(FANMIX) Shingeki no Kyojin - Captain Levi - Take Back Control
Finally, my entry for waywardmixes' Round #23, Character Study! It took me really long this time to get the mix going - to start with, I had some trouble defining what exactly was a character study. By reading some fics, I've concluded it is an exploration of the many facets of a character and some elaboration on why they do the things they do - and I tried to choose songs accordingly. I've been wanting to make a Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan mix for a long while, and I've been enamored with Levi the moment he skewered that Titan and saved the Golden Trio. The mix wound up more intense than I would've imagined when I started, but this is just Levi to me - I think that, beneath the jaded look, his feelings run deep.
If you've only watched the anime, beware for MANGA SPOILERS. If you're a Shingeki no Kyojin fan, I recommend you read the latest chapter before checking the mix.
Take Back Control - A Captain Levi Fanmix
THE MANGA:
Shingeki no Kyojin (English title: Attack on Titan) is an ongoing shonen manga series written by Hajime Isayama. It spawned several adaptations and spin-offs through various media formats, including an animated adaptation of the two first arcs. It tells us of the plight of a world where humanity has been decimated by a race of humanoid giant aberrations known as Titans, and forced to live in a fortified country behind three humungous circular walls made to keep the monsters at bay.
In the year the main storyline starts, the outermost wall is broken open by a 60-meter-tall Titan, who opens the way for its smaller kin to massacre the humans inside -- forcing humanity to give up territory, causing the death of 30% of the remainder of the human race, and leading protagonist Eren Yeager to declare in a fit of murderous rage that he will kill all Titans, one by one.
THE CHARACTER:
Simplified Version: Levi is one of the high-ranked officers of the Survey Corps, the military branch which executes operations to reclaim lost land and find out more about Titans (and whose members most often become Titan food). He's really really really good at killing Titans and is labeled "Humanity's Strongest Soldier".
Some of what follows now is my own headcanon, since we don't know the whole of Levi's story yet.
YOUTUBE PLAYLIST:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTOynTJqzkR_4JXIs-SdxXu97LCZAi1je
SONGLIST:
I.
Definition of Destiny | Billy Talent
So get off my road
No, I won't be told
'Cause I've got my own
(Definition of destiny)
Yeah, take back control
And don't let it go
The future's unknown
(Definition of destiny)
(We know Levi used to live in the underground district under the Capitol, a place inhabited by criminals and the destitute. We also know he and his friends, Farlan and Isabel, took possession of a few sets of 3D-maneuver-gear -- an equipment that allows soldiers to move up and down, almost like they're flying.
We also know Levi didn't ever conform to the idea of staying forever underground, or even of staying behind the walls. By taking possession of that equipment, the three friends started making their own destiny.)
II.
Even Smaller Stones | Embrace
When you set me up
Put me where I'd do most harm
And you tried your luck
And now it's time for you to learn
'Cause I will break your rubble into even smaller stones
Yes, I will burst your bubble and then laugh at what I've done
(Levi and his friends are forced by Squad Leader Erwin Smith to join the Survey Corps as punishment for their crimes. Levi doesn't want to just sit quietly, though.
"That bastard... Once I get the chance, I'll kill him straight away.")
III.
The Archers Bows Have Broken | Brand New
Who do you carry the torch for, my young man?
Do you believe in anything?
Or do you carry it around just to burn things to the ground?
(Farlan and Isabel are nowhere to be seen in the main storyline. It's not hard to guess what happened to them.
Suddenly, Levi's revenge must have seemed a little pointless.)
IV.
Survive | Rise Against
Life for you has been less than kind
So take a number, stand in line
We've all been sorry, we've all been hurt
But how we survive is what makes us who we are
(At some point, Levi stopped wanting revenge and became Erwin's most loyal subordinate. I like to think Erwin and him had a talk at swordpoint and Erwin pointed out that everyone's life had been sucking recently - but that Levi didn't have to let that define him. He could choose differently.
Think of this song as a dialogue.)
V.
Butterflies and Hurricanes | Muse
Best
You've got to be the best
You've got to change the world
And use this chance to be heard
Your time is now
(And so Levi becomes the mythical figure of the "World's Strongest Soldier" - the unstoppable force that will lead humanity to victory.)
VI.
April Fools and Eggmen | Fair to Midland
Common sense won't pay the rent and doesn't grow on trees
But splitting hairs can get you anything you need
Who would have thought connecting dots might get you to the point?
But charity is a rarity, almost as much as modesty
(Being in the Survey Corps majorly sucks. They are the ones going outside and getting their asses busted fighting Titans, and they keep having to fight tooth and nail to be able to do their fucking job. Every move they want to make has to be approved by everyone and their cousin, and, by the end of the day, they're crossing the street and they're still "the squad of useless lunatics".)
