#snk chapter 126

[elmundodeflor]

“What if we lived together?”

The first time they think about it, Levi has made them laugh. Someone had killed Sawney and Bean, and they have been crying all morning. It felt like nobody understood, how important they actually were to get a figment of truth. So many comrades were put through the worst of risks, just to capture them alive, it made them buzz with rage, too.

“Your face looks stupid.”, Levi tells them, instead. And he’s right. Their eyes are puffy, to the point they can barely open them. He would have made a joke, if it wasn’t because he’s only a bit concerned. “Now are you gonna sit around whining like a baby all day or what?”

Hanji cleans their tears off with the sleeves of their jacket. It’s not a nice image; their nose is red, and the fabric ends up stained with a splotch of wetness and snot. Levi has the immediate urge to turn his head the other way, but then hands them his pocket cravat, anyways.

“If you’re not gonna be of help, just go, okay?”, they say, with their tone tired and their voice rough. They’re in their lab, where they’ve locked themselves after hearing the news. The place’s a mess; like a tornado’s turned it on its axis. There are papers ruffled, thrown upon the floor; books taken out of their shelves, piled up on the desk. To Levi, it doesn’t take long to figure out it was them; their wild, seeking for liberation during breakfast time.

“If you want me to help, then move your ass out to the diner.”, he sits down next to them; his back against the wall. Hanji’s knees are flexed, pulled towards their chest, and they’re crying again besides him. “You’re an ugly crier, you know that, right?”, he speaks once more.

They raise a brow at him. There’s a softness that lies within his words that makes them perk their head up, stare deep into his irises. As if he’d wanted to comfort them in that own, unique way of his. It’s not like he’s completely wrong, either, though. They’ve seen it. Petra cries beautifully, like tears are snowflakes melting on their cheeks. But theirs are snowstorms, somewhat similar to acid rain. They’re not careful, or pretty, or delicate. Their heart’s too emotional, and it burns like fire. After all, they have always been too quick to let their impulses show the worst of them.

Levi sighs.

“You’d look less stupid if you smiled.”, he says. And then, he does something that makes Hanji freeze with shock. He inches up closer, like he’s calculating his moves, and places down his fingers at the corners of their mouth. It’s a gesture that’s too intimate, even for a guy that’s stuck-up like him. Still, it gets the job done. “See?”, he adds, when a genuine, whole-hearted laugh bursts out of Hanji. “There you go.”

“What if we lived together?”

The second time, it’s a late autumn night. They have suggested it, though only vaguely. “There’s so much we could do inside…!”, they’d said, on a frantic whim, earlier on that day. It was a gentle vision to latch onto, if they were honest; to play family like that. They would knit mittens for the kids before winter, and Levi’d keep the place warm— brew them his best tea.

“Would you rather…”, they ask him now. They’re lying in bed; his head on their stomach, their hands on his hair. The wooden cabin they’re staying at is small, yet cozy, with enough room for everybody. “Read people’s minds, or… be able to fly…?”

Levi shrugs. The ODM is pretty similar to flying, he guesses. Still, it’s not like he ever enjoyed getting involved in other people’s business, either way.

“Fly.”, he says, short and sweet. And Hanji hums, content. Maybe, because they knew that that would be his answer.

“Hm.”, they tug at black locks; fingers lost amidst his scalp. They’re staring at the ceiling, dressed in his sweatshirt and pajama pants. For a moment, they can pretend that this is all there ever was, if only. They’d tell bed-time stories to the children, about heroes and monsters. But it’d be just fiction, and there’d be no need to make wishes to the stars. “If you could fly somewhere, then, where would you go?”

Levi thinks about it for a second. He’d heard Armin talk, about the content in his books. Lands of fire, where sand would reach beyond sight. Snowed mountains, where earth seemed covered by frozen white. The ocean; an infinite mass of salt-water that touched past the further horizons.

He had always been curious about that one.

“The beach.”

Hanji closes their eyes. They can frame the picture, even when tirelessly awaken. They have a wide, two-floored house near the shore, with a white fence and a porch. They’re not on the run anymore; Titans nothing but a memory that fades with the foam.

It’d be wholesome, they think. They could have rooms for each the kids, let them decorate the walls however they pleased. Levi’d nag them about it, for being too messy or unclean. Then they’d brush it off over home-made lunch, sit outside to watch the waves.

“Aye, idiot.”, they whisper. And they can listen; their voice melting off to the sounds of the sea. Like they’re there already; with sun in their hair and sand on their feet. “Tell me something nice.”

Levi keeps quiet, probably a minute or two. He’d never been a man of word, but he can sense it, too. Sasha’d spend the day fishing, bring in weird creatures to cook. Armin’d collect sea-shells on the shore, maybe keep them between the pages of a book. And he’d sweep the floors while humming, sit by the window to breathe in the view.

“You could put your knitting skills to use.”, he complies, finally. Outside, the word sits silent, only the night to guard this conversation. “It’s getting cold as fuck.”

“What if we lived together?”

The third time, they actually speak it. Fearless. Aloud. Like the words have bloomed out of them before they could choke down the feeling.

Maybe, it’s because Levi sleeps, and there’s no chance he can hear their thoughts. Maybe, it’s because it’s danger— thinking like they do. But there’s some sense of safety in talking truths when no one listens.

“It’d be nice, huh?”, they whisper, more to themselves than anybody. They’d dreamed about it, really. Clutched desire to their heart like it was specs of golden. It was the beach, first. But now it didn’t even matter. It could be the mountains of white snow, the endless sandy dessert. Or right here, at the forest. They’d wear the plaid-shirts Levi hated, then he’d take them off, shut them up between kisses and jokes. He’d make them his in the bed they’d share, too; their mornings filled with the smell of pine and burnt log.

“If we run and hide like this… where would that get us?”, he says, barely minutes after. And he’s right again. He always is, Hanji’s sure. They’re a fierce dreamer, indeed. Someone who’d wish hard, with every fragment of their soul. Yet, they also know, they can’t abandon their wild— the raw nature that’s in them to see light in this world.

“Oh…”, they bit their lip, sharp until it stings. Blood burns in their cheeks, has tinted pink the tip of their nose. “You did hear me, after all…”

Levi nods, and takes a look at the hand that hurts. He’s too tired, or too scared to ever dare talk. So, instead, he stares; his eye clung to Hanji’s, with the intensity of a thousand colored fireworks. Truth is, he does want the same as them, after all. The poppy garden, the greenery, a tea-shop. But isn’t it too late to ask now? Isn’t tranquility a price that soldiers like them can’t afford?

“Hanji…”, his voice cracks at the words. A tear’s falling down their face, followed by one and then another. It’s not the ugly cry from the years before, where their sobs would resemble a loud, broken water-pipe. Now, it’s all hushed, quiet; like tear-tracks are stars against the dark of their lashes.

The realization of it doesn’t make him smile, though.

Isn’t it too late now, to confess such a thing? Isn’t love the worst of curses in times of war?

It is.

It is.

It’s too late now.

[seamsterspell]

as a Levihan shipper (like me ), what do you think of eruri and its popularity in the west? and also why do you think levihan is better than eruri? ( yes i know i am bias .. i am so Levihan trash)

Hello hello!

Uh oh, I feel we are trotting into a dangerous zone here xD /j But okay, here goes nothing >:D

Just to be safe, I'm going to abbreviate Erwin & Levi as EL.

Well, first of all, I like almost every dynamic between characters in SNK. IMO Isayama did a great job of building connections in his story. So, I don't really have NOTP(s) in SNK. Even if I don't ship A, B, C, or D romantically, I can still appreciate the bonds between those characters.

Regarding EL, if you've read one of my fics, you would know that I like the veterans, especially the veteran trio (Erwin-Levi-Hange). I really enjoy the relationship between Erwin-Levi, Levi-Hange, and Erwin-Hange. To me, they are close comrades who have deep trust in each other.

At first, I was not so sure what to make up in the relationship between EL though. I found Erwin to be quite intense back then, so I didn't know how to read the dynamic between him and Levi. As a trainee, Erwin seems to be much more outspoken and passionate. But as an adult, Erwin becomes more reserved. Therefore, I used to think that this man must have been hiding something. Then, I finally understood it all when I read about Erwin's backstory (and apparently he was hiding his trauma and guilt, who would've thought!).

Anyway, in short, I like EL! I feel like their personalities complete each others and they have their fair share of both meaningful as well as comedic moments. What makes them interesting to me is that they are the kind of people that you would never thought would be friends, but well apparently they are. Some might argue that Erwin was only using Levi to reach his goal. But I disagree, even in a world where there are no titans around, I still believe they would become great friends who can rely on each other. So yeah, I can see the appeal of EL.

Hence, I can understand why they are so popular, both in Japan and the west (and internationally tbh). However, their popularity had never bothered me since I already knew that M/M ships tend to be much more popular in almost every fandom in existence. I mean I've shipped Levihan (and Aruani) since 2013 and oh boy we were like a small cheerleading club back then xD

To be quite honest, I don't think Levihan is better than EL. I mean sure, in my book they are the best HAHA but I tried to never really put any relationships in a hierarchy. To me, shipping characters are more about preferences anyway. Like, we tend to ship a pair with dynamics or tropes that we love.

I ship Levihan (and not other Levi's ships) because they embody many tropes & dynamics that I like, such as opposites attract (this feels like their trademark tbh). However, their main appeal to me is the way that their relationship feels so mature and healthy but also FUN. Despite their stark differences, they are able to trust and look after each other, not only in combat but also outside. You can see them fighting together in one chapter and then see them teasing each other in the next chapter.

I also like the fact that they don't always bound together. I like crumbs (and full meal) as much as next guy, but I actually appreciate that they have their own characters moments as well as relationships with other people. It highlights their personalities which make their dynamics—when they are together—much more interesting.

Not only that, before chapter 126, their relationship and moments were actually pretty subtle (the one where you kinda have to squint to see or blink-and-you-miss-it kinda thing). Which I LIKE SO VERY MUCH! I actually prefer subtle romantic-ish moments between characters over blatant romantic moments. I like ships with potential, ships that will give me enough (not too much and not too little) materials to daydream every day HAHA. I mean, out of all the ships that I like, Levihan is the ship that I have the most fanfic ideas. They are my go-to ship every time I need to distract myself lmao.

I feel like I want to say more but man, idk, I just like them I guess. I can't put my love for them into words T_T But to sum up my feelings about them: I WISH THEY WERE MY PARENTS

That's all anon! Thank you for the ask! I hope my answer makes sense to you xD

[hangeslave]

lol i guess? by the way here's my reply because tiktok is a really bad place for discussion <3

also, people seems to never understand that hange and erwin shouldn't be compared in the first place. they're two different individuals with different leadership style and perspective.

she was the first commander who was involved in a world politics, who was revealed to the truth of the titans, the first in that position to ever see the world other than only black and white.

how did she handled it? did she gave up to the enemies and sacrifice paradise? did she abandoned her humanity and attacked the rest of world? did she resigned and left her position because she felt not good enough like how keith shadis did? did she put her comrades' lives at stake for her own selfish desire? did she?

she was quick to read and adapt to the situation, came out with an instant plan and see things that could merely be able to figured out. she made the best decisions in the worst situations, both at the same time trying to limit the amount of deaths and avoid other parties taking advantage of them.

and also she was the first person to ever bring eldians and marley under the same tree, to form a bond and fight along each other instead of against each other.

she is Hange Zoe, the 14th Commander of Survey Corps.

and don't you dare call her useless in front of me.

[levihantrash]

in this lifetime (levihan fanfic)

yet another reincarnation fic (5k+ words)

Warning: R18+ contains smut -> warning reappears below

AO3 link ^_^

Summary: In this lifetime, they meet at a school garden. No one remembers what happened in Marley, much less in Paradis. No one, except for Levi and Hange.

Hange remembers their first meeting. It was a flash of light, a trick of a mirage. The flash was quick to distort him, superimposing on the calm of the moment. Another him, another Levi. Of all of Hange’s weird theories, they never share this one with Levi.

For Levi, it wasn’t their eyes that thrusted unknown memories into view. It was the sound of Hange’s voice. The first time it reached his ears, it brought a bubble of relief, one that made the back of his hairs stand. Like hearing the dead speak.

Hange remembers their first meeting. It was a flash of light, a trick of a mirage. In the empty, serene school gardens, seeing him crouched over, sticking his hand out for a cat to lick. Hange was only thinking that the cat was sitting on a bunch of rare plants they had wanted to examine that day. The only thing well-maintained in this whole school as the garden. And now this cat was sitting on a bed of flowers that only blooms every spring.

The flash was quick to distort him, superimposing on the calm of the moment. Another him, another Levi. A name they learn to grow fond of. The name they call for every occasion. A blink was unfortunately enough for the image to dissipate. An older, wearier, Levi that had been standing up, his hand stuck upwards with a cube of sugar, a hint of a smile playing on his face. Hange knew that smile was a rare one. The Levi they know today smiles a little more, and even then it is a cause for pleasant surprise—alarm for some others.

Of all of Hange’s weird theories, they never share this one with Levi.

For Levi, it wasn’t their eyes that thrusted unknown memories into view. It was the sound of Hange’s voice. The first time it reached his ears, it brought a bubble of relief, one that made the back of his hairs stand. Like hearing the dead speak. Hange, looming over him, swiftly plucking the cat from the flower bed and putting it into his arms.

