#shiganshina arc

[sixpennydame]

My husband and I are rewatching Attack on Titan and we just finished season three. This morning, out of nowhere he says,

“I wish I was stacked like Armin. Just a nice teddy bear on the outside then BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM” (referring to abs).

😂😂😭😭

[lostcauses-noregrets]

Hello Lost you're the only AoT account I follow I hope you don't mind me asking but I don't really have much time, I watched the anime and I heard people saying Levi's character is a bit better in the manga and in season 3 they didn't include some of his lines or scenes. Do you suggest me to read the whole manga or is there a specific part that I should be reading because it wasn't in the anime (I mostly only care about Levi parts since I already watched the anime for the rest)? Is season 3 really different from the manga?

I have to confess that it's a while since I've watched season 3. I tend to watch the anime seasons when they air, but I don't often go back and re-watch them. From what I can recall though, I think the anime does stick pretty faithfully to the manga in terms of both plot and characterisation, though it's inevitable that some nuance is lost. I don't think the anime cut out anything that really changes Levi's character or motivations significantly.

The only thing I can think of is that in the original Japanese version of manga chapter 85 Levi says that it was his own personal feelings that influenced his choice to let Erwin to rest. I can't remember if this detail appears in the anime, I suspect not, it doesn't even appear in the official English translation of the manga. It's definitely there in the original Japanese though.

I can highly recommend reading the manga if you have the time. The Uprising and Return to Shiganshina arcs are hands down my favourite parts of the story and I've read them multiple times over. It's really hard to pick out specific chapters because Levi is central to both these arcs but chapter 69, 72, 76, 79-85 are unmissable.

[oxygenbefore1775]

where's that post where I hc that Jean would never have decided to join the Cadets if Maria had not been breached

[apricusapollo]

I'm thinking about that one erwin x levi tiktok I saw years ago that went like:

(e) "this mission is very important."

(l) "more important than *insert thing* (I think it was some part of erwin's body)"

(e) "yes."

(l) "more important than me?"

(e) "that's not fair–"

[starlight-bread-blog]

[zetsubou-shita]

I hate Armin.

[l3visthighs]

Some random Levi shots from the Return to Shiganshina arc ✨

[4everinyour-roaa]

eren’s emotional maturity is so sweet to watch in terms of his relationship with mikasa

initially, eren takes out his feelings of jealousy and anger because of mikasa’s strength directly onto her

he fails to understand what her care means and why she acts the way she does

and so he constantly wants to prove to her that he isn’t a little kid, that he is capable of things on his own

but post the events of season 3 part one, eren finally has the courage to admit to mikasa his jealousy

and as we enter the return to shiganshina arc, eren has to witness the sight of his childhood home and the destruction that had befallen upon it

he relies on mikasa’s mental resilience and strength in order to face it

he no longer feels the need to prove himself independent of her, but he allows himself to depend on her strength

and mikasa does not need to speak a word. all that was needed was a simple touch, a gentle reminder, her hand over his—a return of his promise that she will always stay by his side, forever

[j-wilson-md]

Was re-watching the return to shiganshina arc (y'know, as you do) and I felt sick, jesus christ.

Levi's first instinct is to protect and save as many lives as possible. He was going to sacrifice himself, so Erwin and the cadets can flee. He said to Erwin, "As long as Eren and you survive, humanity still has a chance."

Oh, you poor, poor man.

All these years, and he still doesn't get it.

Humanity can survive without Erwin. It's you that humanity can't survive without.

The curse of being powerful is that he always stands alone.

[eueuphoriaz]

The flower and the leaves

Rewatching and rereading the RTS arc and saw this small Levihan moment at the double date scene. This is an anime-only scene so I believe it is significant.

How Hange's shadow falls upon the resilient flower that grows in the place of hell after so many years.

How Levi's reflection casts upon the broken window which supports the vines that continue to spread.

The shadow and reflection, untouchable yet present.

They represent the new hope and life that had left Shiganshina 5 years ago.

