#恋愛post

[onnanohonne]

@onnanohone11 #恋愛 #失恋 #ポエム #青春 #彼氏 #彼女 #男女 #恋愛相談 #恋愛漫画 #恋愛ポエム #恋愛成就 #恋愛運 #恋愛あるある #恋愛心理学 #恋愛の悩み #恋愛テクニック #恋愛アドバイザー #恋愛post #恋愛小説 #大恋愛 #恋愛運アップ #恋愛したい #遠距離恋愛 #恋愛初心者 #好きな人 #カップル #カップルイラスト #カップルグラム #カップルエッセイ https://www.instagram.com/p/CmRaZL_pEGV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[master611027]

彩瀬逢桜(創作彼女の恋愛公式)

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[cleaetpauline60]

♡ Heroine Otome Game ♡

❥ Vanilla Mieux [ Sugar Sugar Rune: Koi mo Oshare mo Pick-Up! ]

[vsynthbday]

happy anniversary to "Tokyo Summer Session" (東京サマーセッション) by HoneyWorks (ハニーワークス)! this song came out 9 years ago today.

art by keepout, M.B, Gito, Tama, Yamako, Rokoru & Mogelatte | youtube upload | july 24th, 2024.

[Image description: A screenshot from the official music video for "Tokyo Summer Session". It depicts two characters from the "Confess Your Love Committee" series: Natsuki Enomoto and Yuu Setoguchi, where only their headshots are visible. Natsuki has her hair tied in a bun, a flower decoration on her hair, and is wearing a red colored kimono. She has a puzzled look on her face and has her head slightly tilted. Yuu is facing the camera on the side, is wearing a dark blue kimono, and is whispering something in Natsuki's ear. The background is a blurred look at a festival, where mainly yellow, orange, and black are prominent. End image description.]

[xsanye]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 彈一場完美戀愛 | First Note of Love (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Neil/Sea Characters: Neil (First Note of Love), Sea (First Note of Love) Additional Tags: Drabble Summary:

why limit yourself to metaphors about earth things when you can go beyond

100-word drabble

[sugarsparadise]

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

ᴵᶜᵒⁿˢ ;

~ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ ᴀᴘᴏᴘᴛᴏꜱɪꜱ ᴅᴏʟʟ: ꜱᴀʀᴛᴀɪɴ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ

ᴮʸ ᵀᵒᵐⁱʸᵃᵏⁱ ᴷᵃᵍⁱˢᵒʳᵃ

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

[dragonowlie]

Dumbass went into the Devil's Cave again and saw a post not specific to The Thing but halfway tagged with The Thing (which is why my filters didn't pick it up) and I am both "fuck man, the spoilerinies" and also Delighted because that's my jam. If indeed it will play out like I think it will, Because- *restrains myself to the fullest from bringing up revstar right now*

[periwinkla]

If I'm with you, I'm happy

'If I'm with you, I'm happy' - the meaning of the yellow hyacinth, the flower that inspired me to make this in the first place ♡ /Print will be on the shop tomorrow / edit: print here! <3

Hanakotoba notes:

Hyacinth (general) - 悲しみを越えた愛 ‘kanashimi o koeta ai’ love that transcends sadness

Yellow hyacinth - あなたとなら幸せ ‘anata to nara shiawase’ if I’m with you I’m happy, 勝負 'shoubu' battle/match

Blue hyacinth - 変わらぬ愛 ‘kawaranu ai’ unchanging love

White hyacinth - 控えめな愛らしいさ 'hikaemena airashisa' reserved love, 心静かな愛 'kokoroshizukana ai' tranquil love

Purple hyacinth - 悲しみ 'kanashimi' / 悲哀 'hiai' sadness/grief/sorrow, 初恋の直向きさ ‘hatsukoi no hitamukisa‘ devotion of first love

Pink hyacinth - スポーツ sports, ゲーム games, しとやかなかわいらしさ 'shitoyakana kawairashisa' graceful cuteness (shitoyaka 'graceful' can also be translated as 'refined', 'modest', 'gentle', 'quiet' etc.)

Red hyacinths also exist but I didn't add them here as they didn't fit (meaning is 'envy')

Margaret - 真実の愛 ‘shinjitsu no ai’ true love, 信頼 ‘shinrai’  trust. There's also 恋占い koiuranai 'love fortune-telling' which I think may refer to that 'he loves me, he loves me not' game.

