the torture of her children as she broke Emma’s leg, shipped Norman out early, and locked Ray in a room so that they could not continue with the escape. However, our perception of Isabella changes when her childhood flashback is shown, and it is revealed that Isabelle was a product of the Gracefield farm as well.

Isabella and her friend Leslie in their youth

Like the current Gracefield kids, she lived a good life with her best friend Leslie until it was time for him to get “adopted”. On the day of Isabella’s adoption, however, she was given the option to become a Mama and live on instead of becoming demon feed. Isabella was told that there was no way out of this cycle, and choosing to be a Mama meant that she could give the next generation of Gracefield kids the best life that they can experience. Isabella took this to heart, which is why she was so adamant on stopping the children from escaping because she believed that there was no future beyond the farms and that there was no chance for them to escape alive. As she breaks Emma’s leg, Isabella whispers to her to stop struggling, and instead live out her remaining days in happiness like they used to. In her own twisted way, this was how Isabella showed her love for her children. Since she had tried to escape herself and knew that it was impossible, she made it her goal to make the best of what she can and love her children until the day of their harvest. Again, Isabella was a victim of the same dreadful cycle, and is such a beautifully written tragic character. This is proven when the children escape successfully as she smiles and wishes them luck. When the humans of the demon world were permitted to go to the human world, Isabella cries tears of happiness upon being given the chance to “love them normally” as a mother loves her children.

Isabella shields Emma and the other kids

One last sign of Isabella’s genuine love is seen when she sacrifices herself to save Emma by shielding her from the demon about to capture her. As she bleeds to her death, she apologizes to the children and hopes that they could forgive her. Again, characters are not merely good or evil, rather, they are products of their context and consequences.

[craziestxabnormal]

RP Wishlist

Canon Divergence

Cart Titan: Set in an alternative reality where Commander Erwin is the current holder of the Colossal Titan and Marley still has the Attack Titan. After the Beast Titan and Cart Titan come to rescue the Warrior Unit, the Survey Corps. apprehend Pieck Finger while the others escape. Hange volunteers to test the Titan Serum on themselves and becomes the next inheritor of the Cart Titan. @iindico​ @fortiiter

Living in the woods: Hange manages to escape The Eagerists with an injured Levi in tow, but rather than returning to continue the battle, Hange takes Levi and leaves the island where they survive the war and start a new life together.

Spoilers: The thing that happened did not happen >:/

Talking Titan: Levi didn't kill the Talking Titan and Hange successfully brought it back inside the walls where they ran experiments on it to see how much information they can extrapolate from it (basically Hange uncovers the plot before they even reach the cellar. You're welcome Erwin.)

Modern Day au

Ghost Hunter (Buzzfeed unsolved au): Hange is a paranormal investigator who drags their poor assistant, Moblit, into haunted mansions, abandoned hospitals, and just about any location rumoured to host supernatural activity, in the hopes of recording actual evidence of ghostly apparitions (may or may not accidentally communicate with a literal demon)

High School of the Dead: Hange is a chemistry teacher at the world's most peculiar high school, where just about anything can happen; from deranged cults to the zombie apocalypse. It's just a normal day at Eldia High School.

Runway Model: Working as a fashion icon at the Paradis Agency, Hange is one of the company’s Elite Models, and popular among readers for advertising the gender-neutral line of clothing (basically everyone in this au is a fashion model who wants to become the Paradis Elite, the ones seen on all the magezine covers What? I really like the outfits in all the supplementary material. Don’t judge me!)

Regency/Victorian Era au

Arranged Marriage: Hange is a young bachelorette expected to be married off to a gentleman of respectable social standing and wealth, but is far more concerned with science and academia, much to their family’s disapproval. Choosing to meet their parents halfway, Hange goes looking for a potential suitor who meets their family’s expectations while also allowing Hange the freedom to pursue their “hobby.” (Uses female pronouns due to the era this verse takes place in)

Kenny the Ripper au: Detective Hange Zoe has solved many cases for Eldia over the years and has taken on their greatest challenge yet, apprehending Kenny the Ripper! Following up on a lead ends with Hange encountering a pickpocket by the name of Levi, who may have been in contact with Kenny the Ripper.

Spirit Animal (Snowy Owl) au

A bunch of aus involving that one image of Hange being represented by an owl and my mind going crazy with it (expect more to be added in the future).

Daemons: Hange is a professor at Jordan College with a snowy owl daemon named Yamada. Hange is obsessed with dust and wants to discover the source.

