canislycaon24

[canislycaon24]

I’ve finally done it. I’m writing my first ever fanfiction. Thank you to reibert for pushing me over the edge

I suddenly feel like I’ve never seen a word before but we’re pushing through anyways 👍

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AOT memes part 12

Other Parts

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Ah, the partitions of PLC. This might well be the dumbest shit I‘ve drawn yet

(inspired by)

[canislycaon24]

The reconstructed face of the “Cheddar Man” (c. 7,000 BCE) compared to his living descendant, Adrian Targett    

The Cheddar Man is a Mesolithic skeleton that was recovered from England’s Cheddar Gorge in 1903. At around 9,000 years old, the Cheddar Man is the oldest complete skeleton ever discovered in the UK, and has long been hailed as the “first Briton.” DNA analysis on the Cheddar man from 2018 indicated that he was lactose intolerant, had light-colored eyes, dark brown or black hair, and had a dark to black skin tone. Although the discovery of the Cheddar Man’s dark skin tone was surprising for both scientists and the public alike, it corresponds with recent research suggesting that genes linked to lighter skin only began to spread about 8,500 years ago - approximately 32,000 years later than what was previously believed.  

In addition to the development on his skin tone, the Cheddar Man surprised scientists in 1997 when DNA analysis revealed that he had a living descendant -  a retired history teacher named Adrian Targett. Targett and the Cheddar man share the same mtDNA, which is passed down from mother to daughter. In other words, they share a common maternal ancestor. What is even more remarkable is that Targett lives in Cheddar, only a half mile away where his 9,000-year-old ancestor was discovered.

Targett was not invited to the initial reveal of his ancestor’s new facial reconstruction, but he has since seen it and has commented on the family resemblance. “I do feel a bit more multicultural now,” he once joked in an interview “And I can definitely see that there is a family resemblance. That nose is similar to mine. And we have both got those blue eyes.”

The development of the Cheddar Man’s skin tone has generated resistance, especially among far-right and white supremacist circles. Targett, however, is unbothered by it, stating that it is “marvelous what scientists can reconstruct once they sequence the DNA.” When asked if he thought whether the findings affected the way people think about race, Targett responded: “Yes, I do think it’s significant. Not many people in Cheddar mind it. But the lesson is that we’re all immigrants, whether you’ve been in a place for 10 minutes or 9,000 years. We’ve all come from somewhere.”

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AOT memes part 13

Other Parts

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I saw a lot of people talking about this on twt and I wanted to share my own analysis of Armins SA and how it relates to Mikasa’s own trauma

While it is true that the only character that confronts him is Jean, I would argue that the one soul to truly understand his pain is the one who has lived it; Mikasa Ackerman.

In the manga, we are shown various reactions when it comes to his SA. Jean being the well raised kid he is, knows it’s immoral what happened to his friend, Sasha and Connie being uneducated teenagers, laugh at the whole expense, Eren who is becoming more apathetic by the day, can’t feel anything nor does he know, Historia is just happy it’s not her. I don’t blame her. It would have been had she been in that situation.

The longest we get to an interaction with another character who went through the similar experience happens to be Armin’s best friend and the only other character to experience this treatment as a child and at the hands of child predators who go “against their nature” IE: The man in season three ep 1 saying Armin changed him and the two kidnappers who are usually against selling children for profit. It’s important to note that it’s not Jean who Armin talks to, it’s instead Mikasa despite Mikasa not being the one who Armin was protecting when he fired the gun. Why? Because they are very similar characters to this regard. Both had their humanities and their innocence stolen in one afternoon and yet ended up committing acts of great violence to combat those horrific experiences

Often times, when trauma happens to someone in front of you-especially if you have suffered a similar one- your first instinct is to push the memory out of your head by either laughing about it, ignoring it or making an off handed sarcastic comment that betrays how you really feel. Mikasa is shown in the anime to witness this. It’s important to note her expression as she does so. It’s much similar to that when she was a child- almost as if she’s reverting back to the same day. I find it weird that a lot of fans don’t see this connection. Everything about it is the same, down to the very shade of her eyes.

