Floch and Marlo fought alongside each other in the battle to retake Wall Maria, and I quite liked Marlo for his dedication and his will to change the system, he was a very likeable character right? On the other hand there was Floch, who was fumbling everyone else out of his fear just beforehand, I didn't hate him because that was understandable, yet I was quite dissatisfied to see that he was the one to live instead of Marlo, but maybe that's how the world works right? So I made peace with it even though I started disliking him for his personality and so on.
Needless to say, I started hating him in season 4, he was probably my most hated character after Gabi (listen, I understand Gabi and I understand she went through a development of whatsoever but I don't like her, she's probably the only character in the whole cinematic universe who I don't like or in fact hate despite them going through a development. I know and I understand but I don't like her, I'm sorry, and king fritz is hated by default, why even bother mentioning?).
Floch was one of the main antagonists in S4, I mean Eren himself was the antagonist, and Floch being the leader of the yeagerists was definitely one. He's caused so much trouble to the scouts, he even shot the tank of the airship in his last moments and what not, in fact the whole time I was probably even praying for him to die.
However there was this one thing he had said which probably either struck Armin or Jean I can't recall but it was something along the lines of "why are you betraying your people?" And that's when I felt it, that's when I understood. What he was doing from his side, was absolutely reasonable, so reasonable that it would actually label him as a hero.
I hated him because how crazy obsessive and desperate he was, again he caused so much trouble for the scouts which is why I hated him so much, but maybe I hated him because I was with the scouts through my beliefs, and I mean I still am, of course a genocide is wrong despite the situation, and I'll stick to that belief but come to think of it, Floch had reason too, his people deserved peace, his people deserved freedom, his people deserved to live and he was doing everything he can from his side he could to ensure that.
I think that is one of the main points of attack on titan, that there was no wrong or right side, both options will result in tremendous loss, you just have to do what needs to be done, it's about perspective, from which perspective you choose to view it from or which perspective you choose to act from to be more clear.
And if I was viewing the whole situation from Floch's perspective, I think I would've seen him as a hero.
While I don't think Floch was the second Erwin, heck, even Armin wasn't, how could Floch be? Still, something I hate to say out loud, even to myself is the fact that Floch was indeed following Erwin's footsteps.
Come to think of it, Erwin too was crazy obsessive and desperate to find the truth, how many lives had been lost in the process? None of it was "ideal" he just did what needed to be done regardless of the price he had to pay. Similarly, Floch was crazy obsessive and desperate to find freedom, and not only for himself, for his people, for his nation. Yes, he caused enormous troubles for the scouts but he did what he needed to do from his side, the difference is he didn't regret any of it like Erwin did, his hatred for the torturers was so much that he did almost everything he did with pride, and that is a huge difference, because it conflicts with one's humanity itself.
While I might not hate him anymore, at least not as much as I did before, I still don't quite like him, probably because he was on the other side or probably because he didn't seem to show any remorse for his deeds, but what would I have done if I were in the attack on titan universe? (Well probably not support genocide, but still I get his side).
Armin once said that being a good person or bad person is subjective, and I think if Floch was stripped from his label or identity as Floch Forster and left behind was his soul of dedication, maybe I would've considered him a hero and maybe he would've been the favorite character of many but that wasn't quite the case and therefore we're standing where we're standing now.
What happened to the Yeagerists and all those who supported the Rumble in Paradis? Did they try to start any conflict?
They did, but the discovery of the wine prevented them from taking complete control.
See, since the wine was discovered earlier by Megatron and his team, the military prepared contingencies to try and counteract the wine, and at least half of them resigned or were placed on leave, that included Commander Pixis. Additionally, because of Eren's failure to secure the War Hammer Titan, Optimus' own influence on the island, and Floch's betrayal, the Jaegerists weren't able to form to the same effectiveness they were in during the anime. They didn't have Eren's symbol of strength or Floch's effective leadership, which never manifested because the mission to Shinganshina never happened.
So when the Jaegerists did try to take over, a few people that were still on the fence, immediately got Pixis and a good portion of those that were infected with the wine to come back and reestablish order. There's definitely a lot of mistrust on the civilians' part, but Pixis and the others are able to effectively subdue the Jaegerists due to being more experienced and maintain order long enough until Pixis found Mikasa in Shinganshina and she explained what had happened.
Wait if Eren couldn’t see into the future past his death, what would’ve happened if the saviours pulled up to what was left of Paradis and were killed on site by the Jaegerists?
Killing 80% of humanity to secure a free, happy future for your friends is a MASSIVE gamble if there’s a real chance the Jaegerists were just going to kill ‘em straight away.
Can you imagine if they rocked up to Paradis and just got immediately shot?
Surely Eren slipped Floch a lil note saying “fyi if I am stopped by my ex-friends, pls don’t kill them after I’m dead ty ily! All hail Eldia 🫶”
Summary: After the argument, with no time to waste the unlikely group make their way to the port occupied by the Jaegerists for the flying boat but the plan goes awry.