Twisted trees also have some nice symbolism to them (in general). What I'm about to say isn't something I found anywhere in particular, just my own thoughts about them. Disregarding the *hahaha* about the not-straight tree implications that I'm sure will be lost to no one single tumblr resident whatsoever- generally twisted trees are that way because of the winds they withstood (I mean there are other reasons too of course...). They're beautiful in their perseverance towards life. Life may have shaped you a certain way, with the good and the bad - and the shape you've taken is to be appreciated in its beauty... of simply being, and existing, and persevering despite all.

Link to the Hanakotoba site (set up so you can switch between JP and (auto)translation - keep in mind autotranslation is not perfect, in fact there are a few differences I corrected above) : hyacinths and margarets You can also search some words on jisho to see additional meanings, there are quite a few... I chose the ones I deemed most apt. Unfortunately you can't copy-paste the Japanese, I use the rikaikun extension for the kanji I don't know (which is most of them I gotta be honest). I have the JP keyboard installed and I just retype it to post it here haha.

[skania]

Oshi no Ko Chapter 154 Thoughts - Or the many many parallels between Ai/Kamiki and Akane/Aqua

In my post about last chapter, I listed a number of parallels showing that the way Kamiki felt about Ai is very reminiscent of the way Aqua felt about Akane.

I also said:

if Aka pulls that, then that would confirm that all of these parallels are very much intentional.

And what did Aka pull this chapter?

To top it off, now it isn't only Kamiki's feelings that parallel Aqua's. Ai's feelings are very much like Akane's, to the point that she nearly quotes her word for word at times 😭

I'll start chronologically because the amount of parallels is just insane. To keep this short, I won't bring up the Kamiki/Aqua parallels since I already went over those here. I'll just focus on Ai!

Ai didn't want to break up with Kamiki, but she did it because she feared that she and her children would be burdens to him, who was almost on the verge of breaking due to the weight of life.

Does that ring any bells?

Akane didn't want to break up with Aqua, but she was willing to do so because she feared that she and their fake relationship were burdening him by worsening the weight of his guilt.

Ai wanted to stay with Kamiki forever, just like Akane with Aqua.

Ai wanted to carry Kamiki's burden and walk into the future with him, just like Akane with Aqua.

Ai didn't know what loving someone felt like, but Kamiki was the first time she felt she wanted to love someone that way. Akane didn't know what loving someone that way felt like, either. Aqua was her first.

Most importantly:

Ai wanted to save Kamiki, just like Akane wants to save Aqua. While it was translated as "help" in English, in Japanese Ai uses the exact same verb as Akane when she says that she wants to "save" Aqua.

Even their expressions when thinking about their wish are similar 😭

And the thing is that — technically, logically — none of this can be a coincidence, because this is a fictional story and Aka is nearly using copy-pasting to stablish these parallels. But since this is Aka we're talking about, whether this will lead anywhere or turn out to be just bait remains to be seen lol

I feel like Ai isn't only paralleling Akane this chapter though, it's also possible to establish parallels between her and Aqua. Namely, Aqua also broke up with Akane to protect her, Aqua didn't understand what love was and he showed that he wanted to love Akane despite it.

Plus, when Aqua broke up with Akane to protect her, he did so in a way that would deliberately paint him in a bad light — just like Ai with Kamiki.

I'd also like to point out that in this chapter, Ai's feelings are described as, well, "Ai" 愛. In Japan, "Ai" 愛 is the strongest form of love, which can be either platonic or romantic. This is very relevant, because by making Ai's feelings for Kamiki so strikingly similar to Akane's for Aqua, Aka has essentially confirmed strongly implied that the kind of love Akane feels for Aqua is "Ai" 愛, too.

And Ai's "Ai" 愛 was romantic.

For those who aren't familiar with the concept of "Ai" in Japan, I feel like this post explains it very well:

愛 (Ai): sacrificial, unconditional, love for the other person's sake (often parallels the Greek agape, but can extend into philos as sawa mentions) 恋 (Koi): selfish, conditional, love for one's own sake (often parallels the Greek eros) While both can be used for romantic love, you cannot simply swap out one for the other. The contrast between the two shows up clearly in the したい forms of 愛する and 恋をする: 愛(Ai)したい I want to love [someone in a deep, unconditional way] 恋(Koi)がしたい I want to [fall in] love [with someone and experience the "high" of being in love]

If you ask me, the contrast between those two types of love perfectly exemplifies the difference with the way Akane's and Kana's feelings are being written. Coincidentally, Kana herself described her feelings as 恋 (Koi) in Chapter 150 lol

So considering all of this, I'm having the hardest time not seeing Kamiki and Ai as a sort of "failed" Aqua and Akane. Kamiki and Ai were too broken, and neither could handle their relationship in a healthy way despite their best intentions and how much they loved each other. Kamiki was too dependant on her, Ai broke up with him in the clumsiest way possible and Kamiki lashed out in a selfish, tragic way.

