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kinosternon · 2 years

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did you like the free! movie? i read your summary which obviously isnt equivalent to wayching the movie but i felt…idk. if youre ok sharing your thoughts on it?

Honestly? I really liked it, but also they're very much movies where what you're hoping to get out of them can play a big role in how enjoyable they are.

If you enjoy your dynamics gen and/or multiship-flavored, for example, then this was just. An absolutely fantastic film. 10/10 no notes. If you want resolution or confirmation about, well, basically anything, on the other hand, it's going to be very disappointing.

The character work was admirable—especially for the minor characters, many of whom continued to get development literally up to the final moments of the film. I absolutely loved all the new relationships that we started to see get off the ground, as well as call-backs to previous interactions throughout the series that showed growth in the characters involved. Not only that, but new stakes were introduced and explored relatively well, and most of all they introduced more drama and tension while sacrificing as little character growth as possible.

There are two big exceptions to this, for me...

(spoilers below the cut)

...and they are Haruka and Makoto.

After mostly having his shit together in parts of Dive to the Future, Haruka lost a fair bit of ground, emotionally speaking. But I think the movie justifies that well—it's a return to deep-seated questions that he's never quite figured out how to answer about who he is and his place in the world, on top of the new stressors he's facing. Admittedly, the answer he comes to is a bit more of a postponement than a real answer, but it also feels true to where he is at this point in his life.

Makoto, though...well. Not only did MakoHaru get on-screen development only through flashbacks, but Makoto just let everything that was happening in the movie...happen. Even Hiyori was more active in Ikuya's arc than Makoto was in Haruka's this time around. Coming from the decision Makoto made about his own career path in Dive to the Future, some of this stuff feels like a pretty big step back.

But honestly? I'm okay with that, too.

Side note that's related—I was really happy with how Rin was handled throughout. I've never quite been a RinHaru shipper, but this was the first time in the entire series when I could actually feel good about their dynamic, either romantically or platonically. And the fact that so much of that development was focused on conflict resolution is a key ingredient to figuring out what KyoAni gave focus, here.

I suspect it'll absolutely frustrate some folks, but to me, the success of the early stages of certain interactions while neglecting or even regressing on the deeper relationships is telling. These last few seasons/films have been about showing how the boys have learned to grow beyond misunderstandings, hostility, and damaging competitiveness and learn to trust themselves and each other enough to maintain a tenuous sense of emotional stability in their lives. But that doesn't mean that they know how to grow further than that, yet—how to start building lives, or full-fledged identities, that they can be happy with. One of the major plot points is whether they can (or want to) even look a year into the future, for crying out loud, and that's just in terms of their careers!

Free! was never going to be a series that explicitly acknowledged any of the romantic (and even many of the more deeply platonic) undertones it harbors. Considering that, I kind of feel the way they chose to have Makoto obviously underplay his feelings, fears, and care for Haruka throughout the film was...I don't know, it just felt right for their current trajectories.

Haruka is explicitly balancing self-preservation against a desire to compete, with his sense of self suspended precariously between those two things. That doesn't exactly leave a lot of room for building relationships with others, and indeed a lot of Haruka's emotional work in this movie is about his relationship with himself as well as with other people more generally. He's just not in a place to acknowledge other people's deeper feelings for him just yet. (Makoto aside, I'm including Rin and Ikuya, and in a limited sense, Kaede in this. Possibly Albert, but Albert also couldn't emotions his way out of a paper bag, so it's kind of a moot point. Oh and technically Ryuuji counts, too, as Haruka's mentor.)

(And man, don't even get me started on the decision to include Haruka's mother in the way they did. That's...just...gah. I have probably uncharitable opinions on that one that will probably show up in fic form sooner or later.)

Makoto, meanwhile, is stuck being as afraid of his feelings about Haruka as he is of actual threats to Haruka's well-being, and that leaves him at a pretty harsh impasse. Would Haruka be okay with him putting his own life on hold to help him with rehabilitation for a year? No he would not. Overall, I think he's making the rational choice in consciously to step back (at least in terms of physical distance) and put his own needs and plans first, because he's absolutely been a little too dependent on his role as Haruka's guardian/caretaker in the past, even if the show's never come out and explicitly said this. (Hiyori and Ikuya were absolutely a cautionary tale about it, though, and one that I think Makoto took to heart.)

As to where they're at emotionally, this movie shows a pattern pretty clearly. Makoto defaults to praising Haruka's swimming to hide his feelings, and Haruka accepts that without questioning it. One of them is going to need to break that default someday, whether for romantic reasons or simply for the sake of their overall emotional health...but they're just not ready to yet.

But, again, as awkward and painful a part of their emotional development as that is, it was portrayed really honestly. Better still, it left open-ended, with plenty of implications for future development. (It would have been so easy for them to include an epilogue with random new characters paired off with existing ones, and that didn't happen even once. I'm very, very grateful for that.)

So I guess the biggest takeaway here, and my biggest praise for this film, is that it really is a fan's free-for-all from this point onward. Personally speaking, I really couldn't ask for anything more interesting.

#free! the final stroke second part #spoilers #haruka nanase #and the people who care about him #that's the main focus of this rant bc it was a major driver of the film #don't get me wrong there was SO MUCH ELSE TOO #but there's frankly just too many characters and too much going on to cover it all in just one post #and that's one of the things I liked about the movie!#it was...intricate #in a good way #thanks for asking!!#I could write essays on this stuff (obviously)

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orcx-nus · 4 years

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#;outoforca #(( i had a dream that i had just finished watching the free movie thats supposed to come out in 2021 ))#(( and they were going through the final scene montages yknow as they do right before the credits ))#(( and makoto and haru were in the pool swimming together like in high speed yknow ))#(( and makoto grabs haru’s hand like he does to pull him closer with his smile as always ))#(( and haru is staring at him as he’s pulled close ))#(( stopped just inches away from a smiling makoto ))#(( when suddenly Haru decides to CLOSE THE DISTANCE ))#(( AND THEY FINALLY KISS ))#(( makoto is obvs surprised at first but he melts into it soon enough lmfao ))#(( even my dreams are dominated by makoharu lol ))

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fencer-x · 3 years

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So I went to see “Free! The Final Stroke” part 1, and now you all have to hear me scream about it

I was scared to see this movie. I didn’t enjoy Season 3, the High Speed! movie was a monumental disappointment, and I hadn’t been active in the fandom for a long while. Maybe I was over it. Maybe there was no getting back that heart-pounding excitement and adrenaline rush of watching these episodes week after week with a server full of equally excited friends.

But I knew I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t see this. If I didn’t at least close this chapter of my life. I needed to see how they wrapped everything up. Even though I knew it was going to be a train wreck, it was a train wreck I needed to see.

So I bought my ticket, double-masked, and waited for the lights to go down.

When they came back up, after it was said and done....I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry real big fat tears of happiness because this was what i had been waiting for and missing. This. THIS WAS SO GOOD. This was SO FULFILLING. And even though it ends on a spectacular emotionally gut-wrenching cliffhanger, I WAS GLAD FOR IT.

Wanna know what’s in store for you when this finally comes to your neighborhood? Want to know if it’s something you can allow yourself to get excited for now, instead of worrying it won’t live up to your expectations? Then get behind this cut and see!

I assume if you’ve made it this far, you want to be spoiled.

Good. You’re gonna get spoiled. Know that I love you all enough that I’m not making you parse my chickenscratch notes I took in the dark without looking at the paper and will instead attempt to decipher them myself.

What this is not: A 100% detailed and faithful retelling of what went on in the movie. I was too busy watching and enjoying to get more than the broad strokes, and while I’m quite confident in my Japanese, it’s difficult to catch everything AND write it down AND allow myself time to enjoy it all at once.

What this is: My screaming about the best parts and trying to give a broad overview of what happens in this movie. There will be copious highlighting of shippy moments, and me being me, they’re 97% gonna be focusing on Haru and Rin, so strap in.

But before I get into all that, let’s get to what you really want to know: WHICH SHIPPERS ARE EATING WELL WITH THIS MOVIE?

