@cosmicjoke Uggggh I Hate That Youre Most Likely Right In This Analysis, But A Little Part Of Me Holds

@cosmicjoke Uggggh I hate that you’re most likely right in this analysis, but a little part of me holds onto the hope that Levi’s non-reaction doesn’t stem from exposure to true sexual violence. Could it be possible that Kenny had a hand in his reception to the thugs’ attacks and taunting? Many in the fandom infer that Levi’s “pain is the best teacher” philosophy was formed in no small part due to Kenny beating the ever loving shit out of him in their combat lessons, and I feel it’s safe to add verbal lashings as a part of said lessons. With that, threatening to sell Levi off/leave him without protection to fall prey to some business-minded individual, even to impose himself over Levi in a way that could be read as sexual, seem like the kind of thing Kenny might view as a good character building exercise - providing a taste of what Levi can expect in the broader context of the Underground. If Levi has become used to this sort of treatment through Kenny’s “contained” examples, that may explain why he isn’t freaking out when confronted with the real thing and is able to remain focused on his objective to recover his mom’s tea set.

As for Levi not defending himself from the attacks… whelp. You got me there :,)

What Levi's Lack of Response to His Assault Tells Us:

Something else I want to talk about in "Bad Boy" is how Levi reacts to the treatment of the men who assault him, and what it tells us about him and his expectations for how he should or would be treated.

He doesn't cry, and he doesn't beg, and he doesn't expect anyone to help him.  He’s essentially non-reactive. 

Levi nearly gets beaten to death, and he's obviously in extraordinary pain, and he also gets threatened with sexual abuse, assault and kidnapping, and is spoken of as an object, rather than as a person, referred to repeatedly as "it" and as "pig food".  But he never really shows any fear, even as his face is twisted in agony and desperation, and he never really protests the treatment he's receiving, either through tears or pleading. He never shows any offense at how they speak to and about him. He never asks them to stop hurting him, and he never even tries to defend himself or get away. Even after being brutally beaten, kicked viciously in the chest/abdomen, he only tells the men to give his mother's tea set to him, that it belonged to her. He doesn't beg them to stop, or beg for mercy, or for his life, he simply keeps insisting that the set isn't theirs.

What this tells us about Levi is that he's used to this kind of treatment.

A child who wasn't used to being beaten or roughed up in this manner, or even threatened in this way, would with certainty cry and even fall into hysterics. They would scream and beg and cry for help. They would be sobbing. They would be terrified.

But Levi displays none of these behaviors. In fact, he even shows defiance in the face of their treatment, insisting they give him back what, by rights, belongs to him, and only fights back when they start speaking ill of his mother, something which highlights, once again, Levi's heartbreaking and inherent selflessness, that even then he felt others were worth fighting for, even as he felt no such inclination to fight for himself, something we see in him again and again throughout the main story. He did this knowing it was only going to result in him being hit again, knowing it was only going to result in him being more badly beaten.   He was willing to take that to defend his mother.

But again, Levi's lack of response, his lack of tears, lack of fear, lack of any attempt toward self-preservation, tells us that Levi is used to being smacked around and beaten up. That he's beaten almost to death, and he still doesn't show any fear or beg for mercy shows he's been raised to expect this kind of treatment, and that he's been raised to believe this is what the world is, and this is how people will treat you, that this is how he expects people to treat him.

It's pretty obvious to me from this that Kenny used to beat Levi, and that he let Levi get beaten by other men, probably in some twisted attempt to bring out Levi's power.

Further, the fact that Levi showed no, true initiative to fight for himself, despite the kind of treatment and threats he was being subjected to, shows that he didn't care if he lived or died, that he had no real regard for his own life, well-being or safety. It shows a breathtaking lack of self-worth. 

That’s what happens to a person who’s been repeatedly abused and exposed to deep trauma, physical, emotional, and mental, at the very least.

