I think Levi is a really touching character, and that's part of the reasons why he's so popular.
It's been talked at length, how he's socially awkward, and has difficulty expressing himself because of how he grew up. It makes total sense - poor boy was raised until 4 in a brothel, in a literal slum, in abject poverty, was obviously completely alone with his mother, and then raised in part by his psychotic serial killer uncle, who then dropped him back in the street. It's a miracle he's not more rude, tbh.
But the thing is, Levi is very aware of how presentation matters and it's obviously important to him. He takes great care in his appearance - he's always so smartly dressed, just impeccable, of course very neat and clean. In one interview, he says outright that it's because he knows people are judged on their appearances, and he's always been seen as "the whore's son", "the Underground thug", prior to being accepted by the Scouts.
Even then, he has a stark awareness of his difference compared to all the other more privileged characters. He snaps when Petra remarks on his handwriting being beautiful, asking her if she thought he would be illiterate given his background - it obviously stems from his own feeling of inadequacy.
And then we learn from Erwin and Hange that he actually worked hard at having a beautiful handwriting when he was named Captain, because he wanted to set a good example, and because he's such a perfectionist.
I don't know why, but I find it all so incredibly touching. Like, Levi really has his fragilities, and it's easy to not see them, because he's otherwise so confident and self assured.
To imagine a character so powerful, so morally sound, fretting because he just doesn't want people to look at him and see "a rat from the Underground" or "that whore'son", as those disgusting merchants in Bad Boy call him, is just heartbreaking.
And then, when you take into account the way he remembers his mother, being "graceful and beautiful", and you realize he's just been emulating her this whole time, perhaps unconsciously...because Levi IS graceful af, he's canonically pretty, everything about him, down to his handwriting, is refined. And it's all coming from his own sense of insecurity, his longing to be accepted and seen as someone worthwile by the others, and the impact his mother had on him.
It's all very beautiful and brilliantly presented - Isayama really did wonders with Levi's character.
it’s always interesting to see people identify levi as being part of some military personnel or ultra rich ceo type in modern au because i feel like that couldn’t be further from who he is as a character. obviously the point of modern au is to just take seeds from canon and develop it into something fun and if i wanted accurate i would stick with the manga,so take everything i say with a grain of salt cause this is just me rambling.
it’s not that it’s a fundamental disservice to his character to imagine him however you want in a fanfic, especially when it’s a fic where his life circumstances are so exponentially different, but it does feel like it’s an oc cosplaying as levi since a lot of his circumstances/beliefs in canon directly tie into how he becomes the character he is, and why he’s so widely beloved.
from the first moment he’s introduced in acwnr it’s obvious how intense his hatred for social order and the machine that society is. from his mother being raped and exploited by pigs who take advantage of the diet poor conditions in the underground, leading him to being a street orphan whose only way to live was through violence, he knows intimately what it’s like to be exploited by a system that only looks out for those who can monetarily/politically benefit it.
he’s seen every single ugly facet of life and how far people are willing to go to benefit themselves, so i can’t see him going into any system that would actively profit off the suffering of others.
when he first joined the scouts (referring to after his first expedition, since before he was there purely under false pretences lol) he did so not out of a need for discipline or devotion to the government/ protecting people, but because he had respect/allegience for the individuals within the scouts, for their morals, goals, and beliefs. over time that motivation obviously evolved and warped as he experienced more fighting and loss but those initial motivations are still integral to him. and i don’t think that’s a sentiment that quite translates to a modern au, especially in regards to him joining any military/law enforcement field since those inherently go against his character imo.
i had an original point but i fear i lost it along the way and i don’t want this to be too long so i’ll wrap up by saying so many characters have empathy and strong morals, but levi especially is revered for his directly because of how rough and painful his life was and continued to be. in any other circumstances it would be understandable if not expected for him to be a cold-hearted person that only looks out for himself, but the fact that he isn’t despite all he has been through and lost is just testament to how strong of a morale he has. how even when all odds are against him he will keep fighting, whether that’s because it’s all he knows or because it’s all he can do. either way he never stops fighting for what he believes is right, or standing up for those who can’t do it themselves. he has so many admirable traits that you typically would not associate with him having such a calloused and hard life and idk i just feel like that’s something that’s hard to capture in a non canon setting.
(obvi enjoy what you want and write what you want, this is not a bash on anything/anyone just a personal observation and opinion. )
Oooh those Erwin ones were on point! Now it would be interesting to hear the common Levi misconceptions.
Thank you! It’s always a pleasure to answer asks about Erwin.
Arguably, I don’t think Levi is quite so prone to character misconceptions, as he’s much more transparent than Erwin; he speaks his mind bluntly and wears his heart on his sleeve. However, in my opinion, there are some persistent misconceptions about his actions. There were some wild theories about Levi doing the rounds during the Marley Arc and thereafter, but many of these have been resolved by the plot and the end of the series. A few I can remember off the top of my head were - Levi is blinded by revenge / Levi doesn’t care about his vow / Levi only cares about his vow / Levi doesn’t care about humanity / Levi’s too old to fight. There was even a rumour doing the rounds during the Marley Arc that when Levi reappeared, he would be married with kids! Anyway, here are some of the misconceptions that still seem to surface frequently from time to time
Levi is a violent thug / Levi isn’t a violent thug
There’s sometimes a tendency to paint Levi as black or white, rather than in shades of grey. Some see him as nothing but a ruthless killing machine, when in actual fact he’s one of the most selfless and compassionate characters in the series. I think it was @momtaku who once described him as the heart of the story. At the other extreme, some have a tendency to airbrush Levi’s undeniable violence and tie themselves in knots trying to explain it away. There’s no denying that Levi is violent, but his violence, like his compassion, is an integral part of his character.
