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The more I think about it a lot of complaints about MA could be avoided if they really branched out more on them as characters they aren’t bad but the fact the side characters are more interesting and complex (I.E Zeke) when they started the story is huh
I like them both a lot but my biggest example is that a lot of people think Jean should have been a commander (valid) when our example as the GOAT commander is Erwin and the closer one to being as ruthless and ready to throw down their humanity for it is clearly Armin
I’m not the best at expressing myself, I think, but I feel like people care more about Jean because he changes his mindset from weak and wanting out of combat to straight to the SC front lines, Armin doesn’t go through a sort of realization or change of mindset like that
Post-time skip he clearly thinks he wasn’t the right choice (he’s not wrong) but he is really accepting of it and when he snaps at Mikasa his answer is not apologizing but saying that Erwin wouldn’t have done that, and? That would be perfect to address he doesn’t have to be him??
When the soldiers are about to shoot them (first time) Armin doesn’t see himself as reliable, or useful, sizing himself up as not strong as Eren or Mikasa, and with Erwin gone in favor of him, he is also not living up to Erwin, that would be perfect for growth I think
Not addressed nearly enough Armin starts insulting himself horribly when in paths????? And then just gets over it I guess???, never mentioned again how he hates himself and doesn’t feel enough, we are like 5 chapters from the end and Armin still hates himself
This kid has emotional issues that pop up consistently enough to make an arc about it in the time given since the rumbling starts, he actually can have a mental breakdown, it’s the apocalypse, perfect time to have one, SPECIALLY when Hange dies
Reiner and Armin both have allusions to saving humanity (Eren in both cases) and yet Reiner feels more fitting because he doesn’t waver while Armin is being self-deprecating and getting over it for reasons, he is in no way different from S1 when Reiner certainly is
One of my main personal gripes is that the Scouts feel more like dragged by basic morality to stop Eren, only Hange feels like actually seething over it, and that makes the SC look very lowkey like pro-genocide psychopaths, when they really REALLY shouldn’t (139 I’m talking to u)
And the thing is that I’m the angriest with Armin for it, yeah, the kid who didn’t care about being arrested because he loved the idea of a world outside the walls, the one who always wanted to understand the other side, this is what he leads to??? THANKS EREN????
Thanks for your noble intentions???? Punch him again! Twice for every dead kid! At the very least don’t thank him, perfect moment to say “We will fix your fucking mess” Eren just killed 80% of the poblation and destroyed so many ecosystems Armin longed to see, what the fuck?
And people have trouble arguing over this because really, is ever addressed why Armin wanted to see the sea? Eren’s childish fantasy implied that if they got to the sea it meant they were free from titans, what did it meant to Armin personally? Discovery? Awe for the world?
If it’s the later, it would align with, you know, that requirement for being a commander, which is my main point in just why I never felt Jean was commander material, the SC in specific isn’t about being empathetic with your troops is the “unyielding desire for understanding”
And with that, Armin being forced into authority a second time, no one else to rely to (they need a solution this time) he could have gotten his growth and opposed Eren with every fiber of his being to feel like their last conversation was more important than Reiner’s
I don’t know exactly when but it really feels like you could just slam an “Armin learns he doesn’t have to be anybody else, he just has do his best with his ideals” and a healthy dose of “Absolutely revolted by my friend being this monster” for it to work
He is idealistic and he is manipulative both, he can condemn Eren actions, mourn that his best friend could ever do something this horrible, and also say that he will make the most of the situation given to them, horrible as it is, it’s gonna get worse if they don’t use it
This is why I never saw his “I killed Eren” as selfish, what is he supposed to say? “Oh, the real hero isn’t here, please accept she does exist and definitely isn’t here or a nearby corpse for valid reasons I can’t say” (namely running w his head so it isn’t put on a pike)
That is messy, he could just step up as a full fledged commander who isn’t trying to live up to anyone but himself and claim loudly and confidently that he killed Eren, knowing Muller already doesn’t want to shoot (unlike the first time back in Trost) And exploiting that
It would be such a good way of showing that this is him now, and definitely not going to drop the ball in 3 commander stressful actions more, it would feel more earned than his rollercoaster of self-worth that is never really fixed
Mikasa I don’t think about in the same depth as I have for Armin, as I hope absolutely nobody sees considering this thread is just me ranting about my thoughts, but she also has the whole place to grow with the Louise situation AND Hizuru