“The flowers might die if it lies on them for too long.”

Over time, he gets used to their voice. His body responds with less intensity. But in the few dreams he has, or when everything is quiet, or when Hange isn’t around to fill the silence, he hears nonsensical words stream in. All spoken with Hange’s intonation. About titans, about Paradis, about comrades, and about war. The only familiar thread is the mention of Marley, the country he lives in. And it seems that that Hange was just as involved in science as the current one.

Searching up on Paradis, titans or Paradis gave him little information. Only myths and religious narratives alluding to an afterlife paradise.

In the midst of the chatter of an uncanny Hange, he would hear another version of himself. A voice that was brusquer and more burdened. This Levi responded to Hange in such a deadpan manner, another would have mistaken it as boredom, or harshness, instead of an awkward attempt at expressing solidarity.

If anything, he still has a shit sense of humour. That comforts him, somehow. Especially when Hange’s laugh rings through.

Their friendship is an unremarkable product of coincidence and convenience. On the day Hange unabashedly plucks the cat off the flattened flowers, Hange quickly learns that Levi is their classmate. Naturally, they eat their packed lunches together, courtesy of Levi’s mother, every day in the gardens. The place, often undisturbed and distant from the noise of the school grounds, becomes a haven for Levi. In the centre of a Hange moving hurriedly, careful to collect samples, tend to the plants, and test out the plants’ medicinal properties when Levi isn’t there to grunt in disagreement, there is Levi. He tells himself: the air is of a different quality. Growing up in the city of technology meant that greenery grew only out of concrete, tamed and neat, lining up roads as decorative elements. There is Levi, at the centre of Hange’s little world of nature, with his packed lunches and cat food, with the most peaceful expression they will ever capture in person. Initially, Levi imagined that the garden’s stillness would unsettle him, since the voices he hears are in constant haste. Plan A to Plan B. Plan B to Plan C. But Hange’s bustling is routine. The earth needs to make its rounds, and so does Hange.

He catches them staring at him, sometimes, with a squinted gaze. As if checking if he is really there. It makes him self-conscious, so he scowls at them, and is pleased to see them throw back their head in amusement. Two voices of laughter blend into each other, and the twang in his chest strums lightly.

In a short span of a year, Hange acquires the reputation of sneaking into labs and getting into trouble for not following the teacher’s instructions during science lab classes. Their suggestions for more novel methods of experimentation would be ignored.

“What would an Eldian know?” The teacher mutters. Levi thinks it is the memories speaking, and Hange appears to not have heard, so he buries the comment deep in the recesses of his mind. For later, he reminds himself.

In a short span of a year, Levi is recruited by a senior in school called Erwin to join the martial arts club when witnessing someone try to grab flowers off a bush. Unflinchingly, Levi twists their arm backwards. Although he doesn’t join any of the club’s competitions, his presence alone motivates the club members to train harder. Levi eventually picks up on how this was Erwin’s original intention.

Hange finds this development worthy of comment. “It’s not like you to follow someone willingly.”

A shrug tells them that Levi has nothing to add to their correct observation.

“I get it though. I feel like I would have followed him too.”

-----

A year later, the school trip to the countryside of Marley is all Hange talks about for a week.

“Imagine the different kinds of wildlife we will get to explore!”

The day before the camp, Levi pulls out a mattress from under his bed. Once again, Hange is sleeping over because their parents are working late.

Without warning, Hange wonders out loud, “Do you believe in reincarnation?”

In the beginning of their friendship, Levi doesn’t understand why Hange asks him questions when they can simply, and more easily, go to the library. Or use the search engine. What’s the point of living in a sea of readily accessible knowledge?

Over time, Levi learns (privately) that Hange asks him questions probably because they value his opinion.

“What’s reincarnation?”

“It’s the belief that after you die, you’ll come back as something else: a person, an animal, or even a spirit. Your soul transcends the mortal body’s demise.” Hange’s tone is casual, yet they don’t realise they are holding their breath awaiting his response.

Levi considers this. “What’s your point in bringing this up?”

A faint exhale is lost in the whirring of the fan.

“It just sounds like a fascinating concept.”

-----

Year 853

The blaring horn of the ship hurts Levi’s ears, sensitive even to the muffled whispers of the cadets along the corridor whenever they pass by his room.

“Ten o’clock ship to Marley! Everyone can come on board!” Practically shouting into the blowhorn, the ship attendant gestures for the last remaining passengers to hurry up.

Holding onto their brim hat to keep it from being snatched by the wind, Hange leans over the railing of the ship. They are admiring the vastness of the ocean, but Levi understands that the question is only for him.

“Do you believe in reincarnation?”

-----

“Earth to Levi!” Hange swats Levi’s shoulder, a tiny jolt telling them he has returned to his senses.

“You’re awfully quiet up there, even for you.”

“Fell asleep.” His answer is a sorry case of an excuse. Hange lets it go.

“Why the question?” Levi asks, as though rephrasing his curiosity will prompt another answer.

“I read about it somewhere,” Hange hedges. An obvious lie.

“Huh… Let’s sleep. Your reincarnated soul will thank you for not ruining your sleep cycle.”

“I bet my past self didn’t get enough sleep either!”

“Is that something to be proud of?”

“I bet my past self didn’t have an annoying friend nagging at them…” They sigh sleepily. Blame it on the blur of the spinning fan for having a hypnotic effect.

Levi closes his eyes. The saltiness assaulting his nostrils makes him slightly nauseous.

“You’re wrong…”

Mouth wide open in slumber, Hange doesn’t respond.

-----

Compared to the school garden, the smell of the forest brings an unprecedented joy for Levi.

“I love the smell of the forest and the sea even though I don’t go there much,” Hange admits, peering out of the window with barely contained excitement.

“Better than the toxic fumes in the city.”

The school bus rolls past more mountains, under the soft shade of gigantic foliage. Cracking open the window by a sliver, Hange leans out and breathes in.

“The smell of the trees. Isn’t it bittersweet?”

Instead of acknowledging the strange emotion Hange articulates, Levi’s head snaps to the side. The rustle of leaves and the clash of metal.

“Do you hear something?” Hange thinks he’s trying to cover up for them and continues with gusto.

“It’s the birds, Levi. Do you hear them?” There indeed, is the very ordinary chirping of birds, if one strains their ears.

Out of the corner of their eye, Hange is sure they are mistaken when they catch sight of the whizz of wires swinging people from tree to tree, effortlessly dodging the unorderly array of branches.

-----

The pit stop before the campsite had only a snack bar that sold suspiciously grey ice cream. In all seriousness, Hange asks Levi if he has money for ice cream (they spent their allowance on rocks at the last pit stop).

“What the hell is that?”

“Black sesame, my dear.” The shopkeeper says graciously with a sardonic undertone.

Just as Hange hands (Levi’s) money over to the shopkeeper, Levi catches the wrist of a small child, ready to fish out Hange’s (empty) wallet from their back pocket.

“That’s not yours.”

The child’s face pales as a small crowd gathers, almost vindictively awaiting their punishment. Feeling the presence of a spectatorship dims Levi’s annoyance, as his grip loosens.

“Isn’t the kid one of those Eldians? They’ll even steal from a couple of students… Disgraceful.”

“Who said he was a pickpocket?” Levi asks, glowering at the group.

Before long, his head begins throbbing as he overhears the crowd’s hunger for vengeance. Their words lack context, angered taunts that lack rootedness in his current reality.

“If we don’t set an example by punishing him… It’ll be a problem for all of us merchants making a living here.”

“Who knows. If he’s an exiled immigrant, he might even be one of those subjects of Ymir!”

“This is why countries around the world have been running blood tests for years. I couldn’t sleep at night with devil blood tainting our community.”

Blocking out the excess commentary with sheer willpower, Levi lifts the child with one swift motion, catching Hange’s attention with one knowing glance.

“Let’s go.”

Hange’s vision blurs when Levi lifts the child up. Older Levi reappears, wearing a brim hat, dressed up in suit and tie, completely solemn. Younger faces, positively anxious, stand behind him. Levi takes in the taunting—Hange hears nothing, only the atmosphere of foreboding. A silent film, as the crowd spits on the trembling boy. Levi is impassive. Somehow, Hange isn’t too worried. They will escape, for now.

“I said let’s go!” Hange feels their hand being pulled as they run on instinct. The shouting behind them fades. Levi gingerly puts the child back onto the ground. Panting heavily, Hange tries to adjust their ponytail, only to be interrupted by a tightened grip. Only by staring at their hand did Hange finally feel his trembling fingers holding onto theirs. They squeeze back.

The money Hange didn’t get to use to pay for the ice cream is stuffed into the child’s pocket.

“Isn’t that from your mom for emergencies?” Hange teases.

“This counts.”

The child hasn’t said a word, though they look almost sheepish now.

“Go home,” Hange beckons. The child runs, turning back once to wave back.

Levi notices they are still holding hands. They amble back to the campsite, not saying anything more about the incident. It turns out that everyone else is preoccupied by the horses grazing nearby, nosing their way through grass.

“Do you know our ancestors used to ride horses?” Hange exclaims animatedly.

Levi lets go of their hand and strokes the head of a horse. The picture is familiar enough to make Hange lose their balance, landing squarely on their backside.

“Seems like I can’t do without your help,” Hange jokes, as Levi automatically extends a hand for them to get back up, concern evident. Levi’s palm is warm, soothing and it fits in theirs with a simplicity that frightens Hange.

“I wonder if our ancestors ever saw cars…” Hange continues, watching the pendulum swish of the horses’ tails.

“What? You think they’ll feed them carrots?”

Hange’s face reveals their surprise. Levi curses himself internally for drawing on the voices in his head. Thankfully, Hange laughs it off.

“I suppose I would!”

-----

During the campfire session, a teacher, out of the blue, explains that the students may feel some hostility from people in the area who suspect they are Eldians. A mild look of disdain crosses the teacher’s features.

“Your ancestors were the island devils after all. Behave.”

Hange snorts. Loudly. Deliberately. Levi barely resists the urge to clap.

“We know nothing about our ancestors. There is no archive, no history, nothing! How are we supposed to know anything? Only that some people hate us for what our ancestors did—which we don’t know what, exactly—hundreds of years ago.” Hange whispers angrily to Levi, whose only mode of consolation is an affirmative nod.

“Do you think… there was another life we were meant to live?”

Levi thinks about a life without Hange. A terrible idea, because just the prospect of it digs into his heart like a dull blade.

“We?”

Hange acts like it is obvious. “Of course!”

-----

Year 853 (R18 smut warning)

The corridor is awfully quiet. Unsettled by the absence of the usual bickering brought about by the kids, Levi shakes a groggy Hange awake. Startled, they find the nearest weapon, which happens to be Levi’s forearm.

“Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Connie, Sasha. They’re missing,” he states efficiently. Hange hurries to find their coat, stumbling around in half-wakefulness. Levi has half the mind to urge Hange back to sleep. He helps Hange into their coat instead, adjusting the collar, untucking the hair caught inside. Fingers brush against the coolness of their nape. Hange shivers.

Together with Onyankopon, they spot a conspicuous party happening in the tents accompanied by drunken cheering. The kids were sprawled on the floor, some vomiting, others hugging the locals, and the rest fast asleep.

“We should get them home,” Hange says softly, not at all mad at them for sneaking out. The one who pickpocketed Sasha’s wallet—Ramzi—pulls at Hange’s sleeve, a cup in hand. Patting his head in thanks, Levi feels the hesitation right before Hange takes a huge swig, wiping the back of their mouth with their sleeve. Misunderstanding Levi’s measured stare, Ramzi hands him cup too, which is begrudgingly accepted. Onyankopon reappears, already red in the face with alcohol. Instantly supporting Onyankopon's weight with one arm, Hange guides him to the nearest chair. In these moments, Levi forgets the easy way they take care of others.

The evening trudges on into night. The kids have no intention nor the ability to leave, and Hange decides they can all relax for one night. Levi has no qualms. His cup stays full.

“Levi.” Hange hums his name, settling into the buzz of the alcohol. Cross-legged on the makeshift carpeted floor, they tilt their head, as though seeing him for the first time.

“Hmm?”

“The moon.” Perfectly round. A necessary illumination.

“It reminds me of you.”

Before Levi gets a chance to insert a question, a remark, anything, Hange interjects. “It’s beautiful.”

You’re beautiful, Hange thinks. The moon, unfailing, somewhere in the dark sky.

“Candles can extinguish. Oil lamps run out. Even light bulbs can burn out.”

“I’m not invincible,” Levi corrects them.

“You’re not. Still more so than the rest of us.”

“Hange… What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I’d like a few more nights with the moon.”

The grin on their face droops at the corners, so Levi smoothens the effort out with the surface of his thumb.

“You say a lot of shit when you’re intoxicated.” Levi is certain Hange didn’t even drink beyond the first sip.

“Do you think… there was another life we were meant to live?”

“Yeah, without this stupid war to worry about that may kill us all.”

Hange laughs. He hasn’t heard that in a while, even if it is a bitter one.

“Four eyes.” The nickname makes Hange want to down the alcohol so that it burns their ears.