2. Levi chose to "save" Armin
Levi chose to give the serum to Armin. He chose to save Erwin by allowing him to die, rather than dragging him back to hell. It's an important distinction. I’m endlessly bemused that this misconception is still doing the rounds given that Isayama has explained Levi’s actions quite clearly and unambiguously in the manga and the Character Guide.
3. Levi swore his vow to all his comrades.
This is another one that just refuses to die, despite all evidence to the contrary. @tsuki-no-ura has patiently gone to great lengths to clarify the nuances of language and translation. My much less nuanced explanation is that Levi swore his vow to Erwin, but he swore it on behalf of his fallen comrades, specifically those who rode out on the final suicide charge in Shiganshina.
4. Levi is straight until proven otherwise.
Originally translated by @ningen-suki way back in 2017. @tsuki-no-ura also has a great masterpost on this one.
See also...
I could go on, but it's probably best if I stop there!
I read a priest Levi fanfic and I want to know…do you think Levi would be religious? AU, Canon, or both.
I don’t want to sound controversial, this is just for funsies❤️ although, I think I now have a religious Levi fanfic idea in my head 🤔
Thanks Pookie❤️
hi!! how are you doing?
Hmm, I'm not sure! I personally am an atheist so headcanoning anything related to religion isn't something that usually crosses my mind 🤔 I will note that I do not have a very good relationship with religion in general, so please take what I say with a grain of salt 😭
I think if it's canonverse, he might not be, but only because the main form of religion we see are the Wallists, and as we were able to see, he was more annoyed than anything else by the argument between Nick and Dimo during the tribunal in season 1 regarding what they should be doing with the Wall/gates. If he was religious, I'd probably say he partakes mildly in the practice, as more of a thing to keep him going when times are hard, but I think his main drive is much more wanting to prove that the death of his comrades meant something
If it's a modern!au, then perhaps! I can't really think of anything to argue against it! I'm also not really sure with how religious identity develops, so I'm not the most well-versed in what would indicate if he would be religious or not 🤔 But you know my take on headcanons being whatever you wanna make them to be ☺️
SO YOU WRITE THAT RELIGIOUS LEVI FIC AND TAG ME IN IT WHEN YOU DO 🔪
↳ NOTE. back again with a levi ackerman ‘study’ hc lmao! here go some humorous thought blurbs and analytical bits, plus some classic midnight rambles to indulge.
↬ word count. 6k - bullet points
WARNINGS. nsfw, violence mentions, smut bits, d/s, restraints, mentions of unhealthy dynamics, insecure levi, sort of fem!oc but not very specified, virgin kink, mommy kink, aftercare stuff
- this dichotomy: levi might always be at the core of his time’s main stage (...because others want him to) but all of his personal interests are as alternative as can be — do the math.
- yes, he does this to stay alert. but refusing to take off your whole-body-harness unless you’re showering? says something about you. levi enjoys restriction as safety. he can handle the strain of being tied like that without even blinking. he wants it etched into him and cannot help it by all means. that thing probably does some things to you while sleeping. all the other squad members who want to be equally alert — and would even be slightly slower than levi to put it back on — all just don’t wear it to bed unless expeditions are concerned. and even there, he wears it the most religiously. oki doki mister ackerman. noted.
- new levi lore just in: may i remind you that the man instantly figured out how to suspend himself in the air with ropes and hooks? self-bondage 2.0... riggers press f to pay respects. he’d look pretty damn hot upside down from a ceiling in shibari. naked, just the cravat on (gotta stay neat).
- who doesn’t want to put the cat ears on levi. even the subs are curious how it’d look like. what a crime if that didn’t happen at least once in human history. the maid dress he’s basically almost wearing he’s halfway there my friends
- dude got the most insane arch.
- and now the following. he’d say “eh, what does that mean”, in fact you’d have to whip and fuck it into him until he moans it out loud (oh whew), but he sure as hell would get an ego boost from being called a pretty boy. owh yeah.
- because: a) levi is unsure about his looks all the way as we know. he might not seem like it, but he secretly wants a fuckton of reassurance. especially from the ladies. ”hey... i was popular enough...!”. he might not ask for it directly, but he sure prays it comes. you don’t even know how much he’s concerned with his appearance. despite shaking his head at compliments about his prettiness, he clings to that feedback all night.
- levi’s inferiority complex in terms of looks has piled up over the years and he never managed to really tame it. figures, he’s all surrounded by people who he perceives as fancy supermodels. who, without even doing anything, automatically make him look dull and neglectable... and we know what he feels about neglect. if anything, it’s levi’s #1 trigger. levi’s grudge against conventionally attractive people is so enormous because he believes that assures them closeness and impressiveness to loved ones.
- he doesn’t see any insecurity or losses on their part, he’s too preoccupied with his own demons and meticulously correcting his appearance. did you notice? he styles and grooms his body a whole lot for someone who’s seemingly so uncaring, and it’s not just to stay hygienic. he’s also too intimidating when battle-involved — which is 90% of the time — to be able to notice or even get other people’s positive reactions to him in a setting where his cute looks can be made a topic.
