#snk chapter 68

[momtaku]

Mom I have this strange head canon that Erwin sometimes finds Levi adorable and maybe even hilarious when he gets angry, like everybody else sees humanity’s strongest glaring poisoned daggers and they’re ready to book it; but Erwin can’t help comparing Levi to an angry cat.

Head canon?? Anon, this is 100% canon considering that's exactly what we got in chapter 68.

And don't forget Erwin's reaction to the ultimate angry kitty/poisoned dagger moment in chapter 72.

Thanks for the ask!

[momtaku]

Mom can you explain/analyze Historia's monologue when she killed Rod Reiss titan? When she asked herself if she did it for herself and going with the flow or something like that. Because she told Erwin before that that she finally understood what she wanted to do. Why was she like doubting herself again in the end?

This is a much better ask for @ghostmartyr. I don’t think they reblog asks, so maybe send it to them directly if you want a real answer. Frankly, I was always confused by this panel too. But I’ll give it a go.

Historia’s words above aren’t baseless. As “Krista”, she created an entire persona whose aim was to please the crowd. Krista didn’t make decisions for herself. She did what pleased others. She was the good girl who was loved by everyone. That persona was cast aside in the cavern when Historia defied Rod. It was further destroyed when she stood up to Erwin and made the decision to kill her father herself.

Personal decision making is still pretty new to our young queen, so I can appreciate her questioning herself. She’s had a pretty wild 24 hours.

I’d say in the panel above, Historia is looking back at a life that wasn’t fully her own, and chiding herself because she’s about to step forward into a new role that has similar elements. She’s becoming Queen on her own terms, true, but it’s still not a choice she made entirely for herself. I suspect accepting the role of Queen was an internal compromise that resulted in the “here I go again” moment that we see above.

Thank you for the ask!

[momtaku]

In chapter 68 Levi is pretty rude to Erwin, and Erwin doesn't look to pleased about it either! Why do you think he was so disrespectful?

When they met on the road to Orvud the night before, Levi respectfully called Erwin “Commander” for the first time in the manga. He was glad to see Erwin and eager to catch him up on what had happened. Once that relief passed, other emotions kicked in.

Erwin’s last gamble had nearly ended with him hanging from the gallows at the end of a noose. If Pixis hadn’t come through, Erwin would be dead. Levi may well have be frustrated by Erwin’s recklessness with his own life. 

Remember too that in this panel, the morning sun rising over Orvud would’ve provided Levi with his first clear look at Erwin’s injuries. It must’ve been upsetting to see the evidence of Erwin’s torture and beating.

Really, anon, despite Levi’s close relationship with Erwin, he has never shied away from speaking to him in, and about him, in a coarse and colorful manner.

Thanks for the ask!

[momtaku]

SNK Readthrough: Volume 17 Part 6

I recall being in a huge panic in the weeks leading up to this chapter. The Flaming Chicken Titan was heading to Orvud, Eren was depressed, Sasha wasn’t hungry, and post-cavern Historia was an unknowable force of rebellion and possible anarchy.

Turns out all that worry was for nothing. I was expecting a fantastical climax to the great arc and instead Rod was destroyed with little more than a whimper. It was a great victory for the Survey Corps, but reading back through after more than a year, I have little to add.

What this chapter did provide in huge, deliberate doses was a goldmine of humor. I’ve decided to make this readthrough post about some of those.

  1. It’s called taking matters into your own hands

The scene of Eren repeatedly punching himself was played for laughs, but opened some interesting discussion about the use of self harm in the titan transformation process. I also agreed with @the-hunter-eren who noted that Eren’s depression was not a laughing matter.

2. That feeling when you can’t draw faces

Erwin reveals his artistic side when he makes an amazing likeness of the flaming chicken titan. The musculature is well done but he loses it towards the end, putting a cartoon face on an otherwise realistic body. Still, it’s not bad considering he’s only been a leftie for a few weeks.

    3. I choose you, Eren!

Erwin the pokemon trainer was my favorite posts from this chapter.

  4. Levi just too smol

I first saw this here. Personally, I feel for Isayama. When I do my own edits, trying to get Erwin and Levi together in a horizontal frame always proves challenging :D

  5. The SNK Ice Bucket Challenge 

Levi was filled with hilarious quips in this chapter, but “Stay back, Garrison” was my favorite. His and Erwin’s deadpan calm throughout was often contrasted with the Garrison Captain’s panic.

  6. Caution: Grumpy when wet

Seriously, just look at Levi. LOOK AT HIM! It’s no wonder Erwin is snickering in the background. And why is he still dry? That’s the real mystery here.

[commodorecliche]

sick burns brought to you by the Survey Corps.

[uchihauahas]

This snk chapter was beautiful and sad and sweet and interesting and just everything I could have hoped for in the closing of this arc. 

[snk-queen]

i am historia reiss, the true monarch of these walls. i am the one who knocks

[momtaku]

About that scene where Eren punches himself in the face hard enough to draw blood, and Mikasa grabs his hands and says "Hurting yourself? It's not time for that yet..." What are your thoughts on Eren having to constantly self-harm to be useful? I think it was addressed when Levi's squad bit their hands and commented on how much it hurt, but do you think that in itself plays some kind of serious psychological toll on Eren? Biting a hand or punch yourself hard enough to draw blood is VERY painful.

I credit the anime with helping me to visualize just how painful Eren’s transformation procedure is - specifically the scene of him at the bottom of well, blood covering his face and hands as he repeatedly attempts a transformation for Hange.

The reaction of the Special Operations Squad drives the point home. What Eren does to himself is no quick pinch. 

I feel uneasy using the term “self-harm” to describe it. Until that punch in Ch68, he’s never injured himself as a way of coping with negative feelings. 

Eren is at his absolute lowest. In the last few hours he’s learned the truth about his father, his titan powers, and has assumed responsibility for the turmoil of the last 5 years. If anyone deserved a pass on a quick mental breakdown, it’s Eren Yeager. 

The punch was his way of stopping a negative thought pattern. Personally, I’d rather he look in a mirror and say, “Let it go, babe! You got this! Move on!”, but this is teenage Eren Yeager we are talking about. He doesn’t do anything halfway.

I don’t think we’ve seen the end of Eren’s mental crisis, but the punch looked like an attempt to move forward.  I’m grateful Isayama followed it up with a moment of victory when Eren placed the explosives inside the flaming chicken titan. Eren needed that.

Still, the psychological impact of having to harm yourself to be useful is something I hadn’t considered and I appreciate you bringing it up. I would also love to see it discussed. Maybe teetanjaeger​ can add this to her meta list.