#okay fs1

[mintys-musings]

i need more of ur anzu x idol rambles PLZ theyre so good if i cld inject it to my brain i wld do so /pos

*cracks knuckles* how much time do we have? I could do this all damn day t b h.

okay here's a random thing i love about anzu- not entirely related to this but still: EVERYONE KNOWS CANONICALLY HOW DAMN THIRSTY SHE IS TO SEE GUYS WHO ARE BARELY CLOTHED WITH MUSCLES. slight spoilers for madara's fs1 story will be in the tags so tread lightly if you wanna experience that yourself. just- she has a clear type in men. at least as far as physicality goes.

and for women??? SUZU. ARASHI. SHE LOVES HEADSTRONG WOMEN WHO TAKE NO SHIT.

ANYWAY SHIPS

This is gonna get long so im putting it under cut- im doing this right before i go to bed bc my brain will not rest until i get this out of my system

Okay. I know which ships I'll end up rambling about on my own. So lemme highlight ones that i may not talk about as much but love still. idk if u wanted to hear horny rambles or not so im just throwing in first time stuff as flavour.

MakoAnzu

MAKOTO AND ANZU ARE THE CUTEST. EPIC GAMER LOSER BF AND GIRLBOSS/GIRLFAIL GF COMBO. idk if it makes sense but they're like. hs sweethearts that never actually got together in hs and only realized it later when they reconnect or something that they're so totally in love. also he's just so damn goofy it balances out her more serious side that took over after her failed rebellion attempt at kimisaki. like he'd start calling her his favourite trouble maker if he heard that story. OOOOUUU MAYBE HE'D EVEN START CALLING HER ANGIE AND SHE NEARLY CRIES BC NO ONE CALLS HER THAT ANYMORE BESIDES HER BROTHER. idk they're sweet.

the first time they do it together, they're both so awkward that it's funny but they're so comfy with each other that it isn't a problem. in my mind, mako tries to lead at first but when it gets too hot and heavy, anzu takes charge. they seem like the most realistic couple out there with the least amount of angst~

JunAnzu

okay now to talk about Makoto's gaming buddy with her instead HFDSF. i feel like this anzu ship is a lil underrated. i personally love it. he has canonically given in to her like 🥺 face. they're relationship is basically jun teasing her and anzu pouting until he feels bad and it's cute. moon and sun vibe. also. jun is in eden/eve. he has money he's not spendin on himself. he may not give the most lavish gifts or even the most gifts in terms of anzu ships, but he does buy her little trinkets and stuff. more often than not though he's just paying for her meals. even with gatekeeper cash and the anzu fund made in the graduation story, he's not letting her spend a cent if she doesn't have to. if questioned he'd just be like "Haaah? Ain't it rude to make the lady pay?" but in reality he just wants to spoil her. the entirety of trickstar is gonna start questioning her though if they notice they're getting close. And i bet ibara is going to investigate why half of eve is meddling with the competition's producer.

their first time is spontaneous. they never talked before hand about it or whatever. it probably was them destressing from a hard day at work. PERSONALLY- i think they did it in the ES gym~ and god anzu was so scared theyd get caught. BOTH of them know Ibara goes down to the gym after work but luckily a meeting ran long or something because by the time they were done and dressed, they could just pass it off as training when ibara walked in.

HiMEAnzu

okay this is definitely a rare one- but a ship ive grown fond of the more i thought about it. meru and anzu are both work oriented, but still a little silly deep down. so when they relax and get to know each other, they find the others presence so calming. he admires her for her work ethic and she does the same. god im pulling out the first idol story interactions with this one as well- he let his guard down near completely when they first meet. and he says something like "like attracts like" or something like they're kindred spirits and that he's fallen for her. that last part was probs just his attempt at joking fanservice, but he is aware that he could easily pull anyone he wants to. for anzu to just talk normally with him, he thinks it's refreshing and honestly- being in a unit like crazyb, he would want someone calm like her to be around.

here's the big catch though: meru would never risk kaname's idol image by dating ANYONE. let alone the person known as "everyones producer." so this ship is BUILT for "at arms length" pining/"we'll never know what could've been" angst

their first time is the most planned out of all three of these ships. not on anzu's side, but himerus. meru is really meticulous with his image and he respects anzu. so if he's going to do something with her, he's going to do it right and make sure they have the most privacy possible. it's def something that happens after a VERY romantic date. possibly an anniversary. he gets incredibly intimate. maybe he'd even start talking in first person. this is, after all, not a performance for anyone. he just wants to share this moment with anzu. that being said they go on for a long ass time because meru has stamina and anzu can get insatiable if teased long enough.

#Minty Answers #Minty's Rambles #anzu ensemble stars #anzu specific ramble #okay fs1 #madaras fs1 story is very sweet but i wanna point out #madara asks her specifically if theres ANYTHING. ANYTHING AT ALL. THAT *SHE* WANTS HIM TO WEAR #AND SHE GOES “yes. your exclusive outfit should just be a loincloth and a headband.” #AND HE GOES WITH IT BC ITS WHAT SHE WANTS. AND EVERYONE AROUND THEM IS LIKE “GIRL. PLEASE.” #THEY EVEN GO AS FAR TO SAY THEY FEEL BAD ABOUT “RUINING ANZUS DREAM” BY TELLING HER IT MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST IDEA #MADARA WAS SO QUICK TO JUST BE LIKE “yeah sure babe. i'll wear the bare minimum of clothing just for u” #i love madaanz sm. even with all the angst. bc he's so whipped for her. #same reason i like rinneanz #tall strong men who are more responsible than they seem with a dark side being whipped for their tiny girlboss cringefail gf is PEAK

[distortedmoondisc]

I love this exchange SO much.

I love that rinne wants to make sure hiiro is being independent and making his own decisions and not caring about what he thinks, because what matters the most is what hiiro feels.

This means so much because it shows that hiiro finally sees rinne as just a person, as a brother, and not as the monarch he has to blindly follow and listen to.

#character growth! #i made a thread on twt the other day talking about the rinne/aira parallels #and how they're similar in many ways and one of those ways in their care for hiiro #in how both want him to become independent and make his own decisions #aira in this story (hiiro fs1) says that he wants hiiro's outfit to represent him #(bc the outift hiiro designed represented rinne more than hiiro himself) #and now here rinne is trying to see if hiiro has grown (and he has! because hiiro says that it's okay if rinne doesn't like his outfit) #enstars #hiiro amagi #rinne amagi #my post

[mirrortouchedsea]

Hinata asking Rinne about how to be a better big brother when Rinne feels like a pretty awful big brother sure is... a thing I think about often. Like Rinne feels so guilty about leaving Hiiro alone in their village but at the same time he just couldn't stand to be there anymore. It takes a lot to make a kid want to run away from home so the situation must have been worse than what we've seen even from his "I've always been told I'm wrong" speech at the end of the Main Story.

So when Hinata, this kid who looks up to him and has a lot of the same problems he did at that age (the identity issues, the big brother issues, the parent issues and the dead mom issues... you get it) and asks him how he's such a good big brother... he's genuinely not sure how to react. He covers it up pretty quickly and Hinata just brushes it off as not expecting the question which is partially true, but it really makes Rinne reflect on his own relationship with Hiiro. Maybe that's what pushed him to pretend to be drunk and tell Hiiro how proud he is of him and his work. And maybe he can be a big brother (and a big brother figure) he would be proud of.

