Squillward

Squillward is the slash ship between Squilliam Fancyson and Squidward Tentacles from the SpongeBob SquarePants fandom.

SpongeBob SquarePants
Consistently the two have been portrayed with an adversarial relationship, one that explicitly has dated as far back as high-school. The only official information about their past given in the source material is that they knew each other in high-school was that they both attended band class and have held a rivalry since. However according to storyboard director and writer Sam Henderson, there was a cut scene from Squilliam Returns where the two would have been shown to have known each other even longer.

This would have been as early as infancy, with the two competing to see who could crawl first. This also would have depicted Squilliam winning over a girl that Squidward was interested in with an extravagant bouquet. Regardless of how long they may have known each other, as a result of their past together the two octopuses are often competing to show-up the other whenever Squilliam appears in an episode that focuses on Squidward. This will typically manifest as Squilliam condescending to or looking down at Squidward, who will attempt to impress Squilliam in some fashion in return.

The SpongeBob Comics
Though there is still an adversarial dynamic at play where the two are portrayed as rivals, it is more subdued in comparison to the original series. While Squidward does still attempt to impress Squilliam or otherwise show him up, Squilliam can be somewhat more amiable toward Squidward. This is shown in several comic stories where Squilliam, while still self-centered and spoiled, seems to actively seek to spend time with him without necessarily putting him down.

In another story, he tearfully confesses to feeling jealous of Squidward's talents as a comedian. Squidward, on the other hand however, seems just as irritated by him as in the series regardless of how amiable Squilliam may outwardly portray himself as. Though Squilliam may often be written as comparatively nicer than his animated counterpart in the SpongeBob comics, he is not completely without malice as there are a few stories where he attempts to take advantage of Squidward or otherwise embarrass him.

Fanon
It's not the most common scenario for Squidward and Squilliam to be shipped as a concurrent relationship in the present. Typically in fanworks they are depicted as ex-lovers, usually having dated in high-school only to have had a bad break-up during their teenage years. Often, Squilliam will play an adversarial role or be presented as a challenge to overcome in other Squidward-centric relationships, such as in SquidBob works. However, there are still those who do explore the possibility of the two repairing their relationship or exploring a romance in the present. In works focusing solely on Squidward and Squilliam's relationship with a romantic lense, Squilliam will often be portrayed as the more forward and assertive of the two. This is presumably meant to be an extension of the way Squilliam might tease Squidward in the source material.

Fandom

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