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Continuing on my rewatch of AoT, and despite how much of this scene they cut from the manga, it still strikes me even more how this moment between Levi and Erwin is when we see Levi, for the first time, start to question Erwin's motivations, as he realizes Erwin is actually happy over the news that Titans are human beings. Notably, he makes this observation after watching Connie leave (in the manga this is more the moment Levi tells Connie he did a good job by going to Ragako to confirm the Titan there is his mother), recognizing the distress and grief in Connie, how hard what he's just had to do was. Here, in the anime, it's clear Levi was thinking in the moment before about how Connie's lost his family, how much this kid is suffering, and likely extrapolating out from that how every Titan he's felled had, at some point, been someone's mother, or father, or brother or sister or friend. He's focused on Connie's pain and what he's going through, obviously feeling great empathy and compassion for the way this kid is hurting, and this moment itself a testament to Levi's connection with and awareness of the emotions of those around him, a testament to how important those things are to Levi. And I think Levi expects Erwin to be focused on the same. But when he turns back, he sees Erwin smiling, and he realizes this man he's believed up to this point to be altruistic in his intentions, that he's placed his trust in to lead humanity to victory, that he's trusted to make all the lives sacrificed worth their cost by leading them toward a better world, isn't thinking at all about that cost, or about the tragedy of this young recruit who's just lost his whole family. And I think it's that moment that's partly what sets alarm bells off in Levi's head about Erwin. Because if Erwin truly cared about humanity, if he truly cared about people, above all else, he would have cared about how much Connie was hurting in that moment, about how much this kid had lost.

Levi asks him why he's smiling, his expression horrified, and even as Erwin brushes it off and explains that this revelation brings them "one step closer" to the truth, we see Levi's wavering trust and unease as he turns away and tells Erwin, with obvious disdain, "Just one step, huh? We'll run out of people before we learn the truth.", before stating that "it's not worth the cost."

Because of course, to Levi, finding out the truth in and of itself isn't worth anybody's life. The only thing he could think of being worth a person's life was the promise that more lives would be saved in the future, and Erwin had convinced him that that's what they were fighting for.

Erwin exposes himself a little here, too, with him slipping "But it is a step towards the truth." Admitting that he, also, doesn't really think it's worth the cost, which likely only reaffirms what Levi has begun to suspect in this moment. That finding out the truth is more important to Erwin than people's lives. I've also seen people try to blame Darius Zackley for Erwin beginning to doubt his own intentions, because of their conversation in the carriage, but that's not really accurate. Erwin was already doubting himself and beginning to realize that the front he presented, of putting humanities victory above all else, was just that, a front. We see that in the above scene, when he realizes he's slipped up in front of Levi here, and later, during the coup, when instead of seeming happy that it's succeeded, Erwin becomes withdrawn, to the point even Nile notices he isn't really pleased. We then get the conversation between Erwin and Zackley, where Erwin admits that he doesn't really believe the coup was for the betterment of humanity. I think this self-awareness of Erwin's come to a head when he later entrusts the Titan serum to Levi, and asks him to take responsibility for it, rather than ordering. Levi notices that Erwin is making a request instead of giving a command, as he usually would, and that's a sign that Erwin's trust in himself has begun to waver. He knows, at that point, that he can't be trusted to make the right decision for the betterment of humanity, but he knows Levi can. He frames it to seem as though he's entrusting Levi with the serum because Levi has the greatest chance of survival, but in truth, he knows he himself can't be trusted, and Levi, who's intentions have always been pure, can. So he leaves the decision to Levi, just like he would later on, during the battle to retake Maria, when Levi orders him to give up on his dream and die for them. It's the same dynamic playing out, with Erwin leaving the choice to Levi, whom he knows has never strayed from his commitment to humanity or the people.

But this above scene is the first time we see Levi really questioning not only if Erwin is actually fighting for humanity, like he's always claimed, but, because of that creeping doubt about this man he's chosen to follow, this is the first time we see Levi flat out state that this fight they've been in isn't worth the cost of the lives given. I think, by the end of the series, this doubt and conclusion in Levi reaches its zenith, with him declaring, after Eren has finally be stopped and the Titan curse lifted, that "I guess this is the result of all your dedicated hearts". It's the first time we see Levi cry, and I think, more than anything, while there's no doubt an element of relief at having fulfilled his sense of duty to his comrades, it's really a sense of despair which overcomes him in this moment, because the end result of all those lives given by his comrades was this decimated hellscape with 80% of humanity gone. It was never worth it. And I've spoken before about how I think it was always a struggle for Levi to convince himself that the fight for humanity was worth the loss of life around him. I think Levi is the sort of person who would be content with a peaceful existence, even if that existence is mundane and lacks a certain element of freedom. We see this even during his life Underground, when Levi expresses misgivings about Furlan's plan to make it to and live on the surface. Levi would rather continue living a hard, but relatively safe life Underground, where he can protect the people he loves. But just like with Furlan and his dream of escaping their life Underground, giving their lives for humanity was what Levi's comrades had chosen for themselves, and all Levi could do was choose to support and protect them and their dream as best he could. He couldn't tell them not to give their lives for it, and he has too much respect for the agency of others to ever try to convince them toward or against a certain course of action. All he could do was fight alongside them and try to make it so the lives they gave weren't in vain.