- plus the scenario of b) aka someone channeling lana del rey calling him their old man rich daddy which won’t go well. in fact, every syllable is bound to set him off. even if he earns rather decent survey corps loans, he’ll remain frugal all his life. bragging is a no-go, he saw the lowest end of the hierarchy and also the crimes of the highest. and even more importantly, levi reacts pissy at anything that even hints at his age, and his height anyway. he genuinely thinks himself an old wrinkly dwarf while in his worldview, the shining pretty boys are 6′1, lanky, and barely 19. it’s unreachable in levi’s mindset and frustrating because he still wishes he could be like that. news flash levi, you look the youngest. and you’re shining, too. have you seen those two swords twinkle underneath the moon... i’m getting carried away.
- so, c), anything that fights the exaggerations and misconceptions he finds in his mirror will flatter him. “am i a pretty boy? hange says i’m a grandpa. tch, who the hell fucking knows.” — even just wondering about it will be a massive improvement.
- levi only lightly suspects he has charm points. he’d probably only name a habit of his when asked what makes him attractive, not a body part. so letting him know that he looks good and pretty is very important for him not to feel neglected. levi’s curse of being left behind can be alleviated surprisingly fast with some pet names. people just don’t dare to call him that, for understandable reasons, he’s generally cranky at it and calls it nonsense.
- but, anyway. it’s not a bad idea to coo at levi. it only comes down how much he likes someone.
- people he loathes will be told off, if he’s into you he’ll be silent about it. there’s no ‘i wanna say i hate it but i’ll tolerate it and say nothing’ in his universe. if levi won’t utter a word, that’s an okay. if it’s not okay, he will dispel it as soon as possible. levi is so damn easy to see through it hurts.
- vice versa, levi will not once call you a petname. only the first name and nothing else, no remarks, not even cuss words, nothing. haven’t met a dom who hasn’t come up with at least one adorable pet name for their partner.
- “never thought i’d get bossed around like that. fair enough.” he’s that kind of guy.
- the more he’s pushed into conventions and aggression, the more terrible levi feels about it and secludes himself even further after his duty which he at least can manage well by virtue of his bloodline. but the stress? doesn’t excite him. especially when it’s not a tolerable means to an achievable end. he has no incentives and also doesn’t believe himself to be a role model for other guys — whereas male doms always bond and teach each other over said fact, just like dommes would. the guy who avoids all conversation and would rather pull other guy’s banter apart has quite another hidden opinion, does he. levi actually doesn’t like guys showing their loud and tough side just because. he finds it greatly disturbing and useless.
- levi knows something his environment doesn’t, but he knows them: because he’s a good listener. and don’t tell me a guy as ultra-explicit in tone couldn’t join an NSFW talk, or that he doesn’t want to belong to the group; he values friendship so tremendously. the real reason that levi behaves as an odd one out is that his sexual and romantic tastes are entirely different from the norm and he hates being upfront with it.
- listen. that guy would be the last person to be afraid of a dungeon. it just has to be impeccably scrubbed but he’s the one to do the sweeping and polishing anyway.
- levi the type... to kinkshame and not ironically develop said kink: cuz he already has it. fucking ackerman.
- he’s caught himself daydreaming about a tall dominant stepping on him. yes, levi’s fantasy kicks in sometimes. it tends to get drowned out because of the world he’s living in, and it’s filled with gruelling images all the time, but in some candlelight moments when his drive creeps up to him in his office... he does think a lot about sex. often wishing his mind wouldn’t, but the images just come to him. just like he thinks a dominant figure would emerge in his life and take off his responsibility, at least in the sheets where he’s the most anxious what to do.
- when it comes to situations where inflicting pain on someone is required, levi plunges into emotional chaos and redundancy in its measure as if something possesses him. believe me, to him it’s not that sexy. it’s not something he’d ever do for fun or trust himself to exert on a serious love interest he’s very closely involved with. levi couldn’t inflict any other type of touch after he’s been hugged and kissed and comforted. it’d be a dilemma to his muscle memory if they wanted him to top.
- and mind this. a dominant characterizes themselves by how controlled, enthusiastic, effective with few actions, and deliberate they are with applying pain. a good dom is also realistically strict rather than demanding the impossible, and has a 100% grip on their aggression, otherwise they’re just a mess. the unbendable rule for especially doms to abide by is called SSC, and one S is for sane.
- so if we’re realistic, levi in the majority of his moods would be of no use and even violate that golden code. he’s intense and unstable and his life is nothing but violence in excess which he guiltfully knows too damn well and wishes he wasn’t like that equally so. hence levi shies away from intimacy altogether assuming all people would ask him to top based on his unrelenting battlefield reputation. he has no idea what would happen in his already broken mind if he had sex with a lot of responsibility on him. that scares the living crap out of levi, who’s genetically wired to find a person in command, even more so. he might seem the most passionate and protective to a lover, but levi does not once believe he comes across like that.
- even when his submissive partner was assured that levi was in full control, levi himself would fear all things opposite to that, and be stricter than needed. he couldn’t demand a significant other to take someone as overpowering and rough around the edges as him. he doesn’t know what other methods to use than be too brutal. there, i said it. levi is a proper sub right at home on the receiving end partially because he’d make the most unhealthy dom. that’s the bitter pill. his only strength would be cleanliness (can’t beat him in that regard, though even there he goes overboard).