It also certainly doesn’t help that both Armin and Mikasa have a “freeze” expression on their faces. Armin is shown to be visibly crying but he’s unable to speak or defend himself. Mikasa isn’t crying in this picture but she was at first in a state of shock when it happened. I find it deeply upsetting that Am’s response to trauma is to freeze rather than fight or flight. It’s what makes their dynamic all the more impactful.

anyways, in the manga we cut to Armin alone and he is asking Mikasa through tears if “she went through the same thing”. People have pointed out that he is talking about the life he took in order to save Jean; similar to Mikasa and the lives she took in order to save Eren. Some have pointed out if he knew about her potential kidnapping that day (I do think she would tell him. She trusts him the most. Even more than Eren.) But I think it’s a combination of both aside from the fact that he very well could have seen her through the window. It seems like Mikasa knows what he means when he asks if it happened to her and accepts that he doesn’t need to apologize for his own SA. He isn’t responsible for what happened to him despite the man setting up homophobic rhetoric to be used against him. After Armin is victim blamed for the entirety of these two chapters, it’s Mikasa who embraces him and tells him “it’s ok.” Because that’s all you can tell a fellow survivor; that it’s ok because you have been there.

What I find so fascinating is we see Mikasa being more protective over Armin in the later chapters especially when Levi confronts him about the murder he’s done. Especially the frame work of words she uses “why would you say that?” Insinuating that how could he say that about someone who has gone through the worst trauma a child could go through and accept the type of person he is. A monster, in humane and filthy. A direct parallel to the way SA survivors especially children feel at the hands of their perpetrators.

Funnily enough, I find some of Armin’s words describing himself to be very similar to how Mikasa is described. By Annie and by her superiors. “A beast” and “the solider worth a hundred”. Almost like these two had to shed their innocence and become monsters because the world allowed for no other way for them to find closure.

The over arching point of this post is to not only draw parallels to how these two characters faced similar traumas and how Mikasa is perhaps the only one to truly understand Armin in this scenario, but how in tune both Armin and Mikasa are with each other. Especially Mikasa. I would argue it’s Mikasa that understands him the most because he is the only one she can be truly open and honest with and not only vulnerable but inspirational when he feels like he’s given up hope. She knows he spirals into a fit of self loathing and it’s her call to action that causes him to fight once again. If there hadn’t been Mikasa to fight for him- Armin would have been a catatonic mess.

Then she stops him from ending his own life knowing that nothing good comes from wishing things were better or throwing yourself away for the sake of your own worthlessness. She knows because she’s tried to do it herself just a few scenes ago. The “I won’t leave you here” is so important because here is this girl who is so focused on her own personal journey of strength completely revaluate her own goals once she saw the same self sacrifice happen to someone she loves dearly. She is still saying she won’t leave something behind but this time it’s a person and that person happens to be her best friend. The bottom line is, she will never leave those weak to defend themselves behind, she’ll never try to take her own life because Armin would be lost without her. She loves him too much to ever let anything bad happen to him.

That’s why his SA is so hurtful for her and leaves her speechless, she simply doesn’t know what to tell someone she’s failed to protect. So she tells him the only thing she can; “it’s ok.” It’s heartbreaking, but beautiful and the only thing you can tell yourself when you get SA’d as a child; That it’s ok. It will be if it’s meant to be. It’s ok for Armin because she’s here for him and that’s all that matters is that she cares and she loves him no matter what. He’s valid and she is. It’s all ok.

[canislycaon24]

[canislycaon24]

my preemptive answer is that because people refuse to commit main characters to it but i'm sure there are many reasons

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Aot memes Part 13

Other Parts

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Bertolt's sleeping habit: (an analysis?)

I've been wanting to talk about this since forever since Bert is one of my faves and I feel like no one has really ever paid much attention to this detail (as far as I can tell).

I used to also find this bit of trivia about Bert funny but odd since it was used as a gag throughout the first seasons of the show and in junior high but it wasn't until I thought about it more that I realized that Bert's weird sleeping habit may be a direct cause from being a warrior.

It's interesting and a bit heartbreaking to think about how this may have stemmed from his time and treatment as a child soldier. The stress his body must carry to not even be able to sleep comfortably and from being one of the most lethal titans was probably no joke.