[luvbugs-blog]

one bed? - featuring the aot boys

today, we have: jean, bertholdt, and reiner

in which: there's only one bed? lmao have fun! note that in reiner's part, you are a warrior that escaped back to marley with reiner after the shiganshina arc.

warnings: none. i have extreme paranoia when it comes to me writing smut, so you will not see some from me until i get better (i am literally touch-starved, so i feel like anything i write will be cringe)!

author's note: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know what to write next. i'm literally out of ideas. either in the comments, or in my messages. i will appreciate ANYTHING.

jean

"alright everyone," hange says, "go to your respective rooms. we'll meet back up in the morning and explore some more!" she turns to leave with onyankopon and levi who were staying in a nearby hotel as to not draw too much attention.

you look around for jean, sasha, and connie who were also staying in this hotel with you. as soon as you went to grab sasha to room with, connie swooped in, and the two were so excited that they were going to have a "sleepover". you heave a small sigh.

"don't sound too disappointed." jean says, giving you a small smile. "sad you're stuck with me tonight?"

"never." you say, bumping your shoulder with his. "it will just be much harder to keep an eye on those two." jean's smile slowly slides off his face.

"oh yeah." not much you can do about it now. you grab jean's hand and pull him to go find your room.

"this is actually so interesting, being in marley. i can't believe they have actual cars!" you say excitedly, smiling while looking out the window. you couldn't believe how advanced this place is.

"you sound like hange now! keep it down before your dumbass gets us caught." you give jean a little smack.

"oh shut up." the two of you finally reach the room, and as jean opens the door, he stops halfway into the room.

"hey! get out of my way, horse-face!" jean turns to look at you, his face a little red.

"i think they gave us the wrong room." confused, you look around jean to see there is only one bed in the entire room.

"oh." the thought of spending the night with your best friend in the same bed also made you a little pink. much to your relief, jean didn't see because he was too busy hurrying to use the bathroom. in reality, he was trying to calm himself down, but you didn't know that.

your stomach was swirling as jean finally came out of the bathroom, his face wet, like he had washed it. you had to look away. of course you were nervous. you've had a crush on the man for quite a while now. but you'd rather die than admit that.

an awkward, uncomfortable silence blanketed the room. until jean spoke up. "I honestly think we should just share it. it's pretty big. and we've grown up together. it won't be awkward."

that's a relief. "yeah. as long as your big horse feet won't kick me in the middle of the night."

"hey! my feet are normal shaped!" you giggle, the previous tension gone. "yeah yeah."

the two of you chat a little bit before calling it a night. you tuck yourself under the covers, turning your back to jean. "i hope you don't snore."

"guess you'll find out tonight." the two of you try sleeping, and for a few hours, it was successful. until the room got incredibly cold. you shuffle closer to jean, but it wasn't helping all that much. you turn around, facing jean, who looked fast asleep.

"hey." silence. "hey!" nothing. so you start poking his face, and he flinches. "what?" now you're embarrassed.

"nevermind."

"oh no. you didn’t wake me up for nothing." he pokes your face. "what do you want?"

"can you hold me?"

"what?!"

"i'm cold!"

"oh. alright then, come here."

"really?"

"yes, y/n. now hurry up." so you weasel your way into his arms, sinking into his chest. he is so warm.

and in the morning, when he wakes up before you, he'll let you sleep, with your leg around his waist and his arms around you. maybe he will finally work up the courage to ask you out.

bertholdt

you were shaken. of course you were, you were kidnapped. the last thing you remember is walking away with armin on the wall, and you could faintly hear hange talking to moblit about titans that could dig. but you wake up on a tree, in the forest which was surrounded by titans. you see ymir awake, scowling at two men up on higher trees. is that eren over there? you have to blink because it's so bright, but when it finally comes into focus, you realize it's reiner and bertholdt. oh yeah. the traitors. you start breathing heavily, thinking about how it's your lover up there. ymir tries to calm you down, her eyes wide, but it doesn't work. how could he do this to you. was everything fake? were your friends still alive. why were you here? you start feeling faint, and feel hot tears pooling at your eyes. you faintly hear the screeching of odm gear coming closer, and you hear bertholdt talking to ymir, but it's too late, and you pass out once again.

when you awaken a second time, it's night. you have to adjust your eyes to try to figure out where you are. but all you see are stars. you're on the wall. you feel a hand on your shoulder.