But we see the doubt and fear in Levi here, that all this time, they've been struggling and sacrificing toward something completely meaningless in the face of the lives given. Because Levi values those lives above everything. If the choice had been his, I don't think he ever would have chosen this fight for anyone. And I think Levi both admires the courage of his comrades and their dedication toward a dream bigger than themselves, but also wishes they could have simply lived a peaceful and safe life for themselves.

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I feel like this moment from episode 28 gets overlooked, but it tells us so much about Levi and what drives him.

Levi won't allow Pastor Nick to look away from the refugees flooding in from Wall Rose. He's forcing him to bear witness to the consequences, not only of the wall falling, but of his own refusal to share what information he has about what's behind the recent Titan attacks and how it is that the walls themselves are made of Titans.

This small moment really encapsulates, once again, the driving force behind Levi's motivation, that being his unwavering concern for the lives of others and his wish to protect those lives.

He asks Pastor Nick what it is he expected to see, before explaining to him what it is they're witnessing. He tells Nick to take a good look at the faces of people who have lost everything, before driving home that these are the faces of the people he and his church have abandoned by putting their traditions before peoples lives.

I think so much of Levi's life growing up in poverty and despair can be heard in his exchange with Nick in this moment. Of course Levi is trying to convince Nick to cooperate with them by appealing to his conscience. But Levi started his life as one of these people, as someone who hadn't just lost everything, but who had never really had anything to begin with. He understands the despair of having nothing and nowhere to go, no place to belong. It's what also drives Levi to tell Eren in an earlier scene, as they're riding to Ehrmich District, that he can't fail in Armin's and Hange's plan to use his hardening ability to plug up the hole they believe is in Wall Rose, and why he later tells Mikasa to protect Eren with all her ability and tells Eren to not lose his cool and stick to the mission. Levi knows what's going to happen if this mission fails. That people are going to start dying in droves if Titans have really broken through another wall and there's another, forced displacement of so much of the population. His words to both Eren and Pastor Nick are Levi's attempt to prevent a repeat of what happened five years earlier, when Wall Maria fell and so much of the population was wiped out as a result.

We also see Levi's disgust at the way Pastor Nick clings to something as meaningless as tradition in the face of actual, human suffering, refusing to let him turn away from it and pretend it isn't there. After all, Levi's life in the Underground was largely a result of society and the people who run it looking away and pretending not to notice the suffering happening right under their feet. The Underground City, the poorest and most destitute place within the walls, is beneath Mitras, the Capital and the richest district within those same walls. One of Levi's most consistent and meaningful character traits is his refusal to look away from the suffering of others, no matter what, no matter how much it hurts him, which, due to his deep empathy and compassion, it does immensely.

I think this moment really encapsulates what makes Levi so much of a genuine hero. His refusal to turn away from those in need, and his willingness to do whatever it takes to protect them from the same pain and suffering he himself has experienced, to ensure they live better lives than what he was able to.

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Levi burrito for frijolesgurl4 🌯

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You are one of them XD ~~Maybe I have to even call myself out~~

Pondering my orbs.

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I could call someone out..... XD

Pondering my orbs.

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Him in a suit thoooooo

Original art by Raiko

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The one time he's happy

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The urge I have to want to be treated like this by him... 😩💦

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sometimes people are absolutely WILD about comments, acting like the idea that they shouldn’t be a jerk is a violation of their first amendment rights 

last week i read a fic i HATED. it was well written and highly recommended and i wish i had never read it. hours of my life i will never get back. 

i disagreed with: it’s interpretation on canon, it’s take on mental health, the social contract between loved ones, recovery, trauma, boundaries, and … more tbh

i could NOT stop thinking about how much i disagreed with it. me and this fic have philosophical differences so large i could give a ted talk and i was still super irritated about it days later. 

so you know what i did?

i called up my friends and was like “you guys have no context but i’m going to bitch about this fic you haven’t read in this fandom you haven’t consumed for the next thirty minutes” and they were like “okay sure it’s a tuesday night, we’re in a pandemic, i have nothing better to do”

what did i not do? 

leave a comment on this person’s fic because i’m a human person

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What nice dainty fingers.... play me next.

