#2022 was makoto's year we were just living in it

[yume-fanfare]

also!!! watched road to show earlier it was fun <3

[fencer-x]

I posted 707 times in 2022

That's 71 more posts than 2021!

258 posts created (36%)

449 posts reblogged (64%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@nimbus-cloud

@fencer-x

@shigacajun

@shameless-fujoshi

@lettersbyelise

I tagged 389 of my posts in 2022

Only 45% of my posts had no tags

#spoilers - 158 posts

#free! - 146 posts

#free! the final stroke - 107 posts

#sharkbait - 60 posts

#interview with the vampire - 37 posts

#harurin - 32 posts

#rinharu - 32 posts

#sasaki to miyano - 28 posts

#sasaki and miyano - 27 posts

#our flag means death - 26 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#was remembering this in contrast to rin's 'i want you to swim for me' early in s01 and makoto's 'i want you to swim for yourself' in fs02

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

nbd just Haru smiling as Rin catches him when he faints, just before losing consciousness.

nbd nbd nbd nbd nbd nbd N B D

286 notes - Posted June 9, 2022

#4

Sasaki to Miyano, ending theme w/subs (from September Subs’ subtitles)

297 notes - Posted January 10, 2022

#3

FENCER'S HUGE-ASS SPOILER-LADEN DAY 1 REVIEW OF FREE! THE FINAL STROKE PART 2 or How KyoAni Said, "You WILL experience 10 years' worth of emotions in 2 hours and you'll like it!!"

Let's cut to the chase. You know why you're here. I know why you're here. So I won't make you wait any longer. You wanna know every gory detail from this glorious sobfest of a movie? THEN GET THEE BEHIND A CUT!

(warning that this is probably only mildly coherent and has a HEAVY HARURIN BEND. Mostly because THE MOVIE HAS A HEAVY HARURIN BEND. Sorry I don't make the rules I just report on how much boys stay winning)

Now, I was so scared of this movie.

I have a thing, see. If a series ends, and it doesn't end EXACTLY the way I wanted it to? If it does something that I think is a sour note to end on, or even if it just makes some narrative decisions I disagree with?

I can't watch it anymore. I can't read it anymore. Everything I used to love about it turns sour to me and I can't enjoy it. It happened with Haikyuu, it happened with Evangelion. It's happened with dozens of series over the years. A series is pretty much never going to end the way I want it to, and in my case, for whatever reason, that means I can't enjoy it AT ALL anymore. I can't just imagine what happened DIDN'T happen. It's there. I can't forget it, and it ruins the story.

So I was scared of this movie. Because it was the end. Decisions would be made about characters' futures, and I probably wouldn't agree with them. Might even hate them. I was of course under no delusion that there would be any SHIPS confirmed--so that wasn't something I was worried about or excited about--but everything else. Everything else was something real and final that would be canon now.

I went anyway, though, knowing I'd never forgive myself if I just let someone else spoil me. I fought the knot in my stomach, settled in, and watched.

And I cried. Oh boy did I cry. There was definitely a moment there where I knew oh this is it, this was going to be what made me never able to watch this series again. It wasn't disappointment--it wasn't anger--it was just...sadness. A deep well of sadness.

But then they fixed it. And I won't bore you with those out-of-context details now. I'll just say read on, and you'll understand.

And then you'll start to see how amazing it was.

Movie opens with a semi-recap. Not a recap in so many words, but characters remembering things and flashing back to those scenes in the previous movie. No biggie.

Except. Except then KyoAni said, "Hi we're here to kick you in the stomach so settle in for two hours of emotional trauma :)))))" and RIPS INTO AN ACOUSTIC DRIED UP YOUTHFUL FAME. OH YEAH, THEY WERE IN. THIS. BITCH.

"But wait, flashbacks to previous scenes from the last movie? You mean we have to live through That Fight all over again?"

Oh, no don't worry. You don't have to live through it again as it happened.

You have to see how Haru imagined it going and then see his heartbreak when he realizes it didn't happen that way.

You have to hear him tell Rin, beaming and whole-heartedly committed, "Rin, I want to swim in the lane next to you in our next tournament. I want to keep walking forward with you."