"y/n?" you turn your head without moving your body and see him. bertholdt, who's eyes are red and swollen. you reach your hand up to hold his face but then think better of it. you let your hand fall.

"i'm so sorry. y/n, i'm so sor-"

"bertholdt!" you recognize reiner's voice and lift your body up, with his hand on your back. you shove his hand away, ignoring the hurt look on his face. you see reiner and ymir coming your way. while bertholdt and reiner whisper to each other, ymir comes to check on you.

"are you alright?" you shrug. which earns a sad smirk from ymir. shortly after, bertholdt returns to kneeling next to you, but not saying anything. after a while, you find your voice.

you turn your head to bertholdt and ask, "how did i get here?" he flinches at your strained tone, but softly explains what happened while reiner and ymir set up sleeping bags they found in the district below. you also find out the truth about bertholdt's background. about him being from marley, his mission, why he decided to become a warrior. he explained about his sick father and the oppression he received just because he was eldian.

and suddenly, your heart was conflicted. there was life outside of the walls. but they weren't free. they had the same blood you did, and they were being tortured for it. but they killed so many innocent people from inside the walls. those people didn't know what they were dying for. they didn't deserve to die. you wanted to yell and scream at him, but you also wanted to comfort him. so you cried. you cried and cried and fell into him because you were weak, and despite hating him for all he had done, you loved him. and he held you as you cried, and eventually he started crying with you. so the two of you cried until there were no tears left. in the silence left behind, you whispered to him, "take me with you. take me home with you." too weak to argue, he agreed. he placed a soft kiss on your forehead and wiped away your tears.

"ok."

what felt like hours later, reiner came to drop off the sleeping bag.

"i'm sorry, but we could only find three." while bertholdt starting insisting you take it, you just stand up and take the sleeping back from reiner, giving the man a hug, which surprised him.

"thank you. one is enough. we can share." and so you did.

you held onto his long ass body and just held each other, oozing comfort the both of you needed.

reiner

while porco and pieck were mocking him from behind, you were at his side, giggling at his little pout. you intertwined your arm with his and put your head on his shoulder, causing the two goons to laugh and mock even more. but the two of you didn't care. you guys were considered pretty close before, but after returning from paradise, the two of you were inseparable. the two of you walked along the festival, reiner occasionally having to stop to pay for gabi and the others, but never separating from you.

"oh, reiner!" pieck says, "don't forget about the meeting we have tomorrow." the both of you sigh.

"we haven't forgotten pieck," he replies. you detach yourself from reiner when you see porco beckoning to you. while reiner and pieck chatted, you were able to talk a bit with porco. the two of you wandered for a bit before reiner came to pull you away, looking a bit jealous, which porco wouldn't let him live down.

the two of you follow the children around until they get too tired and full from all the festival food. while reiner is dragging gabi around, the two of you talk about the trek you will have to make for the meeting.

"we should rent a hotel room. that way we won't have to get up too early tomorrow to travel."

"good idea!" so after dropping off the children at their respective homes, the two of you hitch a ride to the hotel nearest to HQ where the meeting was taking place. when the two of you check in, you only ask for one room, but two separate beds.

however, when the two of you went to go to sleep, there was only one bed. although, it didn't bother you two that much, as the two of you often slept over together.

so when it was time for bed, the two of you crawled in together, immediately cuddling together. you lay your head on his chest and he holds you. this was how you often found comfort when the two of you first got back from the island, often crying about bertholdt, annie, and the comrades you considered friends. and the two of you haven't stopped this little routine, even years later.

but this time felt a little different. reiner was holding you more tightly than usual. but you couldn't bring yourself to ask why because you were too tired. as you were falling asleep, you hear him whisper, "I love you." not that you would know this, but he had been telling you this for a long time when you were sleeping. so it quite surprise to him when you opened your eyes and smiled.

