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aot-snk-4238 · 3 years

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My thoughts on AOT No Requiem (Fanmade Ending) Part 1:

With another chapter of this story coming out soon, I thought now would be a good time to share my thoughts on the first part. Before I do that, though, I have a few things that I would like to get off my chest.

A part of me hates that this project exists. Not because I find it disrespectful, but because it serves as a bitter reminder of what a complete mess this ending caused among many fans. I'm still in disbelief how things got so bad so quickly. First, you've got the people who hated it. People began turning on Isayama and calling him a terrible or incompetent writer, regretting ever getting into the series, insisting that it was worse than Game of Thrones, the list goes on and on. People who liked the ending are now endlessly referred to as "ending defenders" or more crude names like "Isayama cockriders," as though they're a bunch of incompetent fools who don't know the first thing about reading comprehension all because they just happened to like it. And then of course you've got the other extreme end of the spectrum where the ones who were disappointed are accused of not understanding the story or they're only upset because their favorite ship or fan theory didn't become canon. This, too, is very demeaning and invalidating for those who grew up with this series that they gave their heart to and cherished for so long, only to have it do what they felt was a complete 180 at the very last second that undid every part of the story they thought was special and unique. It's one of the hardest slaps to the face you can get as a reader and long-time fan, and while I can't fully relate to everyone's feelings, I can at least understand and acknowledge that it's there and it shouldn't be laughed at. Now with all of that out of the way, here are my thoughts and analysis of this fanmade ending and how it differs from Isayama's.

To start things off, I found that part 1 started off similar to how 137 did in the canon manga, with Armin and Zeke conversing in PATHS. The biggest difference would be kid Eren being transported there and seeing his older self. To be fair though, this chapter was only about half the length of what we're used to reading, so I'm sure we'll get a lot more in part 2 onwards.

While Zeke is enlightening Armin on the history of the earth and how the life form that attached itself to Ymir sought to avoid death forever, young Eren is in PATHS too with his older self, witnessing the moment Ymir found the tree and fell in it to become the first titan. At first, there is no dialogue exchanged between them. They just hold hands and watch. Meanwhile, Zeke is still talking to Armin about Ymir and how she continued to serve her oppressive master despite acquiring godlike powers that would allow her to obliterate him whenever she pleased. This is where the team working on this project attempt to provide their own alternate possibilities as to why this happened in a way that would make more sense than what we were given in the canon story in which she simply had a severe case of Stockholm Syndrome and couldn't let him go no matter how much he made her suffer.

So what are these new possibilities? They come in the form of a question, so their validity is not made absolutely certain, but they're presented as the most likely candidates nonetheless.

According to Zeke, she was unable to separate her own desires from King Fritz and was a lost girl who sought meaning. A place to belong. Tragically, King Fritz was the only connection she had in her life, so she clung to it with everything she had despite it being toxic and abusive. I could argue that these are the very reasons why she supposedly loved the king in the official manga, as explained by Eren in 139, but they weren't explained or touched on as plainly as they were here. I feel like they could have been if Isayama had just been given more time, but sadly the whole thing was rushed and underdeveloped.

Moving on, Zeke states that despite his efforts in trying to understand Ymir and her feelings, it was Eren who ultimately was able to get to her and offer her the choice of freedom. The next page transitions to young Eren standing in the clouds with his arms spread out and a smile on his face just like in the official 137, only this time 19yo Eren is next to him. Now I'm going to be honest here, this is where things started to get a little corny for me. Yeah. I know a lot of people hate that argument, but that's just how it felt to me. And before I say anything else, I want everybody to know that I am in no way about to mock anyone's fondness of this Eren over the one we saw in 139, even if it was a little over-the-top. It's perfectly fine to prefer one over the other, I'm just going to try to explain myself the best I can without coming across as harsh or unprofessional.

Eren is drawn in these panels to be a stone-faced, determined and unstoppable force who will "keep moving forward until his enemies are destroyed." This is the Eren that many people grew most familiar with throughout the series, despite his occasional breakdowns, but something about the way it was executed just felt a little too overdramatic and exaggerated. For me, the contrast between this Eren and the Eren we were presented with in 139 is too jarring. It came across to me as the fandom's idealized version of Eren, the "chad" Eren if you will, rather than Isayama's portrayal of Eren who is cold and determined, but has also been experiencing stunted mental growth ever since the day he saw his mother get eaten; side note: I know that Eren himself was responsible for his mother's death, but that's a discussion for a later time. Not only that, but the "keep moving forward" line starts to get overused at this point. We already heard Eren say this a number of times before 137 where this first fanmade chapter takes place, so I didn't find it necessary to include that at the end, but it seemed to be the writers' way of trying to reinforce Eren's ultimate goal.

Regarding the rest of the chapter, young Eren asks older Eren what Ymir is still waiting for after he showed her that she's not alone. 19yo Eren proceeds to explain that while he was able to make her feel something again, she still needs somebody to free her. He shows his younger self all of the visions from PATHS that he's seen so far, ranging from past events to alternate realities to things that couldn't be changed no matter what. Now there is only one path left that he strives toward. The one that he believes will grant him and his people freedom. This next line is the one that stood out to me the most throughout this fanmade chapter. Still talking to kid Eren, adult Eren says, "When you wake up, you will forget what you learned, but not what you felt here. This will all feel just like a long dream." Only when he kisses Historia's hand will it all come back to him. This line more clearly explains why Eren woke up crying in chapter 1, but couldn't remember why. Then he circles back to how he intends to carry out his own plan to end the cycle of hatred once and for all. Despite his efforts along the way, he couldn't change the flow of PATHS and save the friends he lost or prevent certain events from happening altogether, so he had to accept that sacrifices had to be made. In this case, he will have to literally sacrifice the world, much to Armin's horror.