Yes, he was explicit in that he wanted to go there with Rin. He wanted his future to be, explicitly, swimming alongside Rin. Competing alongside Rin. Forever.

But then, of course, that's not how it happened.

A lot of this movie takes place in imaginary sequences, dreams and nightmares and memories that never happened. It's very cool, but also a little weird XD So, par for the course for Free! For example, early on as Haru is reliving his fight with Rin, we see lots of flashbacks to them as kids, but viewed in a movie theater (whoa trippy) with baby Makoto and baby Nagisa giving commentary. Scenes of young Haru and Rin fighting morph into them as Power Ranger standins (blue and red ofc), fighting but then deciding to work together, their union being stronger than either of them alone.

Haru has nightmares that play out over and over and over--most of the time of Rin leaving him…but occasionally of him leaving Rin, of him pushing Rin away and avoiding him for so long, refusing to swim with him. Haru resents Rin for his decision to 'leave' him, but he also recognizes that it's his own selfishness and stubbornness that has hurt Rin too.

Elsewhere, the coaches discuss their students. Mikhail remarks that Rin was crying.

Part 2 is set one year after Part 1, for context--and in that time, Nagisa and Rei and Nitori have all graduated…and moved to Tokyo! Rei and Nitori have joined the swim team at Ikuya and Hiyori's school, while Nagisa has joined Kinjou's school's team. The gang's all back together again!

Haru has been training HARD this whole time…to the point that he's hurting himself. He's working himself to exhaustion, and after nearly fainting after one training session, Azuma makes him take a break to rest, warning him that he's trying to do the equivalent of strapping a huge engine into a tiny car--it's going to destroy the car eventually.

Makoto hears about Haru being made to rest because he'd worked himself to exhaustion and immediately tells Rin…who absolutely wants to MURDER Azuma. Makoto has to almost physically restrain him, begging him not to do anything rash when Rin confronts Azuma in a rage over the state he feels he's brought Haru to. Azuma snaps back, "If something's really that important to you, then you shouldn't have let it go in the first place!" Makoto and Rin split up, looking for Haru, who's nowhere to be found.

Rin runs himself ragged searching all over the city, regretting how selfish he'd been. Muttering, "I'm so lame…" he collapses on a sidewalk and rolls over…and sees a beautiful glimmering sakura tree towering over him, lit up in the night. He squints at its brilliance--and just beyond it, standing atop a building, he finally spots Haru.

Rin calls Makoto and tells him he's found Haru, and they meet up at the top of the building, where there's a night pool you can swim in. Haru is floating aimlessly on his back in the pool alone. Makoto moves to go to him--but Rin holds out a hand to stop him. Then Rin jumps in the pool and approaches Haru.

Apologies are made, challenges are issued. "You have a duty to race me," Rin says, harkening back to their first real clash when they reunited in Season 1.

They race. Rin keeps glancing over, watching Haru, as they push each other further and further.

They reach the finish, both panting, and in Haru's mind he sees himself standing once more at that railroad crossing. Rin is there, on the other side. And this time, the crossing guard lifts and Rin rushes toward him.

See the full post

315 notes - Posted April 23, 2022

#2

"So when I first read the script, I was kind of taken aback by the way that Rin got dragged down whenever Haruka did, getting in a total funk. But Haruka and Rin share a common destiny, right? So when one stumbles, the other does too. I was both moved and excited by their exchange in the night pool."

- Miyano Mamoru, at the May 1, 2022, stage greetings (x)

331 notes - Posted May 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Sasaki and Miyano, vol. 8, ch. 42

422 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thebutlers]

Year In Review

It is 9:00 PM on December 29th and I am sitting in my bedroom with painted nails that are drying. I went sparkly to ring in the festivities of New Year's and our upcoming trip to Mexico. I wanted to take some time to reflect on this last year with some questions I found on Pinterest and thought this would be the perfect time to start the blog up again...

My word for 2022: Celebration

Best thing I did for someone else this year: Although it was very mutually beneficial, moving in with my dad was something that I think really helped him. Being in our family home alone probably feels very lonely and so I am very glad Makoto and I lived with my dad during my pregnancy and the first four months of Kenzo's life.