"I love you too." you slowly press a kiss to his lips and he graciously returns it.

author's note (again): will there be a part two? idk yet. let me know if y'all want one in the comments section. (and i know you saw my author's note up top. *suspicious side eye* you better tell me what to write next)

[arlerts-angel]

in another life — a. arlert

note: misery loves company, enjoy angels 🤍 got some inspo and wrote it in one go

warnings: canonverse (~return to shiganshina arc) | angst/hurt no comfort | gn reader | not proofread sry

armin sat at the shore watching the foamy waves crash against his legs and feet, silently wishing he could feel each grain of salt within the water.

"i had a feeling i'd find you here," you giggle.

"oh, hi. i'm glad you found me," he replied, patting a spot in the sand next to him. you oblige and join him.

"it's calming isn't it, the water?" you ask as you reach into the water and cup your hand, then watching it slip between your fingers.

"it is, i can't even begin to imagine what's beyond it, and what lies deep beneath..." he sighs, "but it's starting to feel like i'll never know."

he begins to go on about how it feels like there's no end in sight, and certainly not a victory for them; and how he's afraid that all of this war and loss will be for nothing.

"i think anyone who isn't afraid of that has lost their mind," you joke, attempting to lighten the mood.

"you're probably right," he half laughs.

it feels so wrong to love amid such despair, during such a tragedy. how could your brain and heart betray you in such a devastating way?

you reckon he feels the same way, sometimes.

it was unspoken between the two of you. there was just no way for a relationship to happen when your future was so uncertain, but you'd be lying to yourself if you said you hadn't thought about it.

"if our fate is death anyway, let's run away... together, armin, and damn it all. we can live out the rest of our time together happily. no matter how long or short..." you propose.

"we can't just abandon our efforts, you and i both know that..." he sighs. "make no mistake, i'd love nothing more than to live our lives differently... happily... but we threw that away when we enlisted into the scouts.

"right," you reply and turn away, "i don't know why i said that."

"you know if things were different—" he starts.

"i know, armin," you assure him as you stand on your feet, brushing sand off of yourself, "i get it. that doesn't make it any less disappointing..."

he nods. "you understand why we can't run off together, right?"

"of course i understand. we have a duty, an obligation as part of the survey corps," you sigh, "i just feel like i can't just not say it any longer, though."

"say what?" he inquires.

"that i love you, armin. even though sometimes it feels like i shouldn't, not during a time like this." you admit.

his breath catches in his throat.

"maybe in the next life we can make this last..." you lament.

in that moment, there was nothing but you, himself, and the ocean. he gently cups your cheek and looks you in the eyes.

"in the next life, we will make this last..." he promises.

taglist: @la-undercover-latina @heliiacus @so-you-like-kpop @milky-aeons @lees-chaotic-brain

@slutforthanatos @layla240 @priv-rose @reiners-milkbiddies @toji-girl-main

@blueberrisdove @darkstarlight82 @pastasauceandmoms @kodzukein @drinklavalamps

@little-miss-chaoss @ravereina

[abiatackerman]

If he wasn't cold hearted and had some thoughtfulness he would have remembered or talked about Farlan and Isabel in flashbacks even after their deaths. But he acts as if they never existed, let alone died. The idea of opening an orphanage and taking children from the underground was Historia's idea, not Levi's. Levi just approved and supported it. The fact that he cares more about the tasks/orders than you, erasing your importance to him, does not mean that he will only throw you to option 2, it means that he will be willing to throw you into the mouth of a titan without even thinking about you. Regardless of your opinion or consent. That's treason and considering his order follower, he'd even keep secrets from you. If that's not betrayal, what is? All this means that he is not very loyal and you cannot have a healthy relationship with him. He is also very prejudiced and high-minded. For example, he dislikes weak people and generalizes every rich person as a greedy asshole. This is not the perspective of a thoughtful and caring human being. If Levi had a romantic relationship trope, it would be toxic relationship. I think any real man or fictional man would be more considerate and loyal than Levi. This must be one of the reasons why Isayama finds it strange to even ask "women?" about Levi and women. It is pure speculation to think that he would have a healthy and loyal relationship with him. To realize that be a better person than Levi, you either have to touch the grass and meet real people, or you have to stop being stuck in a fandom and look at other series/fandoms and discover the characters there, and get to know people and characters who look stoic like Levi, but who have more realistic potential to be more thoughtful, selfless, loyal, who will value you as a priority than Levi.

