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nikakistos · 3 months

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Did Mikasa (re)marry?

Exactly three years ago, i wrote a post with the title "Mikasa will kill Eren". I haven't written a lot about AoT since then. I still keep AoT in my heart and i read news and posts about it daily. Although i do not participate that much in discussions about it, i still read what other people have to say. This is about to change. Yes, i know that the anime ended 3 months ago and i know that AoT's time in the spotlight is probably gone for good, with very few events ahead of us. In time, people will move on to other works. That is the cycle of life for fans of stories of any medium. And yet, now, more than ever, i want to start writing about AoT and my favorite characters (Mikasa, Eren etc) again. I will begin by offering my view on whether or not Mikasa married or, more accurately in my opinion, remarried after Eren's unfortunate end.

Why remarry?

Why do i use the term remarry? After all, Mikasa and Eren were never officially married. There was no ceremony, no rings, no nothing. If anything, in the physical world, the last time Mikasa and Eren spoke was when Eren told her he hated her. That is indeed true. However, Mikasa and Eren spent quite some time in the paths together (be it months, years, or a few minutes). The realm of the paths is (was) not a dream place. It wasn't something fictional. It was reality, just like Armin described it in chapter 136. It is a different dimension where time goes by very differently compared to the physical world.

Eren brought all of his friends in there to speak to them and reveal his true intentions. With Armin, he also went on a journey, visiting all the places they wanted to see. With Mikasa, after talking to her about his plan, they decided to forget it all and spend their time together. They replayed the "What am i to you" scene from chapter 123 and Mikasa chose to express her true feelings to him, while also telling him to run away together. Eren then grabbed her arm and they escaped to the mountain cabin. From the way they act towards each other, it is easy to tell that they viewed themselves as husband and wife. This is also showcased by what Mikasa wrote in Eren's tombstone. The last word is "あなた", which typically means "you" in japanese, but, when used by a spouse to her husband, it means "sweetheart, dear etc". So, it is obvious that for Mikasa, Eren was her husband and the same holds true for Eren. This means that if Mikasa were to marry, it would be her second marriage, or, at the very least, this is how it would seem to her. For all intents and purposes, Eren and Mikasa were husband and wife in the Paths and after his death, Mikasa is presented as a widow.

The extra pages and the songs

Anyone who was reading the manga during its run knows that the original ending, the one shown in the Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, had Mikasa thanking Eren for wrapping the scarf around her while the bird was flying away. The bonus pages expanded the original ending and showed Mikasa visiting Eren's grave again and again, once with a man and a newborn child, still young, and once accompanied by two couples and their young children, while old. The difference between the two is also reflected in the episodic format of the anime ending, where the bonus pages do not appear and the closing song is different. Instead of "二千年… 若しくは… 二万年後の君へ・・・", which played in the special version, the episodic format uses "いってらっしゃい".

The episodic format provides an emotional closure for the relationship between Eren and Mikasa. The lyrics of the song reveal that Mikasa wants to and believes that she will meet Eren again. The original animation of the ED song implies that Eren and Mikasa do meet again in the afterlife after Mikasa's death. They are now free to be with each other for eternity.

The special format represents the theme of "life goes on". Wars never end permanently. They are just interrupted by long periods of peace. The same applies to Mikasas' life. In the anime, Eren's grave is visited by all of his friends, exactly 3 years after his death. Exactly 11 years after his death (7 winters and 8 springs after his friends visit his grave, slow it down as much as possible and count the season changes), Mikasa visits his grave with a man and a child. This scene has 2 very popular interpretations. One is that Mikasa married someone (Jean) and had a child with him and the other one says that Mikasa remained single and virgin forever and that the kid is adopted and that the man is Armin.

Let's start with the second option. The major arguments are that (in the manga) Mikasa still covers her Hizuru tattoo with the bandages and that she she offers roses to Eren's grave and that the number of the roses signify that she never found someone else. Some people also argue that Mikasa loving someone else romantically goes against her character.

I do not agree with this interpretation. Covering her tattoo does not mean that she didn't pass it down to her children and even if she didn't pass it down, it doesn't mean she didn't have kids. Also, in the anime, the flowers she offers are not roses. I would agree that it would be out of character for Mikasa to find someone else, but only as long as Eren was alive. It would probably take her a very long time, but if the right man appeared, maybe she could fall in love again.

During Eren's crying tantrum about Mikasa to Armin, he mentioned that if she were to find someone else it should take her 10 years at least. The anime went out of its way to show Mikasa appearing with her new family, a man and a newborn kid exactly 11 years after his death. This points towards Mikasa remarrying. The anime also added a ring to her left ring finger during her funeral scene. The lyrics that play during Mikasa's visits to Eren's grave with her new family are these "時が運んだ穏やかな日々手向けた花のように秘めた言葉は誰にも告げず逝く". This means that the time brought gentle days to Mikasa and she kept her feelings for Eren to her heart, with the flowers and the words on the tombstone revealing their true extent. In my opinion this showcases that Mikasa spent peaceful days with her new family, but she kept her feelings to Eren deep in her heart, as shown by her constant offering of flowers to his grave and the words she wrote in the gravestone.

