#Ryuuji Azuma

[haru-se]

Ryuuji who sees his past in Haru and is set free by him.

[rewordthis]

He & He

Hello! Please say ‘hello’ to the Haruka Birthday Event held by @nanaseharukabirthdayexchange for 2024!

This is a little something I wrote for Haruka for today’s prompt: Past + Future, hope you like it! (〃ω〃)

507 words Free! Nanase Haruka, Azuma Ryuuji

N’joy! ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

‘Will everything be alright…’

Haruka isn’t so sure anymore. He’s swimming in unknown waters, so to speak.

Everybody else, seem to be in a tentative attention towards him, trying to gauge out what the next step should be.

What’s the gentlest approach to this jigsaw that is him right now.

Don’t press the process…

Don’t break any pieces.

Haruka’s old form was a poem. The prodigy, the dolphin, the magic itself that walked among common mortals...

“Just watching him swim will make you understand—“ everyone that knew him used to say.

‘Understand’… understand what exactly though?

To one it was the ‘essence of beauty’, to the next the ‘meaning of life’…

They all had something different to have found in his existence.

But they all did have something in common, the experience that they were satisfied and peaceful yet full of energy and hope.

‘Hope’— as if they had just encountered the secret of life. The freedom to ‘be’.

To all he was, is and will continue being the swimmer with the grace, elegance and power of almost a deity born out of Lady Sea herself.

To all… but one.

Ryuuji knows Haruka is merely a young man, only starting to walk this earth. He knows full well the depths of his power but also the abyss of his despairs— if they do manage to catch him.

He’s witnessed the care and love Haruka is surrounded with and he can rest assured that no matter how hard things will get from now on — and they will get hard — that Haruka still has people to turn to.

They won’t be of much help on their own, but he won’t be either if the one in question doesn’t open up to someone and for Ryuuji the truth is that he’s bad with feelings and making people trust him.

Haruka almost broke down in his arms completely during the Olympics, trying to chase after Albert, and he sensed that something was off— he flat out asked him if he was alright and Haruka lied through his teeth at him.

‘If only there was a way to establish a friendlier stance— a closer approach.’

But then he wouldn’t be himself, huh— Ryuuji knows himself as much.

And he knows, still, that this boy he took in his care is a version of his own past— one he must guide into the future without a fault.

Because everything comes in circles…

How bittersweet—

This Haruka right now, is in shambles. His form collapsed, his swimming sharp and agonising…

It still holds some of its sheer power granted by his love for the water, but at the end of the day his metamorphosis into a new monster is slightly unsettling to those who loved him from way before.

The inevitable of this situation is not lost on anyone involved…

Haruka’s future swimming will be completely different.

But from now on, he too has found the resolve to accept that change and rebuild both body and soul…

All he’s got to do, is believe.

[badpostureart]

Message in a Bottle (pt. 2)

For anon, who asked my thoughts about secondary characters in Free! (continued).

I like Natsuya, I really do, but the guy needs to smarten up! While it’s totally understandable that he wanted his little brother to step out from his shadow and become his own person, I think it’s unwise to just throw Ikuya in the proverbial deep end, watch him almost drown himself, and refuse to help him. It’s obvious that Natsuya cares a lot about Ikuya, but he seems to struggle with actually being there for him. I don’t know why as an older brother, knowing your baby brother is shy, you wouldn’t try and introduce him to other kids or offer to do things together. It sounds like he just stopped showing up for Ikuya and didn’t explain to him why. Now, it isn’t Natsuya’s fault that Ikuya became a moody son-of-a-bitch as he got older, but he made it so that Ikuya didn’t feel comfortable confiding in him anymore. There would be no need to strap Hiyori with the responsibility of looking out for Ikuya and giving him updates about how he’s doing if Natsuya would just show up. Then again, it wasn’t until recently that Natsuya even considered showing up for himself and thinking seriously about what he wants to do with his life…maybe he thinks commitment is scary, hm?

I don’t think Natsuya purposely withheld love/affirmation from his brother. Maybe he just underestimated how badly he needed it or felt too awkward to say how proud of him he was. How all of this became Haru’s fault of all people is beyond me, and maybe that’s why seeing the Kirishimas actually reconcile and start to communicate felt…just meh. I’m not sure Natsuya understood the gravity of what he did, nor do I think Ikuya directed his hurt at the right person. They’re in a much better place than they were, but I’m not sure either brother fully owned up to anything, does that make sense?

