#like i said in my masterpost: squidward will admit his true feelings when it really comes down to it

[tragicclownwrites]

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[tragicclownwrites]

Part 4: Reigisa & SquidBob: The Differences

So, I've talked about how these ships are similar - which was the whole idea behind this entire masterpost in the first place. However, it'd be remiss not to cover how these ships differ from each other as well.

To get it out of the way, I'll state the obvious: one ship is two sea creatures and the other is two anime school boys. They could not be more different in that regard... but I won't be covering that below.

How their relationship has evolved in canon

Looking back at the previous parts of this post, it would be easy to say this is just another similarity between them. And, don't get me wrong, it totally is! However, when we take each show's canon at face value without looking deeper, the relationships do look a bit different.

From a purely canon "Free!" perspective, Rei and Nagisa are regarded as best friends, and see each other as such.

When it comes to the canon in "Spongebob Squarepants," this still seems to be more one-sided - at least publicly. Squidward has shown time and time again that he does care about Spongebob, but this primarily comes out in moments where a) he thinks no one of importance is watching (i.e., mutual acquaintances/friends) or b) the circumstances are dire.

"Spongebob, no matter what I've said, I've always sort of liked you." (Squidward Tentacles, "Graveyard Shift")

One instance that comes to mind for Squidward is the end of "Fools in April," when he apologizes to Spongebob for the hurtful prank he pulled. During this apology, he admits that he likes him (and all their friends), he likes living next door, and he likes "hearing [his] foghorn alarm in the morning and [his] high-pitched giggling at night." When Spongebob finally comes out and asks him if it's all true, he's groveling on the ground, confessing that "yes, yes, Spongebob. Yes, it's all true." He struggled to say this to Spongebob at first as he wasn't one to apologize anyway. But, when it really came down to it, this confession was for Spongebob and Spongebob alone.

When he realizes that everyone else heard what he said, only THEN does he take it back and pretend it was all a joke.

Many of the episodes we've gotten of Squidward being genuinely kind (or even flirty) to Spongebob often happen when no one - or at least no one he will likely meet again - is around to see it (ex. Pizza Delivery, Bubble Bass' Tab, etc.). Spongebob on the other hand...

It begs the question: why is Squidward so concerned with his and Spongebob's mutual connections noticing that he cares about Spongebob? ORRRR... is it that he's worried that they'll catch on to how much he cares about Spongebob?

This brings me to...

Acceptance of feelings

Now that we've talked about where these two dynamic duos started out and how their actions towards each other have changed, it's time to look at how they seem to feel about each other in regards to their relationship.

When we look at Reigisa, it's clear that Rei has completely accepted Nagisa. In all of Nagisa's optimistic, pushy, hyperactive, and generally childish nature - Rei seems to have embraced it all.

I mean, look at these two acting like a proper couple out here on main. In public. Right in front of our salads.

(The first two pics are OFFICIAL art btw!)

Basically, Rei - who has been routinely stuck in his ways and overthinks everything - no longer gives a single fuck. While the old Rei would've been embarrassed and awkward about Nagisa's affections, the Rei we know later on has fully thrown caution to the wind and he clearly loves Nagisa too much to care what others think about it.

I've mentioned how Spongebob and Nagisa have both openly told their person "I love you." Even Squidward has said this out loud (which I will get to!). And while Rei hasn't blatantly said these three words to my knowledge, just see the way he looks at Nagisa. He doesn't even have to.

Meanwhile, SquidBob is totally there, too. I doubt I would be as fascinated by them as I am if that weren't the case!

I mean, LOOK. They have their own PJ/sleepover moments, too!

However, the fundamental difference here is that while Rei has let go of any expectations of himself to be with Nagisa (he's... free 😉), Squidward is unable to fully do the same with Spongebob for some reason.

I think it's obvious to anyone that Spongebob loved/was infatuated with Squidward from the beginning and his feelings only seem more apparent in the later seasons. Squidward has also made massive progress since then... but there's always a catch.

"I love him... and I hate him." (Squidward Tentacles, "Sponge on the Run") *Tenderly holds Spongebob's hands, getting down on one knee* "You know I... hate you, right?" (Squidward Tentacles, "SpongeBob You're Fired")

MAKE UP YOUR MIND, SQUIDWARD. He is a walking contradiction when it comes to our little spongey friend and he is so close to figuring it out.

However, as I demonstrated above, it doesn't seem like he's ready to take the leap. I personally think he loves Spongebob just as much as Rei loves Nagisa, but he is so self-conscious about being perceived a certain way and/or being embarrassed by Spongebob. Therefore, as we saw in the last post, he thinks he needs to be with people who have the exact same personality as him for it to work... but it never seems to last. (For context, the tweet from Vincent Waller essentially confirms that Squilvia & Squidward are over).

All in all, these two pairings represent the difference between an established relationship (Reigisa) and a slow-burn romance (SquidBob) - they are very much on the same level in terms of cuteness and how much we love seeing their relationships develop BUT they are at very different stages in those relationships.

Regardless of what their "official" relationship statuses are, they are both very much canon in my heart. 🌈💖

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