#shay speaks #not writing #enstars #ensemble stars #rinne amagi #hinata aoi #hiiro is mentioned but not enough im not gonna tag him #enstars analysis #uhm. i think about these two too much grrrr bark bark bark i cannot be the only one who thinks about them #im not aurora azurecrystalz does too on discord but im the only one who posts about them it feels like #BLOWS UP i need to eat and then maybe i'll actually work on one of my wips #also yes i checked hinata's little brother story happens in summer and rinne's 4* fs1 story happens in winter #okay? okay please i need to go insane about themmmmmmm

[kalmeria]

tatsumi bejeweled shoes??

#the fucking. white shoes with red socks. okay. #kori plays enstars #this is fs1 btw

[treasure-of-eden]

Wait...all of Eden have lim 5* now except for Ibara-

#🖤 #random thoughts #not manifesting for a lim Ibara 5* anytime soon btw. just pointing it out! #I can't afford anymore surprise lims to show up anytime soon #like maybe after Nagi fs1 and Hiyori theme scout #but before fs2 and rouge & ruby drop on EN #would be okay...but yeah there's too many other Eden things coming to EN now that I need to save #so no lim Ibara 5* please!

[knightzp]

HE CAME HOME SO RANDOMLY IM ALDJSKKEKEKSKDJKD OH MY GOD FINALLYYYYYYY

#BLESSED FREE 10 PULL #i was like okay 10 free time limited tickets lets try the new hiyori scout the card is pretty #and then i saw the newdi logo and i was Begging for it to be one of the tsukasa or nacchan cards i still dont have #AND IT WAS!!!!!!!!! #omg i wanted his fs1 so much i still cant believe it

[waloeders]

"malicious master of my destiny,

what is it that you want from me,

what is it that you seek?"

for.spoken si reveal! 🫶 AND i drew him, crazy!

lore- jupiter "jupe" arenshaw is a regular guy on earth until he encounters the newest tanta of athia, frey! unfortunately, he experiences some difficulties and finds himself dragged to this world, bound to the strange golden entity calling itself "vambrace" (definitely not cuff) - or "'brace" for short. in order to find his way back home to earth, he must work together with 'brace to find frey, who has apparently left to seek out the mysterious, long-thought dead rheddig...

okay now fun tibits-

jupe uses he/they and calls cuff/sus.urrus either vambrace, vam, brace, or later on 'rus or sussy (when hes really teasing)!

the song is the descent by polaris, that and annihilation by i_o are #1 songs abt them <3

he has some more items from earth than frey arrives with! including: a backpack with a blanket, teddy, some snacks, a compass and a notebook! they were on their way to a sleepover okay, some of it is just random junk i actually carry ahhsdjnskdmd

they're actually designed with the game in mind! so he has a fair few abilities, some of which overlap with freys but most are unique to him! its partly to do with that whole "bonded to sussy" thing that isnt supposed to work with non-tantas. also some of the items give him specific boosts (compass allows u to forage, blanket allows u to gain a buff after each rest and notebook is where all archive entries appear, as if he'd written them down!)

i kind of picture him like a dlc or small spinoff game post fs1 but before a fs2? ill make a separate post abt their abilities tho, dont want this to get too long :3

ref image for the pose (my sc from the game LMAO):

divider by: @.kgymz ! <3

taglist (ask/dm me n i can add/remove folks!!):

@keyblade-ships @selfshipper @sirius-to-pup @lostmanuscript @deadlock @sosawl @bannering

#jupiter.speaks #👤.jupe #j.art #> OKAY. THINK IM DONE AEUWGEHEH #> theres still a bunch of lore i wanna add like i have a bunch written for his um. like powers n moves tho i do wanna consult the game agai #> cuz some of them r direct comparisons/similarities to the main game + dlc so i wanna check names #> there is a lore reason btw it is connected 🫶 i think hes my most canon compliant si yet what the hell....mad #.oktorb #> theres a few details i wanted to add too - like necklaces/accessories but i cba sbbsjsjd ill do a like lil details post someday #> anyway insanely chuffed abt him ty <3

[fencer-x]

okay so I know you loved part2 A LOT, and im glad for you. but don't you feel like after utsumi left, Haru was stripped of everything that we loved? his eyes sparkled so much for Rin during s1 and 2 (even starting days) and in this movie I felt (like all thing related to free after ES) none of what I hoped. I was so hopeful and left frustrated. even tho rh was the focus, it was nothing like RH from s1 and 2 and maybe I just don't see it but I want to know what made it so special for u ;-;

don't you feel like after utsumi left, Haru was stripped of everything that we loved?

Man COULD NOT DISAGREE MORE.

I mean, pre-FS1, I would have agreed. S3 was...not great, at all. I didn't even finish it, I was so so frigging bored with Hiyori's bullshit. I'm not here for him. He's not even part of the gang. S3 was S1 but with a less-likeable rando. Why were we supposed to care about Ikuya's bestie with boundary issues? IKUYA was barely part of the main squad even! But this is from someone who thinks we should've stopped with the original 5 characters and focused on them, so that's just, like, my opinion man.

I'm not sure if we watched the same movies, though, because I just do not see how you could watch them and not see, visibly, that we were finally finally where Utsumi always meant us to be: in a place where Haru and Rin are finally honest with each other and have accepted--and EMBRACED!--that they are inextricably and eternally entwined in each others' future.

This was nothing like HaruRin from S1 and S2, yes. IT WAS SO SO SO MUCH BETTER. BECAUSE IT WAS ALL ABOUT THEM. It wasn't about Haru and his friends at large, it wasn't about Haru personally and his solo struggles, it was about them. It was about their relationship, their friendship, their futures together--theirs to the exclusion of others.

I'm not sure what to say, friend, because if just watching what is on the screen didn't seal it for you, then I can only shrug. My advice is...idk, watch it again??? That's always my advice, though. Because it's always a good idea.

Haru is finally happy--with Rin. He was miserable--weeping, literally--without him. He never wept for Rin before, not in S1 and not in S2. But he wept for him here. They hugged--just the two of them this time, not in preface to a group embrace!

LOOK AT THIS PERSON THAT RIN HAS MADE HIM INTO:

Yes, he's evolved into this because of all of his friends, but Rin has had an immeasurable impact on him that none of the others can come close to, and they're going to be together, doing what they love, with each other for...ever? The foreseeable future?? An indefinite period of time but a LONG TIME.

How could anyone have POSSIBLY been disappointed in this outcome if they love seeing these boys finally be happy, together, for the rest of their lives??

Just... *throws up hands*

#free! #sharkbait #harurin #rinharu

[shiro-sideblog]

So... After Sanctuary I have no dia... I'm not still any veteran in this game or this fandom. I cannot afford to pay anything, so I have to try to save as much dia as possible. Is there any option to get dia quickly? Don't laugh at me... I'm not able to get on 3 500 000pt even if I try. This time I got on 3 000 000pt, with the bonus cards and also the whistles helped me a lot.