First, it goes without saying, given my excitement, but: HARU AND RIN WIN THE MOVIE. They just do. This movie is 90% focused on Haru, Rin, and Ikuya, as they’re the characters whose futures are the focus of this entire movie. The movie is about them, and everyone else is set dressing (important set dressing in the case of Makoto and less so Sousuke, but 100% secondary characters at the end of the day).

That being said, there is something for everyone here, really. Any of the main ships? They’re snacking decently. You like SouHaru? You eat. You like MakoRin? Pull up a chair! You like HiyoIku? Dig in!

But the big winners after HaruRin in this movie are: MakoHaru (obviously! It’s not Free! without quiet close conversations between them lol except god y’all get gutpunched in a very important scene when instead of finishing giving advice to Haru, Makoto remembers he promised to play video games with the twins and leaves RIP), NatsuNao and SouMako (these get a joint highlight because Makoto and Nao are taking more formal places as Natsuya’s and Sousuke’s official-unofficial trainers--there’s a whole scene where Natsuya and Nao watch over Sousuke and Makoto and draw parallels between themselves, and Sousuke and Makoto are together as they watch Haru, Rin, and Ikuya compete together), and (a new challenger appears) IkuRin??? (was this really a thing before? idk but MAN does it get a huge boost to its credit in this movie, as they share multiple conversations together about their future and dreams, though with the caveat that those conversations are always about Haru and what he means to them really XD)

Now, with that out of the way...highlights from the movie!

The gist of the movie overall is that Haru, Rin, and Ikuya fly to Australia to compete in an international tournament. There, they face off against each other as well as Kinjou and Albert--the scenes from the tournament are largely about the 100-meter Freestyle event, with few scenes of other strokes and no mention at all of the relay.

Because of what happens at that event--who places where--decisions must be made, largely about Haru, Rin, and Ikuya’s futures (because they’re still in college; these boys aren’t professionals yet), and that causes a LOT of drama, because this is Free! XD

The movie opens very cutely with Haru’s friends recording videos about him, mostly about how they met him and what impact he’s had on their lives. Even Rin is dragged over by Iwatobi and asked to put in a few words too. Given that Makoto is still wearing his Iwatobi uniform, I’m guessing this is before they graduate.

Cut next to Haru with that old familiar mantra: “When you're ten, they call you a prodigy. When you're fifteen, they call you a genius. But once you hit twenty, you're just a normal person.”

Yup: Once you hit 20, you’re just a normal person. Nanase Haruka is on the cusp of his 20th year, and he can hear his time to reach his dream ticking down.

We get a brief flashback to baby Hiyori on the playground getting bullied by a baby Kinjou who wants to see him smile. He asks Hiyori what’s a memory that really makes him happy, and Hiyori mentions swimming. Kinjou rushes home, bright and excited, asking to go to a pool, but when he returns to the playground with swim gear in hand and a huge smile on his face, ready to invite Hiyori to go swimming, Hiyori is gone, and we learn that he moved away. Baby Kinjou is heartbroken.

In the present, Haru’s college is having a joint cultural festival with their rival school, and everyone’s come to help and/or check out the booths. Rin and Sousuke make their rounds, eventually coming upon Ikuya reluctantly selling sweets. They tease him about it and give him shit, and Ikuya whips out his phone that has a picture of Maid!Rin and says, "WELL MY BROTHER TOLD ME YOU DID THIS WHEN YOU WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL SO YOU HAVE ZERO LEGS TO STAND ON MISTER," and after Rin recovers from his minor heart attack, he whips out his own phone with a picture of Ikuya on it, though we can't see it (it’s cut off), and uses it to embarrass Ikuya saying, "YEAH WELL I KNOW YOUR BROTHER MADE YOU WEAR THIS SO STUFF IT." I have to assume it's an embarrassing crossdressing episode of his own.

Kinjou drops by the festival too and crosses paths with Haru. Words are traded, and the gist is: they’re going to settle who’s better in Sydney, where Haru, Rin, and Ikuya are heading to compete in their next international tournament.

Yup, it’s that time again ladies and gents: HARURINRALIA 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO (THIS TIME WITH 100% MORE IKUYA). There’s very cute callbacks to S2′s Harurinralia episode, but the highlight is their arriving at the pool the boys visited in S2 and Ikuya seeing the pool himself for the first time. Haru comments that, “This is where I found my dream,” and Ikuya agrees he can understand why it’s important to him, then.

Back in Tokyo, Sousuke is in the midst of rehabilitation, with Makoto helping him train. Natsuya is training as well, and in a conversation with Nao, he remarks on how far Sousuke has come. Nao notes that it’s thanks to Makoto’s help, and that Nao and Makoto are both dedicated to helping Natsuya and Sousuke, respectively, get stronger. MAD DOUBLE-DATE VIBES HERE.

The day of the preliminaries in Sydney arrives, and Haru’s in the first heat. Ikuya and Rin watch from the sidelines and talk about Haru’s influence on the both of them, what his presence their means to them, and where they plan to go in the future.

Haru wins his heat handily, swimming one of his best times, but Rin and Ikuya both choke in their races and only come in 5th, not moving on to semi-finals. Haru is horrified watching Rin swim the way he does, and after Rin leaves the pool, he races off to find him but is unsuccessful.

Albert and Kinjou make it through their heats as well, and in the 100-meter Free semifinals, it’s Haru vs. Albert vs. Kinjou (and some randos). Haru trails the two at first, but he eventually finds his stride and manages to take (IIRC) second to Albert. He’s absolutely exhausted from the effort, though, shaken both physically and emotionally, and nearly falls down a flight of stairs before being caught by Ikuya. He rushes to find his coach, and immediately asks, panicked, how he can get better, how he can win.

Something fishy is up with Albert, though, and we see that he doesn’t have any passion at all for winning, only ‘doing his job’ with a cool detachment. After seeing the way Haru nearly caught him in the semi-finals, though, something clicks for him, and he...goes home. Albert skips the finals. I’m not entirely clear on what happens in the finals itself tbh -- Kinjou is asked how he feels about getting a ‘double medal’ (as in sharing a medal with someone), but Haru laments that he didn’t get a medal while Makoto reassures him he did place and that’s what matters. I’ll have to watch again to see if I can get a better gist, but if anyone has clarity on this point, I’m curious!

Haru, Rin, and Ikuya all leave the tournament with the singular goal of getting stronger, though, and go through their individual ways of making sure that happens. Ikuya decides to go to a training camp Natsuya invites him to, Rin wants a harder training regimen from his coach, and Haru?

Haru goes to talk to his coach, who tells him there’s only one way to get stronger: he has to be prepared to give something up. Haru refuses--everything he has, his friendships and bonds, are precious to him. He’ll become the best without losing anything.

Sousuke, Makoto, and Hiyori burn off the anxiety of watching their friends struggle in Sydney by having a backstroke race, with the losers being forced to do something embarrassing. We’re later treated to SouMako kitty-ear selfies together. This is a very important scene, so I have made sure to include it in my report.

As the year is winding down, all the Tokyo friends get together for an end-of-the-year party. Natsuya and Nao are the only ones of legal drinking age, and Natsuya gets absolutely plastered.

Rin and Haru sit together at the end of the table, and Rin begins pressing Haru about his future--what he’s decided to do after college. When Haru admits he’s still thinking over his options, Rin gets a bit irritated and leaves the party. Makoto rushes after them and they talk about Rin’s own plans; Sousuke moves over to where Rin was sitting and similarly chats up Haru, reminding Haru that he’s doing really well and should keep up the good work. We learn that RIn has made a decision--but not what that decision is yet.

Talk at the table turns to ages, and it’s remarked that they’re all going to be 20 soon. Here again, Haru hears the mantra in his head: “When you're ten, they call you a prodigy. When you're fifteen, they call you a genius. But once you hit twenty, you're just a normal person.”

He’s almost 20. Almost a normal person.

The boys return home for New Years, and while there, Ikuya has a talk with Natsuya. He’s made a decision as well.

