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elmundodeflor · 2 years

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Hanji is like the sun. Warm, and bright and inviting.

"We should stop for now.", they suggest, as they put a pile of paper work to the side. And he can't say no. He can never say no.

They are in Marley, in one of the many rooms the Azumabito mansion has to spare. The kids have gone outside searching for Eren and they took the time to fill in some last minute reports in between. He's laying on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, arms relaxed over the backrest. Hanji stands still against the windowsill before him; their silhouette a sharp contrast to the orange-painted skies glimmering outside.

"Whatever.", he mutters. "What do you wanna do?"

They turn back to look at him; their chin held between their thumb and index finger. A sign that they are already deep in thought. A familiar expression that Levi has learnt to love over the years, too.

"Maybe put some music on?", they say. And their one good eye lights up at the idea.

Levi huffs, but gets up and makes his way to the little turntable in the corner. Onyankopon had taught them how to use it back in Paradis, not that long ago. He has to admit it's kind of fascinating, the fact that you can record any sound in the world and then play it back on. Like an echo of the soul.

"Is this okay?', he asks. He's struggling to figure out what knobs to turn and what buttons to push, but tries his best not to let it show. Hanji hums in response once the disc is already spinning along.

"It's lovely.", they nod. Music now fills in the silence, vibrates and soars through the air. They're able to recognize the striking tuning of the piano, the soft strum of the guitar in the back, even. It's magic to the ears; electricity that shakes them up in ways that feel new and entracing.

Levi watches, back from his old spot in the corner of the couch. Hanji's singing, too invested in the melody that suddenly escapes them, and he can't help but notice how tender their voice sounds. It's a beautiful sight to witness, he thinks: a spectacle for one, like poetry in motion.

They twril and turn and twist around on their heel; hips swinging, arms lifted over their head. Their cheeks glow in a faint pink, their breath falters. It's a liberating sensation, to dance loose like that, to let themselves flow free, like a streaming river that breaks wild into the ocean. Levi can't remember when was the last time he has seen them this happy.

"Oi, four eyes.", he calls, so hushed they don't even listen. And it's just like the old days. When the rage of the world still hadn't gone down on them. When there was still a flicker of hope burning fierce, tucked inside their wide curious gazes.

Hanji shakes their hips again. And Levi wants to touch them. Oh, how he wants to touch them. They had taken off their vest suit and undid the tight knot of their tie, too. Their shirt is vaguely unbuttoned, exposing the tanned skin hidden underneath every time they move. He thinks that, maybe, if he was courageous enough, he would walk over to them and put his hands on their waist. Just to see how it feels like, if only for once.

Outside, the Marleyan skies bleed fractioned into a million different colors, seeping wide through the opened windows. Hanji dances and dances, grazed by the last scraps of daylight, and Levi is completely unable to look away, deeply lost to their rhythm.

He recalls the moment he saw the sun for the first time, back when he was an unexperienced soldier and the world was new. It's a smiliar sensation to what he's feeling now, he recognizes: his heart the same syncopated pulse beating unsteady to the broad view. Hanji as shiny and out of reach as the burning blue painted infinite above his head.

He knows now, as the song reaches its climax, that Hanji most likely is the sun. And that he, irrevocably, undoubtedly, undeniably, has been blinded by their light.

"Levi!", he hears them say, and he blinks, being brought back into reality. Their hair is a brown mess splashing onto their face, wild and untamable. Their slender figure glides with agility, almost hypnotizing. "What are you looking at?"

It takes him a minute to realize he's smiling; a small tug to his lips that would have probably gone unnoticed if it wasn't that Hanji's his only witness.

"I'm not...", he blabbers, defensive. "I'm not looking at anything."

A lie. But he knows better than admitting to it. And Hanji knows when not to tease him about it, either. They can read right through his pages anyways.

"Wanna dance with me?", they offer, extending his hand to him. The next song's already playing and he can't say no. He can never say no.

Because Hanji is just like the sun, he repeats as he walks over to them. Electrifying, illuminating, nurturing. And, when nightfall tints the sky dark, he can be sure: he's holding the brightest of stars, right there between his arms.

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hi-imkaiya · 2 years

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you can view eremika as best friend's, protectors, or possible partners... just don't mistake them as sibling-like.

anyone that has a sibling should see that mikasa nor eren treat eachother as siblings. yes they are found-family but that does not mean they are siblings, simply that they are eachothers family.

one thing you can't deny is that they are family.

also in ch. 123 mikasa's answer wouldn't have changed anything in the long run, just because eren has always been that way, he wouldn't abandon the people of paradis nor armin. of course eren would've loved to have actually heard a real confession from mikasa... but the answer "you are family..." is still an honest answer, because eren is family. eren understands and knows that they are each others family, but he wants mikasa to define what they have, to come to the full realization of her feelings. its more of a consenting from mikasa for eren to be outward with his feelings. unfortunately mikasa stumbles and gives eren only half the truth.

ah, tragic lovers...