Is it okay to play it safe? I mean just try to get at least 1 000 000pt to get 4* card and then wait until they're back, and until now try to save more memory coins. I wasn't able to get Primavera Eichi card because of my weak lineup... So I decided to wait and now I already gave up on trying to get Jun... Okay... I am a huge fineEdenP, but some of you might already know, so I only will go for Ibara card and try to save as much dia as possible. Because I want to be fully prepared for upcoming SS finals and I want to get all the fine and Eden cards no matter what. Also, I need more scout tickets because I already know about FS1 Yuzuru along with 4* Tori and Hot Winter Wataru and before them, there is 4* Hiyori...

Is it okay for me to just ignore these events and save dia for the SS finals and then get them once they're back? I feel really bad. I'm sure one of you will laugh after reading this. Also, not really important to say it as no one cares, but I'm still mad at myself for not being able to scout for my beloved card of Frontline watchdogs 5* Ibara card... It's one of my favorite ones and I really love it because he looks really good in it and also he looks cute as a child...

And is there any option on how to get tickets faster? I have some 5* cards, but I'm not able to level them up that fast...

You might just ignore me rambling about this. Also, it took me so much effort to post it here because I was always scared to ask people about anything or just say my own opinions, so I'm trying to change myself.

#shiro rambles #enstars

[voiceofsword]

NIKI'S NEW FS IS SO CUTEE!!?!?! not at all what i was expecting it to be, he looks like he's about to go on a little adventure i love it 🥰 what are your thoughts? Any insights 👀👀

YESS oh my god ok. i wrote a little analysis after the fact even tho we cant really see a lot of his outfit properly? so a lot of this might just be straight up Wrong when the card actually drops — i apologize in advance if it just sounds like im waxing poetic!!!!!

putting it here for ease of viewing!!

ok, here’s some of my thoughts on niki fs2 and how up until now, it’s been theorized that fs2 is how the characters perceive themselves, rather than how the audience perceives them.

niki himself seems like he would choose the safe option. he’s someone that wants nothing more than a peaceful life but his development has shown that he’s becoming more welcoming to the idea of getting outside of that comfort zone, of allowing himself more luxuries, of allowing himself to want rather than just what he needs. i think the obvious direct comparison that can be drawn is where he’s standing — in fs1, he’s standing indoors, in a kitchen, which also suits him, obviously, that’s his home. but in fs2 he’s outside, presumably in a greenhouse of sorts?

there’s not really any way of knowing until the full card illust comes out, but i think the point to be made here lies in the freedom this implies: kitchen is comfortable, niki’s safe space, one where he knows he’s good, and doesn’t pose a burden to other people. being outside, in a greenhouse, suggests two things: one being that if he’s breaking out of the one space where he feels most at peace, it’s on his own terms. that he’s more adventurous, that he’s okay with feeling vulnerable, that he’s no longer scared but excited to face the world. 

two is a bit more complicated and takes a bit of looking at his outfit and the props around him.

there’s a bottle of cumin on the right side, and presumably allspice falling in front of him — both native from outside of japan (west asia/middle east and central america/caribbean respectively).

niki’s backstory reveals that his parents left him following a series of scandals (ive talked about this extensively and if you follow me atp im assuming you know), and to this day it’s assumed that they’re still traveling around the world discovering new ingredients. and we also know for a fact that niki himself has taken up that mantle as part of his idol career, traveling around for cooking variety shows — im not going to say this is some grand overarching gesture resembling niki forgiving his parents because i dont think there’s ever been any point where niki has held outstanding contempt for their choices. however i do think it symbolizes something for the idol world and how niki once again manages to be a sort of ‘glue’ that holds these two worlds together, similarly to his role in crazyb: while there was a period where the idol industry and culinary industry crashed in entertainment, niki is responsible for patching those relations up, not through any over-calculating strategy, but rather, through being himself, through his passion for cooking, and newfound love for being an idol — it was never about any grudges with him, only growth!!

he doesnt want to become his parents, but not out of hatred, because he’s someone different! he wants to explore the world and spread his love for food, not out of fear of staying somewhere that might hurt him, but because he has the strength to! because he has people to support him on his journey, not a lack thereof! 

and then moving on to the bulk of his outfit, most of it being revealing with very baggy bits hanging off, i’ve seen some people mention it looks kind of..messy? which isnt entirely incorrect but i think it’s nice, bc it almost feels like the baggier clothes are hanging off of him, being “peeled off” and revealing more of himself. inhibitions are being set aside, he no longer wishes to make himself smaller, no longer wishes to hide who he is in fear of inconveniencing others, and i think the more haphazard state of his outfit represents that awkward stage fairly well — transitioning from that insecure kid left behind by his parents to someone who is full of love for what he does and wants to share it with his newfound friends, family, and fans. also the little bottom part of the waistwrap has yummy written on it. please note his eager, happy expression and raised hand like he’s ready to take on the world !! i already mentioned in another post how i think it looks like an rpg outfit and i really mean it ^_^

AND COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO ANY SYMBOLISM..HIS HAIR'S LONGER? or it looks longer.. maybe he'll get his ponytail pushed back rather than on his shoulder? how could you get more gorgeous.. oh my god. please. save me

 niki shiina i love you

#mimthinks

[xitty]

While they are somewhat inconsistent about Wataru's eating habits, they still do refer to his avoidant habits every now and then so I consider it to be pretty important bit. I think the part above is very interesting. Because this is when Wataru has his five-year-old self's experiences and memories, I'm inclined to think there's some sort of bad experience that took place after that which made Wataru only eat in front of people he trusts to be kind to him. According to his FS1 story, it's proper food, tea and snacks are alright (and he's been eating those in the past too, it's not only mentioned there). But since he does eat proper food, it's not disordered eating relating to food itself. I'm thinking something like he being berated at dinner table and starting to associate it with him getting scolded. So mealtime turned into something to dread at some point.

In his home screen voice lines he says he's having a lunch with fine but of course that doesn't specify what he eats during said lunch. Because still in Atlantis Tori and Yuzuru are surprised and delighted Wataru eats so readily in front of them. Which he explains with still being in the mindset of Amano he's been impersonating. Sooo, if he disassociates himself from it, he can eat just fine?

Ugh, I wish the writers were paying more attention to this. Also, I want to know at which point Wataru started being okay eating in front of Eichi.

#ensemble stars #wataru hibiki

[loveregrown]

SHU FS2 CAME OUT. He looks balder than ever. I am not surprised nor entirely disappointed at his outfit being nothing to me, though it is a little saddening he’s following the same exact clothing trend he’s had in all his last cards. I like the unbloomed when it’s moving more but I like his little finger on head and his croissants naturally. Ugh, everytime I look at it, I strangely like it more. Why does this happen to me with cards! But also, why do the unbloomeds often eat up the bloomeds…?

The rose concept was already used on Hiyori you silly goose. Alas, they can share. But neither will be happy about it; he considered burning his shirt simply because Wataru said theirs matched.

I definitely like the fit more in 3DMV than in live2d, but it seems to often be the case with me so it’s only natural. But it doesn’t Always happen. Perhaps I was simply hating before. Or I am simply conditioning myself to it. The blue accents is very cute I love that shade so much. I like the coloured button-up a loooottttt & the red in the scr is so nice & I just I really like this outfit I do! & I like light colours so despite it being the same as his wedding tour 3⭐️ and his 4⭐️ in the wet Sena scout, it is pleasant nonetheless! It really is not awful, despite thinking he could have something far more unique, it was to be expected from how this round of feature scouts was going, where there seemed to be at most two categories of fashion, if not 3.

