After Reading Chapter 139... All I Can Say Is I Cried In Public And Now Im Really Embarrassed

After reading chapter 139... all I can say is I cried in public and now I’m really embarrassed

I’m going to fistfight anyone who ever hated Eren’s character because he was so well written.

The ending was so bittersweet I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

And yes I did read the leaks and see everyone criticising it and want to say they should not have judged it before reading the whole thing

( I will admit I was sceptical at the start too but reading it completely shattered all conflicted feelings I had)

DHMU IM HUNTING ISAYAMA

I JUST WANNA TALK MAN

“This is the end... for us...”

“That’s the Scout’s way.”

“We ended up saving the world... because of you...”

“To the boy who sought freedom... goodbye”

Me:

Well said

I love the bittersweet ending, and I think it truly suits where the story went from the end of season 2/3 - it was no longer black and white “kill the titans to save humanity”.

To be honest the worst part of this whole thing is how the fandom is misreading the characters and being selfish about the ending. No, the ending is not going to satisfy everyone, but be grateful for the incredible story that has been built up over eleven damn years. Being so rude and selfish over an ending that doesn’t suit your taste isn’t going to change the author’s vision. Isayama created something beyond what anyone else had come up with in its time.

Instead of whining over one chapter, say

Thank you, Isayama

What Was It All For?

Or, Hamliet’s review of SnK 139: the Final Chapter.

Disclaimer: this isn’t intended to dunk on people who love/dislike things I love/dislike in the review. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and feelings thereof. 

That said, the ending is pretty in line with my predictions. While I’d give the final chapter an 8/10, the series as a whole gets a 9/10, because it nailed its themes. I don’t think endings can ever please anyone, but this is a solid one narratively. It is bittersweet: there is hope, but also pain, cruelty and beauty. It isn’t perfect, but the story was never set up to end with a fairy tale eucatastrophe. It was also never set up to end with a nihilistic ending. Whether the ending feels more bitter to you or more sweet depends on particular attachments, and it’s okay to feel how you want to feel.

The reason I personally find it satisfying is because the text did not suddenly swing a way it wasn’t heading all along: the message and themes and majority of the arcs were very, very clear, throughout the manga for the most part but especially this final arc. In fandoms, especially in long-running series, people can get attached to their theories and headcanons at the expense of ignoring the actual text. I’ve been guilty of this myself too, but I don’t think SnK pulled any last minute switches (yes it dropped some things; I’ll touch on that below).

About the conflict not being solved…

There is hope now. Paradis does have allies. Like, that’s Hizuru. 

The fact that the conflict is not solved is at admittedly disappointing, because I’d like it to be, and yet thematically better that it is not solved. The framing of the genocide has always been wrong, but my one qualm has always been that if the genocide actually led to peace, then… the framing would be a bit whacked. I thought this would be explained away by saying the cost wasn’t worth it, that it was a pyrrhic victory. Instead, Isayama’s doubling down and saying not only is the cost not worth it, it solved nothing and set the stage for potential future conflict, which is probably the best way he could have ended this. 

They have only to work towards peace slowly, with lots of risks, but it’s the only option. That’s part of what freedom means: freedom to make choices, good and bad. Eren’s attempted shortcut only hurt. 

There are never guarantees. 

About Ymir…

The attachment she feels towards King Fritz is framed as a negative thing and tt isn’t romanticized. However, I feel this wasn’t fleshed out well and that we needed more build up to this, but it’s not the end of the world (OR IS IT? sorry I couldn’t resist).

Basically, I felt it was hamfisted and a bit told, not shown. I think Ymir’s story suffered the most this ending, which sucks because she’s important to it. I don’t think the fact that Ymir loved King Fritz is inherently problematic–feelings towards abusers are very, very complex (yes, you can love or be in love with an abuser, and it doesn’t justify what they do to you, really). I think the series needed a chapter or two to explore this better. 