Which segways to Ikuya himself. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that some of my frustrations with this kid may simply be due to projection. I too was once a moody son-of-a-bitch, so I get it, I do. And because I get it, I know that at a certain point, you gotta own up to it. You gotta say, “My attitude is shit. Yeah, people have let me down, and I feel lonely and angry, but I can’t keep holding onto all this shit and being miserable. I have to do something about it.”

In Dive to the Future, Ikuya expressed wanting to be a hero like Haru: “Not a hero that fights evil and stuff, but the kind that everyone looks up to. The kind that helps out whenever someone is lost or stuck.” But the only “heroic” thing Ikuya seemed to have done since smiling at another kid in kindergarten was convincing his university team captain to put Hiyori on the relay team with him at regionals—which they should have been doing together the whole time anyway! Then in the Final Stroke, Ikuya tells Rin, “Back then, I looked at the stars with Haru like this…as I made a wish to be able to swim faster.” So, was he just saying that “hero” stuff to look good? Or does he think that people admire Haru simply because he is a fast swimmer?! See, here I go getting pissed off again!

This is perhaps a bit off-topic, but something that both frustrated and interested me was Ikuya’s curiosity about the nature of Haru’s relationship with Rin. He’s straightforward in asking Rin if he’s happy to see Haru win or finds it frustrating, he tags along with them to see the venue in Sydney despite being “well aware…that this is an important place to you [two],” and asks Rin if he was okay not being in the room with Haru after he collapsed for the nth time. It seems as though the primary reason Ikuya wanted to start spending time with Rin was to try and sus out why he’s so important to Haru. On the one hand, it feels like he’s intruding and being nosy. But on the other hand, the more he pries, the more Rin talks about how much he adores Haru and the more it’s made plain that Haru feels the same way…and as a member of the Rinharu propaganda department, I hoard those moments like treasure! 

Ikuya certainly pisses me off, but he’s not a bad person, y’know? Just dramatic! But so am I for getting so worked up over his shenanigans!!

For someone who has always been “mature for his age,” Hiyori has a really warped understanding of how friendships work. Ikuya was patient and reached out to Hiyori when nobody else seemed to give him the time of day and from thenceforth, he became this glorified hero figure in Hiyori’s eyes that he wanted to hoard for himself. He actively chased away people who tried to get close to Ikuya, dubbing them unworthy of being his friend, even though those people would probably become his friends too if he wasn’t such a territorial weirdo. Even after Ikuya reconciles with his old relay team (despite Hiyori’s attempts at preventing this), Hiyori remains weirdly possessive over Ikuya. When Sousuke compliments Ikuya’s strength as a swimmer in light of Sydney’s prelims, Hiyori thanks him. Sousuke, reasonably enough, wonders why he’s saying thank you. I don’t think it was because Hiyori was trying to take credit for Ikuya’s strength or to thank Sousuke on his behalf, but more likely that he means to say thanks for complimenting his Ikuya. Hiyori seriously gives me the heebie-jeebies!

Also, I still can’t believe he got away without so much as a bloody nose after telling Haru that “everyone who swims with you ends up suffering somehow, huh?” The sheer audacity is baffling!

Ryuuji, much like Haru, has unorthodox methods and is a bit of a weirdo, so I think he’s a good fit as his coach. However, I also think he’s sometimes too hard on Haru and his advice that he should “throw things away” to become a better swimmer is fucking awful. I won’t go as far as saying that Haru’s falling out with Rin after Sydney is Ryuuji’s fault, and I don’t think he was wrong to tell Rin that he needed to fix things himself, but Ryuuji was the one to tell Haru that “the only ones who make it are the ones who don’t waver an inch, even if something happens to someone they care about.” Or in other words, one shouldn’t let things in their personal life affect their swimming, no matter how dear or important. This logic operates under the assumption that swimming is (and should be) completely divorced from everything and everyone else, which is directly contrarian to how Haru swims! It’s literally what sets Haru apart from someone like Albert! Moreover, if your athlete calls you in the middle of the night out in the pouring rain and tells you he’s ready to sacrifice everything to improve despite explicitly saying previously that he won’t do that, you’d probably think something must’ve happened, right? Then you watch him over-exert himself because he’s in a hurry against his own anatomy and your solution is to shove Rin against a wall and tell him that it’s his responsibility to fix things with Haru?

