Hey, so is Paradis serious about using the rumbling or it's just Eren and Zeke planning things together?
It seems like Paradis was serious about testing the rumbling. Shiganshina was evacuated for that purpose. Hizaru developed a “flying boat” so they could safely watch it.
We just don’t know what “testing the rumbling” would look like. I wonder if it would be the release of a small portion of the titans, with the hope that Eren could direct and destroy them at the conclusion of the test.
It is ironic that Louise says Mikasa has defeated a titan with human strength, considering Mikasa has her Ackerpower awaken unlike ordinary human.
And Mikasa’s power was awaken on the day she met Eren.
Am I the only one thinking the headaches in Snk 109 are signs of Mikasa is going to lose her Ackerpower?
Perhaps just like what Isayama has said in an interview of the official guidebook "ANSWERS", that "if Mikasa leaves Eren, she might be able to become an ordinary girl again"?
If Ackerman strength can be awaken, is it possible to shut it down?
I think it will be interesting to see Mikasa’s character development without her Ackerpower, that she must face difficulties and dangers without relying on her Ackerman strength.
The chapter 109 poll closed with 1070 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!
RATE THE CHAPTER
1,038 Responses
With overall good reviews, the chapter had an average score of 3.86 out of 5. Many people appreciated the breather and the info dump while others felt like nothing really happened and are becoming more impatient to get answers or see their favorites again.
Apart from the depressing lack of Levi, I enjoyed the chapter. Hange's look of resolution was a relief, showing that Erwin was right to choose Hange as the next commander. Kaya's simple questioning and Falco's responses were moving. Poor Gabi still doesn't get it, but I hope she will.
Glad to see the dots getting connected up in the story slowly. I expect big revelations in the next chapters to come. Also nice to see some more intrigue and character developing moments, and not just back-to-back action. I love this series for chapters like this one.
Fantastic chapter. I was so sad when it ended. I can't wait for shit to hit the fan.
My rating is a high 3. Not that it was an average chapter, but just slower and focused on Gabi and Falco where there was a LOT of setup and a good bit of pay-off. Basically, I feel like it was mostly setup and so not that great on its own.
Honestly, this was a meh chapter. I'm really wanting to see the EMA conversation.
I believed we were going to see EMA talk + more information about Historia's pregnancy + Nicolo with his bottle of wine, but it looks like Isayama decided to surprise us and give us "" The Big Adventure of Falco and Gabi"".
I thought it was really well done and its making me warm up to seeing some of the characters I wasn't too fond of in the past
IT WAS SO GOOD OH MY GOD! The flashbacks just bring up old feelings especially seeing the full story of Sasha saving Kaya. I am absolutely ready and not ready for what will happen next.
loved it, I live for character driven chapters
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE CHAPTER?
1,048 Responses
With a heavy character-focused chapter, 23.5% of respondents found Gabi being bitten by the horse their favorite moment (though is that because of the Jean joke or the content of the chapter itself?). In 2nd place, 20.6% chose Kaya’s recollection of Sasha, and in 3rd with 15.1% Mikasa remembering Eren.
Does Jean have mind control powers over the horse that bit Gabi?
Horse Paths
I wonder if the horse that attacked Gabi was actually Sasha's horse? Animals can sense things we can't.
The horse' smirk after biting Gabi is the proof Isayama is the best mangaka
Gabi, this is the work of Isayama after all... devilry is to be expected.
Nice to see Jean getting more development
This whole calling every horse Jean shit that this fandom does is so tired.
The part at the end of the chapter with Gabi, Falco and Kaya might be one of my favorite moments in the entire series. I can't wait to see what kind of effect it has on Gabi. While I don't think Gabi's brainwashing will be broken completely, this moment definitely should have opened her eyes a little.
Since it wasn't included, I'm adding it here: my favourite moment was Kaya, Gabi and Falco's final conversation about the ""heritage of sins"". Kaya's ""Why did my mother have to die like that?"" parallels the same sentiment of a lot of characters (Eren in particular), and I'm liking this approach for Gabi's development. Really heart-wrenching. A special mention to the best dad ever, Papa Blouse. He's really kind-hearted and I loved that panel where he thought Gabi's reaction to his wife (?) petting her head was because Gabi had an abusive family. Or, at least, that's what I got from that.
