I think you'd like this story: "AIN'T TALKIN' 'BOUT LOVE" by magpiequeen444 on Wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/story/260955010?utm_source=android&utm_medium=com.tumblr&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details_button&wp_uname=magpiequeen444
Levi Ackerman lives a relatively quiet life. He runs his own accounting firm, working hard for other people's money by day. But, come Friday
Isayama-sensei chooses "the chapters of 'Attack on Titan' that he was deeply absorbed by"!!
within all 139 chapters of the work
Crying noises because I have an absolute laundry list of things that I want to translate (not to mention the things I translated 2/3-3/4 of the way and then they drifted away from me), but let's try to clear this one at least...
Disclaimers for mistakes and misinterpretation etc., please do not repost anywhere else, thank you! :)
First place: Chapter 71 "Bystander"
It's an unpretentious¹ chapter but I've chosen it as first place. The reason is...... as it's difficult to say, up till now there are also things that have been hidden but...... in order that "Attack [on Titan]" be thought of as interesting, it's that I thought that even if it's the truth(facts) it's better to keep quiet about it...... However, since the serialisation has ended and several years have passed, well is it already okay (to say it now)?, it has turned into such a feeling. And so I confess. When I was drawing the first chapter at the time the Commander of the Survey Corps who said "(I/we have) nothing to show for it.~", was a different person to the subsequent Training Instructor Keith. Around when I was drawing volume 12, at the (preliminary) meeting of the anime at the time, I was asked for the first time by the Director Araki "Is the Commander and Instructor the same person?", the story that the two were the same person was conceptualised. And so in volume 4 when the line (of) Instructor Keith "Grisha... today your son... has become a soldier" was written, it was a shot put of foreshadowing I was throwing into the future without thinking about the consequences (what happens after)². Also that in chapter 16 the punchline³ is that there is no particular reason why (he) broke the 3DM gear... as it is the chapter of the trauma of the lowest evaluation of myself, that, actually~, in such a manner I was able to tie (them) together as foreshadowings and salvage (them), in this way I was able to recover⁴ the chapter 16 that I regretted, as the chapter that culminated the miracle that is beyond my own true strength I choose this as number one. There are also parts where (I) set up as foreshadowing even though it was not foreshadowing in this manner but, of course those are different, as there are also foreshadowing that I've considered from the very start......
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¹地味 jimi : literally "the flavour of the soil", I guess "down to earth" is the meaning we're looking for
² help this is genuinely a disaster of a sentence that I'm really just trying to put back together again XDD
³ オチ ochi because help I don't know how to explain this one properly either XDD, "upshot" was a suggestion, or "bottom line"?, but ochi is literally to fall/drop, and I do think of it as "mic drop" :D
⁴ the act of restoring something or someone to a satisfactory state
Second place : Chapter 42 "Warriors"
I am very deeply emotionally attached to this chapter. Actually the development that (our) friends were Titans, as I was already doing it in the Female Titan arc, in what way should I reveal "actually [we] were Titans (round 2)", I was very worried/troubled about it. No matter how much I thought about it I did not come up with something that is "This is it!", I spent about 2 days in Kodansha's storyboard room feeling like moaning and groaning. Thinking and thinking and thinking, in the zone where I was tired, exhausted and tired out, I hit upon the subtractive idea, "how about this!"¹ it came to be, it was the staging of "I am the Armoured Titan~". During work on the manuscript, the lines for the storyboard for this scene, Kouhei Nagashii-shi, who was an assistant at the time, as he was the one transcribing the manuscript, all of a sudden he was startled, facing this way, "eh?... this... Isayama-san? Is the line correct?" I remember that he asked something like this. For me, with his reaction I felt a responding happiness inside but, I gave an indifferent reply that was like "eh? why? it's okay?" If I were to say why, not just limited to this time, I am embarrassed about talking about "Attack on Titan" while working on the manuscript, the story and such, even topics like this character is good and such, I assume an indifferent attitude. And so, observing the indifferent air I feigned like "but it's not particularly anything?", Nagashii-kun also did not ask any further about it. But even other writers besides me, about one's own imaginary story that they think about, to have it mentioned in front of you, it is expected that one feels embarrassed. It's probably so for everyone.
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¹ I honestly have no idea how to translate 「これやん！」 koreyan!, I picked and discarded many phrases and this is my final answer XDD (For those curious about the linguistics, 「～やん！」 is probably something like 「～じゃないか！」 or 「～だよ！」, also equally elusive XDD)
Third place : Chapter 100 "Declaration of war"
To be honest, it's that it doesn't matter which of the best 3 is number one but, this chapter is also special. When breaking into the Marley arc, it was decided that the faces of the work up till now like Eren and Levi etc would all not make an appearance. It was something decided from a long time earlier but, now, when at the meeting for that chapter, "(with) this, popularity will drop..." I discussed this with the supervisors. As expected, the valuation from volume 23 became the lowest of the serialisation, it became a source of quite a lot of unease but, all of that was for the sake of depicting Eren and Reiner's accidental encounter scene of chapter 100. As there is an aspect (of me) that's like "This is drawing the 'Attack [on Titan]' that I want to draw", when I think about it now, I wonder if (this) here was the peak.. or such. Around that time I remember that I had an intense tenacity of purpose. This is not a topic that's limited to me, it is a motive I cannot control, acting on impulse for reasons that even I do not understand, a something that I want to do even without weighing up the gains and losses, taking no account of the profits, such a tenacity of purpose, it may be the most powerful fuel to spur people on I think. As for better or for worse it cannot be controlled, to lose it, it is not something that can be quickly regained again either. Being able to offer up such tenacity of purpose to the production of manga itself, it seems like it was all good luck. I, at that time, was tenacious with "Attack on Titan" to the highest degree. Such tenacity, I don't think there is anything else like it.
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T/N: crying noises, I take no responsibility for the second half of this passage XDD
So this is about "Attack on Titan" Levi-Heichou's [5] points of attraction, which I chose to read at random after putting in リヴァイ兵長 as my search query, just for the absolute and random fun of it to see what came up, and I am translating and sharing parts of it because I thought the opinions in it were interesting.
I am going to go to the last point first, which is
Levi-Heichou's (point of) appeal 5 : The way of living without regretting (one's) choices
The final point of Levi-Heichous' appeal to introduce is "(doing his) way of living without regrets".
To follow Erwin-Danchou, to take charge of Eren, to bring Armin back to life, to defeat Zeke, etc, he never once regrets the choices he makes.
Just that, he himself does not think that the choices he makes are correct. It is probably that "make/cause it to be right*" is Levi-Heichou's way of living. He does not unreasonably push through his own opinions to Eren and the subordinates (etc) either. In the end the decision making power is left up to the people themselves.
(*「正解にさせる」seikai ni saseru : Oof, I don't know how to express this nuance, but 正解 seikai is usually the response given to someone getting the answer to something right, as opposed to the 正しい tadashii that was used in the first line. I suppose it's like a relatively right answer, one that answers the question as opposed to an objectively or absolutely right answer.)
Even in (a selection of) a number of remarks, the words he said to Armin in Season 3 episode 56 leave an impression. At this time, Armin was harbouring a sense of guilt that it was him and not Erwin-Danchou who was revived (unfortunately*).
(*しまった shimatta verb modifier to express an unexpected or less than desirable result, or feelings of regret or disappointment.)
To such an Armin, he conveyed that "It is also certain that you possess (by) yourself a power that humans do not have. I have no intention to regret" "Just that, do not make/cause these guys (こいつら koitsura) to regret. Others too. You too do not make yourself regret, that is your mission"
These words, will probably continue to live in Armin until his death. And so, there is no mistake that Armin continues to live bearing the burden of Erwin-Danchou's death without regret.