“You’re the sun. You’re relentless in your pursuit, you burn with passion, and the moon reflects you.” Hange finds this declaration so straightforward that they have to deflect it.

“And I’m hot as hell?” Hange’s eyes are bright, their grin now genuine.

Ignoring their ill-timed banter, his nose bumps into theirs, his eyes fierce. Hange realises that he has gotten out of his seat, squatting in front of them.

“We were meant to live this life.”

Cradling his head in their hands, Hange wonders why it took them so damn long. To have the face of the moon at their fingertips. To have the moon recreated into Levi, whose breaths fog up their glasses. When his mouth presses against theirs, first tentative, they deepen it immediately. A guttural groan is released from them and Levi trembles with unfounded need. A push and Levi’s back is on the ground, lips red and used. His eyes trail over Hange’s body, the flush in their cheeks and the rising and falling of their chest. Hange, with the little self-control they have to not consume his entire mouth, kisses his forehead instead. When he nips at their neck, they grasp his knuckles, kissing the back of them tenderly.

Hange wants to tease him, asking him, aren’t you the sun? Burning with such desire? No, that’s too cruel. Their own stomach curdles as they put an emergency stop to their desires. Levi blinks, trying to shutter the desire out of his system. It is impossible. It is far too late. They can only delay the crash of pent-up stress and the imperative merging of their bodies. Vexing as it is to cater to their responsibilities, he can at least envision Hange, wet and wanting, on his bed. The bed where they had spent nights sprawled on, limp with exhaustion.

Hange, later, soon, sprawled on it, naked, sweaty, as he pumps into them, as he rubs their clit with their own juices, urging them to new heights. Only the sound of smooth friction and barely contained moans of pleasures in the bareness of a room, far away from home. A new country, a new experience, as he makes sure Hange screams into the pillow, their ass up in the air, coming so hard that their walls clench into him, twitching as he, replacing the watchful moon with the relentless fuck of the sun. The moon who had been turning his gaze away from every hike of the shirt, nonchalantly ignoring the times when their pants slip down and their underwear peeks through. When their lips touch the tip of their ears in an enthused whisper. With decency and quiet guilt, he has, and has always been enamoured by Hange. As a friend, as a comrade, and now, as a lover. And finally, finally, he releases his own, tensing up and collapsing onto Hange’s back. The hot burst of Levi’s load, the grip he had on their waist, and the dancing circles he rhythmically gives their clit lights a fire in their cunt. They thrust weakly, deliriously, letting his heat fill them as they shake from their subsequent orgasm.

Kissing their shoulder blades slowly, Levi slips his cock out, heavy and sticky. He flips them over with renewed energy, capturing the folds of their cunt, sucking them, licking them, inhaling the scent of their arousal with a kind of incoherent surrender. Hange begs, calling his name, shouting his name, as he laps and swirls their juices, until they see only the stars of the night sky, hips in an uncontrollable frenzy as he hoists their legs over his shoulders, spreading them wide, with their cunt glistening. He forces his tongue in, pressure upon pressure around their clit, which, though sensitive, throbs in neglect. Occasionally, he licks their asshole, making their toes curl further. In between hard and teasing pressure, Hange throatily gasps, their entire body convulsing in freeze-frame, squirting a jet of transparent cum onto his face. Levi swallows it all in dirty, hungry slurps. He relishes Hange like this, with a lopsided grin, limbs limp with exertion, wetness trickling out of their sex, drenching the sheets with evidence of their passion.

Recovering quickly, Hange has another idea.

A vibrating strap-on. A purchase which Hange had bought to fuck themselves with, dreaming of another body.

This time, Hange is the one who has Levi on all fours, elbows on the bed, face flat on the pillow. Their asshole all lubed up, already clenching around nothing as Hange spreads the remaining lube with his precum on his hardening cock.

“Are you ready?” Hange’s voice is velvety, with an air of assertiveness. Levi feels himself sink into it, nodding, trusting them wholly.

When the toy enters, cold at first, stretching him out, he feels himself leaking, his cock fully erect, flapping helplessly against his stomach. Easing into his asshole, Hange sighs, turning on the vibration to stimulate their clit, feeling their cunt watering from the sensation again.

Then they begin thrusting. Levi lets out a strangled moan. Hange, Hange, Hange. Their name bubbles over his tongue, as the smooth plastic cock hits the area that makes him fist the sheets, crying, yes, right there, please. The vibrations make Hange’s thighs taut, but they continue sliding in and out of him, drawing out moans into mindless blubbering. They hold the tip of their cock as he positively tenses in anticipation.

“Can you last for a while longer?” It is a simple request. Overwhelmed with their hand stroking his cock, with their other cock penetrating him endlessly in slick, deliberate slaps, Levi tries. He holds it back, edging to the brink of an explosion. Hange enjoys the view for a brief second—Levi, drenched in his own precum and sweat, being fucked by their cock. The pleasure they could both have from complete relinquishing of control. Just the full concentration of fucking and being fucked.

When Hange is close to their own orgasm, they lick his ear and let go of his cock. A whimper of longing escapes from his lips. In a hushed murmur, they ask him to come for them, untouched. He lets go, completely, in a manner that he has never done so in his life. Not for a minute had he been relaxed in this existence, and yet, here, he is allowed to come with an abandon. With one hard thrust, Hange’s cock connects with a sweet spot that makes Levi boneless, his cock shooting out white cum, all over his stomach, landing across his face and the tips of his fringe. Through his orgasm, Hange continues thrusting, and in the middle of his intense orgasm, fondles his shaft with a few hard strokes, forcing out another stream of cum. A quiet gasp is uttered as they feel their own orgasm hit the peak; the cum that stream down their legs is the belated sign. Hange unstraps the cock, throwing it to the side before flopping down by his side. A kiss on his nose, his mouth, still half-open, licking his neck so that he quivers again, immersed in the mellow afterglow.

-----

Levi wakes up, the front of his pants stained. A wet dream? All attempts to recall lead to the sounds that trickle back to memory. Obscene, passionate sounds form a tent in his pants because he knows that it is him—some other part of him—that was able to make Hange moan like that. And a smaller part of him, knows Hange is similarly, effortlessly, able get him to choke out noises like that.

Shaking his head, he hunts for the tissues in his bag, and is about to clean himself up when the tent entrance zips open unceremoniously.

“Hey Levi—” Levi, having just removed his pants, turns a shade of red that makes Hange chuckle.

“Oh, I’m sorry for interrupting,” Hange says, graciously avoiding eye contact with anything below chest level.

“Shut up,” Levi snaps, pulling back up his pants.

To his horror, a thrill burns in his belly as Hange zips the tent shut behind them. “It’s natural right, to masturbate?”

“I never said it wasn’t.” He lies down so that he won’t have to face the embarrassment of perceiving Hange’s reaction.

“What dream did you have? I bet it was really hot!” Their eyes flicker down once, biting their lip unconsciously. Levi is too busy crossing and recrossing his legs to notice.

“Will you shut up?”

“Sorry, sorry!” Hange says cheerfully, sitting further away from Levi than usual.

A momentary flash of an image causes their arms to go slack. They crawl back towards him, closing the distance.

“Why are you injured?” Their hands trace the outline of bandages that feel too real under their touch. Letting their fingers linger carelessly on his shoulder. The air of jest is lost in Hange’s wide-eyed worry.

Levi checks his own face, feeling only the bumps of mosquitoes that feasted last night.

“What do you mean?”

“Your eye—it’s missing.” Only more confused, Levi hears another Hange, consolatory.

“Maybe we should just live here together. Right… Levi?” Levi wants to nod, but his head is awfully stubborn, unmovable and useless.

“If we keep… running and hiding… what will that get us?” Levi wants to ask—why are they running? Who are they hiding from? Why does Hange want them to live together?

“Oh. So you heard me talking to myself…” Hange’s flustered voice would have been entertaining in another situation. Not now, in their melancholy.

He hears himself, low and feeble. “I know you… you won’t be able to stay out of action.”

“Yeah… That’s right. I can’t.” Hange’s fluster turns decisive.

Being enveloped in a hug is an unfamiliar thing for Levi. His mother mostly ruffles the hair on his head, and packs her love into her meals for him.

“You heard me, didn’t you?”

“Of course I can hear you,” he says, tucking his chin into the crook of Hange’s neck. The arms wrapped around him are tight, secure, urgent.

“No, I mean past me.”

“That question… about having another life we were meant to live.” He pauses, suddenly nervous.

Hange is uncharacteristically reserved. Even having released him from their spontaneous hug, their hands remain on his lap. Making sure he is with them. His hands automatically cover theirs, a gesture so mundane and comforting it moves Hange close to tears.

“I hear you. All the time.”

-----

Year 853

“Did you find out what we were looking for?”

“Do you think in another life… I would’ve found the answer?”

Levi is aware of Hange’s burgeoning doubt, their despair, their hopefulness. Keeping all of that in mind, he chooses his words carefully.

“I don’t think you’ll stop until you do.” On weary evenings when Hange wordlessly sits on the edge of his bed, downtrodden, he wishes to erase the duty of humanity’s troubles that they inadvertently took up. As much as he can offer counsel, attend to the cracks that surface; it is Hange that must negotiate for peace for Paradis as a country. It is Hange’s optimism and drive that fuels the rest of them. It is their leadership everyone relies on. And it is their companionship that he selfishly holds on to.

-----

Sometimes in life you need to suspend reality.

Other times, you need to suspend delusion.

The duo are content to suspend both, in favour of the messy middle ground. Across lifetimes, reality and delusion are crucial—to be grounded when thrown into chaos, to pretend that it is all okay when the world is stomped out—because without either, the imaginary in-between would cease to bridge their past and present.

“If there’s something we don’t know, let’s find out!”

“It sounds like a good line, right? I don’t know where it came from,” Hange scratches the back of their head, smiling wryly.

Levi smiles back. A pained, nostalgic one.

“It came from you.”

Reincarnation was no silly game; Hange is certain that it is a calling. A spirit that has not been put to rest, pacing around, scouring for a solution. Combining Levi’s knowledge and theirs, Hange crafts a hypothesis around their Eldian ancestry. It involves a buried history of discrimination—a hushed one where the adults will likely offer no material. According to Hange, history will only repeat itself; a tree cut down in a cycle of hate will only root its seeds elsewhere.

A plane rumbles past.

“Do you think our ancestors ever flew a plane?”

Distracted, Levi can only wistfully follow the plane’s path. The new and final memory is one they have never seen before. It depicts Levi on a wheelchair, watching the sky. The newspaper balances precariously on one knee, forgotten. Grief that pools in one blinking eye touches Hange’s core, as they once again forget that it is a memory and caress the side of his face. In that lifetime, Hange understands they are gone. With the plane, they are far away, away from Levi, away from the world. Dead, to be exact.

In this lifetime, Hange doesn’t ask him to let them go. They don’t need to sacrifice their life. They don’t need to suffer.

One can never be too safe, so Levi takes the liberty to remind them.

“Don’t ever dedicate your heart,” he warns them.

“Huh? What an odd phrase… Do you think I’ll propose to you like that?” Hange speculates, hand on mouth in mock bashfulness.

In this lifetime, Hange is glad they are alive. So, they resolve to do everything they can to salvage past mistakes.

First off, Hange addresses a tiny, inconsequential mistake in the grand scheme of humanity. But a mistake that confirms their humanity, nonetheless.

Hange points back to the forest behind them. “We should just live there together.” No perhaps. No maybes.

Taking hold of Hange’s ponytail with practised precision, Levi turns their head away from the forest, away from the plane, and keeps their attention on him.

“I know you can’t stay out of action.”

“You’re right. I can’t.”

“I’ll come with you. To the forest. To the plane. To wherever Paradis is.”

In this lifetime, Levi doesn’t make the same mistake of letting go.

-----

AO3 link ^_^

[momtaku]

Mom do you mind if you link the Mikasa louise parallel you were mentioning in one of the latest asks? I cant seem to find it. thank you!

I think it was an amalgamation of asks that conveyed my thoughts and not a single post.

this one where I touched on Louise relationship being parasocial ("While Floch is a Jaegerist because he enjoys the power trip. Louise’s entry into the group stems from her parasocial relationship and devotion to Eren and Mikasa")

this one where I talk about how I don't see them as parallels at all ("I don’t see Mikasa and Louise as parallels or mirrors. If anything, Louise is to Mikasa, what Floch is to Eren, but while Mikasa is repulsed by the adoration and worship, Eren has used it to his advantage")

this one where I wrote that "taking back the scarf" is misleading because Mikasa never gave it away. She folded it neatly and set it aside. Louise stole it and then essentially taunted Mikasa with it.

I should probably just write another composite post about Louise because the idea that Mikasa was being cruel to her is something I really do not understand. Mikasa owed nothing to Louise, and was right not to encourage Louise's fanaticism. Mikasa had long been questioning her relationship with Eren and admitted that she'd ignored his darker qualities. Louise was trying to pull Mikasa back into a mindset that Mikasa was abandoning. Mikasa didn't attempt to argue with Louise over her delusions, she simply walked away. I hope if I was in Mikasa's position, I'd have done the same.

Thanks for the ask!

[super-peace-fangirl]

The Levihan content made me cry for real. Levi please don't ever leave Hanji alone 😢 She loves you so much!