I really appreciated the grim take on kid Eren's savage attack against the human traffickers, because it was exceptionally creepy in real life standards. You can see Eren stabbed the guy at least six or seven times and continued even when the guy was clearly not moving anymore.
WHICH NEW DETAIL DID YOU GET MOST EXCITED ABOUT?
1,038 Responses
35.5% of respondents were excited to learn that Yelena actually did contact Eren prior to his time in Marley. 14% were pleased to find out that Kaya overheard Falco and Gabi talk about getting back home. 12% are intrigued by the boat and about nearly the same amount of people were excited to learn that both Floch & Co released sensitive information about Eren and that Louise is the girl Mikasa saved back in chapter 6.
Hanji seems to be preparing something...
Paradis is maybe planning to test the rumbling power in Shiganshina
That the girl Sasha saved is named Kaya
The series is so complicated right now little tib bits are flying way over my head like “Eren has a house” and “Shiganshia is being evacuated”. Completely missed those.
Floch is now a hardcore Eren stan (character development!)
The fact that at least one person (two if we count that one drunk MP) is paying attention to all these red flags which screams "ZEKE IS PLAYING YOU ALL LIKE A FIDDLE: ABORT MISSION"
Floch is swirl-head no longer.
Zackly's appearance and his title as "head of state"
I want to know so much! What did Zeke/Yelena tempt Eren with? What was so convincing to the Floch Faction?! Is Levi okay?!?
WHICH OF THE NEWLY NAMED CHARACTERS WAS YOUR FAVORITE?
1,043 Responses
Kaya made a big impact on most readers, with 64.5% liking her most out of the more-newly-introduced characters. Louise is next at 31.7%.
if Ms. Kaya actually becomes the next generation Sasha my acne will clear.
Kaya is just so sweet I love her lots she just admires Sasha so much and will play a huge part in Gabi's character development I think.
Kaya is adorable and I will love and protect her with my entire life
Louise is awesome since she still has a youthful optimism that has been beaten out of the main crew for a long time, and Kaya is an awesome character
I love Gabi. I love Falco. I love Hange. I love Kaya. I love Mikasa. Too much to love in the series, what do I do?
The scene between Louise and Mikasa surprised me. I didn't expect this girl to appear again and I didn't expect her to dedicate her heart to Mikasa. That felt almost romantic..
I want more Louise teasing to Mikasa
WHICH FLASHBACK HAD THE MOST EMOTIONAL IMPACT FOR YOU?
1,044 Responses
42% of respondents most felt a connection to Kaya’s story about Sasha saving her. Following up in 2nd with 31.1% is Mikasa’s memories of Eren, and Hange rounds up 3rd with 22.8.
I cried when Kaya sad she want to be like Sasha.
First time reading gave me chills (when kaya said she wanted to be like Sasha)
adore how, when Louise asks if Eren saved Mikasa, Mikasa remembers him wrapping the scarf around her, while the moment when he literally saved her life by killing two of her abductors is cast sinisterly (just like it was in Chapter 6). It really makes crystal clear that it was his kindness, not his violence, that saved Mikasa. (Like how Sasha didn't just save Kaya's life, the Brauses took her in, too.)
HOW GREAT WAS IT TO SEE FLEGEL IN THIS CHAPTER?
1,039 Responses
Flegel returns to the manga after over 50 chapters, sporting Isayama’s hallmark post-time-skip beard!
I just loved all of it. Loved to see past characters reappear like Flegel, Louise, Peaure, Roy, etc.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE CAUSE OF MIKASA’S HEADACHES?
1,028 Responses
Nearly half of respondents believe that Mikasa’s headaches are something purely connected to her “AckerAsian” biology and are unique only to her. 18% believe that it’s something related to the Eldian paths, and another 18% think it’s something about Louise specifically. We received many interesting write-in theories as well:
A mix between her AckerAsian biology and something regarding Eren and/or the coordinate.
I think it’s paths affecting her and that she is somehow connected to paths because of her Ackerman background.
Either Zeke or Kiyomi trying to manipulate her memories or release new feelings about them? We know that Ackermans can't forget, but they could be affected differently. But then... Eren would have needed to do something to her. I hope not.