One thing I've been hating is the STUPID RANDOM STRIP OF FABRIC THEY KEEP GIVING THE 3DMV OUTFITS WHICH LIKE I GET BECAUSE IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DRAW THE EYES TO THE MOVEMENT OF IT A LOT OF THE OUTFITS SEEM DESIGNED WITH THIS PURPOSE BUT IT JUST LOOKS FUCKING STUPID SOMETIMES. LIKE. TOILET PAPER ROLL TUCKED INTO THEIR CLOTHES OR LIKE A STRANGE CURTAIN FOR THEIR ASS. OR SOMETHING. IT'S NOT RIGHT. But... well I suppose it works here. Especially since the cut of his suit is not at all a novelty but it's okay. But I was reminded of it seeing it in action in his spp... it is just nothing to me. The stupid piece of fabric I mean. it could be removed and I would not miss it. But I Understand It's Purpose therefore I do not despise it I just get find it silly.

What was the meaning of this. What’s wrong with you? Was there a need for roses on your flat arse. Embroidery on your behind. Though this sort of thing is awesome and cunty when done on like, jeans. And such.

He has a nice SCR… I like it a lot actually. SCRS aren’t always good & I never Purposefully get SCRS but it’s such a win to me when they are good because then I look at them & I smile. ☺️

Bwuh… I’m pretty sure Nito’s hair ribbon changes colour in scr to red too… maybe they both do… not okay. They look so, so good next to each other I should just die. I should just die.

It will never have the brilliance his FS1 holds, with it’s interesting silhouette which almost looks like a dress, and really fun boots, and the classic, stupid, gay, yet ever so fun Itsuki Shuu trademark hat on his head! But I am growing fonder of it the more I look at it. At least, everything ASIDE FROM THE BLOOMED. Which I don’t like. On the lower end of FS2s for me regarding bloomed illustration but points for everything else. You win this time despite objectively not being that good. I like the side of Shu it shows too. Even if his face looks stupid.

I don’t like his FS1 bloomed much specifically when it comes to his silly face & pose, but the outfit makes up for it. Do you notice how this is a pattern. But, either way, many parts of it are so dope, such as the spiral staircase, the dramatic element of the back of his outfit flaring up like that, the paintings on the wall and the chandelier. It’s all very grand. & if anyone deserves and should be expected to be grand, it is him. There’s a lot one can say about it really.

However, I like the lightness of his FS2. The romantic elements such as the shades used, the red roses, his ring. There’s a lot to be enjoyed here.

I haven’t looked at the full illustration for his FS2 yet but I am excited to witness it since often they coax me into liking the card more than when it is cropped/in actual card form. But his face in the bloomed, is stupid and gay. That is all. Otherwise, it’s Perce approved, all things considered. :-) but to be honest. It really does look like something you’d find at a mall. The outfit, I mean.

#❀ #espost

[seakittens]

Feelings and Emotions about Final Stroke Volume 2

So @kudouusagi and I ventured into Mexico this weekend to check out the hopefully FINAL Free movie. And it was a wild adventure. But more importantly, the movie was probably some of the most I've enjoyed Free since Take Your Marks! I absolutely loved it! That doesn't mean it's not without flaws. But as someone who has watched every piece of Free media, read every single bit of side content and spent untold dollars on Free merch, it hit the sweet spot.

And I thought I'd share my impressions with those of you who may not see it for a very long time.

Okay, let's get some general disclaimers out of the way. 1.) I am not going to summarize this movie. You've read the summaries, you know how the movie goes. This post is just going to be my stream of conscious RinHaru/Free fangirl babble about how the movie affected me in various scenes. It will be in mostly chronological order because that's how I remember things, but I can't guarantee perfectly accurate flow. MOST IMPORTANT I AM A RINHARU FAN AND THAT IS MY PRIMARY FOCUS. If you are not here for that, this is not the post for you! Again, you have actual summaries. This is just a feelings ramble. 2.) I am not going to focus on characters that I am not overly concerned with. Others have covered what they’re doing. 3.) I am not going to mention any dialogue, unless it's dialogue that's been covered in other summaries since my Japanese is garbo and I don't want to lead anyone astray. 4. This movie is EXTREMELY visual-based. Dialogue is kind of minimal compared to most Free content and visual storytelling is KEY. No summary is going to quite convey the same feeling as the movie because framing and visuals are so important to really APPRECIATING this movie. There is a lot that is just surreal as far as dream sequences and out of body experiences. Endless metaphors. Constant flashbacks and Best of RH screen reels. It is just A LOT. So seeing it will be your best way of truly FEELING this movie. But I will do my best to capture my feelings at least. 5.) This movie is not perfect and I will have a section for nitpicks. It's just how I roll.