I too would rather have you both living in here all alone and away from mess 💔

[reiliss]

[falcon94ssy]

Oh?

[invaderzia1]

everyone who assumes Annie is always so serious and cold owes me $1000 right now

[snkpolls]

SnK Chapter 126 Poll Results

The chapter 126 poll closed with 1,647 responses. Thank you for your support! This month’s poll results were compiled by @shifter-lines​ , /u/alooulla,   /u/_Puppet_, @manerein and @momtaku.

  RATE THE CHAPTER 1,514 responses

“Rate the Chapter” is a genuine bell curve this month instead of having its more typical overwhelmingly positive skew. While not terrible by any means, the response to chapter 126 was the most lukewarm since chapter 107, and it was the second worse performing chapter since we started the poll.

(Kazoo Avengers theme)

By far, this was the chapter I enjoyed the least, I just hope that the ending feels realistic

Definitely fast paced, but definitely needed to finally kick things into high gear. The Calm Before The Storm…

it was pretty disappointing by aot standards, but the last 15 chapters were amazing, so what am i even complaining for.... i just hope that isayama can write a decent ending.

I feel like this is either one of those chapters that will be more rewarding in hindsight when we have more info or was just straight up moving forward so we can get to the good stuff faster and we will have to suck it up and move on. All in all I think it was a good chapter even if a little rushed.

Easily the worst chapter in years due to the fast pacing, convenient plot developments and cliche and very cheesy and cringey ending page quote.

In the anime they could make a whole episode out this single chapter instead of using two chapters to make a single episode

ISAYAMA GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!! THE SAUNA AINT RUNNING AWAY FROM YOU

Haha pie

  WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT? 1,519 responses

After nearly a year of absence Levi and Hange were finally back in the story so it’s no surprise that “Everything with Levi and Hange” topped the list of favorite moments with 22.1%. “Avengers Assemble” was a distant second with 10.6%. Confirmation that Levi was alive came in third (10.2%).

ONYANKOPON CALLYING JAEGERISTS A BUNCH OF CHAUVINISTS

Pieck and Hange teaming up? Eren better watch out because those two together are gonna KICK SOME ASS!

Hange needs so much more appreciation, she is such a good person. I hope she and Levi both survive this shit.

I loved everything that happened, it just desperately needs some more detail filled in.

I loved Levi and Hange interactions

Annie eating pie is just perfect

It was so good to see Levi and Hanji again and together. They suffered so much, i need an end where they both survive and can have a restful retirement

Glad to see that Connie is still a good guy. Also that he is trying his best becouse of his Mother.

But what Pieck Pieck? The greatest tragedy is that Isayama took that from us, y'know not that Eren is destroying the world or something...

I really loved to see Armin and Annie together!

  WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE MOMENT? 1,507 responses

Talk about polarity. “Avengers Assemble” may have been the second most popular “Favorite Moment” but it was also  the landslide winner for “Least Favorite” with nearly 22% of the fandom selected it as the worst moment of the chapter. “Floch’s Speech” (13.8%) and “The Ragako Subplot” (13.5%) rounded out the top 3.

everyone called them the avengers but lets get real they are a fuckin Suicide Squad

Why are we wasting time on Louise

Avengers Lowcost version

Didn't understand Magath reasons to join forces with his enemys. It felt like some story in between was missing.

Can I just say I hate what Isayama did with Connie's character? I've never seen a character as bipolar in his development

Floch was the only good part....

  WHO WAS THIS CHAPTER’S MVP? 1,503 responses

Hange (23%), Jean (16.2%) and Armin (13.4%) were our top three favorite characters this month. It needs to be said that “Pie” came in at number four with nearly 10% of the fandom selecting it.

it WAS nice to see characters choosing to be their best selves for the sake of others. For that reason, it was difficult to pick an MVP -- but I gave it to Onyankopon because he crystallized so eloquently exactly what I had been thinking since Eren started the Rumbling.

Levi and hange tho

So much Erwin nods!  Yesss <333

Still love my boy Jean!

Some characters are still acting consistent: Jean, Magath, Levi (still not over killing the BT and that's good), Onyankopon and Floch.

Connies growth, Jean's motivation, I'm glad these boys are reclaiming their almost-lost humanity!

Levi. That is all.

Oh, also, I want pie.

  WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE HANGE AND LEVI CAMPSITE MOMENT? 1,494 responses

“Hange suggesting that they live in the woods together” (27.2%) was the favorite campsite moment, followed by “Levi’s words upon waking up” (23.3%).  “Hange sniping while shedding a tear” was third (19.6%))

I'm giving this 5/5 solely for Yams finally feeding the LeviHan shippers some good fucking food after so long.

I ship Levi and Hange. It's so cute when Hange realized that Levi was listening to her/him while pretending to sleep.

Shirtless Levi round two! Wit, you better do the job correctly this time!

We need a Historia chapter but it’s great to see Hange and Levi being back.

  PIECK… FINGER? 1,492 responses

Pieck Finger. Pieck Finger everybody. You know how a common response to trauma or awkwardness is humor? Well 42.6% of you are primarily concerned with how “Pieck Finger” will be memed. 24.7% of you accept the trauma and say you wish she would’ve just stayed “Pieck”, and 20.6% of you are glad she has a last name, but did it really have to end like this? 6.5% of you think it’s a “cool and realistic last name”, and I think you guys scare me more than the people who vote “Snapchat” on the last question every month. More on that later.

"pekfinger" is swedish for "pointer finger" too. oh lord

Back when Pieck was supposed to be a dude, the working name was "Oliver Pieck", at least from what I read on the AoT wiki. I feel like Isayama could have just switched the first and last name around to make it "Pieck Oliver." That would've sounded far less weird.

I know a guy named Buck Ramming. Pieck Finger is fine by me lol

It's an instruction not a name.

Levi sure could use a couple of Piecks right about now heyoooooo

the fact that she got the worst titan and now also the worst name it’s so funny

What kind of a first name is Pieck?

  AS PREDICTED, CONNIE’S ROADTRIP WITH FALCO ENDED AMICABLY. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF IT? 1,498 responses

The Ragako subplot did little for the readers with nearly one-third of the fandom calling it a complete waste of time. The majority (46.2%) were slightly more charitable selecting “It was ok. I’m glad it wrapped up quickly”. Only 17.5% loved the moment. The write-ins were pretty damning.

Good plotpoint, really bad execution

I cringed the whole time.

I liked the outcome, but it was handled too quickly

A complete waste of time: Connie's arc? Sharted over. The consequences about Falco? Sharted over. Possibility to exploit serumbowl or Ymir's memories? Glossed over.

All of this made no sense and it was solved so quickly it seemed unrealistic. YAMS WE NEED PROPER CLOSURE PLS DON'T WASTE MORE INK

Connie changed his mind a bit too quickly, but it was good nevertheless

Connie deserved better writing.

Felt too shallow for how quick it sprung up, needed more development. As it is now, it could've just not happened

I'm glad that Connie hasn't died yet because I appreciate him, but there's been wasted potential. Ymir's memories and Porco and Colt's deaths have been reduced to a single vignette where we can only speculate and write fics.

Missed opportunity to actually develop Connie's character. We didn't learn anything we didn't already know about Connie.

This feels like what the anime did to the Uprising Arc. It happened way too fast and honestly felt like Isayama was just checking it off a list, so to say. Which is honeslty a bit uncharactieristic of his writing. I really hope this doesn't start, or continue, a trend...

  WHICH DENTAL HYGIENE MOMENT DID YOU ENJOY MORE? 1,494 responses

Before I talk about the numbers, I just want to shout out the one guy who responded “Other” and just said “why”. Anyway, a solid majority of you guys’ favorite dental hygiene moment was Hange asking Pieck rude lady questions, which frankly sounds much worse than it actually is. The next most common answer, getting just over 25% of the votes, was Connie’s Master Plan™, followed by “Both”, followed by “Neither!” I still like the guy who just said “why”.

I didn't mind it, but I heard that Isayama did this so he could get a toothbrush merch campaign going lol

Isayama has a teeth fetish confirmed

Holy Fuck what was Connies face doing when he was talking about titan teeth brushing.

Why, just why

Pie

  WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HOW MIKASA ACTED TOWARDS LOUISE? 1,457 responses

The fandom is almost evenly divided over Mikasa’s actions towards Louise. By the narrowest of margins, Mikasa’s compassionate nature took the majority (26.8%). The other extreme, “Mikasa should’ve sucked it up and let the girl be happy”, was second with 26.2%. A quarter of the fandom instead chose to focus on Louise. “Louise was crazy and deserves the cold shoulder” was third (23.9%).

It's not surprising that Mikasa ran out of f*cks to give. There are only so many lives she can value, and right now she doesn't have the time to spare, or room in her heart.  

I don't think Mikasa had any responsibility there, and the scarf is hers. Given its significance, and that she owes Louise nothing, it seemed like the moment was morally neutral.

I really didn't care. Louise is barely a character, and Mikasa had no duty to be nice to a person who enabled and supported a bloody coup just because she saved her life once.

I don’t blame Mikasa. I don’t like and want to spend time with my stalkers either

I felt bad for Louise. She’s dying, let her think you care about her, Mikasa

I felt like Louise is completely obsessional but Mikasa is just as much. To me these kinds of moments show that Mikasa has completely lost it recently

I'm concerned about what this says for Mikasa's character development thus far, and I felt kind of bad for Louise

I'm sick of the scarf back and forth

It actually seems quite obvious to me that Mikasa pitied the poor girl, but there was nothing she could have done for her. Because she simply lacks the time necessary to care for Luise, or change her mind or make sure that she's ok.

That this is about Mikasa’s compassion or lack thereof I think says more about how we feel women should feel. I think it was fine, she barely knows Louise and there is a lot more going on. Louise is a grown woman that made her own decisions.

the most interesting part about it is that Eren asked Louise to throw the scarf away. that's it.

Mikasa already did a good gesture by visiting Louise, no one would ask Jean to do the same with Floch, so I don't see the big deal. Both cases are "protagonist sees themselves in antagonist, and realise how they mustn't become like them".

  WHY DID MIKASA DECIDE TO TAKE HER SCARF BACK? 1,482 responses

“Mikasa wants it back for other reasons” was the selection of nearly half of respondents, since “wearing it” and vague malice towards Louise were the other two options.

Eren wants her to throw it away, so she's making her own decision and going against his wishes on purpose.

I don’t know if she’ll wear it again, but it’s always been her scarf and she’ll decide it’s fate when she’s ready

I think she wants to give it back to Eren.

It's still important to her. She may let go of Eren but the scarf is always gonna be there to remind her of what was and the family she once had.

It’s just simply that it’s hard to throw away a possession you held dear for most of your life. It’d be more out of character for her to throw it away. I don’t think she ever planned on abandoning the scarf—setting it aside was rather Isayama’s way of showing Mikasa’s conflicted thoughts on her relationship with Eren.

Ultimately, Mikasa's the authority on the scarf and it's emotional weight, while Louise was trying to squeeze her own meaning out of it. It wasn't Louise's place to do so, and it wasn't her scarf to take. Whatever is to be done with it, to see it used again, given to someone else, or see it thrown out or destroyed, is a choice only the scarf's real owner, Mikasa, should make.

  THEY FOUND ANNIE BY SITTING NEXT TO HER WHILE SHE WAS EATING PIE, THOUGHTS? 1,497 responses

The reunion with Annie was another chapter moment that fell flat for the majority with only 21.8% expressing approval with it. The majority (31.8%) thought it would’ve been ok if there was more time for conversation and reaction and 22% were primarily bothered by the coincidence involved in the reunion. The remaining 20% found the lazy writing unforgivable.

*sigh*

There was way too much build up just to have it end in a gag. It was cute, but it... just doesn't work?

Are you telling me that every time you talk about Robert Downey Jr. he doesn't just appear right next to you?

Humor was not appropriate in this situation

I fucking loved it

I think it's lazy writing but it made me laugh pretty hard so I'll give it a pass

It was a funny moment but definitely not how I had imagined nor hoped Armin/Annie's reunion would happen

Sitting together like nothing happened before and eat and laugh… are you serious?!! It’s not funny

SNK has always had funny moments like this woven into it, especially when the 104th were still trainee's, and it's nice to see a tonal flashback to the past like this.

Stranger things have happened. Floch's hair, for example.

  WHAT SORT OF PIES DO YOU THINK THEY WERE EATING? 1,469 responses

Fruit. Definitely fruit.

...

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

What's the point of this question?? I'm confused

What the fuck is a meat pie?

We're missing PIEces of the puzzle still

  WHAT PIE WOULD YOU SCARF DOWN THAT FAST IF YOU WERE ANNIE? 1,459 responses

Apple (23.9%), and chocolate (16.2%) are our favorite pies, with Meat and “I don’t like pie” tying for third (11.4%). Several respondents were rather vocal about this even being asked. To them I say Isayama is the one who started this :P 

Apricot, you American heathens

Duh. Pineapple of course

I'd be more worried about getting home to my dad before he's crushed by a psycho

Marleyan organ pie made by the Usurper Chad himself!

nectarine pie.... you should try it

Rhubarb pie. Best Pie Ever.

Sweet Potato Pie!

