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pencilofawesomeness · 3 years

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Fics I Absolutely Adore and Would Recommend to Anyone

I’ve been meaning to do this for a long, long time, because I love reading fanworks and they deserve a lot of love and I love sharing things that I love.

Obviously this isn’t everything, and if it’s not on this list that doesn’t mean I don’t love it, it just means I forgot at this moment. I will be adding to the list and I remember things or come across it again. (Trying to sort through my bookmarks and subscriptions is like trying to catch a fish bare-handed.) I’m also gonna shy away from the one-shots, even though I adore fun one-shots, just for the sake of organization. The list would be super long otherwise, and those are best sorted by fandom. Here... Here are just some brilliant works I want to rant about.

Disclaimer: I say “recommend” because I would recommend these works, any time any place, but do keep in mind the story’s rating and tags and stuff. Not everything is kid-friendly.

There is absolutely no hierarchy to the list below. They are added as I add.

Fairy Dance of Death

by Catsy ( @fairydanceofdeath )

Fandom: Sword Art Online Word Count: 660,282 Status: ongoing

「AU reboot of the entire SAO storyline, beginning from the premise that Kayaba Akihiko was obsessed with magic and Norse Mythology rather than swords and pure melee. As a result, he created the Death Game of Alfheim Online rather than the floating castle of Aincrad—a world in which player-killing is not a crime, and the nine player races are in competition with each other to reach the top of the World Tree. Multi-POV epic following the stories of multiple canon characters throughout the game.」

If Catsy wrote the SAO light novels and anime, SAO would be among the legendary series. Fairy Dance of Death has this amazingly simple premise of making Alfheim Online, the video game from the original series’ less-than-stellar second part, the game that the main cast becomes trapped in. However, it’s so much more. They took the characters and made them characters, and everyone gets ample spotlight—even background characters that normally wouldn’t receive a second thought. It’s masterful work, and to boot, there is a lovely frame of in-game mystery and player conflict. The organization is phenomenal and I aspire to world-build the way they did. Not to mention that stakes are so much higher and this series has ripped my heart to shreds more than once.

It has also brought me great joy, and even when I was in the dumps and didn’t want to read anything, a FDOD update made me pick up my phone and read when I otherwise wouldn’t have. It has a really special place in my heart. It updates once in a blue moon, but that’s okay.

Even if you have never seen a single piece of Sword Art Online, Fairy Dance of Death is still a great read. In fact, it’s the Better Version of SAO, if we’re all being honest, so I would especially recommend it if you hadn’t seen the original. Or if you have. The characters are given so much love and detail, to the point where Fairy Dance of Death’s characterizations are More Canon to me than Kawahara Reki’s work. It is just a beautiful piece of fiction, and it makes you question the depravity of man on levels that SAO shied away from.

Poisoned Dreams

by StrangeDiamond

Fandom: Genshin Impact Word Count: 82,852 Status: Complete, with a complete sequel and more to come

「 Every night now, Diluc dreams of death. Usually Kaeya's. In between these nightmares his life is falling apart. It doesn't take Kaeya long to realize that this is something much more insidious than simple bad dreams. His brother's life and sanity are on the line and there is nothing Kaeya won't do to save him. Bonus chapter added.」

In a growing fandom from a new game, StrangeDiamond swooped in and characterized these bad boys so well I think it’s canon. It really breathes life into the video game lore, and it’s an A+ depiction of awkward sibling re-bonding post-Terrible-Happenings. Poisoned Dreams can be read alone with a basic understanding of Genshin storybuilding, but StrangeDiamond has an entire group of fics and oneshots set in the same headcanon, and they integrate them really well and subtly together. Not to mention that the narrative style is really clever with making you question what is real and what is dream (a big point in this story) and the inner voices of the point-of-view characters are very compelling.

One Word to Change the World

by AgentMalkere

Fandom: Fairy Tail Collective Word Count: 43,988 (30 parts) Status: probably never coming back

「 In just one universe, Ultear called out to her mother instead of turning away and the fate of Fairy Tail and the world was irrevocably altered. These are glimpses of a world where a single word made all the difference.