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"The only thing we're allowed to believe is that we won't regret the choice we make." - levi ackerman

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Some progress was made!

Art by @yunjitsu

Beadwork by me!

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Anon Hate, Harassment, and Discourse in the AoT Fandom

Okay, I want to speak out about what’s been happening in this fandom.

The screenshots above are just a fraction of the anonymous hate messages I’ve recently received: messages filled with ableism, queerphobia, slurs, and outright harassment. And I’m not alone. I’ve seen other people—meta writers, smut writers, self-shippers, and regular shippers—face the same treatment just for participating in the Levi and AoT fandom in a way that someone else didn’t like.

This needs to stop.

When you send anon hate, when you harass someone because you don’t like their headcanons or meta, you are hurting a real person. That person may be struggling with mental illness, trauma, grief, or any number of things you cannot see from behind the safety of a screen. This kind of behavior isn't just petty or rude. It’s cruel. And it’s dangerous. No amount of discourse is worth dehumanizing another person over.

Whether someone prefers Dom Levi, Sub Levi, Switch Levi, or doesn't sexualize Levi at all—none of these preferences justify harassment. Whether someone self-ships, writes smut, engages in shipping, or sticks rigidly to the manga's events via meta analysis—none of that warrants the abuse we’re seeing. People are allowed to have different relationships with fiction. People are allowed to explore characters in different ways. That’s literally what fandom is for.

I also want to add: meta is not an attack. It’s not a threat. Meta is just analysis based on what we observe in the canon material. Meta writers aren’t trying to ruin anyone’s fun. They’re not telling you how to write your fanfic. They're not kink-shaming you. They’re sharing their own interpretation of the character through a literary, psychological, or thematic lens. That’s it.

It’s also not “obsessive” or “disturbing” to analyze the darker elements of canon. AoT deals explicitly with genocide, racism, sexual violence, fascism, disability, and more. Discussing these things thoughtfully is not the same as endorsing or fetishizing them. If someone is analyzing the trauma Levi has endured, or the ableism he may face post-war, or how his characterization may reflect real-world dynamics—those are valid topics. You might not want to engage with those discussions. That’s fine. But that’s what blocking accounts, filtering tags, and scrolling are for. Not harassment.

Smut writers deserve the same respect. Sexualizing a fictional character is not immoral. Writing smut is not predatory. Consuming or creating NSFW content that brings you or others joy is fine. You don’t have to like every kind of fanwork that exists, but that doesn’t give you the right to try and chase others out of the space for enjoying it.

When you harass people over meta, smut, self-shipping, headcanons, or shipping preferences, you shrink the fandom. You make it harder for people to create. You silence people who just want to talk about the characters they love. And that doesn’t protect the integrity of the source material; it just fosters fear and gatekeeping.

Let’s be clear: no one is obligated to interpret Levi exactly the way you do. If someone views him through a different lens—whether that's a trauma-informed one, a queer one, a kink-positive one, or anything else—that’s not an attack on you. That’s their relationship with the character. And that diversity of perspective is what makes fandom so rich in the first place.

This latest round of discourse over whether Levi is dominant, submissive, a virgin, celibate, kinky, vanilla, etc., has gone too far. You are allowed to have preferences. You are allowed to explore fantasies. But once it crosses the line into demanding others conform to your interpretation—or worse, punishing them when they don’t—you’ve stopped engaging with fandom in good faith.

So if you don’t like someone’s content, block them. Unfollow. Filter tags. Curate your experience. But stop using the anonymity of the internet to harm people who are just trying to enjoy a fictional character in the ways that are meaningful to them.

We can disagree. We can interpret things differently. But harassment is never, ever okay.

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Levi with blonde bimbos absolutely not absolutely fucking disgusting! 🤢🤮😠😡🖕🏻

Anon..... Don't flatter me; I'll blush. XD Do you think I'm attractive? Thank you so much, love^^

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Just look at your ai pfp and banner looks like a lifeless doll with fucking straw hair.

Do you assume that I look like this AI-generated picture? Bold move, Anon. Also, it takes a few words in a prompt to change her "fucking straw hair". What can you do about your problem with your personality? Have a lovely day^^

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