I'd argue that despite their mishaps, Aqua and Akane have already shown that they're healthier than Kamiki and Ai were. Even when he was at his lowest, Aqua was self-aware and did his best to not depend on Akane too much. When he faltered, Akane reminded him that it's important that they remain independent so they can have a healthy relationship.

Which takes me to something I think is very important:

Ai thought that Kamiki would be fine without her, but she was wrong. If she had been right, then maybe she would be alive today and she and Kamiki would've gotten back together later down the line.

I'm sure that Akane, too, thinks that Aqua will be fine without her. Aqua most definitely thinks the same thing about Akane.

And for them to be able to have a healthy relationship, it's important for them to be right. They need to be able to be fine without the other, and as of now, it seems like Aqua is finally making progress in that regard.

But what about being happier? Akane was at her happiest when she was with Aqua, and according to Aqua himself, it was the same for him. If we forget all the recent fiascos for a second and entertain the thought of Akane and Aqua once again, I feel like this should be the biggest factor into whether or not they get back together.

After all, if they get back together it shouldn't be because Aqua can't function without Akane. It should be because he wants to be with her (and she with him). So if Aka were to be a good writer allow them to find their way back to each other, this time spent apart could be crucial to let them restart on a healthy base.

But I digress! 😂 Instead of getting ahead of myself, I just want to enjoy the fact that these parallels are right there for everyone to see. At least no matter what happens, we now pretty much have confirmation that the way Aka wrote Aqua and Akane was both, romantic and the strongest form of love.

As for the plot, the fact that Ai's wish was this clear kind of opens an entire can of worms questions-wise. Moreover, I feel like if telling Kamiki that Ai loved him was Aqua's revenge plan all along, things like these would make very little sense in retrospective:

So for the sake of logic, I'm inclined to believe that Aqua, who didn't know what love was and who held a grudge against Kamiki, may have wanted to believe that Ai truly couldn't love Kamiki. He may have desperately wanted to believe that Ai was saying the truth, because otherwise taking revenge against Kamiki would mean going against Ai's wishes.

I feel like Aqua originally misinterpreting Ai's words is supported by the fact that even during the movie recording, Aqua was shown to not understand Ai.

So, what changed his mind? What made him finally realize that Ruby's portrayal was right and that Ai truly did love Kamiki?

Plus, Aqua has had that DVD for years now, which means that nothing was stopping him from realizing that Akane herself was echoing Ai's feelings for Kamiki throughout their relationship.

But I better stop myself right here, because if I start theorizing about this there will be no end to it. The possibilities are endless, so I'd rather just wait and let Aka either pleasantly surprise like he did this chapter me or continue to disappoint me as he is prone to do 😂

edit;

I just realized there are even more parallels when you get down to it. I mentioned before in my Chapter 97 post that during the phone-call that ultimately leads to their break-up, Aqua and Akane are like two ships in the night. They both want the same thing (to stay together), but in her haste to help him, Akane makes a choice that leads to their separation.

The same thing happens with Ai and Kamiki. They both want the same thing (to stay together), but in her haste to not burden him, Ai chooses to walk away from him.

Ai doesn't understand her own love and is thus unable to understand the extent of Kamiki's. She makes the mistake of thinking that the best way to save Kamiki is to not impose more burdens on him, when all he wanted was to stay with her. I'd argue something very similar happened with Akane. She made the mistake of thinking that the best way to help Aqua was to carry out his revenge for him, when all Aqua wanted from her was to remain by her side.

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

On Yuuri's "top-secret" love life

Edit: Due to turning this post into a thread for the dead-bird site, I gave it a complete overhaul because some parts were wordy and confusing.

I took a deeper look into the information YOI gives us about Yuuri’s history with love and the implactions for his character arc.

Let’s start with when Viktor introduces the two Yuris to their new short programmes:

A first examination of the subject of love usually happens in puberty when the average person experiences their first crush. However, 23-year-old Yuuri just cluelessly shakes his head when Viktor asks whether he’s ever thought about love.

