#zeke analysis

first, we know zeke's backstory. we know he was an awkward kid and in one of my other analyses i said something along the lines of "zeke's awkwardness comes from isolation as a kid".

but, let's slow down. zeke in a romantic relationship depends on a lot of things, but mostly when that person meets him is obviously important. to make it easy lets just talk about adulthood.

zeke wouldn't approach anyone first, i highly doubt he would even know he found someone attractive until he's alone and it hits him; "hey, they're really cute." of course, for zeke it'll depend a lot more on emotional and mental aspects rather than physical ones.

zeke's self esteem is up for interpretation, at least imo. since he was raised to be a savior, but also i'm semi-sure he knows that people only want him because he is a savior, because he is a titan shifter, because he has status. zeke is never "zeke" in people's eyes. (i went more into depth on that on another analysis)

the way zeke acts is also a factor, a partner may think he's too brash or that he doesn't really have a filter with all his odd jokes. 💀

a potential partner will may also find zeke to be emotionally neglectful, why? because i really doubt zeke could be emotionally available after all the shit he's been through. he'd have to warm up and open up first before all that. which would probably take a good chuck on time.

- we all know that zeke grew up in an environment where his parents placed a duty upon his shoulders at a young age.

- since he basically grew up with this special purpose, this burden and the sense that: "my parents say that i am this important thing/person so i need to act like it." i think he definitely grew up as a people pleaser.

- but i also think that in the same breath he lost the opportunity to give himself a meaning/purpose, he never got to figure himself out so if he ever lost that purpose that was provided to him by his parents, he'd be completely lost.

- zeke thinks nobody understands him because nobody else was given a special purpose like how he was given one.

- being responsible for freeing your people from discrimination, fear and generational oppression is a lot, especially if you're starting at SEVEN YEARS OLD.

- as much as zeke says nobody understands him/what he's doing he never gives anyone the benefit of the doubt, he never opens up, never says anything to anyone.

- why? because they wouldn't even be able to understand his pain, but i also think that zeke can't express himself in that way anyway.

- he grew up with emotionally distant parents, dina & grisha probably didn't even know his favorite color, if he had any at the time.

- he couldn't be vulnerable with his own parents so why would he be vulnerable towards a "friend" who can't even understand his pain anyway?

not everything has some special meaning or significant, sometimes things are surface level and that's ok. it's okay for things to be ordinary, it's okay for you to be ordinary.

children are not mean't to be saviors, they're kids. if anything, they're the ones who need saving.

you are more than what someone says you are, you decide for yourself what you want out of life. (which is peaking into existentialism, i'll do an analysis on that with zeke one day)

this is a post to assess what yelena knows about zeke, more specifically, does she know about his childhood? this could be left up to interpretation but my final answer would be: he told her a very distorted version of it, leaving out details and such.

- though i don't have hard evidence to back this up i can say that this fits zeke's personality and need to be secretive.

- but i can also tell you that yelena probably knew he was lying or leaving things out.

- why? because pieck admitted to suspecting zeke to be a liar and yelena, who is arguably smarter would have no issues having her own suspicions but she wouldn't question it.

usually, i call zeke gorgeous and not ugly but realistically i think (by society's standards) he would be "ugly". and hear me out, i have an explanation.

canon universe zeke would definitely look rough. but why?

- stress hormones usually make people look older. trauma and other mental disorders could be another factor.

- he probably isn't getting enough sleep; overworking himself for marley.

- scars and other deep wounds could be a possibility if you believe (or headcanon) that after regeneration marks are still left on the shifter's body.

- zeke masks his face, in a sense. you really have to stare at him to recognize his facial expressions because of his glasses and by extension his beard.

his heart beat quickens and at first he isn't sure how to react.

this man, this traitorous, angry man as he knew him stands right in front of him. distraught. that's the only way to describe his sorrowful expression. he looks like a shell of his former self, no longer angry. no longer the father zeke once knew.

no, he was replaced. or maybe he grew, just as everyone does.

zeke remembered growing, maybe physically but never mentally. always has he been stuck in that poor child's body, forced to watch the world eat him alive and strip him of his humanity.

of his joy, of his innocence.

never allowed to grow.

just something to be shaped, never to find his own mold in this world.

a boy, a son, a restorationist, a warrior, a fighter, a savior, a man.

just a man.

warmth spreads throughout zeke's torso, grisha embraces him. tight and firm, this time he doesn't let his son go.

his tears soak through zeke's coat, his hands tremble and his body burns. yet, despite heightening emotions zeke stops. even for a moment he just lets himself feel.

his father's embrace, his love. his heart almost explodes, tears swell up into his eyes. he doesn't try to make an effort to stop them from flowing.

"I wish. . .we could have spent more time together. . ."

how long has he waited to hear something like that?

"dad. . ."

"zeke, stop eren." his father begs.