- when someone wouldn’t make for a sound dom, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a great sub. one doesn’t always imply the other. but wait... guess who perfectly qualifies. levi can handle all roughness and adrenaline, seeks guidance and emotionally doting figures, has the right balance of questioning authority and obeying, and he is a great little spoon if i may add among many other nice things.
- to give you an image. dominant levi is the shattered crystal, submissive levi the yet unpolished one.
- he’d be very happy to be taught your philosophy on all this. levi appreciates these types of people. he’s so closely working together with erwin and hange because, i paraphrase, they “look at something far up that i can’t see”.
- and man. at one point, you just gotta grow bored and pestered by people kissing your jiggling little heicho ass against your will. those people annoy the living underground out of him. if i were born levi ackerman, i’d look for doms, too. no wonder he’s irritated all day. people want him to be the one looking far up where they can’t see. he only knows how to do that with the ODM gear, and that lasts three seconds. if levi had a coin for each time someone wanted him to demolish their body in bed, he’d be richer than Wall Sina. which is exactly what he hates the very most, and he’d drown under these coins anyway. our boy can’t swim and is scared to learn it, remember.
- long story very short. even as the strongest person in the world, he still has it in him to look up to someone. too many unintended height puns in here, i gotta apologize to him.
- but hey, his subby mindset... his looks just add on to that. tortured uke meets raging catboy, he’s almost a full-on submissive tsundere stereotype (yea. dropping all the words in a row here). sure, guys who look that way can dom plus height is no indicator whatsoever. but it would be an absolute waste of cute and pretty and smol if we’re honest. levi looks great submitting. and he’d be secretly flustered by just that even if he’d comment a “tch!” about it.
- i mean. just imagine him talking back at you with that raspy voice. and then groaning and gritting because he’s cashing in on his punishments and gets his glossy hair pulled. well, well.
- he’s collected every bruise and blemish in the book from fights. the belts of his harness leave countless imprints on this skin during vertical maneuvering, too. hickeys, scratches, and marks are basically like sweet feather brushes to him. no big deal. except he’ll be emotionally attached to them since they are from you. he also likes getting marked because nobody will notice anyway even if he walked around topless. not that he’d flaunt it. he enjoys it in the privacy of his bathroom. oh shit, looking at your hickeys turns levi on. well... oi oi oi.
- calls every person on the planet a brat (even random passers-by lmao) and he’s suddenly the exception, huh? um. no way. especially since doing that makes him sound like a mega brat, the effect increasing with every time he does it.
- pretty tired of doing tough and brutish things at this point. levi just wants to be released from duty and have his tea peacefully instead of going nowhere with his efforts every time. strength burdens him a lot and rather backfires on him instead of being a useful tool he enjoys. of course he’s amazingly goal-oriented, but being domineering is the only valid manner of survival, not a cute option. between his bed posts, levi will choose differently exactly because of that.
- levi does consider his bed a different world. it’s sweet. but also quite a leap for him which is why he avoids it. he wishes a partner would to lead him back there, and take care of him, and make him feel good, so he would sleep in their arms, finally home.
- what strikes me a lot. he’s notorious for dismissing people who hail his ultra high rank and capacity for bloodbaths. levi didn’t fully decide to occupy this spot by free will. remember, levi was bribed into the survey corps and kenny brought him huge knives before even teaching him how to get food and connection due to the circumstances underground. the real levi was not meant to fly that dangerously high later on, lose so many, and be so machine-like at the same time, although it without a doubt made im a legend and irreplaceable. and yet, true levi that the universe meant would sit calmly in his tea shop, clean the counters, and have a reliable spouse. his tea is one of his only remaining fragments of that meant person. levi at his core is not strongly motivated towards power at all, nor an offensive guy, nor addicted to savagery, nor empty-hearted. and i think that’ll show during intimacy. especially since it’s something where he’s starting out on his own terms and wasn’t bribed into. it would be beautiful.
- let me tell you the ultimate doctrine and secret. little counterintuitive but hear me out. it’s better if the dom is a little weaker (albeit capable and firm) and the sub a little stronger (albeit sensitive and serving). not vice versa. because who has to take the whip strokes? shouldn’t be someone who caves or is afraid. spanking or choking or putting your fingers in your sub’s mouth needs more technical accuracy than muscle power. being the one receiving end... different story. not that domination ain’t hard for some practices, doms need to be proper, but you get the gist.
- unless gentle domination is concerned: weak subs defeat their purpose, believe it or not. and anyway: things get pretty dangerous the other way around if humanity’s strongest is involved as the overpowerful master torturer. granted, levi wouldn’t wanna hurt someone he loves. but the power imbalance is way, WAY too drastic to be any good. put him in the most submissive role you can think of and things are in much better equilibrium. strong but sensitive in a serving role is exactly him. he deserves that break to begin with.
- who said levi would find complete joy and relief in dominating? cuz that’s what you are very much supposed to feel if you found your zone. it’s easier to picture levi enjoying a forehead kiss in the remoteness of his office, and an order to get out his cleaning cloth because mommy’s boots got dirty and she wants him kneeling. that’s gonna make him melt so much and he’ll do it almost automatically anyway.
- inch resting... levi rejects worship immediately but doesn’t say anything with praise. do y’all see the difference? it’s the cutest thing, too.
- the animal you adore the most showcases the values and characteristics you seek. some psychologists go as far as asking their clients their favorite animal to know their ideal type. that’s why levi lovers are cat enthusiasts. in the meantime, i don’t have to tell you what horses stand for. cue google, pray tell:
- yeah. sounds exactly what levi wishes and searches for in a nutshell. psychoanalysis case closed.