AckerBond breaking
Maybe she is starting to actually question Eren and will turn against him
Her headaches are triggered by stressful memories or circumstances. PTSD maybe?
I think Mikasa always gets those headaches in times of great stress, ever since she got hit in the head by those traffickers as a child.
As others have said, fear of losing her family again
I think she experiences these headaches whenever she feels she's about to lose or lost someone she cares about. If she's having doubts about what kind of person Eren is, in a way she's losing the Eren she knows. I'm not sure, though!
Louise had the wrong idea about Mikasa after she was saved by her so Mikasa is having a realization that she has likely misread Eren this whole time.
I hope that Mikasa will go on her own road and will disconnect from Eren. She got a headache because she remembered a painful event and this time she was able to see Eren's cruelty and insanity. She didn't see it before. Maybe this memory will cool her so she can move on and live for herself, not just for Eren. She needs to make her own decisions and create her own path. The event with Louise probably helped her to realize that.
THIS CHAPTER WAS HEAVY ON CHARACTER FOCUS AND WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT HOW THINGS ARE BEING PERCEIVED. WITH EACH STATEMENT BELOW, INDICATE HOW MUCH YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE.
Falco is still without a doubt best boy, and even though she seems to be the most hated character in the fandom right now, most people don’t think Gabi is all that bad. More importantly, we still really like seeing these two little rascals together.
I like gabi as a character +she's pretty skilled for her age (overparanoid yes but that's what happens when u'r an eldian soldier in marley
Gabi is really tearing my feelings apart - I hate, despite and pity her at the same time.
Getting tired of Gabi being just "that brainwashed kid". She needs some serious character development. She used to be one of my favourites but the "gotta kill everyone" and "muh marley" is getting old. She deserves better.
I'm not angry at Gabi. She has been brainwashed and raised in pro-Marley family. I'm not surprised she acts this way. I believe that she is slowly starting opening her eyes and she will find the truth soon. Yet, I'm surprised of her different type of ""development"". In Marley she was the most skilled and bravest warrior, while on Paradis she cannot do a simple farm work properly and she is afraid of a horse.
Falco is more of a plot device than a realistic character at this point. Gabi is a hundred times more interesting.
Loving the focus on Falco and Gabi, I love those two.
All the Gabi/Falco focus is boring and undeserved, I hope future chapters don't spend so long in them
I loved the character development of Best Boy and Garbage. If things turn out right, Garbage will be redeemed and I'll actually start liking her again
The most divisive character actually seems to be Floch.
On the subject of Floch, I think he only speaks a very superficial ""truth"". His truth appeals to immediate emotional responses, but isn't capable of processing complexity and following the proposed reasoning to its logical end, the consequences.
Wtf I love floch now
Floch may be crazy but he might be onto something
The fandom appears to be conflicted about Hange’s leadership abilities. Most of us however seem to agree that Hange and Pixis were justified in containing Floch, Yelena and their following.
I feel hange (cuz i can't figure out the right choice if there is one either)
Hanji is totally right in arresting Floch and Louise, they (SC) still don't know Eren's intentions
I feel bad for Hange; she's not a good commander, but it's not her fault. She's just not suited for that kind of role.
Just leave my Hange alone! (┳Д┳) She has the shittiest work in the world…
I've seen people calling Hange a fascist. Trust me, I know a fascist when I see one. Wouldn't that be Floch? It's normal for Hange to suffer or make mistakes, but I'm sure she'll rise again.
HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN THE HORSE BIT GABI?
1,049 Responses
A 50/50 split here on those who are pro-horse or pro-devil.
THE HORSE IS BEST BOY
The devil horse was the hero of this chapter. Bless Jean and his equestrian paths.
The horse' smirk after biting Gabi is the proof Isayama is the best mangaka
Shitty Devils
WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT’S BEST FOR PARADIS, WHO WOULD YOU SIDE WITH?
1,041 Responses
Many respondents had a hard time choosing, but at nearly 37%, #TeamHange is where the largest group sided. 27% of respondents believe that neither side is correct and 22% believe Floch is the person to side with. There were many write in allegiances as well such as Armin, Levi, Zeke and even Erwin. #TeamEren was the most popular write in response.