I'm feeling so lazy to write a huge answer so I'll keep it short.

Isabel and Furlan were shown in the OVAs and just like how the stories of other OVAs weren't mentioned in the main anime or manga, the topic of "no regrets" OVA was neglected too. That's a commercial thing in my opinion. But the one time when Eren, Mikasa and Armin were talking about the sea and Levi was listening to them quietly with a sad mood, that represents Levi remembering them.

About the orphanage, you yourself said that Levi supported it XD, so you admit he helped Historia too even when Levi got no benefits from it.

About the next fact, I truly disagree. That's a thing Levi would never do. He saved Mikasa twice and in the female titan arc, he even twisted his ankle. He will never play with people's life, he even hated Erwin because he used to do that. He has always hated "unnecessary" deaths. He would never throw a person into the titans mouth unless the person agrees and wants to die willingly for the betterment. Imagine Erwin is planning you to die in a process and he has no intention of telling this to you (though I don't think so he would do something like this) and Levi knows about this. Do you think he'll support it? If you still think so I would suggest you to re-read the manga and rewatch the anime, you haven't understood Levi's actual character yet.

In the battle of Shiganshina, he told Erwin that he'll charge towards the beast titan, ALONE (he didn't even care about his life, he was thinking about the life of his comrades) just so the others will be able to escape easily and later he supported Erwin's plan because since that was a situation were everyone was about to die. He thought by this he'll at least be able to save someone. Saving some life is better than everyone dying. He even tried to stop Hange (silently) when they sacrificed themselves. He saved Connie and jean in the final battles and lost his leg due to the process... You would still say that he would throw you in a titan's mouth?

Also you say that hiding classified plans and information is a betrayal? That's hilarious, dear. He would do it for your safety. What if someone kidnaps you just because you know about the plans? The less you know, the better. Just because you are the girlfriend of Levi Ackerman doesn't mean you can know about all the plans and classified information. Fix your morals.

Also dear anon, did you just say he hates weak people? When he fought during his whole life just to save them, the weak humanity from the titans????? Also I support Levi calling rich people "greedy assholes" because most of the rich people in AOT were actually described as "greedy assholes".

About the last topic we both know Levi is a "Famous as hell between women" character. That's why Isamaya never mentioned anything about Levi's sexualities and romantic interests. Also dear Isamaya likes to tease us so what you mentioned isn't something important.

At last I would like to say that Levi avoids being close with people. But once someone becomes dear to them, he'll do his best to save them. Sure he won't be lovey-dovey or sweet as sugar boyfriend, but he'll definitely support you and silently will show his love for you. We all know he's bad with his words so he'll show his love through work. He's a mature person after all!

That's it anon, have a nice day!

[the-last-thread-of-my-sanity]

Armin’s character and what he represents about bravery within the story means so much to me.

I feel like so often in shonen and general action story media traits like ‘bravery’ and ‘courage’ are considered synonymous with strength or risk-taking- and that’s certainly accurate in a lot of cases. But just like in so many other ways, AOT subverts or critically examines this trope within its characters- particularly in the main trio of the cast.

It’s so easy to reduce Armin to his easiest defined trope- the smart one- and while that’s definitely true and you could write a million meta essays on his intelligence, strategic thinking, etc, I think we don’t talk enough about the ways Armin’s character begs the audience to reexamine what it means to have strength and bravery.

Armin’s strength is not in the physical realm (although it’s worth dedicating another post entirely to the fact that Armin is certainly not that weak either- simply the weakest of an already exceptional group) and his strength is not solely his mind either. But also his determination, conviction, and the way he is willing to sacrifice himself to save others with hardly a second thought- all while not being as rash as Eren and Mikasa can be.