I’ve never been in sports myself, so I can’t say for sure to what degree a good coach should be involved in their athlete’s personal life when it’s clearly affecting how they perform. Still, I don’t know how realistic it is to expect Haru to just forget everything while he swims—because on the one hand, it’s important to focus on himself as he is instead of pushing himself too hard in order to surpass others, but on the other, distancing himself from the people that he cares about so he can spend all his time and energy training is counterintuitive because his bonds are where he draws his strength from. I suppose this is why the expression “don’t mix business and pleasure” exists because swimming simply isn’t “just a job” for Haru, nor is it separate from everything else he cares about. This is his life we’re talking about here! I hate the idea that life is supposed to stop just because a person has a job to do!

And hell, maybe I’m misinterpreting things and Ryuuji’s stupid advice to Haru had no impact on his decision to throw himself into a self-destructive spiral. But if Ryuuji wants Haru to avoid the mistakes he once made, I think it's unwise to advise him to stop concerning himself with people he cares about. Y’know that shit Ryuuji told Rin? That he needs to “grab on to what’s important” to him “and not let it go”? That’s the advice he needs to give Haru too. He doesn’t need to give up anything—all he’s ever had to be is himself. Wait, shut up. Just as I’m typing this out, I realized that Rin pulling Haru into an embrace in the night pool is literally grabbing on to what’s important and not letting go. Oh! I’m gonna make myself cry! GOD, I LOVE RINHARU! Much like Haru’s personal life being intertwined with swimming, BadPosture’s Free!meta is never without Rinharu!

Kinjou is an arrogant son-of-a-bitch with a history with Ikuya and Hiyori that I am completely oblivious to. I’m seriously wondering if there was another movie or something that I missed because I don’t know what’s going on with them. He shows up for the first time at the end of Road to the World to tell Hiyori that he thinks he’s worse off being friends with Ikuya and to call him “Hiyori Crybaby.” I don’t remember Hiyori’s character ever being established as a crybaby, so I’m not sure where this nickname came from. Then in the first part of the Final Stroke, we see that Hiyori and Kinjou met as kids, but something else must’ve happened between then and university because kid-Hiyori moving away suddenly doesn’t explain Kinjou’s animosity towards Ikuya.

At the prelims, Kinjou calls Ikuya “Mermaid Princess Hero,” which means he’s probably heard Ikuya’s claim that he “gave up his heart in order to get stronger,” but “couldn’t become human.” Who’s to say if he knows anything about Haru? Anyway, he also brought over another breaststroke swimmer named Kotetsu Sudou to intimidate Ikuya, saying, “You might always be pushing Hiyori and your brother around…but don’t get full of yourself.” So…Kinjou bullies Ikuya because he doesn’t want him going around thinking he’s hot shit? I was gonna say that this is pretty unnecessary, but I just remembered the whole “Bullying Ikuya For Sport” thing, so I guess I’m not one to talk… Anyway, he goes on to say something rather curious about Ikuya’s performance at prelims: “Don’t show me such mediocre swimming. There’s too big of a gap between you and Sudou…even though there’s someone rooting for you.” Does he think that Ikuya’s performance should be enhanced knowing that he has Hiyori back home rooting for him? While that’s an awfully romantic statement, it’s not exactly realistic! Then later, Kinjou confides to Hiyori that he’s jealous of Ikuya because he’s “blessed” …presumedly in the form of cheerleaders Natsuya and Hiyori. Perhaps knowing that Ikuya takes his support system for granted is what makes Kinjou dislike him. (And perhaps he and I have more in common than I thought!) Then again, in the second part of the Final Stroke, Kinjou apologizes to Ikuya for “always lashing out” at him and Hiyori, effectively resolving the matter less than two minutes into the movie. So…that’s that?  