In other words, welcome to the Butterfly Effect - Fairy Tail style. 」

It’s a really cute canon-divergent, and while the series makes no attempt to re-write Fairy Tail, it addresses the major events and just snippets in between. It does a good job at giving the vast cast ample spotlight, but it’s also an easy read. It’s special to me because it was the series that made me really pay attention to Bickslow in particular, and I respect that.

Vigilantis Pretium Libertatis

by aradian_nights

Fandom: Attack on Titan Word Count: 399,226 Status: Complete

「 Five years ago, an accident freed Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlelt from an experiment that forced the most extraordinary powers onto them. After five years of separation, of being raised apart to be heroes by a set of three very different adults, they meet again. As they uncover the truth behind their captivity they realize being free and being heroes are sadly nothing but an illusion. 」

This wrecked me.

I still remember when I read it. It was the beginning of 2018, and I had the flu and a lot of time on my hands, so I binge-read this. It was simultaneously the best and the worst thing I have ever done, because I resonated with it so deeply there were times I was just staring up at the ceiling wondering what was real. I empathized with the characters to a level I rarely achieve, and I empathize easily. I laughed. I cried. It was amazing.

I refer to this story in conversation to this day. It handled themes published authors have only dreamed of achieving. Heck, if Dani (the author) took out the names of the AoT cast and replaced it with new ones, it could be its own stand alone novel. It is worldbuilding from the ground up, and any fandom knowledge you take in with you is used against you like a knife leveraged against your throat. Yet, no one is out of character. It’s phenomenal. I would say more, but this is something I daren’t spoil for anybody, because you must be as wrecked as I was. Vigilantis Pretium Libertatis is a level of writing I achieve to gain as a writer myself. It is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Life in Glass Houses

by blueskyscribe ( @blueskyscribe )

Fandom: Transformers (Transformers Prime, Transformers: Shattered Glass) Word Count: 119,900 Status: Ongoing (maybe, I hope)

「 No one would have thought Bumblebee and Knock Out were capable of getting along, but when they're stuck in a strange new world and their only hope of survival is cooperation . . . Yeah, they're probably doomed. 」

I could be biased because Knock Out and Bumblebee are two of my favorite characters, but it really is brilliant. Two enemies, stuck together—but not in an overly cliché way. It’s the right amount of cliché, with heaps moral conflict and inner conflict and sometimes just beating each other with a broom when no one is looking. It’s also a fascinating look into what makes a character the way they are in relation to the morals they possess, and how stalwart those morals can be. I can’t help but think of this story whenever I see or write a “role reverse” or mirror-verse AU. It does an excellent job at making all of the characters engaging and their own character, despite being in a mirror-verse.

Yesterday Upon the Stair

by PitViperOfDoom ( @pitviperofdoom )

Fandom: My Hero Academia Word Count: 424,070 Status: Complete

「 Midoriya Izuku has always been written off as weird. As if it's not bad enough to be the quirkless weakling, he has to be the weird quirkless weakling on top of it.

But truthfully, the "weird" part is the only part that's accurate. He's determined not to be a weakling, and in spite of what it says on paper, he's not actually quirkless. Even before meeting All-Might and taking on the power of One For All, Izuku isn't quirkless.

Not that anyone would believe it if he told them. 」

As a person who normally doesn’t read these kind of minor canon divergences, especially at the time of reading, I frickin’ love this fic. In fact, I think YUTS gave me a deep appreciation for canon divergence fics. It’s MHA in all of its glory but it’s so much more, and even the parts that rehash canon give new light to the characters and their points of view.

I had read Viper’s work before and saw Yesterday Upon the Stair filling my inbox, and then I finally watched My Hero Academia. It was one of the first MHA fics I read and it still has a very special place in my heart. I recommend this series to people who don’t even watch MHA; in fact, there are some who might prefer the darker tones and themes of heroism vs apathy to the main series. Not to mention the writing style is phenomenal, and I aspire to be that good. It made me laugh. It made me cry. Yes, tears streaming down my face crying. It is the best ghost story I have ever read.

the Vantage Point Universe

by Aggie2011 ( @aggie2011whoop )

Fandom: The Avengers (MCU) Collective Word Count: 1,032,651 (35 parts) Status: Ongoing (just slowed down)

「 Six months after the Loki incident, Clint isn't adjusting well. When an enemy from his days in the Army comes back to haunt him, he'll be forced to face a part of his past - and to move past Loki, if he has a hope of finding his place with the Avengers. (First of a universe created to center around Clint Barton) 」

// description taken from first installment

Have you enjoyed the MCU, especially the first-era Avengers phase, but like me, were disappointed in the fact that Hawkeye was barely there? The VP universe is for you.