Both sides are in the wrong. Hangs and Armin are too naive and unwilling to take action while Floch and his gang are wrong to break the chain of command and leak information. I’m with mikasa - neutral and confused as to which is “more” correct.
Siding against Zeke seems like the best option tbh
Eren because he knows the most out of all of them and I think there’s a valid reason as to why he’s been keeping silent.
For now I'm team Zeke/Eren because I want to believe in Eren. Team Floch is a no no - everytime he says The New Eldian Empire I just shiver. Please no.
Both sides are trying to improve, but it's also leading down to a bad path if they can't balance each other
I need to know what is Eren's plans and reasoning before making a side. Tht boy must had some trippy PATHs shittery going on.
Floch is a nationalist fool who would see the rest of the world burn for the glory of his homeland.
Hange had such good ideas for Paradis and moving forward, and then Eren had to go and fuck them all up. Poor Hange.
I side with Eren. He has his own agenda and that is to save his people. And Floch doesn't know what Eren's motives are.
im so torn ughhhhh
We still don't know everything that happened before the attack on Marley. I'll wait with passing judgement until we've seen everything.
#TeamJägerbrothers
Erwin
WHICH QUESTION INTRODUCED IN THIS CHAPTER ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING ANSWERED?
1,046 Responses
With 37.4% of the votes, most people are longing to see the conversation Yelena had with Eren. Apparently we’re all itching to find out why Eren ran off to Liberio on his own. The second most popular choice with over a fifth of all votes was “What is Hange going to investigate?”. I guess with all that teasing, we are desperate to see the wall titans -who are facing inwards- run amok. Mikasa’s headaches and the reason why she keeps getting them ended up in third place.
All of the above
Everything with the word "Jaeger" in it.
What is Hange up to. For real I want her thoughts and investigations - she's been dealing a lot with people relations (Eren in jail, Floch & co. discussion and jail, the media) and i want more of her plans and thoughts unveiled
Are the shit machines still up and running
I'm excited about the conspiracy of Yelena, Floch&co. and Eren. I'm sure it ties in with Historia's current condition, so I can't wait to find out what they have been up to this past year. When we find that out, we might also finally get to hear what circumstances could possibly have led to the attack in Liberio.
I'm really excited to see where the Gabi/Falco/Kaya story is headed.
Everything. There are too many things being dragged out for too long.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST HOPING TO SEE NEXT CHAPTER?
1,049 Responses
The next chapter closes the volume and the arc so expectations are high. EMA conversation, information about Historia’s pregnancy and a Jaeger brothers conversation are at the top of our wish list.
Banquet flashback! I want to see the gang in formal dress.
Feed me Reiner
We get all this fuss about Eren that, Eren this. But when are they actually going to show Eren himself to answer all of these questions? I’m tired of this. It’s just been side-character central the entire time with no Eren, Warriors, and Zeke.
Ummm Levi?? What's happening with him? I'm worried for him!
Gabi’s realization/reaction that she shot the girl who saved Kaya. And also flashbacks to the time in Paradis while Eren was gone.
Anything besides Gabi.
What Yelena told Eren
Falco aging 10 years whenever Gabi grabs a piece of cutlery during The Really Awkward Dinner™
ERWIN FLASHBACK PLZ ONE PICTURE ANYTHING
Can we finally see what happened to Marcel ? those flashbacks never fully explained it!
WILL THE ICEBURST POWERED FLYING BOAT TAKE OFF?
1,029 Responses
Interestingly, only ⅓ of us want the flying boat be the end of Zackly and Kiyomi. The majority want to see the flying boat take off.
Show us Zackley's ART on the flying boat
I think it's time to build yourself a boat and get far away from everything concerning Paradis and Marley. There is no way this ends good
MOST RELATABLE PANEL. CHAPTER 109 EDITION.
1,043 Responses
We’re just as done with it as Hange is. Dramatic gestures and all.
....reaaaally wishing Hange still had Moblit around to help manage all the shenanigans with Eren and his cultists, especially with Levi gone monkey sitting.
Hange looked so tired and weary.
Hange's reaction summarizes my feelings about the whole Marley arc pretty accurately. Not impressed and I'd rather see other questions/plot points answered.