- look at my horse, my horse is amazing... levi would totally espouse his dom with more pride than you’d usually see him exude. then again, have you seen how devotedly levi treats horses. like majesty indeed. he even gets his hands dirty for them and wants to cuddle, this stuff made me gasp.
- another thing to tie back to the weak/strong idea. submitting doesn’t force levi to compromise his innate strength. on the other hand: if he tops, he’ll have to curb it in all kinds of ways to tone it down to um human level. which he can’t gauge to begin with. he’s essentially a non-transforming titan as we know. imagine if he didn’t suppress himself entirely. in the worst case, his power could scathe his partner as it comes out vicious by default. levi’s physcial prowess is only adequate for absolutely gigantic creatures.
- so, at best, his partner gets sweet boy levi.
- oh, to make him tea for aftercare. he will ascend.
- and don’t be fooled by soft sub levi only. he got the freakiest side in him. mr. ackerman understands what masochism is all about on levels other people can’t even imagine. talks about it all the time as if he’s trying to prompt something. hmm.
- this guy’s philosophy in general screams bdsm not gonna lie.
- let’s remind ourselves how levi’s interests resort to cleaning and roaming the streets if he doesn’t follow some kind of directive by a higher-up. yes, he wants a certain degree of depending on someone, probably even too overtly for various reasons. obviously he’s not a helpless doormat to life (he may feel like it and get treated like it by circumstances, but he’s not) and still wouldn’t do this at the expense of giving himself up — complicated topic.
- but at the core of that rests a specific desire. besides needing a greater cause, he also needs that intimacy. most people would call levi independent by his battle initiative, but it is just that: combat smarts and good martial reflexes. in his emotional life, he’s still in a state of needing more guidance than most other people. skipped childhood, ackerman powers, you know the deal. he feels more hollow and even more universally deprived than most, which increases his drive to attach himself. in needy ways, almost.
- he sees using pain as a public lesson for someone who’s legitimately evil and a political threat rather than finding sadistic pleasure in treating someone he likes to it in private. he’d ask: “why the fuck do you want me to just slap you out of nowhere?”
- needless to say, he’s courageous enough for subbing. if you have as much as a foot in the door when it comes to bdsm practices, you’ll know subbing won’t be for the faint of heart. and i don’t mean courage in terms of pride or the frequent emotionless dom/whiny sub stereotype from doujins and fan arts that actually just depict vanilla dynamics. someone who believes subbing means being off the hook in terms of bravery either likes the softer sides of femdom or has no idea about d/s. then again, it’s common sense. and again, levi is the opposite of squeamish.
- just how much more flexible does he have to make himself to show you he’ll can be sexily bent to all your perverted likings. every dom can make use of someone this elastic. even monkey d. luffy is in awe of those twisty ackerman aerials.
- let’s talk principles. levi simply does not like to ruin beauty. ask his spotlessly-clean tea cup that didn’t have stains ever since he can think. almost every dom will tell you the opposite. we love inflicting messy stuff just because, corrupting pretty subs and ruining someone’s innocence in the most sexy way. what is making subs cry, cum all over themselves, and bring out their disgusting sloppy side but an act of degrading something gorgeous. when levi ruins something, he just wants to do away with it rather than revelling in the lustful destruction. the only dom wanting to preserve beauty is a caregiver. ask levi what childhood and uncle-associations he has with the word ‘daddy’... he’ll run for the hills.
- he’s the last one to baby and pamper someone in the first place. he can pat someone’s head and say thanks after some years — that’s all he can muster and that’s certainly not satisfactory for a needy little one.
- and as we said. levi is the needy partner at a second glance.
- it’ll take some time until he’s comparing himself less to other guys who vibe submissive, especially very handsome ones. he might even look at eren and wish he had more attributes like him (and strong girls pursuing him like that, why do you think they have such an odd rivalry). that eren makes a good and gorgeous sub but one lousy partner has to be pointed out to him even if he already knows. levi realizes that the lousiness truly radiates from the inside across all the good things, puts all else in shambles and it’s a shame. and so it stands, levi would rather have no clue at subbing than be a cataclysmic boyfriend so there’s that, priorities. and the no clue thing can be worked on very easily. levi is the fastest ever physical learner. so, no problem, luv.
- who doesn’t wanna pull that undercut hair. come on. it’s made for it.
- you’ll never know if his mind plays things much raunchier and wierder than... i mean what to use for comparison... say, hange’s strange titan science methods. levi’s vocabulary is 1000% NSFW after all, it’s not like his thoughts will sound like a sonnet. this guy’s fantasy must be a firework. i wonder about his romantic dreams as well if he has them.
- this guy’s just out there blatantly posing with his ass and legs, man. how many more invitations does it need.
- yes. dear ole human insecurity... it’s an esteem and safety thing to you. how much more of a confidence boost can you get knowing you can bring the strongest guy ever to knees. and it’s because levi wants to give you that confidence. you might not realize you’re giving it to him in return.
- let’s be entirely real. levi can handle getting a ride. the hardest you can think of. his body is so 1000% vibranium that wolverine is jelly, you think levi’s dick suddenly isn’t?
- he can easily take the strap, too. this guy has felt so much, anal is peanuts and he enjoys the heat (if everything is perfectly clean, mind you). if there’s one person not made of glass it’s him, he can take a pounding. but you can’t take a pounding by levi. don’t deceive yourself.