At that time determining the best choice, Levi-Heichou continues to advance without regretting. His choice and the life he came to lead, (I) want it to be unforgettably seared into my memory.
I don't know if there's anything to explain further about this part than that I thought that this was a very interesting take on things.
Point number 4 is that there is an expected gap [between different sides of Levi], that while on the one hand he is violent and uses offensive (abusive, crude, violent) language, he is also (unexpectedly) a clean freak. Also that he is concerned about people's words and responses/reactions, giving the example of Eren and asking Eren if he hates him after the kicking in court, and also :D responding to Zeke about how he had (more or less) been popular (smash! XD) before, responding to something that OP thought he would have paid no heed to XD
Also that he occasionally praises people, most memorably thanking Eren and the 104th, that there are many unexpected deviations that are hard to imagine from his usual cool and unimpassioned demeanour, is a point of attraction.
And then ;)
Point no 3: The words in which coexisted both cruelty(mercilessness) and love
A major premise of Levi-Heichou is that he has a crude mouth. To people of influence he has used without hesitation "(you) talk too much, pigs", for the most part we have not seen him using honorific speech (keigo).
And so, even in critical situations he lets out without leniency words that are hurtful to the person being told.
For example in Season 3 episode 39, on the occasion of fighting against the anti-personnel 3DMG squad led by Kenny, Armin for the first time kills a human being. To Armin who was lamenting that "my hands are dirtied", Levi-Heichou calmly says the cruel words, "Your hands have already been dirtied. You cannot return to your former self".
However, he continues, "Accept your new self. If even now your hands remained clean, Jean would probably not be here now". "The reason you immediately pulled the trigger, was because it looked like your comrade was about to be killed. Armin, thanks to your getting your hands dirty we ended up not losing one person. Thank you", he expressed his gratitude to Armin.
When it comes to superficial words to tide over the situation, anyone can do it easily. For the sake of encouraging a person, there are probably a number of things that can be said without thinking.
Levi-Heichou, even if it is cruel he conveys the reality to the other party, thrusting them down into hell once. However the words he continues with after that has love, and saves the other party's heart/soul. It is probably because Levi-Heichou faces the other party seriously/earnestly that he can do it.
Another (moment) that leaves an impression, in the midst of battle with Zeke et al. at Wall Maria, is the words he let out to Erwin-Danchou when the Survey Corps were driven into a hopeless situation.
Kneeling to Erwin-Danchou he stated "You have fought well. Thanks to you we were able to come this far" "I will choose. Give up your dreams and die (for us). Lead the new recruits into hell. The Beast Titan, I will take (him) down".
While kneeling to say (such a preposterous thing as) "give up on your dreams and die", has there been such a scene up till now (I wonder). Levi-Heichou, because he had made up his mind to follow Erwin-Danchou, believed in him and faithfully followed his instructions. However, here for the first time he rejects (denies) his dream and convinces him to give it up.
How cruel, I think. However, in that situation for the sake of humanity surviving, there is probably no other way than to get Erwin-Danchou to give up on his dream. Levi-Heichou without bowing his head down* to Erwin-Danchou would surely not be able to save humanity. Although it is cruel, it is words that somebody has to say. It is why Levi-Heichou took up the responsibility for it.
(* can also mean "humbling himself")
The declaration that he swore here that is "The Beast Titan, I will take (him) down", after that it has never left Levi-Heichou's head even once. Already, it was no exaggeration to say that he lived for the sake of killing Zeke. As the final directive from Erwin-Danchou, until he can carry it out, it will probably never disappear from Levi-Heichou's head for life.
Bearing the responsibility of the words he said once and his promises (etc) is Levi-Heichou who does not lie. Even if his mouth is crude the reason why is is trusted by his comrades, is in that.
:D
Point no 2 was about Levi-Heichou's overwhelming strength, but the passage actually largely talks about the battle against Zeke and Levi's anger at his taking the taking of lives lightly.
And point no 1 is the depth of love towards his comrades, pointing out Season 1 episode 9 where even though he dislikes being dirty/covered in blood, he takes his dying comrade's hand without hesitation and gives him words of encouragement plus swearing to eradicate the Titans from his will that remains gives him strength. Also talks about the scene in Season 1 episode 22 where he tells the comrade to give up on the dead body, but also shows him the emblem. And this is also the point that OP talks about not letting the comrades deaths be in vain.
On the occasion of each (lit. one) person's death, he lives bearing that person's thought and resolve (etc). That is Levi-Heichou.
Or you could also run the whole thing through google translate ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
Like I said, I wanted to share about this article because I thought the thoughts in it were interesting, particularly the idea of Armin carrying a directive to live with no regrets as a legacy, but also, thought this person's perception of both the choice and the vow was rather interesting too.
To the people in the OTW Tumblr Inbox asking about how the OTW is responding to the American Election.
This is a separate post (and not a response to a specific message) because we all need to see it.
Folks have been asking Support (through the form) as well as the other social media mods, and we have now been given the following to tell you.
We are continuing to closely monitor political developments that may affect AO3 and the OTW as a whole. First, we want to assure you that there are several factors that tend to protect AO3 and its users from legal risks and challenges. These include that we are a non-profit, do not host images, do not use algorithms to promote or advertise content to users, are not aimed at children, and collect very little user data.
The results of the 2024 U.S. election are deeply concerning, but the OTW remains committed to providing an inclusive space for fannish expression and will continue to fight for fans' free expression, both in court and through legislative efforts, in the U.S. and worldwide.
We have seen that fans are a powerful force for promoting free expression, and we will continue to inform people about opportunities for their voices to be heard. If a bill is likely to be passed in the future that could impact our ability to provide services, our legal team will be prepared to offer updates, guidance, and legal support to our users.
Fans are not alone in this fight. Both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/the-aclu-is-fighting-back-against-trump ) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/11/2024-us-election-over-eff-ready-whats-next ) made preparations for this outcome and have developed strategies to combat anticipated efforts to curtail online freedoms. We urge our users to support these organizations and others as they fight for your rights and ours.
i'm sure you've probably been asked this 3 million times already but is there anywhere i could listen to most if not all the audio dramas? its a little overwhelming to keep track of all the content that has been released over the years. thank you in advance i adore your page
I know @tsuki-no-ura has already answered your ask here. I also don't know of a single source of all the audio dramas, but I'll just add a couple more sources to the one's Tsuki's already mentioned. Here's a handy playlist of post of the readily available ones from Kas on YouTube.
There was also a series of short voice dramas that were one of the highlights of the Attack on Titan Worldwide After Party. As far as I'm aware, these have never been released elsewhere, and they don't appear to be available on Youtube. A few people did share them online, but they were taken down pretty rapidly. However Anime News Network shared a summary of the dramas here: The Attack on Titan After Party Exclusive Audio Dramas Were Some Serious Tearjerkers.
See, the first time I grew parsnips, I fucked it up good. I hadn't seen parsnips sprouting before, right, and in my eagerness I was keeping a close eye on the row. And every time I saw some intruding grass coming up, I twitched it right out, and went back to anticipating the germination of my parsnips.
But it turns out parsnips take a bit longer than anything else I'd ever grown to distinguish themselves visually. It's just the two little split leaves, almost identical to a newly seeded bit of kentucky bluegrass when they first come up, and they take a good bit to establish themselves and spread out flat before the main stem with its first distinctive scallopy leaf gets going.
I didn't get any parsnips, not that year, because I'd weeded them all out as soon as they showed their faces, with my 'ugh no that's grass' twitchy horticulture finger.
