#so enigmatic

[dukeoftheblackstar]

I just.. you know.

Think Plo Koon's really neat.

Ilovehimsomuchiwilldieforhimokay

[notherpuppet]

“Just because you see a smile, don’t think you know what’s going on underneath.”

[the-nothing-maker]

Galien, the Black Dragon

(Galien is a vampire lord and NPC from @luposlipaphobya's D&D campaign, Une Cour de Chair et de Charme, with an original design by @d-cybele !)

[zoobus]

Okay I know this is old news and no one cares anymore but another reason it's dumb to put Toshiro not explicitly telling Laios he didn't like him on his culture/upbringing/east vs west/poorly defined anthropology concepts

(in addition to all the other reasons e.g. Laios canonically has a 1 in people skills, Falin is of the same culture and does not struggle in the same way Laios does, Laios' inability to pick up "high context" social cues/read people is an issue that follows him throughout life not just with this one foreigner, everyone else in his party figures out how Toshiro feels despite not being easterners, Toshiro's recollection of how he indicated he wasn't interested are all common ways to softly reject people in "Western" culture ["I'm busy that day. I'm busy the next day. I'm busy every single day."], Toshiro's nanny [also an easterner] points out his inability to speak his true feelings as both odd and a character flaw he should work on, Toshiro has logical reasons to not make his feelings known, one of the big background themes of the story is that broad, sweeping assumptions about how Other Races think is a good way to misunderstand the individual you're dealing with and the lived experiences that shaped them)

IN ADDITION TO ALL THAT. What was it Rin said before that fight?

[thetrinitytest]

tosh is definitely the kind of person to say the most insane shit out of nowhere and then continue on as if she was talking about the weather forecast for the next seven days

[rapidhighway]

some Cas in action cause 🥺😳

[mintjeru]

it probably wasn't the smartest decision to start an ongoing 1000+ chapter webnovel when i know it'll consume my every waking thought but here we are

open for better quality | no reposts

[itsfrenchfornothankyou]

The thing about Trafalgar is that he is determined to be the angsty emo in a series which is, unfortunately, a found family comedy

[enidtendo64]

Hiiiiii, is there anything you can tell us about Nini’s doll and its significance? (Apologies if you’ve already answered similar questions)

The doll is named Valentina, and she's Nini's best friend! Funny, they kinda look alike huh?

[shivroy]

my favorite image ever in the entire world #kendalling

available as a print on my INPRNT if you love jeremy strong and his enigmatic spoon and beautiful spirit as much as i do ❤️

[bitteraristocrat]

I've been having so much trouble drawing his stupid face recently so have a Sebastian study sketch.

[genericpuff]

And with that, 2000 years of history and 10+ years of an animated adaption later, Attack on Titan is over.

I wasn't planning on making an essay post about this but like all of my essay posts, it got crazy out of hand, so here we are. I have a lot to say on it and the more I wrote, the more I realized exactly what the Attack on Titan finale was about. It's cathartic. It's also kind of a big shitpost but not for the reasons you might think.

Spoilers for the Attack on Titan finale ahead! CW: DISCUSSION OF WAR AND GENOCIDE AHEAD!

Now for anyone who knows what I'm about to talk about (and anyone who follows my stuff here), I'm sure you're wondering , what side do I fall on in regards to Attack on Titan's ending? Am I about to talk shit about it? It's very divisive and somewhat inconclusive. It followed the exact ending in the manga which, while expected, was still disappointing to many who had hoped the anime would take some other path.

But I have to ask, could there have been any other way?

Eren committed mass genocide, bordering on extinction of the entire human race. There was no way that he was gonna come out of it redeemed or as a hero, and he knew it. He went straight up Walter White core here and like Walter White, he is not a hero.

The fact that the Marlayans have been constantly going to war with other countries using Eldians as their personal soldiers goes to show that for countries that seek out conquest, there's no target too small or insignificant that can't be marked as an "enemy", and we see that reflected in Eren as well, in his pursuing of "freedom", an ever-moving goalpost that can never truly be satisfied.

The Jaegerists were hellbent on creating a new empire on the bloodshed of Marley - 'an eye for an eye', so to speak.

Nothing was ever going to truly satisfy either 'side' in the conflict of humanity vs. Eldians because such conflicts' origins have been obfuscated in hundreds of years of history, propaganda, and generational trauma that has repeated itself for so long that many don't even know what they're fighting for anymore, aside from one thing - that they don't want to suffer, that they shouldn't have to suffer for the actions of their ancestors, that they want peace and happiness but don't know where to start with taking the first step.