To wrap this up, I'm going to finish comparing this to the canon 137, but since the first part of this project only covers the PATHS portion of it, that's where I'll stop as well. To save a little but of time, I'm just gonna be lazy and copy the first part of a quick overview of the chapter I found as part of the wiki:

So clearly, canon 137 starts off focusing a lot more on Armin and Zeke's differing philosophies and does not provide any further insight into Eren's ultimate motives like this one does, at least not yet. Armin and Eren are bound to face off soon in this fanmade version, but it looks to me like this time the writers are planning on flipping the outcome and having Eren come out victorious instead, especially when I remember the name of this project and what it's based on. I guess that means that in a way, I already know what's ultimately going to happen throughout the rest of this project. Whether it's going to be considered superior to the actual ending is going to depend on if its executed properly. I could very well be wrong about some of this, though. I want to give it a fair shot since these people have clearly put a lot of hard work and passion into this, so I will refrain from further judgement until we get the full picture. On a side note, I just want to say that the artwork is beautiful so far and I commend every artist responsible for their efforts. I also liked the song choice at the beginning and thought it set the mood pretty well.

Thank you to everyone who read the whole thing. This took me far longer to write than it should have because I'm not always good at expressing myself in a way that does not come across as confusing or contradictory. I will continue to share my thoughts as more content is released, which by the looks of it could be any day now.

#snk #aot no requiem #snk fanfiction #snk manga #snk 137 #armin arlert #zeke jaeger #eren jaeger #ymir fritz

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mikanyuzu-26 · 3 years

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Is Chapter 139 of Attack on Titan being messed up deliberately?

*Views are my own. I barely post anything on social media but I feel the need to express my thoughts as a long-term AOT fan.

You need to be a genius in getting everything wrong. As a reader who has been following the series for 8 years, the frustration and disappointment the recent chapters brought me are beyond words. The series Attack on Titan has long been known for its well written plotline, with pieces of hints eventually leading to the reveal of mysteries, ranging from the identity of enemies to the origin of titan. Isayama the author is more than capable in building a story, as evidenced by the carefully arranged setups and successful characterization in 130+ chapters. Probably echoed by other readers, the story surprisingly went downhill since Chapter 124 (aka the alliance arc) when pacing becomes slow with no major progress in overall plot. Eren who is the supposedly main protagonist is nowhere to be found in most of the chapters, let alone his inner thought. The conclusion in Chapter 139 is even more confusing, showing clear disconnection with previous chapters and major characters being OOC. There are fans who are kind enough to summarize the inconsistencies.

Chinese netizens’ comment on the story quality

I would interpret the bad writing in Chapter 139 as intentional, with two possible reasons, or both: 1). To betray and hurt the readers as expressed in his interview. He is free! 2). To passively protest against a plot change by his editorial team

“I was a big fan of Game of Thrones, so I can relate to the feelings of those fans who were disappointed with how the series ended. But when I’m drawing, I’m expressing my own feelings, and I think as long as I’m doing that, my fans will be able to accept whatever ending I come up with for them”. The question is – was Isayama hinting at a GOT-like ending that expressed his true feeling? Looking at his response at this point of time, was he foreshadowing a disappointment?

Personally I am a believer of (2) – the plot was hijacked. I see the pacing issue starting from Chapter 124 as Isayama and the editorial team trying to buy time in reconstructing the plot. This is the period when multiple minor subplots (e.g. Connie’s mom, Aruani, conflicts with Yeagerists like Daz, formation of Alliance, Reiner’s mom & Annie’s dad) are introduced and closed off shortly after, while Eren is nowhere to be found.

Also note that Isayama did not even show up in the interview/live stream after the end of the manga in on Apr 10 and Apr 14, 2021. The editor represented him instead. It was also revealed in the most recent live stream that the editorial team had quite a lot of influence over the plot, in which they changed the last few pages of Chapter 139.

As many of you have already raised, early chapters already mentioned the “only way to put a final end to the cycle of revenge” is to do a full rumbling. I believe this is the first draft of the ending of the story as this idea has been expressed more than once directly out of the mouth of Eren.

The other possible change is the way of how Ymir is being freed. In earlier chapter, Eren clearly understands what Ymir has been waiting for 2000 years in Chapter 122, and this is also the reason why Eren is able to start the rumbling in the first place. The possibility of Mikasa freeing Ymir is not being introduced until Chapter 138 (or 139), and certainly comes out of nowhere as the only people outside of path who have seen Ymir are Armin and Ramzi.

How is Chapter 139 being intentionally messed up? The inconsistencies above suggest that at least two plot twists are only being decided at the very late stage of the story. • Eren’s true intention (Eren Requiem vs. full rumbling) and the reasons behind • What Ymir wants

Throughout Chapter 139, there are definitely better choice of words which even average Reddit/Twitter/Tumblr users were able to re-write in the past few days. However Isayama just somehow chose the worst way in presenting the story as if it is a shoutout to readers. The presentation also makes Chapter 139 memorable, though not in a way most have expected.