For me the biggest indication that Mikasa did remarry is the fact that these scenes exist in the first place, both in the manga and in the anime. Isayama felt the need to show these images, when the Magazine ending was very open to interpretation. There would be no point to adding these scenes, only to make the ending more ambiguous. The bonus pages are there to clarify what happens to Mikasa's life and the island in the long years after Eren's death, not to muddy the waters. If Isayama wanted the ending to be completely open to interpretation, then there would be no reason for the new pages.

Why Jean?

Shipping wars are part of most fandoms and the AoT fandom is no exception. During its run, the biggest rivalry was the one between the EM and EH supporters. Now it is between EM and JK fans. EH was never a thing in the story, but the relationship between Eren and Mikasa was the most important in the story. The entirety of Attack on Titan is built based on the relationship between its male and female leads. They are the backbone of the story and without them there would be no AoT. Of course, a tragic conclusion for them hurts people. Especially when Mikasa eventually gets married to someone that, during the duration of the plot, she didn't show any interest. But, this is not really relevant. The moment Eren died, the plot pretty much ended. The plot does not follow Mikasa's healing process and family life, because it doesn't affect anything. Also, it is so far into the future that the characters involved are practically different people. Maybe in the future Isayama will show this development in a short story, like he will do with Levi in vol. 35, but, for now, this is just an additional detail that is only 3 panels long.

Even without mentioning the physical aspects of the man shown next to Mikasa, Jean, throughout the story has been presented as the "Eren-lite". He is second best to Eren and he compares himself to his "rival". He is jealous of how much Mikasa cares about Eren, he places directly under him in training, he views him as more courageous, strong and cool than him. On the other hand, Jean is presented as a mentally stable person, while Eren is not. Jean of course can never be as passionate as Eren and he can't match Eren's kindness when Eren is kind, but he could also never be as cruel as Eren. He disguises as Eren throughout the story and he is presents himself as the best successor for Eren's titan. Most importantly, Jean shares a special connection with Eren, he understands him and he loves him.

So, it is no suprise that Isayama would have him end up with Mikasa after Eren's death. There really is no one better for Mikasa. Jean is the best option if she can't be with Eren. He cared for her throughout the series, protected her once and he even tried to paint Eren in a better light after the latter offended Mikasa. He is also the only one who can understand her love for Eren and still be with her without getting jealous over the fact that she would never be able to love him as much as she loved Eren. This is something that even Jean's voice actor expressed in the recent Attack on Titan festival that celebrated the 10 years since the beginning of the anime. He felt that Jean got to be with Mikasa and he was comforting her, but he knew that he could never replace Eren in her heart. Yui Ishikawa, Mikasa's voice actress, also said that for Mikasa, no matter how many years pass and how many things she experiences throughout her long lifespan, Eren will always be the number 1 in her heart.

Does that diminish her love for Jean? Does that mean that she never truly loved Eren? No. It simply means that Mikasa fell in love again, 10 years after Eren's death, with a man who is as close to Eren as possible. Jean most likely won her over. She didn't marry him out of some desparate need to be with a man, but because she found the strength in her heart to love someone again, even if it wasn't to the same extent as before. That doesn't make her dirty or impure, like some fans want to believe. This obsession with virginity is frankly stupid. First of all, Mikasa, by the time the she remarries, is, probably not a virgin. Unless she only spent a few minutes with Eren in the world of the paths, the two of them probably did more things than just talking and fishing. Even if she were, virginity is nothing special. Mikasa marrying someone else and having kids with him does not mean Eren got cucked. It doesn't mean that Jean won against Eren Mikasa still loving Eren does not mean that Jean got cucked by a dead man, nor does it mean that he got damaged goods. These points of view are ridiculous and are only expressed by very immature individuals and/or incels. Jean is probably somewhat sad that Mikasa and Eren didn't get to live the life they wanted together and he is probably thankful to Eren for giving him the chance to live his dream life. Jean is not the type to gloat or ridicule his dead comrade, nor the type of guy to be bitter, because Mikasa loved Eren so much.

Mikasa moved forward with her life (not moved on, widows hate this term, because it is closer to forgetting your previous spouse), without ever forgetting her big love or changing her feelings for him. And in the end, after spending many decades with her new family, she passed away peacefully and reunited with her most beloved person in the world in the afterlife. For some, Mikasa reuniting with Eren in the afterlife means that she didn't remarry, because her husband should be her soulmate and if she is with Eren she didn't have a second husband. I disagree here as well. There is no information about how the afterlife works and making assumptions about it based on real world theology is dumb. People can love more than once. If your last spouse is your soulmate, then what happens to people like Grisha? The only thing we can do is go by what is shown and what is shown is that Mikasa both remarried and met Eren in the afterlife.

The same goes for those who believe that Mikasa should not meet Eren in the afterlife, because Eren is a criminal. Attack on Titan does not pass judgement to the actions of its characters that much. Of course, Eren's actions are horrific, but the entirety of the cast and the narrative tries to shift the blame to many more people than just Eren. Eren is not the only one responsible for how things turned out. All the characters sinned. Not to mention, Mikasa expressed her certainty that she would meet Eren again in the end in the final ED song and this is what is shown. Furthermore, after Mikasa's death, the lyrics that play are these "レクイエムレクイエム檜には君た花を罪を散すなら暁よ照らせ". This means that if sins are to be forgiven, then dawn will illuminate the flowers under the cypress. Eren's sins by the time Mikasa died have, probably, been forgiven. In any case, repeating my previous words, we can only go by what is shown and what is shown is that the two of them do reunite in the end.

