Real handwriting never produces the same letterform twice. The second 'e' in 'between' is not identical to the first. That variation is part of what the eye reads as human — repetition of identical forms reads as mechanical, even in beautifully drawn type. Some handwriting fonts address this with glyph alternates: multiple versions of each character rotating as text is set. This feature does more for perceived realism than almost any ligature work. Variation, not connection, is the key signal.