“Why Mikasa?” “Well…only Ymir knows that one…” When I reread Chapter 139, it seems to me that Isayama is not trying to shy away from admitting the plot change. The disbelief from Armin’s way of saying “Huh? Did you just say Mikasa?” is an analogy to the readers’ reaction due to the lack of interaction between Ymir and Mikasa before the last panel of Chapter 138. Eren is also drawn with a resigned expression. If this is an over interpretation of the frame, Eren’s next response “Well…only Ymir knows that one…” directly points out how the statement lacks a clear and sound reasoning. You can translate it into “Well…only [the company/my editor] knows that one…” or “Nothing I just want to throw this in”. Isayama clearly knows what he is writing and indeed “only Ymir knows that one” becomes a meme.

Also to add that prior to Chapter 139, Ymir has always been a parallel of Historia/Krista, not Mikasa, even as early as Chapter 51, but this plot was just somehow nowhere to be found eventually.

Why Rumbling? The most disastrous consequence of a plot change, from wiping all history and civilization (that has been repeated in his conversation with Historia in Chapter 130 and his internal monologue in Chapter 131) to an Eren Requiem, is that it takes away all the justification and rationale for Eren to eliminate 80% of the population in the first place. Whether or not Eren executes the rumbling and dies willingly, the world will still be in conflict and future generation will remain in the forest. If the plan is to free Ymir, a better way is probably just asking Mikasa to chop his head off. That saves humanity (Ymir likes drama, after all!).

Isayama could have easily used phrases like “I just want to move forward” but he put “I don’t know why, but…I wanted to do that…I had to”. This is also Isayama speaking from the Eren – he does not know why Eren is doing rumbling just to achieve the 80% plan. He just “had to” draw it.

“10 Years, At least!” This is probably the most debatable and dramatic part of the chapter. Eren expresses his love to Mikasa but the scene is presented in a way as if it is a kid throwing a tantrum. In addition to that there is Armin’s comment “Oh ok…I didn’t expect something that pathetic..” as if it is again, the readers’ comment. The scene is portrayed in an unbelievably comedic way, especially when you compare it with Eren’s conversation with Ramzi in Chapter 131, which is supposed to serve the same purpose in showing Eren’s human/soft side. Most importantly, freedom has always been Eren’s core value throughout the series. The outright contradiction this line shows only makes the whole idea of this panel questionable.

Character Regression Needless to say, characters’ behaviours surprisingly regress back to the first arc, wiping out all developments throughout the series. The worst thing is it even kills the hype of re-reading the manga as you know the characters never grow, after all the sufferings and hearts sacrificed. Examples include: • Eren is still a crybaby • Mikasa remains trapped by her relationship with Eren and the scarf • Historia is not living proudly for herself after the Uprising arc • Reiner sniffs Historia’s letter after going through depression and wars (there is even a petition online asking Isayama to change this! You see how problematic this is.) • Jean and the horse joke

Almost everything that could possibly go wrong is wrong in 1 chapter These are written by the man who have been writing good chapters in the past 10 years. Can you believe it is just a lack of sense?

• “Thank you. You became a mass murderer for our sake.” • The “poop” that Armin gives Eren (Isayama likes using meme right? :P) • Eren’s face when he is punched

Is this the High School AU style?

Compared to Chapter 112...You can tell the difference.

The way how the fandom views Chapter 139 is certainly very divided, but even amongst those who like it, most still think “things could have done better” (source: SNK Chapter 139 Poll), showing how awkward the style is compared to previous chapters. The inconsistencies in character portrayal and plot are too hard to ignore. It pains me to see a well-constructed and reputable series, one step away from legend even just with an average ending, closed with a chapter that almost defeats the purpose of the rest. Trust in Isayama – while he can build a legend in 10 years, he can also take it down with 1 chapter.

By the way, Levi is one of the few characters who isn’t ruined. Probably also a conscious choice.

#snk 139 #aot 139 #aot spoilers #aot analysis #attack on titan #isayama #shingeki no kyojin #eren #snk spoilers #hajime isayama #snk analysis

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len-slibinas · 3 years

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No Escape

Spoilers for SnK/AoT and The Sorrows of Young Werther ahead:

[I was going to try and have something each week, to try and get used to writing regularly again, but I couldn’t get my Tumblr app to work right over the summer.

Then recently in a different forum, I was trying to work out a theory in this one group, but then in a different group I'm in, they were mocking all the overdone old theories including mine. Ack, how embarrassing. See, I missed that theory because by the time I joined, a similar, but sexier theory had taken over. Luckily the person I was asking in the first group didn't seem to care that it was an old theory, though I get the feeling we weren't quite understanding what the other one was saying. Aw well, it's hard to get all us humans(?) on board at the same time for anything.]

I don’t really plan to focus on just one thing here, like Attack on Titan. I will try and mix things up eventually, however...I had recently been reading Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther as translated by Catherine Hutter (different translation here) and there was this line from Werther’s writings, “Surrounded by the heavens and the earth and the powerful web they weave between them, I reel with dread. I can see nothing but an eternally devouring, eternally regurgitating monster.” The obsessive part of my brain was like, the heavens and earth part reminds me of some of the songs like Requiem der Morgenröte and the monster idea is like the titans devouring humans, but without a proper digestive system just vomiting all their victims back up.

