Sakuko finds it difficult to live in a society which operates under the assumption that people will fall in love with each other. She meets supermarket employee Takahashi when she goes to support a “fall-in-love” campaign by her junior at work. She is startled when she hears him say that there are people who don’t fall in love. As Sakuko’s mother keeps hurrying her to get married, she decides to move out and rent an apartment with her friend but her friend backs out at the last minute after reconciling with her ex-boyfriend. Just when Sakuko is about to give up, she ends up living with Takahashi under one roof because of their similar values towards romance.
It’s time to stop treating first dates, first kisses, and losing virginity as milestones or rites of passage that must be completed. It’s time to stop expecting these things to happen in everyone’s teen years or even in their twenties. It’s time to stop letting people call themselves “late bloomers” for getting their first kiss at 16. It’s stupid. It’s unnecessary. It’s damaging to people who for whatever reason it may be don’t have romantic prospects or don’t even want to do those things.
NOT ONLY do i want more m/f friendships in media where there’s nothing romantic between them, but i want m/f friendships where both characters are SINGLE so that there’s no reason there to “justify” why those two can’t date. i want the platonicness of their relationship to be something that stands on its own merit.
A couple days late for Valentine’s Day, but I wanted to get some thoughts out that I’ve been having. Amatonormativity can make people feel worthless/unlikable for their lack of a partner or romantic prospects, but don’t listen to it!! Romance and love don’t impact your inherent worth, whether you are aro or not.
