#bertiluna

what a day, huh?

hi. redraw of this. alt vers below!

Leif and BertBert are literally soulmates, doesn't matter platonic or romantic. In most of the universes, Leif leaves the Earth, and in most of the universes, his first alien friend is BertBert. Whatever happens next doesn't matter - they will continuously bump into each other. They send each other messages even when they are on different planet systems. They ask each other for help even if they haven't talked for years. BertBert calls Leif for help when captured by science priests, even though before that, Leif had left her. Leif calls BertBert because she is the only one he trusts to help the remaining humans. They love each other: they may disagree with each other and their life choices, but the love is there. Leif stopped being just an article topic for BertBert a long time ago. Despite how many times BertBert tried to find out Leif's secrets, she is still his friend. What led them apart were the decisions they made, and despite that, they are still important to each other. BertBert's kids know about Leif and call him "space uncle". Leif visits them regularly, no matter what timeline or parallel universe it is.

Leif and Verge had something really good for a while before it came to an end. It came to an end suddenly and abruptly, and neither got the closure they needed. And it sucked, but there is nothing you can do, apart from move on. But that doesn't mean that what they had wasn't precious. Verge was with someone who didn't care about them being a Vapian, but also did. He saw Verge for who they were, which was a Vapian, as it was one of the core elements of their identity. And despite all the "warnings" about Vapians, he still stayed and loved Verge. This act by itself was a middle finger towards the Triad, who, despite claiming to be oh-so-much-better than Earth, were still as bad as it is. He saw Verge for who they were, and that was more than Verge ever wished to have. Verge for Leif for the embodiment of freedom and space. They traveled together, fought together, robbed and stole, and done crimes together. Leif craved freedom and adventure, and the literal feeling of being out there in the void - and Verge was that. They loved each other - through it all, they did. Maybe it wasn't meant to last long, maybe it was just a question of time when something else would take Leif's attention from being a small space criminal, but through it all, love was there.

BertBert and Verge are both people who loved the same guy and then this same guy left them, forever changed. BertBert calls Verge "the friend you call when shit hits the fan", KNOWING that Verge will help her. When Leif and Verge learn that BertBert was kidnapped by the science priests - the ones who are the most advocates for the prejudice against Vapians - Verge immediately agrees that they have to save her. They risk their life trying to get her out of the science temple. And then BertBert gives Verge her old Tinkle, because she is scared for him and wants to stay in touch. They care about each other, despite not even knowing each other well. They share this love for Leif, and they understand what the other is going through and they sympathize with that and they care. Also, Verge, upon seeing BertBert immediately went flirting with her??? And BertBert wasn't that against this??? Yeah, they definitely fucked, AT LEAST once.

Today I was once again listening to Chapter 20: Do Not Go Quietly Unto Your Grave;

Guys the the conversation between Bertbert and Shel

straight off the intro it’s “you and me we’re not the same/I am a sinner you are a saint” <- mostly from the perspective of leif, it just encapsulates the entire series imo. he meets bertbert. they’re the same. they’re not the same. he’s a sinner. he saved his planet (in the back of his mind he betrayed it - committing the ultimate sin in the eyes of humanity/himself; it doesn’t matter. he defines himself by it constantly.) she’s a saint. she comes from a planet that is literally a utopia. she’s trying to find purpose in the world and align the world to her good moral values and meets someone who’s as smart as her and understands her on a level she can’t find anywhere else (her primary friend for years; she’d never admit it). she hates him and loves him and they both know they have a part of themselves in each other.

“I’ve found love in the strangest place…I say I’m gonna stage a great escape” <- finds bertbert and verge; leif always escapes/leaves/says he’s going to leave but does he really(?)

“let loose a love all pent up and painfully out of place” <- leif esp in ep 8 with his father. always painfully out of place and nowhere to put his love for the world or his family that shunned who he was.

“doo doo doo, I’m a loser, a disgrace/You’re a beauty, a luminary, in my face” <- playful aspect of the song. I think leif plays that part of their dynamic off as a joke but knows it’s painfully true with bert bert. he is who he is but he might still internalize it. or at least from an audience perspective, there’s an idolization of what berts does and how much he admires her and her work esp from how she’s described as a character. she’s constantly working towards a beacon of truth and justice. she’s a beauty. she’s a luminary. she’s literally always in his face. he’s a loser, a disgrace.

“I’ve got a lot, not a lot, I gotta lot less than a lot/I’ve got problems” they both have problems. they both try to play off that they don’t. they both have a lot of problems.

Bert Bert <3