Since Yuuri has an evasive nature when feeling pushed or embarrassed, we can assume that he’s not hiding things here. Also interesting in this context, is his interpretation of Agape:

Yuuri is projecting his own experiences with love into his interpretation of On Love: Agape and Eros and his answers reflect where he’s currently at in his journey of exploring love. (for further discussion please check this meta).

Japanese language distinguishes general love 愛 (“ai”) from romantic/passionate love 恋 (“koi”). These terms roughly approximate the Greek concepts of agape and eros as they are utilised in YOI. However, YOI doesn't draw the distinction between 愛 and 恋 but uses 愛 (“ai”) as the overarching concept that includes other forms or love, e.g. せいてきな愛 (“sexual love”).

Until Viktor introduces the two Yuris into On Love: Agape and Eros, Yuuri has never wasted a thought on love. Which means:

Until the end of episode 2, Yuuri has never had romantic feelings for another person.

Why can we be so sure of that?

Even a first crush inevitably inspires an examination of love to some extent regardless of whether you’re happy in love, whether your feelings aren’t reciprocated or whether you decide not to act upon them.

If Yuuri had experienced such feelings before episode 2/3, he would know. And we would know, too, because it would impact his views on love, how he tackles his season’s theme, and how he goes about his relationship with Viktor. It would notably impact his character journey.

Instead, YOI introduces us to the extent of Yuuri’s parasocial obsession with Viktor that despite the gay-coding is too abstract to qualify as an actual crush. The Japanese term for “idol” that YOI uses for the people Yuuri idolises is the neutral 憧れの人 = “someone to look up to/admire”.

For the story of YOI to work as it does, Yuuri never having had romantic feelings is crucial.

Yuuri has one-track-mind that makes Viktor the fulcrum of his existence since he discovered Viktor at the onset of puberty (aka when young people start experiencing attraction for the first time). He has every poster of Viktor at least twice, he copied his programmes and he even named his poodle Katsuki Viktor (yes, that’s canon). In his endeavour to face Viktor as an equal on the ice, he move abroad to train with different coach. The show portrays Yuuri as being more interested in skating [to pursue Viktor] than in spending time with his friends, not that he'd be great at forming relationships in the first place because he's super awkward. Doesn’t sound like someone who even has the mind to notice potential partners around them, does it?

Now let’s move on to the press conference at the end of episode 5 that comprises Yuuri’s journey of exploring love and gives us some more insight into his views on love.

Since the subs are low-key confusing, I’m not quoting them, but you can check this translation to educate yourself on all the nuances that the official translation misses. Particularly interesting is this part:

My love. It’s not [general] love or romantic love that is easy to understand, but my bond with Victor, and the lukewarm way I feel about my family and my local community.

Note that this is the only time the anime uses 恋 ("koi"), probably because he's speaking to a Japanese audience.

Note that this is the only time the anime uses 恋 (“koi”), probably because he’s speaking to a Japanese audience.

This line give us clear idea on how Yuuri feels about the people in his life that are not Viktor, confirming what we’ve could already guess from context: that his relationships so far never reached a level that is intimate enough to enforce an examination of the subject of love. We tend to take our friends and family for granted, but crushes and falling in love are feelings that take over our lives.

Yuuri’s speech about love as a whole showcases that he has come a long way from utter cluelessness to the matured and nuanced idea of love that he now explaines to his audience. He was able to arrive at this point because his time with Viktor sparked the examination of the subject. Yuuri draws a clear distinction between his feelings for his family and friends and his feelings for Viktor, which aren’t lukewarm at all.

A more accurate translation of that line is: “The first person I want to tie myself to and never let go is Viktor” ( 初めて自分から繋ぎとめたいと思った���、それがヴィクトルです) because 繋ぎとめたい means wanting to tie someone / something to you and never let it go (see this translation error masterpost).

After months of getting to know Viktor intimately, Yuuri has fallen in love with Viktor at last. This feeling is bigger than any emotion he has experienced before because it’s greater than 恋 and 愛 and because of that:

This feeling doesn't have a name, but I decided to dare to call it "love".

Yuuri is awkward and anxious, but he’s determined to pursue a goal he committed himself to. For half his life that goal was Viktor, first as an abstract concept and as an ideal to strive for, later as a romantic interest, and he makes sure the world knows.