So this is kind of sad, I thought, let’s move on, but then I get to the point where Werther recites his translation of Ossian.

And I quote, “Loud was the grief of the heroes, loudest of all though was Armin’s heartbreaking sigh.” Like seriously? There’s more, “Why art thou so wretched, Armin, chieftain of the sea-girt isle of Gorma?” Of course he has a connection to the sea. One more bit, “Carmor, thou hast not lost a son, thou hast not been deprived of a daughter. Colgar, the brave lives, and Annira, fairest of maidens. The branches of thy house blossom, Carmor, but Armin is the last of his race.” Ha ha, well hopefully if the anime concludes differently, it won’t be quite that direction.

So since there is no escape, on to some months old promotional pictures and controversy.

Here's the magazine cover art. Most of the kids look cute to me. My little Bertholdt looking surprisingly confident, but I wasn't quite sure why it looked like he had a turtleneck on, though I see now it is similar to what he's wearing on the book cover. It took me a minute with Ymir and Sasha, too. Though that might be Ymir's orphan clothes and Sasha is wearing her forest fashion.

Then of course, there was this panel from the extra pages, still causing controversy as I write this. The arguments being that it's Mikasa and Jean with their baby, Mikasa with an adopted kid and a supportive Armin, Mikasa with a random new guy or even Mikasa with the unnamed former rock thrower now farmer in Historia’s pregnancy story. To be honest this particular panel doesn't even have to be Mikasa, sure there seems to be faint lines indicating a scarf but I wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't seen a fan coloring of it. Now there are other panels where the woman does appear to be more clearly Mikasa, but I like that this panel is more open to interpretation.

My first take is that this is Resurrected Freckles Ymir holding baby Bertholdt (hey, if anyone was going to come back as a baby, might as well be the guy who spent half his time in the fetal position) and they are with Reiner sporting the popular new Repentant Farmer look. They are visiting Eren's wormy head to reminisce about that crazy day they spent in those big trees. Sure they were at each other's throats then, but they can laugh about it now...(confession, I was going to say they were visiting Historia's grave after she succumbed to the plague, but that seemed too sad after Ymir got resurrected and all).

Second take is that is Resurrected Sasha holding her baby Meaty Potatoes whom she had with Niccolo who is also sporting the Repentant Farmer style to promote his new farm to table menu at the restaurant. They are visiting the grave of the meal that went cold on That Day.

Third take is that is Armin holding some baby plucked from a refugee camp and he is with Jean, who is just wearing his tourist clothes. They are visiting the grave of a victim of the cycle of violence. They are trying to promote peace by saving random babies and taking in as many grave sites and memorials as they can on tour. They have also started a band. (Honestly though, I don't really see Armin dying his hair plus he'd probably wear a ponytail a little lower. I guess I could have said it was Pieck and she won the baby on a bet).

This is the final volume cover when opened up. At first I thought it was okay from a distance, but a little strange close up, though it's grown on me somewhat. Still some strangeness to it, like the head sizes, but maybe that's just to emphasize that they're all children.

I like to point out that front to back on one side, is Eren, Mikasa, and Armin and front to back on the other the first three are Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie (who might have to pee, not sure).

It's just that when comparing EMA to RBA, a lot will say it's Annie and Mikasa who are paralleled and then Bertholdt and Armin. Both comparisons have some sense to them. Mikasa and Annie seem reserved but are skilled, both took out titans in the Trost armory that one of the others had failed (I won't point out that they were Sasha and Connie) and they have been pitted against each other during 104 training and when Annie was in titan form.

Armin and Bertholdt are harder for me to compare, both don't seem to be really killers at heart, though Armin seems to have a darker dark side, both have been shown with books though Bertholdt doesn't have a special earth-shaking book.

However Armin and Annie are both the short blonde one who does the detective work and are trying to understand what exactly it means to be a good or bad person.

Mikasa and Bertholdt are both fiercely loyal to a limited number of people, have dark hair with a forelock, thin brows and are great at calling out a specific name, while Mikasa might win by quantity, I think Bertholdt wins with quality. It's hard to outdo jumping out of a barrel hurtling at high speed above the rooftops crying out a loved one's name just because you see that person is hurt (slight understatement). Bertholdt has also twice transformed to injuries caused by Mikasa. They both also try to entice their loved one with thoughts of going home.

Eren and Reiner seem a slightly closer fit, moving forward because they secretly want their selfish dream to be fulfilled even when they realize innocents will suffer or be killed for it. Though their feelings of guilt levels seem harder to compare.

Of course, we also see Reiner paralleled with Armin, both had moments where they saw themselves as weak, both were offered a hand up by a friend, Armin refusing in the one instance, Reiner accepting.

So trying to find parallels or similarly, mirroring or doubling, can be fun, but tricky. Like hey, Marco is Marcel, and Jean is Porco, and Erwin is Willy Tybur, and on and on but then you realize someone else is a better fit or it only works superficially, and then it confuses the issue.

Or to get even more confusing or perhaps sillier, if these characters were in trains on parallel tracks going at the same speed, would they be going in the same direction, able to have some sense of each other, but not really supposed to meet, or are they going in opposite directions, just a fleeting glimpse then they are gone?

Or what if it's more like light through a prism dividing up into seven separate entities, and everyone has six other kindred people, different but born of the same light, (okay, I'm kind of stealing someone else's idea here, but I'm not sure who to credit, sorry).