ONTO THE IMPRESSIONS - HERE THERE BE SPOILERS

THE MOMENTS THAT MADE MY FANGIRL HEART FLUTTER (Or just the really cute/cool stuff) - Ikuya teasing Sousuke about being lost after Sousuke appears out of freakin' nowhere in the beginning scene. - The acoustic version of Dried Up Youthful Fame plays over a combination of the RinHaru fight in FS1 and flashbacks to basically every RH scene in existence. This works AMAZINGLY well and gives you all the emotions. ;; This is the moment when I realized this movie was even MORE RinHaru than previously advertised. It just screams THIS IS THE IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP OF THE SERIES and I love it. You see their whole evolution even as you see everything breaking down. And as you know, you get new dialogue and new angles of their reactions during the fight. Simply gorgeous. - THE PINING - PART HARU. Haru is so miserable without Rin. He's also exhausted from overworking himself but Sousuke bringing up Rin sends him into total Rin despair. Complete with RinHaru flashbacks. - Natsuya appearing in Sousuke's car after Sousuke drops Haru off. I swear to god I thought Natsuya appeared out of nowhere and must have been sleeping on the floor lol. - THE PINING - PART RIN. Rin just sounds so broken for the first section of this movie. Both in his attempting to convince himself his choice in FS1 was right, as he talks to Mikhail's closed door. And in his scene with Asahi in the laundromat, when he basically melts into the bench. It's the most depressed I've ever seen Rin, and this includes Season 1. The poor thing. The way he says "Haru" to Asahi nearly broke me. HE'S SO SAD. - Another case of a character appearing out of freakin' nowhere. Mikhail isn't in the room when Rin opens the door but somehow appears right behind him. Why does this keep happening? - Baby Haru falling in love with a video of a waterfall was too precious. All of baby Haru in the water was too precious. - Makoto watching RinHaru's greatest hits via home movies in the theater. Technically, Nagisa is here too, but this is shown to be Makoto's dream so I'm going with him dreaming about Nagisa being here. It is again just SO MUCH RINHARU. And yes, the scene with them as superheroes is hilarious. The music here is a medley of Boy in the Water, Ever Blue and Words that Changed My Life. ;; - Also Haru is having dreams about running away from the relay and crying and you can see tears in his eyes and WHY DO YOU HURT ME THIS WAY KYOANI. Also bizarre how dream him falls through the screen and tries to stop bb Haru but passes through him like a ghost~. Also bb Haru in Albert clothing was suitably creepy. XD - You really feel how badly Haru and Rin are doing without each other, just unable to reach their full potential in swimming and the coaches keep commenting on it. - Ryuuji is a tsun disaster in this movie but I absolutely love him. - I have no idea what Makoto texted Rin because when he showed up to yell at Ryuuji, he was basically ON FIRE. He was pure rage and manhandling Ryuuji and it was just really intense. Then Makoto calms him down (though dude, Makoto, this is your fault, what did you say to him??) and Ryuuji basically starts hauling Rin around with the same intensity. I swear the angle made it almost look like he had Rin by the throat when it was just his collar. And Rin looks ready to tear up. He doesn't cry but just the sheer broken emotion on his face is SO GOOD. Especially after Ryuuji says his piece about Rin telling Haru how he feels and Rin breaks away. - Makoto and Rin trying to find Haru was suitably dramatic. I love Rin beating himself for everything he's ever said to Haru and just falling and rolling in the dirt until he reaches his sakura. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW HE COULD BLOODY TELL THAT WAS HARU. I could barely tell that was Haru. All you see is the back of Haru's head. Rin must have eagle eye vision. Though the look in his eyes is so awestruck when he finds him that I guess I will forgive the surreality of it all. - Okay words cannot describe how hilarious it is that Rin called Makoto to tell him Haru was there and then waited for Makoto to show up and then the SECOND Makoto shows up and tries to walk toward Haru, Rin stops him and goes over to strip. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY RIN WAITED TO DO THIS. HOW LONG WAS HE JUST STARING AT HARU FLOATING IN THE WATER? WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS, RIN? - The night pool is another thing that can't be put into words. It's gorgeous. The softness between Rin and Haru when Rin challenges him is just amazing. The moment in their race when Rin realizes Haru is racing normally again, the expression on Rin's face, just top fucking notch. So good. Also love the lighting during their race. Even if they are basically racing to techno porno music. I LOVE LIKE A MAGNET OKAY. - Haru is so friggin soft when Rin hugs him. The whole hug scene when they're being honest with each other about their feelings, they are so soft. Just the way Haru just sort of drops his head and looks so tender. And the teasing affectionate look in his eyes. And their gentle smiles at each other. I CAN'T OKAY I CAN'T. It's so fucking intimate I feel like a voyeur watching this. DO I HAVE THEIR CONSENT TO BE VIEWING THIS? - I love them pulling Makoto into the pool without warning. Lol they are such asses. They tease Makoto about it too. I liked that for a split second Makoto looked like he did in Season 1 Episode 1. Great callback. - So we know they ask to train together. And this actually brings my FAVORITE moment of the whole movie. There's this super fast clip of Rin and Haru doing laps with each other. And they swim past each other in different lanes. And Rin does his usual grin at Haru. And Haru does the MOST AMAZING SMILE (click to see it) back at Rin. I was DYING. You have no idea how long I've waited to see Haru happy while smiling with Rin IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT. I can't even explain why it means so much to me. It just really captured how far they've come. Because it's an allusion to when Rin beat Haru in Season 1 and he had that wild grin and Haru just looked shocked. Except now Haru is DELIGHTED. And ahhhhh my heart. - Also their cute bickering at one another while everyone freaks out and Makoto just shakes his head. Haru is so tsun in that scene too. XD - I loved the Ryuuji flashback when Mikhail basically does the Rin shoulder lean on Ryuuji before Kiyo shows up. It really cements them as the original MHR trio. Even down to how tsun young Ryuuji is and how Kiyo keeps calling him chan. I loved this. It was just really sweet. - I love Kinjou in this movie in general. But I especially love when he's being tsun about Haru since he cares about Haru's condition more than anyone. I'll never get why we never SAW his redemption arc but I do love slightly more unhinged "Rin" basically. XD - I have long detested the back-walking on Sousuke's arc in Eternal Summer BUT I really like Sousuke in this movie. And I truly enjoyed his race with Rin. It was very sweet and cathartic for them both. I just love Sousuke being wholly his own person in this movie and having so many other relationships with Makoto, Natsuya, Kinjou, Hiyori and Haru. Just good stuff for the lad. Also using "Clear Blue Departure" for their race was very very good. - So there's this scene when they all qualify for Nationals and are celebrating and I could barely pay attention BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL DRESSED SO AWFUL. It's like this is the most important moment of your lives and you are an embarrassment to fashion. Anyway, the positive here is Asahi who is the purest cinnamon roll and so happy about his qualification. YOU DESERVE THE WORLD, ASAHI. ;;b - I love all the races in this movie. Haru defying Ryuuji's advice in his Kinjou race was done really well. It was super intense. And I love the music. Drag Racer indeed. - I am a sap so of course I loved Rin and Ikuya showing up with Makoto when Haru's recovering in the clinic. - As always, I love Rin and Ikuya interactions in general. They're such a great pair. They don't have as much here as FS1 but they're still precious. Them hugging each other after getting their medals MY SOUL IS LEAVING MY BODY. - I AM SO UPSET HARU DIDN'T SEE RIN WIN HIS RACE. (More on that later.) But I did love the callback of Gou wearing Rin's medal to when Tora let Rin wear his medal and told Gou she could wear it next time. MY EYES ARE LEAKING. Also Rin's mom mentioning something that Rin still has to do. Which I'm assuming is about swimming with Haru but GEEZ YOU TOLD YOUR MOM ABOUT HARU TOO, RIN? Have you at least brought him to meet her yet? Anyway, supportive Miyako ftw. - I absolutely LOVED the scene where Haru leaves Makoto in the clinic. It's framed like a relay exchange. Where Haru thanks Makoto and then grabs his hand for a moment and strides past him, as if he's diving forward (into the water). This was SUCH A GOOD symbolism for their relationship. I loved it so much. I loved the metaphor of Makoto turning the race over to Haru aaaaah. - Oh about Haru's crazy dream sequence while he's unconscious. I really liked how he manages to grab his younger self to keep him from running. It's so dramatic. And bb Haru's tears. ;; - Total chaos with the relay changeup. I loved this madness. Even if poor Asahi got screwed over again. YOU'LL GET THEM NEXT TIME, ASAHI. ;;b Oh, I’m squeezing in Ikuya’s absolutely precious smile to Hiyori just before his race. It stole my heart completely. God it was gorgeous. - I love Kinjou seeing the "sight" in his race because he's so darkly unhinged about it and it's just such a cool contrast to Season 1 Rin seeing the "sight." This was a great scene. Kinjou is awesome. What a dick. XD - Okay, the final race was insanely good. From Samezuka getting all possessive over Sousuke. To Seijurou showing up and being all intensely supportive. To the way the powerful music CUTS OFF COMPLETELY when Haru dives over Rin (cue Rin eyecatch of Haru) and only picks up again once he hits the water CHILLS. And just Haru's racing is so fucking INTENSE. I knew how this would end and I was honestly EXCITED AND ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT. Free has never made me feel that way about a race because the winner never matters. But it mattered here and it WORKED. - Oh yeah, I generally loved everyone cheering for everyone. This is something that was sorely lacking since Season 1 after Eternal Summer started the teamsplit trend. And I think everyone cheering for everyone really captures the spirit of Free so this made me REALLY HAPPY. - I also like the flashing back to everyone else watching the race, including Misaki and his friend and Rin's homestay parents and Winnie. D'awww. - I admit being a RH, my hackles DID go up for a moment when bb Haru reached out to bb Albert in the same manner as Haru reaching out to Rin from Season 1 Episode 12. BUT I was relieved that Albert just grabs his hand so it's a different feeling. And I loved Haru "saving" Albert. The whole transition of the dark water around Albert to the bright beautiful water around Haru. - Speaking of Albert, they don't really let him speak that much in this movie. And it's almost entirely to Haru. But I love his lines. He's still an adorable bear. I love his rivalry with Haru so much. They're so good. - Of course I loved the final relay hug. And everyone crying with joy. Even Haru. FEELS. - It was so surreal watching Haru just DROP out of that group hug and fall on the floor. As much as I love Rin holding him on his knee after he falls, it's just such a surreal scene. It's seriously framed like Haru is dying. Bizarre. - OKAY SO HUNGARY. We know about the tracks and this creative version of a Words that Changed My Life playing against Ever Blue. But what REALLY sells this scene is the huge smirk/grin on Haru's face when he answers Rin's question about if he wants to see how the dream continues. That is one HAPPY CONFIDENT MAN. I love it! - Oh yeah, so on the final RinHaru note, I'm going to be real. The way they frame this movie, where Haru is constantly asked or asking himself questions about why he swims, why he swims competitively and what he's after... and then have Rin be his savior more or less. It really frames it that RIN and his relationship with Rin ARE those answers. Like it's not even ambiguous. You really have to SEE this framing to get what I mean. Especially with how the movie starts and ends with RinHaru's relationship. It's just stunning.