VII.
The Light Behind Your Eyes | My Chemical Romance
So long to all my friends
Every one of them met tragic ends
With every passing day
I'd be lying if I didn't say
That I miss them all tonight
And if they only knew what I would say
If I could be with you tonight
I would sing you to sleep
Never let them take the light behind your eyes
One day I'll lose this fight
As we fade in the dark
Just remember you will always burn as bright
("Captain... was my death... useless? This way... will I die without... contributing to anything?"
"You have done a great deal. And you will continue to do so. The resolve you leave behind will give me strength. I promise you... I will obliterate the Titans!"
"Captain... He's already..."
"...Did he listen till the end?"
"Yes. Surely, he did. After all, he died so... peacefully..."
"...Then it's all right.")
VIII.
Skin and Bones | Foo Fighters
Lately I've been measuring
Seems my time is growing thin
Wind me up and watch me spin
Watch me spin, watch me spin
Skin and bones, skin and bones
Skin and bones, don't you know?
I'm just skin and bones
(As the years pass and he sees his men dying and dying again, without ever achieving anything, that he will die fighting becomes a matter of when. To survive in the Survey Corps, one has to learn to grow numb.)
IX.
From Yesterday | 30 Seconds to Mars
He's a stranger to some and a vision to none
He can never get enough, get enough of the one
For a fortune he'd quit, but it's hard to admit
How it ends and begins, on his face is a map of the world
(A map of the world)
From yesterday, it's coming
From yesterday, the fear
From yesterday, it calls him
But he doesn't want to read the message here
(Levi, the myth, Humanity's Strongest Soldier. A man who is not deaf to the cries of yesterday, to the cries of a time when humanity could live free, a man who will certainly see the world beyond these walls.
The man who's just killed a Titan and stands before Eren, Mikasa and Armin with the Wings of Freedom on his back.
"Hey, brats. What's happening here?")
X.
Kingdom of Welcome Addiction | IAMX
Do you remember? You're burning down
Forced to take sides
Your taunted charm and your broken smile
Touched me unexpectedly
(Usually, Erwin is the one who does the talking, and Levi just stands there and is blunt and scary. But the Titan kid, Eren, smiles a completely deranged smile and talks about how he always wanted to join the Survey Corps and kill all Titans - and Levi likes what he sees.
"I accept your entrance into the Survey Corps.")
XI.
Trust Me | The Fray
If I say who I know, it just goes to show
You need me less than I need you
Take it from me, we don't give sympathy
You can trust me, trust nobody
(The 57th Expedition Beyond the Walls - as Levi and his Special Operations Squad are being chased by a smart Female Titan, Levi takes the opportunity to give Eren an important lecture:
"Believe in yourself, or believe in the Survey Corps and me. I don't know. I never have, I can believe in my own abilities or the choices of the companions I trust. But no one ever knows how it will turn out. So choose for yourself whichever decision you regret the least.")
XII.
Broken Wings | Alter Bridge
In my opinion, seeing is to know
The things we hold are always first to go
And who's to say we won't end up alone?
On broken wings I'm falling
And it won't be long
The skin on me is burning
By the fires of the sun
On skinned knees I'm bleeding
And it won't be long
I've got to find that meaning
That I've searched for so long
(Levi cares about each and every one of his men, but the members of Levi's Special Operations Squad are the ones he holds most dear - the ones he chose personally. He trusts them and he cares for them and he gets fucking pissed whenever someone puts them at risk.
The look that crosses his face as he goes along to rejoin his Squad and finds their brutally mangled corpses is quite the sight.
Their deaths spur him on as he rescues Eren from the Female Titan.)
XIII.
Goodbye for Now | P.O.D.
I can still see the light at the end of the tunnel shine
Through the dark times, even when I lose my mind
But it feels like no one in the world is listening
And I can't ever seem to make the right decisions
I walk around in the same haze
I'm still caught in my same ways
I'm losing time in these strange days
But somehow I always know the right things to say
(In the aftermath of the 57th Expedition, sidelined because of an injured ankle, Levi has a lot of time to think. He is frustrated and feels he is wasting time by being away from the action. He also mulls over the uncertainty of their future, with all the major revelations that he has come to know of lately.
And for the men he lost, he grieves.)
XIV.
Before I Die | Papa Roach
Don't change when it's too late
("Then... is that it? It means the flesh I was frantically cutting was a part of humans... Then I've only been killing people right and left... until now?"
In which Levi blames himself for not being able to save the people who have become Titans, and inwardly swears to devote himself to find a way to end that indignity.)
XV.
This Is War | 30 Seconds to Mars
It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie
The moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight
To fight, to fight, to fight
(SPOILERS FOR LATEST CHAPTER: and so, for the sake of Humanity, the Survey Corps have declared war on the Government and the Military Police, believing them responsible for hiding the secrets of the Walls and of the origin of Titans. For the sake of the world beyond the walls, they will fight.)
