Annie looks fucking dead lol. How are they going to portray her as useful or is it just going to be Annie sees all this shit and goes
I mean it is the most logical decision. You have NO idea what's going on, the end of the world is happening, Eren is a bone monster, all your forces are dead. Alternatively, she tries to find Reiner and they want to have sex for the first and last time and as they're doing it a Collosal Titan just steps on them, reducing them both to paste. No time for love on AoT.
Isayama still pushing his personal Mary Sue. Hasn't worked. Won't work. Will never work, no matter how much loli bait you make her.
*Reiner, the only sensible one this chapter says 'fuck all this shit, I am going to sleep, wake me up after Eren murdered everyone.' Though I have a sleep disorder and would also sleep through the apocalypse so it brings me feels.
But I do think Annie's awakening can be used for atmosphere and characterization. Limit the scope to Annie who had no idea what is going on. She wanders through the district in a daze, seeing the death and destruction everywhere. Make it like D-Day on saving private Ryan. Things happen in an almost dreamlike fashion. NOTHING prepared her for this. Maybe she's about die die and Reiner pulls her in his little fox hole. They talk about the past, about Bert, how it came to this. They share an emotional, human connection on the Battlefield and decide to love for themselves. This results in that desperate passion in war, see the enemy at the gates sex scene where these two characters struggle for intimacy at the end of the world in a public setting because it's the last time they might see each other alive.. Maybe they don't love each other, but in that moment they find a connection and a will to live, not to change history but for themselves.
This won't happen because its emotional and impactful and doesn't psychologically torture Reiner. The chapter would be more about Reiner and his pain, Annie would be the catalyst for closing out Reiner's character and arc where he finds some peace. Obviously it doesn't fit with Isayama's coldness on romance. But as a prophet once said, 'Love blooms on the Battlefield'.
I honestly think this is a beautiful way to wrap up both Reiner and Annie's stories without having them die, leaving the more heavy lifting to the main cast.
But since this is emotional, full of sorrow, healing and renewal and hope among utter despair and defeat, it won't happen.
Really at this point, all the plots, all the intrigue should be gone. I think it should just portray Eren as total victory. Focus on the characters, their emotions, how they're dealing with it and their relationships. Maybe have a final or penultimate chapter with JUST Eren and Mikasa talking. Trying to understand each other and recover what they lost. Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn't. This entire end should be solely characterization, character reactions and the closing and culminations of relationships. This should be intensely emotional. How characters know the end is nigh, how they deal with that. Maybe some go on suicide missions. Others break down. Others look to save as many friendly and enemy soldiers as possible. Knowing that Eren is unstoppable, dealing with civilians and uniting around the death they see. Portray humanity as resilient in the face of absolute destruction. This contrasted with Eren's belief he needed to become a monster to beat the monsters.
The themes of characters just coming to embrace their humanity over despair. That even if Eren wins and achieves his goal, it didn't need to be this way. Or maybe Eren just watches this all around him and once he arrives on the shores of Marley the guilt and pain overwhelms him. The feelings of loneliness and isolation come to a head and he just stops. The colossal titans just wreck Marley's military power but stop short of absolute genocide. When Marley is crippled, everything stops. And Eren just disappears. In the epilogue we see what happens. Marley and the Eldians make a tentative peace due to the destruction. Eren has completely disappeared and is wanted by both governments but the search is called off. The Yagerites and the cult of Eren is formally disbanded, but Eren is still worshipped as a God. Yelena and some other loyalists are hanged, but never waver in their faith. Zeke, his goal thwarted and feeling betrayed by his brother, and in a moment of utter hopelessnes kills himself. Levi, seriously injured but alive, opens his tea shop. Levi's story is circular as he takes in a skilled troublemaker under his wing, just like Erwin did. Armin becomes a professor with Hange and they go on crazy adventures. Annie and Reiner return to Marley, get married. Both dedicate their lives to restoring Marley and promoting understandingly. They receive a letter, cryptically, from Eren imply something about their lifespan being longer than they think. Mikasa dedicates the rest of her life in search for Eren.
Eventually, the last few pages has Mikasa finding Eren on a farm, far away from civilization. It turns out he's the father of Historia's baby. He reveals to Mikasa he freed Ymir from slavery and the power of the Titans is fading, and with that the Titan's curse. Eren can live a normal life, free from rage and desperation.
They have an intimate speech about whether he was right or wrong and neither can come to a conclusion or convince the other. A happy looking Historia brings them tea. They speak about old times. He says he knows Armin will never see him again for what he did, but he asks Mikasa to apologize for him. The last panels of the Manga is Mikasa picking up Eren's child and whispering to it, "You are free now." Fin.
Seriously, I'm thinking more and more on that ending. It doesn't rely on emotion, focuses on their characters and ends in a satisfying manner. I mean, this COULD work. Just nothing that is happening is making it.
It's too much jumping with too much titillating of conclusions. I guess it's just making me sad. There ARE ways to make this decent, it's just too far gone and Isayama too disoriented to do it.
