#Asahi was an ass

[humblemooncat]

Endwalker spoilers under the read more, I just need to cackle before bed.

So, I just ran through Ataiascope and The Mothercrystal before maint, and I happened to see this when Asahi popped up.

The rock behind/above him slowly rose up from behind the platform and I lost it. Me too, rock, me too.

Gods, I hope that was intentional.

[zkuma1]

[perfectblueside]

FREE!characters that got hit by puberty with a 4x4 car:

Tachibana Makoto

Matsuoka Rin

Yamazaki Sosuke

now... FREE! characters that got hit by puberty with a fkn TRUCK:

Shiina Asahi

Kinjou Kaede

[lunadivino]

I miss Yotsuyu

[juniesfairies]

so we all agreed suga had a point here right.

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

[weezmancer3]

Asahi's the type of guy to let his hair down and dramatically sob into his pillow as Whitney Houston's hit song 'I Have Nothing' plays in the background

[harveybwabbit92]

[Fuma and Akari were having a double date with Titas and Asahi (Grigio), things went wrong before Asahi even arrived when Titas wandered off.]

Asahi, clearly mad: what do you mean you lost him at the zoo?!

Fuma: "Lost" is a very strong word.

Akari: Yeah, We just.... Have no idea where he is.

[meanwhile, Titas is sitting the Rhino enclosure petting one of the babies as the mother starts charging towards him.]

Titas, to the angry mama Rhino: Hello, new friend!

{Cue the PA announcing the emergency happening in the pachyderm exhibit, apparently a teenage boy got into one of the enclosures and was wrestling with one of the Rhinos!]

Asahi & Fuma:...

Akari: Hey. So, this is a stretch, but I think we should check the Rhino enclosure...

[serveandblog]

OMG NEW HAIKYUU STICKERS???

full translation here, imma post a few of my favourites bc THOUGHTS

put the thoughts under the cut bc it got long

oh my god I love aran so much also,,, me tbh

he’s trying his best 😭💖

YACHI BBY I LOVE U BUT PLEASE OMG

the identical expressions,,,, it’s ok osamu and daichi they don’t deserve ur rice 😔✨ nah but cross team parallels are top tier

….why is asahi blushing?? but suga,,, suga,,,,,,

ah this man is nonsensical and also 👀👀 flexible?? he’s doing a crab that’s impressive

if u needed more evidence that futakuchi isn’t straight then here you go

look at the way he SITS asdgjldk honestly I can’t even judge

kiyoyachi date is also very cute and aone all tucked up against the wall?? bby i’ll protect him with my life

these three are scaring me also damn ennoshita here with the passive aggression okay okay my guy

me honestly

no but are they ok?? udai I bby im so sorry u have deadlines

also I forgot to screenshot it but special mention to the oikawa/hirugami one bc they are not paying attention in the slightest and I honestly love that for them

the kita one too,,, anything with kita in it is top tier

[trans-estinien]

as someone whos not a big graha fan and doesnt ship with him ill be real that gondola ride was real awkward

[evilkaeya]

In my room doing skin care and crying because Asahi called Suga for a toss

[sebille]

(don't send me spoilers, please) y'know - never did the thought "What Zenos REALLY needs is to be the stone faced one in a comedic duo" but I did enjoy this

[jhzhuxx]

"You're special, Ikuya," he murmurs, gently, absentmindedly rubbing my fingertips in his, my heart in my throat. "You're taking on the world alongside Haru and them."

He pauses, seemingly conflicted about how he should continue; whether he should continue.

Slowly, as if waiting to see if I would pull away, retreat, he lifts both of our hands to touch his lips to my fingers, eyes fluttering shut.

My breath stutters, and stops; air becomes unimportant as I stare at where our skin meets, uncomprehending.

"Sometimes," he continues, voice somehow even softer than before, "sometimes, I can't help but wonder if I can do anything for you. If I should even be by your side."

He lets out a quiet laugh; resigned, defeated. (I hated it - he wasn't supposed to sound like that.)

"Because, well – I'm normal, y'know?"

[badpostureart]

Message in a Bottle (pt. 1)

For anon, who asked my thoughts about secondary characters in Free!

Without Gou working her magic in the background, none of the conflict of season one could have been resolved. She became the Iwatobi swim club’s manager (primarily) because she wanted to reunite her brother with his old friends and hoped that in doing so, he’d start smiling and opening up again. Despite having no sports background and never having put a training regimen together before, Gou improvised with the resources she could find and did the proper fieldwork. All this is to say that she took her managerial responsibilities seriously for Iwatobi’s sake as well as for Rin. She’s earnest and hardworking (albeit a wee bit too ambitious where muscles are concerned) and made a great coach despite her inexperience. She’s a great sister to Rin who she never stopped reaching out to even when he neglects to answer. I do really wish we got to learn what Gou’s secret plans for the future were though! How’re you just going to tease a secret and then not tell me?!

Kisumi serves an interesting function in the series because he doesn’t swim and yet he’s in the loop about what virtually everyone else is up to. He’s a bit of a smartass, often trying to get a rise out of Asahi (by making fun of him) and Haru (by being in the vicinity), but he’s a good guy as well as a reliable source of information. As something of an outsider, Kisumi has also said things I was thinking while watching the show in real-time. For example, in Dive to the Future when Makoto is to race Hiyori for the “right” to be Ikuya’s friend, Kisumi says, “Is there really a point to this? Isn’t it kinda childish to bet things in contests like this? I don’t get it.” Indeed, although Kisumi is right that it’s really fucking juvenile to race for the “right” to be someone’s friend, swimming is like its own language to these guys, so Makoto will learn something important about Hiyori if they compete—and frankly, so will we, so I’m glad Kisumi asked!