- you’ll snap in half before he even gets started and thinks he’s going at tolerable levels. pair your mortal physique with his spiralling OP skills and you get internal bleeding at level one intensity already. “he’ll be gentle” — levi has not once been taught what being gentle with a sexual partner means. and it’d be a lot to do if you were to teach him all that. it wouldn’t emerge naturally this way.
- he has a hard time figuring it out emotionally and physically and would rather entrust those things to you. he’d rather be able to trust you being gentle with him than unfuck his DNA.
- the pure reality being: he is the consequence of a lab experiment superhuman designed to annihilate 60-meter titans within split seconds. for eldia there’s been no use to genetically tweak an ackerman to have any throttle on their power once it gets going since they were created to deal with almost unsurmountable enemies.
- generation-long engineering lead him to be the most violent warrior in history and that’s been out of levi’s control. he hates everything about it — lotta people like his immense brutality but he not once said he did, guess why it’s not hot, it’s horrible. he possesses above average empathy which comes from kuchel and his endless list of losses, but has been notorious in not being able to translate it. instead, his body just resorts to more violence by muscle memory traded since ancient times. levi has no clue about moderation. there’s a reason why the harness stays on 24/7, it’s the only way he can feel contained and orderly with less chance of snapping.
- levi feels the most ever comfortable being completely bound and controlled and even secondary to someone. subdued to a command which he has to follow no matter what. rather than being put in a position where he could even just accidentally hurt his significant other, or is asked to, which he’s conflicted about.
- he’s too overwhelmingly furious and feely to be ordained a sadist who has to operate from logic at all times. he only fully functions as a subordinate since that’s drilled into his brain down to most of his cells, as inhumane as that sounds. well, because those experiments were just like that, against humanity. his biology won’t fade unless titans and his traumas all fade. which becomes especially apparent in bed when inhibitions are low anyway. if he’s honest, he’d avoid sex altogether. only the prospect that a simple order will put him in his place and make him never harm you could convince levi to be intimate.
- so i repeat my cause. you can’t rely on the test tube war machine part of him being unbearable on your body if you’d command him to hurt you sexually. levi would forbid it to you anyway, before you could even speak it out loud as long as he can resist the instruction. he has no interest in being awakened all over again. he wishes the titan power in him could just go to sleep.
- which is where submission comes in. yes, if he does it, he does it out of guilt and fear in the beginning. but then, for the purpose of guaranteeing that he will love you no matter in what state he’s in.
- if he’s locked and chained and cuffed, levi doesn’t have to anxiously preoccupy himself with figuring out which level of strength is the limit that he can exercise. and trying to read your reactions, which he is frequently clueless about, anyway. meanwhile. if he submits, levi’s own limit is too high for you to even reach in your whole lifetime so you might as well go ahead with whatever you fancy, obviously if he’s fine with it. knowing him, he’s fine either way unless it’s too hygienically... challenging.
- for the sake of the argument: even your hardest punch — if you employed it — can’t unsettle him much less than even remotely destruct him. flip it around? levi’s hardest hit tears you to pieces until you’re just ash and atoms propelled to the other end of the galaxy. and that’s just the punch and not even the kick.
- i think you get whose task it is to lead and ‘regulate’ your sexual interactions. in the exact sense of the word, setting rules. levi likes those.
- he believes himself to be a ticking bomb who’d have to stay away from someone. but levi also has his heart saying he needs somebody, and that his scientifically created abilities are not really him nor his fault so what the hell is he gonna do.
- surrendering himself is the only loving choice he can make, and levi is very loving when given the chance. on top of being the guy who says to pick the option with least possible regrets so the case is more than clear.
- there’s a reason ackermans were designed to follow authority within the walls. you cannot put someone as unleashed and artificially rage-guided as that in the leading position to just sit there and sign laws. and they are too powerful not to have someone give them a clue, too powerful not to have a loophole to channel their ability and mold it. if levi has to make use of this inherent feature to make love happen safely? he will let you use it. in fact, he begs you to, so he can stay normal and not go insane.
- he virtually has no motivation to just go and blow your back out until you’re screaming. he thinks that’s disgusting. most of his steam he’s blown off in the air. levi does not want power over a person, he has always wanted power over his living circumstances. huge difference. he will only punish people who he instinctively knows are evil, and never in sexual ways.
- the guy’s not dumb. he sees what happens when an ackerman plays the angry protector of someone all whiny. he just has to observe mikasa with eren for two minutes or less.
- levi fully gets how it shouldn’t be done for a fact. ask erwin if you can, levi also found out what happens when he’s supposed to be giving the decisive order. the problem is: levi hasn’t seen the full truth how it should be done, then. i think you are very capable of showing him. he’s a simple guy, it’s not a giant challenge for you.
- look. it’s easy. just taking him by the waist, and you asking if you can pull him in for a kiss when he’s pinned against a wall blushing... will trigger some stuff inside of him that will sustain your dynamic for as long as the two of you desire it to do so. after all, his power makes him know exactly what to do according to your wishes.
- did you know that lover skills are also part of that? his power concerns his body movements, after all. oh yum. they adapt to how he’s talked to.
- that’s why levi is so unreachable romantically for almost everybody. he has to know he’s in good hands. nobody discerns more.