About Historia…

Along with Ymir, this is the biggest complaint I have about this final arc. I think we should have gotten the rest of that conversation in 131–as I’ve said before, I think the point of that conversation was that Eren could not stop his friends from making a decision he did not like. However, this needed to be emphasized more, especially given the context of what that choice was and its disturbing implications.

My sister commented that the pregnancy is likely intended to be Historia choosing a pregnancy to maintain her life instead of being fed to Zeke as a way of fulfilling her promise to Ymir: to live instead of martyring herself. This is probably the case, but personally, I think Isayama really goofed with the framing. Historia seemed miserable, was even commented to not be taking care of herself, and while that can be explored with nuance (sometimes choices aren’t what we want), it wasn’t, so Isayama messed up here too. 

As for early leaks suggesting she was just fine with genocide, it’s actually much more nuanced in the translation. Her actions here don’t seem exactly OOC given her declaration about not caring about the world, but it needed more exploration. 

I don’t like that she didn’t get to see freckled Ymir again like everyone else did. Even a panel of her appearing as she delivered the baby or something–c’mon, Yams. 

I’m going to headcanon Historia named Baby Girl Ymir. 

About Mikasa…

I love that Mikasa is the hero in the end, even more so than Armin.

Personally, I see that last panel as Eren sending a memory before he died as a way to tell Mikasa it is okay to move on, and the bird flying away as a sign Mikasa will indeed rise and move on despite Eren always being a part of her. That said, I personally would have preferred to see Mikasa be rewarded for choosing to kill Eren, at least by giving her a family and/or showing her in Hizuru. But again, unlike the early leaks which framed it as Mikasa abandoning everyone and being miserable forever, the others are on their way to her. She will live, and she does have a family on their way to her. 

About Hizuru, her mark wasn’t fully explored, which is one of the dropped points, but not one with a lot of consequence. 

The implication is vague enough, but I liked Jean combing his hair and it being either for Pieck or Mikasa ;) 

About Eren…

I don’t like Armin thanking Eren for destroying the world, because it doesn’t fit with the rest of the framing, but otherwise the story hit the framing well. 

The takes that Eren is OOC aren’t textually supported at all. Eren has never, ever been rational. Like, find me ONE place in the entire story where he’s been rational, and where he hasn’t wanted to escalate from 0-100 real quick. He’s always been a hothead with a child’s black and white view of the world. Historia called him out on it, Levi did, everyone did. Throughout the story, it was a recurring challenge. 

Eren is a big baby who has always been prone to violent outbursts (I mean he killed people at age 9 with no remorse and at age 10 went up to soldiers who were drinking on the job and screamed at them), and it’s tragic. Yet it’s why Eren has always stood out as a protagonist–because he’s allowed to be extremely flawed instead of a role model. And it sounds like I’m dunking on him, but I’m not, because this chapter reminding me of what I loved about Eren: he is a terrified, traumatized, self-loathing child. 

I wish he had let Mikasa hug him. Good grief, she loves him so much, and he needed that love so desperately.

The point of his character is that it is tragic: he’s stuck in Neverland. It’s why he’s such a good character. I wish he had been able to grow up, but he didn’t and he chose not to. He chose to die; this was a sort of suicide. If I were in his place, I hope I would choose better, but who really knows? SnK doesn’t encourage us to condemn, so I don’t say this to condemn him.

About fandom… 

It is really intriguing to me that Reddit Dudebros are raging that Isayama made Eren “an incel” as if their theories about Eren causing the rumbling all to protect Historia and the baby weren’t incel-esque? Like, it’s not that Mikasa wouldn’t sleep with him (she loved him), but instead that Eren could not be vulnerable enough to accept that love. He was too scared, too selfish and too selfless at the same time in that paradoxical human way.

Vulnerability is the opposite of toxic masculinity. It is brave, far braver than going into battle, and Eren was too scared, too ashamed to look Mikasa in the eyes, even though Armin begged him to keep trying.

She would have forgiven him. She would have run with him. 