I honestly have a hard time remembering what was canon and what was VP. And if it’s not canon, it should be. The VP universe gave so much life to Clint and to Natasha and to all of SHIELD and even the rest of the Avengers. It’s just...so good. It’s completely immersive. It focuses a lot on Hawkeye and Black Widow from before the Avengers team-up, as well as after, and it all flows together so beautifully. Not to mention that I can be reading a mission that happened pre-series, so I know that they are going to live with all of their limbs, and I still sit there on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The OCs, minor as they are, that are created for this are also wonderfully done. I can’t believe Dan and Phil don’t exist in canon. Every character, canon or no, is engaging and dynamic, it is a pleasure to follow each point of view. The emotional turmoil is also handled very well, and the VP universe carries the MCU trend of humanizing its heroes and takes it so much further.

Ghosts of the Future

by Evan Stanley ( @evanstanleyportfolio )

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog Word Count: comic (18 issues) Status: ongoing

「 About 200 years in the future, Silver the Hedgehog is an average kid living in San Francisco... except for his strange and terrible dreams of a dying Blue Hedgehog, a Black Hedgehog, and mysterious gems called "Chaos Emeralds". What will he do, when these "figments of his imagination" appear before him in his real life? 」

// description taken from first installment

Okay so this is the only one that isn’t an Ao3 story, but rather a comic on DeviantArt. However, it is still one of my favorite stories. Even though it takes the commonalities of Sonic canon and turns them on its head, GotF really treats the characters well. There are enough familiar world elements to create intrigue, but it is set in a completely different take of the future, so there is ample opportunity for world building and being able to engage with a completely new thing. I wish SEGA put as much love in the series (namely the games, because the comics are *chef’s kiss*) and all of its possibilities as creators like Evan Stanley do.

The friendship and family relationships in GotF are so diverse and all so fantastic to witness. It’s a keynote example of the new hero and the old veterans, and both parties are active and trying their best.

Do not be alarmed by the starting art style. Sure, it’s rough around the edges at first, but then it gets better, and then it gets gorgeous, and then you’re left there so stunned that it looks like just life canon art. And then you could be like me, blinking slowly as my small brain finally connected that this Evan Stanley is in fact the Evan Stanley. GotF is an amazing fanwork, but she also draws and writes for the Official Canon comics (the IDW ones now) and that work is also phenomenal and should be supported.

Whirlwind

by Lynse ( @ladylynse )

Fandom: Danny Phantom, American Dragon: Jake Long, Miraculous Ladybug, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja Word Count: 75,556 Status: Complete

「 Jake should be used to ominous predictions by now. Randy should know better than to blindly follow McFist. Adrien should think twice before sneaking away. And Danny really should've expected something like this when he got that phone call from Jake. (Secret Quartet fic) 」

I have to start by saying that I adore all of Lynse’s fics, and I chose this one simply because it is one of my favorites. But it’s all fantastic, one hundred percent. I also love Mirrored, the sort-of prequel to this fic, but Whirlwind just has the chaotic pure bean energy that each of the shows bring and it foils against each other so perfectly. This is the epitome of the Secret Quartet crossover, truly.

All fandoms and all characters get ample love, and the way the reader gets to see just how badly the characters’ assumptions are going is positively wonderful. It’s so easy to fall into the “I know what’s happening and so do the characters” trap, but Lynse leaps over it gracefully and lands in greatness. The fic had me smiling like a maniac one minute, and feeling sorry for my babies the next. Wonderful. Simply fantastic!