THE WHAT THE FUCK MOMENTS THAT STOOD OUT - Who let Sousuke drive? Why is this man driving? Why are people in a car with him? They could have at least shown him with a GPS or something. - Rei and Ai's introductions to Ikuya's team. Compared to Nagisa. Nagisa's is a normal bouncy introduction to Kinjou's team while Rei and Ai break out into full interpretive dance. I don't even know man... - Why is Makoto having dreams of RinHaru's Greatest Hits? It's just so weird. XD Also evil goldfish always blocking him. - WHY IS NAGISA GOING AFTER PRO COMPETITIVE SWIMMING? He has so many other choices. He has never shown interest in wanting to do this forever. He just liked swimming with his friends and THAT'S FINE. He gets to competitive swim but Nao and Makoto don't? The people who ACTUALLY WANTED TO PURSUE THIS? Why? Why does freakin' everyone go into pro swimming except for Nao and Makoto? It's so STUPID. Why can't anyone have any other path? I can buy Rei and Ai since that ties into their "need to get better at swimming" arcs. BUT NAGISA NEVER EVEN IMPROVED AT SWIMMING. He has no swimming arc! They just did this because they didn't know what else to do with him. And yeah, him and Kinjou are incredibly cute but this plotline is STILL STUPID. And miserably unfair to both Nao and Makoto. - SPEAKING OF MAKOTO, we're going to talk about AN INTERESTING SCENE. So Makoto relays the story of how him and Nagisa wanted to get Haru a charm to cheer him up after him losing to older kids when they were younger. An undercurrent of this is Nagisa wants Makoto to tell Haru how he feels about him. He eventually tells him he loves his swimming and is adorably embarrassed. We got back to real life and Haru's reaction to this? HE DOESN'T FREAKIN' REMEMBER. DUDE DON'T TELL HIM THAT. SAY ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT. THIS DUDE POURED HIS HEART OUT TO YOU IN STORY FROM AND YOU TELL HIM YOU DON'T REMEMBER THAT. i can't even. i can't. Anyway, Rin is clearly feeling bad for Makoto after Haru's usual blunt nature so he tells him that he remembers hearing about a kid who defeated a bunch of older kids. And apparently this adds another level to the growing pyramid lore of how Rin first heard about Haru. Lol. But yeah, it was just so weird to have Haru react like that to what seemed to be an important story to Makoto and something he's been trying to convey since the last movie (maybe? we'll get to that). Why? I don't get it. - While I love the scene of young Ryuuji and the others. IT BREAKS THE PKH LORE. Since young Ryuuji is tsun. Now I figured originally that tsun Ryuuji was the result of losing his friend and that's why he didn't have PKH's charming personality. But no Ryuuji was still tsun as a youngster. SO WHERE DID THAT ULTRA LADIES MAN PKH PICTURE COME FROM? He seems like a completely different person from young Ryuuji. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.

- WHY THE FUCK IS EVERYONE SURPRISED THAT SOUSUKE IS SWIMMING BACK? Like the whole point of the second half of the movie is they’re all training together. But it’s this huge surprise when Sousuke competes in back and qualifies. Was Nao hosting secret swimming lessons at night ala Rin/Rei from Eternal Summer? When did this special regiment happen? Why did nobody know about it? Why was it a secret? Was it supposed to be a secret? This just completely DOES NOT WORK with their whole theme of working together toward their goal. It surprises the audience sure but it holds no logical consistency to what they established about the joint training. It’s so dumb. - I hate the Haru passing out/collapsing storyline. It's stupid and adds nothing to overall story. It just makes dumb artificial drama. Especially since he basically gets over it at the end. It also means Haru sleeps through most of the tournament. Missing BOTH Rin and Ikuya's races. Which pisses me off. Don't you think it would have done him good after being traumatized by his friends' losses in Sydney to see them win here? This just really bothered me. He doesn't see the qualifying relay team either. He loses the chance to cheer for any of his friends. :/ This was a dumb choice. F minus. - So there's a scene where Makoto and Ryuuji are discussing Haru's decision to do the relay and Ikuya and Rin are hanging outside the closed door and Ikuya asks if Rin should be in there and Rin is like "Our relationship isn't like that." And honestly, WTF. This isn't a private moment. They are literally discussing Haru doing a final tournament swim. You know the thing you've been pushing him along for YOUR ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP. You can cry on his face, hug him and pour out your heart, wake up at his bedside... But sure, listening to him discuss his swimming plans THAT'S TOO MUCH FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIP. what the actual fuck. And this comes AFTER Rin says he's going to stop playing it cool around Haru. >_< I know it's supposed to be a callback to FS1 where Rin tells Ikuya his relationship with Ikuya is "more complicated than that." But COME ON. - I don't know why anyone is in Hungary. This scene makes no sense. Are they there for a race? Why is Makoto there? Why is Makoto looking around for someone (presumably Haru) and then being shocked to find him? Why does Ryuuji know that Rin is in Hungary but Makoto has to tell Haru that? Why does Makoto have to tell Rin that Haru is there? WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING???

- I don’t think they actually really resolved Makoto’s whole thing he needed to tell Haru in FS1. They set it up as this big moment of Makoto needing to tell Haru something and have him flashback to bb Makoto chasing after Haru and being blocked by goldfish. And I guessss it’s supposed to be the backstory Makoto tells him about him and Nagisa. But this just feels very weaksauce compared to how this was set up as some BIG IMPORTANT THING in FS1. And if it IS the big important thing that Makoto was pining to tell Haru all of FS1... Haru’s blasé reaction is EVEN WORSE. orz

- Wait! I forgot to complain about the utter insanity of making Momo and Ayumu team captains. Momo has the emotional maturity of a kiwi and Ayumu CAN’T EVEN SWIM. Do they even have enough swimming members for a relay team at this point? Captains have to swim! They need to demonstrate things and be the team representative. You don’t always have to SHOW the captains, KyoAni. It’s okay sometimes for people to just mention their new captain and say they’re learning a lot. Just. SIGH.