Most memorable moment of the year: Although there were many moments that are in the running, I'd say the 24 hours between having my water break and starting labor. I feel like that time period is seared into my brain. From FaceTiming people telling them my water broke, quickly packing up our bags, spending a few hours in the hospital, deciding to go back home, going back to the hospital the next morning, almost having an emergency c-section, having family visit the room, to the start of more serious labor. It was a wild 24 hours.

One great compliment you received this year: One that I get over and over is that I am my mom's legacy. I so badly wish she was here, but to know that so many people see my mom in me and know that I am making her proud really gives me peace.

Best advice you received this year: I feel like one or two moms told me to trust my gut and I feel like that has been something I keep coming back to when it comes to parenting Kenzo and even other areas of my life. Things like co-sleeping, pureé feeding, all the affection we give him. Somehow it just feels instinctual to know what to do for Kenzo.

Something you had never done before: I haven't felt like I've truly led something before but when we said yes to leading at YWAM Denver I feel like we had to step up. We are in charge of setting culture, making the final call on decisions, and having people look to us. It's been very stretching to not only learn how to lead a base, but learn to lead people as well.

Favorite place you visited this year: We didn't travel too much this year. We went to Oregon, California, Colorado, and Mexico if I'm not mistaken. Obviously Mexico was my favorite. Between the stunning sunrises, my favorite people, and being at a resort I'd never been to, it was just a great time.

Biggest lesson learned: God doesn't owe us anything and that gratitude is always a choice. After mom died I wrestled with the why's and the frustration of her not being healed, but God is still good and His nature is good and so I don't have to understand why He did something if I know those things to be true. Also, it is very easy to find the negative or to focus on what you don't have but there is always something to be grateful for and there are usually way more good things happening in your life than there are bad things.

Most newsworthy event: Accepting the position of campus leaders of YWAM Denver. It is still crazy to me that this is our life and yet at the same time it's hard to imagine us doing anything else right now. I am very thankful Mak and I get to be in full time missions again and that we get to be in Colorado while we do it.

What/whom are you most thankful for this year: I am most thankful for Kenzo but that is so obvious. He changed my life. After him I would say that I have come to feel very thankful for my church family. I am blessed to have been able to walk with them for twenty years now and have such consistency with them. I look around on Sunday and am filled with gratitude that I am a part of this church body.

Favorite show of the year: I continued to watch the rest of the series of Gilmore Girls at the start of this year and then Mak and I got into House for a few months. I'm rewatching GG since we moved onto the base and that's been fun. I love that show!

Favorite moments of the year:

+ Biking from our house in HB to Pacific City or a bench across from the ocean to think and read and journal.

+ Styling our basement apartment at dad's house.

+ Dad visiting HB and us going to the San Diego Zoo and whale watching.

+ Doing the babies course with Haylee.

+ Saying goodbye to my mom in the hospital.

+ Mom's celebration of life service.

+ Our trip to Mexico.

+ My walks around the pond with Kenzo.

+ My first date with Kenzo when we walked around the city.

+ Our stay in the hospital after Kenzo was born.

+ Doing silver sneakers with Haylee with our instructor Ken.

+ Our yard sale in HB as we started moving out of the house.

+ Our date day in Portland where we went to Twinings tea, got our favorite ramen, and the best Portland fog donuts.

+ Mak getting a tattoo of my name.

+ Moving onto the base.

I'm sure there were many more memories than just these, but these stood out in the few minutes I've sat here thinking about it.

In my next post I'm going to look forward to 2023!

[kanasmusings]

[Subs DL] ALIVE Stage Side Story - ZIX Stage - “Break It!”

Hello, hello! Oh my gosh, I really hoped to post this before the new year started, but a lot happened in the past few months. Happy 2022 to everyone though! Hopefully, this year is much better~!  ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

In any case, I really loved this stage play!!! Like, it’s peak drama and peak angsty backstory, but TsukiPro (SunPro??? LMAO) tells their story in such a beautiful and delicate way.  Also, the actors are just really great! Takuto-kun and Riki-kun are just so perfect as Makoto and Mitsuru, and I hope we get to see more ZIX Stages in the future~!