There are so many interesting questions you could have asked in this poll yet didn't, but you're asking about pie?  (A/N: There are so many interesting things Isayama could have drawn in this chapter yet didn't, but he's drawing about pie? )

  HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT HITCH BEING LEFT BEHIND? 1,479 responses

While the majority thought it was a good way to write her out (36.3%), there was plenty of disappointment (26.2%) and many who thought it could’ve been handled better (16.6%). A segment of the fandom (18.5%) thinks she’ll be back since there is more she has yet to do.  

Perfect. She is always left behind throughout the series. The continuation of this makes sense.

Does the lack of Hitch means the lack of pies? Because this is unacceptable.

Glad that she'll survive probably, but she was such an interesting character

Annie and Hitch were my new otp, so just sad feels

Hitch is safe from now on. Ok for me.

I felt so sorry for her, because Annie's disappearance reminded me a bit of Hitch's relationship with Marlowe. Once more it seemed like the Survey Corps was taking someone precious away from her, off to an unknown and risky fate

I never had pie so Idk.

  WERE YOU WORRIED THAT JEAN WOULD JOIN THE JAEGERISTS? 1,480 responses

For this question, 21.5% of you were a little nervous that Jean might join the Jaegerists, but a much more significant 69.2% understood the implied fact that the Jaegerists only accept humans, and Jean is a horse, and therefore there was never any threat of him allying with them. You’d think that with like four hundred years of this series being out, I’d think of a better way to make that joke, but here we are. Anyway, the last 9.3% of you think Jean would do more to help Paradis if he joined the Ab Church, which is an excellent parallel to the Wall Church in the beginning of the series, I might add.

I still wish more time was given to the subplots such as more time to stew on Jean joining the Yaegarists

  LAST MONTH 75% OF THE FANDOM THOUGHT JEAN WOULD BE THE PERSON TO TAKE DOWN FLOCH. DO YOU STILL THINK THE HAIRBOWL WILL HAPPEN? 1,463 responses

Remaining in the strong majority, 72.6% of you guys think there will be some sort of confrontation between Jean and Floch, though whether that means you think Jean will be the person to “take down” Floch or not is beyond me. I don’t know. I didn’t write this question, I’m just writing the blurb for it.

I'm still betting on Floch shooting Jean in the head as a punishment for not going along with the flow

take down Floch please!!!! ..

  FINAL WORDS. WHO DID IT BETTER? 1,479 responses

With 43% of the vote, Onyankopon’s... several... words? beat out Yelena’s strong and (mostly) silent type response (which got 33.1% of the vote, by the way) at their “execution''. 23.9% of respondents said “Both”, and while technically “both” couldn’t have done it “better”, I’ll let it slide, because they were both pretty cool, and semantics don’t matter.

Best boy was Onyankopon. We only used to get glimpses of him and finally he has rebelled, showing that he has more guts than some of our main characters.

  JEAN AND HANGE’S PLAN TO ESCAPE SHIGANSHINA HAPPENED OFFSCREEN. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? 1,473 responses

Three-fourths of the fandom expressed some disapproval of how the offscreen planning of the escape from Shinganshina went down calling it sloppy(18.1%) and confusing (13.9%). Of those, the majority (39%) will be ok with it if a future chapter provides more details. Only a quarter of the fandom completely loved the handling of this.

Even if flashbacks fill the gaps later, they won't make 126 a better chapter.

How did they even communicate? I thought it was all planned between Jean and Mikasa

on the page with the titans marching at night, you can see a figure standing outside jean's window. could be hange coming to discuss plans

I liked it, but I think I like it even more if it's explained in the next chapter(s).

I think he did it that way to add surprise. I feel like lately he has been in general illustrating with a more cinematic eye and by writing the scene this way it will play better in visual media. Lately I feel like he has been thinking this way, it’s been a trend for a while now.

This is why you shouldn't cram up 3 chapters worth of content into one. I don't care if Isayama has to end his volume on some goddamn awful page. You don't mess with certain parts of the narrative.

It was fine, it wasn't necessarily a scene that needed to be included so I'm fine with it.

  WHO WAS THE PERSON IN THE WINDOW? 1,456 responses

Who was the person in the window? Was Chapter 116 the last time we’ll ever see Eren transform into his Attack Titan? How to turn into a titan without alerting the military police??? When will I stop asking questions? Right now!

Just under two-thirds of the votes for this question went to Shadis. Following Shadis at a clean 10% is Zeke, trailed by Zombie Erwin at 9.6%. Given the theories about Eren’s body at the end of 117 being a Warhammer clone, I never thought I’d see the day when Zombie Erwin beats Eren in a “who is the mysterious character who is not inside Eren’s Titan” question, but here we are!

CHADIS

Keith Lurkdis

Erwin never died! What even is that option 'zombie Erwin'???

Farmer-kun

Idk but whomever it is I hope they're a good guy.

Male adult figure... Must be my man Shadis. There's no way Zeke would wear so many clothes.

Ugh I have no idea. I’m not going to pretend I can predict anything anymore.

2Pac

  WHY DO YOU THINK MAGATH DEMANDED THEY CAPTURE YELENA? 1,465 responses

Why did Magath bring Yelena back with Jean and Onomatopoeia? ~20% of you thought it was because she’s need for a plan involving Zeke, ~17% think he wants the details of Zeke’s plan from her, just over 14% said  he wants information about Eren, 4.4% of you think he wants her as a prisoner, and the overwhelming majority, at 44.6%, think it’s all of the above.

My theory is that Yelena is Magath's daughter

  WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE FINAL PANEL? 1,478 responses

Another close one. If we disregard those who selected “Avengers Assemble”, which even though we added it I have no idea if it’s meant “Hell yes, can’t wait to see the Hulk and Black Widow together again” or “Please let Tony Stark’s legacy RIP.”, The “I didn’t like it” beat out the “I liked it” by 0.3%. However you look at the data, it’s astonishing that essentially one-third of the fandom did not like this ending.

*sigh*

Get in loser, we're going to save the world

A nice cringe to start my day with :)

The old gangs back together but with ADDITIONAL TRAUMA

I think it was supposed to be satirical. A lot of us expected that the warriors and the 104th would unite again so I think Isayama made it as cliché as possible to 1)offer the readers some comic relief, 2)maybe mock his own plot and show that he's aware that this alliance is kind of cliché.

At what point did Annie and Reiner deserve to be forgiven and taken in by the SC? And why do they think they actually can (or even should) stop the Rumbling?

Marvel copied the last panel

It is a reference to Reiner’s long time ambition, and an indication to his next role. Helos perhap. But I don't think isayama would let him save the world happily. Maybe he will save the world in an ironic and tragic way.

Brilliant !!! Finally it's Connie's turn to shine.

Can't wait to see this optimism crushed. Great moment, though.

I don't understand why people think it's such a cheap cheesy ploy when it's honestly kinda obvious that they're being set up for a fall. Optimism almost always meets at the very least a bittersweet reality in this story.

It's cheesy, but people don't consider it's Connie who's saying this who is an idiot

  REGARDING THE LAST PANEL, DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE A PLAN? 1,475 responses

Nearly 70% of you believe that Final Panel Gang have a plan, while just over 30% think they’re just gonna wing it. Get it? “Wing it”?

For more serious commentary, we’re normally used to seeing “Yes/No” questions a little more perfectly split, especially the ones that involve Eren. It’s interesting to see a more unified response, even if it means that SOMEBODY on Reddit is going to say “Nice.” about the Yes vote.

Isayama will probably do a flashback of the plan, he likes doing this sort of thing lol. It was fine.

It's fine IF the planning is shown in the following chapters, but if not then it'll feel like Isayama couldn't come up with solutions and did everything off screen just because of that.

Telling the plan to the reader only works, if the plan fails.

I feel like the pacing of the chapter was this fast so that Isayama could end with the "Avengers Assemble" scene as the big volume cliffhanger for the next one, so he tried to get through the events quickly to give it that poetic ending. In that case, it's possible Isayama might show how some of these events unfolded in the next chapter or two; he usually does that kind of thing when showing big events for the first time. If the next chapter fleshes some of the scenes from this chapter more like showing Jean discussing the Avengers' plan with Mikasa and Armin, I think that could make this chapter better when we look back on it.

  WOULD YOU RATHER THIS CHAPTER HAVE BEEN SPLIT INTO TWO? 1,468 responses

Remember what I said about being accustomed to more split votes? Well, 39.5% of you said that you would prefer this chapter have been split into two, citing a lack of development, while 39.2% of you said that you’re glad Isayama is, *ahem*, moving forward with the plot. The near-perfect divisions breaks off a little bit when we consider that another ~12% said no, blaming the plots themselves for the problems with chapter, and 6% effectively voting yes, saying that the chapter should’ve been split into three.

Ask me again in a few months when we see how the whole plot wraps up and if Isayama adds any additional details via flashback.

Honestly all of these plot points could have been arcs within themselves and i wish it had been given enough time to become that

I like that the plot is progressing but i don't like the subplots being rushed

I'm happy it's going forward and not dragging on, but I would've loved more of an interaction between the scouts and annie/reiner.

One and a half

𝜋

There are various holes (lack of reaction during Annie's appearance, poor coherency of when Eren managed to speak with many people) but Isayama is giving us cool alliances, so it's half okay.

  IF YOU COULD DROP A SUBPLOT, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE? 1,463 responses

A fairly close call here, with the trip to Ragako Village being out in front with 42.6 percent of you claiming this is the subplot you would drop; Louise and Mikasa’s plot about the scarf is close behind on 36.2 percent. Perhaps readers feel the time for small subplots is done, since there’s so much still to do with the main plot we do not understand? A lot of responses indicated Mikasa’s perceived ‘cruelty’ (you’re all wrong, just so you know!) towards Louise, so perhaps this is indicative of why so many people would choose this event to be the subplot to drop.

Mikasa is just dead inside atm, but i feel bad for Louise

Mikasa knew Louise wanted that scarf, but she knew she needed it more. Plus I can barely remember Louise lol

Mikasa's behavior isn't good, but it's understandable---there are numerous mentally taxing events occurring.

Ragako stuff kinda sucked.

Goddamnit, this chapter was smelly poo. Not only we spent 3 months for nothing with that stupid Ragako plot and now everybody is holding hands just like that. If you're bringing an alliance you're not gonna make it happen offscreen with no detail whatsoever?

Ah and the Ragako subplot missed addressing the serumbowl as well: all we got is Armin whining about not being like Erwin and that's it. No Bert, no Ymir being addressed.

  IF YOU COULD HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ONE SUBPLOT IN THIS CHAPTER, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE? 1,466 responses

Another close one! “The Armin and Annie reunion” is the subplot the majority wished for more information about with nearly 30% selecting it. “The conversation with Hange and Magath” was second (25.2%) and “Escape from Shiganshina” (17.7%) was third.

I was just expecting Levi, Hange and the corps interaction would be more surprising. The same goes for Annie and Armin's convo.

The mikasa scarf submit definitely could’ve happened in another chapter. This was too rushed and I really hope no other chapters feel this way. This chapter should’ve just been the Tagalog subplot, and then Annie and armin reunion. Then another chapter with hange/levi, Jean/flock and how they all came together to join forces.

It's so obvious this mad lad Isayama wanted to break the tension from the Armin / Annie reunion scene. We never know where he's going to trick us, do we ?

I do think that many things were kind of glossed over to save time. I'd prefer that things slow down a bit, just so we can soak up all that context. For example, the conversation between Hange and Magath, Annie and Armin's reunion and others.

  WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT HOW EASILY THE ALLIANCES WERE FORMED? 1,474 responses

A mere 17.5% enjoyed how easily the alliances were formed. The majority (43%) called it “OK” while a more than a third of the fandom (36.2%) hated it. Some folks seem to indicate it was expected and just needed to happen quickly so the story could move along. However, the amount of people who hated it was too large to ignore; and largely for similar reasons, that it appeared too easy. Maybe the mistrust and emotion will come as the story moves along? Some of your responses indicate trouble ahead, if not behind.

Also Hanji sides too many times with "benefactors". I'm expecting the alliance to be shaky, with probably backstabbings and double-crossings. They seemed to make an agreement over killing Zeke (since no side likes him), and I doubt characters like Mikasa, Armin or Jean would be ok with killing Eren.

I don't get all the madness over the alliance, It was obvious it would happen. Also it's obvious all the things glossed this chapter will be shown in Flashback if important, like what lead Annie join them, on how Hanji contacted Jean (although i think a lot of people didn't notice the shadow in the window on that panel of Jean in the bed).

It was warm and fuzzy and I really needed that, but the actual details of the new alliance will absolutely need to be expounded upon soon.

it wouldve been better if connie's mom plot didn't exist we could've got a better build up to the alliance

Overall, things were way too rushed, as if Isayama just wanted to get to the last page.  I'm expecting to see how this alliance was made in flashback form, as is typical for Isayama, but that won't fix the inherent issues of this specific chapter.

Hange getting so along with Pieck, who fought against them when Erwin was killed, was a complete joke.

I don't get all the madness over the alliance, It's was obvious it would happen. Also it's obvious all the things glossed this chapter will be shown in Flashback if important, like what lead Annie join them, on how Hanji contacted Jean (although i think a lot of people didn't noticed the shadow in the window on that panel of Jean in the bed).