The next year, having in retrospect come to suspect what had happened, I left the row alone and didn't weed anything until all the sprouts coming up had all had a bit to set in and show their colors, and I've grown lots of parsnips since. They're kind of a slow crop, not a huge return, but I like them and watching them grow and digging them up, and their papery little seeds in the second year, if you don't harvest one either on purpose or because you misjudged the frost, so it's worth it.
Anyway, whenever I see someone stuck and struggling with their writing who's gotten into that frustration loop of typing a few words, rejecting them, backspacing, and starting again, I find myself thinking, you gotta stop weeding your parsnips, man.
I didn't bother before because I didn't think there was a need to, but now I've finally decided to put all the bits and pieces of the Answers Interview that I'd done together in one place and fill in the missing pieces.
Disclaimers for mistakes and misinterpretation, please do not repost elsewhere, thank you!
PART 2: Levi and Erwin, the respective changes that occurred
—In the battle to overthrow the monarchy, in the relationship between Erwin and Levi too, subtle changes begin to appear!
Isayama With the heroes of American comics, conflicts dealing with the situation “with great power, comes great responsibility” have been depicted. In Levi’s case, if he had no power, he would probably have been an ordinary person with no responsibilities but, as a consequence of having power, that he became a person excessively burdened with responsibility. Kenny talked about “everyone… was a slave to something…”, when he put the question to Levi “what is yours!?”, Levi himself too perceived it. That he himself too was a slave in regard to his own strength. The sense of duty that “I must become a hero”. …the same thing can be said of Mikasa too but…, for the Ackerman family, in the service of their master, there are many people who are able to manifest their power to its maximum.
—Eh!? (surprise) About that, isn’t this information that hasn’t been talked about in the original story!! Certainly for Mikasa it’s Eren, for Kenny it’s Uri that is the lord/master-like existence…
Isayama In Levi’s case, it’s Erwin. As the existence who surpasses him, he has acknowledged Erwin or how should I put it. That is the Ackerman lineage or rather, the instinctive part probably.
—I, I see… (shock). Levi maintaining a distance from his surroundings, that he had avoided deeply involved social relationships too, is it because of the size of his strength?
Isayama (He) was probably afraid of building deeply involved relationships. Because they live in a world where one does not know when they will be eaten by a titan, (he) avoided having a family-like existence.
—In the midst of those around (him) dying, to be the only one to survive…, is it that pain? But, such a Levi, appears to be in the process of building a close relationship with the reborn Levi squad…?
Isayama As to Levi’s change, there are a number of reasons, one of them is probably becoming aware of Erwin’s true intention. In KC vol 13, knowing that the people of Ragako Village have been turned into Titans, a smile appears on Erwin(’s face). For Erwin, it was the smile of the understanding(concordance)* of “it was as I imagined(conceived/surmised) isn’t it” but, from Levi’s point of view, although (Erwin) had said “let’s save the world together”, “this person, isn’t it different from what he said?” (laughs).
[*納得 nattoku is something like “understanding and in agreement with”: consenting to; being convinced of; being satisfied (of); understanding]
—(That) it was a shocking event (laughs). When that happened, Erwin’s true intentions, was Levi able to accept it?
Isayama At that point in KC vol 13, although it probably was the thought “(he) had hidden it”, gradually (he) resigned (himself) or should I say… Rather than harbouring suspicion/distrust, Erwin who he had thought was enigmatic, the existence who surpassed him, even while still not really understanding, knowing that in fact he was operating with a childish motive, it’s come to be with a disposition of “since it can’t be helped* (I’ll) work(cooperate) with (you)”. But in KC vol 18, regarding the attitude of Erwin would not listen and says that (he) will lead the operation no matter what, (Levi) is also a little angry. In Levi’s line “I’ll trust your judgement”, the anger that is “whatever happens, it’s your responsibility” is inserted into it. Immediately following that, that he used more than necessary force to mediate between Eren and Jean who are in the middle of quarrelling too, in fact (he was) taking it out (on them) over that matter (lit. with one matter 8 hits XDD) (laughs).
[*しょうがない shou ga nai for "it can't be helped" also has the meaning of "it is what it is"]
—For Eren and Jean, it was a terrible disaster (laughs). However, that he was able to have that outburst of anger, to that extent Levi, it is because he is feeling a closeness regarding the new Levi Squad… it can be said too.
Isayama About the new Levi Squad who did not treat him like a monster, I think that he is feeling a trust that was not there till now. Levi, perceiving Erwin’s true intentions (that were) contrary to/outside of (his) expectations, having experienced the parting from Kenny, it is expected that he was holding/harbouring a feeling like something of a sense of loss. Such a gap of the heart, it might have been filled in by the new Levi Squad… That's why in KC vol 17 even when he was hit by Historia, he was able to say the "thanks" that had the meaning of the appreciation that was "(thank you) for your hard work*" "you've followed/accompanied along well" included in it.
[*お疲れさま otsukaresama is a set phrase that is literally "tired person (honorific)"]
—That scene combined with Levi’s smile too, it was really warm! …On the other hand, Erwin who is Levi’s lord-like entity, the reason that he begins to strive for the dream that is “to solve the mystery of the titans”…
Isayama By becoming conscious of the dream that (he) had been unaware of, as a person there probably was an aspect that was more stable than before. However, even so he is not (the type of) person who would make his dream a top priority. Indeed, in the end for the sake of carrying out his responsibility, at the critical moment, it is Erwin who is able to make the best choice of giving up on his dream. He, if I were pushed to say, as a character close in position to Armin, in contrast to Armin purely chasing a refreshing/invigorating dream, Erwin’s dream contained a personal goal or how should I put it. By his own slip of the tongue his father was killed. The delusion* (that he had) regarding that incident or rather, while/even though he was operating for the sake of realising his private goal, before he knew it he was standing at the pinnacle of the Survey Corps, giving orders to do this and that to his subordinates. With the part (of him) that is “for what purpose (am I doing things for)”, inside of him there was a self-contradiction/paradox. Therefore the words that he lets out towards his subordinates, “for the future of humanity”, (unfortunately) seems as if he is lying. Up till now he has been carrying conflict and worry regarding that.
[*妄想 mousou, as "an erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary"]
—Such an Erwin, would Levi follow him in the same way as up to now, or… Increasingly it has become something to look forward to from here on!
(arranged right to left XDD)
[pocket shonen magazine source]
Please note that the Answers guide was released in August 2016, at the same time as chapter 84.
For the first time after the conclusion of "Attack on Titan" Isayama-sensei's one-shot manga drawn for the occasion.
Special additional edition approaching Levi's roots.
...
Before I start I'm going to push a few resources:
Answers interview on the Ackerman powers
The full Answers interview about Levi and Erwin
I ran one of the pages of the Answers interview through google translate and compared the results
The dictionary page for the "up in the air" phrase, tl;dr "dangling in the air" of the interview in the Character Encyclcopaedia is Not a mistranslation (it's the literal translation):
By continuing to read this translation analysis it means that you acknowledge that these interviews 1) exist and are official and legitimate and 2) have been translated to the best of my ability and have not been translated maliciously with the intention of giving a false impression of what Isayama said.
Also this fun bit of fandom history according to me behind Levi's inner monologue in 136, the official (corrected) translation actually has the pronouns wrong (and I believe the anime corroborates this except for the last "you all" *rolls eyes*), aka this is the kind of damage antis can actually do in the name of pretending that they actually have the interests of correct interpretation at heart (they didn't) and ended up breaking the actual canon.
...
Disclaimers for mistakes and misinterpretation, please do not repost anywhere else, thank you! :)
...