What is the point of the debate?

The debate is probably meaningless. Whether or not Mikasa married does not affect the story in any way. It simply concludes Mikasa's story. Of course, this means that i wrote close to 3 thousand words for nothing, LOL. Nonetheless, i find it ridiculous that large amounts people still debate about the frankly obvious context of 1 panel. This toxic debate should have stopped long ago. What matters is that Mikasa got to live a long and happy life with a person who loved and respected her, just like Eren ultimately wanted and she then reunited with her most beloved. Sure, it hurts that we couldn't see more of Eren and Mikasa as a couple, after being introduced to them from the very first page of the story, but this is no reason to slander other parts of the fandom or the voice actors who did their best to portray these characters for over a decade. Mikasa was lucky enough to be loved so much by two men. She got to spend her time on Earth with one of them and infnity with the other. Despite all of her shortcomings and the bad luck she faced in her life, Mikasa rose stronger from each challenge and earned her happily ever after. This is what's important. In the future, we might get to see more of her family life with Jean and the time she spent with Eren in the paths and her next meeting with him.

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levmada · 2 months

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How do you feel about people calling Hanges sacrifice a suicide? They quite literally wanted to live but had a responsibility to carry the scouts forward.

i think it’s just about the most moronic, insipid, dumbass take in the entire fandom, which is saying something.

or i guess every time Hange appeared the people who believe this went to sleep or something.

i give my full thoughts here, but i’ll expand on them.

the idea Hange took the opportunity to commit suicide is SO diametrically opposed to their character in every way. Hange is a SCOUT: they put aside any fear of death or desire for family, a career, or a normal life in general in pursuit of living freely; they not only are willing to face the terror of the Titans but revel in learning about them, and by extension understanding the world around them. if there's ANYTHING which defines a scout—like Hange says also—it's their unyielding desire for a better understanding. in a cruel world such as Hange lives in, this is unfathomably brave.

first, their sense of duty, their responsibility, is heightened tenfold when they become commander. Erwin, who they admired deeply, is who they have to replace, and clearly, the person they consider their closest friend Levi (which is canon) believes in their leadership more than COMMANDER ERWIN. that's a lot of pressure.

((from their perspective, that is. it's unknown whether Levi ever told them his true feelings, but even if he did, they would know Levi believed Erwin was the only one who could help the Scouts save humanity. so it's lose-lose. actually that's worse.))

Hange felt so fucking guilty after the four years. it's clear how tired they were. after the Liberio battle, they felt that Erwin's choice to choose them as his successor was his one and only mistake, that it's their fault the Rumbling got as far as it did; they tell the alliance several times that it's unfair to drag them all into this, and they ask whether they're sure about it because of how the world might see Eldians when it's all over.

it's SO unreasonable for them to do, but their guilt overpowers.

one out of several reasons being, they had to dismiss Flegel and Peaure, when during the uprising arc, Hange was the one who pushed so damn hard for them to fight for the truth, and their own family. suddenly Hange can't tell the truth about where Eren is imprisoned and all of that.

now!! this argument between Hange and Flegel is THE EXACT MIRROR of the argument between Hange, Mikasa, and Jean when they all reunite after the rumbling starts. Jean similar to Flegel is arguing that Paradis will be spared, the Rumbling will give them protection for decades after, and it's the definitive way to guarantee their safety.

"a life as a mouse can still be a hard-fought one."

Hange concedes that they don't have the right to force them to fight, but genocide is wrong, and they won't be convinced otherwise. they admit that they're all here because their idealism was a weakness, and that they're a hypocrite because they wanted to run away with Levi, but they still have that responsibility to their comrades to make their sacrifices worth it.

Hange is wrong about their idealism being weak, and what right they have to ask for the others to fight, but it's their guilt. their weakness now is tangible, but their resolve is just as strong. they know, and believe, in their duty. there is absolutely no amount of hopelessness that could break that determination.

how, both knowing the earnestness of their character and the symbolism of the ghosts appearing here, would they lie or embellish here because they're actually suicidal? they want to stay alive and fight for all their sakes.

when the ghosts appeared to Erwin, he was pouring his heart out to Levi, and it's the same here. in fact their are many similarities between them, Erwin who "committed suicide", which is an erroneous take too, and Hange.

they both felt guilty for their actions and lack of action (the differences in their actions aside). Erwin tells Levi that at times he thought death would be easier, but he didn't want to die; he still fights for his dream. it's most likely been the same for Hange at this point.

he would go on to voluntarily die on Levi's order, and be the first to fall among a hundred new recruits. i mean the meaning can't be lost on anyone right? he pays for his sins with his life, and redeems himself with his death the same way every veteran would go on to do. for taking on their "demonic" roles like Sannes warns Hange of here.

it happens to Levi because of his choice and his moral devolution, and he redeems himself by killing Zeke and playing a major role in making the Scouts' collective dream finally realized; it happens to Nile for living with no regard to anyone but his family by being titanized, and redeems himself by helping Gabi and the Braus family escape during the invasion; etc.