Anyway, explaining how EMA can compare to RBA might make for an interesting essay, but is it the right approach?

Then again, similar to Mikasa, we have Bertholdt wearing a scarf:

Who gave him that scarf?

Was it Reiner?

Seems his scarf did go missing:

Well Bertholdt will have to be careful, while scarves can be warm and cozy, they are also an entanglement risk.

Oh, looks like Bertholdt started a book club and is showing the guys more quotes from "The Sorrows of Young Werther".

"That I was granted the good fortune to die for you...to sacrifice myself for you...I would die courageously, joyously, if only I could re-establish the repose and bliss of your existence. But oh, it has been granted to only a few noble men to shed their life's blood for those they love, and by their death, kindle a new life for their friends."

...uh...not sure about that one, any others?

"Yes...nothing is dearer to me then children. As I watch them and see in everything they do the seed of all the virtue and strength they will one day need, when I recognize future steadfastness and firmness in their present obstinacy, good humor and the ability to pass lightly over the perils on this earth in their mischief, everything so unspoiled, everything still whole-then I want to repeat the Golden Rule of the teacher of mankind: 'unless ye become as one of these...' And then, my good friend, we treat the little creatures, who are our equals, and whom we should use as models, as our inferiors. They are not supposed to have a will of their own. Why not? Don't we demand free will? What gives us the right to make such a decision?"

Well, a little long maybe, getting to the point, but I guess it's fine...perhaps Bertholdt will find something more light-hearted to read for the next book club meeting.

#snk #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot

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phoenix-reburned · 3 years

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The Eagle: An Alternate Take to the AnR Theory

Before I begin this post, I want to preface this by saying that if the AnR ending happens, I will be sad but not disappointed, this is simply a thought I had that I hadn’t seen anyone else propose. I won’t be discussing why people believe that the eagle is Eren, although I know that there’s a lot of symbolism regarding it. This is simply my own thoughts on how Isayama could have a tragic ending that destroys us while also keeping some people alive.

Spoilers under the cut for both the manga and season four of the anime, you’ve been warned. Also long post, sorry.

First of all, if you have not yet watched the Akatsuki no Requiem video, I highly recommend you do that before continuing to read this post. Here’s the video:

youtube

For those of you that don’t know, the AnR theory states that the eagle in this video represents Eren and that this video basically spoils the entire ending of AOT. But what if the eagle isn’t actually Eren? What if it’s another character, telling the story of how they ended a war through bloodshed and lost their closest friends on the way? What if the same person telling us this story in the video is the same person who’s been telling us this story the whole time?

I believe that the eagle in this video is actually Armin Arlet, and that this is him recounting how he stopped the rumbling. This mixes in some of the Lebouch (?) theory, but not in the way you think.

Let’s start with something most people overlook about his character: Armin is extremely manipulative when he needs to be. He was able to convince Pixis that Eren wasn’t an enemy, quickly became a strategist that even Erwin trusted, and told Bertholt that someone he cared about deeply was being brutally tortured to save Eren. In his current position in the manga based upon the 137 leaks, he’s been able to take control of some of the titans away from Ymir. Whether or not he’s really done this or this is apart of Ymir’s plan is up for speculation, but for now let’s just assume that he did this of his own accord. He was able to talk Zeke into dying for humanity, a literal nihilist who killed countless people. Armin clearly will get his hands dirty if it benefits his plan, as shown multiple times. He’s not innocent.

Something else that helped me come to this conclusion, although this isn’t necessarily a huge reason I believe it, is that Armin is the one telling us this story. He’s been our narrator since season one. If Isayama wanted to kill him, why not just have Eren be the narrator? If Armin’s dead it makes no sense for him to be able to tell us the story even if you take the paths into consideration, since you can’t interact with anything or anyone in there.

Last thing before I get into the video is that Armin is being treated like a god right now by the titans on Eren in 137. The creator of the trojan horse theory (@/localhangeluvr on twitter), which is another inspiration for my theory, made a thread showing this and the similarities between Armin and the devils in Ymir’s story. This shows that he is going to be extremely important to the ending, whether or not he lives or dies. This thread also discusses the idea of Armin being the eagle, but we came to different conclusions based upon that idea.

Now let’s get into the video. The first thing I want to point out is the appearance of the color blue. We first see this when the eagle cries and dyes the baby eagle(?) blue. Later on, it reappears on the butterflies. The character that is most associated with this color is Armin, through his love of the ocean. His eyes are also blue in the anime, although blue for the ocean fits better since they’re hazel in the manga. The first time we meet Armin, he’s also wearing blue. Maybe this represents him wishing for a simpler time, before the fall of wall Maria?

Another thing, the grave the eagle visits. Look at the symbol on it.

To me, it resembles a snake eating it’s own tail. This makes me think of Eren, someone who ended up becoming what he hated most. First in the form of a titan, then in the form of a mass murderer. This could very well be Eren’s grave that the eagle visits, meaning he could be crying because of the knowledge that he killed the person that was once his best friend.

Next, let’s examine the thing on top of the baby eagle’s head, which also reappears later in the eagle’s library.

This clearly is supposed to be the wings of freedom. If Eren was the eagle, why would he hold onto the wings? At this point, he’s completely abandoned the scouts. Why would he want to keep anything what reminded him of what became his enemy around? These questions disappear if this is actually Armin though, as he would have no reason to renounce the scouts.