Warnings: Swearing, violence? and the normal warnings.
SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 IN GENERAL ESPECIALLY THE NEW EPISODES
Word count: 1.8K
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I slept through the whole night which is rare these days, no nightmares or anything. I was shaken awake by Hange and told that we needed to leave quickly.
We packed up our stuff pretty much everybody avoiding talking to me, which is fair. We all loaded the gear onto the two carts and piled in.
I followed after Gabi and Falco onto one of the carts. Reiner joins us sitting next to a pile of crates next to me. Annie sits opposite him basically hidden by the barrels and bags. Armin climbs onto the front of the cart and takes the reigns ready to street them and ‘drive’ the horses. Just as we’re leaving though Jean jumps onto the end. The cart was moving yet he decided to hop on. He sits down next to some crates on the other side of Reiner.
It’s mostly silent, the only sound is the sound of the horses galloping and the crates moving a little bit. That is until someone breaks the silence.
Jean. Obviously.
“(y/n),” My ears perk up but I pretend not to hear him. “I’m sorry for punching you.” He pauses. “Are you okay?” He asks and I see his head turn to me above the barrels.
“I’m fine, it’s fine.” I say almost trying to convince myself. It is fine, right? It should be fine…right?
“I see.” He pauses. “Reiner, I’m not apologising to you.” I scoff and lean my head back against the wooden cart.
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Reiner replies quietly.
Then it’s silent, again.
But suddenly we come to a halt. I look over the wood and watch Pieck emerge from her titan, I wonder what for. She’d only be here if something’s happened. I push myself over the cart and land firmly on the ground shortly followed by Armin. I march over towards the front cart as some of the others collect around her.
“The the port…It’s occupied by the Jaegerists.” She says with titan flesh attached to her face and steam coming from her. “They must’ve used a locomotive. They’re a bunch of soldiers with Anti-Titan gear on standby.” I sigh, more shit to deal with.
I really should’ve left Floch with that inept soldier then maybe he wouldn’t be a problem now.
Quickly we discuss a half-assed plan and we’re on our way again. Back on the carts.
I resume my space on the cart across from the two kids. Threading my hands through my hair I lean my head feeling the rough wood on my hands.
“Shit.” I mutter quietly. There is very little chance that this plan is going to work.
We travel through the countryside, a bumpy trail and the carts move around a little too much for my liking. Eventually we make it to the port, we hide behind this grassy hill, it’s almost like a crater. Everyone unpacks but Pieck’s Titan is currently occupying a lot of the space.
Hange and the General have gone to the top of the hill and are surveying the port.
All the kit is thrown onto the floor from one of the many crates. I grab one of the harnesses and start attaching the buckles and ties. It’s such a pain to attach especially with the belt and blades as well. Huffing quietly I tug at one of buckles getting frustrated but another pair of hands removes mine and buckles it with ease.
“Here, let me,” Jean says helping me, tying it efficiently.
“Thank you,” I say quietly as he steps back and continues with his.
I finish with all the buckles and then turn to the belt. It’s a lot quicker compared to the ODM harness. Opening another crate, blades spill out and some of us grab them. Some of us don’t need them for the mission.
I attach them to my belt double-checking that it’s properly attached. I pull it down but it stays where it is after making a metal against metal sound. I pick up a gun and slide it into my holster then finally I slot the blades into their sheaves and watch as the others finish off checking their kit.
Everybody stands together but it still feels like we’re separate.
Annie and Reiner stand on one side and everyone else is on the other.
“We’ve got to kill ‘em all at once. That’s the only way to secure the flying boat.” Pieck says on top of her titan still steaming.
“For this to work, we’ll need all our Titans and all of your weapons. Got it?” Annie says hardly moving at all. I nod whilst everyone else just stares at the ground solemnly.
“Not so fast.” Connie looks up.
“What?”
“If we go in recklessly the Azumabito will get caught up in it,” Mikasa says staring at the ground.
“Right!” Connie says surprised, that definitely wasn’t his original point.
They go on talking about which plan to use, whether to go in guns blazing or a more subtle approach.
“You guys shouldn’t be expected to help out in this operation. Nor expected to make that decision in the first place.” Annie says.
“We need that boat,” I say definitively. “Whether you want to admit it to yourself or not, friends are going to die. So you can join in for the sake of humanity or you can sit back and watch everyone else do it for you.” I pause as I look at everyone looking to the ground. “It’s your choice.”
“You guys don’t have to fight,” Reiner says from behind me placing his hand on my shoulder. “You guys can stay with Gabi and Falco. If the Jaegerists spot you, you’ll have no choice but to fight. So, stay out of it.”
People make up their minds pretty quickly but I’m ashamed of their original hesitation. This is the job they signed up to do so they should be prepared to do it.
Suddenly Magath launches himself at Yelena forcing her back onto the rocks.
I mostly blank out what everyone says and stand by Reiner and Annie whilst the others rush over to Yelena. I only hear her say one thing as she sprawled across the rock.