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miscellaneousfurbies · 6 years

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Previous years: 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 It is again time for the annual roundup! It feels this was not a particularly good animanga year in terms of amount of series consumed, but when it comes to enthusiasm Attack on Titan has single handedly offered more excitement than anything else in the past... I dunno, 3 or 4 years. Attack on Titan

Finally ended up giving this a proper chance, mostly by accident, and I'm still in that hole. I'd say that a sizeable amount of my appreciation for this manga comes from how it stands out from all the other action shounen I've read in terms of how it deals with common shounen characters, themes and tropes, but as of late I've learnt to appreciate more how it stands on its own as well. Also as upset as I am that I'm so late to the party at least catching up to happened at a relatively good spot, since I found it was easier for me to get into the new arc without the main cast when I just had gotten some 50 chapters worth of material with my favourites. And with the new developments the wait was definitely worth it, even if I'm as thirsty as everyone else for the rest of the main cast's new designs.

Awards given: Best manga, Best boy (Eren), Best OP that I didn't actually see (didn't watch the anime outside listening to some music), Best friendship (Eren and Historia), Best mentor (Levi)

Made in Abyss

Heard this got a lot of praise so I decided to check it out too, knowing only that it's supposedly pretty grim. At first it seemed like just a "plucky kids go on an adventure" kind of show, even if the darker elements were always there (like how the main characters embarked on their journey fully aware that they won't be coming back). The upper layers of the titular Abyss felt pretty easy for their rumoured danger level, but when things finally went south they did so spectacularly. Very bad things happen to children in this show! Overall I really liked the Abyss as a location, the characters were great and especially the female characters were way above average (as in, pretty much got treated equally with the dudes).

Awards given: Best anime, Best OP I actually saw

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

This one I watched just because it looked cute. Which it was I guess, KyoAni's animation is always a pleasure to watch, but I got little else out of it. Kanna teeters between actually cute and manipulative-and-kinda-disgusting.

Awards given: Best cute animation, Best side boy (Fafnir)

Spirit Circle

Finally bothered to get into another manga from one of my favourite authors, and it was definitely worth it. The story revolving around the two protagonists reincarnating in different periods and often ending up killing one another was definitely something more unique than usual, the plot was well thought out, and the character work was just as great as I had learned to expect from the author (plus the female characters don't suck). On top of it all there is the strange calm and positive atmosphere despite sometimes grim subject matter that Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer also had. The art still isn't that amazing and sometimes the space-time talk gets way over my head but otherwise an excellent read.

Awards given: Best girl (Kouko (and iterations)), Best laughs, Best romance

One Piece

Not sure if it's because of the quality of the manga itself or because Attack on Titan dethroned One Piece from the top spot, but my interest in OP has waned a little in the past year. I haven't been able to get into Sanji's family drama, and the stuff with Big Mom has raised some good expectations but so far hasn't quite managed to live up to them. However my interest has only decreased in relation to the series itself, and compared to everything else I've consumed OP still stands tall, and Best Bunny Carrot even got to do something so I'm good I guess?

Awards given: Best side girl (Carrot)

The magical girl corner:

Doki Doki! Precure

I thought this was from last year but apparently no. So here it is, my least favourite magical girl series of all time! Might also be the least favourite anime in general (judgement pending)! Those interested can find a long rant here, but the tl;dr is that the show revolves around glorifying the main character who has no flaws, has no character development since she's amazing from the start, gets all the other characters' personal storylines be about her too, gets the story to bend so that she's always right in the end, and so on. Ugh! Though I must say that at least that in a way the series was interesting in how blindly and confidently it assumes everyone in the audience has the default assumption that the main character is the most amazing thing to ever grace this earth with her presence.

Awards given: Worst anime, Worst girl (Mana), Worst “romance"(whatever it is when everyone proclaims their 'love' for Mana), Worst friendship (Mana being the center of everyone's universe)

Kira Kira Precure a la Mode

Tried watching an ongoing Precure series this time, and while I'm still some episodes behind it could be a lot worse. Overall a really lackluster season and suffers from the same problems as the other Precure seasons I've seen: generic, unambitious, noncommittal, repetitive... There's very little going on with the plot, and while I do like some of the characters it's hard to care when the show is so adamant at doing nothing interesting with them. However it's still the best out of the Precure seasons I've seen so far properly, which probably says more about the other two's (HapiCha and DokiDoki) quality. And I do have to commend KiraKira for sticking to the sweets theme; at least it's clearly about something.