We feel ya, Hange. We all feel ya.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER?
that shit about Jean biting Gabi in the first question had me dissociating for two minutes wondering if i even read the chapter considering i missed something that big. then i lost one more minute considering how OOC it was of Jean to bite anyone, especially Gabi since he should technically just arrest her again, before I finally understood you were talking about the horse. Geez. It's late for some of us here.
It was a good chapter, not the best, but still a good transitionnal chapter. I missed Ereh, historia, Zeke and Armin here (we're seeing armin less and less imo) and I really want to know more about the plan and how it all happened...anyway we'll get to it soon ! I'm just being impatient.
Mikasa briefly reminded me of Sasuke's 'youre so annoying' for a moment when she was telling Louise to stfu... it was hot.
This chapter complicated things for me. I thought things would be pretty straightforward, Eren is in league with Flocke and the others and they all share the same goal. It now seems to me that there are at least three camps. Hange, Armin, ect. who need no introduction, Eren and Zeke and assumably the volunteers, who want to see an end to the cycle of violence on their own terms, and Flocke and his pals, who are nationalists who can only look to the past of the Eldian Empire rather than to the future of mutual cooperation. At the moment, the latter two are merged into one, but eventually their goals too will diverge into separate interests.
As usual, it raised more questions than it answered.
Man I so want answers to Historia and her pregnancy. Plus, as much as he thinks he is, I don't think Eren considers Floch to be on his side, his head is screwed and he might think of him simply as a pawn in a larger plan. Reiner and Porco really need to sit down and talk everything out. After Liberio, maybe Porco will empathise with Reiner. Meanwhile, I don't think Reiner will even consider sparing any of Paradis now, if he was before. He wants Gabi and he wants Falco. He doesn't care what else happens IMO.
The past four chapters have moved at such a slow pace and focused on so many side stories instead of getting to the main plot and characters, that I now find myself a bit disinterested with the manga. I love Gabi and Falco, but this much focus on them is not necessary. We're barely getting any new information, everything is still shrouded in mystery. Moreover, the "reveals" that we've gotten over the past few months feel disingenous. Sure, Kiyomi is money hungry, but seeing as she's playing all sides of the field this woman is more than just a drooling fool. Zeke's backstory feels like Isayama is trying to pull the wool over our eyes, but failing terribly. Finally, the characters we want to see have had very little screen time, the questions we want answered are purposely being avoided. It just feels like Isayama is stretching the material he has as thin as he possibly can. What he has created this past few months is good, but it feels like I'm eating a dinner consisting out of side dishes, and just like my girl Sasha, I just want to get to the meat.
I miss when things were optimistic and it was good vs evil. All this gray is making me depressed.
[Mikasa’s headache] has to have some sort of connection to both Louise and Eren. Whenever Louise talks to Mikasa, she gets flashbacks of Eren. I think this is a demonstration of a loss of innocence and ignorance. The first headache flashback Louise caused was her as an innocent kid and at a time when Mikasa viewed Eren as a god and the only thing that matters. The second time, Louise was no longer innocent, and Mikasa's viewpoint of the exact same flashback became sinister. Just a thought.
Before Liberio's assault, i strongly agreed with Hanji p.o.v. For me, this was still the best way to have a happy end. But it will be hard to make peace now that Eren crushed some diplomate guys, so i suppose we don't have the choice anymore.
idk why people are siding so much with floch, he seems too extreme and radical (not in the surfer way)
As a person who finds Gabi super interesting and sees her as a symbol of redemption and hope for the future of this mess up world, all the hate for her is super annoying.
o annie where art thou ;-;
After last year, I feel like I'm going through withdrawals whenever Reiner only gets one or two panels (or none, like this chapter). Where is he? I want to see my little boy.
Honestly can't see a good ending for Paradis. Communicating with the world before that dead guy told the world about Paradis' current situation and NOT KILLING everyone was how I was hoping they'd try to integrate themselves into the world.
For now, though, I think Mikasa's distress is what really got through to me in this chapter. This is the girl who bases her entire life and survival on Eren's wellbeing and now she's questioning him. MIKASA is questioning EREN'S actions. And not just any actions (they've disagreed plenty before now) but the very act that made him the focus of her life. I'm heartbroken.