Hange's sin was their willingness to run away. again back to the uprising: Hange argues that w/ the Survey Corps on the run, they hunker down in the cabin to remain safe, because Nick was murdered: "i was naive. it's my fault.'"

again do you see the resemblance? because there's more🥰.

besides their duty, it's Levi's resolve/strength, and their friends, that disproves the bullshit suicide theory.

Levi rebukes them by pointing out that their guilt is making them give up, and that hiding will just get them killed.

in the present, Levi again acts as their support. in the forest, they admit that they want to run away and live with him there. Levi tells them that they can't just keep running and hiding, and likely knowing the responsibility Hange feels to their comrades too, he points out that Hange won't be able to stay out of the action, and Hange agrees: they won't run.

and you want to tell me that Hange's sacrifice is them volunteering to quit, to run away, to die? PFFT.

similarly, their comrades give them strength on both sides of the aisle. both Mikasa and Pieck.

in a cosmic burst of irony, Hange does get to run away from the fight, but that's to keep the alliance safe, and give them the time to fix the plane. just like how they wanted to keep the Survey Corps safe during the uprising, and Levi safe after the explosion.

like what Hange chose to do thanks to Levi's support during the uprising, they're running away and fighting at the same time.

it was their duty as a Scout. it was Levi who helped give them bravery. they felt this sacrifice, for it to be "their turn", was their responsibility because they felt they failed the Scouts both living and dead. Hange didn't want to die!!

if Hange wasn't presented with this opporutunity, they would've fought proudly right beside Levi and the others. no doubt.

they even still have hope that Eren wasn't right. they're admitting defeat today, but even so, they believe peace will prevail one day.

it's the same (Hange would also echo levi's sentiment about the value of fighting if you were going to die anyway too.)

also, maybe it's a reach, but it's telling to me that as Hange comments on accepting defeat, they look just as scared when it's their death. Hange ALWAYS considered their life as belonging to the Survey Corps.

if all of this still isn't good enough, just look at how Hange was accepted by the ghosts of Scouts after their death. this is what drives me CRAZY about the suicide theory - it's completely unfounded!!!!

Erwin and Moblit, whose opinions Hange likely cared about most, are smiling at them, and Erwin puts it plainly. the Scouts are proud of Hange. Hange gave their sacrifices meaning, because now the alliance can catch up to the Rumbling. how can this be because of an intentioned suicide?

something that's pointed to is Hange's expression when saying goodbye for the last time.

they look pained and guilty right? but seriously...? knowing just how far Levi's strength got them, that it gave Hange the bravery, even, to do their sacrifice?? only to leave him alone when they were so close to reaching peace? of course they're upset. of course they feel pained and guilty. they probably even feel awful for feeling awful: this is it, and as perfect as that is, Hange feels awful because they were so close, but they had a job to do; Levi gave them strength, but Levi is alone.

to be succinct, i guess, it’s like this: because Jean wanted to block out what was happening and let the Rumbling happen, does that mean he doesn’t give a fuck about humanity and believed in Eren? NO.

it’s the same thing. because Hange quickly volunteered to do what was sure to kill them, did they not give a fuck about the Scouts and wanted to kill themself? NO.

#aot #hange zoe #hange zoë #hange aot #hanji zoe #hanji zoë #aot hange #aot hanji #hans zoe #hange zöe #snk #aot meta #attack on titan #aot theory #aot season four

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teenitrash · 1 month

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Another sad AOT post (WARNING: It's kind of long because of the pictures :)). I saw a bunch of TikToks and Tumblr posts about random sad AOT facts and then I thought about some of the ones I saw a little more, and I realised something so damn ironic and sad.

Majority of the main characters who died never achieved their goal or desires, regardless of how trivial it was:

Eren never achieved freedom for himself and was rather a slave to it. He also never got to live his life in peace with Mikasa and Armin like he wanted

Sasha never got to see her people take back their island from the titans (and those who hated Eldians) and farm for more cattle like she wanted. Even after Paradis became "independent" and the titans disappeared, she had to fight in the Survey Corps until she died

Hange never got to see a flying titan and never got to properly ride on the Cart Titan's back

Erwin never got to the basement and never found out the secret of the titans

Petra never got to marry Levi (regardless of who you ship with Petra or Levi in AOT, it is canon that she liked him)

Bertholdt never confessed his feelings to Annie and never got to date her like he wanted

Ymir never got to marry Historia

Hannes never got to avenge Eren's mother, Carla, because he was eaten by the same titan who ate her

Kenny Ackerman never obtained the power of the Founding Titan like he wanted and never got to see the world the way Uri did

Keith Shadis never got to become a hero or "someone special." As the watchers, we can think of him as a hero who sacrificed himself to help humanity, but in the show itself, no one will remember his name because they didn't even know he was on the boat and they didn't know he helped them before they left the port.

Zeke never got to experience life after he finally felt that he wanted to live again. He had a very late realisation of this, but it still counts. After Armin reminded him in the Paths about why we as humans continue to live, he decided that he wanted to live again after reminiscing about his time with Mr Ksaver. Levi killed him before he could

Compared to all the characters who lived and either achieved their goal or never really had goals in the first place, it just makes me so sad thinking about the irony of it all. All those who died, morally grey or not, never got to achieve their dreams because of their circumstances and the cruel world they were born into. Isayama when I catch you

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lenok993 · 3 months

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f i s h y

#snk #aot #snk news #aot news #attack fes #aot theory #aot aoe #snk 140 #snk volume 35 #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #sasha braus #bertolt hoover #ema #armin arlert #historia reiss #reiner braun

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onigiri-dorkk · 11 months

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Attack on Titan AOE vs. Final Fantasy VII Remake/Rebirth Parallels

Alright fam. This is my ultimate multi-fandom post! This will go out to fellow AOT x FFVII fans -- especially those who have been looking into the AOT/ANR theories regarding AOE.