“I changed my mind, I don’t want to die till I see how this ends.” She smiles at the general, that man who just suffocated her and broke her arm. She is odd, but she was even before this.
“If you take me with you, I might just say where Eren is headed.”
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-Time skip (not very long but there is a lot of talking)-
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Riding on horses, Conny, Armin and I leave the rest of the group. I ride ahead of them and start dramatically stopping when we reach the building.
“Floch! Where are you?!” I slow my horse turning, neighing quietly. “Where are the Azumabito?!”
Floch opens a window a pokes his head out of it.
“Commander (y/n)?!” He shouts with his hand on the window.
“Floch!” I shout again.
“Why all the commotion?! Where’ve you been?!”
“Chasing the Cart!” I say. It could’ve been any of us to say these practised lines but I was deemed most likely to be believed which makes sense since we were on the same side. “It’s with the armour! They’re swimming away!” I shout. If any line were to give me away it would be that one. “Hurry or they’ll escape! We need the flying boat! Order the Azumabito to get it ready!” I shout observing the masses of Jaegerists on the roof covered in weapons.
“What are you-?”
“What are you doing?” I ask with a shit ton of fake surprise. “Why didn’t you chase the cart?! It’s obvious they’d run south!” I pause and turn to improvisation seeing him unconvinced. “They killed Jean!” I say forcing tears out of my eyes and throwing in a shaky voice with his name.
“(y/n), Armin, there’s the flying boat!” Conny points to it and all of us steer our horses towards the boat. I don’t look back until we stop at the peer.
“Send out the mechanics!” I shout before I’m out of earshot.
We run to the end of the peer towards the flying boat but we’re stopped by two soldiers. I groan internally, why couldn’t it be two people I didn’t know. It would make this much easier.
“Stop!” Samuel shouts.
“Daz! Samuel! What are you doing?!” Armin asks as we all look at the explosives being attached to the flying boat.
“Are those explosives?!” Conny asks.
“Take those off!” I order. “We need it to stop the Marleyans!”
“Wait! Calm down!” Daz says with conflicted feelings.
“Truth is we heard you guys teamed up with Marley!” Samuel says with his hands in front of him.
He continues to speak but I cut him off.
“Why would you assume that!? I was your commander! Your friend!” I say using dramatic hand gestures. The other two go along with the story and deny it our ‘betrayal’.
“That’s what we thought.” Daz awkwardly rubs the back of his neck.
“You guys wouldn’t put the island in danger after we’ve finally saved it, right?”
“Of course not!” Armin says.
“Thank goodness! I don’t know what I would’ve done if you guys were traitors!” He smiles confidently, reassured.
“Hurry up and take those explosives off!” I order.
Daz kneels down and begins untying the explosives. I stare down at the sea whilst he removes the explosive wires. The sea used to symbolise freedom, it was the end goal and now it’s only a means to an end. Nothing beautiful about it is left; it’s merely a passage for our enemies.
“What’s wrong?” Daz asks as Armin and Conny look at me confused.
“I’m going to go check on the mechanics, you guys stay here.” I look to my two friends with a small nod before looking at my old comrades with another reciprocated nod. I turn around and run off down the peer back towards the building.
But suddenly I hear gunshots almost definitely meaning the plan has gone to shit.
I get closer and see Mikasa using her ODM gear and breaking into the building. Something has gone terribly wrong now. I speed up looking anxiously at the Jaegerist soldiers on the roof looking alarmed at the sound. I’ve got to get to some cover before they shoot at me and it’s a full-on battle.
If Mikasa’s here, that means that Annie and Reiner won’t be too far behind and in titan form.
I wipe the sweat from my forehead only looking back at Conny and Armin once before diving into the building, pulling out my gun and loading it.
We are not getting out of here without someone’s blood being spilt.
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I hope you enjoyed reading although this part was a little bit filler-y so sorry.
I hope to have a new part out by the end of next week if not earlier.
Also comment if you want to be tagged in the next part!
I don't know why I feel the sudden need to express this but yes the Yeagerists are fascists and it doesn't matter that they were "justified in trying to protect their home".
Marley was fascist too and so were the Yeagerists.
The first step of fascism is to identify a common ennemy(the rest of the world for the Yeagerists, the eldians for the Marley), then you blame everything on them, then you establish your own people as surperior to them and later to everybody.
Eventually when you have done all that you'll justify you destruction or occupation of other countries simply by saying you are surperior and your people need more space.
Ofcourse you also need an all powerfull leader whom you can follow and call a god. Eren for the Yeagerists and probably also someone for the Marley, maybe even general Calvi but there was probably some higher leader above the military, or maybe not, maybe Marley was a military dictatorship (actually that's pretty likely).
Calling the Yeagerists, and by that I mean specifically Floch because he's the only Yeagerist with a big enough fanbase (excluding Eren ofc) isn't being anti Floch, it's simply the truth.
Like he's not a bad character he's just a morally bad character. You can still like him, which I do but that doesn't take away from the fact that he's unmistakenly a fascist and if you're trying to defend him maybe you should question that a bit.