Forgive me as my photo taking skills are non-existent and the pages are here more as a guide ^^;
I've included many links for definitions, but even when I don't, frankly they're mostly references to the same dictionary trawler page: 英和辞典・和英辞典 - Weblio辞書 and I try to state the source if it's from somewhere else. And some things I just gave up on referencing
地下で生まれ
この地下街にある物しか
見たことは無い
Born in the underground
(I) have only seen things
that exist in the Underground city
First line and I'm wondering about going into a full language lesson already XDD
So the "only" here is しか(ない) shika (nai), which in the scheme of things, is the "no other choice/option but" or "nothing else but" of onlys :)
For those in the language learning side of things, don't be confused by the negative due to the shika, it's 見たことは(ある) mita koto (aru) "(I) have seen" [tofugu lesson on this]
地下街にある物 chikamachi ni aru mono : ある aru is the "to be" or "to exist" verb for inanimate objects, and so, "things that are in the Underground city"
So to sum up, it's "the only things (I) have seen are those (that exist) in the underground city".
Or even more pedantically, "As for the things that (I) have seen, it's only those that exist in the underground city (and nothing else)" XDDD
だが思った
And yet/nevertheless (I) thought
I was hemming and hawing on this one, because, and as I mistyped at first, I was expecting だと思った da to omotta "so/that's what (I) thought". However, it is だが思った daga omotta, and I was wondering if there was a different meaning, but in any case, I can't think of another meaning besides だが daga being "but", "however" or "yet" etc [x], and it took me a while to figure out that what yams is probably trying to convey in this page is that even though the Underground is all he knows, even so, he still knows that it's rotten because of the contrast with his mother...
ここは酷く汚くて
空気も腐っている
Here, (it is) hideously dirty
Even the air is rotten
酷い hidoi is terrible, awful, dreadful, horrible etc, here it is an intensifier, take your pick of adjective I guess ^^
それに気付いて
しまうほどに
母の姿は優雅だった
My mother’s figure was elegant
to the point/extent that (unfortunately)
I realise that
(order of lines flipped: 1-2-3 in japanese to 3-2-1 in english)
I'm not sure what way others have translated this, in the draft version I put it as "The reason (I) realised that was because my mother’s figure was elegant", with what I have above in brackets, but the above is the pretty much the literal translation of it, and I feel like the nuance of the shimau modifier can frankly be represented by a (unfortunately) in a vast majority of cases XDD
気付く ki'dzuku : also to notice, perceive, or become aware of [x]
I can't believe the amount of time and words I spent on this and it's only page 1 ^^;
それだけは
鮮明に覚えてる
That alone (lit. only)
(I) remember vividly
鮮明 senmei : 鮮 is fresh, 明 is bright, and I put "clearly" in the draft version, but on reflection now I have undersold it ^^;
鮮明な senmei na
clear
distinct
vivid
sharp
clear‐cut [x]
Oh yes, and the "only" here is time is だけ dake or the bog standard one :)
それだけは絶対に
奪われたくなかった
That alone (I) absolutely
did not want to have taken (from me)
うばう 奪う ubau
〈力ずくで取る〉 take something (by force); snatch [【形式ばった表現】 wrest] something (away) from somebody; rob [【形式ばった表現】 deprive] somebody of something
〈略奪する〉 plunder; pillage; loot [x]
In other words, taken by force, also Ern's favourite word, and more often than not translated as "stolen" because of this.
I have to say that the "that" and these two lines here feels double-meaninged in a way that is rather ambiguous: is he referring to the tea set specifically, or his memories of his mother, or his memories of his mother as symbolised by the tea set? We will never know :D
しつけぇぞ
ガキ‼
(I'm) teaching you a lesson
Brat!!
しつけ shi'tsuke is discipline or training, or one's upbringing or rearing, so while politely (or maybe not XD) it's "to teach one manners", we know what's going on here [x]
Also the language is slurred and rough-sounding.
オイ馬鹿！
やめろ！
Hey dumbass!
Stop (it)!
オイ is literally "oi" XD, 馬鹿 baka is literally "stupid", and "stop it" is in imperative or command form.
こいつを
知らねぇ
のか⁉
Do you not know
who he is!? (more lit. "this [guy]")
こいつ koitsu is an indicator for a thing/person (derogatory/familiar) near to the speaker, and the のか noka ending, help I tried to find a proper technical answer to explain this and failed XD, but what vibes I get from this as opposed to ending with just the question marker か ka is that the plain question would be more neutral to just ask if the other person knows who he is or not, but this modification adds a nuance of looking for clarification or disbelief that "do you really/seriously not know who he is?" or a "don't tell me you don't know who he is?" kind of a thing.
Again more slurring or rough speech here.
こいつはあの「切り裂きケニー」が
面倒見てるガキだぞ⁉
He's (again "this [guy]") the brat that that "Kenny the Ripper"
is looking after, yah!?
ぞ zo : (used at sentence end) adds force or indicates command.
I'm amused at the fact that 面倒 mendou usually means making or giving trouble [x], but 面倒(を)見る mendou(wo)miru means to take care of [someone] / to look after [someone] XDD
ヤツにバレたら
俺達おしまいだ‼
If (he) tattles to him
It's the end for us!!
ヤツ yatsu for thing/person(derogatory/familiar) but non-directional this time, and バレ(る) bare(ru) is to reveal, to leak out a secret or to be exposed, to be found out etc.
Also a little bit funny to me because おしまい oshimai for "the end" has a polite prefix "o", but it also feels like it has become its own thing the way green tea is expressed as "o-cha". I like the fact that it translates perfectly here :) aka "we're done for".
バレなきゃ
いいんだろうが‼
If (we're) not found out
then it's fine (isn't it)!!
Usually a が ga at the end of a phrase means "but", but in speech at the end of a sentence it can be used as a filler to soften what one is saying (probably not the case here XD), hmmm, I do feel like there's a bit of doubt or uncertainty, or maybe something like a bit of a false bravado, like "It's all fine if that's the case (but)", but don't take my word for it here ^^;
いつもみてぇに
細かく刻んで
ブタに食わせりゃ
問題ねぇ
There's no problem
if (we) chop (him) up finely
and feed (him) to the pigs
like as always/usual
(line order 1-2-3-4 in japanese is 4-2-3-1 in english XD, the "if" actually comes at the end of 3 in japanese)
Again lots of slurring here.
そもそも
どこのガキだろうと
関係ねぇだろ
In the first place
where the brat may be/come from
doesn't matter / is irrelevant (lit. "is of no relation") (isn't it)
OR
It doesn't matter where the brat may be/come from at all (isn't it)
:D Version 1 is how you'd translate it, but I'm inclined to think that version 2 is the way it's supposed to come across.
There is also a だろう darou after the "where the brat is (from)" or more literally "the brat of where" XD which adds a degree of speculation into the line that I've expressed as "may", sorry if it ended up sounding weird.
こいつは
俺達の品に
手を出した
He
made a move
on our goods
(line 1-2-3 swap to 1-3-2 in english)
手を出す te wo dasu is very literally to put out or hold out one's hand, and figuratively anything from getting involved in, to meddle with or to dabble in something, to hit, or to rob or steal (get your hands on something I guess) [x], hence my more ambiguous translation choice :)
やくざ者が地下街で
舐められちゃ
それこそおしまいだ
If gangsters
are being made fools of in the Underground city
likewise it's the end (for us)
("in the Underground city" actually part of line 1)
Okay it's literally やくざ者 yakuza-mono and yakuza as I'm interpreting as gangster apparently can also mean a good-for-nothing or a ruffian (and apparently also gambler but don't think that one applies here), also 舐められる namerareru is literally "be licked" :D
こそ koso is an amplifier that I've translated as "likewise".
…返せ
…give (it) back
Imperative or command form.
あれは母さんの…
That's my mother's...
"That" in japanese third direction meaning distant from both speaker and listener (but they know what is being talked about).