In a recent rewatch of the Trost Arc, there were so many moments that stood out to me that I had previously either taken for granted or not noticed the significance of. In that arc alone, after Eren’s “death” -

He follows Mikasa without hesitation to rescue her when she runs out of gas

Offers Mikasa his gas canisters and blades knowing he won’t survive without them

Defends Eren to the Garrison (this is obviously a pretty big moment that isn’t usually overlooked, of course)

Rushes off from the decoy squad and runs the ENTIRE length of the Trost district wall when he sees the red smoke flair- just to be there to help Mikasa and Eren

Stays by Eren’s titan form on foot in a titan infested area right before he places the boulder

And there’s probably some more I missed.

Armin at this point in the story has no false confidence about his ability to survive- in fact he probably has an abysmal lack of confidence that he can’t affect much, but he does it anyway.

(Obviously, this self-sacrificial tendency reaches a head and ultimately culminates in the sacrifice of his life in the mission to retake Shiganshina…)

All of this to say, what Armin represents about bravery and courage is so important to me because he dedicates his life with the purest of intentions- he is not scared of death in such a noble way and he brings it up again and again. He would die for the cause- nearly does.

Which I think creates an interesting parallel between him and Eren in the sense that Eren is frequently referred to as a “suicidal maniac”- clearly meant to refer to the reckless way he rushes into danger. Whereas Armin’s instinct towards self-sacrifice is never viewed this way, because it’s not a glaring flaw in the same way that Eren’s behavior is.

Another way the story examines this is through his interactions with Annie- who is opposite in that she is fiercely dedicated to her own survival at any cost. This is brought up in their interaction during the ODM gear inspection when she asks him if he would die if someone ordered him to and he easily answered that he would. Armin’s ability to understand this difference between himself and Annie without judging her for it is also unique to him.

Because Armin doesn’t expect anyone else to give their life or view others as cowards for not rushing into danger- because he sees the value in every life. He just feels the cost of his own life would be worth it to preserve someone else’s. It’s this love for humanity and unwavering optimism at the core of his character that gives him so much conviction.

And like so many others have pointed out, this is what saves him (and, to an extent, later the world) in the end when it comes to Levi’s choice to revive him. Erwin was successful because he was able to set aside his humanity and sent countless soldiers to their deaths to gain victory. Armin, more than anyone else in the story, was able to plan and make a difference in such a way that always assumed he would either ask others to take an equal risk or put himself at more risk to reach the goal. And he wasn’t driven by anger, hatred, or rage to do it.

Clearly, there’s a lot that can be said about the way Armin shows strength and bravery in dire situations without being, stereotypically, the strongest character- or even the die-hard risk taking typical protagonist that Eren represents for most of the story.

But I think ultimately the story is trying to show us that Armin’s version is the version that is within reach for everyone- and that will make the biggest difference in not just winning a battle but in making a better world. And it’s so important to me that AOT- despite being such an inherently violent story- took the time to present that message as emphatically as it did.

[cosmicjoke]

Of course Levi has a selfless and compassionate side, but objectively speaking, I don't think the manga/anime emphasizes these qualities as much as some people are exaggerated. For example, in the manga, the garrison soldier they captured during the uprising arc says that he even killed people he shouldn't have killed (I think those people were servants idk)

Or like in the trost arc when he doesn't react to the deaths of all those people who died in the chase for the female titan. There's a scene in the uprising arc where Hitch talks about this genocide and sort of berates him and his corps, but Levi doesn't react to it. He values human life, but not enough to talk about it or to go on about it.

He characterizes people who are inferior to him, who are not of equal status, as weak. In the Shiganshina arc he says he hates weak people.

I think his role in the anime is more of a supporting weapon character than these actions. He's more of someone who stands out in battles and with his strength. And he can play a supporting role in some characters, including the main character.