I've also watched some Go! Princess Precure which blows the other three Precure I've seen out of the water, but I haven't made very far. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it next year.

Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero: Washio Sumi chapter / Hero chapter

Why is it always the dark magical girl shows that try anything new and interesting!? I find that the new YuYuYu stuff has had some really clunky and awkward direction, stock characters, limited animation and ham-fisted drama, but I still appreciate what it's doing with its plot. Also gotta love the veteran magical girl's reaction to the new magic system which allows them to trade defence barriers for +1000% power: "lol back in my day we didn't have any shields in the first place!"

Awards given: Best magical girl outfits

Also finished Flip Flappers (final verdict: cool premise and looks interesting, execution a little uneven but still worth watching), Punchline (an uneven but still interesting little thing with great character designs), Uta Kata (a slow moving dark magical girl show with some nice ideas, good outfit designs, poor animation and awkward fanservice) and Pop in Q (mostly forgettable upbeat magical girl thing; though it did manage to hold interest for its short length).

Awards given: Biggest WTF (Uta Kata's poorly implemented fanservice), Best character designs (Punchline)

I also watched the second season of Hibike Euphonium, but I can't remember if it was at the end of 2016 but either way I don't have a lot to say about it.

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp

Good old Animal Crossing in mobile form, there's not much else to it and there's very little to do, but I'm a sucker for collecting and the leisurely and friendly atmosphere is worth it. Seeing Tom Nook ask for real money this time was definitely the highlight even if I'd never pay for a mobile game myself.

Awards given: Biggest Time-Waster (but I still keep playing it)

I've also kept playing Pokemon Go but there's not a lot to say about it, like can you add some new gameplay stuff to it please? Also did not get Ultra Sun/Moon. I didn't care too much for Alola and most of the new content seems to be about the Ultra stuff which is unlikable to me by default; I've never been into the legendary/mythical/ultra/save the world from apocalypse aspect of the games, like just let me train my pets to become the very best like no on ever was.

Not a lot of negative awards this year it seems. The bad stuff I read was just forgettable instead of bad in a funny way or so bad it's fun to hate it.

Plans for 2018:

Finally watch the Attack on Titan anime to catch up with the rest of the fandom and prepare for my favourite arc getting adapted

Finish with the mostly disappointing Digimon Adventure Tri.

Watch the newest Precure as it airs, finish Go! Princess and at least one of the earlier seasons

More magical girls! Maybe finally check out Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card arc, finish Matoi the Sacred Slayer (which has been on my list since 2016...), Pretear, series where the magical girl is a side character (Concrete Revoutio, Samurai Flamenco, re:Creators, Invaders of the Rokujyoma!?)

Finally watch Neon Genesis Evangelion (been working on it since 2005) and finish Gurren Lagann

Finish reading Neuro

Read Sengoku Youko, NaruTaru and Rozen Maiden

maybe get a Switch and the new Zelda and Mario games for it

Maybe I'll get to at least a fourth of these...?

#my stuff

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perfectackeracy · 7 years

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Shingeki no Kyojin chapter 97 review (+ theories)

What a chapter!

This one packs several points of view and not just Reiner’s. In fact, Reiner’s occupied a good half of the chapter and even then, it was divided into several segments. This one is so content heavy it’s going to be hard to make a brief post. But at least the quality was overall better than last month.

This chapter closed the flashbacks of Reiner, Bertolt and Annie infiltrating the walls till Trost’s attack and introduced the main actor of the Liberio festival: the head of the Tybur clan, Willy Tybur. In the meantime, Falco met that strange amputee who revealed himself to be Eren under a fake name, further leading to the possibility of a scenario where the world declaration is going to get sabotaged, making it the most explosive moment of Marley arc. With chapter 98 being the last chapter of volume 24, either something big ought to happen or mark the beginning of a new sub-arc.

While I’m having an idea of what might happen in the future, the picture isn’t exactly clear in my mind, knowing there’s new plot holes that need to be resolved: the ones I addressed in the past and the new ones opening themselves in this chapter.