イヤ違う
No (that's) wrong (lit. different)
病気で食うに
困ったオランピアが
質に流した品だ
It's the forfeited pawn item(s)
that Olympia who was having difficulties
with getting food (lit. eating) due to illness
did not redeem back
(lines 1-2-3 are 3-2-1-3 if that makes sense XD)
Oof this took me a minute and a half to try to wrangle back into submission, which I didn't remember being as difficult in the draft version, and I realised on checking that the draft version's one is 質に売った shichi ni utta which would have more straightforwardly been "sold as pawn (item)", but here is 質に流した品 shichi ni nagashita shina, which based on
質流れになる shichi nagare ni naru : 《人が主語》 have one's pawn forfeited
and
質流れ品 shichi nagare hin : a forfeited [an unredeemed] article [x]
I assume meant that it had been forfeited due to not being bought back and I tried wrangling the sentence to reflect something similar here.
今になって価値が
高いとわかったから
店主が地上に
捌きに出した
Now that (we) know that
it's of high value
the shopkeeper put it up for sale
on the surface
(I'm not even going to try and correlate the order on this one XDD)
今になって ima ni natte : at the present / at this point, as in now compared to before this [x]
捌き sabaki is literally handling or manipulation, to deal with something, also the sale of goods (売り捌き urisabaki) [x]
お前は地上行きの
荷馬車に紛れ込んだ
薄汚ぇコソドロ
You're a grubby sneak thief
who slipped into the cart
heading towards the surface
(1-2-3 becoming "you+3" -2- "1 without the you")
I would like to point out that the draft version had 貨物線 kamotsusen where 貨物 kamotsu is freight; goods; cargo and 線 sen is line, so "freight line", with the implication that it is railway, before some people complain about mistranslations XD, but this has 荷馬車 nibasha : a horse cart/wagon, 荷 ni is load and by extension cargo, 馬車 basha is the horse cart, so again, the implication of a wagon/cart to carry goods.
I tried to find a better? word for コソドロ kosodoro, but it's literally apparently abbreviated from こそこそ kosokoso for stealthily or sneakily and 泥棒 dorobou for thief or robber, so sneak thief it is ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
sneakily sneaking sneaker
Also 薄汚い usugitanai, just use whatever synonym for "dirty" as you like :D
見つかれば
どうなるかぐらい
わかってるだろ？
(You) know
more or less what happens
if (you) are discovered/found out/caught in the act (don't you)?
わかる wakaru for "know" as in "to get it" or understand.
それとも地下で生まれた
売女のガキに後先考える
知能を求めるのは
酷なことだったか？
Or was it (too) harsh a thing to ask
for a brat born underground of a prostitute
to have the mental faculties/intellect/intelligence
to think of the consequences?
(Again, not untangling the order of this one XDD)
後先 atosaki is literally "after (and) before", and coupled with 考える kangaeru, to think or consider, becomes to think of the consequences [x] (as before, so after XDD)
求める motomeru, translated into "ask" in the first line, is to seek or search for, also to demand or request, also to want or wish for [x]
なぁ…それより
こいつ売れるんじゃ
ないか？
Hey… more than that
Isn't he sellable?
The dictionary did not like "sellable" and suggested "smellable" instead
俺もそう思ったぜ
何でも売るのが
俺達のモットー
だからな
I thought of that too!
Because
(We) sell anything
is our motto
(line order 1-2-3-4 is 1-4-2-3)
ぜ ze : (used at sentence end; adds light force or emphasis to a sentence) I can tell you
hence I used an exclamation mark to indicate it
こいつも母親と
同じ仕事を
させりゃいい
(We) can also get him to do / make him do
the same work
as his mother
才能を
引きついでるかも
しれねぇぞ
(He) might have
inherited (her) talent/ability/aptitude!
Again, a forceful or perhaps enthusiastic ending with ぞ zo
死ね‼
Die!!
ブタ
Pig
オイ…そいつを
売るって話は
どうなった？
Hey… what happened to the talk about selling him?
(you can tell I gave up giving a back reference to the japanese word order here as well XDD)
しつけねぇと
客とれねぇだろ
If (I) don't discipline (him)
(we) won't be able to get customers (isn't it)
Again heavily slurred speech.
二度と
逆らおうなんて
思いつかないよう
教育して
(I'll) teach (him) a lesson (lit. educate XDD)
so/in order that (he) won't think of
going against (us) and suchlike
again (lit. a second time)
(line order 1-2-3-4 becomes 4-3-2-1 :D)
付加価値込みで
値上げるのさ
With the included added value
(we) can raise/put up the price
さ sa in the last line : (sentence end, mainly masc.) indicates assertion, or "it's that we can put up the price" because of the の no modifier as well....
…流石に死体は
売れねぇぞ
…all the same a corpse
can't be sold
It's 流石に sasuga ni, the "as (to be) expected" of Pieck :D, but here I thought the meaning of "still"; "all the same"; "after all" was a bit closer to the intended meaning, or as per this sample sentence I found:
「流石」に対する英語の訳語が無い
There is no English equivalent for “sasuga.” [x]
XDD
ダメだな
ありゃ
It's no good/hopeless
oh dear / my, my
The dictionary has ありゃ arya as an "expression of surprise", which I can understand, but here I think it's more like mild or performative dismay? Otherwise literally "if there is".
ブタの
エサだ
(It's) food
for the pigs
Just wanted to point out that there is a specific different word to use for animal food or feed, エサ esa, as opposed to human food, and this distinction can be used to make some interesting distinctions sometimes :)
オーイ
出発するぞ
Heeey
Let's set off / depart!
無謀は承知だった
(I) knew (I/it) was reckless
承知 shouchi on the knowledge front (otherwise it means agreement, consent or to acknowledgement) besides just knowing, it means to be aware or conscious of, in other words, still to acknowledge I think [x], so the line has the nuance of:
(I) was aware / acknowledge that (I/it) was reckless
母の遺品を
取り返せるとも
思っていなかった
(I) wasn't thinking
that (I) could get
my (deceased) mother's things back either
(1-2-3 roughly approximately 3-2-1 except the other half of 2 is appended to the end of 3)
Okay, when you see this character: 遺, it will have something to do with the fact that there's deceased in it somewhere and we're dealing with what that person has left behind. So 意志 ishi is the will/intention of the person, but 遺志 ishi is the person's dying or posthumous wishes/will/intention, you get the idea. And so yes, his mother's things as 遺品 ihin, has the implication that it's the items his mother left behind on passing away T_T
ただ…俺は
逆らいたかった
Just that… I
wanted to fight back (defy, resist, go against the flow)
このクソみてぇな
世界に
At this shit-like
world
Again slurring.
唾吐きかけて
やりたかった
(I) wanted to spit
I feel like this is more literally "(I) wanted to do the hork out my spit" or something XDDD
ん？
Hm?
何やってんだ
あいつ…
What (on earth)
is he doing...
(It's literally just "he" あいつ aitsu on the second line)
顔でも
引っ掻かれたか？
Did (you) get scratched
on the face too?
Okay going to skip pages with no text in it, there's the face off page, then on the next page first scream is んなあ nnaa, spectacle guy goes ッ—⁉ which is like a little "tch" or a "what the heck" noise I guess, and other guy goes うあああ uaaa or "waaah".
この時自分に起こった
ことは不思議と
疑問に思わなかった
At this time I did not think to question
that what happened within/to me
was strange
(line order 1-2-3 to roughly 3-1-2 except "At this time" is in the same place)
Okay this is more of a personal gripe XD, but every time I come across the word 不思議 fushigi, I think of it as "unexpected/out of the ordinary" or "strange", slightly negative vibes of "weird" basically, (insert "X-files" tune for the old people :D), but every time I go look at the dictionary, I'm faced with words like "marvel", "miracle", "wonder" and "mystery" (okay this one I can accept XD)
strangely enough; oddly enough; for some reason; curiously [x]
You get the idea XDD
I mean, I can accept fushigi as "wonder" when it's accompanied by breathless amazement and delight, but for the rest of the time, it's the mysterious or mystical vibes as best, and downright weird and odd is the idea in my head.