I wasn’t terribly fond of Sousuke at first because of his hostility towards Haru and his bad attitude more generally. Instead of using the word “reminiscing” when thinking about his childhood in season two, he says he’s recalling “phantoms of the past.” Like, you wanna lighten up a little there? Sheesh! You could almost see the dark cloud hanging over his head! And while I can totally understand wanting to protect his friend, it still isn’t his place to tell Haru to stay out of Rin’s way or to say having Rin participate in Iwatobi’s disqualifying relay in season one was “idiotic.” Over time, however, we see Sousuke soften up in his interactions with others. He comes to appreciate the value of swimming together instead of soloing and he spends a good deal of time mentoring his juniors. It was lovely to see his recovery over the course of the series and how he came to accept that although his timeline may look different than others, there’s nothing wrong with doing things at his own pace.

My first notes about Ai were that he was “an insecure first-year,” and that I didn’t know for sure what stroke he swam. He reminded me of a remora with the way he followed Rin around. Of course, I couldn’t help but feel bad for the poor kid because his encouragement fell on deaf ears and most of his attempts to reach out were dismissed—what with Rin often refusing to dignify him with any answers to his questions. It was good to see Ai gain confidence in himself over time though! Leadership looks good on him. I also appreciate that despite his ability to plan itineraries down to the minute, his living space is in a constant state of disarray. (Though, I still can’t fathom what would compel a person to bring their umbilical cord with them to boarding school…or anywhere for that matter!) He’s a bit of a disaster, and maybe a bit too earnest for his own good, but he’s a nice kid through and through.

Momo is a joy. He may not be the smartest and may not have much of an attention span, but his enthusiasm is unmatched. The kid scores a 7 on a test and instead of thinking anything remotely negative or self-deprecating, he instead believes the number is a sign of good luck. What a joyful way to move about the world! He’s equally unapologetic about the things he likes (which include but are not limited to stag beetles, capibaras, Gou, hot springs, and Dangerous Ookuchin Hosoeson-kun, among other things), and remains a good sport in the face of defeat. I don’t think there’s a negative bone in his body. He’s “joie de vivre” incarnate!  

Much like his little brother, Seijuuro is boisterous and kind of dumb, but he has a heart of gold. Initially, he maintained a pretty cutthroat swimming culture at Samezuka, saying that “the past doesn’t matter. Performance is what counts here. The fastest swimmer wins. That’s all there is to it.” But by the time he enters university, he says instead that “there are many ways to get stronger! Past teammates and friendships can contribute to your strength in the present. There are lots of things that are important besides just practising.” For a meathead, he can be awfully wise, huh? He also doesn’t use a swim cap at all for some reason…but to be fair, most (if not all) of the other characters that do use one wear the damn thing incorrectly anyway. And I’m sure it’s to help us at home distinguish who’s who more easily, but that’s why you give them all different jammers and goggles tinted in different colours!

Isuzu is undoubtedly the coolest of her siblings, though I would have liked to see more of her to get to know her better! She compliments Haru on his triceps the first time they meet, which were what Gou had described as his charm point in high school—meaning that Isuzu and Gou are something of muscle-fanatic soulmates. The two of them proceed to induct Ayumu into the muscle cult and I’m frankly left sitting here waiting for my invite! Sure, I can’t confidently identify biceps from triceps or quadriceps from…hamstrings(?), but I promise I have the spirit!  

Nao is refreshingly no-nonsense and calls it as he sees it. Wise beyond his years, Nao’s advice is always astute and pertinent. He’s someone I’d look up to if I ever got to meet him. I just think he’s really cool! His adeptness at observation made him a hell of a coach even back in middle school and he’s only gotten better at it as he’s gotten older. And maybe I’m a wee bit biased because he’s said some of the things I’d like to say to other characters, but that’s neither here nor there.

Asahi is another goofball. He likes to show off and talk about how great he is, he’s highly reactive, and also an idiot. It’s quite easy to get under his skin and get him riled up if he feels like he’s being made fun of, hence his need to boast. His plight in Starting Days was one of the most baffling in the entire series: he “forgot” how to swim the front crawl. I’m not sure that’s something a person can forget to do, but that’s probably because it wasn’t that he actually forgot, he just lacked the courage to try out of a fear of looking silly/not being the best. Frankly, that’s something a lot of people can relate to, me included! His willingness to look inward (instead of continuing to blame Haru) is perhaps what I appreciate the most about Asahi. He took accountability and was able to grow as a character. It was also really sweet to see that as a young adult, he still says positive words of affirmation to himself in the mirror! While it may feel silly, it’s important to treat oneself with kindness regardless of if one feels they’re actually the best or not!

Mikhail, while a bit out of the loop concerning whatever’s cool with the youth these days, is a delight. He gives helpful advice (saying cute things like “having a lot of baggage is what makes life richer! [Even if] sometimes that baggage weighs you down too,”) and understands that sometimes what a person needs isn’t to be told what they did wrong and could instead benefit from some time to hurt. Meanwhile, Ryuuji tears into Rin and Ikuya’s performances at Sydney’s prelims to Haru—deliberately singling out the people he knows are important to him even though they swim different strokes—dismisses hard work that doesn’t yield the desired results, and then he sends Haru to bed saying, “all that matters is how you do in free tomorrow.” I’m not even supposed to be talking about Ryuuji yet and here I am getting pissed off at him in advance! Mikhail, in contrast, is kind in that he gives Rin the space to figure things out for himself while offering his support in the meantime. I also find it incredibly amusing to imagine Ai and Mikhail corresponding back and forth about how well-built Rin is—they couldn’t not have, right?

[sealrock]

me: I'm satisfied with hector's backstory hector vc: I'm not!

[d3v1lish]

He reminds me a lot of the polite cat