Further still, when Levi finally does fight back, his attack is completely ineffectual.  This shows us that, while Kenny taught Levi to fight, Levi himself showed no real ability, strength, talent for or natural inclination toward violence.  Despite Kenny’s lessons, Levi is still helpless, and even exceptionally so.  I’ve always thought if someone with a propensity for violence, like Eren, for example, had received the kind of training Levi did, he would have been deadly.  He was deadly, even without training, as we see with how he approaches Mikasa's kidnappers.  But we see here that Levi is completely at the mercy of these men, because, as I’ve said again and again, Levi isn’t naturally inclined toward violence.  I don’t think it comes naturally to him at all.  What this tells us is that, almost certainly, Levi was on the receiving end of many bad beatings without being able to actually defend himself, and doubtless all manner of other abuses.  And that would only have been worsened by what we see here in him, which is a total lack of will to live or sense of self-preservation. 

It isn’t even a will to live that makes Levi eventually kill these men.  It’s simply the awakening of his Ackerman powers, compelling him to act in defense of himself without thought, an instinct to survive sparked and driven by something outside himself. 

This story just continues to shatter my heart into pieces.

Levi really is a miracle of a man.  That he’s still so good, and so caring, and fights so hard for others, despite all of this… God, it’s truly devastatingly tragic. 

Thank you sm for your response, and such a thoughtful response! Your understanding of Erwin is one of the more well-rounded takes I’ve heard; people claiming him to be either a badass or a monster, much like in the show itself. Personally I think I’ll always lean towards the latter due to his blasé attitude towards sacrifice, tho I do understand how he got there. He is a flawed and painfully human character whose heart is in the right place more times than it isn’t, even when it leads him to do some unsavoury things

That analysis post about why Levi likes tea so much reminded me, with this panel, of something I also don't think people fully understand. Which is why Levi was so angry at Erwin at first, and why he was so out for his blood.

It's because he threatens Furlan's and Isabel's lives here. He orders his men to hold their swords to their throats, simply because Levi had refused at first to give him his name. Levi's belligerence on that front is rooted, I think, in how Erwin and his men are treating him and his friends. Having them down on their knees, in the filth and mud, with their arms bound behind their backs, making demands of them all the while. It's made worse when Erwin orders Mike to push Levi's face into the sewage. And that's what it is. It's sewage, not simply mud. You can see it coming out of the drain pipes. Levi was deeply upset by this, and understandably so. Putting someone's face into a puddle of sewage is a ghastly thing to do, especially when one really considers what the consequences of something like that could be. There's all sorts of diseases one could contract from inhaling that kind of filthy water. But it's what happens next that I think really drove Levi to wanting to kill Erwin.

Isabel is certain that the scouts are going to kill them in the above panel, and in a show of defiance, tells them to just get it over with. Furlan's face is frozen in fear, sweat trickling down it, because he feels the threat is real too.

But look at Levi's face.

Where before he'd only been angry, here, he's horrified, shocked and frightened. He realizes, suddenly, that Erwin isn't just capable of humiliating them, but seemingly willing to take their lives if he doesn't comply. He's threatening the only two people Levi has in his life. The only two people he's ever been able to call friend, and really, are more like his family. The two people he's done all he can to protect in the dangerous world of the Underground City. Basically, the two people he lives for.

I think some people tend to think Levi wanted to kill Erwin over wounded pride. Even just calling what Erwin did, before ordering his men to hold their blades to Isabel's and Furlan's throats, a case of wounded pride is an understatement, I think. He thoroughly humiliated Levi and his friends, and treated them inhumanely, as if they had no rights or autonomy. But it really wasn't that which drove Levi toward wanting to kill Erwin. It was that Erwin presented himself as a threat to his family.

Levi Ackerman Relationship Headcanons

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The way I gave an audible ‘AAAH’ at this artwork 😆 the absolute chokehold these three have on my heart

Hikaru Suruga, illustrator of ACWNR manga, posts Thug Trio artwork to celebrate Season 2 

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This totally represents how deeply Levi understands his comrades. How much he trusts them and supports their decisions. He's a great leader and a great captain without any questions.