If Yuuri had had romantic feelings for someone else, he would have pursued this person or ruled out the idea because Viktor was more important and it would have impacted his views on love either way.

Or in other words:

Viktor is Yuuri's first love.

I will discuss the gay-coding of how Yuuri idolises people that inspire him in another post because this seems to be one of the lesser known facts.

For this analysis I've reviewed the entire context of Yuuri's history with love and ruled out everything that doesn't withstand scrutiny or makes no sense in the grand scheme of things (aka the canon of YOI as a whole). You are free to headcanon Yuuri as having had crushes or relationships before Viktor, but keep in mind that this would alter the plot of YOI.

Friendly reminder: friendship, admiration, and aesthetic attraction are often misconstrued as romantic attraction due to allonormative/amatonormative paradigms. When interpreting fictional characters, the entire context must be reviewed to check whether there is more to that.

[twomiddlefingersforthehaters]

Continuation of this post

SHE ONLY WANTS TO SAVE YOU

SHE WHO YOU CAME CLOSE TO KILLING ONCE...

SHE FEELS FOR YOU

SHE SPILLS TEARS OVER YOU

SHE SUFFERS FROM LOVING YOU

Everything Kakashi said about Sakura, Naruto also did the same for Sasuke. Kakashi saying this to guilt trip Sasuke. When Kakashi told him this, his reaction to it was:

Raw: 恋愛ごっこでも楽しめってのか?

Romaji: ren'aigokko de mo tanoshime tte no ka ?

Literal: Is she enjoying a make-believe game of love?

Raw: オレにはこいつを好く道理も好かれる道理もない

Romaji: ore ni wa koitsu o suku dōri mo sukareru dōri mo nai

Literal: There is no reason for her to like me, and I have no reason to like her

But when it comes to Naruto he really wants to know the meaning behind his words. When Naruto said that whenever Sasuke carrying burden on his back and hurting himself or suffering himself, Naruto felt his pain too.... It hurt him so much inside that he couldn't just ignore it and leave him alone. This confession from Naruto shocked Sasuke and he burst into tears.

He cried because he truly felt that the person he loved also loved him. And the intensity of Naruto's love for him despite trying to hurt him so many times. Even though Naruto suffered a lot, he never tried to push Sasuke away, instead he came closer and closer to him and was willing to suffer even more. He's aware of how very much Naruto love him and that he would do ANYTHING For him....and willing to carry all of his burdens, all of his pain. He will fight for him, die for him, and never let him be alone because he is always with him and always there for him. That's why Sasuke shed tears of joy for the first time!!!

[onnanohonne]

@onnanohone11 #恋愛 #失恋 #ポエム #青春 #彼氏 #彼女 #男女 #恋愛相談 #恋愛漫画 #恋愛ポエム #恋愛成就 #恋愛運 #恋愛あるある #恋愛心理学 #恋愛の悩み #恋愛テクニック #恋愛アドバイザー #恋愛post #恋愛小説 #大恋愛 #恋愛運アップ #恋愛したい #遠距離恋愛 #恋愛初心者 #好きな人 #カップル #カップルイラスト #カップルグラム #カップルエッセイ https://www.instagram.com/p/CmRaWZvpe9S/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[hancyan]

大正時代(1912-1926)のモダニズム建築を参考にした地元パブを作りました。 I built a dive bar based on modernist architecture from the Taisho era (1912-1926).

和風地元パブとカフェ「木邑屋」30×30 Japanese-style dive bar and cafe “Kimuraya”30×30

1920 年にタイムスリップして内部を覗いてみましょう。 Let's travel back in time to 1920 and take a peek inside.

どうやら若いカップルがデート中のようです。 Apparently a young couple is on a date.

(緊張しすぎて何から話せばいいのかわからないよ。) (I'm so nervous that I don't know where to start talking.)

まだ自由に恋愛することができなかった時代には、男女が一緒にいるのを見るのは珍しい光景でした。 Seeing a man and a woman together was a rare sight back in the days when it was still not possible to love freely.

それは、昔々の小さな恋のお話。 It's a story about a small love once upon a time.

Thank you for the wonderful poses. @yorithesimsさん L-Sims⇒“Lovebird” (椅子の都合でヨンジェの位置が随分と後ろになりました・・)

Thank you for converting me to the hakama I wanted. @murfeeleeさん TS4 to TS3 Hakama Conversion

☆I can't write it all down, but I'm grateful to the many CC creators.☆

Thank you for always reading my posts！

Bye for now!