Obviously there will be heavy spoilers for both Attack on Titan as well as for Final Fantasy VII (OG and Remake).

Recently I've dived into the theory and lore to FFVII and a LOT of it lines up with what's been theorized for AOT regarding different medias being different timelines for one entire story:

For AOT, the manga is theorized to be a different timeline than the anime.

For FFVII, the original game (OG) is now officially implied to be a different parallel timeline than the current Remake.

In AOT, Eren and Paradis Island's fate from the Manga ending is death, that Paradis is still destroyed despite everything he does to prevent that. In the Manga, he reaches 80% Rumbling and then dies by Mikasa's hands; a sacrifice he was willing to make in order to allow Mikasa, Armin and friends to be heroes and live long lives (which they do) and for Paradis to survive -- however the cycle of hatred still continues on when Paradis is bombed, negating most of what he acted towards.

Before I get into this next part, let me also mention that the Cabin dream is implied to be a previous or parallel timeline -- in this, we see Eren die; his eyes slowly close, fading to black to his peaceful death as Mikasa says, "See you later, Eren..." which directly reflects the beginning pages of the manga of the moments and words he sees just before he wakes up underneath the tree. In other words, when Eren dies in Cabin timeline, he awakens to what we know to be the Manga timeline. It's a peaceful wakeup, sitting up against the tree as he had been sitting at the Cabin during death. He doesn't cry -- he only wonders why Mikasa's hair was long (because when he saw her last in Cabin timeline, her hair was short). Then the manga story ensues, leading up to his inevitable death by Mikasa beheading him -- a violent, gruesome death in the Manga...

...To which he wakes up in the Anime, in fright and shock, laying down on the ground with his head laying directly where Mikasa had laid his headstone in the Manga post-war, as if he'd just woken from his violent death in manga.

This is very similar to what is actually happening (not just theorizing) with FFVII right now.

In the original (OG) game, Aerith is killed by Sephiroth while trying to save Midgar/the world from Meteor destruction, then her soul is essentially absorbed into the Lifestream. In the end, Cloud defeats Sephiroth (who also goes into Lifestream), but in the process, Midgar is still completely destroyed by the Meteor as it was too late to completely save everything, even if the rest of the world was saved.

There are already some parallels here:

Rumbling = Meteor. The world is saved, but still experienced mass destruction. Lifestream = somewhat like Paths, allowing people to transcend time/space/etc.

However a big thing paralleling AOT theories is that the FFVII OG game ends with Aerith (remember, she was killed), surrounded by Lifestream energy, closing her eyes... Then the Remake game opening with Aerith, surrounded by Lifestream energy, opening her eyes as it leads to the new game unfolding.

Aerith woke up in a new timeline.

And there is plenty of evidence throughout the Part I that shows that she knows what is fated to happen based on the OG game/previous timeline:

She knows details about Cloud even though he didn't share/she acts like she already knows him well.

She gives him a flower because he's a 'special' customer, and says that the flower is a symbol for when lovers reunite.

She knew that the Plate would fall and destroy Sector 7, even though Tifa and Cloud were doubtful, but she couldn't tell them. (Tifa: "Aerith... What are you not telling me?")

She knew Tifa wanted her to save Marlene, even before Tifa even said it

In the special cut scene between Cloud and Aerith, she tells him with sadness that everyone dies eventually. And she advises Cloud to never fall in love with her (because she knows how that tragically ended in the original). She KNOWS she's fated to die.

And these are ALL differences from the OG game -- Aerith didn't have any of these reactions, dialogue, thoughts, sentiments before. She is implied to be operating in Remake with the knowledge of how things ended before: that she would be killed, that Midgar would still be destroyed, that Sephiroth would still be alive.

Except this time, with all that knowledge of OG fate, Aerith is now trying to actively veer things away from the tragic fate and destiny laid out before them. (Side note, Whispers are also game-original and are trying to reel things back to fate/destiny. Also, Sephiroth, being part of Lifestream from OG, is also operating with the knowledge that he failed in the OG. Like Aerith, Sephiroth is trying to change destiny.)

And if that isn't enough yet to convince you that it's a different FFVII timeline... ZACK IS ALIVE. They show him make it out of the battle that killed him before. It is an entirely new journey. (I will cry if/when Zack and Aerith reunite)

Now we circle around right back to AOT.