Follow me under the cut!

Before Wall Rose gets breached

Reiner’s suicide attempt

Eren and Falco

Willy Tybur

What next?

Starting with a short WTF CR: all those grammar mistakes. Looks like they’re rushing their translation as always. Good think Kodansha checks the panels.

Before Wall Rose gets breached

The plan aiming to breach Wall Rose - Ch. 97

The chapter starts with Annie, at 16, gathering intel from her nights in the capital. Despite joining the training ground, she never stopped collecting information. That explains the slacker attitude she put up during training and furthermore her annoyance over Reiner, since she’s the one collecting what Marley needs while Reiner and Bertolt do buddy-buddy with the trainees. Combined to the military training, Annie does the double of the work.

Last chapter showed she was the only one to enter the capital. @plain-dude’s correction here clarified it was because she could enter it as the Female Titan, implying she didn’t take the classical route. This chapter confirms she goes through sewers to find a path. That must be tiresome when it goes on 5 years, while smashing the gates only takes a couple of minutes.

Annie also experienced her second Ackerterror. Despite escaping Kenny, she still fears what he might do to her in the future. She further adds it’s because of Kenny she’d rather keep her distances within the MP. Even when Eren was revealed to be their target, she still picked the MP as her branch. Probably because she couldn’t stand Reiner’s warrior motto anymore, and she was getting used to the interior, her element. This chapter nails Annie as this character who keep pushing everything away so she can retreat herself in a safer position, from Reiner’s direction against Marley’s trial, the interior against the training grounds and the SL, to the crystal against death and torture by Paradis’ forces.

Annie and Reiner’s relationship - Ch. 97

Annie and Reiner’s relationship is still as sour as ever. I wonder if Reiner being harsh with his words doesn’t come as a payback for how Annie almost broke his face and spirit. One thing is sure, she only told him to keep his distances. Not even cooperation brought them close, but Reiner did apologize for his behavior and Annie warned him about his new friends dying under the assault, just in case.

P.S.: No matter how much you look at it, their interaction was golden:

Annie’s terrible sense of humor - Ch. 97

You also have Bertolt looking at them in the background, probably wanting the two of them to stop fighting but not knowing what to do. The conflict between the two of them makes him uneasy and was powerless from the start to stop them.

“The Hanged Man“ - Ch. 97

And Bertolt is the one with seer superpowers considering the pose he made the morning Annie came back was nothing else but “The Hanged Man”.

I’m perplexed about the meaning of this card, or anything related to tarot and astrology, so I’ll try to see what I can flesh out according to external sources. I think it’s best to dedicate a whole post apart for Bertolt and that card, but there’s definitely some similarities between the meaning of The Hanged Man and Bertolt’s character arc; particularly in the terms of letting go (his defeatist attitude), suspension (his abilities as a marksman, a living nuclear bomb, his blowing but late development, him telling Reiner and Annie his recurring dream in this chapter…) and sacrifice (Reiner against the mission). We also don’t know if it’s a message meant for the general population, because description says, “We “win” by surrending”, which would end Paradis’ history for good if they just handled the Funding Titan, ensuring (mainland) Eldians’ future.

Bertolt’s dream - Ch. 97

Furthermore, it could mean Bertolt simply has trouble letting go of the past, considering he keeps dreaming about the hanged man, or Marco when their deaths have been left aside for a very long time. I wrote more about the hanged man here and here, but there’s a chance that Reiner and Annie have hanged this man themselves, so Reiner could absolve Bertolt from the guilt of achieving somebody already under mercy.

Reiner waking Bertolt up - Ch. 97

Do I need to mention how sweet Reiner is when he wakes Bertolt up? He really puts Bertolt on another level compared to Annie: praising him when he breaks the wall, never looking at him right in the eyes when he’s reproaching him something, never gets tasked with “the dirty work”…

As expected, Reiner had no choice but to go on with his plans to break each wall till the Founder shows itself. Even with a good panel of data, he still wants to accomplish the main goal. Little does he know the following events at Trost is settling him on a path of regrets over the mistakes on the trainee days…

Reiner’s suicide attempt

Reiner trying to kill himself - Ch. 97

This is without question, the most disturbing panel of the chapter, and the moment where we return to the present, cut between moments where Reiner remembers the most disturbing moments of his chronology and that scene where he helps Eren.