[lilyginnyblackv2]

It’s Valentine’s Day, so I want to talk about Rei:

In the trailer for Rei that was released before the series aired, he was described as: 愛を知らない男 or “A man who doesn’t know love.” It should be noted that “love” here is referring to 愛 (ai), which is a love that can be used for both family and lovers, 恋 (koi) is the term that refers more specifically to romantic love.

This, of course, makes sense with what we know about Rei’s past and childhood. He grew up in a loveless family, where his father wanted him to call him “boss.” 

As the series progresses, we see Rei learning love and what a family actually means through things associated with childhood and family:

Learning to ride on a seesaw.

Hearing what Miri thinks a father should be.

Going to the zoo for the first time.

etc.

Why am I bringing all this up? Well, usually, when it comes to a character that “doesn’t know love,” the narrative is to “fix them.” I know I recently just posted a meme about Kazuki basically seeing Rei’s living conditions and going, “I can fix that,” and I do think that that is how Kazuki initially approached the idea of helping Rei. Fixing him up all these fancy meals and such. But, over time, we’ve seen Kazuki learn to work with Rei, in way that allows Rei to slowly improve himself, without necessarily “fixing” or “changing” him. And the focus there also seems to mostly be on Rei’s “self-care” and general household chores stuff, rather than anything centered on his personalities or expression of feelings and emotions. 

The addition of Miri has also helped, generally speaking, in this regard as well.

I think a clear example of this is how Rei is a gamer. He is a gamer in Episode 1 and he continues to be a gamer in Episodes 5 and 6. But let’s take a look at his gaming space (and games he was playing) in Episodes 1 and 2 versus Episodes 5 and 6.

Here I am going to put the rest of this post under a Read More due to length and pictures (it ended up way longer than I had initially planned...^ ^;> )

In Episode 1:

We see the table in front of Rei is an unhealthy mess. A whole ash tray full of smoked cigs, opened chips, two unfinished bottles of coke, and two convenience store lunches.

The game? I don’t know what it is, but it looks strategy and fighting based. Continuing with this...

In Episode 2 we can see some of his actual games:

I can’t really make any of them out all too well, but one is called “Attack” and the red one on the right looks like it is called “Under Ground.” Along with that, the general color scheme and look of these games is definitely in the “grimdark” range. All of these games look and sound like they are based in violence and are likely single player experiences (since Rei doesn’t seem like the type that would do multiplayer or online based games, imo).

There is nothing wrong with these games, of course, but they further highlight how Rei has no experience with family and skills that reach beyond his assassin based ones. These aren’t games a kid should be playing either, really (I definitely played Mortal Kombat when I was younger, I turned out okay...but I really should not have been playing that game franchise when I was a kid).

Now let’s jump to Episode 5:

Rei is playing a game with Miri. He isn’t playing solo anymore, and by the sounds of it, it sounds like Morio Kart, a family game, a kids game, a game that is meant to be played with others.

In Episode 6:

We get a clear shot of the table. It’s clean and there is no junk food or cigs in sight. Now, is that cleanliness likely due to Kazuki cleaning? Probably, but it is also likely due to Rei eating healthier now that Miri is here, which is still connected to Kazuki, but Rei could still try and sneak junk food or something, but it doesn’t seem like he even tries that. And while Kazuki is the one that points out Rei can’t smoke around Miri, we see Rei actually sticking to this. He willingly chooses to stick to that.

More telling than even that though, is the fact that in Episode 2, when Miri asks if Rei has Morio Kart he tells her no, but we now see in Episode 6 that he has bought Morio Kart:

Kazuki doesn’t really seem to know much of anything about video games. That’s all Rei. So Rei was likely the one who either purchased the game for Miri or, more likely imo, Miri asked for it and Rei got it.

We know from Miri’s conversation with Taiga that Rei is very good and skilled at the game. And we can see that happen within the scene where he is playing the game while Kazuki tries to talk to Miri about what happened at school. He goes from 4th Place to 2nd Place very quickly and easily.

Though, it’s when he gets to 2nd Place that he spins out. This is timed right when Kazuki angrily tells Rei to “Stay out of it!”

We see an example here of family causing a break in concentration, which causes him to falter in his gameplay a bit. But then he just goes right back to playing. Knowing, from Episode 5, that he has been playing the game with Miri as well, makes me think that it Rei has gotten used to this sort of interruption-based experience by now. 