Another interesting thing is that the eagle has blue eyes when he has the lizard/frog mask on, but his actual eyes are brown. As I mentioned before, Armin has blue eyes in the anime but hazel in the manga. This could be another subtle hint to the eagle’s identity.

Next, the lack of walls in the sky city, or the fact that this is what it represents. This is when the Lebouch theory comes into play. While I don’t necessarily believe that Eren wants to be stopped, I do believe that if he is killed and the rumbling ends, that this will create peace. A scene all the way back in season one makes me believe this. After Eren agrees to try to seal the wall, he takes a walk with Pixis. To paraphrase what is said, Pixis states that only a world ending event could truly bring humanity together. Well, I do think an attempted mass genocide would be world ending enough to do it. Plus, there’s the fact that if the alliance stops it, that would put Paradis and the eldians back into the world’s good graces. And if one of them gets their hands on the founding, there’s also a possibility that they could completely remove all titans from the world.

The family is another reason a lot of people assume that this is Eren we’re watching because of his and Historia’s possible relationship in the manga, if you believe that Historia’s child is his (which I do, but that’s not super relevant right now). But that’s not necessarily what’s happening here. If someone’s able to reverse the curse of Ymir, then this COULD be Armin and Annie’s family. If Armin and Annie’s feelings for each other wasn’t important, why bring it up right at the end of the story? At this point there’s no reason for Isayama to show us that they like each other UNLESS it plays a role in the prologue. Or, maybe it’s to make Annie’s death sadder if he does kill her, but since she’s still alive I’m sticking with option a. I’m not sure if the cat means anything, however black cats are usually regarded as an omen of death. This could be a reminder that Armin killed Eren.

Another clue is the library.

It’s shown to be very expansive, clearly showing that whoever owns it loves to read. Only one character comes to mind when you think about books.

The lizard family is next.

Notice that it’s a father, mother and child. Maybe Armin will have to end up killing both Historia and her child along with Eren? Or this could just show Armin’s regrets at the deaths he’s caused in general.

In the ruins, we again see the image of a snake eating it’s tail. Possibly representing the damage that Eren caused with the rumbling?

Now the butterflies. Possibly one of the biggest reasons why people believe that Eren is the eagle.

In total, we see 10 butterflies. I believe that this does represent the alliance as they attempt to stop Eren, and shows that about 5 of them will die. I believe that the first death is either represented by Hange or Zeke, depending on how you view it. Maybe Zeke, as he was an outlier to the group until his death. I believe that Levi, Reiner, and Pieck will be the last three deaths. To add to this, the ground shot also only shows five butterflies, meaning that more than likely the rest of the alliance will live.

Right after these deaths, the baby eagle is shown preparing to fight. I believe that this means that these last three deaths will happen in quick succession and drive Armin overboard, causing him to do what Mikasa won’t and kill Eren.

Next, we see both eagles in a field of graves, showing that Armin regrets not being able to save more people. Maybe he even blames himself for their deaths, wishing he had stopped Eren earlier.

While I know that Mikasa is the one to wake Eren up from under the tree, maybe this shows that Armin is the one who says ‘see you later’ before she does?

I believe that this represents Armin realizing that, without Eren’s destruction, they never would have gotten peace. I believe that him dropping the arrow represents him feeling a kind of gratitude towards him, in a weird way?

And then the end of the video just shows us again that, while Eren did ultimately bring about peace, it came at a heavy price.

A few more things to mention:

1. The lyrics DO tie into chapter titles, while I won’t list them here going through the comments of this video will show all of them to you.

2. Armin’s last name literally means eagle.

That’s the end to my theory! Basically, I believe that Armin will kill Eren and that peace will be achieved, however it won’t be a happy ending for anyone involved.

There’s a few things about the video that I can’t necessarily explain, like the eagle’s lost leg. Though maybe, if they do rid the world of titans, if Armin is injured while killing Eren he’ll end up losing it? It’s something I’ll keep an eye out for over these last few chapters. Another thing is the revealed last manga panel. Most people do believe that it’s Eren (for good reason), we never get that confirmation. If this is after another time skip, that could be another character, hell maybe it’s even Armin talking to his and Annie’s child.

That’s it from me though. Let me know what yall think, if you think it’s plausible or tell me that I’m wrong, I don’t care lol. Proofs to either disprove or prove this would be great if yall find any! Thanks for reading my longass post.

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decayingdirk · 2 years

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2022 predictions but its only animation stuff because live action just hasnt been it for me recently:

animation hyperfixations of 2022 (new stuff only):

major: the boondocks reboot if it's bad, tmnt (i get to add it here cause its getting a movie but technically its already got a fanbase), blue lock, chainsaw man

minor: the boondocks reboot if its good (it deserves better), angry birds (i hate this), supernatural academy (the fanbase will be similar to miraculous ladybug, but at the size of tales of arcadia probably? trends when new stuff comes out, pretty much dead otherwise), gross girls, spy x family, link click (its already been talked about a bit but i think its gonna get a more solid fanbase)

western animation predictions:

stuff that will be good: the house (stop-mo, connected short stories, netflix), new spiderverse, DC league of super pets (surprisingly) (the animation will be boring tho), lightyear, puss in boots: the last wish (this is just hope tbh), Wendell and wild (stop-mo, Selick is on it), the sea beast (hope)

stuff that will not be good but ill wish it was: turning red (please let me be wrong), bad guys (i like the steps away from mass media 3d animation though), bob's burgers movie (disney has it. at least itll be 2d ig), strange world (it's the director and a writer from raya, which was full of squandered potential), blazing samurai (if anyone watches it)

stuff that will get attention like it's good but won't be: hotel transylvania, minions: rise of gru (but you already knew that), the mario film, the night at the museum animated movie, pinocchio (the animated one) (theres gonna be both a live action and an animated one this year lol) (also its directed by del toro??? who just released a live action pinocchio also??? the fuck)

this is mostly big studio stuff cause i dont wanna look for every fuckin animation project thats coming out so. whatever it is will fall into one of these categories cause big studio animation doesnt really get universally disliked it just stops being talked about. so no “its just bad” category for you.