I love seeing them all but oh heckin it was just a little too fast

  WHICH THROWBACK DID YOU ENJOY MOST CHAPTER? 1,465 responses

“Jean remembering Marco” (31.9%) narrowly edged out “Annie kicking Reiner”(30.3%) as our favorite throwback. Levi remembering his promise was a distant third (16.2%).

That Marco’s  throwback really hit me . *SOB*

I didn't like the Erwin reference when Armin tried to sacrafice himself for connies mother, instead of falco being eaten.

Armin recognized a very important thing to himself (he can't stay trying to Erwin, he suck on that, he needs to do what he is good on it, but as his own person and not shadow of Erwin)

Where was Jean at the end there? I want him to confront Annie over Marco. Poor guy had the worst death in the series. He was murder in cold blood and then it got covered up. Plus, the only person trying to solve the mystery is Jean. Bless Jean he is such a good friend

It makes sense that Connie would say that to Reiner of all people (that line come back to his childhood trauma). Fandom freaking out and fearing a cheesy happy ending is ridiculous.

I didn’t think it was cheesy at all. It circles back to Reiner’s declaration to Keith back during the training arc.

I'm kinda sick of Reiner's Kick The Dog treatment too. I know Annie hates him but still...

  REGARDING HOW THE AVENGER'S MISSION AND THE ENDING WILL GO, WHICH OF THESE IS PREFERABLE/ACCEPTABLE TO YOU? 1,465 responses

Fans proving as ever, that they are a divisive bunch! However, it's clear that the smallest amount of responses favour the rumbling being stopped and world peace occuring (hippies!). Some responses indicate that this chapter made them nervous for the ending being overly optimistic, even with Eren as the apparent antagonist. Endings where Eren achieves an extreme form of Brexit (Paradexit?) with a victory over the armies of the world have a fairly even spread of positive responses, proving that he still has a lot of fans on his side. However, most of you responded in the vague sense of feeling like Isayama knows best and at this point, just seeing where this wild ride takes us.

I keep seeing this popular prediction on almost every platform: Eren destroys the world outside Paradise, goes back to Historia and her newborn kid (in this sort of prediction it is always assumed that he's the father), tells his kid (who is also thought to be reborn Ymir) "you're free" and goes on to be a good dad - End of story. Honestly the thought of this type of ending pisses me off so much. Not only because its reeks of typical shonen ending, but because it goes against all the themes and ideas that Isayama has written into the story over the years.

I would not be upset with a 'golden' ending. Some part of me wants that to happen.

It setup the shonen cliche route and can ruin the ending

It was very unusual for this manga. I hope that the author will come to the most logical ending and will not use the power of friendship.

Least exciting chapter I can remember; it has me apprehensive about the ending.

I hope Eren's conclusion will end with him winning, however I do not him accepting his morality and to be shocked at what he's done but to come to terms with what he's done.

While I'm more supportive of Eren, I'm fine with whichever side comes out on top of this as long as it doesn't involve Eren being stopped through Power of Friendship or Talk no Jutsu. That would feel too cheap.

  WHICH RALLYING CRY DID YOU PREFER? 1,445 responses

While the Ragako subplot wasn’t exactly loved, Connie’s rallying cry was the fandom favorite (28.4%). Hange’s plea to Magath was a close second (26%) while Floch’s message of freedom was third (25%).

  AT THIS POINT, AROUND WHICH CHAPTER DO YOU EXPECT THE MANGA WILL CONCLUDE? 1,472 responses

The pacing of this chapter and the way its implications relate to the entire manga was, if I may be so bold, one of the more talked about meta points this month, from what I’ve seen. Maybe that was the thought process behind this question. I don’t know. I didn’t write this one either. That’s a good thought process though.

Anyway, a borderline overwhelming majority of you said that the manga will end around Chapter 134 (48.4% of you). The next most common answer was Chapter 138, which would give us 12 more chapters. Chapter 130 got the least amount of votes, at 7.3%. The remaining votes went to Chapter 142+, and I appreciate that optimism, because I for one hate thinking about this question.

  WHAT ARE YOU MOST HOPING TO SEE NEXT CHAPTER? 1,475 responses

“Historia when?” (26%) tops the list followed by the long awaited Eren POV (23.5%). “Details on things glossed over this chapter” was the third pick (22.7%) followed by “Zeke, Eren and OG Ymir” (11.6%).

I can't wait to see Zeke's reaction at seeing Levi AGAIN ready to fuck him up.

Historia when?? Also, Hange needs a hug, Levi needs sleep, Armin and Annie need to talk, Falco needs to deal with his brother's death some more, and we all need Erwin to come back :(

I hope we get flashbacks to explain all this off screen development.

Isayama please for the love of god remember that Historia exists.

Where is HISTORIA

where is zeke?

  WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 1,401 responses

Reddit continues to dominate this question, pulling 44.9% of the vote. “I don’t” actually takes second place this month, with Tumblr coming next, followed very closely by Twitter, which is in turn followed closely by Discord. In descending order from there, we have real life, 4chan, Youtube, a two-way tie between Instagram and Facebook, and everything else has less than 10 votes.

Before I move on though, it’s absolutely critical that I draw your attention to last month’s poll. Last month, I said, and I quote,

“Lastly, something ominous is going on in the Snapchat cult, because there were only two of you this month, down from five last month. That’s still enough to reproduce though and it makes me uneasy.“

“Why are you bringing that up?” you may be asking yourself. I’m bringing it up because Snapchat got SIX votes this time. “Why does that matter?” you ask yourself next. I’m glad you asked. That’s a 300% increase. If that rate continues, in just five month’s time, there will be more members of the Snapchat cult than the rest of you COMBINED.

That’s not to say anything more than it says, but I should add that I was totally vindicated on the Snapchat cult reproduction theory. Having done the math, you guys DEFINITELY scare me more than the people who liked “Pieck Finger”.

  ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER? 375 responses

Remember kids, the world is currently supposed to be ending

I know most people hated how rushed it felt, but honestly, I'm glad this wasn't split into 2 months. This leaves more time for the conclusion, and would much rather the alliances be rushed rather than the ending.

While it's certainly sad that Louise may not be long for this world, I also don't think Mikasa owes her anything. Mikasa seems to see a lot of traits she dislikes about herself cranked up to 11 in Louise, and I think it's understandable to need to distance oneself from toxic ideas or people. Mikasa and Louise were never friends, they never really knew each other, and never really cared about each other. Sure, Louise idolized an idea of Mikasa, but she put herself as separate from the real Mikasa, lesser. These two strangers never had a real chance to truly know each other, and that's okay, sad but okay.

While the panel of Annie with a face stuffed with pie is a gem, I think it seemed almost too good a coincidence. Both parties (Armin, Connie and the kids and Hitch & Annie) happen to be taking a break from their travels at the same time in the same city at the same festival. Seemed a bit too lucky.

Isayama has a bias against the yeagerists too. Portraying them as mindless dumbasses that are evil for no reason. Look at Floch everytime he has a moment it gets cut short for a "oh look at this dumbass" type of conclusion like him missing the shot at Shadis and getting duped by Jean and the 104th.

my dumb shipper’s heart wants Pieck’s reaction to Porco’s death.

this chapter felt too 'super hero movie' to me, in the sense that it was way too optimistic and cheesy, nothing like the Attack on Titan I know and love. Isayama's been watching too much Marvel.

A rushed chapter, Isayama may have messed up some timelines (e.g. Louise's talk with Eren, the changes in day and night), maybe Isayama was too focused on SAUNA SAUNA SAUNA when he was drawing the chapter but anyway, if the chapter was rushed because he wants to move to next plots (eee....east...eeeek...Ki....), I'm fine with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Chapter Would've been terrific if it weren't for the rushed forced alliance. Mikasa's character also seemed out of place this chapter.

is not a bad chapter but at the same time is not a godly chapter like others but i have faith on isayama that he will blow our minds

Felt very disappointed and it is as if this story is moving to black and white territory again.

Good fast development, optimistic that what was glossed over will be addressed. A bit antsy that this is a setup for some tragedy but I don’t expect total senseless ruin for the characters.

I don't really see where all the complaints are coming from, to me the chapter must be one of my all time favorites ever since I've started reading the manga at the regular monthly pace. I think the build up and the tension have been steadily increasing slowly enough up to this point, and now we've finally reached the top of the roller coaster tracks, and it's time for the ride to the conclusion. I loved the mysterious plan, it reminds me of the uprising arc (ah the good old times).

I hope the author just got a bit lost and had to put things back on track quickly. I want to feel for these characters, not find out that I followed their struggles for chapters to see them dissolve for the sake of the plot.

Eren has suffered a lot over the years and a lot of things have been TAKEN from him - but do you remember "In order to achieve something, you have to give up something important"? I don't think Eren has ever GIVEN up something of his. He's always been a little maniac intent on killing the enemy (which is what he is doing right now). There have been so many characters in the story that have given up their dreams and finally their lives, why is Eren the one that gets to have his cake and eat it too?

I love it cause we need some time of just relax and be happy before the sad ending

I’m hoping the next chapter will make this one better by fleshing things out. Also seeing Annie and Reiner reunite made me deeply miss Bertolt this month.

JE VEUX PAS QUE CE MANGA FINISSE OMG

Reiner getting kicked in the face to wake up and understanding nothing is all of us

The more things don't seem to add up, the more you have to pay attention, that's what I learnt reading this series. And a whole lot didn't seem to add up in this chapter so I'm super hyped!

This is easily one of the weakest chapters Isayama has ever written. After creating all of these subplots that we were expecting to go somewhere and hold emotional weight for the characters were written off into cheap one-liners, off screen reactions and discussion, and just overall completely weak subplots that left us with no emotional payoff.

Boii I'm glad the development on the characters matters only when its relevant to the plot, I almost forget that I used to like them. If Reiner of all people doesn't point out how creepy and disgusting it all is I don't know what to say, what a waste of time of a series.

Connie mentioning Sasha made me cry! Actually makes me wish Eren pulls some time travel shit so that we can have our girl back.

Can I just say I find it funny, and I really love Pieck regardless, it is just a last name after all.

Good, but the former-enemy to friendly-pie-eating turnover rate was wayyyyy too fast!

I thought this chapter was it for Connie, who has been one of my favorites since the beginning. It was a bit sudden but I'm glad him not feeding Falco to his mom is Canon AND that it strengthened his bond with Armin.

It feels like none of the Jeagerists really see clearly what the situation is, or at least don't have an ounce of understanding or sympathy why everyone else is scared and freaked out by what has happened. That in turn makes it harder for non-Jeagerists to act with sympathy, what a vicious cycle.

What bothers me the most is not the way Mikasa interacted with Louise, but the fact that she wanted the scarf back. On a symbolic level, she left it behind a few chapters ago, which meant that she no longer put Eren first and started thinking about herself. She recognized that her bond with Eren was severed. So why take that scarf back now, when it's not supposed to have that much importance anymore?

I can see either the next chapter or the one after showing a flashback of Jean, Armin, and Mikasa discussing that plan. Cutting some parts of a scene and showing it in the following chapter or two is usually an Isayama thing to do.

I don't know why everyone's expecting every single piece of exposition to be laid out for them like meeting minutes. This isn't the first time we've understood what's been going on behind the scenes after the fact.

At the start Connie struggles to hold his emotions, and suddenly he's a hero, cheesy and cliche

Excuse me but can we stop making Gabi involved in everything? Shes so OP at this point

I loved the mockery of the cliche superhero assemble bullshit

STARDUST CRUSADERS

The cringe made me develop a permanent seizure. Also both my eyeballs are still stuck in the back of my head because of the excessive force I used trying to roll my eyes.

The team-up should have been given more time to develop. It wasn’t all bad though.

X-Men on their way to stop Magneto (Eren)

The problem does not lie so much in the pace as in the script tension, which Isayama killed a little in this chapter but intentionally I think. I mean the guys are literally sleeping and eating like it was a party during the freaking end of the world, do you really think he would have let such a thing slip out of clumsiness?

I'm pretty sure that Levi will have the role of "Helos", and Hange his 'Tybur' collaborator, because she's holding a hammer like the guy/girl next to Helos during the play (ch99).

Not the usual quality.

8/10. I liked annie's reunion the best, but wish that hitch had more characterization and wasn't written out so quickly. Ragako subplot was fine but predictable. Louise subplot kinda boring. Avengers assemble at the end was very anime and I liked it.

A peaceful chapter before the storm

A thought: What if Ackermans are the only ones able to actually kill off the Nine Titans? We know they’re byproducts of titan science, maybe they were created to annihilate them? That’d be devastating to see Levi or Mikasa kill Eren and Armin. I’d love it. 😂

Annie is the best girl

Anyone pretending this chapter wasn't utter shit is in hardcore denial.

Did not like the assemble. Nobody can forget what happened in the recent past of Paradis and what the warriors did. But have hope in Isayama

Do Gabi and Falco know that Armin is the Collosal Titan? I thought Connie might let that slip to them and it might create tension between Gabi and Armin but.... No. Everything about that subplot was insanely rushed, there were a lot of ways it could have played out.

Aforementioned last page quote that is so unlike SnK up to this point. Cringey and straight out of an Avengers movie, I can't believe there are people who actually like this development.

