Board Thread:Manga/@comment-27125793-20190812115044

I've already posted this as a pair of messages in Chapter 120's poll, but I'm also posting it here to hopefully hear more people's thoughts on the issue:

So, basically, it's finally explained how the Paths and the Power of the Titans work, especially the Founding Titan's. Essentially, the wielder of the Founder doesn't truly have the power of Ymir herself; that power is still with Ymir, whose soul has remained inside the Coordinate. However, she is subservient to anyone who possesses royal blood, and they can use her to exercise the power she has in the ways they want. But that is only possible if they reach the Coordinate somehow and command her from there. That's what the Founding Titan is for; a medium that allows a royal to reach that place. If I have to use an analogy, and I apologize if it isn't particularly clear, I'd use the one of the man holding a loaded gun. The holder of the Founder is the man, the Founder is the gun, while Ymir (or more specifically, her powers) is the bullet.

It also explains how Zeke can use part of the Founding Titan's power; because it isn't REALLY its power. It is just a medium to access the Coordinate, only capable of being activated by a royal. Zeke, by holding the one of the Nine (who happen to hold remnants of Ymir's soul, and therefore can be argued to have a direct connection to her, but not necessarily to the Coordinate, as we saw when she repaired Zeke's body), and then injecting an Edlian with his spinal fluid, can create a direct connection between them and himself. Then, thanks to the Beast Titan he holds, he can (unknowingly to him, at the time) command Ymir to exercise her power through his directions on all the Eldians he has connected himself to.

Eren was able to use Ymir's powers by coming into contact with Dina, who was a mindless Titan. For him, both the Founder and Dina herself were the medium, but she functioned as a medium in two ways. The first is the direct link to the Coordinate, and the second was in allowing him command of Ymir by essentially fooling her into believing he himself was a royal. Dina was a Pure Titan, while he himself held two of the Nine, who are remnants of her soul, so it's his will in that case that came through, but since he reached the Coordinate, Ymir had believed that he must therefore be a royal.

Furthermore, it does appear that non-royal holders of the Nine (minus the Founder) can also exercise a comparatively minuscule amount of authority over her. This can be seen in their ability to transform into Titans in the first place when they wish it (plus injuring themselves; that part I don't get), as well as the ability to control their regenerative powers. Basically, when it comes to their own bodies and Titans, Ymir will act on their will, thanks to the connection they have with her.

In essence, non-royal shifters have power over Ymir, while royals with the Founder have power over both her and her control over the Coordinate that connects all Subjects of Ymir together.

I also have a theory about the Pure Titans, and it all boils down to this:

Awareness and will matter, on both Ymir's part as well as the Eldians'.

What I'm trying to say is that Ymir acts based on the will and knowledge of her Subjects. However, when she can't gauge their desires, she acts in a way that seems logical to her. Basically, when she senses that Titan fluid is inside the bodies of human Eldians, when Titan fluid should only be inside the bodies of Titans, she "corrects" the issue by turning them into Titans.

Shifters are exempt from this because they all hold a part of her soul, and because of that, she can determine their desires and will. It's been implied multiple times. For example, Falco said that a shifter won't heal if they don't have the will to live. In other words, Ymir was able to read Reiner's suicidal thoughts and therefore didn't heal him.

Awareness also comes into play. The shifters powers are optimal only if they are aware of their power. For example, Eren never transformed during his training, despite doubtlessly receiving many injuries throughout, and having had concrete goals at least a few of those times... because he didn't know he had that power. He believed himself to be completely human, with regular human abilities, and the fact his wounds never released steam prior to his first transformation was probably a result of this too (the steam coming from his head wound is anime only, I believe). His arm and leg healing after being bitten off at Trost is also a clue. They didn't steam prior to him transforming and losing himself during that time, because he was still fully conscious and still held on to the aforementioned beliefs.

However, when he transformed the first time (probably due to his life being on the line and his opinion that all his options had been exhausted but still wanting to kill Titans 'by any means necessary'), that awareness was lost and the only thing going through his mind was the will to live (so he could fulfill his revenge of slaughtering all the Titans). With those beliefs gone temporarily in that state, that roadblock they presented was gone too, and Ymir acted on that will to live by healing his injuries. That awareness was also the reason Eren transformed during the time he spent with the Levi Squad. Like in training, he had an injury, a goal, but unlike before, he knew of his Titan power, but he did NOT know how to activate them. However, Ymir acted on what he DID know and his then desire to transform (even if it was closer to the back of his mind at the moment), and with all the circumstances for the activation met... BOOM! Titan transformation!

Essentially, Titan powers and bodies are given and controlled by Ymir, who acts on the will and knowledge of her Subjects, but it also depends on her own awareness of her Subjects' will and knowledge.

That pretty much explains everything. 