First, we all know Reiner’s mind deteriorated since he came back from Paradis alone: he lost weight (12 kg), became distant, risks his life in battles and stays close to the kids when he can. Hell, it may not even be his first tentative, but hearing him going back in Paradis triggered something within him: a long story of failures and deceptions. That’s how we’re seeing Reiner’s life scrolling as he realized he should’ve stayed distant with those cadets.

The comparison between Eren and Reiner and Bertolt and Reiner - Ch. 97 & 94

The conversation between him and Eren is oddly reminiscent of him and Bertolt in the past. The moment where Eren kneels complaining about how he’ll die unaccomplished makes Reiner click with him. That scene also shows the advice Reiner could’ve given to his younger self, now that he’s older. Despite being dragged into the mud, Reiner never gave up and kept moving forward at the expense of his own sanity. The advice he’s giving to Eren underlines their common point: moving forward. That adds even more fuel to the fire when Reiner happens to be the Armored Titan, because everything Reiner told him turned out to be sour. In return, Reiner wished he never told him those words.

Unlike Reiner however, Bertolt tried to make Reiner think about his choices, arguing how short his life would become, whereas Reiner believed in Eren’s capacity to kill all the titans.

Reiner and Bertolt’s last goodbye - Ch. 97

It’s not a coincidence the last panels of Reiner’s life are about him seeing Bertolt for the last time, while giving Eren a push to kill all the titans to fulfill his desire of revenge. Eren became fueled up because of it, and he accomplished it by taking down the person dearest to him in the warrior unit. He kept having flashbacks of Eren extracting Bertolt away from his titan and for a good reason. At that point, he’s expecting the worst to happen to Bertolt and tortured himself for four years because of it. He misses him a lot and feels responsible for his fate, yet unknown to Reiner.

Dead inside - Ch. 97

Reiner showed no hesitation: his sparkle of life was gone during the second where he pulled the trigger, till Falco banged to the wall, defeated again by Gabi.

Reiner still must hold on for their sake. They’re probably the ones fishing him away from his depression after Paradis.

Eren and Falco

Eren and Falco at the hospital - Ch. 97

Falco meets an Eren in a strange shape. Their first meeting was Falco helping him as Koslow made fun of Eldian amputees and fixed his armband -even though Eren already spotted Reiner and the kids back in Fort Slava-. During their second meeting, Eren stays vague about the details but reveals he’s here for something.

First, he claims he doesn’t want to go back home and it was too hard to face his family. Of course, Falco understands his family living in Liberio, but his home is in Paradis, which leads us to think he can’t face Mikasa, Armin and the others. He chose a specific way to infiltrate Marley, something that not everybody in the SC can, further implying he came alone (hacking a regenerable leg and eye, being alone in that hospital). With those two elements, you can safely assume the EMA separation already occurred.

Mikasa telling Eren goodbye - Ch. 1

So maybe that panel was meant for Eren departing to Marley after all.

Of course, the double implication could be he has trouble facing his brother, Zeke, since he’s technically family.

Eren is glad Falco can’t become a warrior. I guess his first impressions were indeed good: a kid related to the person helping his father join the revolutionaries and who is willing to cover for him. Not only that, but upon hearing his reasons to become a warrior, two things resonated within him: Gabi getting the Armor instead of him, like how Eren envied Mikasa who could perform everything on the first try, and his words, like what Eren told Reiner.

Now that seems familiar... - Ch. 97 & ch. 90

The last thing Eren told Falco is the whole classical freedom speech, sounding exactly like the one Kruger told Grisha, or what Grisha told Keith. Add a couple of lines from Eren’s speech to Armin as he tried to justify himself into having Levi inject the latter and that’s exactly how it sounds. Eren truly inherited the philosophy of the possessors of the Attack Titan.