THE HORRIBLY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

- Nao. Just Nao. Basically they gave the recovery arc to Sousuke and forgot Nao entirely. HS sets it up so his eye operation isn't supposed to have a long recovery and he can swim again. DF sets it up so he has to keep recovering so he can swim again. WHY DOES HE NEVER SWIM WITH NATSUYA WHEN THIS IS CLEARLY SET UP AS A THING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN? Why is he doing virtually nothing this whole movie? I guess he helps training with Makoto a little but it's barely there. What a wasted character. 

- Natsuya wasn’t used that great here either, but at least he got to relay and react to Ikuya’s win. They were still cute. And yeah, at least Nao and Natsuya are cute now and then. I’m just overall disappointed with both their arcs. Especially since Ikuya got less focus in FS2 so the whole Kirishima brothers taking on the world thing lacked proper oomph. I’m not as disappointed with Ikuya since he still gets to relish his win and he is overall AROUND.

- Rei. Rei does nothing. Woo he makes some bracelets. This is a far cry to Rei's role in Season 1 and Eternal Summer. He is basically there to be cute with Nagisa and nothing else. He doesn't even qualify in Nationals so his whole learn to swim arc is ongoing I guess. He never even gets a suitably meaningful scene with Haru or Rin. Which is the MOST disappointing part of all. But he just feels really flat in this. - Albert. He just really needed more time in this. We needed to see more of his rivalry with Haru. We needed to know if he actually broke away from his mean coach. We needed to see more of his pure swimmer side. He just feels there for Haru to have a goal beyond wanting to swim with Rin. Not well executed. - Kinjou. Again, why didn't we see his redemption arc? Why did he suddenly change between FS1 and FS2? I love Kinjou in FS2 but it just feels so abrupt. And they barely resolve his issues with Hiyori or Kiyo. It's upsetting. - Asahi and Rin Connection. Come on, you had a huge scene with them. You couldn't have fit in a moment of Asahi seeing a pic of Rin's dad at the tournament and pointing out his own father in the pic. KyoAni connected every character under the sun after Eternal Summer but they couldn't even manage the ACTUAL meaningful connection between characters. No instead we get Ai and Mikhail being relatives. :/ This was so friggin' simple. Fail.

- THE FRIGGIN SAKURA TREE. I know they do this beautiful metaphor with the night pool and the way the lights are like blossoms and the colors and it’s great. But you found a way to get Albert’s friggin’ father to Iwatobi but you can’t get Rin and Haru back there to see the damn tree bloom. The thing that has been promised since Season 1, since the Eternal Summer Drama CD. It’s like YOU HAD ONE FUCKING JOB... I still can’t believe they failed this. What we got was beautiful but I can’t pretend this doesn’t irk the hell out of me. >_< - This isn't really a missed point. But dammit Asahi don't sell yourself so short. You qualified for the national team. YOU CAN DO THIS DON'T GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM. ;;b JUSTICE FOR ASAHI. He suffers the fate of butterfly swimmer. There are just too many butterfly swimmers. 8(

Overall, despite the WTFs and missed opportunities, I did truly love this movie and think it's the perfect ending to Free and the story they set up since Season 1. I'm amazed they managed to pull this off, given their need to showcase EVERY FLIPPING CHARACTER THEY EVER INTRODUCED. But it somehow worked and RinHaru's relationship shown as the centerpiece it always has been. What a ride, Free fans. What a ride.

P.S. Listen to the OST. It’s sooo good.

#final stroke spoilers #rinharu #Free! #swim forever my bbs #so i don't lose this

[evas-apartment]

Alright! So, I got a wrestling story, and it's gonna be a bit long, but I wanted to talk about it, cause I think it's wild. I'm gonna put it under a cut, just not to take up too much of your dash, but I hope you read it!

My favorite wrestler currently working is a guy named CM Punk. He's worked all over, been active from like '99, been around. Excellent promo, dude can fucking TALK, really good in the ring, can tell a great story. Without giving his whole fucking history, worked in a bunch of companies, signed with WWE in 2005, won basically everything there, THE biggest thing in wrestling in 2011, never main-evented Wrestlemania, felt some type of way about it, currently has the 7th longest WWE Championship reign of all time, dude's decorated. Punk was sick for a while, the WWE doctor misdiagnosed a staph infection he had, gave him copious antibiotics for it, it didn't work, Punk almost died, WWE killed his love for wrestling, he leaves, actually gets treated for his staph infection, gets fired on his fucking wedding day in 2014, sues WWE for almost killing him, wins.

CM Punk is out of wrestling from 2014-2019, comes back for a wrestling talk-show on FS1 for a bit, doesn't amount to much. In the mean time, another wrestling company comes up called All Elite Wrestling, it's excellent, awesome in-ring stuff, awesome stories, jesus fucking christ we actually have another wrestling company to watch cause it was basically just WWE for major American wrestling since 200-fucking-1. AEW CEO Tony Khan wants to bring in CM Punk, Punk is pretty sure he wants to come back to wrestling, but unfortunately it's now 2020. No crowds. We're not doing this. Able to hold off until August 2021, when CM Punk sells out the United Center in Chicago (famously his home town) based off the RUMOR that he signed with AEW, he hadn't been formally announced yet, cause he's the fucking goat.

Punk comes back, has excellent match after excellent match, excellent promo after excellent promo, a man who already had a hall of fame career was putting out some of the best stuff of his entire life, we were fucking EATING. I'm DYING to see the love of my life live and in person, things are going well.

My IRL best friend who also likes wrestling always said, hey, if they announce a joint AEW and NJPW (the top Japanese wrestling promotion, famous for extremely good wrestling) show, we're going. They announce it for June 26th, 2022. In Chicago. CM Punk's hometown. In May of 2022, CM Punk after months of teasing, is challenging for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship against Hangman Adam Page, another of my favorites.

May 29th, 2022, at the AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view, CM Punk wins the motherfucking World Heavyweight Championship, BASICALLY, my favorite wrestler beat my best friend's favorite wrestler for the grandest prize in all of wrestling, he yelled, I yelled, it was magical. We're going to Chicago, Punk's coming to Chicago, I'm going to see my sexy man with the sexy belt receiving a hometown reaction with the fucking GOLD around his waist.

Five days after winning the belt, CM Punk jumps into the crowd at a show, to be amongst HIS people, beloved. Punk bangs his foot against the guardrail went crowd dicing. My beautiful boy smashes his fucking foot apart. He's out of action. Punk isn't going to Chicago. I'm going to Chicago.

We go to Chicago, have some of the most fun I've ever had in my entire life, watch a supremely excellent wrestling pay-per-view live, loved it, would do it again. What a shame Punk couldn't be there. They crown an interim AEW WHC, Jon Moxley. That's okay, I really like Jon, he deserves it.

August 10th, 2022, CM Punk makes his triumphant return to AEW, I'm stoked, we have a big show coming up in September, time to unify the interim and world heavyweight belts so Punk can have his reign. Right?

August 24th, 2022. They jump the gun. Jon Moxley is from Cincinnati, Ohio. This show is taking place in nearby Cleveland. Oh no. The crowd LOVES Mox and HATES Punk. Jon absolutely squashes Punk in 3 minutes to become the AEW Undisputed Champion. Oh god oh fuck. But it's okay! The September show, AEW All Out is in Chicago! Cause it always is! Punk will get his win back, and we'll get the Punk reign we all want!.......................right?