Then there’s the business with Kinjou’s cousin, Kiyo. What the hell happened to him? Is he even still alive? Because I know next to nothing about this mystery relative, Kinjou’s conversation with Ryuuji about him “going through a lot” is really confusing! And then in the next movie, Ryuuji says to Kinjou, “I’ll save you someday, too!” LIKE I’M SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. (And in case you forgot, Ryuuji, your only charge ends up in rehab after one season of you coaching him! You aren’t in any position to be saving anybody, bitch!!) Anyway, it’s obvious that Kinjou’s arrogance is his way of overcompensating for the fact that he’s a lot more sensitive and cares more than he wants to let on. He’s something of a tsundere whose actions run contrarian to his words—because while he keeps saying that he’s only swimming for himself, he joins the Haru protection squad and swims to give Haru a chance at competing in the final. So, in short, I think Kinjou is alright, but I haven’t spent enough time with him to get to know him, y’know?

Albert is something of an enigma, but mostly because I have no idea what his motivations are. He’s an ominous figure in the world of swimming, with the nickname “Odin” instead of the usual animal motif. Mikhail cautions Rin that his swimming is “out of this world” and Isuzu says there are rumours that anyone who swims with him “feels their mind being torn apart.” But when he meets Haru, he seems…nice? He’s not arrogant like Kinjou and he actually seemed to be kind of free-spirited. We see that he’s an exceptionally quick learner and he acknowledges Haru as a swimmer. Nevertheless, competing against Albert disrupted Haru’s subconsciousness (in that the answer to the big “why do you swim” question gets fuzzy in his mind) …but I’m not exactly sure why. Mind you, Albert’s interactions with Haru after they met are just downright bizarre. He says such cryptic shit like, “The water favours you, I can tell,” but he seemed so genuinely pleased that I can’t get a proper read on him at all!

It’s my understanding that Albert’s team manager is living vicariously through him, and so Albert has been strapped with the expectations and dreams of someone else. I can understand why he’s a clinical swimmer because the only things that matter to his team are his appearances and results. With that all said, I wonder if Albert chose to miss the finals in Sydney partly as an act of defiance against his manager and partly to fuck with the psyche of other swimmers—especially after dismissing Kinjou completely before the semi-finals and telling Haru that he’s “not swimming for fun today. I’m just going out there to do my job.”

Feeling as though he had to take on Albert alone is what made Haru “throw everything away” (in the form of a dissociative episode where he breaks things off with Rin), and then launch himself into self-destructive training under Ryuuji. The second part of the Final Stroke is all about Haru recanting that idea and accepting the support of others. Meanwhile, Albert is hardly in this movie at all! I think my biggest question is whether or not Albert likes or wants to break the spirits of other swimmers. I honestly don’t think he does, so I can’t help but feel bad for him. Still, his general cadence is so fucking weird! I have no clue what he’s thinking at all!

[caffernnn]

so i searched the meaning of kiyofumi's name and it prob translates to something like "pure message" (the kanji for "kiyo" meaning "pure"; "fumi" is "sentence, letter, writing, or literature"). makoto's name means "truth", and there's something about this parallelism the way it also parallels patroclus, whose name means "glory of the father", and cleopatra, name with the same roots and meaning in origin, the most beloved wife of the king meleager, to whom achilles is compared, in fame, glory, the way they were wronged, the way they acted about it, and the way they only listened to their respective beloveds. the king was doomed when he didn't listen early enough to his wife, and achilles was said to face the same faith if he would not listen to patroclus.

makoto and kiyofumi are supposedly the reasons their respective best friends swim [kiyofumi's support to azuma; makoto's feelings reaching haru] , and like, if the foreshadowing in s3 was pushed through (and with this kind of coincidence in their name etymologies) with haru paralleled to azuma, then makoto would most definitely the kiyofumi parallel. all i'm saying is that mh patrochilles au is canon, the way the patrochiles parallels have their own counterparts in the free! universe.

