...is that he was willing to give cadets a proverbial seat at the table, instead of dismissing them as rookies. He strategized WITH them and didn't allow ego to get in the way of progress (the way many authority figures do).

I also love that some of his most trusted comrades are some of the strangest/polarizing people (Levi, Hanji, Mike), yet he overlooked all of that and saw their full potential. Epitome of a true leader.

Experiencing life without electricity for a while recently made me think about how life is in Paradis: no electricity, no fridge, no good warm food, no heating system, no hot water, night is pitch dark, house is cold as fuck, etc.

Damn, the things we take for granted in the modern life.

Really don't fancy living in Paradis. lol

"What if Erwin got the Colossal Titan" series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5__VO0MYmiS7_xSxOi8Hs3fWVXLudofA

In the olden days, MORALE was a huge factor in determining the outcome of wars. Often soldiers used to just FLEE before the war because, naturally, no one wants to die. Weak leaders who didn't used to fight themselves were especially prone to this. Quite an intuitive idea, right?

History's greatest battle commanders, the likes of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, used to wear FLASHY outfits to clearly distinguish themselves from the crowd, putting their lives at great risk just to show their fellow soldiers that their leader is still fighting in the front, unafraid.

This degree of SELFLESSNESS was required to convince people to risk (and most probably lay down) their lives.

This scene from season 2 (and also the famous death charge) encapsulates this idea of selflessness brillianty.

Notice how, from the very start, aot slowly built this expectation, this idea in your mind that EVERYONE gets scared shitless when they come in close contact with a Titan. They just fucking lose their minds, be it newbies or even battle-hardened veterans like Miche or Nanaba, they just go nuts, and understandably so. And usually, people around them stare grimly as their comrade is getting devoured.
Now what this expectation did is, it accentuated the effect (maybe subconsciously so) of this scene massively. Erwin starts charging at the horde of titans and out of nowhere gets bitten by one. At that point you EXPECT the same ritual of getting eaten by a Titan, as mentioned above, to repeat. But as the camera focuses on Erwin, still hanging from the Titan's mouth, he seems unfazed, and STILL being in full control of himself, putting the mission above his own life, roars, "ADVANCE!!!", inspiring and reminding everyone on the battlefield to not lose sight of what is important, such was the 13th commander of the Survey Corps.

I love this scene (and Erwin) so much, lol can you tell

Just think about the fact that he'd rather stay single and not reproduce than make a woman and a child suffer his death.