So what does Levi think of it? I put it down as "strange", but it's up to you XDD
痛みは消え去り
頭は水に浸したように
冷静だった
The pain going away (disappearing, vanishing)
My head was calm (collected, composed)
as if dunked in water
(1-2-3 becoming 1-3-2)
冷静 reisei for "calm" is literally 冷 for cold and 静 for quiet :D
そして何を
すればいいかが
頭に湧いてくる
And so, what
it is I should do
came to my head
湧く waku has the implications of
〈沸き出る〉 gush [spring, flow] out [【形式ばった表現】 forth]; well up [x]
However, when it comes to thoughts and emotions the expression is rather more placid (ある考えや感情が生じる。[x] : arise or occur etc) although one could use "well" or "spring up" for emotions. I'm rather disappointed XDD
EDITRound2: 何をすればいいか nani wo sureba ii ka is more literally "what, if (I) do (it), is good?"
俺はただそれに従い
順番通りに行動した
I was only/merely following that
(I) moved according to the sequence/order
I feel like I should have something to add to this but I don't really XDD, but 行動 koudou is movement, action, behaviour or conduct [x]
お前の目当ての
品だ…持って行ってくれ
The goods that you were aiming for (lit. "have your eye on") …
Take it and go
何なら…
If you like… (more lit. if anything)
他にも…
好きなものを
持って行っていい
Other things too…
You can take what you like with you
その力…
That strength…
お前…ケニーの
隠し子だろ？
You… are Kenny's
illegitimate child isn't it?
EDIT: Dang, I realised I forgot to talk about this one after the initial posting (especially since it's exactly my favourite sort of thing), but 隠す kakusu is to hide or to conceal [x], and so 隠し子 kakushigo is literally a hidden or secret child [x]
…そうに
間違いない
…there's no mistake
that it's the case
(line swap 1-2 to 2-1)
……え？
……eh?
どういう
こと？
What do you mean?
Possibly also "what are you talking about?"
い いや
何でもない…
N- no
(It's) nothing…
それより…
お前を痛め
つけたデブは
とっくに死んだ
More than that…
The fatty who tormented you
is long dead
痛めつける itametsukeru if we look into the etymology of it is like "to attach hurt/pain/harm/worry". Or we could just directly say that he beat him up...
俺は何も危害を
加えてないし
(Thing is,) I am not causing any harm (to you)
し shi : (at sentence end; gives reason for an unstated but deducible conclusion) the thing is; for one thing
し shi at the end of a sentence or phrase tends to indicate that the phrase etc is being stated/given as a reason for something.
デブの暴行を止め
ようとしたよな⁉
(I) tried to stop the
Fatty's violence/assault (didn't I)!?
よな yona : (particle pair used at sentence-end) isn't that right?
Or trying to persuade or looking for agreement, "don't you agree?"
I have to say, the first time I read through this I was rather confused as to what on earth was going on, as in what was yer man going on about being punished and all, and it took me a bit of a back and forth trek through the pages again to realise that he was the ringleader or de facto leader and he was babbling all sorts of nonsense to try and save his own skin, sheesh ^^;
……
そうなの？
Is that so?
覚えてない
ようだが
そうなんだよ
It seems
(you) don't remember but
(I did) /that's the case
(1-2-3 to 2-1-3)
さっきも
言ったが…
君のやってることは
強盗殺人であって
この地下の世界でも
極刑は免れない
I said so
earlier too but…
What you're doing
is robbery and murder
Even in this underground world
you cannot evade capital punishment (lit. extreme/ultimate punishment/penalty)
……
そうなんだ
I see (that's the case)
With "(wow) you have enlightened me" vibes XD, like "I get it (now)".
いや…死刑より
酷い目に遭うぞ…
Nay… (You'll) experience worse
than the death penalty
酷い目に遭う hidoime ni au is have/go through a harsh experience, have a bad time, to suffer (something bad) etc. [x]
EDITRound2: Fun and useless trivia! :) There are actually an insane number of versions of au* : 会う・合う・遭う・遇う・逢う, and I 'm going to grab this page's summarised definitions machine translated and post-edited:
会う・・・人と人が顔をあわせること、ある場所で対面すること
To bring people face to face, to come face to face at a certain place
合う・・・物事が一致すること、ぴったりとまとまること
To be in agreement or fit together
遭う・・・好ましくない出来事や、悪いものが思いがけず身に及ぶこと
To have an unfavourable event or something bad unexpectedly befall on [person]
遇う・・・好ましい出来事や、良いものが思いがけず身に及ぶこと
To have a favourable event or something good unexpectedly happen to [person]
逢う・・・親しい人や思い入れがある人と顔を合わせたり、運命的に対面すること
To come face to face with someone close to you or someone you have feelings for, or to meet as fate would have it / a fated meeting
The kanji used here is the "unfortunate encounter" one, and if you may have seen me squeeing because the last one was used as opposed to the first bog standard meet/encounter one, now you know why ;)
(*like the popular favourite omou XDDD)
何百人もいる俺の仲間は
君を壺の中に押し込めて
少しずつ虫に食わせる
だろう…生きたままな
(There are) hundreds of my friends/associates too
who will shut you inside a (clay) vessel
(where) you will probably get eaten by insects bit by bit…while you are still alive
The "vessel", a 壺 tsubo, is this thing:
へぇーそう
Ehh, is it
だが俺がそんな
ことはさせない
But I will not do such a thing (to you)
Literally "cause such a thing to you".
君を救えるのは
俺だけだ‼
The only one who can save you
is me!!
だあら‼
なぁ⁉
天国のお母さんを
悲しませるような
マネはやめるんだ
君もこんなこと
したくないだろ⁉
Therefore!!
Yeah!?
Stop behaving in a way
that makes your mother in heaven sad
You don't want to do such a thing either (do you)!?
マネ ma'ne from 真似 meaning either to imitate or impersonate or mimicry, or one's behaviour; action; conduct.
(Personal thought that invoking his mother was the wrongest thing he could have done here...)
…さあ
…well
With a hint of "who knows" or the verbalisation of ¯\_(ᐛ)_/¯ basically :D
よくわからないけど
(I) don't really know but
ケニーなら
あんたを生かして
おいたりはしない
If it were Kenny (In Kenny's case)
he would never let you live (and such)
～はしない ~wa shinai : expresses one’s strong will not to do something, will not do ～ / not going to do ～ / will never do [x], in other words, the negative is emphatic here.
Also ～たり ~tari usually comes with a bunch of things, like "I did this and that", and when only one thing is stated, implies that this is not the only action involved and there are other related but unstated actions around this also being done.
Interrupting my translation-related only analysis to express my thought on Kenny imparting his "way of living" so to speak. I've expressed this in a longer write-up here, and I know there's so much discourse on how badly Kenny treated Levi or not, but the thing is, I always feel that Kenny also left Levi with a very practical set of skills and how-to to deal with situations, and although Kenny's ideology may have been on the more brutal side of things (he who is stronger wins), but also, it is what Levi needed in order to survive in the Underground, and more than just a throwaway comment about Kenny here, I feel like this is a glimpse into a bigger body of instruction that he had imparted to Levi, that in such a situation in this dog-eat-dog world, he really should be leaving no survivors. A crude teacher, but a teacher nonetheless.