eastern animation predictions:

donghua has already been getting more popular and its only gonna kick up. finally.

manhwa will follow but maybe less? probably wont REALLY get going till 2023 but it is coming. finally.

stuff that will be good: chainsaw man (if it isnt... yes it is.), tiger & bunny s2 (PLEASE. PLEASE), cyberpunk: edgerunners (itll get bad reviews but i will like it), dragon ball super: superhero, spy x family (they cant fuck this up its too camp. even if its bad itll be good), tokyo revengers s2 (itll be average), blue lock, the genius prince’s guide to raising a nation out of debt, the orbital children, demon slayer s2 (dont see how they could fuck this up tbh), girls’ frontline (maybe?), link click s2, daily life of the immortal king s3 (might just be mediocre)

stuff that will not be good but ill wish it was: uzumaki (itll be fine but like in no way better than the manga), arifureta s2, sabikui bisco (honestly i prob wont even watch it cause i dont usually like post-apoc anime but this is my gut feeling), sasaki and miyano (i will eat my fucking shoe if someone does a slice of life comedy BL well), requiem of the rose king (honestly just dont wanna get my hopes up that theyll do intersex rep well)

stuff that will get attention like its good but wont be: new my hero academia content (it fell off a while ago guys cmon), dragon ball super: superhero (gotta be safe), kakegurui twin, attack on titan: final season part 2 (i dont even watch aot anymore but its an ending i doubt theyll do justice to), heaven official’s blessing s2 (ive read the novel it cant be good when i know theyre removing the mlm stuff)

its just bad: spriggan (ive heard the manga’s good but the anime just. wont be.), my dress-up darling (this will probably just be my personal opinion lol it could very well be objectively well made and i just dont like it), love of kill (consent? doubt it)

#not gonna tag this w anything cause its mostly just for me #so i can look back and go ha. i was right #or i can Not look back and pretend i was never wrong

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todokori-kun · 7 years

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Did someone say suffering? SIGN ME UP.

(I think I’ve heard of it before but I have no idea what it’s about other than the fact that there are obviously terrorists involved lol)

Poor Hisoka. So much unnecessary hate.

I have something to recommend real quick too: could you search ‘Hisoka Schwing’ and then ‘Kyousou Requiem’ on youtube? The infamous ‘Schwing’ scene will show you why Hisoka is a trash pile, Kyousou Requiem is Hisoka’s character song from the anime and will show you why sometimes, rarely, Hisoka can be cool (or rather, he has a very nice voice and you can actually enjoy the song. Unless you’re waching the video with English subs. Then you’d probably get too distracted by the lyrics).

The troll side of me is really looking forward to your reaction XD

TYSM again <333

Really? I mean, if you’re ok with me spamming you and ranting about stuff (basically what I always do but still) I’d love to send you more pics.

That sounds really cool :D

Yay :) tbh though I have a weird definition of PG-13 LOL when I’m watching stuff with my sister PG-13 is anything that’s acceptable for her to watch if I cover her eyes at certain points/make sure to talk about things with her, and when I’m watching stuff alone PG-13 is anything that doesn’t have any sexual content (sexual references are ok though) and has no extreme violence/gore. That’s pretty much it XD

I think I read on the site that Rod is recommended as the first route? So maybe I’ll start with him :)

I WILL RESIST (we both know I won’t be able to though. Queen Luna knows my weaknesses.)

Yeah, Riza would be impressed. I think she’d wonder how on earth her idiot son managed to get such a beautiful, sensible young lady to like him LOL

Evans…would probably be a bit less impressed. If Roy managed to prove to me that he’s genuinely in love with the queen, though, I might give in. It depends on what he does though. If he mentions miniskirts or that on hold song I’m throwing him out. Like-

Roy: “LUNA, I THOUGHT YOU SAID SHE WAS SHY AND SWEET”

Luna: *stares at the wild Evans* “Sorry bae, but right now you’re on your own.”

Evans: “Colonel Mustang, you should understand that my anxiety makes me nervous around human beings, not trash.”

Yeah, I remember that 4-Koma Theatre thing XD All of FMA’s extras are pretty hilarious.

Tbh any relationship with Evans involves a LOT of awkward silences and going round in circles until SOMEBODY decides to step in like ‘nah you’re not getting anywhere like that here let me just give you this convenient push so you fall into each other’s arms’

(Also: I recently imagined what it would be like to be Kimblee’s s/o. I don’t know why I did that. It was a terrifying thought.)

Ok, ok, since we seem to talk about shipping each other with fictional characters a lot, I thought I’d leave a list of who I ship you with from various fandoms-

Oreo Cookie

Nishiki, for some weird reason?