Thanks for Crimson Flower Translations for the bit of dialogue I got from their translation of "Kuinaki Sentaku", and thank you, listener, for bearing with me till now! Please tell me what you think!
If you've only watched the anime, beware for MANGA SPOILERS. If you're a Shingeki no Kyojin fan, I recommend you read the latest chapter before checking the mix.
Take Back Control - A Captain Levi Fanmix
THE MANGA:
Shingeki no Kyojin (English title: Attack on Titan) is an ongoing shonen manga series written by Hajime Isayama. It spawned several adaptations and spin-offs through various media formats, including an animated adaptation of the two first arcs. It tells us of the plight of a world where humanity has been decimated by a race of humanoid giant aberrations known as Titans, and forced to live in a fortified country behind three humungous circular walls made to keep the monsters at bay.
In the year the main storyline starts, the outermost wall is broken open by a 60-meter-tall Titan, who opens the way for its smaller kin to massacre the humans inside -- forcing humanity to give up territory, causing the death of 30% of the remainder of the human race, and leading protagonist Eren Yeager to declare in a fit of murderous rage that he will kill all Titans, one by one.
THE CHARACTER:
Simplified Version: Levi is one of the high-ranked officers of the Survey Corps, the military branch which executes operations to reclaim lost land and find out more about Titans (and whose members most often become Titan food). He's really really really good at killing Titans and is labeled "Humanity's Strongest Soldier".
Some of what follows now is my own headcanon, since we don't know the whole of Levi's story yet.
YOUTUBE PLAYLIST:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTOynTJqzkR_4JXIs-SdxXu97LCZAi1je
SONGLIST:
I.
Definition of Destiny | Billy Talent
So get off my road
No, I won't be told
'Cause I've got my own
(Definition of destiny)
Yeah, take back control
And don't let it go
The future's unknown
(Definition of destiny)
(We know Levi used to live in the underground district under the Capitol, a place inhabited by criminals and the destitute. We also know he and his friends, Farlan and Isabel, took possession of a few sets of 3D-maneuver-gear -- an equipment that allows soldiers to move up and down, almost like they're flying.
We also know Levi didn't ever conform to the idea of staying forever underground, or even of staying behind the walls. By taking possession of that equipment, the three friends started making their own destiny.)
II.
Even Smaller Stones | Embrace
When you set me up
Put me where I'd do most harm
And you tried your luck
And now it's time for you to learn
'Cause I will break your rubble into even smaller stones
Yes, I will burst your bubble and then laugh at what I've done
(Levi and his friends are forced by Squad Leader Erwin Smith to join the Survey Corps as punishment for their crimes. Levi doesn't want to just sit quietly, though.
"That bastard... Once I get the chance, I'll kill him straight away.")
III.
The Archers Bows Have Broken | Brand New
Who do you carry the torch for, my young man?
Do you believe in anything?
Or do you carry it around just to burn things to the ground?
(Farlan and Isabel are nowhere to be seen in the main storyline. It's not hard to guess what happened to them.
Suddenly, Levi's revenge must have seemed a little pointless.)
IV.
Survive | Rise Against
Life for you has been less than kind
So take a number, stand in line
We've all been sorry, we've all been hurt
But how we survive is what makes us who we are
(At some point, Levi stopped wanting revenge and became Erwin's most loyal subordinate. I like to think Erwin and him had a talk at swordpoint and Erwin pointed out that everyone's life had been sucking recently - but that Levi didn't have to let that define him. He could choose differently.
Think of this song as a dialogue.)
V.
Butterflies and Hurricanes | Muse
Best
You've got to be the best
You've got to change the world
And use this chance to be heard
Your time is now
(And so Levi becomes the mythical figure of the "World's Strongest Soldier" - the unstoppable force that will lead humanity to victory.)
VI.
April Fools and Eggmen | Fair to Midland
Common sense won't pay the rent and doesn't grow on trees
But splitting hairs can get you anything you need
Who would have thought connecting dots might get you to the point?
But charity is a rarity, almost as much as modesty
(Being in the Survey Corps majorly sucks. They are the ones going outside and getting their asses busted fighting Titans, and they keep having to fight tooth and nail to be able to do their fucking job. Every move they want to make has to be approved by everyone and their cousin, and, by the end of the day, they're crossing the street and they're still "the squad of useless lunatics".)
VII.
The Light Behind Your Eyes | My Chemical Romance
So long to all my friends
Every one of them met tragic ends
With every passing day
I'd be lying if I didn't say
That I miss them all tonight
And if they only knew what I would say
If I could be with you tonight
I would sing you to sleep
Never let them take the light behind your eyes
One day I'll lose this fight
As we fade in the dark
Just remember you will always burn as bright
("Captain... was my death... useless? This way... will I die without... contributing to anything?"