Whether it comes from his body being on auto pilot and his times as a solider being muscle memory or the fear that he can't allow himself to be peaceful in his sleep from being the colossal isn't clear but both are equal contenders.

I figured this may be his body's subconscious way of keeping him from fully dropping his gaurd and maybe even mistreatment or training as a soldier on Marley before I tried researching if this might actually be a thing that happens with war vets, which unsurprisingly is.

I feel like people in general just like to dogpile on Bert for no reason other than to compeltely discredit his character and hate him just cause. For some reason, people just can not wrap their heads around Bertolt and his character and will completely forget about him when other characters have done things that are just as bad.

Using this aspect of him as a running gag downplays the experiences he's had, whether it being a gag by the cadets or showrunners was intentional or not, and makes it that much easier for people to write him off easily. Though I do acknowledge that this had to have been intentional by Isayama, just overlooked by most and not delved into deeper.

Despite Bert physically and mentally showcasing his dilemma throughout the series, people just don't acknowledge these parts of him. I feel that this minor detail is one of those things that goes unnoticed because of that.

Despite all the terrible things Bert has done I think that not being able to sleep in a normal manner should be enough to show that he wasn't always like this, and certainly not of his own volition.

It's also interesting how Reiner would at times join in on poking fun at Bert for this, waking up in the morning and the cadets forming around him to gawk at. I think it really does a good job at showing how much of a hypocrite Reiner was in those earlier days as well. Bert was practically being made a show of and he doesn't even defend him, but when he gets called out on his personality shift, Bert is there to cover for him.

Like sheesh. You'd think the guy that made you do all this would at least ask if you're doing ok or give you a heads up or SOMETHING?!?!?!🤨

But anyways that's all I had to say on his lil sleeping habits😔

[canislycaon24]

The system is at fault, and so is Eren - A systemic look into Attack on Titan and Eren’s trauma, and the solution to it all.

I think that one of the points the series makes about Eren’s character is that the rumbling and the subsequent genocide it caused was his fault, but also the world’s. Attack on Titan denounces humanity’s cruelty, but it doesn’t absolve responsibility from Eren either, and I think that’s a genius way of looking at the morality of our protagonist’s actions.

Understanding Eren’s Trauma

The driving force for Eren's character is his wish to be free because he was “born into this world”, though if you allow me to go deeper into the WHY he thinks that way, I’d argue it’s not only in his nature as many often argue; it was also boosted by the fact that he lived surrounded by walls to protect humanity from titans (and I’d say both the titans and the walls represent the antithesis of freedom to Eren) in one of the poorer districts of the city, in which everyone craved security and stability over the risks that came with venturing out, which Eren considers the behavior of cattle. Everything around Eren is telling him that he isn't free.

And of course, the defining moment that turns this desire for freedom into obsession is his mother’s death, which could have been prevented if the symbols of Eren’s lack of freedom were gone. Rather than just sources of frustration, the walls, the titans and Eren's own lack of ability become reminders of the loss and suffering inherent to being trampled by the strong—the pain that comes with not being free.

To understand his subconscious thought process more, I picture it like this:

“If humanity ventured outside the walls, exercising their freedom and killing the titans, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“If we didn’t live in Shiganshina, a dangerous district where the poor live due to being so close to the outermost wall, this wouldn’t have happened.”

And coupled with this, comes his own lack of exercising his freedom:

“If I had been strong enough to do what I wanted, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Eren's trauma is reaffirmed again and again, by failing to save Hannes, then failing to save Armin, and so on, and it all builds up to make him become who he is in the final act of the story.

Later on, it's revealed that Marley, actual humans, just like them, are the real villains behind Eren's opression. And that's when our protagonist snaps. It's no coincidence that the whole point of his genocide is to end civilization as we know it—he can't stomach a world in which everything that happened was by the hands of humans, one in which the monsters have families and insecurities just like him—it's just too nuanced, and that's too much to handle for Eren. It's easier to trample over everything and restart, than to face his inferiority complex, one that has its roots in the symbols that trample over his freedom, rather than solely on his nature.

From Personal to Systemic (and viceversa)

However, if we look even further than Marley to point towards someone to blame for these symbols, Marley became the way it is because human civilization was responsible for the divides that now can be seen not only inside, but outside the walls.