Roy

Greedling (I STILL HAVEN’T WRITTEN THE GREED/LUNA HCs. I’LL SEND THOSE IN A SEPERATE MESSAGE)

Lust

Soma and maybe Sebastian? Like he’s way too trashy for the queen but still

Loki

Thor

Maybe Pietro? But he’s dead so ;-;

Jean (from AoT)

Armin

Hange?

I still care about a lot of people (other than Urie there’s Saiko, Nishiki, Kimi, Shuu, Naki, Yomo, Uta(?), Eto, Ui…) but yeah, I’m worried for Urie even if I’m sure he’s not going to die.

I’m super excited for Ishida to reveal more of Rio/Shikorae’s backstory! He might actually play a bigger role in the plot now? And I really want to know how he ended up like that because his game design looks a lot more ‘normal’, for lack of a better word. Also I don’t think he talked in emojis in the game.

Yeah, tbh I feel sorry for all of them ;-; can Yomo and the rest really kill them/harm them? They’re CHILDREN.

Yep, the sketches are rough and messy because I was just doodling to vent my feelings ^^;; the black sketch does look a bit better than the blue one, though (at least I think so?). I’m glad you liked them :D and yes, they’re suffering. Naomi more than Tatsuo, though. The only way Tatsuo could suffer is if he was unsure of Naomi/Shuu/Mirumo’s safety or if someone cut off his wine supply.

Hm, looking forward to seeing what it’ll change to next time :) this one really is super cute though <3

(btw, an extremely random and maybe slightly creepy question that you don’t have to answer:

What do you do/how do you act when you’re angry?)

Oh yeah, there’s plenty of suffering there. It also has a really good soundtrack! My personal favourite is probably this one: Ís (it has a link so you can listen to it :3 ) Yee, it’s a pretty depressing anime. When i finished it, I stared at ny wall for solid 10 minutes thinking about what I just watches. You also cry a lot while watching it, especially if you’re like me (I never cry at live action movies, but anime het me really easily)

I am scarred for life. Wow. That guy is bigger trash anything I can imagine. Just. That’s so creepy >_< Getting turned on by the thought of fighting a boy that doesn’t look older than 13. Also, the song is nice, his voice is nice, but then I saw the lyrics. “Your (something) makes me moist.” I don’t even watch the anime, but I am done with him on too many levels already.

I’m scared already… I’m absolutely fine with you sending me more of your drawing! In fact, I’d be more than happy to see them ^^

Oh wow, those are interesting definitions of pg-13. I think that pg13 means you can swear once or twice. Tokyo Ghoul has a lot more swears than that XD I’m curious, though, have you ever watched any anime with your sister? If so, which ones? You mentioned her reading kuroshitsuji, minus some arcs, but what about the anime?

Ah, Rod might be a good start (asshole). I hope you enjoy his route ^^ Tell me your impressions after it! Also, (one last (hopefully)) word of advice, pace yourself. Don’t be like me and finish all the routes in 2 days. That’s too much suffering and emotion packed into 2 days XD

AHAHA WILL YOU THOUGH?

O/////////=

After I read that burn, I literally sat here for about 5 minutes, just staring at the screen.

That was absolutely savage.

Who says the silences have to be awkward? I’m a pretty quiet person, yet whenever my friends are over and we’re silent, it’s never awkward. We just enjoy the silence.

That’s why you have me huehuehuehue I’ll be your wing(wo)man!

Honestly, I’d write some Evans/Kimblee headcanons, but I honestly can’t imagine that man in a relationship. I tried, I really tried.

Ara, that’s a lot! Funny how you should say Nishiki, since he was actually my favourite, along with Shuu before Urie came along. You know me too well ^^

No, no, there’s honestly no need for that! You’ve already written so so much for me!

Tbh, I feel like one of the rare people in the fandom who don’t like Sebastian. I don’t find him hot, attractive or anything similar. In fact, he’s among the characters I dislike the most XD Rip pietro. Why did you have to say goodbye?

Hange and I would probably have a more platonic relationship filled with weird experiments and titan research. I’d also participate in giving the titans horrible names just for the lols :P

I’m worries for everyone. Mainly, their mental health. I’m always worried about that when it comes to TG, though.

I wonder what’ll happen with him… Hopefully Ishida does make him a good character ^^

So. Much. Suffering. Well, cut of his wine supply, that’s probably the least suffery thing you can do to him XD

It might stay this character (very likely), change to a character from CP (also likely (help)) or something entirely else. We’ll just have to wait and see ^^

When I’m angry, I mostly rant inside my head and… I do schoolwork… Yep, I’m a nerd. It does help me vent, though, because it takes my mind of of things. When I don’t have schoolwork to do, I watch cutesy anime, because those can always make me smile. I also listen to angsty music sometimes ^^;;

Aaalso, I recently (today) realised how to make proper aesthetic edits! So, uhm, here are some I made! I’d like your opinion on them ^^

((I tried to put 4 put the other 2 wouldn’t load =3= I’ll try to include them in my next answer ^^))

Masquerade ball:

Blue one ((Actually inspired by you)):

((Idk if you’ve read this, but the other two decided to load, huzzah!))

Living Legend Ballerina:

And the one where I decided to be conceited and made one for myself XD

If you have an idea for a specific character, or something, just say so, because I wanna practice and ideas are welcome!

#evans #submission

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