Haru finds his way one evening to Iwatobi Elementary School, where the sakura tree still stands, including its little brick wall with painted words. I swim. Free. For the team.

The sound of crunching gravel calls his attention over: Rin is there too. They talk about their time in Sydney, and where they’re going from here. Haru's experience in Sydney confirmed for him that he wants to keep swimming with Rin.

There’s just one problem.

Rin’s made a decision himself, and it’s this: he’s not going to swim freestyle anymore. He wants to be a professional swimmer, and he knows that to get scouted, he has to swim his best. He has to focus on Butterfly, so that’s what he’s going to do. Ikuya has made the same decision and will only be swimming Breasstroke going forward. They’re both going to go pro--what about Haru? Rin wants him there, standing on the international stage with him, so will he join him?

...Haru’s been feeling strange since he swam with Albert. A cold, dark emotion is beginning to settle in him, a ruthlessness, swimming single-mindedly and without any love for the water. It’s infected him, and it manifests here in a cold, cruel accusation: “You’re just scared of Albert. How nice for you, since he doesn’t swim Butterfly. You won’t have to face him.”

Rin is taken aback, snarling, “You think I made this decision lightly?”

Haru: “Yeah, I do. Just like you make all your decisions.”

Haru watches himself have this exchange with Rin, as if a separate person, a soul watching someone else pilot his own body and say terrible, horrible things to someone he cares about.

Haru: “You always leave. You always disappear without a word.”

Rin rushes him, grabbing Haru’s jacket and shaking him, “I thought you’d get me now! I thought you’d understand! I was so happy I got to swim the relay with you!”

But he realizes Haru is gone, that this is it--and then releases him, turns his back, and walks away. Haru watches, horrified, from somewhere outside of time, and all he can see is Rin running away from him again, like before. Rin has left him yet again.

Still, though, he can’t wrestle control of his body back, and whatever cold emotion is driving him now takes a cellphone out of his pocket. It’s a cellphone his coach gave him that connects directly to his office.

Azuma picks up, and Haru only says: “I did it. I cut him away.”

Now Rin isn’t there holding Haru back anymore, just like his coach told Haru he would need to be prepared to do if he really wanted to be the best. He flashes back to Rin himself saying, “You think you’re the best there is in the water, right?” with that characteristic leer.

End Part 1.

#free!#free! the final stroke #harurin #harurinralia #HOW ABOUT THAT ANGST FEST????#OH GOD I ALREADY WANT TO GO BACK AND SEE IT AGAIN.

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caffernnn · 2 years

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Despite being afraid of utter disappointment I'm so happy this person on Twitter pointed out haru's and makoto's flashback in tfs is connected (peep the clothes). We might be getting an emocional scene that Will be linked to small makoharu :') i hope they hold hands again <3

https://twitter.com/bucinmakoto/status/1510705878910996482?t=mw04dP5VxI_-PVfJOm-B_g&s=19

An interesting perspective on Makoto’s vision and how the two visions are linked! I talked about it a bit in my first “Makoto Files” post, but it feels like the two scenes are a part of a through-line in the movie connecting to Makoto’s arc in FS, noticeably through the similarities (the clothing) and also the reoccurring bell/chime sound that shows up about 4 times in the movie (iirc; I made notes about it during my rewatch but didn’t write down time stamps. Key moments include right before both of those two visions, plus when Haru and Makoto are talking again in the present at the outlook).

Something I wanted to mention in the first post (but it would’ve been excessive to explain it with everything else going on): despite Makoto and Haru being displayed as children in the visions, I personally didn’t see Makoto’s vision as a flashback. There are many flashbacks throughout the movie that Makoto revisits when thinking about Haru and his friends, but this scene feels different. My interpretation lies in it not capturing an event of the past, but digging into Makoto’s current hopes/fears concerning his shrine prayer (wanting everyone’s feelings to reach Haru) and foreshadowing/warning how that all might play out as they move foreword.

Now, as to why they’d choose to depict Makoto and Haru as kids if this wasn’t meant to be a flashback, I had a few thoughts about that. Like I mentioned in my first post, this vision is coming in at a transitional moment, where both Makoto and Haru are taking on new tasks and entering their respective paths as fresh faces. This is especially true when looking at what we know about Haru’s response to change and gaining footing in a high-stakes competition world — being asked to move away from what he’s known to embrace the unfamiliar leaves him vulnerable, and unfortunately naïve in some ways. Showing them as children is a nod to both Makoto and Haru’s bond and how Makoto seems to interpret their presence in Tokyo, or the world after high school. It’s telling how Makoto and Haru are lost in a sea of faceless adults in the vision; it seems like a visual nod to that unease that comes with growing up, where there’s so much movement around you (people who all seem like adults who aren’t struggling and somehow just “get it”) that you can’t help but feel small with how challenging and overwhelming everything can be at times. Another thought: showing them as children is a nod to how Makoto views him and Haru, especially as someone who has been there since the beginning. He sees current Haru, but he also sees Haru’s journey and the past versions of himself that got them to where they are now. It’s something Makoto comes back to constantly when trying to offer Haru support and ground him, the insistence on him understanding who Haru was and is, and trying to make sure Haru doesn’t lose sight of all of that. Young Makoto going after young Haru in the vision is an act of earnest care: they’re both a little scared, a little out of place in the chaos, but Makoto is still ready to offer Haru whatever kindness he has in his hand, whether that’s “enough” to keep them safe or not. That’s all he can realistically offer; he can’t offer experiential wisdom about navigating the pressures of the pro world or promise to be the ones to fix his problems, but he can show up to remind Haru that people care about him and his happiness.

Circling back to that twitter thread and how this whole sequence with makoharu might continue in FS2… I’m a sucker who’s hopeful that we’ll see Makoto and Haru reunite on-screen (a mix between when they reunited at the airport and when they reunited after Haru’s first incident of ghosting everyone after losing to Albert… more like the latter because they didn’t have a direct blowout this time) and that Makoto will be somehow involved in whatever key events lead to Haru’s resolution (if he isn’t a main catalyst). Like I said before, the visions came to fruition in FS1 with Makoto not being able to reach Haru before the fall/possession/whatever, but that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. Makoto is still hanging on to his gift (ready to show it to Haru as soon as he’s able to), and if there’s going to be a satisfying takeaway in FS2, the storyline is going to show how you can always find a way to brush yourself off, make new choices, and try again. It’s a message that’s shown up throughout the series, but it already felt like a core focus in FS1 as well. Rin and Ikuya are shown to be introspective and actively change their course of action after recognizing their own barriers/frustrations (mainly themselves) and working with their support systems to come up with a new game plan (focusing on their own strokes and getting sponsors). Makoto and Sousuke have been putting in the work since DttF and have made considerable progress while training together (Makoto in transitioning from working with large groups of kids to more individualized pro training; Sousuke’s rehab and eventual return). Heck, we’ve seen Haru revise his path multiple times throughout the years (coming back to swimming competitively, giving relays another chance, choosing to go pro), and I’d love to see him recognize that he can do that again and be okay. He made choices when crafting this dream, and making new choices isn’t giving up on that dream, but honoring it enough to breathe new life into it.

Very excited to see how this all will end, and how Haru will find happiness again. Whatever happens, I’m sure Makoto will find a way to be standing at the finish line, hand outstretched. 🥰

#free! the final stroke #final stroke spoilers #meta #the makoto files #makoharu #(ish)#I do hope they hold hands too anon <3 #thanks for sending!#anonymous

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such-a-downer · 3 years

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If Final Stroke part 1 was rinharu angst, i bet Final Stroke part 2 will be makoharu angst.

You guys have seen the animedia cover right?

If rin helped haru in s2, it might be makoto's turn in the second movie.

Well, I'm fine with it. I like both anyways.