And of course, Isayama is really dragging out the emotional impact of Sasha's death here. It sucks. I see why Gabi is the way she is, but I still don't like her. It feels rude or disrespectful almost, to have her be such an important part of the aftermath of Sasha's death. Still, ask me again in six months. Knowing Isayama's twisted mind I might have changed my opinion.
Can we all just appreciate that Isayama doesn't make every kid in this story super ripped? Like Gabi and Falco are obviously, but Kaya has those chubby little cheeks that just make me wanna give her a big hug and tell her everything's ok even though it's NOT.
I'm very super glad about how Sasha's death has been treated. Sasha was, in essence, just an ordinary soldier. She wasn't an amazing super weapon like Eren or the Ackermans. She wasn't a crazy strategic genius like Erwin or Armin. On the whole of it, she was ordinary and very replaceable as a soldier. And yet this ordinary person, this ordinary soldier, is having such a profound impact on others both during her life and during her death. I think it is a great reminder that it isn't just the super special people who can make a difference (which is what we usually see in these kind of stories). Everyone, even an ordinary person, can do it.
I loved Sasha getting a last laugh beyond the grave via the inspiration to Kaya disarming Gabi's hostility
Horse is my fav character now.
I bet Jean loved putting Floch in jail!
I feel like I'm in the minority here but I'm not very interested in gabbi & falco's arc. gabbi is an obvious hate sink, especially since she killed sasha, but her dealing with her chugging of the kool-aid just feels like a shitty reprisal of grisha's & reiner's childhoods in marley. it'll pay off as it always does, but for now I don't give a shit.
I feel so bad for hans ;// they're all alone and so tired, petition to bring erwin and moburrito back!!
There are people in the world like Gabi - with very strong views about others who speak their mind on it and feel certain people will be condemned to hell so I feel her character is very interesting and important. I like Gabi and I look forward to where this story takes her character.
Was hoping for more focus on Eren this chapter after the big blushy flashback, but this was still solid. Isayama juggling a million converging narratives much better than in 107.
I just loved Kaya calmly dropping the bombshell that she heard them loudly arguing and that's how she knew they were from Marley. Also #FalcoBestBoi
I am a very calm person but if Floch harms Hanji in any way i will stab him with a fork.
Glad to see Sasha's kindness and bravery has been honoured and her actions in saving Kaya have become relevant to the plot.
I've been feeling a bit disconnected from the series for a long while, I didn't like all the new characters and how big the conflict is getting, but for me this chapter was better as it focused more on a few characters and their feelings about the situation.
This was a slow chapter, but I'm not really upset about it. Sometimes they're necessary for character development and exposition. The way I see it, if a story is all action all the time then it may look cool, but I wouldn't be able to understand what the heck is going on most of the time. I think my main disappointment here is that Historia didn't show up at all and we still don't know the truth about her situation.
I look forward to Gabi breaking her brainwashing and then something horrible happen to her because this is Attack on Titan and happiness is forbidden.
Bit of a boring chapter, to be honest. But there was a lot of interesting information being offered between the lines, so I'm also very curious about finding out where all the hints are leading.
Even when you think it's starting to make sense, something happens to remind you that Isayama will never let you past square one.
I just want more. The series has become so interesting since the start of season 2 of the anime.
Once Reiner and friends get to the island, we could finally have a chance to see Eren use the Warhammer and Attack titan combined. HURRY UP ISAYAMA
inb4 EMA breaks up like the Beatles and Annie emerges from the crystal to smack some sense into everybody
Is it me or Louise was being a total Mikasa stalker and was hitting on her?
Isayama really likes hurting characters on their birthdays...
Can't wait for the anime to cut parts out and for people to go absolutely apeshit over their favourite panels being cut in 5 years time.
You rock, poll people! Also where is Reiner's glorious ass?
Can I be in the additional comments please I swear I want to be original but I never be IN THE FUCKING SPECIAL ADDITIONAL COMMENTS SO PLEASE thanks :Q
That’s it for this month! A big thank you to everyone who voted! We’ll be back on 10-10 for the Chapter 110 poll ;)
The whole interaction in chapter 109 was so poignant like “why did my mother die?” and Gabi couldn’t say anything besides “well 100 years ago...” and being countered with “but why did she die 4 years ago? she didn’t do those things personally” and Gabi slowly realizing the awful treatment of these people for a “sin” and having no other explanation than “in the past...”