#eremika #eren aot #mikasa ackerman #mikasa aot #ch 123 aot #ch 123 snk #attack on titan eren #shingeki no kyojin mikasa #eren and mikasa

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maoam · 1 year

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Do you like Eremika? I do acknowledge that isayama very much did intended that ship, but i think them as a romantic pair is pretty bland and I personally don’t get the appeal. (But I feel like alot of girls self insert on mikasa and wish to get the guy) Eremika is no way near as bad as NH or SS though of coarse, at least Eren and Mikasa do view each other as someone important.

And just saying while i don’t hate these ships I’m not an eremin shipper or an erehisu shipper either. When it comes to Snk I honestly enjoyed yumihisu and eruri the most, though I’m not like a crazy shipper for them either.

I know this ask is mainly about EM but I will also address EA, EH and some of my issues about the last part of the story. Even with the possibility that one angry snk anon will come yelling at me in my inbox.

I didn't analyze snk the way I did Naruto, and honestly after the serumbowl I lost some interest in the story. I found the Marley arc exhausting despite the fact the Reiner stuff was interesting and it didn't help you had to wait one month to get another chapter that was just another "Gabi and co." fest. But it's only later I started to think it was truly a pretty bad move to introduce 15 new characters in the last part of the story. People followed the main cast, you should focus on giving the main cast satisfying conclusions instead of introducing a bunch of new characters. He already had Marley characters people were interested in and cared about, Reiner, Bertolt and Annie. But he let down all of them.

I never thought EM was particularly romantic on Eren's side, my idea was if it happens it's because he's used to her being around and as a not very romantic guy he'll settle for her. I don’t at all relate to the EM shippers who compare them to Jack/Rose from Titanic (why?) but I didn’t mind it. So I tried to make peace with it after the ending, and find good sides to it. But the more I looked at the last arc the more issues I found. I see sometimes people say Mikasa's character was ruined, but in my opinion Eren, Armin, Reiner, Historia and Annie got worse endings. Mikasa was basically the same she had always been, good in battles but very Eren centric character with no goals of her own. Meanwhile characters like Armin just declined if you compare their writing to how they were written pre-timeskip.

As you said EM is better than SS/NH because the latter two barely have any connection. The issue with EM is they admittedly have no development. While Eren always cared about Mikasa and Armin and tried to protect them from harm since they were his friends, Eren and Mikasa's relationship didn't develop much. The only development they have on Eren's side is that Eren isn't as harsh towards Mikasa after joining the survey corps. The only chapters were you can argue for romance are 50, 123 and 139. Chapter 50 can seem romantic because Mikasa tries to kiss Eren but Eren dodges it and tells her he will wrap the scarf around her. But the scarf represents the moment when Eren invited Mikasa to join his family. As for chapter 123, it can seem as romantic, but the problem is it should have had build up to justify it as a romantic moment. As in the ship should have developed from Eren’s side already before so this could be seen as believable from a romantic point of view. Some people say Eren asked Mikasa what he did to see if the future can be changed, and this explanation makes much more sense, especially considering he was clearly focused on the people he’d soon kill and was crying because of that before Mikasa called out to him.

As for EA and EH, I think it’s possible Isayama is a multishipper. We know he has said seeing doujinshis of his series makes him happy, but we don’t know what doujinshis. There seems to have been funny references to some ships couple times:

This fake preview Isayama drew. Wait Eren’s words remind of something else...

Lol. I find this rude to the Eremin shippers. Isayama didn’t develop Aru/ani AT ALL and then just ripped off his old fake preview to make this awkward “ship moment”? Isayama also mentioned in a Q&A that other cadets think Eren and Armin are “too close”.

There’s also the material where Historia said she will go to the snk exhibition with her boyfriend (and she specifically said boyfriend) and then she is seen with Eren in the merry-go-round. It’s just oddly shippy. I’m not arguing for how romantic these ships are in the manga, I’m just saying Isayama has a weird way of giving this type of ship tease.

