Introduction:

This is to summarize all we know about how titans are being created. To not be
misunderstood. I don’t mean spinal fluid injection but more like how is that physically possible that
from literally nothing in a few seconds there appears 15 meters of flesh and bones with assist of
great energy beam.
Why would I write about it in a first place? For two reasons. Firstly, because I don’t like
fantasy novels, books or manga with some super power that has at least minimal physical
explanation. I do accept laser swords, time machines, dragons and so on if I can have at least minimal
chance that it could be physically correct.

Time machine of bananas inside microwave? No thanks.

Secondly, because of the picture below. Why would he use these specific words, “source of
all organic material”? Organic, hmm. Could he mean materials with carbon?

Chapter 88 Eren Kruger speak to Grisha

Basic facts:
1. Forming titan is always connected with big light/energy/electric bolt,
2. Titan flesh is rather hot and quite light,
3. Some of the titans can harden its skin,
4. Skin hardening has crystal structure,
5. Titans are being active only during the days,
6. Titan transformation is process that causes strong gust of wind,

Assumptions:
1. It is assumed that the changes in the anime in relation to the manga result from the
consultations of the director and the manga creator - Hajime Isayama - and aimed to
improve the elements of the plot that he did not like in the manga.
2. It is assumed that fictional energy (or not explained yet) are ‘paths’ and they can not only
transfer data (eg. memories) but also energy, but not mass itself.
3. It is assumed that ‘paths energy’ shifter can consume is somehow limited.

Explanations:
How Titans can be created out of air?
The same way as trees. R. Feynman once asked his students – how a tree gets it's mass? It
get it from water, earth or air? The correct answer, but apparently seems also be the most illogical, is
the air.
There is carbon dioxide in the air. Using the sunlight it is being split into carbon which goes
for its mass, and oxygen which goes back to the air so we can breathe.
But how does this relate to the Titans? The same mechanism might work for them. Titans seems to
be mostly built of muscles and bones (I’ll talk bones later). Muscles are built of muscle tissues, what
are built of myocytes which stands for simple cells that are built of water and carbon. We know that
in the air there is a carbon but there is water as well!

Human’s tissue cells Episode 06 – Why they show us cells?

 Why do I think titans get all this carbon and water from the air and not from “paths”?
Because every titan transformation was accompanied by big air turbulence. This turbulence wasn’t
that big if it was Ymir’s transformation, relatively small titan, whereas massive titan transformation
of Reiner, Bertholdt and Eren was so strong that it literally broke quite strong flag mounting. It means
it required far more carbon that it was nearby.

Massive titan transformation – gust of wind.

Ok, we got carbon, we got water, but then how to get energy required for this process? I
don’t know. Answer for me is ‘the paths’. However we can make some observations how ‘the paths’
works. Its obvious this energy looks like electrical ones but also some part of it is like light. When it
started to become windy? I bet it was the moment when Reiner decided to fight – his emotion has
activated ‘the paths’. That’s why wind started to gust, and sunshine lights appeared. I doubt it was
only scenarist thing. Conclusion? Although the presence of solar energy does not seem to be
obligatory, clearly its has a positive effect on the whole process.

\
The Sun appears in the moment Reiner decides to fight.
Why pure titans are sleeping during the nights but Zeke’s one were able to
function properly?

I don’t have strong proofs for that but if we agree my assumption about that energy for
titans can come from both sun and ‘the paths’ was correct then it seems like efficiency of “the paths”
is for some reason not so good. And in order to make some savings titans are being charged only by
renewable energy of the Sun. Anyway, the titans of the Zeke were able to move at night, because
they used the energy “the Paths” of Zeke himself. I suspect that the number of titans he is able to
control is limited and he is getting tired using them.

Why Eren’s titan was in flames in the ending of season 1?

Eren’s face is mimicked by titans he controls (thanks to someone from Subreddit who caught this)

It can be assumed that shifter's emotions play a significant role in shifter's actions
So the more shifter is determined in his actions then the more energy he can get or he can use. Since
it’s amount is limited it seems like he didn’t used it much back then in Stohess. So if because of his
rage he put a lot of ‘the paths energy’ into regeneration which is rebuilt of carbon the damaged body
parts, then such process is accompanied with a lot of oxygen being emitted as well as much heat
(assuming that transferring energy though ‘the paths’ hasn’t got 100% efficiency). So because of this
high temperature and a lot of oxygen around we got a lot of small flames.

How the hardening works?

The very fact of such and no other kind of hardening confirms the thesis about carbon. Here,
once again, we deal with carbon, and specifically with its allotropic variety - diamond. If ordinary coal
squeezes quite strongly == we deliver a lot of energy to it, coal will turn into a diamond. Why do I
think so? Because it has a crystalline structure. To produce it, you need much more energy than
tobuild a normal muscle structure, so it’s mainly for the shifters I guess.
 Pure crystalic, brilliant structure

Steel sword was not enough to even make scratch on it.

The only thing that could damage diamond is another diamond.