voltisubito:

okay, no, real talk.

I have two favorite things about JeanKasa’s dynamic.

One of them is the fact that Jean’s love (because I feel like with everything Jean does and thinks and feels, it’s definitely evolved from just a schoolboy crush) for Mikasa is just so unadulterated and, I guess, “advanced” for someone his age in his world? Which sounds like a weird thing to say. Sure, it starts out with him being this jealous little whiny kid who can’t get in two words edgewise around her without stumbling over his words, but eventually, through working alongside her, he gets a more wholesome view of her, I think. He praises her—and only her—for surpassing him in skill; he puts his life on the line to make sure she doesn’t get eaten; hell, he even “defends her honor” by yelling at Eren for sneaking a peek at her abs.

And yet he’s critical of her. He doesn’t completely put her on a pedestal like she’s this pinnacle of strength or whatever; he calls her out on her bullshit (“He was just trying to swat a fly.” “I wasn’t talking to you, Mikasa. By the way, where did you get that cut?”). He doesn’t love her blindly; he sees glaring flaws in her character and he loves her all the same.

Which leads me to my other point, and why I’m rooting for JeanKasa to be endgame (as much as I ship RivaMika to hell and back)—out of everyone in the squad, I feel like a relationship with Jean would be one of the things that will seriously further Mikasa’s development as a person. That’s not to say it’s the only way Mikasa will develop; she’s definitely strong enough that she can do it on her own. But instead of a mentor/protegee relationship (like with Levi), or a relationship with Eren (which I honestly think would stunt her development as a person), Jean’s the sort of person who would love Mikasa both by admiring her and by helping her become a better version of herself. Isn’t that what people say about relationships, anyway? That a good relationship is with someone who helps you become your best self?

That’s why I like JeanKasa so much.

(Bonus: Commander Kirschtein and Corporal Ackerman.)