What’s up with the bearers of the Attack Titan and their romantic speeches capable to charm people by just telling them to throw their heads into hell? That works perfectly on people: Grisha, the revolutionaries, Keith, the trainees… and now Falco. But at least he’s feeling better about it? He’s ought to have a breakdown about that “lovely” amputee, Eren “Kruger”, soon.

Doesn’t help that Reiner just noticed that Falco hides something, implying we’re up for a Eren and Reiner meeting soon. I fear for Reiner’s reaction considering his tentative of suicide.

Willy Tybur

The Tybur family - Ch. 97

At the right timing, the Tybur family comes inside Liberio to act for the future of Eldia, just after Zeke made a call in his room for the current warriors.

The Tybur family is a family of aristocrats who don’t need to wear the Eldian armband to show their affiliation, they have their own guard and the whole family is full of spoiled brats picking fights and stuffing themselves with too much cake. They also have housemaids, which is nice.

Magath meets Willy, the patriarch of the Tybur family and their whole game ended up on figuring he was the current holder of the Warhammer Titan. They mention Helos, the hero who defeated the Eldian devil, of Marlean origin. The snarky comment Magath made about the statue being hollow reflects the current role Marleans occupy in the warfare of their continent: only a few of them get to experience the bloodbath on the frontlines, making Marley unstable on the long term. Particularly in a time where you can no longer rely on titans for power.

Willy also confirms the Tybur clan rules Marley behind the shadows, just as the Reiss family ruled Paradis. Well… that just validates my theory of the 9th shifter ruling Marley. In other words, nobody hates Eldia much as Eldians themselves, to put it simply. That further confirms Marley needed help from descendants of Ymir to regain their independence. This act of atonement is exactly as Zeke describes it, after all. The memories granted by the Tybur line allows Willy to see how damaged the Eldians on the continent were as they did nothing except being spectators. So, was Zeke’s version of the history correct after all?

Willy and Magath passing an agreement - Ch. 97

This festival allows Willy to play his role as an actor against Paradis and the revolution stirring there after all. What could possibly occur on the island at that moment? Does Eren know something neither Paradis not Marley does?

What next?

I suppose we will go on with the festival and how Eren could possibly sabotage it by himself. He didn’t go on Liberio to rampage immediately around: he has specific targets in mind and even he knows he’s powerless against 5 experimented titan shifters. He still knows how to trigger the coordinate. All he should do is to invite Zeke over and touch him. And for some reason this is going to be more complicated for him than initially planned.

For starters, Falco goofed: Reiner saw Falco was trying to sneak up a letter for a stranger. That act alone could cause Falco trouble, but also Reiner to check the letter contents through some way or another (through vice-captain permission), cue him to become increasingly worried if he recognizes the handwriting. Eren must not reach Zeke.

I feel like Eren would also target the Tybur clan due to their status: the ones responsible for sending warriors on Paradis while being Eldians themselves. People have sensed the parallels between the Tyburs and the Reisses and thus would expect Eren, the current holder of the Attack Titan, to exterminate them in the same fashion Grisha did.

Eren also holds a grudge against Reiner because of the events from Shiganshina and because he personally deceived him. He holds nothing except but disgust for him and would feel satisfied into watching him die.

Flashbacks-wise, I don’t think this is over: we still have a part on Paradis to cover, and it’s the whole part about Zeke’s arrival and that 2-month hiatus. I need confirmation about Reiner and Bertolt making it back to Paradis with Ymir or not. Besides, it would be a good time to switch perspective about these: not making them about Reiner alone any longer, but alternating with Zeke. I still need to know about these “Strongest” and “Armor” serums Rod got and how Zeke mass-administrated his spine fluid to the village inhabitants.

Concerning the state of the SC, it’s hard to tell. Maybe they rebranded, but something happened, aside from Eren fleeing them. After all, Eren had a reason to escape them, didn’t he? Supposing the EMA separation already happened, Armin, Jean, Floch and the others stayed in their respective positions and Mikasa quit the SC in the meantime. Isayama specified the three of them would go into different directions after all, and Mikasa leaving a life as a civilian is appropriate: no longer bound to Eren, and no longer bound to military duty either. Armin and Eren had diverging opinions and Armin’s current role forbids him to flee.

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