…君を救いたいんだ
…(I) want to save you
EDIT: This guy uses it in a few places in his appeal, and I've mentioned before elsewhere the nuance of using the んだ n'da or no(da) form as creating an important nuance (especially in my "does Levi is gay" explanation XD) that happens as a very natural part of the japanese language that most of the time doesn't get into the translation because it can be hard to pinpoint and express what it does, and I have to admit that I've been equally guilty of glossing over pointing this one out myself here ^^; But here for example, it adds a greater emphasis or an emotional appeal to what yer man is saying, rather than that he is stating a straight fact. Likewise, he uses it in the line about how Levi should stop making his mother sad which again emphasises his appeal that this is what Levi should do. It was also used in the line about how the fatty who beat him up is long dead, although that one has more of the nuance of an explanation for why Levi shouldn't kill him as well. So it's hard to generalise what it does and can be even harder to put the effect of what it does into words, or at least succinctly into a translation without making it awkward and/or clunky, and unfortunately most if not all of the time this nuance will get dropped and never makes it over into the translated text.
信じてくれ…
Believe me…
くれ kure postfix for "to give" or "to do for somebody", imperative or command form, so more literally "give me your belief".
子供がチンピラを
皆殺しにしたって
誰も信じねぇから
心配しなくていいよ
You don't have to worry (about it) (you know)
Because no one would believe
that a child killed
all the hoodlums
(1-2-3-4 becoming 4-3 and 21 mixed together)
More literally "it's okay not to worry", with the "you know" coming from the sentence end よ yo.
I'm always at a bit of a loss at how to define チンピラ chinpira, so here's what I cobbled together from machine translations of the first paragraph of the japanese wiki:
Colloquial name for those who act in a demonstrative manner for trivial reasons against the general public, or those who act in a rowdy manner/engage in reckless behaviour. It is most often seen in juvenile delinquents and low-level members of organized crime groups. In the yakuza world, it is said to be a compound of 'chinké', meaning the lowest, and 'hira', meaning a low-ranking member, and literally means a 'low-ranking yakuza'.
マヌケ
Idiot
マヌケ manuke for 間抜け, stupid, fool etc.
俺は力に
目覚め
My power
awakening
ケニーは
去っていった
Kenny
left
(Feels like it should be longer but it is what it is XD)
俺に残された
ものは
The thing(s)
that were left to me
母の形見
だけだった
Were my mother's keepsake(s) only
Again, a) the wonderful world of the ambiguous singular/plural indication of japanese words and b) 形見 katami as machine translated and post-edited from the definition:
1 A source of remembrance for a dead or separated person. Items left behind, also orphaned children. "My father's keepsake fountain pen."
2 Something that reminds us of the past. Commemorative item.
:(
Skipping the next 2 pages of the tea preparation right down to the last page...
それ以来…俺はカップの
取っ手を持たねぇと誓った
…一生な
From then on… I swore that
I would not hold a cup by its handle
…for life
Just to mention that I love the fact that Levi swears to do this XDD Also that he ends his "for life" line with な na, the male version of ne, that would sound empathic, but Gabi doesn't repeat it in hers.
…ごめんね兵長
その持ち方
バカにして
I'm sorry Heichou
(For) making fun
of your (lit. that) way of holding (it)
ごめん(ね) gomen(ne) : gomen(nasai) as I've explained in some write-up or other is to apologise for something that you did wrong, and again the ne here makes it sound soft and empathic.
私も取っ手持たずに
生きていくと
誓うから……一生
Because I too swear that I will go on to live
without holding the handle… for life
やめろ
Stop (it)
Discussed this in an initial thought, but personally I do think that Falco is dying of secondhand embarassment here regarding Gabi's behaviour and is shushing her in the hopes that she doesn't exacerbate the situation... XDD
涙が出て
きちゃった
The tears are coming out (uncontrollably)
Again I was explaining the ~shimau modifier (~chatta abbreviated from ~teshimatta), one of which is to do something unintentionally or inadvertently, also accidentally, and here I took Gabi's meaning as "I don't mean to cry but I can't help myself".
やめろって
Stop (it) I said
XDD
-the end- and congratulations for getting all the way here! :D
How do you think Levi is doing post war regarding grief? I've seen a lot of people say he's happy and theiving, living his best life in peace and that it fits his character because he always moves on and fights and he wouldn't cry for decades or something lol. I just saw a lot of people completely dismiss the idea of him not being "happy" and having trouble adjusting to his new life without fighting and actually having time to grieve for the first time in his life, which i find questionable since he IS the most emotional character and always cared about remembering his friends, especially Erwin. I feel like grieve is portrayed pretty one dimensional though, like it doesn't have to look like just one way (like it can look like mikasa but it can also look like Levi who is still actively trying to help people) but i also think that grieve is a big part of Levi's character and we should talk about it! I'd be interested on your take about this though :)
Oh man I have a lot of thoughts about this. I totally agree with everything you've said, however I can also understand people's reticence to dwell on grief, it's a difficult and overwhelming emotion. I know there are a lot of fans who want to believe that postwar Levi was able to live his best life, unencumbered by grief, and enjoying his freedom with Gabi and Falco. And I also know that there are some fans who are really offended by the idea that Levi would spend the rest of his life grieving, never moving on from those he lost during the war. Certainly living a hollow, grief stricken life is a terrifying prospect, however grief isn’t that simple. One of the best explanations of grief I’ve come across said that when you lose someone you love, you don’t just forget them, or replace them, time can never heal that wound or fill that void. However with time and patience your life can grow around that absence and expand to encompass new people, new love, new experiences. The absence is always there, it becomes part of you, and your life continues to grow around it. I think Mikasa is actually a good example of that. It’s clear that she continued to love Eren for the rest of her life, but that didn’t stop her from loving other people and going on to raise a family. I don’t think she ever “moved on” from Eren, no one could ever replace him, but I do think she was still able to find love in the world. The Ackermans were fierce and constant in their love and their loyalty; both Mikasa and Kenny remembered their liege, their chosen person, to the end of their days, and I see no reason for Levi to be any different. I believe Erwin’s absence would have left an indelible mark on Levi, and I don’t think anyone could ever replace him, however I also believe that Levi was able to forge a new found family with Gabi, Falco and Onyankopon and I hope he was able to end his days peacefully.
If you're interested, I've written several fics about Levi's life after the war that explore his grief for Erwin and his fallen comrades, and his new life with Gabi and Falco.
It's like people forget that Levi was like, a thug before he met Erwin, and he even tried his absolute hardest to kill Erwin. I'm not gonna say he's a bad person because he was in a place where he did what he had to (except for the Erwin stuff, that was kind of just for his pride), but to woobify him the way some people do is just taking away the complexity of his character. He's always had a regard for the value of human life, and he's always been kind and compassionate, but he's also not afraid to do some heinous shit, and there was a point in his life where he was so entrenched in his criminal behaviors that he was eager to kill Erwin because his pride was wounded, until Erwin showed him a new perspective.
Yes, I am so in agreement with you, I don't know if there's anything more I can add to this. (And then I do XDD) Levi isn't whiter than white, we can't even say that he's any shade of white in the first place, he's very aware of his roots, he's literally proclaimed in the uprising arc that he is (still) very willing to do heinous shit if it means they get to achieve their greater aims, he also shows that he is indeed experienced with such heinous shit and doesn't blink an eye in performing them.
But, as a product of where he comes from, he also has much understanding of where people are coming from when they are cornered and have limited choices, and also, the more deaths he can try to prevent, the better, not just of his own people or organisation, but of a greater abstract population. But in a kill or be killed situation, he exhorts them to kill, and yet when Armin does kill, he does not attempt to lighten the gravity of what he has done by citing the mitigating circumstances, and again when Jean apologises for his hesitation, he does not condemn his lack of action either and asks if he was really wrong, implying that he should do what feels right by him as well and find his own balance of the two.
