I’m sorry if you’ve been asked something like this before, but what do you think about Marie? Personally, I think she was just a childhood crush of Ewin’s and nothing more. He did give her up to fight in the Survey Corps and then mention that he didn’t regret his decision, after all. He even helped Nile write love letters to her or something, right? My Eruri is being threatened and I need to know this lol, please help me!
I occasionally get asks that talk about Marie in an effort to "prove" that Erwin could never have feelings for anyone else or else that he is permanently and incurably straight.
I also get asks pointing out Erwin's flaws - his ruthlessness, his depression, his deceptions, the pursuit of his dream - as proof that he is canonically a horrible person and therefore unworthy of anyone's honest care or concern.
I recognize all of these types of asks as bait and unless I can use them as a leaping off point for something I want to talk about, I ignore them.
Your ask might be bait as well. So many these days start with "Hello fellow eruri!" in a pretense of trying to seem sincere. It makes me laugh a little. Do I seem that naive?
Regardless, I'm in a mood and I can use your ask to talk about something I want to. So thank you for that. Whether your ask was bait or not, I will answer your question sincerely.
Here is my advice to you, Anon. If the existence of a decades old crush "threatens your eruri" maybe you should stick with less nuanced characters and less realistic relationships. Read stories where people fit more neatly into boxes of good and bad. Because everything, all of this, just makes Erwin better. It makes him more realistic. More interesting. It makes him a complex person with the sort of issues that affect complex people. Like all of us he was a multidimensional mix of good and bad, of inconsistency and constancy, of sinner and sainthood. And I love that about him.
His realistic portrayal makes all of his relationships feel real and believable and messy and imperfect in the same way my own irl relationships are.
So yes. Erwin and Nile had teenage crushes on a girl named Marie. Erwin didn't act on it. He was self aware even at a young age to recognize that his dreams were more important to him than a traditional family. As a nice guy, he encouraged and helped Nile and Marie's relationship.
He genuinely cared about Nile and Marie. You mention the love letter smartpass but my favorite is the one that touched on his and Niles childhood games and how he used one of those games to surprise Nile and Marie with baby gifts and best wishes since because of a mission he'd be unable to do it in person. He realistically knew many of those going on the mission, including himself, who were friends with Nile might not return.
So we have Erwin caring deeply about his longtime friends. But we also have Erwin being manipulative as hell and using his friendship to further his cause. Erwin genuinely wanted to help Nile and Marie and the people of Paradis. He also very genuinely wanted the MPs on his side so he didn't end up swinging from the gallows. I have no issue with this at all. People are rarely 100% altruistic so if a character is they wouldn't interest me.
As an eruri, I love this detail about Marie. I love what it reveals about Erwin. It shows that he was focused even as a teen, that he genuinely loved his friends, and that he had emotions. It adds to my enjoyment of the series.
Nothing in the manga "threatens my eruri" because I don't view the relationship as a fairytale romance. I'm going to quote @lostcauses-noregrets here because she's the writer not me and she says it perfectly:
One of the reasons that I love Eruri is that it’s a deeply complex adult relationship. This is not a romantic infatuation, this is a relationship that has evolved over many years and it’s one that is founded on mutual trust, commitment and support. It’s not all plain sailing, adult relationships rarely are. Erwin’s behaviour clearly frustrates the hell out of Levi, but his trust in Erwin is unshakable, and you never question their commitment to each other.
And my favorite (and more colorful) lostcauses quote for people who don't see Levi and Erwin's canon relationship as special:
What the hell do they think a relationship looks like when you’re an exhausted 30 + year old war veteran who has spent their entire life fighting for survival. It looks like this; finding someone who you can trust with your life. If you were to ask me what characterizes a successful adult relationship I would say it’s exactly this; mutual trust, respect and understanding, and when push comes to shove, the willingness to do everything in your power to help the person you hold most dear, even if that means letting them go.
And my other favorite lostcauses contribution used without permission and not requiring any explanation:
gracieabrams
pixelskylines
gamechangershow
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
discoholicmusic
yousharknotpass