Like Aerith, Anime Eren is theorized to know how things ended in the Manga: his death, Paradis' destruction, etc. He gained this knowledge when he kissed Historia's hand (in both anime and manga), gaining access to memories of the future... and of the past. But not just memories of the Anime timeline. Founding Titan Eren is interconnected with Paths, the way Aerith is to Lifestream, both of which surpass time itself, as we've seen with Eren/Zeke traveling through his memories. (There's a lot of imagery alluding to Manga art intertwined with Anime, but that's a sub-sub-sub-theory)

There is also a side theory that Aerith transferred memories to Red XIII (as she pressed her hand to his forehead upon meeting) because he was already most attuned to the Lifestream itself, and he becomes her aid almost. Likewise, there is a fun theory regarding Eren using Falco as a messenger/Falco receives memories from Eren (which is why in Anime, Falco recalls memories of 'flying around with swords'... Which couldn't have come from Ymir Freckles. You can only see memories once you HAVE the Titan shifter; Falco at the beginning of S4E1 was still just Falco. Falco has also already been used as a messenger of Eren's letters. Falco is also one of the most neutral characters who shows empathy and understanding of both sides. He is a special character. If AOE happens as theorized, many think Falco will play an important role)

Now there is a certain tragic ending that we think Isayama has been alluding to for forever. I'm not gonna say it here because some of you will get triggered over attachment to certain characters/ships and whatnot. But the core of it is that we think Eren is going to do things very differently to change the fate and destiny -- that maybe, instead of choosing others over his freedom, instead of only committing 80% Rumbling (leaving enough people to lead to the demise of Paradis)... Maybe Eren will even choose his freedom this time via 100% rumbling, etc.

Honestly, who knows! There may be an entirely new ending that's the best of both worlds for every single fan. (...Sarcastic, though, because not everyone can or will be pleased. Even for FFVII, OG purists are frustrated by it veering off.)

I do not believe AOT Anime is going to end the same way the Manga did even if I have reasons for wanting it to stay the same (y'all know me and why I would NOT want it to end different; there are special scenes between my OTP I need to see, especially post-war) but it's because we've seen many consistent things throughout the anime -- through the story, dialogue, recurring imagery, etc. all for a separate detailed post -- that Isayama could have potentially been foreshadowing since 2013 towards a new ending.

"What's the lie? What's the truth?"

The fact that Tetsuya Nomura (maker of FFVII) is already doing this meta-narrative of having one media/game being an entirely different timeline than the original content is SO cool, and affirms that if Isayama is pulling this same stunt, it's not because of fans trying to riot and change an ending, but because that's... well, that's what could've been planned from the start, and because it's a really unique storytelling technique that would elevate a work by making many pieces come together as one, singular, consistent story in a brilliant way.

Obviously there's no IRL link between FFVII and AOT, but again, Nomura doing this makes it less crazy and more probably for another Japanese mastermind storyteller to do this, too. (And I won't even START on Muv Luv/Muv Luv Alternative! But it's the same thing, too!)

I'll stop there for now. Any AOT AOE x FFVII fans out there?! PLEASE tell me I'm not alone LOL

#final fantasy vii #attack on titan #aot #aot spoilers #attack on titan spoilers #spoilers #ffvii spoilers #crisis core spoilers #final Fantasy VII spoilers #theory #aot theory #ffvii theory #ffviir theory #anr #akatsuki no requiem #attack on titan AOE

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hanahakiqueen · 2 years

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HEAR ME OUT

If the ackerbond does not exist but mikasa still haves weird headaches or starts feeling dizzy without a reason (the scene with Louise for example) What if she is in fact ill but no one brings out the subject because shes the second strongest. Think about it , the headaches come espontaneously along with her feeling weak or spacing out also in the jail scene in season 3 and in the jeagerist headquarters she looks really sick, not to mention Eren saying that she has gotten too thin and needs to take care of hersef or armin in season 2 telling her she fainted because of a head injury although shes not showing any signs of it and it just looks like she fainted out of nowhere.

PD: This is just a silly theory i made up with my dad in the car so im sorry if it doesnt make any sense

#aot #shingeki no kyojin #mikasa ackerman #mikasa angst #aot theory #whump aot #fyp2022 #sick characters #fan theory #fandom #fanfic #snk #whumptober2022 #fanfiction #what if scenario #attack on titan #ackerbond #sickfic #conspiration theory

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alcafrach · 1 month

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Listen, guys, I have an insane theory

I was reading a book of Nordic myths and came across one interesting and quite well known legend. It is about Thor's journey to Utgard.

Thor and Loki (with two of their companions) were on their way to Utgard, a fortress in Jotunheim, when they met a giant, Skrymir. They continued their journey together and put their bags with food into Skrymir's. In the evening, when the travellers wanted to make something to eat, they couldn't untie giant's bag and Thor in a fit of irritation hit Skrymir with his magic hammer, Mjolnir. The giant only snored and continued to sleep peacefully. That was the first strange event on their way.

In Utgard the king of the frost giants, Utgarda-Loki, insisted that every and each guest of the fortress must show his best skills and talants. Long story short, Thir and co seemed helpless in front of the giants. I should remind that Thor spent veeeeery long time in battles with giants and smashed their heads with Mjolnir. He was known as one of the strongest (the STRONGEST, I must say) gods if Asgard. But he couldn't even raise a cat from the floor!