- like seriously. if someone would seize his obedience completely and eradicate all other options for him, he could be pressured and violated at the snap of a finger. someone with as many opponents and obsessive suitors as him has already double the caution at play in his interactions. yes, he’s afraid of rape. the strongest man on earth. he’s seen too many of these people underground; he always envisions his obedience getting exploited for something one-sided in all kinds of scenarios.
- levi’s bloodline also has generational trauma from persecution and almost complete extermination. just how many criteria you have to fit for him to let you in is quite impressive. subs, and especially if they have that ackerman mechanism like him, are always even choosier than the most anxious doms could ever be. consider levi liking you and letting you take control a knighting and testament to your charater (and how much he needs and loves you, anyway).
- not making levi moan and sweat and squirm like crazy would also just be a waste of being able to witness the hottest, sweetest thing. levi, silent and raw in bed? eh, same old, and not romantic at all. if anything, it’s robotic. the atmosphere would be terrible. vocal levi is just so much more incredible.
- if levi’s docile, he feels sheltered. if he’s hostile, he’s threatened.
- yes, i gotta roast him on this even more. unless his personality suddenly changes from the ground up, levi would make for a strangely erratic dom who couldn’t easily hit any nuance or range. it is possible. but he’d have to try and practice and scold himself out of his hardwired patterns to get there.
- dominants are collected and kind and systematic, ready to teach and spoil someone endlessly. if a dom isn’t giving and able to fawn a little or a lot over cuteness, even the more serious tops, what’s the point? they’re also the types of people who want to dump softness and comfort on their subs during aftercare and come up with all kinds of ways to achieve that. i’ll be honest. levi would be awkward rather than a natural. i can’t picture him anywhere near ‘awh, you sweet little thing i love love love you cupcake boo’ (okay that’s a lot but anyway) or ‘come here, let me apply this, you did so well, you’re amazing’.
- even in the most hardcore categories of bdsm, every top needs a loud fanboy or fangirl mode for their sweet baby darling up their sleeve. at best, levi goes “---” and grits his teeth mumbling some roundabout consoling. more things are not in his vocabulary, he’s not made for it. he can devote himself, but not hold a speech of love. even in a great mood you get a standard thank you phrase and that’s it. for some spartan subs, maybe a short well done is enough. but excellent doms find lots of accurate words highlighting their sub’s greatness in all apparent regards (just like they could be constructive and careful).
- so. if you can’t do praise speak, and i’m not saying a whole essay but just a proper string of acknowledgements, quit the game. even less talkative and doting doms gotta be able to do both. smack talk and quality compliments that are decently elaborate.
- the best affirmation levi’s mind can come up with is ‘don’t die you shitty fool’ or something in that vein. of course the good intention is clear. and he can’t put it in any other way. and yet. doms just can’t relate. we almost excessively pride ourselves in becoming our sub’s greatest supporter and being able to express it at length. if ye don’t tell your subby sweetheart that they’re a beautiful gift and they’re so adorable frequently, what are you even doing? just going feral on them doesn’t count, it’s incomplete. brutalizing and then frowningly patching your sub together without a word ain’t it.
- before i rip him apart completely, let’s flip that scenario and put levi on the receiving end of aftercare. oh well, let me tell you how nice that would be. for you and him alike. levi gets his fill of affection in an intimate state where he can grow to accept it, and you can just take care of him and do the soothing things he really needs. also, what better thing is there for him to be cleaned by you personally. hallelujah.
- and, talk about cleaning. if levi doesn’t radiate malewife energy...
- he’s been surrounded by gals who would make the sexiest dommes ever since years. nothing new to him. hange has an excited sadistic streak, annie can kick any guy’s ass, ymir is the most butch top i’ve ever seen, historia is out there beating him up for fun (...and he was just smiling), and let’s not forget mikasa who’s all about protecting her beloved. levi would be more surprised by someone who vibes the opposite. his entire social enviroment is like... hello, we are the dommes.
- kenny would get confused af if levi didn’t come along with a tough lady at the gates of heaven, so.
- talk about being drunk on something, levi is such a boobs guy, i mean just smother him for tea time and he’s a happy man.
- i mean. someone who doesn’t give a shit and holds his blades in reverse is open to experimenting.
- levi can feed a dom’s virgin kink to literally no end. jesus christ. i know it’s been making the rounds.
- since he’s older in particular, that makes corrupting him and making him messy in a playful way even more orgasmic. just-turned-18-year-old virgin sub giving a dom their first time? come on. boring and creepy. and even if the dom is the same age, how skillful and sophisticated and perfected in their practice can they even be to make it amazing at its fullest? meanwhile: levi, he’s seen it all. he’s experienced in life, he’s been so strong. him, gifting his vulnerability and the only remaining unexperienced thing about him to you? the utmost honor.
- that levi’s received hype at the ends of the earth in the most niche communities and all the tops like him. we’ve come full circle, do the math here as well.
- not a logical reason but... how to say it.... he’s so endearing.
- and that’s all folks now you heard about why levi is so subby
more levi writings: mlist
final note. i want to go on debating about horses 😂
I know people freaked out about Jeankasa ended up together after Eren’s death. Isayama is pulling a lame Titanic on Eremika. Mikasa was young when Eren died and she always wanted a family. That’s why she married Jean, had kids, and grand kids, but her heart belongs to Eren, as you can see she still wore that scarf as an old grandma.