But, the thing that is so great about seeing Rei play Morio Kart is it shows Rei using his gaming skills (and likely in turn the assassin based skills he learned) in a fun, competitive way, that doesn’t involve more realistic and hardcore violence (or actual violence). It’s him using these skills purely for fun and him strategizing in a family friendly way. Similar to how we see him and Kazuki use their hitmen skills to make sure Miri and her friends stay safe later on in the episode, but without killing anyone (just throwing rocks and beating people up in mascot costumes, lol). 

But, bringing this all back around to why I wanted to discuss Rei specifically on Valentine’s Day. Usually when a character is stated as “not understanding love,” “not feeling love,” or “not knowing love,” the narrative then goes on to “fix” the character by having them fall (romantically) in love with someone or get caught up in a love triangle or something of that nature.

Buddy Daddies isn’t doing this though. Kazuki wants to help out Rei, but not necessarily on an emotional level. In fact, he even stated in Episode 3 that Rei didn’t have to share about his past:

Kazuki wants to help out Rei and see him improve on, like, a basic care level. And the series does a good job of showing how all of the emotional growth Rei has been making is something he is actively engaging with on his own level and terms, and through his own low-energy pace. And that’s fine! 

The series also makes the source of Rei’s growth familial love, rather than romantic based love. His bond with Miri is just as, if not even more, important than his bond with Kazuki. As someone who is aromantic and asexual - I appreciate that so much. It’s highlighting that Rei’s improvement in character is more so because he is putting more effort into things, getting out of the house more, and learning how to socialize and build emotional connections in general - not just “learn” how to romantically love someone like that is the end all, be all aspect of being human.

Now, this is an anime original series, so who knows what direction Kazuki and Rei’s relationship might take in the future. But, personally, I feel like, even if romance were to develop, it wouldn’t feel like the usual aphobic narrative of “ ‘learning’ to fall (romantically) in love will fix this person who doesn’t experience, know, or understand love and romance and will turn them from the robot-like thing they were into an actual person” BS. Because Buddy Daddies has already established the familial, community, and general well being aspects being the core parts of Rei’s character that needs improving. As well that it is by-and-large his familial bond with Miri that is the springboard for most of his growth and development, anything with Kazuki is just another layer to his already growing familial based love.

Any romantic feelings would just be coming from that growth and experience, and Rei wouldn’t need to completely change who he is in order to achieve that. It would be saying that having a family that you feel wanted and apart of is what matters the most, and that is something anyone can have and experience, whether you know love, understand love, or experience romantic attraction or not. 

So, yeah, I just hope Buddy Daddies keeps doing what it has been doing. And that future episodes won’t completely unravel this current reading I have of Rei, his bonds, and how he’ll continue to grow and evolve as a character. I have trust in the Buddy Daddy writing though, so I’m not too worried. <3

[torahoes]

(IDOLiSH7) FANTASY - Minami Natsume & Touma Inumaru [English Translation]

Link to my Twitter post with the color-coded lyrics

Lyrics:

言わない想いなら

Iwanai omoi nara

If these feelings go unspoken,

どうしたって届かないね

Doushitatte todokanai ne

There's no way they'll ever reach you

今夜は素直に伝えてみるよ

Kon'ya wa sunao ni tsutaete miru yo

So tonight, I'll try conveying them honestly

君へのラブソング

Kimi e no LOVE SONG

In a love song for you

溢れてくメロディ

Afureteku merodi

To this overflowing melody,

踊り出そう妖艶にさぁ

Odoridasou youen ni saa

Let's dance bewitchingly, come

逸るココロ鳴らすよ合図

Hayaru kokoro narasu yo aizu

When our eager hearts sound a signal,

魔法で彩るスタイル

Mahou de irodoru sutairu

In a style enchanted with magic,

何度でも誘って

Nando demo izanatte

I'll invite you over and over

2人でさぁゆこう

Futari de saa yukou

Just the two of us, come on, let's set sail

醒めない君と僕の fantasy

Samenai kimi to boku no FANTASY

Towards the fantasy that's yours and mine, never to awaken

微睡は冷めずに

Madoromi wa samezu ni

While I'm still half-asleep,

恥ずかしげに笑う君抱き寄せて

Hazukashige ni warau kimi daki yosete

I'll embrace you as you shyly smile

そばにいてよ forever

Soba ni ite yo FOREVER

And say "stay by my side forever"

恋心うつしてたあの星空

Koigokoro utsushiteta ano hoshizora

Under the starry sky that reflects our love

いいんじゃない?