Not only is he complex, but he understands the complexity of the situation in a way that someone who has not had to experience it doesn't, and to take it all away from him by making out that not a single thing he has done in his life is wrong ironically ends up diminishing his character instead.
Was thinking about this some more (especially Jean and the attack on Liberio scenario) and thought I'd like to expand on the situation.
Levi doesn't say "killing is okay if the right people do it" or "killing is okay if it's in self-defence". He says "accept your new self", in other words, you have killed a person, and you are now a killer. You cannot take that back. But he also points out that because Armin has killed, Jean is alive now and those are the facts of the matter. He also tells Jean effectively "were you (in the) wrong for not wanting to kill?"
And that's where the morality lies. Because if you keep in mind first and foremost that killing is bad, then that is what will guard your actions. Our heroes continue to go through their journey never mitigating that killing was okay under some circumstances, and recognise and acknowledge that they are killing people, even though they had to do it. That they are still doing a wrong in killing people even as they fight for a greater cause, in their own survival and in trying to stop Eren.
Because when you start justifying that killing people is okay in some circumstances without acknowledging the underlying principle that killing is wrong, then it starts going down a slippery slope. It's okay to kill if it's in self-defence. It's okay to kill if it's bad people. It's okay to kill if it's for the greater good. It's okay to kill the people who are opposing us. Where does it stop?
In the attack on Liberio which Eren forced their hand on, Jean tells the scouts to minimise the harm to civilians, and to sidetrack, we can see the opposing aspect with Flocke who by labelling and othering them as the enemy, dehumanises them by doing so, and thus justifies and makes it acceptable to kill these people. But where I think Levi's words really come into play for Jean is when he attacks the Cart Titan, and Falco jumps in front of her. In the end, he misses, and he ponders whether it was accidental or on purpose. It brings to mind that meme ("a child!" XDD), but for Jean, it is clearly also his hard limit. If Levi had supported his statement that he should not hesitate next time, I think the outcome would have been different. But Levi didn't. Was he really wrong? If he went ahead, I think that he would have turned into a very different person, someone who loses his morality, even his soul, by blindly following the rule he came up with. Instead, because he did what Levi is obliquely telling him to, to question what he would do and to go with his principles, that for him, this line is a step too far and he will not cross it, and ultimately, he does an action that he can live with.
As another aside, Levi's own line is so much lower, yet he does not push them to be like him or consider them weak, but supports them by giving them the framework with which to navigate their actions in these morally grey situations. But what he does personally as well is put his own difference in morality to work, in doing the things that he can stomach so that they won't have to. Again he never justifies these actions as not being wrong if it is for the right purposes, he explicitly says that he is willing to be the bad guy to do bad things to some people, if it would bring about a situation where people don't have to die unnecessarily as they are doing now.
They are "good", or rather, moral people precisely because they keep an awareness of the wrong that they do, by acknowledging that it is wrong, and that the good they seek to achieve doesn't cancel out the fact that they are doing harm in order to achieve it. It's the balance of the scales that they keep weighing out and should keep weighing out with each situation, to keep questioning their actions. Even so, as Armin put it, they are not good people anymore. Still, they try their best.
It's not because they start from a premise that since they are doing the right thing, or for the cause of right, therefore the wrong things that they do become morally correct. Because that way leads to madness. Everything becomes sanctionable if it's done for the right reasons. You can see where this leads to, I hope.
Last point is the whole storyline itself. With the interest in Dune, (which help me, I remember reading but for my life cannot remember the storyline), there appears to be some observations of quite a different take now to the way Eren's actions are being viewed, and I want to use this to point out the slipping down the slope scenario. Just as I see it as a bad thing to accept things that "good" people do as justifiable without further examining it and making a conclusion on the actions themselves rather than on the basis of the moral alignment of the people committing them, I think that it's equally important that we do not see Eren as being bad from the start and paint it as if all the signs were there and we just failed to notice them. There was a point, until Eren crossed it, when he was still all right. We need to recognise and acknowledge that Eren wasn't as bad when he started because the danger in this case as well is assuming that good people are always good, and bad people are always bad, and failing to recognise that good people can also turn bad. And vice versa, because we never seem to give people a chance to reform either. But what also happens with justifying "good" people's actions is that we fail to recognise that someone or something isn't good anymore and has gone bad till it is too late.
We should examine the actions themselves and go "no this is wrong and not acceptable" no matter who does it, no matter what their background or alignment is. Wrong is wrong even if the right people do it, and conversely, as illustrated in the story with the alliance etc, right is also right even if the "wrong" people are doing it.
I want to end with the blurb from the lyrics of Akuma no ko:
Ai Higuchi’s comment: [shingeki.tv]
If (I) was born within the walls. If outside. If (I am) Marleyan. If Eldian. For how long will hatred/resentment be what keeps (us) alive? Would forgiveness melt (my) spine? As (I) was born here (I) have a decided/fixed destiny, even if (I) sacrifice something (I) cannot turn away from the twisted/distorted justice that (I) want to push through.
From Attack on Titan, (I) received questions that shakes life up. Although (I) tried my best to fill in the answers (sheet) the answers did not come [(I) did not have the answers]. (I) will spend a lifetime working it out. With determination too (I) deliver “Devil/Demon’s Child” .
AIN'T TALKIN' 'BOUT LOVE - CHAPTER 49 - CALIFORNIA by LANA DEL RAY (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/1421920297-ain%27t-talkin%27-%27bout-love-chapter-49-california-by?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=magpiequeen444 Levi Ackerman lives a relatively quiet life. He runs his own accounting firm, working hard for other people's money by day. But, come Friday night, the suit comes off, and in a downtown dive bar, he plays guitar for a rock cover band. All the strict manacles of adult life fall to the beer splattered floor, where he reigns as one of the greatest guitarists in the deep south. Life is very simple and measured out. Until some new guy moves in next door: lively, loud, and a bit of a slut, considering Levi gets little sleep listening to the kid fucking all night long. Turns out, Levi's already met the kid. In the alleyway behind the bar. On his knees. And this green-eyed boy, Eren Yeager, will do just about anything he can to get Levi into his bed. Levi could resist. But does he want to? After all, what's a fuck or two? We ain't talkin' 'bout love here. This story is dedicated to Eddie Van Halen. ***Confessions and Disclaimers: The great Hajime Isayama owns EVERYTHING in this story except the story and plot. NONE of the images or songs belong to me. I give full credit to the amazing artists that created them.
AIN'T TALKIN' 'BOUT LOVE - CHAPTER 47 - JUMPER by THIRD EYE BLIND (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/1415129244-ain%27t-talkin%27-%27bout-love-chapter-47-jumper-by?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=magpiequeen444 Levi Ackerman lives a relatively quiet life. He runs his own accounting firm, working hard for other people's money by day. But, come Friday night, the suit comes off, and in a downtown dive bar, he plays guitar for a rock cover band. All the strict manacles of adult life fall to the beer splattered floor, where he reigns as one of the greatest guitarists in the deep south. Life is very simple and measured out. Until some new guy moves in next door: lively, loud, and a bit of a slut, considering Levi gets little sleep listening to the kid fucking all night long. Turns out, Levi's already met the kid. In the alleyway behind the bar. On his knees. And this green-eyed boy, Eren Yeager, will do just about anything he can to get Levi into his bed. Levi could resist. But does he want to? After all, what's a fuck or two? We ain't talkin' 'bout love here. This story is dedicated to Eddie Van Halen. ***Confessions and Disclaimers: The great Hajime Isayama owns EVERYTHING in this story except the story and plot. NONE of the images or songs belong to me. I give full credit to the amazing artists that created them.
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