It’s described as a “side story” for ALIVE Stage, but the execution, love, and dedication the staff and cast poured into it is just as phenomenal as with any of the main stages.

I did mention before that the stage play’s story is exactly the same as the “Break It!” drama CD, so if you haven’t had a chance to get a copy of the play yet, listening/reading to the drama will give you a good idea about what to expect! 

BD is still available for order here (JP) or here (international shipping available) for those who want a physical copy for themselves or for those who just want to support the actors ^^

Link and a few notes under the cut, enjoy~!  ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡

NOTES:

※ THE FILE IS SUBTITLES ONLY, VIDEO IS NOT INCLUDED!

I actually only subbed the main play part and not the dance live. If your program ripped your BD and combined the honpen and the dance live together, the subs will end right before the dance live starts ^^;

The play is literally just word-for-word from the drama CD, but there were some scenes removed for time. Some differences from the “Break It!” drama were the inclusion of some Growth drama CD scenes as well as the daily ad-libs.

I also changed a bit of wording from the original drama to fit the faster time stamps present in the play.

RULES:

[MOST IMPORTANT] Please DO NOT re-post the subs and the link outside of Tumblr! If you want to share outside, please, please DM me about it and link my blog to your post. That’s all I ask.

Please DO NOT remove my credits.

Please DO NOT re-translate without permission.

SUBS DL LINK: GOOGLE DRIVE

※ Please only DM me if there is a problem with the subtitles. I cannot help you if it’s related to the videos.

※ If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a coffee here, if you can. It’ll really help me out a lot.(o^▽^o) Thank you!!

[thebutlers]

Looking Ahead To 2023

I can't believe we are almost done with another year. To me, the end of this year has been something I've anticipated because it was at the end of last year that I lost my mom. Today is one year from the date when my entire life changed. I remember talking to my mom briefly on FaceTime in the morning on our way to get Makoto tattooed. She was telling me that something I had said the night before really spoke to her and was full of wisdom. After the tattoo appointment we were on our way home and I called my dad asking if they wanted pizza. He said yes and I hung up the phone. About ten minutes later he called me back to tell me that mom was breathing. We were about fifteen minutes from the house and I remember praying and not really believing that anything truly bad could happen to her. She had had so many hospital moments that I hoped that this was just another. But at the same time, I had a lot of panic in my heart. The rest of the day is something I can share at a a different time, but all that to say, after my mom died at the beginning of 2022 I wondered how I would feel at the end of the year.

So here we are, at the end of 2022 and I am surprised at how the peace and grace of God has truly covered me this entire year. Obviously I have been very sad in some moments, but the overarching feeling has been one of peace. I thank God that His peace has covered me and allowed me to show up as a wife, mom, daughter, friend, etc. As I look ahead to next year I felt that God gave me a word for 2023. I love getting words as themes for my year. I feel like each year the word has been spot on. To recap:

2022 - Celebration

2021 - Wisdom

2020 - Today

2019 - Worship

2018 - Love

And now, drum roll please, my word for 2023 is LEGACY.

God started speaking to my heart that the things I do this year will not just impact me or others in the moment but will ripple on throughout time. The things I accomplish this year will be part of my legacy of what gets passed on to my children and their children. Just like my mom has left me with a legacy of who she was and what she accomplished while on earth, I want to live each day with the mindset that my choices will outlast me. This is my legacy year.

10 things I want to focus on accomplishing this year:

Read through the entire bible front to back (on top of doing in depth studies).

Hone in on my photography/videography skills.

Read a book a month.

Workout three to four times a week.

Wake up early.

Be on my phone less.

Help Kenzo reach milestones.

Journal/blog consistently.

Be more intentional with expressing gratitude/love for others.

Upgrade my communication.

This year I didn't have a list of things I wanted to grow in or a bucket list of things I wanted to accomplish and that felt right for this year. There were so many changes to adjust to and I was able to focus on what was right in front of me. But now I feel the excitement of what God wants to do within me and through me and I'm stoked to be able to work on some areas in my life. As weird as it sounds, I really do feel like there is some magic to the start of a new year. 2023 is getting me excited and I hope to share more on here and on Instagram what God is doing.

Cheers to a new year!