achilles [meleager] = haru [azuma]

patroclus [cleopatra] = makoto [kiyofumi]

it's 11 and i just had to tell you so forgive my ramblings

I love getting to hear about your different AU ideas because the comparisons and characterizations always seem to get to one of the most compelling parts of their dynamics: where the emotional tether and guiding light for Character A resides in the hope and balance gained from Character B’s presence (which is a double-edged sword to wield that we see can lead to tragedy). Kiyofumi and Ryuuji’s story is interesting to look at in comparison with Makoto and Haru now that we know FS2 didn’t go for the kill by making it a direct warning (RIP to the Makoto-gets-hurt theories). So, how much of it is meant to be taken as a parallel between situations? We arguably get to see a glimpse into what both Ryuuji and Haru are like when their centers are taken away from them (caring about the water, but taking a break from it when they’re so lost. Holding the weight of swimming in an obligatory manner on their shoulders when they’ve lost sight of the “why…” not being able to consider a return until they can reconnect with who they’ve lost or create a new center for themselves in their stead). Ryuuji was lost until he decided to go into training, and then find a passion project of sorts with Haru (man really said “oh he’s just like me fr let me study him). Haru was lost once when he didn’t know what to do after graduation (plus the fireworks fight giving clarity to how lost and disconnected he really was from his emotional center and biggest support), and he gets lost again in FS when he gets tunnel vision toward having to “get stronger” on his own. What is worth looking at is that latter situation, because this one comes after the precedent of Ryuuji’s story. Since the parallel wasn’t to denote Haru choosing between his bonds or his professional drive (at least not in a clear-cut way), then what do we do now with Chekov’s mentor-sob-story?

I’m a broken record at this point (and will end up saying it again when more people see fs2 and want to talk about it) but so much golden potential lies in the timeskip. There could’ve been something so valuable in getting to see Haru parse through his feelings when forced to rehab and be on-pause for a minute. Not only the talks with his friends to figure out how to proceed forward without falling apart (cough cough Sousuke cough cough Nao) or figuring out a new dream for himself (cough cough Makoto cough cough Natsuya), but also !! potentially !! an actual talk with Ryuuji that isn’t just cryptic warnings or advice given pre-breakdown. I’m not saying that it’d fix everything or that sticking with Ryuuji long-term is the best idea, but I think there’d be something worthwhile in getting to hear what his coach thinks now that he’s not consumed with his own side-story and saw firsthand that Haru needs a specific type of support and hands-on guidance that he wasn’t necessarily receiving before. If anything, he can talk about how he rebuilt his center and chose to become a coach/trainer (iirc he mentioned that story to Makoto in s3 but idk if he ever did tell Haru much??). Some sort of anecdote to reinforce that there are many ways to return to the water. Idk, there’s something there!!

Aaaanyway, makoharu patrochilles parallel real and valid 😌 love how mh are Just Some Guys™️ but also the perfect vessels for tragic devotion and deathly obligation

[asknarashikari]

Neon and Ryuji (Go-Busters) meeting through an Omiai… Would Ryuji be frank with Neon that she’s too young for him? [this is before the dreaded redemption of the Kurama parents, so during Geats]

You know what, what if it was Ryuji who Neon met when Buffabutt went on a rampage with his Jamashin powers… and sentai powersets aren’t useless against Jamashin… Who would win? Ryuji or Buffabutt?

Yes, he'd straight up say she's too young him, and would probably be upfront about saying that he's just as unwilling to go through this as she probably is.

And... sad to say, I do think Buffabutt could win against him. Yes, Ryuuji has experience on his side, but he could only fight for so long before his weakpoint activates, and that no doubt would be exacerbated by how pissed Buffabutt would make him. And once he overheats beyond what he can handle he would pass out.

[kudouusagi]

Right now, amongst the cheers

Azuma Ryuuji and Nitori Mikhail character song

Is what's repeating here passion? Or is it an immature pride... I don't know? But those determined eyes are somewhat nostalgic

It's probably lonely amongst the cheers All that's left is for you to do it and all we can do is watch over you On the way your dreams overlap We want to make sure you make it, ahh, to that future

Was it inevitable for me to be drawn to you? When it comes to you I'm fine with that As long as everyday has a reason for you

Even as the splash of the water you've chosen Is swallowing us up in it's waves, all we can do is lend you strength You stand at the entrance to a vast world This is just the beginning so, go ahead and dive in

No matter what the outcome will be There's no way you can be stopped as you're moving forward

Here in these cheers, we can feel your passion Even we've been swallowed up by the waves of it, we can feel your strength Here in the vast world, your dreams that overlapped Are producing a definite flow, and now it's moving us Go towards the splash of the water you've chosen We're waiting at the goal so, come to that future

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Created a big tier list featuring every Red\Blue themed ship I could find :)

Only criteria was that they had to match the color scheme, if the characters were more orange/pink/purple/black I left them for another time. If I missed one of your favorites let me know and I can add them, I don't actually know all the pairings here personally, I just tried to include the major ones I've seen.