Honestly, Eren is a Reddit Dudebro. That’s the point. They were reading themselves into Eren–as they were meant to–but failed to comprehend the framing and themes of the series, because they’re used to stories catering to their fantasies. They expected Eren to validate them, but instead Eren was written to call them out on their toxicity, entitlement, and lack of actually creating meaningful change. But also like Eren, they do have some reasons to feel scared, feel traumatized, and are genuinely suffering–but it doesn’t excuse their inflicting that suffering on others. They are still human. 

The beauty of Eremika is that even if Eren was a nightmare for most of the world, he was loved. Even if he couldn’t accept that love, he was loved. Even if he hurt and lashed out and was the worst villain in history for no reason other than “I felt like it,” he was loved. 

And it was that loved that saved the world. It was that love that made him existing in this world worth it. We know that Mikasa would never wish she had never met Eren. We know she would and will love him unconditionally, forever. Even if she moves on, she will love him. 

For Mikasa, despite the pain he caused her, the fact that he was born into the world was enough, and without her love, the world never would have been saved. It’s complex and hard to articulate exactly what I mean, but essentially SnK is saying Eren still deserved to be born and despite his cruelty and evil towards the end, he was loved, and that was beautiful. 

It’s not a popular message, this callout of toxic masculinity, nor the undercurrent underneath it, which challenges humanity to love and find beauty in the middle of cruelty, and asserts that no one, no matter how horrible a person in the world’s eyes, has a wasted life just because they’re here. 

About Armin and Annie, Gabi and Falco, and Levi:

I never thought Armin and Annie’d be canon, and now Armin’s out here saving his father-in-law. Cherry on top. Annie and Gabi are kind of foils to Eren in that Annie is very selfish and Gabi is very ideologically-focused, but they are able to overcome their flaws, get positive growth, and deserve their happy endings. I also loved Gabi throwing Falco into an embrace. Levi, too, deserved this. 

Overall:

Anyways, I found the ending beautifully existentialist, far from perfect and worthy of criticism, sure, but highly satisfying on a thematic level. SnK was my first manga and anime ever, so really, it’s a major part of the reason I have this blog. 

Thank you, Isayama, 

Yo I really needed this today ❤️

you’ll be okay

Kuroo x Reader

desc: kuroo probably could’ve been a(n) (unorthodox) therapist.

a/n: for @kuroolongtea and @kuroopaisen - because kuroo fluff is a necessity when life is rough. i put this together in an hour, so apologies if it isn’t great, but i hope you feel loved and cared for. you’re both incredibly precious and deserve the world and a big ole forehead kiss from this guy (in the meantime c’mere and I WILL GIVE YOU ONE)

warnings: crying, (light) anxiety, kuroo being goofy and soft (beware)

wc: 675

—

You’ve already soaked through the fabric of his shirt with a generous number of tears, but Kuroo doesn’t seem to mind. After all, he hasn’t said anything denoting irritation about his shoulder being the basin of a salty waterfall.

Instead, he’s whispering sweet words into your hair. 

Well, they’re kind of sweet?

“Hey, now,” he murmurs, “at least your crying face is cute,” Kuroo threads a hand into your hair, twirling a piece between his fingers.

You let out a scattered breath, your chest shaking with each inhalation.

Since your chin is on his shoulder, he shakes a bit too, but he’s quick to bring another hand to your back. You’re thankful for his sturdiness in this moment.

Kuroo’s fingers massage at the base of your back. 

“If I looked as good as you when I cried, I’d try to do it every week.”

He grins against your cheek and you almost smile. Almost.

If you could laugh at his comments, you would. But today couldn’t have possibly been shittier. And people? Well, let’s just say you’re sick of a majority of the human race right now. Maybe you should get Kuroo to ask Kenma about buying a VR headset to take you away from this place, even just mentally.

But like a dam brimming full with water, you were already on the verge of spilling over. It only took a little rainfall, a few thunderclouds, to send you over the edge. So, for the first time in a while, you finally succumbed to the weight of it all.