Iin janai?

Isn't it alright?

やるせない そんな日の運勢は

Yarusenai son'na hi no unsei wa

On the days you feel disheartened,

僕が占ってご機嫌にしてあげる

Boku ga uranatte gokigen ni shite ageru

I'll divine your fortune to cheer you up and

Make you smile

期待通りを演じて

Kitai doori o enjite

By acting the way you always do,

隠してる? ジェラシー why?

Kakushiteru? jerashii WHY?

Are you hiding your jealousy? Why?

騒ぐココロ 惑う your eyes

Sawagu kokoro madou YOUR EYES

With your restless heart and wandering eyes,

教えて 僕への愛

Oshiete boku e no ai

Tell me about your love for me

合言葉交わしたら

Aikotoba kawashitara

Once we exchange our secret words

未来へ逃避行

Mirai e touhikou

We'll escape to the future,

醒めないように描く love dream

Samenai you ni egaku LOVE DREAM

Sketching a love dream so we never wake up

星空の向こうに

Hoshizora no mukou ni

Beyond the starry sky,

いつか見たい景色があるから

Itsuka mitai keshiki ga aru kara

There's a sight I want to see someday

まだもう少しだけは

Mada mou sukoshi dake wa

So, for just a little while longer,

止まらないメロディが導くまま

Tomaranai merodi ga michibiku mama

As we're guided by the never-ending melody,

飛び立ってゆこう

Tobitatte yukou

Let's take off and fly

夢でもいい everything

Yume demo ii EVERYTHING

Even if everything is merely a dream, it's fine

孤独に少し慣れてたはずの僕らだったんだ

Kodoku ni sukoshi nareteta hazu no bokura dattan da

We were meant to grow a bit accustomed to solitude

消せない痛み照らす your light

Kesenai itami terasu YOUR LIGHT

But your light illuminates the pain that can't be erased

誰だって繋がってる喜びわかりたくて

Dare datte tsunagatteru yorokobi wakaritakute

Everyone desires to understand the joy of being connected

All night いつまでも答えを探していたい

ALL NIGHT itsumademo kotae o sagashite itai

All night long, I want to endlessly seek answers

逸るココロ鳴らすよ合図

Hayaru kokoro narasu yo aizu

When our eager hearts sound a signal,

魔法で彩るスタイル

Mahou de irodoru sutairu

In a style enchanted with magic,

何度でも誘って

Nando demo izanatte

I'll invite you over and over

2人でさぁゆこう

Futari de saa yukou

Just the two of us, come on, let's set sail

醒めない君と僕の fantasy

Samenai kimi to boku no FANTASY

Towards the fantasy that's yours and mine, never to awaken

微睡は冷めずに

Madoromi wa samezu ni

While I'm still half-asleep,

恥ずかしげに笑う君抱き寄せて

Hazukashige ni warau kimi daki yosete

I'll embrace you as you shyly smile

そばにいてよ forever

Soba ni ite yo FOREVER

And say "stay by my side forever"

恋心うつしてたあの星空

Koigokoro utsushiteta ano hoshizora

Under the starry sky that reflects our love

飛び立ってゆこう

Tobitatte yukou

Let's take off and fly

夢でもいい everything

Yume demo ii EVERYTHING

Even if everything is merely a dream, it's fine

孤独に少し慣れてたはずの僕らだったんだ

Kodoku ni sukoshi nareteta hazu no bokura dattan da

We were meant to grow a bit accustomed to solitude

消せない痛み照らす your light

Kesenai itami terasu YOUR LIGHT

But your light illuminates the pain that can't be erased

誰だって繋がってる喜びわかりたくて

Dare datte tsunagatteru yorokobi wakaritakute

Everyone desires to understand the joy of being connected

Alright? 君とただ答えを探していたい

ALRIGHT? Kimi to tada kotae o sagashite itai

Alright? I just want to seek answers together with you

[vacantgodling]

favorite song tag

thank you @nostalgicdystopia for tagging me!

Rules: shuffle your playlist 5 times and post a poll with the songs and let your followers decide which is the best

i'll tag @magic-is-something-we-create @jezifster @korblez @kudzuman @sergeantnarwhalwrites

@multi-lefaiye @void-botanist @ink-flavored & YOU !!