I hope Isayama isn't overworking and rushing himself to finish the manga just for the sake of finishing it this year, but I still believe he will finish SnK in a satisfactory manner that will be memorable for decades. However, this chapter as well as 125 were very disappointing and lowered my expectations considering how good the entire final arc had been up to this point.

Errrwiiiiiiiinnnn!!!!!

game of thrones level of trash, i hope for god that the aot ending isn't as bad as final season game of thrones

I didn’t like the Ragako subplot, but I did like Connie saving Armin and their heart-to/heart afterwards.

I don’t think the chapter was rushed. Glad to see Armin finally doing SOMETHING, and I hope it was more a gamble than him wanting to die. Hange’s monologue was so out of character, everyone knows Hange would never want to live in the woods, yet it looks like Hange always  gets discouraged and needs encouragement from somebody else. Seriously, that’s not the Hange we all know. Where’s the ‘defeat is all the Survey Corps ever knew, let’s kick asses!!’ Hange?? that interaction with Pieck brought some of it back thankfully

I don’t understand why everyone is complaining lol

I enjoyed how quickly it moved. We’ve been down in the doldrums since December, so I’m glad to see the characters & the pace picking back up again.

I hate how quickly Hanji becomes depressed. Armin, Jean - they overcame their doubts by themselves. Yet Hanji always needs someone else to tell them to stop being ridiculous. It’s like Levi is babysitting Hanji :/ I miss good, old, badass Hanji

I miss hitch already

I noticed that the way Floch gesticulates during his speech was very reminiscent of how Hitler gave his speeches

I really like Hanji and Levi’s friendship and how Levi always knows what to say to encourage his friends but can we please stop with Hanji being so emotionally weak? I love Hanji, but c’mon- Levi was seriously injured and still needs to treat Hanji like she’s a wounded kid. Jean came to his senses on his own, same for Armin and Mikasa. All they needed was to remember people who died, did Hanji not lose enough comrades to find her strength from? Hanji is one of two veterans left and the commander(!), it really hurts to see her so pathetic, that was hard to read. Glad she looks more like old Hanji at the end of the chapter

I wanted more Annie and Hitch adventures and feel deprived.

i wish there was more to the reunion of Annie & co, but whatever, let’s just move on with this plot.

I'm in the minority here, but I actually liked the chapter. Sure the pacing was a bit off, but this may be because we're getting a detailed explanation for it in an upcoming chapter. Other than that I find it somewhat amusing that so many people that a team-up wasn't happening. Like there was so much goddamned FORESHADOWING about it. Plus the fact that Isayama basically flat-out admitted that he was going to create a team-up a-la Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm not expecting roses and fluffiness at the end of the road, I see a lot of people dying. And I still don't know who's gonna be the victor at the end. It just seemed really clear to me where these character arcs were/are heading. I still have faith in Yams. He hasn't disappointed me yet, so let's just see what he has in store for us.

It feels like Isayama is rushing to finish it off just like Kishimoto did with Naruto Shippuuden and that makes me very sad. I'm worried he'll destroy everything he did until now.

It felt incredibly unrealistic. What I have appreciated most about SnK is its narrative integrity and ability to produce results proportional to the protagonists' abilities. Currently, this feels rather forced. When did they come up with these plans? How could they possibly have alerted Jean ahead of time without anything being shown? It feels like a cheat. Also, I don't like that its just them going after Eren. Realistically, in SnK, a small group of characters, even with their level of power, shouldn't consider going after him how they have. If anything they need to face reality and prepare for the world to come after the rumbling, since if I think anybody in their position would think it is utterly impossible to stop it.

I feel like the pacing of the chapter was this fast so that Isayama could end with the "Avengers Assemble" scene as the big volume cliffhanger for the next one, so he tried to get through the events quickly to give it that poetic ending. In that case, it's possible Isayama might show how some of these events unfolded in the next chapter or two; he usually does that kind of thing when showing big events for the first time. If the next chapter fleshes some of the scenes from this chapter more like showing Jean discussing the Avengers' plan with Mikasa and Armin, I think that could make this chapter better when we look back on it.

It was warm and fuzzy and I really needed that, but the actual details of the new alliance will absolutely need to be expounded upon soon.

It was...fine.

It wasn’t so bad, the hate is really annoying.

It's clear SNK is ending soon so before we see Eren and what else is going on with the rumbling Hisayama wants to close plots with other characters BUT IMO the price of this is giving us less hyped chapters since the walls broke and we still have to see the new Eren titan form…

Just to clarify, "Which throwback did you enjoy most chapter" is intended to be an English sentence, yes? Quality work here as usual, tumblr/reddit big-shots. I hope no one lets you guys near an actual workplace where what you do matters. (A/N: Well you didn't capitalise Tumblr or Reddit so who is the real villain here?)

Let Levi kill that ape. Please. He’s gone through so much and lost everything. Give him just this one little thing

Let's say we generally agreed that this chapter is bad.

Not nearly as bad as people say it was like Jesus heck calm down. I mostly feel bad for isayama tbh he’s probably being pressured to wrap it up and he’s not usually one to not give moments like this chapter proper time.

It's hard to say why Isayama decided to wrap up things fairly quickly, whether he has later flashbacks planned or whether he was overwhelmed with time pressure/suffered a writer's block of whatever. I think, in the end, if the rest of the story wraps up strong, it doesn't matter much.

I'm happy with what happened in this chapter, except the fact that it was rushed and Levi's plot armor, I mean Ackermann blood. He should have lost at least a leg...

The only solace I take in all of this is that the plot can finally move forward. This has been an entire volume of seemingly pointless side quests and I'm ready to focus again on the main story. Frankly, I'm exhausted. I just want answers and I want to know how the story finds resolution.

We had several excellent chapters recently, a subpar one is understandable. Hopefully the Anime will expand on it a bit

[dorovahkiin]

S の K Chapter 126 last panel talk (SPOILER ALERT)

My friend Hazza’s perspective needs to be heard, so I am sharing his thoughts here: 

“This might sound weird and it could be purely because of my strong reiner bias, but I liked the final panel because it seemed to be from reiners perspective, reiners always wanted to be a hero that saves the world and it just feels like hes being told this in his chance or something”

A lot of people don’t like this last panel because it’s cheesy af. It is. 

But first we need to consider it’s Connie who is saying those words, and Connie would say something cheesy like that. Also, as Hazza mentions, this panel is from Reiner’s perspective. As a child he always wanted to be a hero who saves the world. This was kinda a naive wish, but now at the present this panel actually implies that Reiner receives another chance to recompense. I can imagine he had to think about his childhood dream when Connie said those words (next to being totally confused of course lol).

Furthermore, remember Connie used to be very close to Reiner and it seemed like Reiner’s treason hurt Connie the most. Considering this it’s very interesting to see that Connie is the one who asks Reiner to join them. I have absolutely no idea what they are planning to do, but I trust that Isayama is going to give us an amazing continuation to the story we love so much. I’m sure we’re gonna get more dialogue between all characters next chapter, so don’t worry. This chapter alone feels rushed, but I’m sure it will make much more sense once we’ll get the future chapters.

CHEERS AND POUNDTOWN! 😉

...Now I’m hungry lol. 

[artemis-snking]

My IMmEDIate response was to think of the avengers theme playing in the background.

Also, we stan Connie’s character development in this chapter.👌🏼👌🏼 Perfection 😗👌🏼

[arlingtonpark]

SNK 126 Review

TFW you know you’re going to die. 

Just…where to even start.

God damn this chapter.

Rushed. Rushed. Rushed. Rushed. Rushed. Everything about this chapter was rushed. I don’t know what Isayama’s final destination is, but he sure pulled out all the stops to get there as fast as possible. Every possible chance Isayama could cut a corner, he took it. In every possible way.

People are speculating that we’ll get flashbacks that’ll sooth the sting of this chapter. I doubt it.

Attack on Titan has been pretty flashback heavy this past arc, but that was an artistic decision that served the story.

There was a three year time skip and that time needed to be filled out. We jumped ahead three years and suddenly Eren is AWOL and working with Zeke.

Showing events unfolding on Paradis interspersed with flashbacks to key moments during the time skip was a storytelling device.

Firstly, it allowed Isayama to control how much we knew about our character’s motivations.

Stuff happened in those three years, and those events have shaped the character’s actions in the present. Through strategically placed flashbacks, Isayama was able to slowly reveal new, relevant information about everyone’s motivations.

Secondly, flashbacks also allowed Isayama to build suspense. Again, flashbacks are strategically placed to reveal only what’s relevant.

When it seemed Eren was working with Zeke, we only saw stuff that made it seem like he was working with Zeke. Now that we know Eren was always working against Zeke, we’re seeing stuff that more directly deals with his true motivations.

And finally, having flashbacks helped keep things interesting. There’s a lot of political maneuvering during the post-Marley Arc chapters, and while well told, it could easily have been boring. Cutting between past and present was a way to break up these sequences of people mostly just talking with each other with something most would find interesting.

Having flashbacks actively improved the story.

Now think about chapter 126. What purpose would flashbacks serve here?

The answer is none. No artistic purpose, anyway. There probably will be flashbacks, but that’d be damage control, not artistry.

My hunch is that the gaps in the story are more due to rushed pacing, or even worse, Isayama just not caring. I think this becomes clear when you look at the totality of…whatever this chapter is.

True, we don’t see when Hange and co. made contact with Armin and co. and when they hooked up with Jean and Mikasa.

And it’s true we also didn’t see important beats like why Annie decided to join up, or why Magath and Pieck joined, too.

But we also didn’t see a lot of smaller stuff that we, nevertheless, *should* have seen.

Falco said he heard Connie mention Ragako Village while they were camped out. That didn’t happen on screen, but Connie was shown talking out loud, briefly. We are apparently supposed to take it as a given he mentioned Ragako, too. At some point.

When Armin and Gabi confront Connie in Ragako, they ride in on horseback and stop when Connie threatens Falco. But towards the end of the scene, we see that Armin and Gabi are standing on the ground. At some prior point, they dismounted their horses off screen.

Falco loved his brother. Then Colt died and Falco had a role in that. He died in Falco’s transformation. Hugging him. Crying for him. Falco never knew before now. His brother was dead and he never even realized. Now he learns it.

Off. Fucking. Screen.

He’s crying with Gabi and at first it seemed he was just overwhelmed by what happened.

Then I saw his speech bubble.

Falco [sobbing]: Colt.

Are you fucking kidding me. 

Things reach peak IDGAF during Onyankopon’s execution scene. In one panel, Jean is standing to Onyankopon’s back right. Next panel, he’s teleported to the back left. Then Jean points his gun at Onyankopon, and he’s on the back right again! When Jean pulls the trigger, he’s back to being on the left.

I doubt there’ll be flashbacks to any of this shit. These moments were obviously skipped because Isayama dropped the ball.

Maybe the homebuilder will go back and add that much needed support beam, but considering they seemingly forgot to fireproof the chimney, they probably aren’t.

I call it the Principle of Brown M&Ms. Whenever Van Halen played a concert, they stipulated in their contract that their dressing room be furnished with a bowl of m&ms, no brown ones.

If there really was a bowl with no brown m&ms, they could be sure that venue management was diligent and on their game. If they cared to fulfill a small detail like that, they could be trusted to care about crew safety, etc.

Van Halen should trash Isayama’s house I will crowd fund the money.

I have little trust in Isayama to do this right. Looking at the totality of the chapter, it’s clear these are mistakes rather than decisions.

The through line of this chapter is suicide.

They’re all going to die. All of them. And they know it.

Just look at their faces in the final shot. Expressions range from stone-faced (Armin) to shitting the bed (Gabi). They all know this means death.

No one is doing this because they think they can win, except maybe Annie.

Connie’s logic was that he wanted to be a soldier his mom would be proud of. Fighting Eren is where this logic takes him. No plan for actually winning is brought up, he just decides fighting the good fight is what makes a mom proud.

Hange is doing this for the sake of not running away. They consider doing what Shadis rejected: living the rest of their days shitting on a mountain. The reason they’re not currently doing that is just what Levi said: they don’t stop.

Magath admitted last chapter that they couldn’t win, but that informing the world of the apocalypse was better than waiting to die. Fighting Eren against all hope isn’t far from that, so that’s probably their primary motivation as well.

I’m willing to bet Armin is similarly motivated. There’s a very revealing parallel between Armin and Connie in this chapter, though an underdeveloped one.

Connie wants to be a soldier his mom could be proud of. But, of course, Erwin is Armin’s idea of a soldier to be proud of. Erwin was charismatic, smart, and kept calm under fire.

Connie and Armin strive for essentially the same ideal. Being a good soldier. That means slightly different things to each of them, but broadly, it’s the same.

Mind you, Armin’s idea of Erwin is significantly more sanitized than the real Erwin was, but that’s not the point. For all his flaws, Erwin genuinely was someone to look up to. He showed true leadership, intelligence, and empathy. He was a good person all around.

Armin didn’t even want to think about fighting Eren; he had given up hope on that. Would Erwin have done that?

My guess is that Armin thinks taking down Eren is how he can truly become like Erwin Smith. Erwin never lost sight of the main objective, even if it meant long odds. Save humanity. That meant getting to that basement, so they went to that basement. 