And tho I'm late with the fandom's discussion about the movie, and even tho i haven't seen it yet myself, i'll still put out mine *with a sprinkle of memes (it's more of an overall analysis tho, accuracy not guaranteed)---

• The spoilers point out that haru had another breakdown, wanting to get stronger and faster. In my opinion, it's because haru has only started to learn things the hard way. Come to think of it, he only began to care about his swimming during their nationals back in high school. And he still isn't used to being bested by someone else. Unlike rin who has better knowledge and experience (by haru in freestyle and sousuke in butterfly), haru has no idea how to handle getting worked up when competing against someone, he's not used to it.

• Haru has another hidden matra. Besides that mantra about being a normal person at 20, he got a hidden one: 'Never depend on others'. Yes, he doesn't say it himself but when you have watched the series several times enough, then you know that haru is quite independent in almost everything; whether at home or school. And more importantly, if you have read the High Speed light novels (if you haven't, i suggest you do so cuz why not), little haru doesn't like the idea of depending on others and was even pissed when he questioned himself if he was just being dependent on water. The only notable time he openly asked for help is when he asked coach azuma to help him with the IM race against ikuya. For the most time, he was being aided by makoto's keen (motherly-like) observation skills (although haru is also keen in his own way).

• Makoto-Haru-Rin assessment: haru lacks openness, makoto lacks initiative and rin can be impulsive sometimes. Wait, hold up! please put down your pitchforks if you have any. I'll explain it (it's connected with the previous bullet) *Ahemm, so, what i meant by that is, haru tends to keep everything to himself and doesn't feel the need to drag others into his business and rarely openly preaches his feelings, he usually does this if the other one does the talking first. Haru didn't talk about his meeting with rin back in junior high with others, not even with makoto. He kept his plans for the future on hold just because he doesn't want to be bothered by it. Even when pressure kept on bugging him, he never spoke about it with anyone. And what did it did to him? He ends up snapping at others.

Next is makoto. Yes, he got motherly instincts that makes him take action as what he thinks he should. We know that he has a good grip on haru. Still, there are times that makoto tends to give haru too much space. It's true that he was the one who called rin and told him about haru when they had a fight in s2. But he respects haru's privacy too much that he never asked what was up when haru suddenly decided to quit during high school. There's a good chance that haru would have told everything if only makoto pressed on it. Makoto has the right to know. And what's more, after the friendly competition against albert, makoto was able to hold on for two good weeks without checking on haru. If rin hadn't dragged him to visit haru, who knows until when would makoto stay still. Third blow on makoto: according to movie spoilers, he let the serious talk with haru be cut off just because he was reminded that he had some business with his twin siblings. Come on, i know keeping your word with your family is important but can't he at least be more aggressive when it comes to haru just like what he did in s2? And i think he's already spoiled the twins enough. He could have spared at least ten more minutes with haru. He has the right to question and speak to haru because, again, he has the right to know.

Now, let's have rin. This guy is prone to confronting others with physicality. Gosh, i salute ai for being able to put up with rin in s1. Remember? He tried to punch haru back in s1. He also has this habit of grabbing others by the collar (rei, sousuke) or their swimming goggles (haru). And if makoto lacks initiative, rin is the opposite who tends to be pushy and impulsive sometimes. Transferring to iwatobi, studying in australia, suddenly joining samezuka relay (as surprise counterattack after seeing iwatobi relay), bringing haru to australia, and quitting freestyle. He triggered haru's switch once in s2 by taunting about future plans so why did he had to do it again in the movie? They are not even halfway through college yet but rin was already rushing haru to come up with a decision about his next step. Not only that, rin shouldn't have brought down the blow on haru so suddenly, saying he'd quit freestyle. He should have known by now not to give haru sudden triggers (somehow i feel this is some sort of karma on haru for suddenly quiting during junior high).

• Another separate bullet for haru (because he's the mc). Haru can be indifferent and passive towards. I remembered that some fans speculate that haru has autism. I think that if it was true, then it's possible to connect it to this. Well anyways, haru is not the most sociable kid around, ever since High Speed light novel. And i was pissed off with his attitude towards nagisa in the second volume (yea just because he's already in junior high). Too bad, the movie version made haru more amiable. Of course, haru can act out of concern like what he did for makoto, nagisa and rei. He can help. But it doesn't change the fact that somethimes he thinks that concerning himself with others' business is such a drag. And when haru wants to make them stay or confront them, it ends up messy because he's not used to 'talking things out with them'. Haru is used to makoto being around him he ended up snapping. Not only because makoto will be away, but also because makoto went ahead of him in coming up with a decision. Let's just say that during that time, he had 'no sense of emergency' (sorry for the term hehe), he put the serious matter on hold. And of course, haru is used to rin giving him the push he needs. He realized his dream with the help of rin. His competitiveness is always driven by rin. No wonder that rin's decision to quit freestyle was a shot to the heart for haru. It's obvious that haru wants to take on albert together with rin. Haru should have been more open about it.

• Of course, let's add sousuke. Actually, i like sousuke's character development. My concern is that his surgery and recovery was covered way too briefly. And more than that, the build-up of dynamic between him and natsuya feels very unnatural. I know people of the same interest are bound to intersect in some way but it feels off that sousuke and natsuya immediately became familiar with each other. They could have at least dug the events from high speed. Like natsuya could at least point out that he remember sousuke as someone who had "temporary issues" with haru (this is more detailed in the light novel). Actually, instead of concentrating sousuke's interaction with natsuya, it would have been better that the focus was on him and rin. Like sousuke suddenly bringing up to rin that he is thankful that rin is not repeating what he did (when he cut off the correspondence back then) and that their connection and support towards each other are growing strong. It would be nice to see how sousuke is as rin's mental support (i consider sourin as the "bros of the bros" tandem)

• The ikurin pair. Yeah finally more interaction between these two. Still, i personally think that ikurin pair would have been portrayed better if not for the s3's awful pacing. If only they had compressed ikuya and haru's conflict into 3 episodes instead of 8, then perhaps ikuya would look less dramatic. More on, ikuya and rin would have met in s3 instead of Road to World movie. And a bigger chance for ikuya to be enlightened why haru quit back then. Imagine, what would ikuya do after learning about it. Because i find it off that ikuya only minded that haru quit the club and that even after they have reunited, it's still not know to him. Well, plot and characters felt less natural ever since s3 so... Anyways, ikuya and rin. They are similar when it comes to having fixation towards haru. But how they handle their conflicts with haru are so far apart. Rin acted like a badass, was a grump, and always ready to punch others. But nevertheless, despite his temper during s1, whenever he would calm down and think things over, he can respond properly to others. Just like with ai and rei. He doe Ikuya on the other hand, he acted calm and cold. And whenever hiyori confronts him about haru, ikuya just brushes it off until he finally snapped during that slide scene (which i enjoyed despite being 100% bait and 0% plot). He was too obsessed with haru and shrugged hiyori. He didn't even bother to at least explain properly like a mature athlete. Hiyori was so misunderstood but many don't see that ikuya doesn't treat his friend better. Makes me think that High Speed Ikuya is better than anime ikuya.

• Our precious iwatobi and samezuka kids. Oh good grief, i've barely read anything about them in the spoilers. They were quite neglected (seriously, s3 started it). If in s2 haru and other's future plans were the main focus, how come the youngsters don't get the spotlight they deserve? Season 3 got 12 + 1 episodes, they could at least have 2 good episodes to focus on what nagisa, rei, gou, and ai are planning for their future. It would have been good if it was included that they have been scouted. Like ai and nagisa being scouted by shimogami while rei gets scouted by hidaka, gou decides to take similar career to makoto; she can also become a sports nutritionist (the proper way lol). Also, since ai and mikhail are relatives, it would have been interesting if it was revealed that ai persuaded his uncle to coach rin (because ai got ai for rin and would do what he can to give support). And sweet momo-kun would be expected to become the next captain (being captain runs in the blood) and have realization that he needs to be more serious in holding the team. I wish the new iwatobi and samezuka relay team were also given more appreciation. By the way, s3's ending theme was so misleading that i thought nagisa and nao would actually meet. I've never seen something more misleading. They could've at least let them meet during the time when makoto brought over the iwatobi kids at the swim club for practice. Imagine nao answering to nagisa's hyper questions. *sigh~ i feel bad for my kids. They deserved better.