"You have done a great deal. And you will continue to do so. The resolve you leave behind will give me strength. I promise you... I will obliterate the Titans!"
"Captain... He's already..."
"...Did he listen till the end?"
"Yes. Surely, he did. After all, he died so... peacefully..."
"...Then it's all right.")
VIII.
Skin and Bones | Foo Fighters
Lately I've been measuring
Seems my time is growing thin
Wind me up and watch me spin
Watch me spin, watch me spin
Skin and bones, skin and bones
Skin and bones, don't you know?
I'm just skin and bones
(As the years pass and he sees his men dying and dying again, without ever achieving anything, that he will die fighting becomes a matter of when. To survive in the Survey Corps, one has to learn to grow numb.)
IX.
From Yesterday | 30 Seconds to Mars
He's a stranger to some and a vision to none
He can never get enough, get enough of the one
For a fortune he'd quit, but it's hard to admit
How it ends and begins, on his face is a map of the world
(A map of the world)
From yesterday, it's coming
From yesterday, the fear
From yesterday, it calls him
But he doesn't want to read the message here
(Levi, the myth, Humanity's Strongest Soldier. A man who is not deaf to the cries of yesterday, to the cries of a time when humanity could live free, a man who will certainly see the world beyond these walls.
The man who's just killed a Titan and stands before Eren, Mikasa and Armin with the Wings of Freedom on his back.
"Hey, brats. What's happening here?")
X.
Kingdom of Welcome Addiction | IAMX
Do you remember? You're burning down
Forced to take sides
Your taunted charm and your broken smile
Touched me unexpectedly
(Usually, Erwin is the one who does the talking, and Levi just stands there and is blunt and scary. But the Titan kid, Eren, smiles a completely deranged smile and talks about how he always wanted to join the Survey Corps and kill all Titans - and Levi likes what he sees.
"I accept your entrance into the Survey Corps.")
XI.
Trust Me | The Fray
If I say who I know, it just goes to show
You need me less than I need you
Take it from me, we don't give sympathy
You can trust me, trust nobody
(The 57th Expedition Beyond the Walls - as Levi and his Special Operations Squad are being chased by a smart Female Titan, Levi takes the opportunity to give Eren an important lecture:
"Believe in yourself, or believe in the Survey Corps and me. I don't know. I never have, I can believe in my own abilities or the choices of the companions I trust. But no one ever knows how it will turn out. So choose for yourself whichever decision you regret the least.")
XII.
Broken Wings | Alter Bridge
In my opinion, seeing is to know
The things we hold are always first to go
And who's to say we won't end up alone?
On broken wings I'm falling
And it won't be long
The skin on me is burning
By the fires of the sun
On skinned knees I'm bleeding
And it won't be long
I've got to find that meaning
That I've searched for so long
(Levi cares about each and every one of his men, but the members of Levi's Special Operations Squad are the ones he holds most dear - the ones he chose personally. He trusts them and he cares for them and he gets fucking pissed whenever someone puts them at risk.
The look that crosses his face as he goes along to rejoin his Squad and finds their brutally mangled corpses is quite the sight.
Their deaths spur him on as he rescues Eren from the Female Titan.)
XIII.
Goodbye for Now | P.O.D.
I can still see the light at the end of the tunnel shine
Through the dark times, even when I lose my mind
But it feels like no one in the world is listening
And I can't ever seem to make the right decisions
I walk around in the same haze
I'm still caught in my same ways
I'm losing time in these strange days
But somehow I always know the right things to say
(In the aftermath of the 57th Expedition, sidelined because of an injured ankle, Levi has a lot of time to think. He is frustrated and feels he is wasting time by being away from the action. He also mulls over the uncertainty of their future, with all the major revelations that he has come to know of lately.
And for the men he lost, he grieves.)
XIV.
Before I Die | Papa Roach
Don't change when it's too late
("Then... is that it? It means the flesh I was frantically cutting was a part of humans... Then I've only been killing people right and left... until now?"
In which Levi blames himself for not being able to save the people who have become Titans, and inwardly swears to devote himself to find a way to end that indignity.)
XV.
This Is War | 30 Seconds to Mars
It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie
The moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight
To fight, to fight, to fight
(SPOILERS FOR LATEST CHAPTER: and so, for the sake of Humanity, the Survey Corps have declared war on the Government and the Military Police, believing them responsible for hiding the secrets of the Walls and of the origin of Titans. For the sake of the world beyond the walls, they will fight.)
Thanks for Crimson Flower Translations for the bit of dialogue I got from their translation of "Kuinaki Sentaku", and thank you, listener, for bearing with me till now! Please tell me what you think!