Ships featured (In order of appearance):

-Karma Akabane\Nagisa Shiota from Assassination Classroom

-Amber\Eula Lawrence from Genshin Impact

-Tokaku Azuma\Haru Ichinose from Riddle Story of Devil

-Kazuma Asogi\Ryuunosuke Naruhodo from The Great Ace Attorney

-Jeremey Here\Michael Mell from Be More Chill

-Violet (Vi)\Caitlyn Kiramman from Arcane

-Carmen Sandiego\Julia Argent from Carmen Sandiego

-Trevor Belmont\Sypha Belnades from Castlevania

-Cinnabar\Phosphophyllite from Land of the Lustrous

-Daisuke Niwa\Satoshi Hiwatari from DNAngel

-Edelgard von Hresvelg\Byleth Eisner from Fire Emblem Three Houses

-Ember Lumen\Wade Ripple from Elemental

-Fireboy\Watergirl from Fireboy and Watergirl

-Rin Matsuoka\Haruka Nanase from Free!

-Yunan Longclaw\Lady Olivia from Amphibia

-Erza Scarlet\Jellal Fernandes from Fairy Tail

-Soma Yukihara\Megumi Tadokoro from Food Wars!

-Ruby\Sapphire from Steven Universe

-Yoko Littner\Kamina from Gurren Lagann

-Veronica Sawyer\Heather Chandler from Heathers

-Haruka Amami\Chihaya Kisaragi from The iDOLM@ster

-Ryan Akagi\Min-Gi Park from Infinity Train

-Inosuke Hashibira\Tanjiro Kamado from Demon Slayer

-Ameri Azazel\Iruma Suzuki from Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun

-Jedediah\Octavius from Night at the Musuem

-John Egbert\Dave Strider from Homestuck

-Mikotoh Suoh\Reisi Munakata from K Project

-KAITO\MEIKO from VOCALOID

-Kaeya Alberich\Diluc Ragnvindr from Genshin Impact

-Misaki Yata\Saruhiko Fushimi from K Project

-Lance McClain\Keith Kogane from Voltron

-Kuroko Tetsuya\Kagami Taiga from Kuroko no Basket

-Korra\Asami Sato from Avatar: The Legend of Korra

-Sayaka Miki\Kyoko Sakura from Madoka Magica

-Chisato Nishikigi\Takina Inoue from Lycoris Recoil

-Kaguya Shinomiya\Miyuki Shirogane from Kaguya-Sama: Love is War

-Shiki Wakana\Mei Yoneme from Love Live! Superstar!!

-Megamind\Roxanne Ritchi from Megamind

-Melissa Foddebrat\Nine Forton from Beware of the Villainess!

-Arthur Pendragon\Merlin from Merlin

-Miguel\Tulio from The Road to El Dorado

-Rise Kujikawa\Naoto Shirogane from Persona 4

-Phoenix Wright\Miles Edgeworth from Ace Attorney

-Aqua Hoshino\Kana Arima from Oshi no Ko

-Archie\Maxie from Pokemon

-Ittoki Otoya\Ichinose Tokiya from Uta no Prince Sama

-Akane Tendo\Ranma Saotome from Ranma 1/2

-Asuka Soryuu\Rei Ayanami from Evangelion

-Langa Hasegawa\Reki Kyan from Sk8 the Infinity

-Jesse\James from Pokemon

-Ryuko Matoi\Mako Mankanshoku from Kill la Kill

-Mugen\Jin from Samurai Champloo

-Yukimura Sanda\Date Masamune from Sengoku Basara

-Kate\Emilico from Shadows House

-Sherlock Holmes\William Moriarty from Moriarty the Patriot

-Garrus Vakarian\Commander Shepard from Mass Effect

-Sidon\Link from The Ledgend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild

-BLU Soldier\RED Demoman from Team Fortress

-Sonic\Shadow from Sonic the Hesgehog

-Sora\Riku from Kingdom Hearts

-Karen Aijo\Hikari Kagura from Revue Starlight

-Steve Rogers\Tony Stark from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

-Sharkboy\Lavagirl from Sharkboy and Lavagirl

-Felix Fraldarius\Sylvain Gautier from Fire Emblem: Three Houses

-Red\Blue from This is How You Lose the Time War

-Ryuuji Takasu\Taiga Aisaka from Toradora!

