Thread by @L_Luck__

EMA saved Ymir
An exploration of the visual storytelling in the Rumbling arc of Attack on Titan, and the connection between the protagonist trio and Ymir’s character.

Thank you very much @lovelyYmir for this edit, and for help on the thread.

MANGA SPOILERS

Here's the summary of the thread. I elaborate more on what's in each box in the tweet numbers I indicate. So if you're interested in just one topic, you can go check it out.

Ymir’s character is one of few words. None, even. And so, everything to do with her character, just like her intro, is a lot more visual and introspective.

With this, before we get into the points regarding EMA, we should briefly explore Ymir’s character in some detail. 1

In this thread, @/lovelyYmir brilliantly lays out more specifically what hints her backstory gives us.
I’m going to attempt to summarize what she says, however she is able to word everything way more cohesively and in more detail. So, if you can, please check it out. 2

https://twitter.com/lovelyYmir/status/1419755775740813314?s=20

Essentially, the memories we see in chapter 122 pull the curtain on a life of a child, victim of mental and physical abuse by Fritz and his empire.

However, due to her limited life experience and perspective, she comes to accept the atrocities that are thrown at her. 3

It’s important to note that these “atrocities” are “atrocities” to us, but to Ymir, they are looked at as gifts and something she should cherish.

This is very simply exemplified when she finds godlike power in the Titans, yet chooses to obey Fritz and to gain his affinity. 4

Because of this, it’s not hard to imagine she would value her relationship with Fritz. In her perspective, to be with the King is likely the highest honor someone of “her rank” can have.

You can even say she comes to love Fritz but, of course, in a very twisted way. 5

And, I'd guess, like many victims of abuse, even if she feels negatively about what is happening, she never allows herself to validate what she’s feeling, and, in fact, hates herself for thoughts like those even coming up at all;
always thinking that she’s in the wrong. 6

And so, her story is very much alike the story of other victims, I'd say.

She doesn’t have a voice, and she doesn’t explicitly tell her story, which makes a lot of her thoughts to be kept to herself, leaving the observer to form their own conclusions and to try to understand. 7

And as a side note, this is why I find the Rumbling arc so interesting and brilliant. Isayama introduces a major character that heavily relies on visual storytelling and maintains that type of storytelling to the end of the story, adding another layer of depth to the narrative. 8

In the following tweets, I’ll try to explore how the protagonist trio of Attack on Titan is able to save Ymir from her many agonies and, subsequently, poetically end the story just as it started: with them three.

Let’s take a look at everything chronologically first:
9

Eren sees Ymir’s memories, and gives her a choice, perspective, and the confidence itself to rage, which allows her to let out all the anguish and loneliness she has endured for millennia. It also allows her to start looking within, and start to try to understand her own pain. 10

If before she was “a mindless slave”, Eren gave her the rage she needed to think and feel for herself, and to yearn for freedom.

Out of all the EMA’s interventions, Eren’s is the one that puts the path of healing in motion; that makes Ymir start looking for answers. 11

Ymir is able to be vulnerable with Eren and share her rage with him, because Eren not only offers her perspective, but also because he is able to see through her feelings, understand them, and validate them. 12

The Rumbling starts because, not only is it the manifestation of Ymir’s wrath against humans, since they’re the target of her rage, but also because it was Eren’s idea.
In a way, you could say Ymir shared the control of Paths with Eren. This “sharing Paths” idea is important. 13

After this we see Ymir witnessing Ramzi’s death, which reveals she is trying to do/see/understand something.

To me, seeing her witness the violent death of another child refugee, just like her, and yet letting the Rumbling continue is very telling: 14

Because of her traumatic experiences, her fury is directed at humans, the world; so she doesn’t care since she doesn’t understand why Ramzi’s life would be important at all.

In other words, she doesn’t waver in her rage because she doesn’t understand the value of human life. 15

This then leads to Armin and the speech in chapter 137. Here, he talks about the worth of human emotions, and the trivial moments behind them.

That there’s worth in each and everyone's own emotions, memories, and “precious little things” in life. 16

Zeke here talks a lot about pointlessness and the freedom in death, as well as other nihilistic ideas, which is something I’d say Ymir is probably thinking and relates to as well at that moment in time.

The line “lifetime of being manipulated” sounds familiar too. 17

After this, we see Armin and Zeke talking to past Shifters and turning the tide on the Battle of Heaven and Earth.