To put it in a simpler way, why did Attack on Titan start? Because King Fritz enslaved Ymir, someone with the power to become a titan. But we should go into the why, shouldn’t we? And it’s because that’s how human civilization works. The ones in power use it to their advantage and leave a wave of trauma that lasts generations, all to make up for their own weaknesses and fears. It’s about how the personal becomes systemic, and viceversa; and that’s exactly what happens with Eren. He represents the ultimate way in which you can trample over someone's freedom, which is met with retribution (and at the same time being an attempt at making up for his horrible trauma.)

I’d have to get into a whole rant about systemic issues and the feudalism that laid the basis for capitalism for this to become more understandable, but in the end, I’m saying all of this to prove a pretty simple point: it’s all about the cycle of hatred, which isn’t simply about revenge. It’s years and years of systemic oppression, combined with circumstance, combined with nature, and how all of it is processed by Eren’s self-esteem and ego, that led Eren to become who he is.

The line between the outside and the inside blurries, and black and white thinking become shallow in comparison to the nuance of the world—just like Eren's worldview.

Of course, I’m not saying that Eren realized all this. Dude was probably angry with the titans because they killed his mom and that was it. But a lot of it was probably part of his subconscious, and even if all of it wasn’t, all of these horrible circumstances were a vital factor in what is what the Marleyan general calls out for what it is:

Except this time, it’s not just by the Marleyan's hands. Nor is it even present humanity's.

It’s everything.

Eren is to Blame

All of what I showcased explains Eren’s insecurities, trauma and subsequent decisions. It’s because of his nature, coupled with the terrible circumstances he was born into, that shaped him into someone willing to wipe out humanity—it isn’t as simple as just because “it was in his nature”, and I’d argue that’s an excuse Eren himself would use to try and rationalize his horrible actions.

That’s actually what Eren does the most with his all-seeing power: he uses it as an excuse not to take matters into his own hands.

What I feel AOT is criticizing here is that whether it was his nature, or his environment, or the generations of systemic abuse, how Eren dealt with his trauma was his decision. Eren perpetuating the cycle of trauma and hatred, of civilization and war, was his decision. 

We later learn that Eren was the one who killed his mother, but I’d argue that rather than to only highlight that it’s in Eren’s nature to be free even if it’s a destructive goal, this scene also shows that trauma is self perpetuated—in the end, Eren literally caused part of his own trauma and led himself to a destructive path, though instead of being due to a decision that will have consequences in the future, it’s one that had consequences in his own past. Speaking of which, I think the mind-boggling past-present-future coexistence ability Eren attains due to the Attack Titan isn’t a coincidence, and perfectly complements his character: it’s the ultimate way to reinforce that he’s the one furthering his trauma through his pursuit of freedom, and that no matter where or why it started, he’s the one responsible for not dealing with it and harming everyone and himself so much.

This isn’t to diminish the fact that it was the world that shaped Eren to become that way, or to fall into a “good-victim” and “bad-victim” debacle. Putting it in the frame of the present day, I’d say that saying that your trauma is caused by yourself sounds extremely wrong and it’s not the point I’m trying to make. Yes, Eren causes his trauma, but only a part of it. Eren causes his suffering, but only a part of it. Whatever the case, it’s up to Eren to continue perpetuating that suffering for himself and others, or stop it, and unfortunately, what he ends up doing is continuing it.

Of course, asking for severely traumatized people to deal with their own trauma on their own is not realistic, is it? Asking for severely traumatized people to know how to not take it out in a violent way, without even being taught other ways, is unreasonable. For a quick view on my thoughts, even though I completely agree that Eren should be held accountable for his actions, in the end, the solution to his suffering isn’t to demand him to somehow know how to deal with it: that’s why others are key in helping heal that trauma.

So why didn’t Armin and Mikasa help Eren with his trauma, you ask?

Dude, they’re on like, the AOT equivalent to the 19th century. They probably don’t even know what trauma is, and they have their own to deal with.

Though the real reason is that Eren isolated himself from them, refusing to talk to them about his weakness—refusing to be vulnerable. They weren't allowed to be by his side, and that ultimately spells Eren's downfall.