• Then we have our candy boys kisumi and asahi. Kisumi needs more appreciation. I've read somewhere that he should be given some focus too (which i agree to). Like exploring about his basketball club, the others supporting kisumi and cheering him up during a game. He plays such an important role in connecting the others. It's even amazing that he and asahi have maintained connection somehow even after asahi moved out back in junior high. The hint to that is the TYM where the two of them had a phone call. And when it comes to asahi, it would have been good to see a deeper aspect of him. I wish they connected asahi and rin too. I mean it's actually canon, in a way (their dads were buddies). Anyways, asakisu pair is part of the refreshing pairs alongside nagirei. Come to think of it, asahi and kisumi are flexible when it comes to pairings (kisurin, kisuke, asaiku, asarei).

• Of course, the other characters too. The drama cds were such a blessing since they show more of other characters like teacher ama and coach sasabe. But still, i wish we saw more of them too. Imagine teacher ama's previous profession being revealed to the kids or having a flashback of coach sasabe's high school days (though there's little info on this one). Or better yet, let coach goro and coach sasabe meet, since they are both iwatobi hs alumni. Another wishful thinking for me is to see coach mikhail and ai together (mikhail could've attended the nationals at least to support ai). And a bonus: a meeting between coach mikhail and gou (and have muscle talk all day long). The "vilains" or should i say "powerful rivals" were better off either removed from s3 or introduced early on. I'm not saying they are not necessary, but the plot line would have had a better flow if they have kinjou for s3 and move albert to a latter timeline. *sigh~ makes me think that s3 should have neen 16 eps instead of 12 (13 if you include the 0)

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freeseafirefly · 3 years

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A lot of thoughts are eating at my brain... The Final Stroke RH spoilers!

Wondering about the possible resolution of the RH fight, i can't help but think we are being led the "adults must make rational decisions and it's ok" route, where at the end it's Haru who will have to accept Rin's choice and at the same time find his own motivation to swim that isn't Rin (or at least, isn't swimming with Rin on the same event.) It is too sad to think about, because competing in free has always been the most RH thing, they originate from it, that incomparable fire only they could ignite in each other has always been the essence of their relationship, and to accept that they can't have it anymore? Rin says it wasn't an easy decision, Haru denies "you always decides things lightly" and accuses him in running away, in choosing the easier option since there is no Albert in fly. They both are right and wrong in their selfishness in their own way, and for Rin this decision is indeed rational--going for a more realistic way to secure his position in the pro world, but. Rational adult decisions often mean giving up on something bigger, like your dream and passion. And ironically, it's not Haru who follows Azuma's advice to sacrifice smth first, it is Rin. Following Mikhail's advice. Which turns out to be the same, and that was really unexpected, given how he seemed to oppose Azuma's ideas. But in the essense, Rin's decision to sacrifice free, to sacrifice them in order to become stronger, is the same "you can't win if you don't throw something away." Only Rin believes that " them " means them both swimming as pro, swimming for the National team, sharing the dream and the future in a larger sense, whereas for Haru...it's not enough. He feels betrayed and abandoned again. His outbreak just confirms that this is how he felt all the previous times, suppressing his feelings either for being scared of them or believing that Rin must be free. (Continue under the cut)

So, the ultimate question, will Rin's decision be proved right or wrong? Because on the other side of rationality, there is the heart and soul of the sport, and what can RH do if they ARE the embodiment of that for each other? Is it their weakness or their strength? This codependency. Probably both. Quoting Rin, "our relationship can't be sumed up in such simple terms", and indeed, they as much motivated each other along the way as they caused each other's setbacks, with so many strong emotions tangled up that one indeed might think it'd be healthier for them to try and find a way in pro that isn't as dependent of each other. "If you're not there, swimming ahead of me, i have nothing to aim at" by Rin always kind of hinted at that, that they would have to address it at some point, and although Haru didn't explicitly stated it, it had always been the same for him. Competitive swimming always meant Rin for him, he couldn't do it without him on his mind, as his guiding light even when they were apart. So, i LOVE the new movie for actually going there and digging right into the core of RH conflict instead of inventing some artificial challenge. Gosh, i even wrote about the same thing in my RH fanfiction (my native language one), posing the same question--is their codependency their strength or their weekness? Being that guiding light for each other, how can they evolve or regress when they're forced to? Rin fails to qualify there as well, it even has the similar angsting in the shower scene, that's also why I'm wheezing because who knew they would actually go there?? I also like how this problem is addressed in In pursuit of Olympic dreams by ladyzeia, but fics have the privilege of bringing their relationship on a different level while i doubt the canon will dare go that way.

Ok, back to the point. Even though rational and mature, I strongly dislike the idea of Rin throwing free away, for a few reasons. It will mean the RinHaru as we know and love them will be destroyed. And i can't even call it evolution (not unless KA somehow manages to do it in a veeery convincing way that won't leave me any doubts that they are happy like that.) Their unique, inspiring and precious relationship getting dismissed as something immature, something they must grow out of, i just can't stand this thought. But then again, i can't help but think about MakoHaru situation from S2, where they had to separate and go different ways as a part of a natural growing up process, and Haru took it bad at first as well. Yet there and then, it felt right, their future paths had to be different, after all, and they had to take a step on their own. I can't tell if it is the same with RinHaru now. I need to actually see the movie, to feel it, it's hard to choose the side rn.

I also hate the idea of Rin giving up on free because i hate when Rin gives up. Like, since S1. (Maybe only Haru hates it more lol.) I get that he isn't a genius of Haru level, yet he's pretty damn good, and their close times speak for themselves.

So, what i think could be a compromise solution is Rin focusing on fly for the next tournament, grabbing that sponsor contract, while in the meantime Haru goes through the process of finding his own motivation, and not the desperate one "I'm scared of losing i must beat Albert before i turn 20", but a positive one, something to do with loving the competition, reconnecting with water and the nakama spirit to complete it all, maybe digging up that time capsule which probably contains those recorded messages from the beginning scene? So, what i mean is a temporary separation to figure things out, and then reunion. Rin picking up free again once he's more confident in where he stands. Haru enjoying what he does, free of his fears and assured he won't break even if he's alone. And then...no longer being alone. Please, KA. This boy has suffered enough. Let him have his Rin at last, in whatever way they both want it. Please.

So, what do you guys think? Is Haru being selfish here, kinda pulling the S1!Rin's "you must swim for me!", or is it Rin who's wrong, cutting away something that inspired him so much and connected them together? Could he do both strokes and succeed, say, if he actually swam with Haru on one team, every day, drawing out each other's full potential? And if he sticks to his decision, after all, what should they do to save their bond? Will swimming relay together be enough?

We still have that S2 ending scene with them both competing in Rome in the same event, in the adjacent lanes, though. Unless they retcon it, or unless Haru swims fly, it is them swimming free together in the future.

#free! the final stroke #fs spoiler #SPOILERS #rinharu #harurin #free!#sea rants

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redxblueihateloveyou · 3 years

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Ok so I've been stalking your blog for the past couple of hrs after seeing your TadaAi posts (I'm drowning in the period drama that is this ship) and I find you ship Tododeku and rinharu (god i can't stand bakudeku and makoharu) and seems like we share a lot of our views on fandom and ships probably because we're older (I'm 22). Followed and looking forward to your input in the future!

Also you might've given me the motivation to finish watching Free! XD

Hehe yay, please, we need more ppl in our “house of oldies”, make yourself at home lol. And we share a lot of ships?! Even better <3

I knooow, I can’t believe we’ve got a gay “master who fell in love with his servant” ship in the anime, just what I needed for my idiotic collection lmao

But also these two have too much going on between them, so much wasted potential in my opinion, it’d be so interesting to explore (but sadly no xD), they were still the only interesting thing for me lolz. I love complicated morons, who became the victims of a huge unrequited requited love misunderstanding, bc they’re insecure morons lmao and they just have 2 of my fav ships vibes, so it’s probably mostly this haha.

