#i can't believe people drag them for lack of sync

[maximura]

[basheba]

I miss beruani so much, I hate being this salty about aruani but I can't help getting sad about the fact that they became real, beruani would have got a better story and development if isa knew how to right proper love story

Oh, anon! You sum up my feelings exactly!!! I have liked Beruani for years, but I have been perfectly content with the vagueness of it all (because, if we're being honest, there is a chance he may not like her at all and Isayama is just messing with us). I was aware it lacked a lot of development, but I found it really cute.

Then in july/august of 2020 I decided to write "Like Air" on a whim, since I already had some scenes and an outline, and my love for them increased exponentially. They have so much in common! They are very similar in some ways (such as being realists, passive, smart & talented, quiet but can talk with eloquence about their feelings when prompted, share a past, a burden, the guilt of killing people, etc.). At the same time, they are also quite different but not in a clashing way: for instance, Annie can be blunt and direct and Bert is much more diplomatic and aware of his words, but both of them will still avoid saying things until the last minute, so they are able to understand how the other will feel or act. So I believe their compatibility would be high in a way that is comfortable for both of them.

And what about their skills??? Oh, my god. Thst scene with Jean where they are rated by Shadis isnone of my favorites because imagine what a good team they would have been!!! Annie has trouble working in a team, but I think that may be because she hates the deliberation and is more action than words. Bert is much more cooperative and is great at teamwork, but he is also more of a doer (he is the sort of athletic person that learns and masters things fast). It is natural to deduce that, as long as he's not alone (self-esteem, etc), he can adapt to the type of person he's with at the moment to make an amazing team. And they have worked together for years!!! That sync! Imagine them knowing what the other is thinking and can act accordingly without any words!!! Imagine!!!

But there can also be conflict! Yes, both of them are similar and with the same goal (them, save the world to return home vs Reiner, become a hero by saving the world), but Reiner and Bertholdt are best friends, and Annie hates Reiner (for a while). So spicy!

Ooh, and the aesthetics!!! Tol + smol, fair skin + tan skin, blonde hair + dark hair!!! Hsjdidjdn yesss!!!!

Ok, but back to the comment: yes, Isayama is a coward for not developing it properly. Anon, you have no idea how gladly I would change every single blush, every single Bert glancing at Annie, every Beruani moment from the spinoffs and the game, etc. for CANON, platonic interactions. I am sure Isayama set something up for Beruani because even as recently as ch 133 we got Annie's memory shards where Bert is reaching toward her. If Bert's crush was nothing, why would he insist on making the reader aware of it again and again?

That said, my #1 fear is that it is just a stepping stone for AA. As much as it would pain me that Beruani was nothing (that is, that Isayama bamboozled us into thinking Bert had a crush on her but in reality it was something else), I would rather have it killed than have to suffer through the mess that is AA for Bert, Annie, and Armin.

And I usually keep Bert out of AA. My hate for AA is independent of my shipping choices, but for some reason people keep trying to drag Bert into it. So, apart from the narrative asspull that it represents, it has given people the idea that Bert is a cuck, a loser, Armin steals everything from him. I hate that so much. Why not enjoy the ship by itself? The boy has been dead for 4 years, why are some people so pressed?

😫😫😫

Anyway, thank you for your message, anon! You are not alone ✌