vegeta no' ouji

There is now! :}  

Rest assure Erwin has *not* been forgotten, there are lots of nods and references to him throughout the manga.  Levi makes several references to Erwin immediately after his death, but after chapter 85 he becomes increasingly silent, and in chapter 90 he barely says anything, just stands in the shadows looking lost and bereaved.  It’s really only in chapter 106 that he really starts speaking again and it’s fair to say he is not a happy man. 

Chapter 85

Possibly the most important panel in the whole damn mango.

Levi explaining that he was the one who chose to let Erwin to die…

Hanji is not impressed.

Erwin Erwin Erwin…

Yeah Nile, Erwin was right all along. 

I will be forever salty we didn’t get to see these bastards’ faces when the tattered remnant of the Survey Corps rode in through the gate that morning without Erwin Smith.  Hero’s return indeed.  Why doncha just twist the knife Yams?

Interlude for Grisha Files *yawn*

Chapter 107

Hanji is feeling the pressure…

Chapter 108

Several people have pointed out that Hanji is echoing Erwin in chapter 72 here, and please also note Levi’s reaction…

Chapter 72

Let it be known that it took 28 chapters, 2 years and 4 months…

Chapter 112

Levi waited, and so did we. 

(Damn he’s magnificent.)

Hello Anon, I have to confess I usually give Disney films a wide berth, so I haven’t seen Frozen 2, but you’re right, the lyrics of this song are really rather moving and I’m touched that they made you think of North Star.  

I wrote about this here but it’s a topic I don’t mind talking about again. 

Ackermans bond with a person, not a cause. Quite often their personal goals are very different than those of their chosen person. Mikasa doesn’t care about freedom or fighting titans. Kenny didn’t care about the paradise Uri was trying to build. But Kenny and Mikasa supported their person regardless. They prioritize their person over their own personal goals. 

Levi’s goal is saving humanity and it’s wonderful that unlike Kenny and Mikasa, Levi and his chosen person shared the same goal. But like the other two Ackerman, when faced with the choice of his person or his goal, Levi chose his person. On that rooftop in Shiganshina, Levi prioritized what was best for Erwin over what was best for humanity.  He cares deeply about humanity but on that roof in Shiganshina, he cared about Erwin more. 

Levi will continue to support his personal dream of helping humanity. That will never change.  But as we’ve seen, Erwin will always be an important presence in his life.

Shit, I’m so sorry, I’ve had your ask in my inbox forever and I’m only getting round to answering it now :( I looked back at chapter 80 when you first sent this ask, and tbh I’m not entirely sure who, if anyone, is actually speaking here.  

The scene is part of a long flashback where we see Erwin ordering the Survey Corps recruits to mount a charge to act as a diversion while Levi uses the row of titans to approach Zeke and take him down.  There’s a conversation between Levi and Erwin in the middle of this flashback and it’s actually Erwin who is speaking immediately before we see the “I’m sorry” panel, however it’s Levi who appears prominently at the head of the page, so it could actually be either of them who’s speaking.  Alternatively it may be neither of them; the words “I’m sorry” are the only ones that aren’t framed in a speech bubble, and they almost look like the editorial postscripts that appear at the end of some of the chapters. It could be that this is an expression of regret for the countless lives that will be lost, and an apology to The Nameless Soldiers after whom the chapter is named. 

I’m glad we cleared that up.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go and lie down in a dark room and cry. 

I went reading up a bit more and for a more comprehensive definition:

A word to say when one feels bad/at fault towards the other party. Used in cases of apology, gratitude, requests etc. towards the other party of equal or lower (level).

[translated from definition via weblio]

In other words, it can also be used in situations to mean things like:

“Thank you (for going to the trouble of doing this for me)” and

“I’m sorry (to ask you to do this)”

The expression すまない sumanai has its roots in the negative of（気が）済む (ki ga) sumu, “to feel at ease”.

@captainparadisemary asked:  

I can’t believe this. I can’t even cry. What the actual fuck happened?? Fuck this. Fuck this manga. Fuck to everything. What about Levi’s promise? What about all our tears and grief? What a fucking joke!!

Excuse me answering these two asks together.  I honestly have no idea any more if people are crying because Levi appears to be dead, because he appears to be alive, because he appears to be in bits, or because Zeke is most definitely alive. 

Having read the whole chapter, I’m inclined to agree that Levi is still alive at the point that Hanji jumps into the river with him. There’s no reason for them to do that otherwise, and it appears that their quick thinking may have saved his life.  He’s clearly very badly injured, though how badly is up for debate.  He’s definitely lost part of one hand and has severe facial lacerations, he’s likely lost his sight in one eye, and may even be blind, and there’s a likelihood of severe internal injuries.  However he is an Ackerman and they’re fucking hard to kill, also that scar is way bad too badass not to make a reappearance.  So yes,  I think that Levi is definitely still alive, though how much longer he’ll stay that way remains to be seen.   

…you-know-who really died the moment they leaked that you-know-who-2 jumped into the river with him to distract the yeagerists. That nasty gash is definitely gonna become a very cool scar. I think he’s alive guys 😂

🕯

🕯 🕯

🕯 🕯

🕯 levi 🕯

🕯 🕯

🕯 🕯

It’s hard to say how long he’s been here. Could be years, days, seconds, millenia. Time has no meaning here, it ebbs and flows endlessly. Like the sea. Though he’s never seen the sea, so how would he know? And yet he does.

The others are waiting for him, he knows this too. His father, Mike, Nanaba, Moblit, they’re all here, but he can’t go to them, not yet.

He’s tired, so tired, he aches to rest. But not yet. He has to wait.

He dedicated his heart long ago, to him, yes to him, and as long as it still beats, still fights, still grieves, still endures, as long as he endures, Erwin will wait.

~

And so he waits.

~

He senses it at last, like a soft exhalation of breath, a sigh of relief, of release. A sound that is etched deep in his bones. A sound he has longed for, ached for, waited for.

He looks up and meets grey eyes, bright and clear as a rain washed sky. The livid scar slashed across his face fades as he steps forward into the light. He frowns and shakes his head, laughing.

“Hey old man, you waited.”

Erwin smiles, extends his hand.

Asks are off until we get the full chapter, but if I can offer my opinion on Levi’s fate, I’m not too worried. Levi is not dead. Worst case scenario, he might be “dying” but that doesn’t mean his story is over. You still might get the moment you are hoping for, so keep the faith. 

Consider too that we’ve seen this before. Knowing Isayama, he’s likely going to drag this situation out for every emotion he can, so prepare for months of agony. During RtS, Erwin’s fate was left in the air for five months from when was hit with rocks in chapter 80 until he took his final breath in chapter 84. It was a hell I wouldn’t wish on anyone, one often made worse by thoughtlessness and cruelty in the fandom. 

If I can offer survival tips for the next few months, the first would be to be patient with each other. Strong emotions make people do crazy things so expect a little crazy from yourself and others. 

Small fandom is best. Join the collective freakout on tumblr, but then stick with your core group of friends, the ones who see the story the way you do. Since they wont judge you for how you feel, vent cry and scream to them in a safe place. Surprising to no one, Tumblr is not that safe place. There are people here who will be deliberately snide and cruel. When you encounter them, close your browser, take a walk, call a friend, pet an animal. 

Canon is only part of the story. The artists and fic writers will take over and give you catharsis. You’re going to enjoy the emotional outpouring and words written that you couldn’t express on your own.