Oh, I’m inputting *wink wink*, can’t wait to finish the vid, I’m having too much fun with it. I’ve just literally spent several minutes trying to get whether I’ve put Tadashi’s sexy mole in the right distance from his eye in the “him moaning on the table” manip lolz. What can I say... I picked the best hobby, with all the support I’m getting with my vids, I’m living a dream xD

You know, I think I’ve said it before, but when it comes to bakudeku, I at least understand what ppl hope to see there and why, but like.. it’s just not happenning. Also imagining Bakugou lovingly hugging Midoriya is just so OOC I start laughing all the time. And whatever ppl say, in any ship whether they’re enemies or rivals or anything, if you can’t imagine them being tender with each other, smth is not right in my opinion. Also once again, who needs idiotic bleating Midoriya, idk. I’m just tired of the endless “die, deku/out of my way” yelling, I like watching Bakugou going to parties and amusement parks and doing silly stuff, too. Like I’ve said before, pride won’t ever let him change the way he behaves with Midoriya, even when they’re doing “great”. If he was the one, it wouldn’t have mattered, no matter how tough you are, and it wouldn’t take that long. I also don’t think they’re that kind of relationship, like they move each other for sure, sometimes, yeah (not always in a good way tho), but be together in a relationships? Can’t imagine that. Like not all rivals have the rivals to lovers dynamic, no matter what ppl say. But I get the shipping, bc 1stly these two are playing too huge of a role in each other’s lives, 2ndly Midoriya is obsessed with him and Bakugou obsessed with him too (just in a bad way lmao) and 3rd ppl want that “enemies to lovers” dynamic, since many love it (me included, when it done right and progresses right), so they’re trying to write that “to lovers” bridge, that just doesn’t fit here in my opinion, simply bc Bakugou won’t be soft with Midoriya, like ever in a way, you’d want, and I don’t think it’s possible for them to go there.

Tododeku on the other hand, 1stly they also play too huge of a role in each other’s lives, 2ndly Midoriya is obsessed with him too and Todoroki is lovingly obsessed with him in return, 3rdly they are also rivals to lovers, and I have no problem imagining the second part, it won’t be OOC, 4thly Midoriya when he’s with Todoroki is my fav Midoriya, he’s happy, he is cocooned and he’s badass af (and like when he told Endeavor to fuck off or yelled at Todoroki “the fuck are u doing?” xD are still the best), 5thly Midoriya forgets about Bakugou, when he’s with Todoroki a lot and it’s just funny to me, 6thly they healed each other so nicely, I can’t not be into that, 7thly when they’re together I have like 0 worries, idk I’m like “he will catch him” anyways haha, Bakudeku just don’t give me this vibe. It’s like yeah, they won’t let each other die, but it’s always this chaos of “out of my way”, “I don’t want your help” and “let me punch you before I punch the villain” that I’m just “oh for god’s sake, pls bring in Kirishima and Todoroki so we could just go home, it could’ve been solved in 2 minutes” lmao. Etc, etc.

Tododeku just have too many winning points over bakudeku for me, same with kiribaku over bakudeku, even tho I 100% get bakudeku as a ship ofc. Also idk whether things would be different if Todoroki wouldn’t exist in the equation, but the moment I saw that s2 scene where Bakugou started yelling and Todoroki just ignored him and was like “was Midoriya always this good?”, there was no going back to me XD. Like they both obviously see that Midoriya is wonderful, but only one reacted to that in a way that I wanted. And I’m a sucker for the ships who don’t give a fuck and like “yeah, I find him amazing and everyone should know that”. Todoroki is also one of those guys, who if you give them the much needed love, they’ll return it tenfold with a forever devotion. And all of my fav ships are like that: Yullen, Rinharu, Mikayuu, Wangxian, Akakuro, etc. They’re like “well, I ain’t an idiot to let someone this precious go”, you know lol

On the other hand, when it comes to Kirishima, Bakugou can do all kind of ridiculous thing I wouldn’t imagine he would do to keep him or make him happy, you know. Kirishima is also the only one, who can put his arm around Bakugou without it being cut off, so I don’t make the rules here lol.

So it’s not like I can’t stand bakudeku, more of like can’t imagine this work, to me it’s easier to imagine todobaku in a relationships, but not bakudeku lolz.

But when it comes to makoharu, I just have a huge problem with it and I will never get it. Bc they don’t bring anything good in each other like AT ALL, I don’t even understand what kind of relationships this is from their shipper point of view; they give each other nothing, and one of them is totally in love with someone else and wants a future with him. And that someone also head over heals with him and also wants a future with him. And I hate how 99,9 % of mh fans don’t give a fuck about Haru or Rin whatsoever and just ignore their character’s everything. Bc Makoto. I’m also like if you love him so much, the fuck would you want him to be with Haru anyways, dude doesn’t reciprocate, like at all. I’m at confusion, like name good points of this ship and what good can they do for each other characteristically. There is none, it’s like a damn swamp. Like usually I can give my notp some points, but this is like... they’re both no good for each other... like... why would anyone even want this idk. Don’t tell me “for the childhood friends” one-sided dynamic, like why won’t you also ship Shion with Safu then, like even he seemed more invested in that, than Haru in makoharu lol.

Even if you think of them from the point of view of “the two who are always walking together” ships, that are everywhere nowdays (even tho since Haru moved to Tokyo, he was always with Asahi instead), but even if... those kind of ships are usually at least make each happy and are enough for each other. Haru on the other hand, when he doesn’t have Rin, he is walking with Makoto like a ghost, not even caring if he’s talking next to him AND he’s getting ennoyed by him. Like explain, how someone’s shipping them romantically. It’s been showed like 20 times, that with Rin, but without Makoto, he can be perfectly happy, without Rin tho, he never is.

Also someone explain, what exactly is the point of splitting up two characters, who are happy together, make each other the best versions of themselves and want to be together whole-heartedly? Like I know many start shipping smth, bc the relationships are better in the other pairing, for example, but this is like... definitely not the case here. Like what exactly is missing in rinharu, that makoharu has? Lack of progression and mutual inspiration?

So yes, if you’re into rinharu, totally finish Free! They’re like doing sooo incredible and holy shit they’re inspiring, I mean, look, they’re now the tokyo olympics ambassadors, like how many of yall gay ships reached that? you can’t miss out on them, and also they’re so hilariously romantic, they literally made a wish to swim with each other since they were 13 and did everything to get each other there, I’m.. you’re lying, if you didn’t cry watching them as chibies making wishes on a star and watching them now. One of the most wonderful development in my opinion. Like who would’ve thought back in s1, that we’ll get Haru yelling on top of Rin about how he made him want a future with him, def not me lmao and now all the olympics boyfriends fanfiction are true, I mean, idk what to say anymore. I miss them so much, I can’t wait for the movie :D

#answered #maxeve #anime

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friends-to-lovers-tournament · 9 months

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Friends to Lovers Tournament: Quarterfinals, Match 1

propaganda under the cut!

Makoharu:

They are the first ship that comes to mind when I think of friends to lovers. I know Free! hasn't been popular since 2013, bug I just love them so much... Makoto's devotion to Haru. There's even a movie that flashes back to when they're kids when Makoto says "I love swimming and I love Haruka". Soft...