But we know better now, don’t we?

In the end, I think that what the precious bond between the main trio highlights, whether they're conscious or not, is their ability to stand for each other no matter what kind of crueltry they experience. That’s what the Alliance’s last stand, and their ability to forgive and understand each other in the final arc showcases, too. That even if traumatized, we can make an attempt to connect with one another, and perhaps it will reach those who can’t even think of a way out.

That’s all it is about.

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Attack on titan + text posts

Part 6

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thinking about how exhausting warrior training would be on the bodies of literal children. there were days when kids wouldn't make it home due to fainting. the citizens of liberio grew desensitized to children taking naps on street corners. trainee numbers dropped as more and more were concussed

once the numbers dwindled to only the future inheritors of titans, the physical strain did not get any better. as a result, Zeke Yeager would offer to walk the kids to their homes. outside of the Galliard pair, who had each other as mental and physical support, days when the warriors were particularly exhausted were a crisis. Pieck and Bertholdt, living with sickly parents, could not receive adequate care within their own home. Annie and Reiner could not be seen by their parents dizzy or fatigued, it was almost embarrassing. that was a feeling Zeke once knew all too well. on these days, Zeke would let the kids stay at his house. sometimes, Annie and Pieck would have slumber parties at the Finger household, on days where an encounter with Mr. Leonhardt was too dangerous.

when Colt Grice entered the program, Zeke carried him to and from training. people mistook them for siblings, and even father and son at some point. in some ways, they were. both had the blood of traitors pumping through their veins.

[canislycaon24]

forced immortality is a fun trope. unappreciated. someone/something wants you to remain so it makes you. it will not let you die

[canislycaon24]

More of the Marley EMA AU since people asked I really like drawing this concept haha

[canislycaon24]

Aot memes part 11

Other Parts

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A World For Them:

I wrote an analysis post regarding this panel before, talking about how Levi's sense of directionlessness following the RtS arc had to do with the fact that the Titan threat had more or less been eliminated by then, and his particular skill set, which had been so attuned to eliminating that threat, no longer seemed relevant.

But I also think there's obviously a more abstract meaning to Levi's musing here.

He's talking about passing the torch to the next generation, of course. About how his and the other veterans role, Erwin, Hange, Mike, his old squad, etc... wasn't to experience the world of freedom they'd been fighting for, but to help get the next generation there to experience it for them, and for themselves.

That's why I talk so much about Armin's role in Levi's choice during the RtS arc, too, because that choice is symbolic, and representative of the above idea. Just like Sasha's father says later on, it's the adults job to keep the kids out of the forest, which means of course to free future geerations from the burden of our past sins, to make it so they don't have to bear the burden of the problems we created for ourselves.

Getting "those brats" to the sea was, in its way, symbolic to Levi of achieving that end, of handing them off a world where the threat of Titans no longer existed.

Of course, the world they inherited had so many other problems, so many other burdens that Levi, nor the other scouts, could solve for them. But then, it was their world, the next generations world, and I think Levi's thoughts here are acknowledging that truth, that even as he continues to fight alongside them to solve the issues they face, he no longer has a significant role to play in shaping that world. Because it's not his, it's theirs. And so it's not him who can or needs to carry it into the future, it's only them who can do so.

I think that's reflected in the end of the story, and where we see Levi end up, too. While the rest of the ones who survived go off to try and forge a new peace, becoming ambassadors, forming bridges and relations with the rest of the world, Levi remains behind to live a quiet and peaceful life. He doesn't continue the fight with them, at the end, though obviously he still contributes in his small, uneventful, but still significant way, by helping people, working for the refugees and trying to heal the destroyed land. He's still helping, but no longer fighting, no longer taking part in or trying to bring about a certain vision of the future. He leaves that to "those brats", the same ones he and the other veterans had worked and sacrificed to give the opportunity to.

And in a way, that's a continuation of Levi's role, even at the peak of his powers, when he was a member of the Survey Corps. He always fought only to give others a chance to live a life of their own choosing, to live in a world of their own making. It was never his dream to begin with, but the dreams of others, that he gave his life to support. And when he'd helped to make that dream come true, he could finally step away and rest.