I immediately remembered the very beginning of the second season of "Attack on Titan" where the Beast Titan appeared. You remember that the old castle outside the wall Rose was called Utgard? The first thing to notice for me) Then the loss of the Survey Corps because of very strange titans, who seemed to be conscious (in the legend giants from Utgard were bigger than other Jotuns). Also the fact that Zeke was of royal blood (and Utgarda-Loki was the king of the Utgard's giants). And, finally, the fact that this story show us some external force beyond the control of asgardian laws. And it seemed to me sooo familiar as even id the titans are just transformed eldians from beyond-the-sea world... for soldiers who are stuck in the old fortress these titans are uncommon and more dangerous than their previous enemies

Maybe I'm just overthinking... but I'm glad to think that Isayama pur this parallel knowingly for these 10-15% of fans who will understand his ref)))

#attack on titan #aot #attack on titan theory #aot thoughts #aot theory #very strange theory of mine #maybe I'm just reading too many Nordic myths #or maybe im just crazy

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cinyemina · 6 months

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fanfics, headcanons, theories, fanons and fanarts keeps a fandom alive, even after it ends

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happybird16 · 2 years

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Ackerman are strong and resilient, built to withstand and survive in even the worst conditions. We’ve seen that multiple times throughout the series, in Mikasa, Levi and even Kenny.

So, why then did Kuchel die so easily? Such a sweet, strong lady taken down by some seemingly random disease? Despite being trapped in the Underground, selling her body to survive, she had to have been powerful and imposing just like all the other members of her family. Why didn’t the power flowing through her veins, like it does her brother and son, not help her fight and survive?

By all means it should’ve right? But, what if Ackerman’s are uniquely susceptible to this particular disease?

We know that, at some point, there was a plague within the walls. That some non-described unnamed very deadly disease wiped out thousands of Eldians within the walls and that the king at the time had to use his power to warp his subjects, to make them immune to said disease.

We also know that the Ackerman family is uniquely immune to the effects of the kings powers. They can’t get their memories wiped like every other Eldian and, theoretically, they can’t be turned into Titans.

So, what if, Ackerman’s can’t be effected by the king’s biological decree’s as well? What if what Kuchel had caught, what had eventually taken her down slowly and gruesomely, was that very plague? That they weren’t effected by the king’s decree for immunity from that extremely deadly disease.

Some sort of deadly sexually transmitted disease by my estimate, -given that Levi didn’t get sick in the room with her- passed on to her by her customers. They’re all immune, but some still carry it with them, one eventually passing it on to her. Painfully taking her from her son far too early. Something only Ackerman’s can even get anymore, her very strength ending up her weakness.

(Yes, this theory implies that, should Zeke’s sterilization plan have gone through, both Levi and Mikasa wouldn’t have been affected.)

#aot theory #levi ackerman #mikasa ackerman #kenny ackerman #kuchel ackerman #attack on titan #aot #shingeki no kyojin #snk #aot theories #tw; std mention #tw; death

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eirenses · 4 months

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rewatching aot with full knowledge of what are the motives of certain characters is just mind blowing. like observing reiner, annie and bertholdt in every scene just gives me such a whiplash. every single little interaction and everything they say gives the viewer clues.

isayama really planned certain scenes years ahead. like every plot twist is so well refined and thought out

#i am just rambling but my head is literally exploding rn i have to channel it somewhere #like the scene in the 57th expedition arc #where reiner is there when armin explains his theory of where eren might be in the formation #and how he doesn't need to attack the female titan but he does it anyway???#and it was him signalling to her where eren is?????#i am also pretty dumb when it comes to clues as they tend to fly over my head so aot is like a buffet to me #i rewatched this series so many times but realizations like this still get me #aot #snk #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #hajime isayama #aot spoilers #snk spoilers

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authenticleviackerman · 3 months

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The takes I see on Levi on TikTok, not showing emotion ≠ not feeling emotions like other people. What Levi does isn't stoicism. It's emotional numbness caused by shutting down emotions in order to survive and not go insane.

Also to clarify, stoicism doesn't equal not feeling emotions, but rather accepting things as they are without outbursts of anger or hatred towards other people, life or even oneself. Levi isn't really an example of that.

#anime and manga #anime #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #levi ackerman #snk #aot #manga and stuff #levihan #levi aot #aot erwin #shingeki no kyoujin levi #anime theory

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lenok993 · 4 months

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Shingeki FLY ~ Lord of the Flies theory

When people hear "fly" what they actually imagine

The fly symbolizes change. Seeing a fly means you're going through a transformation. The message of change is similar to the butterfly and moths. This transformation may be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. It is a time of metamorphosis. Flies are not traditionally considered to be a good omen. In some cultures, they are seen as bad omens. However, this is not always the case. It depends on the sighting and what you believe.

Baʿal Zebub or Beelzebub (Hebrew: בַּעַל-זְבוּב‎ Baʿal-zəḇūḇ), also spelled Beelzebul or Belzebuth, and occasionally known as the Lord of the Flies, is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted by some Abrahamic religions as a major demon. The name Beelzebub is associated with the Canaanite god Baal. In theological sources, predominantly Christian, Beelzebub is another name for Satan. He is known in demonology as one of the seven deadly demons or seven princes of Hell, Beelzebub representing gluttony and envy. The Dictionnaire Infernal describes Beelzebub as a being capable of flying, known as the "Lord of the Flyers", or the "Lord of the Flies". Beelzebub is one of Satan's companion archdemons, who has erected a fort near the Wicket Gate from which he and his soldiers can shoot arrows of fire at those about to enter the Wicket Gate so they will never enter it. He is also the lord, god, king, master, and prince of Vanity Fair. Christian calls him "captain" of the Foul Fiend Apollyon, who he later met in the Valley of Humiliation.