Wingfic: The Survey Corps. are a group of engineered winged humanoids infused with the DNA of various birds. Hange has the speckled white wings of an snowy owl, their powerful wingspan making them almost silent when sneaking up on the enemy, and their body immune to cold climates. (No, I wasn’t obsessed with Maximum Ride in high school. Why do you ask?)

Miscellaneous

A list AUs I want to explore but haven't thought out in great detail yet.

Fantasy - Hange is an Artificer, someone who uses arcane magic to empower objects and weapons (Race: Currently Unknown)

Mafia Gang War - Marley vs Paradis (Hange with a Tommy gun :D)

Merfolk - Hange is a marine biologist and deepsea diver, who comes across an injured merperson and takes them back to land so they can nurse them back to health.

Pacific Rim - Scenario 1: Hange is a Jaeger pilot who lost their partner Moblit in their last Kaiju encounter. After the traumatic event, Hange refuses to take on a new partner but it forced to do so anyway and is shocked to find they are drift-compatible. Scenario 2: Hange is a mad scientist who maintains the Jaegers and is obsessed with Kaijus and collecting their body parts after successful encounters

Soulmates - You know the drill.

Yakuza  - Same as the mafia au except its with the Yakuza (Hange with a katana :D)

[hamliet]

Ok now I have to admit I’m positively addicted to your q&a. I’ve asked plenty and read even more, and you’re so kind and answer so f satisfying! It’s a drug!

Anyway I read about snk post about Trost comparison. As you noticed, Mikasa and Armin were “saved” for their darker side/ flaws by Eren coming back. So I started to wonder... admittedly Eren said he cares about the main cast the most. At this point most likely this included even Marley’s side (Fabi Falco, Annie,Reiner, etc etc). In fact he hadn’t took away their “freedom” (what Eren treasures the most). However if Mikasa and Armin are pushed in their flaws... why Eren is allowing that? Freedom for Eren had never clashed with love. He wants to protect them, he always had. So... I can’t get why he’s doing this.

I can get why he’s doing the rumble. However past shifters are going for the kill and Armin is suffocating. He never showed to want to, to want to be more free than protecting who he holds dear. Another thing is Eren K’s sentence “protect Mikasa and Armin”. At this point we know about attack Titan’s ability, thus it must have happened like that. However it was never showed that Eren interacted with Krueger, Krueger never touched Dina on screen and he just name them, so he hadn’t had a vision about future.

Another is Grisha’s “Eren dream is what will get true”. Grisha could have limited vision, but he wasn’t as heartbroken as I’d expect him to be seeing Zeke... well not in a good shape or almost dead. What if Grisha saw something else which lead him to say the same thing (euthanasia’s plan failing)?

Just to say... as you said Eren saved them. In Eren’s POV both Armin and Mikasa out of love for him are bound to him. In a similar way Reiner and Annie too (retrieving the founder), and others are dear friends and mentor. They ran to save him in Liberio. So I wondered... what if Eren is trying to free them? If Eren vs main cast is all about giving the people a “new Helos” freeing Eldia but still the same time freeing the cast generally and more intimately? I don’t think Eren is pulling a code geass thing but the “come at me and fight” sounds awkward to me , he never did that to his friends. And might connect to the points left uncovered (Krueger, and “Eren’s dream come true”). What would you think about something like that ?

Plus I read last bnha chapter. I’m.... so sad. It’s good. Society is depict horribly , I had the feeling civilians not involved in the latest arc are commenting Endeavor and Dabi like it’s a reality show. It’s awful. Awfully good from Hori (good author choice imo) but awful to read. And Midnight 🥺🥺🥺 need some confort 😭

Aw thank you! So that post wasn’t mine: it was @aspoonofsugar! Who is also awesome btw. I am not sure, I think the whole point of the story is exploring whether true freedom is found in being beholden to others or whether not being beholden just means you’re a slave to the ideal of freedom and thus not free. I think Eren’s POV having contradictions like these works for this thematic point, but we’ll see!

[zhabe]

Is AOT really "antisemetic" when it's more "both sides"ing the Eldia vs. Marley conflict? To it's credit, it shows the Eldians being treated like crap and not framed as "they had it coming" with the Sins of the Father. The character of Gabi is forced to realize that her "enemy" aren't the monsters she'd been made to see them as.

i am not arguing this with someone who knows the plot of attack on titan in this depth ..... you have bigger problems to worry about