I think people are disappointed in this ending because, let's face it, it's anime, and it's an anime adaption that took years to finish. We always want to see some kind of vindication from stories like these, but I think in having vindication, it ultimately removes the point altogether of what's being said.

As much as we may try to fight it, try to deny it, the course of human history travels in a circle. Conflict will always arise. History is written by the victors, and those victors will be seen as heroes by whichever side they're fighting for regardless of what heinous acts they may have committed to justify their salvation. And after all of that conflict, regardless of the result - time goes on, and new conflicts arise.

But I don't think that means we have to succumb to grief and suffering and that's a point that I'm seeing missed in a lot of the discussion around the finale. There's a very powerful scene between Armin and Zeke, in which Armin talks about how he was born to run up the hill with Mikasa and Eren. He recognizes fully that if his life isn't meant to be long, he can still cherish those small moments that he thinks back on fondly, the moments that defined his life with the people he cared about.

And that's really all life is. Small moments and experiences that stick with us until the end. The very act of being born in and of itself is a cosmic miracle that gives us the chance to experience things that bring us joy and stay with us forever - however short or long that 'forever' may be. We take these small moments for granted when we're comfortable, but we look for them the most when we're suffering.

If I can relate all this to another piece of media that says the same thing - albeit with a much brighter ending - FF XIV: Endwalker also asks a similar question to Attack on Titan - is the only meaning in life to suffer and die? Of course, by its end, we learn that while death and suffering is an inevitable part of life - not something that should be avoided - it shouldn't persuade us to give in to fear and despair as a constant state of being. And I think Attack on Titan goes for a very similar approach, albeit slightly more as a cautionary tale - a nihilistic reminder that ultimately, the losses and victories we find in our current point of history are still just that, a single point, a blip that will be forgotten until it's ultimately repeated, and there's no escaping that.

It cautions us that freedom cannot exist without constant vigilance for war and conflict. It cautions us that our values and core beliefs for attaining freedom, love and happiness can be twisted into a weapon to cause harm, vindication gained at the cost of another. It cautions us that when left in the wrong hands, power can and will be abused by the ignorant while propagandizing itself as "the greater good".

So why not just find the joy that we can? The friendships, the little moments, the things that bring us happiness even if only temporary. Conflict is inevitable, suffering is inevitable, but that doesn't mean life isn't worth living. "Happiness" is not a tangible end point - it's the side effect of living a meaningful life that's true to yourself.

Attack on Titan is over. Some will argue the ending was the only way, others will argue that there could have been another way and that the anime adaption had the chance to change it but still didn't for reasons beyond their comprehension.

But isn't that the whole point? We'll argue. We'll bargain. Many of the arguments made will reinforce our own beliefs further rather than sway us. Many of us will insist there had to be another way, just as Armin insisted that this couldn't have been the only way, that humanity must have had another option. Meanwhile, many of us will acknowledge that at the end of the day, this is the story Isayama wanted to tell, and regardless of whether or not it makes him an idiot toying with his audience and admitting defeat by lampshading it in the penultimate scene of Eren admitting to his own idiocy, this was the power given to him and he used it in the best way he knew how.

Much like in any conflict, there's one thing that unites both sides - the human need for joy, connection, and freedom.

We might not agree on how Attack on Titan ended, but we can agree that it was a hell of a ride, and I hope we can all agree that it was worth riding, even if it wasn't satisfying for everyone in the end. It brought many people together regardless of their backgrounds, experiences, and differences, and connected them through something they all loved for over ten years. And despite how big a part of our lives it was, life will still go on, and we'll move on to other things to watch, enjoy, and argue over. Isayama will move on to whatever awaits him next, knowing fully well that his choice was his own, that he created the series he wanted to create regardless of how people feel about it. We'll all look for our own forms of joy and happiness as life moves on around us, as conflicts come and go.

Isn't that really what freedom is at the end of the day?

[dredgesnails]

etho slab it seems i have grown quite fond of you though there are no sexual urges or desires you come to me as a long lost friend whom i once picked apples with in papa’s orchard

[dodgebolts]

see tapl gets it

[enigmatic-ramblings]

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge how goofy jackals are

Just…*look at them*

[canisalbus]

Nobody can escape the horsegirl inside 😔 Anyways, I've loved horses since I can remember and seeing my favorite skrunkly bois as ponies is adorable!! I especially love Vasco's design. There's a mall close by that has a vintage carousel and it runs every day. I always make sure to ride it when I get a chance to go.

.