I mean nothing bad, and you don't have to publish this message, but I just thought that maybe I could give some perspective. The thing you most don't like about toxic eruri is exactly what you've done in responding to respectful people simply saying you should acknowledge that levihan isn't canon. And it's not. There isn't a single scene that is objectively romantic between them. I checked your page to get away from that toxicity, but you now sound much the same. I wish you well, but I'm out. ✌️
Well, I’m sorry to hear that, anono. I wish you well also. ✌️
Allow me to take this opportunity to ask if anyone else feels that way about what I said in that last post? As I stated, I refuse to be toxic, but I also don’t want to hide the fact that I think Levihan has at least enough evidence to be something real.
I really mean it. I don’t think we’re crazy for saying this or supporting the idea. I don’t think saying “Levihan is canon” on Levihan Tumblr is toxic either. Nor problematic.
As I also said, I am not going to scream that out into the rest of the fandom. If they are open to talk about it, then I’ll respectfully present my case.
I have friends that are non-shippers and don’t think it’s canon. I tell them I think it’s at least semi-canon, explaining why sometimes. Then if they say still don’t see it, then we agree to disagree and move along to talk about other things.
If they were to tell me that I should acknowledge that it’s not canon, then I’d just say that though I will admit that Isayama hasn’t said it himself, I believe that he included Hange’s statement in 126, her blush, Levi’s double-sided statement about love in 132, and the blatant parallels to other canon couples for a reason. A reason I can’t ignore.
There’s twisting the story for evidence, and then there’s actually recognizing romantic tropes in the writing. There’s shoving your ship down other people’s throats, and then there’s defending why you think it’s real in your own space. There’s standing up for your case, and then there’s starting ship wars.
I have my case on why I believe Levihan is real. I don’t think refusing to change my mind on it until presented with actual proof is toxic.
Hange blushing at Levi after she realizes her heard her wish to live with him is a scene that fits in with far more romantic tropes than it does anything platonic. I don’t understand why people are so reluctant to say so. In SNK, two people talking to one another about living together has been presented as a romantic trope for so many scenes. The nuance in Levi’s statement about unrequited love in Japanese is actually there and can’t just be ignored. Can these scenes be interpreted as platonic?
Yes, if you want to. Is that what the author originally intended? Well, we don’t know. We don’t have direct confirmation yet. As long as that lack of confirmation exists, then everyone has the right to their own opinion on it. My opinion happens to be that Isayama wrote it like that for a reason, and that it hints at something deeper between these two characters. So, what does this mean? It means that neither side currently can have the upper hand until the leader speaks. I can’t say Levihan is objectively canon, but others can’t say it objectively isn’t. That’s why I don’t believe what I’m doing is actually toxic. In fact, I’d say it’s closer to being toxic when people try to get you to stop standing up for your viewpoint with confidence if you’re not being disrespectful to anyone about it. I’ve seen plenty of antis try to get us to say that Levihan isn’t real because we’re not being objective observers otherwise. I’ve never seen non-shippers say this if we share our evidence. They find it curious, and if they disagree, they disagree. We move on.
I analyze this story a lot. I especially look a lot at Levi and Hange as individual characters. Even as a shipper, I can look through both of their arcs and not have to change anything to make their relationship relevant. Even if they both had feelings for each other that were mildly revealed in 126 and 132, it really changes nothing. The story stays the same. Their characters remain accurate. This is what made me realize that the idea of Levihan wouldn’t actually be that big of a deal, and that it wouldn’t be a shock if Isayama confirmed it one day. He would have every right to.
And as a fandom observer, I often wonder what people consider “canon.” Apparently your couple has to get married on screen before it’s canon, because people don’t even think AruAnnie is fully canon. They say EreMika isn’t canon because the two were never actually in a relationship. They say YumiHisu isn’t canon because the two had to separate. So, I guess mutual feelings aren’t enough for a ship to be canon in this fandom. Fine. Then by those standards, Levihan isn’t canon and neither are those other ships.
But yeah, that’s why I stay out of the fandom and just hang out on Levihan Tumblr where I can promote this ship without bothering anyone. To any future people who don’t like this ship but have taken interest in my metas, please know that I write plenty of things as objectively as I can, but I do have a ship that I like. If you ask me if I think it’s legitimate, I’m going to say yes, because that’s what I really think. I’ll say it as respectfully as possible, but I won’t be wishy-washy out of fear. Thank you ❣️