Right now, saving humanity means stopping Eren.

Chances are slim, too, but that never stopped Erwin, either. Armin knows that. Once a goal was set on, Erwin never wavered. He pushed towards it. 

So you’ve got humanity’s fate on the line and an impossible obstacle to fight if victory is to achieved. Sounds like a classic survey corps mission. No wonder Armin is doing this.

Jean is doing this because of his conscious. Floch tempted him with a chance to peace out. Instead, he chose to peace out and kill Eren. 

He could have lived a quiet life. Not just a life he wanted before, but arguably the life he deserves after all the misery he’s endured. He said no.

He let Marco infect his brain and now he can’t not be good.

This is what happens when you huff ashes.

Levi is doing this because he made a promise to Erwin and he stands by that. Killing Zeke was the last order Erwin gave him. Levi promised he’d carry it out. If he fails, he fails Erwin. I don’t think Levi’s ever contemplated failing, but honestly, it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t take that shame to his grave.

Gabi’s already resolved to fight Eren, so she’s just sticking to what she’s already planned.

No idea why Annie is doing this, so don’t ask. >.>

They’re doing this because they refuse to roll over. They can’t respect themselves if they do. Not Hange, not Connie, not Jean.

They can’t take pride in themselves otherwise.

So they’ll march to their deaths, and they don’t care if there’s no hope. They’re throwing their lives away, but they know it’s the right thing to do.

Unfortunately, most of this, admittedly pretty cool, character work happens off screen.

God damn this chapter.

So. Much. Of this chapter was mishandled.

Connie’s subplot resolution was the most blatant example.

I already mentioned Falco hearing stuff from Connie off screen. And Armin and Gabi dismounting their horses…at some point. The BS continues afterwards.

Armin pleads for Falco’s life, but Connie claims Armin is telling him to give up on his mom, and Armin is totally shut down by this.

LOL.

This is the exact same objection Connie raised the last time they spoke. What stopping Connie would mean for his mom was specifically on Armin’s mind when he set out with Gabi.

Like, Armin, bruh, you really had nothing to say to that?

He really, really didn’t think to come up with a response. Armin. The guy who tends to overthink things.

Fine, whatever. So Connie’s objection causes Armin to spiral into self-loathing despair.

The stakes are dizzyingly high.

A child taken hostage.

A deranged man threatens to kill him.

The boy’s girlfriend is there. She’s smart, but still just a kid. And she doesn’t know this man. She doesn’t know how to talk to him, she doesn’t understand his motives, she’s not very emotionally mature herself.

But she’s desperate. Desperate.

Armin is the only one who’s kept his head. It has to be him.

He needs to calm the madman down, convince him killing the kid isn’t the right way, and maybe assure him an alternative solution exists.

Erwin probably could’ve done it. He was charismatic, smart, and calm under fire.

Armin…was not that here. It was genuinely stupid of him to not have come prepared. Like, at even a basic level.

He failed.

So fuck it, at least if the mommy titan ate him, Falco will live, the mom will be back, and Gabi can have her boyfriend.

So Armin throws himself at the titan, and it was only happenstance that everything worked out.

That’s the logic of this scene, but it’s all muddled. The stupidity Armin displayed dampened the drama. 

The speed with which he falls into despair was unnatural. Armin’s badly insecure about living up to Erwin’s image, but it’s never been shown to be this bad.

There’s no believable progression to Armin’s feelings. He tried to be a hero, he face-planted, now he wants to die. They sort of skipped a couple of beats here.

Then Connie says maybe the stupidest thing he’s ever said in the manga: that inheriting the Colossal Titan would only have made his mom suffer.

???

So giving her the Colossal Titan would be bad, but not the Jaw?

I just assumed Connie thought turning his mom into a titan was worth it in the end. Did he just now realize how bad that would have been?

The series can’t just not address this. Connie named killing Falco and Armin as the bad things he did. Is he really not going to grapple with almost turning his mom into a titan, which he only implicitly admits was a bad thing?

Next scene is Louise and Mikasa.

Louise is a very devoted person. She cares deeply for Mikasa because Mikasa saved her life, and inspired her to devote her heart. She enlisted in the military, risked her life for her country, and now she’s on her deathbed, mortally wounded in battle. Not many people would speak ill of her like I would.

…

Is there anyone in this manga as pathetic as Louise?

Really, is there anyone?

Louise was saved from a titan by Mikasa. This inspired her to fight for her country.

Ok, that’s good.

She admires Mikasa and dreams of fighting by her side.

Yeah, that’s fine. We all wish we could hang with our heroes.

Then she took the scarf Mikasa threw away for herself. Because she thought it’d bring her closer to her.

Like how a stalker rifles through their victim’s trash for keepsakes.

That’s. pathetic.

It is pathetic how much Louise pines for Mikasa.

Compare Louise x Mikasa to Mikasa x Eren all you like, it’s not the same thing.

Mikasa and Eren were family. Their love is at minimum familial. Mikasa pines for Eren, which she very annoyingly never addressed, but there’s a sense to it.

When Mikasa lost her family, she was a helpless kid who had nothing. The Jeagers, and especially Eren, helped her rebuild her life. They took her into their home and accepted her as a family member.

The scarf matters, but only because it represents the humanity Mikasa was shown when she needed it most. She is endlessly grateful for that.

So of course she’d break the law for Eren, many family members would. Her willingness to do anything to save Eren bordered on derangement, but she’s gotten better at that. And she’s reevaluating her image of Eren in light of recent…happenings, which is good.

Louise is just a goddamn fangirl.

She doesn’t know Mikasa. She doesn’t pal around with her. She just stalks her like a creep.

Maybe they could have been friends. If Louise had just approached her, explained her story, and tried to befriend her, they could’ve become good friends. Certainly, Mikasa would have been flattered to see she inspired someone so much.

But that’s not what happened. Louise chose to be a stalker instead of a friend. I don’t think she was ever really interested in Mikasa as a person, though.

This is the likely last time she and Mikasa will interact, and Mikasa was so cold to her. Louise didn’t care. She got to fight alongside her hero for a time and that was enough. That’s so childish.

She looked up to Mikasa, but never seemed to want to befriend her. She just wanted to fight alongside her. I don’t think I’ll ever understand people like Louise.

If you respect someone so much, why wouldn’t you want to get to know them?

She said she’d die with no regrets because of this.

No regrets over never befriending her hero. No regrets over Floch, who lead her movement, putting people against the wall. No self-reflection. Nothing.

What a sad life to have lived.

She never questioned herself or what she felt. Just stunningly unself-aware.

…Maybe Daz would be more pathetic, but he’s more of a caricature of a pitiable person, so he doesn’t count.

Louise was a perfect fit for the Yeagerists. Louise, Floch, Eren. These people think with their hearts instead of their brains. They act on their feelings with no thought. It’s animalistic.

Eren loves his country, so now he’s off killing everyone else. Floch feels righteous indignation, so now he’s fucking over everyone who opposes him. Louise feels admiration for Mikasa, so now she’s dead.

Floch is holding his Trump rally, and declaring ultimate victory. i swear, Floch talks like a politician giving a stump speech. It’s the same prepared remarks with the same talking points over and over and over again.

“We are persecuted. All hail Eren the Liberator. He will set us free. Make me King of Ape Mountain.”

You can just tell Floch isn’t a very creative person. He’s repetitive as hell, a real one-man act. 

Then one of the dumbest moments in the chapter happens.

Mikasa is watching Floch’s speech for some reason. Then Some Guy approaches her, and casually asks if she wants to help lead Paradis.

Who is this guy?

Why is he asking her this?

Why is this guy pointing out Jean for no reason?

Clearly the point is to establish Mikasa’s stance on helping the Jeagerists, and to hint at Jean’s coming betrayal, but, jeeeeeez, was this badly telegraphed.

Isayama’s never been all that subtle, but this is just bad. It reads like the first draft of a story than a finished product. 

Next dumb scene.

Connie, Armin, and the kids are eating their way to Reiner, and they just bump into Annie, and even though she admits she’s committed awful crimes, Connie just starts paling around with her.

Huh?

His friends betraying him and killing other friends was, like, a thing with Connie. He had major beef with Eren for this exact reason. He specifically named Annie as an example of this.

Eren, Reiner, Bertolt, Annie. He trusted these people; they betrayed that trust and he was tired of it. Good people were killed by that betrayal. Including Sasha, whom he cared for more than anyone. 

Now it’s all good?

This is terrible character writing. Connie’s character was totally shat on by this chapter. 

I doubt we’ve seen the last of Hitch. That line about not finishing the pie alone is obvious set up for her searching Annie out and helping take down Eren.

Finishing off a pie is a group effort; the more the better. Also finishing off the zombie savior thing Eren’s become. That, too.

I’ve already talked about Jean, but wow, he’s such a good kid now.

The plan was for the Cart Titan to grab Yelena, Onyankopon, and Jean, and get out. They couldn’t have accounted for everything, though, like Floch happening to be in danger of being crushed as the Cart did her thing.

Floch and Jean do not get along. They’re enemies, politically and personally.

Jean still pushed him out of the way.

That was nice, but it was a critical blunder.

If Jean had held Floch close instead, they both would have been taken. Floch could have been their prisoner along with Yelena.

But, nope, Floch will continue to solidify his power and even if everyone survives, they won’t be able to oppose him.

The future looks super bleak no matter what happens. Eren will destroy the world and Floch will rule the Earth, or Eren will be stopped and the world will destroy Paradis in retaliation.

There is no way this is some gambit by Eren to unite the world. That makes no sense.

The world hates Eldians because they fear the Wall Titans will crush them.

The exact thing Eren’s doing now.

Eren will unite the world, but only in hatred of Eldians. If Eren is stopped, the world will be more committed to eliminating Paradis than ever before.

…Did the dialogue seem worse this time around?

“Titan doctor Hange.”

“We’ll listen before we shoot.”

“You just told me not to say a word, so I’ll show you with my actions.”

“Those burned bones would never forgive me.”

Who wrote that?

This chapter in general suffers from what you could call Season 3-itis. The anime adaptation of the Uprising Arc, in season 3, had a similar problem with rushing important moments. In season 3, part 1 important stuff happens and the characters engage with these events like real people. They react to what’s happening.

In the anime, stuff just happens. There are plot beats to get through, so the characters perform their beats and then it’s off to the next beat. The characters don’t react to what’s happening, they perform the story beat given to their character. It’s a robotic form of storytelling with no humanity behind it.

There is no gravitas.

So it is here. The fast pace of this chapter is unnatural. It breaks immersion and makes the story seem unrealistic.

This chapter was so inexplicable. Isayama just…stopped caring. Some other explanation would be nice, but in a vacuum, this is the likeliest one. He just stopped caring.

Never forget, this is Attack on Titan. A story about everything good in the world getting ruined. Up to and including the quality of the story itself.

So will they succeed?

Eren is apparently doing this to protect them, so if they just stood in a line in front of him, and dared him to kill them…

It might give him pause.

……They’re dead.

[levihantrash]

extended head cannon while hange sews up levi's wounds [SNK chapter 126]

rly loved reading the coloured version of the manga (twt @SCNK_Official did the wonderful coloring) and i wrote an extended scene between these two in this very intimate, precious interaction. [it's angsty hours]

Hange cleans and sews up the deep gashes that line his face. Levi’s unconscious face made him look young—incredibly so. Hange muses about the Ackerman blood and how it has apparently made Levi incapable of dying. They don’t stop talking because if they did, they would hear their own thoughts in their ears. Thoughts of running away. Thoughts of them dying. Thoughts of a never-ending war. They ask Levi, why is peace so difficult? Why is it so hard for people to get along? Childish idealisms. Hange had never asked for the responsibility of political infighting; they had merely wanted to communicate their desire for knowledge… knowledge that was supposed to benefit them all.

Hange continues talking to what they had assumed was an unconscious Levi. They delicately touched the unscarred part of his face, hand trembling. Two fingers latch on to their wrist as Levi opens an eye. He asks them, why are you shaking? You were perfectly capable of sewing up this shit-beaten face, he says. His grip on their wrist is so hard that he, too, is shaking, whether at the exertion of muscle, or something else.

What are you doing, holding on so hard? Hange smiles, so mournfully that Levi wants nothing more than to wipe it off. Just cry, four-eyes, he scolds them breathlessly. Cry all you want. And Hange does. It is not sobbing. Just streaks and streaks of burdened tears, and Levi lets them drip on his neck. If Hange has sewed his injuries, his heart is one that bursts through, bleeding alongside their silent, helpless tears. And he allows himself, finally, some emotion, as water collects itself in his eyes.

[momtaku]

Moooom uhhhhh I hate asking this but what is IFKK? I might sound so stupid hahahaha 😅

Don't feel dumb. When IFKK started appearing on my dash, I had to ask someone too 😅

IFKK is the levihan ship communities acronym for 'Isso futaride kokode kurasoka' which is the question Hange posed to Levi in chapter 126 asking if it's better to stay in the forest than face the war. So IFKK is a shorthand for people talking about the forest scene somewhat romantically.

I hope that's correct. If not, paging @glassesandswords for clarification since she is the one who originally explained it to me.

[super-peace-fangirl]

"I know you..." of course you do Levi, more than anybody else 😭💖