really glad to see this one here too !!! ahh this is one of my fave tshd pieces <3

i think you can’t have accurate depictions of queerness without having some kind of depiction of micro-aggressions, as unfortunate as that sounds :(. but i think your depictions of it is one of the big reasons why your story touches the hearts of so many queer people <3

thank you for the recommendation !!! i can’t stop playing it on repeat now AHHH 🥹

i think this is what makes kurebayashi such a nuanced and realistic depiction of somebody who means well, but unintentionally hurts the people she cares for as a result of her actions. there are no good or bad people in the story, because humans just naturally hurt and love each other.

it makes so much sense you like the shape of water 😭 it’s also a film i really like too !

this is why you’ll see a lot of tshd’s themes resonate deeply with the aroace community, even the sexually suggestive elements. yoshikaru is still absolutely a queer pair, but the way they feel their love for each other isn’t romantic, platonic, or sexual. it’s something else, but no less important.

i think this gets into a lot of definitions, but basically, i think seeing them as a couple is still a valid interpretation, but they’re not your traditional romantic/sexual couple which is what mkmkr is trying to emphasize. they still care deeply and intensely about each other, but not in that way.

i think although yoshikaru engage in sexually suggestive activities together, they still don’t have romantic or platonic attraction towards each other. i would also argue they don’t feel sexual attraction towards each other either, and the chest sex was more curiosity rather than attraction

ah, but i agree with you. this series is not queerbaiting, even if the love between two male characters is undefined. it is more of a love letter to the queer experience and it’s one of a kind. i’m very grateful you did not make it a traditional romance, but something entirely different and special.

anyways, i think people will unfortunately be humans and they’ll instinctively force a label on something they’re not familiar with. but keep writing yoshikaru how you want to write them, teacher! they speak to the hearts of so many queer people, and that’s what makes yoshikaru so precious.

the love that they have is love. it’s just different in the way humans usually think about it, but that’s what makes it queer and beautiful.

i think people have a hard time thinking in a way that’s not binary. just because a relationship is undefined and/or nonbinary doesn’t mean nothing exists between the two characters. it means SO MUCH exists that it cannot be contained in a single word. that’s what i love about yoshikaru.

thank youuu 🥹❤️❤️!!! i appreciate it <3

i like where it ended off this chapter! do not worry about it :3 very happy we got to see mama indou ! and ah i love how mama tsujinaka was patient with yoshiki and trusted him to keep himself safe, even if he’s not ready to tell her the truth yet <3 very queer experience, i’m glad yoshiki has her!