This may sound like slander, but that's not my point. My point is that in some fandoms, people tend to exaggerate one aspect of their favorites and either don't acknowledge or ignore their flaws or make excuses for them. In the anime and in interviews, we see Levi touch upon his compassionate and selfless aspects. But he also sometimes exhibits cruel, reckless actions on some issues.

No, the manga and anime makes it expressly clear how much Levi cares.

Levi didn't kill anyone during the Uprising arc outside of Kenny's squad, who were first trying to kill him and his squad. Purely self-defense and purely justifiable. He only hurt the people at the military base where they captured the soldier from. They didn't kill anyone there. These are Levi's exact words:

"Unfortunately for you, they won't be coming to your rescue. Killing them would've been a bother, so they'll just be off their feet for the time being."

This, accompanied by panels showing Levi's squad taking the soldiers out, only injuring, not killing, them.

Levi reacted during Trost. What are you talking about? We see a close up of Levi when the shit hits the fan, his expression clearly troubled and his fists clenched at his sides. His fists clenching is plainly highlighted because the reader is meant to understand that he's upset. A clear expression of anxiety and frustration at not being able to help.

Hitch is talking about the people that died during the incident in Trost, not a "genocide", and Levi takes full responsibility for it, making no excuses for what happened. Hitch is shocked because she thought Levi would try to make excuses and deny any responsibility, because she thought he was heartless, but he didn't, because he cares and he's just as upset as she is. She didn't expect that.

Just because he doesn't blubber and cry outwardly doesn't mean he isn't feeling anything. He knows it's messed up and that it went sideways when it wasn't ever meant to, just like so many of the missions the SC conducts.

When he says he "hates weak people", he means he hates the situation. He's frustrated and upset. He hates that these people who have no experience fighting titans are on this mission with them, because their ranks have been so thinned out, and because of that, they're likely to get killed. You have to pay attention to Levi's actions, not his words. Levi is known for not being good at expressing what he means when he speaks. His actions are what's important. He works himself to the point of exhaustion trying to save those people you say he "hates" for being weak. Does that seem like something someone would do who doesn't care about their lives?

The problem is, you just aren't paying enough attention to Levi's character, and further, you don't understand his character. You seem to need it said and spelled out in literal terms in order to pick up on what's going on, which, if that's the case, this isn't the story for you. Levi's emotion isn't blaring and in your face. It's subtle, but still obvious if you simply pay attention. You see it in his actions and expressions. We aren't exaggerating Levi's compassion and kindness, you just don't want to or aren't able to acknowledge it because it isn't spoon fed to you and it doesn't fit with your preconceived notion of who Levi is. You need to pay more attention in order to understand Levi, because he's a complex character, not the one-note "weapon" that you want to define him as.

You talk about bias and not being able to see clearly as a result, but your own bias is pretty evident on this topic. You get basic facts wrong and then present them as "evidence" for your claim that Levi is reckless and cruel. It's just that you don't understand him as a character.

[bluebellhairpin]

Erwin Smith X Reader

Summary: After surviving the battle at Shiganshina, Erwin decides he needs a new goal in life. This time the stakes are much higher, and the prize even bigger. Erwin recruits You to help him, and finds now more than ever just how valuable it is to have someone as loyal as you on his side. (wc. tba)

Warnings: Descriptions of injury. Nightmares (+ PTSD warning just in case). Character murder + death. Mansplain Manipulate Erwin. Gatekeep Girlboss reader. Fix-it fic (kind of. not really). Canon Divergent (plot changes post Shiganshina arc (S4)).

Reader is female body coded (described as/called a woman); has a prosthetic arm + facial scarring; but is otherwise physically + racially ambiguous.

PLEASE REFER TO EACH INDIVIDUAL PART FOR RELEVANT + FUTHER WARNINGS.

(The Spiritual) Prelude - Me, The Devil (AO3 link)

(All parts below will include the starting paragraphs followed by links to the full chapters on AO3)

I - The Golden Rule

II - Pawn Promotion

III - En Passant Capture

IIIV - Castling

V - Checkmate

Masterlist || Ko-Fi