Take a close look at 139. In Mikasa’s final panels, she was alone, telling Eren that 104 were going to visit him soon. In Jean’s final panel, he looked freshly groomed. Pieck asked Jean whom he was going to impress, to which Jean hesitated and said some random woman on the island. Sure, Jane. That’s Isayama paving way for future Jeankasa. But as I said, that’s part of Eremika’s Titanic plot.
I’m a Levi stan. Will Isayama pair Levi with a woman in the same way in added pages? Arnnie? Pieck? Historia? A farmer girl? Hahahaha hella no. Again, take a look at 139. Isayama has already given Levi a family: Onyankopon (friendship)+two kids (family love). Levi’s age, the wheelchair, his facial scar, broken eye ... that’s Isayama killing off any possibility of Levi’s new romance.
According to leaks, Levi died at an old age. I’m happy for him (update: this one proves to be fake. There is no mention of Levi in added pages. My man might have died at an early age. We don’t know).
Like I predicted, Isayama left Levi alone. Levi’s ending in 139 has already given us critical clues about the rest of his life and the love of his life.
Here: https://qr.ae/pGng3K
I highly recommend this Quora answer, a detailed analysis of Levi’s romance based solely on manga proof, as well as the writer’s reply about the message of Levi’s ending.
Just some random thoughts and theories about Ackerman Clan.
We do learn from Granda Ackerman that Ackermans used to be a close family to the royals, just like East Sea Clan. What made them different was that they were the shield and the sword of Royal Family. At Chapter 93, we also learn that they are a myth only royal family knows.
At dark ages, Eldia Empire enslaved Marleyans and so told tried to etchnically erased them over 1700 years, of course as Kruger said so logically, this makes no sense.
What if like Eldians were trying to make humans more titan-like, what if they were making experiments on Marleyans like Titan Chemistry Research Society is doing on Eldians recently? And the conclusion of those experiments are Ackerman Clan?
We don’t know much about Dark Ages where Eldia Empire ruled, what we do know is not reliable and changed by many people many times. But R.I.P Eldia Empire and Marley Empire are more alike than any Marley would be able to acknowledge.
Eldia defeated Ancient Marley Empire, relied too much on Titan powers and got defeated by Marley thanks to their super power human brain a hundred years ago.
And now, Marley is cornered at a close situation. They relied too much on Titan power that Mid-East Empire was nearly defeating them with their super power aka developed tech and they also know if they do not stop relying on Titan Power, they are done for.
It is really like a wheel that keeps turning endlessly, one time Marley is at top, one time Eldia.
If those who are at the top of it really did and are crush the ones at bottom, this would be just another piece to show how similar they actually are.
So what I am saying here is what if Ackermans actually Marleyans that somehow got injected with Titan powers? That would explain a lot. That would explain why King Fritz can’t control them even though they are not Eldians yet how monstrously strong they are even though they are humans. Not Marley, not Eldian, something in between. Outcasts that can’t be controlled other than one thing.
Their lieges.
I wonder if the actual reason Ackermans have lieges is to keep them under control. They can reach the great power that lies within them only if they choose a liege they are going to serve under. They gain a great control over their body and mind in order to be under control of that one person.
For a long amount of time, these people were chosen from royal family. After Ackermans rebelled to King with East Sea Clan, they also gained the freedom to choose their own liege yet they still are the slaves of their great strength and their lieges thanks to blood running through their veins. Yet again, they still have free will and they still can make individual choices. Maybe, the hanged Ackerman chose to give up on his life and the status Ackermans have within royals and chose to rebelled to gain this freedom. Even if it is just a little bit.
It would be fitting to learn that Ackermans are some kind of genetically changed Eldian - Marley hybrid instead of super mysterious magical winged ninth titan.
Hello! Is there any official arts where Levi is drinking? Does Levi even drink alchocol?.. Please, would you help me to clear that fact?
Thank you!!
There are indeed! This is one of my all time favourite pieces of official Eruri art. It's from the old 3DS game, and the text that went with it as translated by @oscarforjm.
The New Joiner Welcoming Party
The time is before the 57th expedition. Erwin is hosting a welcoming party for the new Survey Squad joiners (i.e. 104th). Erwin does not join the party and sits somewhere away from the crowds drinking alone because he thinks the kids cannot really relax if he is also in the party. Levi finds him.
Erwin “In order to save human race, I will have to send these new kids to death”
Levi “To me, as long as titans are being killed, it’s fine. You know about it right?” (Note: Levi is trying to comfort Erwin saying that Erwin is not doing something evil and he wants to re-confirm Erwin that he will never deny Erwin’s choice :)
Erwin “Yes……………I totally rely on you, Levi”
Levi “Huh……………..are you drunk?”
Erwin “……………………..may be I am”
You can also see Levi drinking in the manga in chapter 72 and again in a flashback to the same night in chapter 130.
Levi also appears to be drinking some kind of alcohol in this visual for the official Shingeki FLY Afterparty event.
In terms of Levi's alcohol tolerance, there was an article in Kodansha's FRaU magazine back in 2014, which included an interview and Q&A with Isayama. @fuku-shuu posted a partial translation from the Chinese:
Q: Captain Levi loves his tea, but does he drink alcohol? What about other characters like Hanji, Moblit, Erwin on the veterans’ side? Who has the highest tolerance?
A: Levi can handle his drink, but the unfortunate Moblit drinks the most.
Before leaving this topic, I'm also going to include this one just for funsies. Please enjoy Levi getting hammered with Rascal the Raccoon.