Fuyupoly:

Submission 1:

they're from the winter troupe of the mankai company, and unlike the other troupes they're all adults. that said, they all have varying degrees of trauma and emotional stuntedness. it takes them some time to fully open up to each other bc they're all very cautious of each other's boundaries and don't want to cross any lines which initially led to some issues in the group's formation. over time they've learned to bridge the gap while still being mindful of hard boundaries. at one point they have a discussion about what exactly their relationship is (gay) cuz they were talking about how the other troupes have clearly defined dynamics (spring=family, summer=besties, autumn=rivals & teammates) but they don't,, and homare deadass says they're "people bound by a common destiny" which in and of itself sounds very Gay (like why are you as a man bound to other men by a common destiny), but it goes even further because homare starts spouting WEDDING VOWS: "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, we shall share our laughter and our tears as those with an intertwined fate... How beautiful we are!" THIS IS A DIRECT QUOTE FROM THE GAME AND THE MC EVEN REMARKS "i can already hear wedding bells in the distance..."

gradually they become closer, in individual sub-units based on who's paired up as co-leads for a play, and as a troupe overall. also two of its members are childhood friends who had a messy 'divorce' in their young adulthood and it took the game breaking its genre to introduce a timeloop for them to finally make up if that means anything to you. one of their troupe songs "precious to us ~bokura no kisetsu" has some pretty beautiful and fruity lines: "The many kindnesses born in me here / Never fail to breathe life into my chest / Even all the pain and bitterness / Have now become dear to me (Ah…Stay with me)", "No matter how many times our season passes / Let us keep living together / Holding our hands, without ever letting go / Let us open up the curtain of tomorrow", "There is no need for words, because once our gazes meet / Joy sparks a light in your eyes", "Our journey, may it be a brilliant one / As our breaths overlap as one"

a lot of their plays has a LOT of homoerotic tension between the two leads too. their first play has tsumugi and tasuku play angels, and it's heavily implied that tasuku's character has an unrequited crush on tsumugi's character. their third play has azuma play a vampire and tasuku play Just Some Guy and it's generally agreed in the fandom to be one of the gayest, if not THE gayest, play A3 has ever written. obviously the vampire thing is very fruity, but there's also how the vampire was longing to bite the human but was holding himself back, and when the vampire left the human in the end, the human was absolutely HEARTBROKEN over it and was swearing they would reunite one day. the stage play of this takes it even further by having the vampire embrace the human from behind and BITE his neck. the fourth play is a watered-down adaptation of Phantom of the Opera where they genderbend Christine into Chris among other things and change the relationship between Chris and the Phantom to one of friendship.... ostensibly so, because there's still a lot of homoerotic undertones in their interactions. i could go on but this should be enough of a sampling taste

Submission 2:

the writers rlly said "let's take 2 normal guys who are childhood friends and have been into theatre since their school days and have them go through a pre-canon messy divorce, an eccentric poet with a potentially controversial haircut, an amnesiac sleepyhead who can only be awoken with marshmallows but is also somehow extremely athletic despite doing nothing but sleeping and eating marshmallows all day, a man who is so beautiful and mysterious he breaks gender, and a supposed android from a fictional south asian country, and throw them into a blender, oh and for good measure let's throw in some theatre and angst and gay and angst and gay" and the end result was marriage. i mean it took them a lot of awkward fumbling around and conflicts to get there but they got there and thats what matters. ok *technically* in-text they're all rlly good friends and kinda found family BUT they are found family via marriage papers i do not make the rules chief

Submission 3:

The reason why they are so friends-to-lovers to me is because their relationship is founded on quiet and unconditional acceptance of each other—regardless of how flawed they may be or how heavy their burdens and trauma may be. When the troupe first formed (sans Guy who was in another country at the time), they didn’t have any major clashing personalities at the very beginning and generally they were mindful of each other’s boundaries, unlike the other troupes that came before them. However, it’s BECAUSE they were too mindful of said boundaries that it was difficult for them to break down their walls and bond as a team—and there were a LOT of walls to break down, as all of them had varying degrees of emotional baggage and trauma.

In fact, it’s only three plays in that they finally truly start opening up to each other, with Azuma getting the ball rolling by opening up about the deep loneliness that haunted him ever since his childhood. It’s during this conversation that they also discuss what their relationship as a troupe is, because the other troupes have defined their relationship as a team (Spring is family, Summer is best friends, Autumn is rivals & teammates), and Homare goes on to declare that they’re “people bound by a common destiny” and goes on to spew wedding vows: "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, we shall share our laughter and our tears as those with an intertwined fate... How beautiful we are!" I mean… it can’t get any more obvious than this, really. They are married.

But anyway, Tsumugi says he wants their relationship to be one where while they respect each other’s need for space, they’ll also be there for each other and share their pains and burdens—or in his words: “supporting each other when our burdens become too heavy to bear on our own”—which I think is really sweet because it carries this idea of quiet, unconditional acceptance; they don’t push each other to share more than they’re comfortable with sharing, but with whatever they ARE comfortable with sharing everyone carries the load and pain because pain is easier to bear when you’re not bearing it alone <3

A later part of the story focuses on Hisoka, a mysterious amnesiac, being terrified of regaining his memories and facing some “sin” from his past that has led to another character, Chikage, trying to take revenge on him. When he confesses this to the rest of the Winter troupe, Homare asks, “How heavy is this sin you bear?” and Azuma suggests, “Perhaps it’s just heavy enough for the five of us to carry together.” (at this point Guy hasn’t joined yet). The stage play adapts this scene into a song called Key to Memory. The key (pun unintended) part is 1:27 where there’s a back-and-forth between Hisoka and the other Winter troupe members (sans Tasuku because he wasn’t in that particular play)

Hisoka: “I’m scared…”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “It’s okay.”

Hisoka: “My unforgivable sin…”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “Let’s carry it together.”

Hisoka: “I might not be me anymore.”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “It’s all right. We understand and we accept you, so let’s go together.”

And it ends with Hisoka singing: “I was afraid to open the door of my locked memories. But if everyone is here, I believe I can do it.” In both the game and stage play, Hisoka fully regains his memories and reconciles with Chikage (long story). He tells Fuyupoly he can’t go into detail about his past with Chikage because it’s dangerous but he’ll tell them when the time is right, and they accept this saying that no matter what his past is, they know and love him as their Hisoka which obviously is a very sweet thing for friends to say, but it’s also very Marriage-coded to me.

Later, Guy is introduced as an android from Zahra (a fictional South Asian country) and joins the Winter troupe as a temporary member—because he’s stuck in Japan for the foreseeable future—until they find a permanent member to replace him. The other Winter members have a conversation among themselves and agree that regardless of whether he’s really an android or a human they’ll accept Guy for who he is and help him improve his acting, which again harkens back to the idea of ‘unconditional acceptance’. Eventually it’s revealed that Guy is in fact a human who has forgotten his memories of the past and his emotions. He recovers his memories all at once which shocks his system and causes him to pass out. When he wakes up in his room, he finds the rest of the Winter Troupe asleep around the room—which I believe is symbolic of their whole theme of “quiet acceptance”: they don’t want to push Guy to share beyond what he’s comfortable with, but they’re always there to listen to him and share his load if that’s what he wants. He opens up about the memories he recovered, and they don’t treat him with pity like he’s a lost child, but still extend gentle empathy and understanding. They also emphasise that it genuinely doesn’t matter to them whether he’s human or android because he’s Guy first and foremost. It’s at this point that Guy truly lets himself become part of the Winter troupe/Fuyupoly and not just as a temporary stand-in member, because he’s found a place where he’s found himself again and people who will accept who this “himself” is, whether that be an android devoid of emotions or a human brimming with vivid beautiful emotions.

[Mod note: There’s a LOT more but we’re afraid of crashing the post. I (Deli) summarised it the best I can since I’m familiar with A3, but if you want to read the full thing you can check it out on this google doc)

#friends to lovers tournament #a3! act! addict! actors!#a3!#fuyupoly #tsumugi tsukioka #tasuku takato #hisoka mikage #homare arisugawa #azuma yukishiro #free!#makoharu #tachibana makoto #nanase haruka #tournament polls #polls

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datheetjoella · 4 years

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Fantober 2020, Day 17: Haunted

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: T Part: 17/31 (read the full collection here) Word count: 1,761 Tags: Canonverse, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, School Festival, Haunted House, Mentions of Fake Blood Read at: AO3, FFn, or right here!