Keep reading

Say it with me:

👏Stop dismissing Sakusa’s germaphobic nature as his only personality trait👏 👏Stop abusing it as a sense of comic relief👏 👏Stop normalising it as his only characterisation in fics👏

Be original!! There is so much more to him than his hate for germs!!

Terushima x fem!reader: One of Those Mornings

Requested by @school-is-slowly-killing-me who said: 

Hiya bestest pal in the world 😊 can I request an imagine for Terushima x f reader? Just lots of fluff please 🥺👉🏻👈🏻 

don’t you just love that I’m spiralling into a beautiful obsession 😂

(I even tried to make it sound like a professional request 😁😁)

From your bestest friend in the wholest widest world 😁

A/N: Hey bb!! I’m glad that I get to fuel your obsession 😈 You did great sounding like a professional request I applaud you!! Terushima is a bit harder for me to write for so I hope he isn’t too ooc, I tried my hardest for you 😘 I wrote my favourite thing to read and I know that we have similar tastes so I really hope you like it!! Love ya ❤️

Genre: Fluffffff

Word count: Drabble length really

(a/n: he’s so cute what)

You love waking up like this most mornings. Sweet birds singing outside your bedroom window, your thick curtains blocking out all morning sunlight. This allowed you to sleep in as long as you liked. Unless, it was one of those mornings your overactive boyfriend felt like getting out and about.

Today, it seemed that Terushima was excited to go out, bolting up from his pillow. His arm ripped from your hold. It was this disruption that woke up abruptly, but you pretended you were still asleep. When it was one of those mornings, he always found a creative way to wake you up.

“Hey, baby girl,” Terushima shook your shoulder, softly at first, “I wanna go out to the park~ Y/N.”

His fingers brushed the hair from your face, exposing your features that battled to stay still. Your eyelids cramped as you forced them to shut and bit the inside of your lip to keep a laugh from bubbling up your throat. You always struggled to stubbornly reject your boyfriend during one of those mornings.

A smirk slid onto Terushima’s face, “I know you’re trying not to smile, you suck at fake sleeping, baby.”

You fought the temptation to smile, but the corner of your lips wriggled into a smile nonetheless. Unfortunately, Terushima had found a way to win in seconds on one of those mornings.

Grumbling, you blindly reached towards him, your hand slapping onto his face.

“Hey,” Terushima warned, muffled by your hand over his mouth. 

He took you by surprise, his teeth latching onto your hand. You yelped, pulling your hand away with a glare. It was one of those mornings that he caught you off guard with his antics. 

“What was with that?” You wiped your hand on his shirt, faking disgust.

You knew you should have seen it coming, but Terushima snatched your hand again and blew raspberries, kissed, and bit it all over. Yelping again, you saw no other means of escape but yo fight him off you. The two of you always let loose on one of those mornings. 

“I want to go to the park,” Terushima hauled you towards him as you thrashed about, “and you’re coming with me.”

“No!” You protested, twisting your wrist in a means to break free. “I will kick you if you don’t let me sleep.”

“You wouldn’t dare, honeybun.”

“Oh, yeah?”

You swung your legs about underneath the sheets, one of your feet colliding with his shin. 

“Hey!” 

He tugged you into his chest, pecking you on the lips. The cold metal of his tongue piercing teasing your lips. You were always defeated on one of those mornings.

Pulling away, Terushima smiled, “Didn’t put up much of a fight this morning, eh?”

“Shut up, Yuuji,” you threw the sheet off the two of you, giggling, “You pulled a dirty trick. You cheated.”

“How dare you accuse me of something so low.”

You shook your head, swinging your legs over the edge of your bed, “Well, are we going to the park?” 

Turning back to face him, you drank in the sight. His messy blond hair, spiked up in all directions. That stupid shirt he wore with “skaterboy” scrawled across the chest. His beaming smile after you giving in gave you a giddy feeling you only felt during one of those mornings.