-Wei Wuxian\Lan Wangji from Mo Dao Zu Shi

-Yona\Son Hak from Yona of the Red Dawn

-Zagreus\Megaera from Hades

-Zuko\Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender

This was fun, might do some more lists like this - I'm thinking White/Black, Pink/Blue, Orange/Black, or Green/Red for next time.

[getsusekaii]

what song do you associate with each muse? 

The songs are either based off of general vibes, or the lyrics painfully relate to these characters. Some you'll be able to tell why if you know the song/listen to it. I'm doing all characters across all blogs so its long and the rest are under the cut.

Yuji: Dumb Wit it - A.JiZZLE Megumi: Duvet - bôa Gojo: Hey Daddy - USHER Sukuna: Down with the Sickness - Disturbed Kinji: Tuca Donka - CURSEDEVIL Suguru: New Person, Same Ol' Mistakes - Rihanna Toge: HERO - MONSTA X

Mai: Material Girl - Madonna Jin: Angel - Shaggy Tsumiki: Kingdoms & Castles - Virtual Riot, tribes. Todo: Giga Chad Theme (Phonk House) - g3ox_em Rika: Cheating Is A Crime - Takayan Ichigo: Number One - Shiro Sagisu Orihime: Pipo Pipo - Serani Poji Grimmjow: CODE MISTAKE - CORPSE, Bring Me The Horizon Izaya: The Hand That Feeds Shizuo: Pride. - Kendrick Lamar Yukine: Stingray Affliction - ISSUES Shouto: Find Your Flame - SEGA SOUND TEAM ft Kellin Quinn Eren: Under The Tree - SiM Akane: Damage - H.E.R. Kyo: The Langdon House - ISSUES Hiro: Tokyo - Leat'eq Akito: Lost It - Virtual Riot Link: Blow Me Away - Breaking Benjamin Ren: Beneath the Mask - Persona 5 OST Ryuuji: Break Stuff / My Way - Limp Bizkit (I cant choose LOL) Yusuke: Resonance - Home Futaba: Brain Power - NOMA (yes that brain power) Shinobu: Reason - PinkPanthress Mitsuri: Mosquito - PinkPanthress Cloud: Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down Mythra: Fight Song - Eve Kirito: Virtual Paradise - AK, Lynx, Veela Haruka: Water - Tyla Rin: Say So (JPN Version) - Rainych Ikuya: Snooze - SZA Asahi: Spicy Boyfriend - Shawn Wasabi Makoto: Cats - The Living Tombstone Sousuke: Setting Fires - The Chainsmokers, XYLØ Kisumi: How to Be A Heartbreaker - MARINA Natsuya: Stay A While - Virtual Riot Nao: Wings - Tiber Momotaro: Otter Pop - Shawn Wasabi Hiyori: Another Night - MYRNE, Nevve Isuzu: Celebrity Skin - Doja Cat ver. Gou: Calm Down - Rema, Selena gomez Azuma: Talk - Khalid, Disclosure

[ladysunamireads]

The Cursed Lover

The Cursed Lover by SweetHeaven

Haruka, a merman deeply in love with Rin, a young human priest who was condemned to transform into a statue that only comes back to life one hour a day because of the forbidden love he shares with Haruka, will do anything in his power to break the curse as time approaches for Rin to remain a statue forever; even if that means risking his own life.

Words: 20060, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Free!