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Ever since elementary school, the cultural festival had been something Makoto looked forward to all year. In the weeks leading up to it, the atmosphere surrounding the school was even more pleasant and amicable than usual as everyone put in effort to make their class' event stand out. Preparing their event was a lot of fun, but the real fun came when their hard work came to fruition and the festival began. Seeing what all his classmates came up with, showcasing what his class made, enjoying all kinds of food at the various stalls and cafés, watching recitals and plays, it was a blast from start to finish. It was a time of unity between classmates and at the end, he was left feeling satisfied and fulfilled.

Makoto hadn't expected the enjoyment of it would dwindle when he got to university. On the contrary: everything was on a much grander scale and there were a lot fewer restrictions than in high school. Because of his job, Makoto wasn't in a club and therefore hadn't participated in the organisation, but he'd been looking forward to going to the festival with Haruka and experiencing what his friends had been working on for so long.

But more than twelve years of amusing cultural festivals were at risk of being destroyed in a single minute.

"Come on, Tachibana," Takagi said. "It's not that scary, I promise."

The axe headband sticking out between his copper-coloured locks and the fake blood trailing down his forehead did not support his claim. The instant Makoto spotted his friend, he had let out an audible shriek, drawing the attention of everyone in the hallway and sending his own blood rushing to his cheeks.

"You don't have to, Makoto," Haruka said from beside him and although he appreciated his support, it only strengthened Makoto's doubt.

Takagi had been a good friend of his since day one of university. They sat next to each other in Psychology and hit it off right away, agreeing to swap notes and help each other wherever they could. Quickly thereafter, Takagi had joined the Movie Research Club and, in collaboration with the Creative Writing Club, they had created a haunted house for the festival.

According to the advertisement posters, it was supposed to be like stepping inside a horror movie, a storyline the visitor was the protagonist of. That description set off numerous alarm bells in Makoto's head. He avoided haunted houses like the plague and vehemently refused to watch horror movies and this brought the worst of two worlds together.

The decision of whether or not to partake in this particular event seemed crystal clear. After all, he had strategically evaded the haunted houses in past festivals and had planned to continue this streak. But there was one roadblock: Makoto was a giant pushover.

"We all worked so hard on this and I would love for you to see what we made." Takagi slapped his hands together and bowed his head, nearly smacking Haruka with his axe-handle. "It's like a compilation of horror movie clichés, so it's more funny than anything. But if you do think it's too scary, I'll treat you to whatever you want."

There it was. It was not so much the promise that persuaded him, but the fear of disappointing his friend.

"W-Well, if you insist it's not that scary…" Makoto trailed off with an awkward chuckle.

"Thanks man, I appreciate it," Takagi said with a pat on Makoto's shoulder. "I hope you enjoy it. You too, Haru!"

With that, he stormed off to a group of young women to coax them into entering the haunted house as well.

The exchange left a frown on Haruka's face. "How am I on a first-name basis with your friend but you aren't?"

The dry comment dissipated some of the tension gripping Makoto's stomach. "Sorry, I think it's because I talk about you so much."

"Hm," Haruka hummed, and when he was sure Takagi was out of earshot, he said, "Makoto, you don't have to go in if you're not comfortable. I can go in by myself and tell you about it afterwards, in case he asks you what you think of it later."

Despite feeling like he was seconds removed from willingly throwing himself off a cliff, Makoto smiled. "Thanks, Haru, but I'll go with you. He said it wasn't that scary, so I should be fine."

Except he wasn't fine. The instant he stood before the room and heard the eerie music, Makoto knew he made a huge mistake.

When they entered the house, they got a handful of cards with dialogue options that they would need for certain checkpoints, then the interactive movie began. There was no way back.

Following the story that was being portrayed, Haruka and he moved into a vacant house that was far cheaper than the surrounding lots in the neighbourhood - a house Makoto would never buy in reality for obvious reasons. Right away, strange things began to happen in the house: lights flickered, keys clinked, lamps fell over and the phone rang, but when Haruka picked up, the line was dead. That was already enough to have Makoto clinging to Haruka's arm.

"It's alright, Makoto," Haruka said, rubbing his skin with his thumb. "Just close your eyes and try to think of something else. I'll guide us through."

Haruka's advice was a small comfort, but it was futile. Makoto's heart was actively trying to burst through his ribcage and his fight-flight-or-freeze instinct had kicked in, therefore he couldn't tear his eyes away from any of the things that were happening around him. Logically, he knew everything was fabricated by his peers, but it felt so real. This was exactly why he hated horror. How could anyone enjoy being scared?

When Makoto had unsuccessfully convinced Haruka it was fine, they continued. They had to investigate the reason behind these weird occurrences and found out that a hundred years ago, a young girl was murdered inside their house. It had been haunted ever since by various vengeful spirits and the only way to break the curse that had befallen the house was to figure out who the killer had been.

What the conclusion to the story was, Makoto didn't even care. A light, feminine voice ruptured the silence, ominously whispering about bringing forth suffering to those who had wronged her; suffering that exceeded the torture she endured. Makoto clamped onto Haruka's shoulders as he scanned the room to see where it was coming from. A short girl in torn, ivory robes emerged from the darkness, hunched over with her long dark hair obscuring her stark white face. She glided closer and when she stood before them, she looked up and revealed her pitch-black eyes.

When she popped up into his field of vision, Makoto screamed so loudly it alerted all the orcas within a thousand-mile radius. He nearly jumped on Haruka's neck in an attempt to hide his large frame behind Haruka's smaller one.

Fortunately, the girl noticed how genuinely terrified he was. She recoiled and forwent her script in favour of asking if he was alright, voice a bit heavier than the childlike tone she put on. Before Makoto could come with excuses, Haruka spoke up.

"He's not alright. Is there a way for us to leave?"

The girl nodded. "Code yellow!" she yelled, her voice vibrating throughout the area, then she turned back to them. "You can walk through now. No one will bother you."

"Thanks," Haruka said, and he tugged Makoto along by the hand. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Shame filled Makoto's senses, but when they passed through the rest of the haunted house and he saw the bloodied decor and props, relief washed over him. If he had to stay for the rest, he would either leave crying or in a fear-induced coma, so this was better for everyone involved.

What he did take away from this was that he would no longer trust Takagi's judgement. More funny than anything, he said. The only funny thing that happened inside that haunted house was Makoto's pathetic reaction.

When they were finally outside in the daylight again, Haruka dragged him over to a bench. Once he was seated safely, Makoto's soul returned to his body and his back slumped like all the life force had been sucked out of him.

"Are you okay?"

He looked up at Haruka with blazing cheeks. "I'm sorry, Haru. Because of me, you didn't get to experience the haunted house like it was intended."

Haruka merely shrugged. "As if I care about that. I just want you to be comfortable. But you do need to grow a spine."

"I know," Makoto said, head hanging low, "My childish fears always ruin everything."

"That's not it," Haruka said with a squeeze to Makoto's knee. "It's not weird or embarrassing to be scared of these things, a lot of people are. But next time, you need to come out for it and reject these offers right away. Stop being so afraid of letting people down and straight-up tell them no if you don't want to do something."

It was hard, but Haruka was right. He was an adult now and he should act like one. That included setting boundaries and adhering to them. "You're right. I'll tell Takagi-kun I couldn't handle it and that I won't go in next time. From now on, no more haunted houses or anything else ghost or murder-related for me."

"Good," Haruka said, bidding him a gentle smile that calmed Makoto's overworked heart. "Takagi owes us, but we'll find him later. First, is there anything you still wanted to see or do?"

The terror within his gut mellowed out and he smiled back at Haruka. "Well, I saw a sign for a sweets café earlier. Maybe we can check that out?"

"Sure. My treat," Haruka said and Makoto opened his mouth to protest, but he sent him a look that made it clear there was no room for argument.

Hand in hand they strolled over the campus towards the building that hosted the café. Haruka asked him what kind of pastries he was hoping they'd have and Makoto's mouth began to water at the thought of cakes and brownies.

If there was anyone who could chase off all the bad images and demons that resided in Makoto's mind, it was Haruka. It had been like that since they were kids and it would stay that way even as they grew older, because some things never changed.

#i'm sorry i'm stupid #makoharu #makoharu fic #my fic #fantober2020 #colourful days with you

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