#sorry for rambling this is so disorganised and I can't really put my fingers on a lot of feelings I have on the matter

[yaboylevi]

Hi, do you think Eren honestly cares about anyone in the survey corps anymore? I honestly think he doesn't anymore, he seems to just think they are pests in the way of his goals, also I get the impression Levi always cared about Eren more than Eren cared about him (cries into pillow) I do think Eren was bluffing about the things he said to Mikasa and Armin in hopes of protecting them. I hope this question didn't come across as salty or anything. I just wondered what is your opinion on this?

Hi there! Trust me, I've seen salty. This ask? Sounds sweet

Ok, so, my opinion on Eren at the moment is...wide. Meaning, I have some ideas, but I have no clue which one might be the right one. What I am sure of, though, is that the real Eren, deep down, still loves his friends. I have no doubts.

I think that what he knows and says is mostly the truth, but he amped up the cruelty of it all ("You are slaves", "I've always hated you", "You've become useless") in order to distance his friends from himself. I've sensed a certain kind of anger from him during the chapters spent on the 3 years timeskip, and it was always justified, in my opinion. But now he's saying things that are obviously false. He has never hated Mikasa. He gained info about the Ackerbusiness (that might not be the whole truth) and he may have grown to feel like she is indeed enslaved to that power, but he wouldn't hate her for it. He would feel sadness and he would try to break her free.

That's who Eren is, a person who tries to break free and wants the same for the people he cares about. These past months, I felt like Armin was being naive and cautious, maybe because of the new responsibilities on his shoulders, just like Hange. And Mikasa has always been "stronger" for Eren but also..."weak" to Eren. Eren may have realized all this and he's trying to change it. 

So he is lying about feeling free and hating Mikasa and he's certainly not enjoying physically hurting Armin. But there might be a little bit of truth underneath it all.

Also, he may want to put them in a position where Armin would finally choose to fight and Mikasa would go against Eren if the need arises. I have no idea of what Eren's plan is and what's going to happen, but Eren might think his friends will need to go against him in the future.

As for Levi and Eren, yes, I've always felt Levi cared..."more" for Eren. Eren has relied on Levi, opened up to him and let Levi's words guide him, as Levi is someone who has more experience and has Eren's unconditional respect and acceptance. Levi was Eren's mentor, after all. And that's also why Levi might feel a certain kind of responsibility for Eren and his actions. He worried when Eren was feeling uncertain and offered advice, cared about his safety, came to think Eren was their only hope, trusted him with his life on multiple occasions, understood him fully, accepted him. 

I think the difference is, Eren is sure Levi will always be there, he's an experienced soldier and Humanity's Strongest after all...but Levi doesn't, because Eren is always in danger, people - not only titans - want him dead, so he needs to make sure to be there and guide him because he's so young. He makes a bigger effort than Eren.