COME HERE

Beelzebub

in spring 2024

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onigiri-dorkk · 11 months

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In all honestly I still have no clue what this reveal was and where it came from. Eren had done what he did in paths to save Ymir from her hold, so why does she need Mikasa at all? And why Mikasa? The fact that Isayama doesn’t explain and only says “Only Ymir knows…” about it drives me nuts 😂

I’m curious to hear other people’s thoughts. The whole Ymir/Mikasa thing is always something that’s been unclear so I’d just brush it off/mentally ignore it LOL

Also strange that Ymir/Mikasa are forced to be parallels when all the *actual* paralleling is between Ymir/Historia.

Just confusing. My morning thought of the day 😂

#AoT #attack on Titan #AoT spoilers #attack on Titan spoilers #spoilers #only Ymir knows #AoT theory

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aoehacker · 8 days

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[theory] Five Year War

tldr: in alternative timeline Mid-East War was 5 years long, instead of 4.

Illustration by Hajime Isayama for 3rd anniversary of Hita's museum opening.

As you can see, it is an alternative timeline where Reiner and Berthold decided to join forces of Paradis (+Marco is alive). As for the reasons... this theory is not about why Reiner joined Paradis, but I will point out some foreshadowing.

chapter 108 - nice foreshadowing: Porco is looking down on Reiner, and calls him traitor.

chapter 46 - foreshadowing of Reiner becoming a soldier.

chapters 15 and 96 - obvious contradiction; in different timelines Reiner had different experience.

chapters 40, 47 and 95 - obvious contradiction; but I'm not sure how it impacted Reiner's personality; I didn't find any clues that could explain his different behavior shown in chapter 15.

Alright, enough with Reiner acting different. Let's talk about the war!

chapter 108 - 4 year war, 4 years ago Anti-Marleyan Volunteers

If you are not aware, Isayama is constantly switching back and forth between multiple timelines in his story and trying to present it like it was all a single timeline. It is very easy to spot in artistic choices by WIT. In another cases, you will have to look for contradictions in dialogue. I suggest you read u/Ellen_Yevner theories if you want to be convinced about constant switch of narratives.

So, in essence: every single panel of manga and every single cut of anime can be a completely different timeline. The above image (ch108) is another example of that.

First panel shows Reiner and says that Zeke planned raid on Marley for four years.

Third panel doesn't show Reiner, and says that Zeke snuck Anti-Marleyan Volunteers four years ago.

chapter 90 - waited through winter

Of course it makes absolutely no sense! It was clearly shown in the story, that after battle for Shiganshina, Paradis waited through winter, before they went to explore the southern port, where Marley turned Eldians into Titans. And Paradis came into contact with Anti-Marleyan Volunteers by ambushing them on the sea.

In my opinion, no matter which timeline it is, the earliest Paradis could have met Anti-Marleyan Volunteers is one year after battle for Shiganshina (because they have to clean up the Titans first).

With above assumption in mind, and with the hint from Isayama about Reiner and Berthold joining Paradis, we can conclude that there exists an alternative timeline, where Mid-East War was fought for five years (in this post, I will refer to it as Timeline 2).

Because Reiner & Freckled Ymir didn't return to Marley, Marley would only have Zeke and Pieck. That will surely restrict them in their war efforts, and they would be much more cautious, which would prolong the war for one more year.

chapter 93 - Zeke has 1 year left; ships started missing 3 years ago

In Timeline 2 Zeke would have 0 years left, by the way.

"Alright, but is that it? So what if they fought for five years, instead of four? What does it matter?" I hear you ask.

Well, it does matter! Because what Paradis lacks the most? Time!

Here are some examples of Isayama re-iterating the lack of time for Paradis:

chapter 107

chapter 108

It also matters from strategical perspective, when it comes to The War for Paradis arc.

chapter 108 - Reiner; Zeke has 1 year left; Global Alliance will attack in 6 months

What would change in Timeline 2, if Zeke has 0 years left?

Reiner proposed to attack immediately, because he didn't want to give Zeke time to prepare any plans (because he still has 1 year left).

If Zeke had 0 years left, (we have to remember, that in Timeline 2 Reiner joined Paradis) Magath decision would probably be conservative - to wait for Global Alliance to form and attack in six months.

Although, it is hard to predict. Magath may also think why Zeke even escaped to Paradis, even though he has 0 years left.

From one perspective, Paradis will only gain a mediocre Titan.

From another perspective, Magath may question why raid on Liberio (with the intention of evacuating Zeke) was done in the first place, and what are the future plans of Paradis.

Magath could conclude that they are plotting something, but it is debatable whether he will make a surprise attack. Porco won't propose anything hasty, because in chapter 95 he was described as someone who follows orders.

chapter 118 - Reiner is described as the main reason, why Marley attacked so early.

chapter 118 - sounds very contradicting; isn't Global Alliance not formed yet? Isn't there like still 5 months before they all come together?

So, from above images, without Reiner pushing the decision, I'd say that in Timeline 2 Marley would attack together with Global Alliance, presumably in 6 months (we can't be 100% sure that it will still take 6 months in Timeline 2).

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

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