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Nanase Haruka, Matsuoka Rin, Hazuki Nagisa, Ryuugazaki Rei, Kinjou Kaede, Azuma Ryuuji, Albert Wåhlander

Relationships: Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka

Additional Tags: Implied Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei, blink-it-and-you-miss-it Yamazaki Sousuke/Tachibana Makoto, Non-Graphic Violence

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47625292

[kurosawagumi]

Faces

Fashion

Pets

Tattoos

Homes

Locations

Aiba Ren

Ashida Kiyoshi

Azuma Masao

Cheng Eric Wan

Cheng Li Wei

Dong Min Jae

Endou Nobuo

Han Shi Won

Hirano Masahiro

Huang Yao Zu

Ichihara Ryuuji

Ikeda Noriko

Kang DaeHyun

Kato Asuka

Kawano Yukari

Kitazawa Junpei

Kurosawa Hinata

Kurosawa Ryuunosuke

Kwon Chiko

Lee Sung Ho

Martell Jerome

Moon Soo Bin

Mukai Koan

Narita Hideki

Otsuka Yuri

Saejima Keitaro

Seok Ji Hoon

Shibaguchi Eishi

Suzuki Mamoru

Taguchi Satoshi

Tanaka Shoichi

Thakur Rihaan Avir

Tsukamoto Hotaka

Xuan Li Ling

Xuan Ming Li

Yoshida Takeo

Zhuo YuHan

[eleanorenchanted]

If you care about something, take it and don’t let it go!

[haru-se]

Medley Relay Win P.2 🏅

[skitzs]

Ryuuji said it, not me.

[cherrysoulmates]

i made this as quickly as I could

[caffernnn]

Hi! I love your blog 💙 also as a fellow makoharu shipper (I finally watch the Final Stroke) I noticed the parallels of Kiyofumi and Ryuuji vs. Makoto and Haru and they are kind of interesting? Kiyofumi tells Ryuuji that "your swimming makes everyone feel good/happy" similar to Makoto saying that he felt happy seeing Haru swim after his race with Rin (also kind of parallels to episode 9 of season 1, where Makoto tells him he felt happy to swim in the relay with him). Also Hiyofumi saying "Hisashiburi" to Ryuuji, which parallels at the end of the movie with Makoto saying it to Haru. Fans on twitter have said that the Fanbook of Free! The Final Stroke mentioned "Kiyofumi is the indispensable presence of Ryuji Azuma as Makoto for Haru but since he passed away Azuma is alone now and really sad." Sorry for the rambling, I just love the meta 😅

Thanks, friend 💚 and YEAH the setup for Ryuuji to see himself in Haru and for his relationship with Kiyofumi to come back in his mind when he sees Haru with his close bonds (especially Makoto) is definitely an interesting one! I think there are more people out there who have spent more time sitting with Ryuuji’s character to properly understand him (I’m trying to be less of a hater) BUT from what I remember (being several months removed from watching the FS movies now) the few insights we got to see into Kiyofumi/Azuma’s past had me curious as to how it would all play into how Ryuuji reacts to seeing Haru’s spiraling trajectory once he chooses to take his advice and isolate. Imagine your grief manifesting into this idea of “I didn’t have a choice, but if you have one, leave before you can have a chance to lose them,” and then not seeing the flaw in that until this kid you see a lot of yourself in falls into that trap and loses touch with himself completely. If the first season of fr! could’ve been seen as a story of lost lonely former swimmers relearning the importance of connectivity through rebuilding (forming a new team, watching Rei learn from the ground up, building skills and trust in each other and everything else), there was ample setup from s3 to the FS movies for Azuma’s arc to mirror that same discovery process. His loss is different (there’s no getting back Kiyofumi for him :/) but there’s still a chance of rebuilding after, connecting after. Coaching is a shot at rebuilding, and the ways he approaches Haru had potential for rebuilding… but I don’t think we got to see as much of that tbh. Part of my delight/frustration with FS is that there are seeds for so many storylines and relationships to care about at this point, but that overwhelm of potential left a lot of avenues not fully explored. I’m not saying that out of all the fun crumbs introduced that the Ryuuji-Haru mentor/mentee storyline should’ve been top priority or anything, buuuut I would be curious to see that whole parallel setup get a proper follow-through. What do they learn from each other, if anything? Does Ryuuji ever realize he’s too close or invested for reasons not related to helping Haru? Do they have a serious talk during his rehab about a way forward that might not involve the pro world long-term, or that might not involve them moving on together? Could there be more moments between Ryuuji and Makoto as he keeps growing as a coach/trainer, since there’s also something interesting there?? Would be curious to see more takes on this 🥲