Anyway the ending is disappointing in many ways and I find it disappointing how EM shippers defend it so much. Isayama talked so much about how he wanted to give Mikasa something else than just have her revolve around Eren, yet he didn’t do that in the end. Even in the last arc she is revolving around Eren. Historia was completely sidelined and her arc had no conclusion no matter what people claim. Even when Isayama claimed she is one of the needed characters and put on her on the same level as Eren and Armin in an interview. Eren’s character too was just retconned.

I said it even before I criticised EM that EM/SS both attract shippers who want their fave to get what they want, and that it bothered me. So I completely understand what you’re saying. EM does look nice in fanarts, but the conclusion is less than satisfactory. I try to not get my hopes up even if some people are hyping up a possible anime only ending.

#anon #snk ramblings

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oxygenbefore1775 · 2 years

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Jean and Connie should have become Yeagerists (a 〜very〜 unpopular opinion)

Disclaimer: contains ending spoilers so anime-only nation proceed with caution

Warnings: mentions of death and genocide; obscene language (?)

a/n: it's not a hatepost on the ending or anything. Jean and Connie are my faves in the Survey Corp so I want to explore some of the ending options with their characters

Many people say that chapter 123 was the last good chapter in SnK and it started going downhill from that. I personally didn’t mind the last chapters (hell, I still haven’t formed an opinion about the ending). And I didn’t seem to notice the “downgrade” in content quality until I’ve reread chapters 128 and 129 — the whole battle of the port. I’m referring to the murder of Daz and Samuel and how conflicted Connie and Armin felt about that.

On my first reading this moment literally brought me to tears. How much has changed in those 4 years, how black-and-white it all was in the beginning and how people who used to be comrades are now forced to be at each other’s throats.

Shout-out to Isayama-sensei for including a flashback with Bertolt. Although Bertolt’s words here are not stated, it’s implied that it’s “someone has to get this blood on their hands”

Connie is also a brave soul for having it in him to kill his former comrades. (my poor baby has suffered so much already)

But as I’m reading this now… It seems so lackluster to me from a dramatic standpoint. I get why it’s hard for Connie and Armin and the murder felt so emotional because I’ve known their characters for so long and empathized with them. In short, it was hard for me to read because it was also hard for the characters to do.

But come to think of it, why should I feel sad about the death of Daz and Samuel? They don’t have any outstanding personalities apart from Daz being a scaredy-cat. The last time I saw them was during the Battle of Trost, not to mention flashbacks in the Clash of Titans Arc. Hell, even in the official Encyclopedia Samuel was erroneously stated to be dead. And after more than 100 chapters they bring those characters back just to kill them off and then expect me to care?

So I was thinking — how to make it more dramatic? An idea came to me. Now hear me out because it would (kinda?) make sense in the end.

*deep breath in* Jean and Connie should have joined Yeagerists. I think it makes sense from a motivational standpoint. Because — let’s face it — all of the Alliance members have their reasons to stop Eren and the Rumbling.

☆ For Reiner, Annie, Pieck, Falco, Gabi, Magath and Onyankopon it’s to protect their homeland and their loved ones from being trampled to death.

☆ For Mikasa and Armin it’s to bring Eren back home.

☆ For Hange it’s to stop the meaningless genocide.

☆ For Levi it’s not to stop the Rumbling per se but to kill Zeke and through his death give the meaning to the lives of his comrades that were sacrificed (at least that’s what I understood from chapter 112 don’t @ me)

But when it comes to Jean and Connie there’s no clear motif behind their actions. Why did they join the Alliance in the first place?

You know, for a story that’s built around the idea that there is no good or evil, the ending sure does come off as being lopsided when all of the main characters that we care about unite against the forces of evil. No matter how main of the character Eren is, he is not enough to tip the scale and make the viewers cheer for his victory. Not to mention Floch — I know Isayama-sensei stated that he made Floch into a Yeagerist just to create some opposition against the Alliance — but considering how disliked Floch was even in the Return to Shiganshina Arc, it’s still not looking good for Yeagerists.

Why not 〜increase the tension〜 and have Jean and Connie join the Yeagerists?

First of all, out of the whole Eren’s friend group Jeanis the only person to question Eren’s true motives. Even his best friends couldn’t come to the conclusion that it was unusual for Eren to act like this. And Jean was right in the end.

The activation of the Rumbling is basically the point of no return. If before Paradis had a small chance at ending the cycle of hatred between Eldians and other nations and mending the relationships — now it is hopeless.

Jean is not driven by idealistic motives like Armin or Hange. The Rumbling leaves no other options — either the outer world is destroyed and the Paradisians live in prosperity or the Alliance stops the Rumbling which would spell the end for the Island. It’s in Jean’s egoistic (and kinda cowardly) nature to question Alliance’s plan. Jean doubts that they even have a chance at stopping Eren. And that’s true. It was a fucking miracle that the Alliance stopped the Rumbling with NO casualties (Hange doesn’t count they died before the Battle of Heaven and Earth).

