#i am a flower vase in an infinite flow world spoilers

[miyamiwu]

ASBDHDJFKF that KaiSagi panel really be the epitome of the enemies to lovers trope, huh? 😂

But yeah, I get your point. I do also enjoy the enemies/rivals to lovers trope. Strongly agree on that it forces characters to have development, but I disagree on how friends to lovers may not need that much character development since it’ll work anyway and it how it’s limited to just predictable fluff. It all really depends on how the author works with it. If the author wants vanilla, it can be vanilla. If they want it dramatic and spicy, then it can be dramatic and spicy.

The Bachira-Isagi ship is a good example of the friends to lovers trope. It started out vanilla and classic but became more nuanced come Second Selection arc. The author was able to make this typical sweet and cute pair into a dramatic one by, ironically, “breaking” their friendship.

Bachira was so ready to let go of Isagi here, and it was not out of hate or of conflicting ideals or out of any external factors or simplistic reasons like “I don’t want to ruin our friendship.” It was because he loved him. He loved Isagi so much, he’d rather break away from him so he can continue to stay by his side even if they’ll no longer be friends or partners. It’s that self-sacrificial aspect that makes it so juicy. Bachira would rather ruin what they had than to be left behind.

And it wasn’t just Bachira ready to sacrifice but Isagi as well. Isagi, a player who works strongly by logic, sacrificed the more logical play (interfering a possible pass to Rin) by meeting Bachira where he was instead

Bachira became rational to the point he wanted to break away from Isagi, but then Isagi responded, becoming irrational to the point he’d rather risk losing the game. He believed in Bachira so much, he can throw away everything else.

Sacrificing out of love and turning irrational out of strong faith in the other, faith which is only possible from having known someone for so long… If that still doesn’t make this trope dramatic, then I don’t know what will.

And it doesn’t stop there! These two can also diss each other!!

Bachira was straight-up looking down on Isagi here, and Isagi was so fucking mad, all he could say was a “shut up.” They are even more like a married couple because after this, we have the two of them acting like it never happened and they just went back to being lovey-dovey again

I could write a much longer essay on these two, but I’ll stop here for now so I can get to other ship examples.

My other favorite friends to lovers ship, which is unfortunately not canon 🥲, is from a Chinese BL webnovel called I am a Flower Vase in an Infinite Flow World (Ignore that long, ugly title).

It’s untranslated, but (edit: it’s now being translated) The plot is about the characters trying to survive in the Infinite Flow world. (Unlimited/Infinite Flow is a popular genre in webnovels, and if you don’t know what that is, just think of it as the death game trope.)

And since you’re equating Rivals to Lovers to the Enemies to Lovers trope, may I also introduce the Teammates to Lovers counterpart for Friends to Lovers? I ship the protagonist Tang Ning with his teammate turned best friend, Lin Yun.

It’s a death game, so you can expect their teamwork to be not that important since prioritizing one’s own life is only natural. And it was definitely like that in the beginning. Lin Yun is an ordinary guy who had teamed up with Tang Ning out of convenience, and when things turned bad, he was always ready to leave Tang Ning behind. He doesn’t mind being called selfish or a coward, for he thinks his life is more important.

Once, Tang Ning saved Lin Yun while almost getting himself killed, and Lin Yun berated him for being stupid and told him how he shouldn’t risk his life for teammates because teams are temporary. Tang Ning agreed with him on the not-risking-life-for-teammates part, but then gently said that Lin Yun was different because he was no longer just a teammate but his friend aaaaahhh

Later in the story, when Lin Yun was caught in some spell, Tang Ning, in order to wake him up, decided to be frank with him by saying something like “You’re so selfish, always saving yourself before others. One day, you’ll be the only one alive and you’ll be all alone.” And those words succeeded in waking Lin Yun up, and he realized then and there how much Tang Ning means to him. That, for all of his selfishness, there was no way he’d want to leave Tang Ning behind. Tang Ning has become so important to him, even more than his own life. And for that, Lin Yun tried to be braver and stronger so that he would never have to abandon Tang Ning.

Wanting to be stronger, becoming a better person, facing your fears—all so you could protect the one you love. That’s such a beautiful and dramatic aspect of friends to lovers that should really be utilized more.

A more popular example of this would be the Killua-Gon ship from Hunter x Hunter. Killua had been taught since he was child to never face an enemy that he wasn’t confident that he could beat. This lesson was so “ingrained” into him that it’s become an instinct for him to run away when facing a stronger enemy. It has definitely helped him preserve his life, but in the Chimera Ant arc, it also became his downfall. His greatest fear is that one day he can’t help but leave Gon behind to die.

And so, he stood his ground against a chimera ant. Trembling in fear and with tears in his eyes, he declared in a shaky voice that he does not want to lose Gon, his most important friend.

Is that not beautiful? Does it not make your heart clench? Does it not keep you at the edge of your seat??

Friends to Lovers can be just as dramatic and intense as Enemies to Lovers. I consume a lot of horror, supernatural, mystery, and shounen media, so I’ve encountered many such complex ships that are more than just the predictable fluff you’d typically find in an ordinary modern setting.

Enemies to Lovers is sexy, but Friends to Lovers is supreme

AVSHDKDJFKDK I AM SO MAD

This is the second time I've seen friends to lovers lose in a favorite romance trope poll. Why tf does enemies to lovers keep winning??? I enjoy that trope too, but how is it better than friends to lovers???

Do the majority not prefer a gradual and natural progression in a relationship?? When two characters have inside jokes that only they know? Being with someone they actually enjoy hanging out with??? Someone they can talk with about their hobbies, dreams, and anxieties without fear of being judged??? The moment when sharing a bed is suddenly no longer just a usual thing they do but is now making them shy??? Soft and sweet moments between two people who are so comfortable with each other and that before they knew it they have become each other's home???? That italic oh moment when they just suddenly realized that "yes, I want this, and more of this for the rest of my life"??

Do you all really prefer two people trying to kill each other first before falling in love??? Whhyyyy