You can just dismiss this as something for the sake of plot, but I think there’s more here.
Namely, when it comes to Ymir’s state of mind. 18

Due to Armin’s pure idealism and hope, Ymir might have been able to understand the value of human life, and, now, would want to put a stop to her expression of rage, the Rumbling.

And so, just like in 122 to Eren, she would share with Armin and Zeke control of Paths. 19

With that being said, I’d like to point out the following train of thought:

If “Paths” is the manifestation of Ymir’s mind, and both are connected very intricately, then any shift in Ymir’s mind is going to have an effect on Paths and, subsequently, reality. 20

This is why the Battle of Heaven and Earth, and anything Paths or Titan related, are so abstract. All of these things are deeply associated with Ymir’s mind and state of spirit.
It’s easy to get lost in the justifications, but also interesting to think about the implications. 21

I think this notion, also clears a lot of minor gripes people have with chapter 137, regarding Armin and Zeke becoming “masters” of paths and the titan shifters helping the Alliance.

Just like in chapter 122 with Eren, Ymir allows Armin and Zeke to use Paths. 22

Going back to Ymir, you could say Armin’s speech is one that makes Ymir value somewhat what has been created thanks to her. Paths - A link to so many memories and precious emotions of so many people. 23

Maybe, this also made her reflect on what she really cherishes; on her “little precious memories” that made even the toughest of her times, bearable.

And perhaps realizing that her children were that important memory, allowed her to reflect more objectively on her love. 24

Armin’s role in saving Ymir is by far the most abstract one.

But I think it’s not that big of a stretch to say that Ymir did listen to him, which changed her stance from a hateful one towards humans, for a more hopeful one and appreciative one. 25

This is where Mikasa comes in. Now there’s a lot of ways to look what happened in chapter 138: her view of Eren changed from beauty to cruelty; coming to terms with the beauty and cruelty in the world; breaking away from her emotional anchor; etc… 26

My interpretation is that Mikasa was able to detach her affection from Eren due to her dependance on him, leaving her to express, for the first time, her true love for him in the kiss. This also allows her to cut his connection with him. I have more on this in this thread. 27

https://twitter.com/L_Luck__/status/1391194233193779208?s=20

From Ymir’s PoV though, what matters is that since 122 with Eren’s help, Ymir has been trying to understand her connection to the world, and why she has followed the orders left by King Fritz so vigorously, even though he was the one to cause her so much pain and agony. 28

Seeing Mikasa finding the bravery to break out of her attachment to Eren, makes Ymir introspect the nature of her own relationship to Fritz (borne of pain and abuse), which allows her to free herself from him, find her own pride and subsequently lifting the curse. 29

Another way to look at Mikasa’s act is that Ymir, by loving Fritz, again in her innocent limited perspective, had put an imaginary barrier in her mind that doesn’t allow her to stop loving Fritz.

With Mikasa’s act, Ymir finds an option that never thought was there. 30

This way, Ymir finds pride in the understanding of her connection to Fritz. That, above all, she cherished her own “little precious thing”, her children.

And that even though she realizes what the connection to Fritz led to was terrible, she makes peace with it. 31

I feel like this part of the story, from Mikasa’s perspective, has already been heavily debated and me talking about it more wouldn’t add more to the conversation. Here’s some threads that dive into it if you’re still interested. 32

https://twitter.com/cactuzzshash/status/1459291470985367559?s=20

https://twitter.com/oldsouleunoia/status/1432737863712448515?s=20

And here’s my previous Ymir thread, where I scrutinize, in as much detail as I can, each panel from Ymir’s backstory and connect it to Mikasa and Eren.

This EMA thread that you just read is really just an upgrade from this previous one.

https://twitter.com/L_Luck__/status/1391190669276950529?s=20

Thank you very much for reading!
Hopefully you found some value in what I explored here and that you find appreciation in the idea I bring forth: Eren gave Ymir rage; Armin gave hope; and Mikasa gave her pride. And that each of these moments were fundamental for Ymir to be free.

Be sure to tell me what you think! Even if you disagree! ^^

All right so there's a "mistake"/thing I worded poorly here.

What I mean by Mikasa "cutting her connection with Eren", is that she was able to cut her idealistic view of Eren. Or that she was able to detach her dependance on him from her love, etc....

https://twitter.com/L_Luck__/status/1486329481598017541?s=20

#mangaspoilers #aotmangaspoilers #aotspoilers #aot139spoilers