Jean acts as the voice of reason. His sense of self-preservation doesn’t allow him to be with a group that is being hunted down and join them on their suicidal mission.

But then the thought of Marco convinced Jean to agree to the Alliance’s plan.

“You know... I wished I could've stayed cooped up in my room, ears shut... But... If I had... The burnt ashes of the dead would never have forgiven me…”

I get what Hange says in chapter 127 about the fallen comrades and that they would never sacrifice all of humanity for the sake of their island. The same thing with Marco — I can’t see this precious boy being ok with genocide. But Marco has been dead for 4 years. Back in those days when everything was black-and-white and the Pure Titans were the only concern for humanity, it was easy to distinguish right and wrong. Marco didn’t get to see the ocean and find out the truth about the people outside the Walls. So it’s hard to tell what Marco’s opinion on genocide would be. In this situation it seems counter-intuitive to look for future-determinative answers in the past when the past was so drastically different. So at this point (when deciding on which side he is on) Jean should have left the memory of Marco and aimed for the future i.e. siding with the stronger group that shares the same goal — successfully finish the Rumbling — and that will appreciate Jean’s support. The Yeagerists.

So I guess it would be in character for Jean to accept Floch’s offer (but for different reasons, his ambitions would have nothing to do with this) and decline the Alliance’s offer to join them.

As for Connie… It’s so sad to see this cheerful baby have all of the joy sucked out of his life. Unlike the golden trio Connie didn’t go through the loss of his parents and family. Up until the Clash of the Titans Arc he doesn’t have any particular reason to be unhappy with his life. But then chapter 37 happens — and suddenly Connie loses his entire family. And not only the family, his entire fucking village — the place where he was born and raised. What’s sad about this is that at this point in the story Connie does not even know what exactly has happened to his parents and siblings. They’ve just disappeared and all that Connie gets to find is a Pure Titan laying on top of his house.

Later Connie learns that the population of Ragako was turned into Titans for the sake of the Marleyan military operation (he finds out about this much later but still) and the Pure Titan was actually his mother. But this knowledge doesn’t bring any relief. In fact, now he knows that his family and fellow countrymen were indeed killed in their Titan form. All he has left is his mother but it’s very likely that she will stay a Titan for good.

After 4 years I think Connie gets used to the fact that he is never getting his mother back and finds a new family in his friends — Jean and Sasha (mostly Sasha).

And then Connie suffers another blow, Sasha’s death. And again, she dies as the result of the cycle of hatred that has been going on for 2000 years. (Connie himself doesn’t openly blame Gabi for the murder of Sasha so hush)

All of the deaths that deeply affect Connie: his family, the population of Ragako, Sasha — are caused by people from outside the Walls. Those losses break Connie and he consequently becomes spiteful and aggressive. It comes to the point that Connie doesn’t hesitate and kidnaps unconscious Falco when he learns about him becoming one of the Nine Titans. Connie, this goofy guy as we know him, is willing to kill a child — all to get his mother back.

Connie has no one left apart from Jean. Hatred towards the Paradisian took all of the people he loved from him. Blinded from grief and emotionally scarred, he is ready to do anything in order to protect the few people he still has with him. Connie would want to break the cycle of hatred so that nobody could hurt the people from the island, his friends, anymore. With the Rumbling activated and being in full swing — all it takes is to wait until all of the other nations are wiped out thus destroying one of the sides of conflict.

Of course Connie would realize how cruel it is to let other nations be crushed to death — even after having kidnapped Falco and while being confronted by Armin and Gabi he is aware of the foolishness of his actions. Maybe they would have had the room and the time for negotiations, but the Rumbling left them no other options.

So I guess it would also be logical for Connie to join the Yeagerists in order to make sure that the Rumbling is carried out fully and on all continents.

Now 〜imagine〜 with Jean and Connie joining the Yeagerists and being in port. How gut-wrenching it would be to watch the Alliance fight not some NPC Yeagerists but their actual friends.

Ok my rant is coming to the end now sorry if you don’t like it. Just wanted to share my very unpopular opinion. 〜bye〜

p.s. sorry for shittily photoshopped together manga panels

#aot #jean kirstein #connie springer #yeagerists #aot final #aot ending #please dont eat me #jean aot #connie aot #aot au #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot opinion #aot unpopular opinion #aot alliance #english is not my first language

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