Punk's coming to Chicago.

September 4th, 2022. AEW All Out in Chicago. CM Punk defeats Jon Moxley in a great match to regain the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. I'm happy. Me and my bff watch it live in theatres like we do every PPV. We enjoy it thoroughly, we leave. I get home to all this news about the post show media scrum that took place, and the things Punk said. It's BIG. news. Oh god. Oh fuck.

CM Punk. Tired, bloody, battered, and your brand new AEW Champion goes on a BLISTERING tirade about his coworkers, wrestling, wrestling media, everything. It's bad. It's darkly entertaining, but it's bad. He's sitting next to AEW CEO Tony Khan saying things like calling executive Vice Presidents of AEW and fellow wrestlers, the tag team the Young Bucks guys who "couldn't manage a fucking Target". He accuses the Bucks, and people in their circle of feeding negative stories about Punk to wrestling media. Perhaps most damaging, he talk about the man he first beat to become world champion in AEW, Hangman Adam Page, a generally well-like and respected man. Page infamously said in an interview that he doesn't take advice from anyone, and likes to figure out things for himself. Alright Hanger, weird but you do you. On this, Punk called Hangman, and this is a quote, an "empty-headed fucking dumb fuck" who "never accomplished anything in this business". Really harsh Punk, genuinely not cool. This scrum hurt him, I think. It hurt the belt he just won, Adam Page's most prominent achievement, and it damages the company you work for. A black spot for us Punk fans, but.... I mean.... how bad could things be, right? Apologize, go into damage control...............................................................................................right?

Punk finishes the press conference by saying, essentially "if anyone has a fucking problem with me, say it to my fucking face. At the end of they day, wrestlers are people with feelings. You guys should be more respectful of that, and more mindful of the stories you guys put out. Thank you." It's over. Punk leaves, belt in tact. The Bucks take his advice, and go talk to Punk in his dressing room.

A fight breaks out. people get punched, a guy gets bit, chairs get thrown, I believe a dog was hurt, it was awful. There's so much misinformation, and mythologizing about what has been since known as "Brawl Out" that it's hard for me to reliably tell you guys anything about it, cause it's extremely hard to know who or what to trust. It was really bad. In that match Punk had with Jon Moxley, Punk did a dive to outside the ring and tore his triceps. He's hurt again. Due to this, and the backstage fight, CM Punk is forced to relinquish his world championship for a second time. He's held the belt twice, and only defended it one time. I'm apoplectic y'all. Oh god, oh fuck.

During ALL of this, during All Out, the show, they announce that the November PPV, AEW Full Gear is taking place in my homestate, the greatest place on earth, New Jersey, at the Prudential Center. I watch the show. Punk wins the belt. Punk is coming to New Jersey! I though, the absolute fucking fool I was. Punk isn't coming to New Jersey you stupid slut.

I bought tickets to Chicago to see my king CM Punk. Punk couldn't make it. I buy tickets to Newark to go see my babygirl CM Punk, Punk can't make it (sounds like my childhood lol).

CM Punk has yet to officially come back to AEW. He's been out mending his triceps injury. But. In the same way that he was TOTALLY signing with AEW, but not officially announced, it has been reliably reported that AEW is going to announce THIS WEDNESDAY that a brand new TV Show on Saturday's is going to be airing. There will be one roster of guys working the Wednesday shows, one roster of guys working the Saturday shows. It is widely speculated that CM Punk is going to be working on Saturdays. CM Punk on his insta, in between reels of him watching hockey, and reels of working out (working out for what, huh??? 👀👀👀), he likes a post about someone buying tickets to the AEW Collision shows, airing on Saturday. Ladies and Gentlemen, delusions aside, I believe. The king of my world, my favorite professional wrestler on the planet CM Punk. Will be returning to AEW to kick off this brand new television show. Do you wanna know how I know? They announced a couple of dates they're hitting, a couple in Canada, ONE IN NEW JERSEY, and one elsewhere, they haven't announced it yet. They're announcing it this Wednesday. Internet sleuths have figured out where. On the date in question, Saturday June 17th, The United Center is booked for a show. The same venue I went to see him initially. In CM Punk's hometown. Of Chicago, Illinois.

BABES IT'S HAPPENING. AND THE COLLISION TOUR IS COMING TO THE PRUDENTIAL CENTER IN NEW JERSEY. AFTER GOD AND ALL OF HIS BASTARD ANGELS HAVE CURSED ME AND MY FUCKING LIFE. STOPPING ME FROM SEEING MY FUCKING SWEETHEART CM PUNK LIVE BEFORE MY EYES. NOT ONCE BUT TWICE. THIRD'S TIME THE CHARM. I'M GOING. I BOUGHT THE TICKETS ALREADY. I'M GOING TO SEE CM PUNK AT AEW COLLISION SATURDAY 22ND, 2023. IT'S HAPPENING, IT'S HAPPENING, IT'S FUCKING HAPPENING. I HAVE FLOOR SEATS. SUMMER OF PUNK 2023 BABEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

I mean, hopefully. lol.

If you read this, I love you dearly, and i would kiss you on the mouth. I know it's a lot, but wrestling is my thing. so. indulge me why dontcha. if you have any questions, or wanna talk about it, i'm more than willing. i'm not proofreading this, i've already spent 45 minutes writing this bye-bye love youuuuuuuuuuuuuu <3

[hiyojun]

hiyori fs1 → jun 4 star. hiyori fs2 → jun 4 star again. jun fs2 → hiyori 3 star… okay guys we get it

#next thing you know these two are going to kiss on stage or something

[ominous-meme]

Final stroke spoilers!!

Okay I've actually been curious about this, but do you think Haru ended up finding his dream in fs2? Like of course he wants to swim with Rin and Rin wants to go professional, but does that mean Haru wants to as well? Would he even enjoy the professional world? It's the ending but I still have so many questions

Hiya! Answer is under the cut!

I'm of the opinion that he DID find his dream, at least to some extent. As ES showed, Haru just wants to keep swimming, and wanted to experience a certain sight he saw while in Australia. While Rin obviously is a significant part of that dream (not least because they went to Australia together), they have their own individual paths that they want to follow, and the series as a whole often shows Haru having to come to terms with the fact that the paths he's shared with his friends so far may not be the same in the future (think back to how he freaked out when Makoto said he'd decided on his college plans in ES).

In FS1 & 2, Haru sees the sight he's been looking for, and swimming professionally and becoming stronger are the routes he takes to reach that dream. As @fencer-x and I have discussed in the past, Haru is more than willing to go pro so long as it is on his OWN terms. He's not going to walk that path because some school principal told him it's expected of him (ES) or because some coach said that there is only one way to become stronger (DTF and FS1). He goes pro to experience that sensation from ES, and becomes stronger so that he can pursue that sight and continue swimming as long as possible (and with Rin as much as possible too).

I think Haru will enjoy his pro career as long as he's aware that HE'S the one on this path, and therefore HE gets to decide how to navigate it. After all, his last line in FS2 is: "The moment I become ordinary... I'm fine with it happening a little later "

I hope this answers your questions, even a little!

#free! the final stroke #free! the final stroke spoilers #free! the final stroke part 2 #free! the final stroke part 2 spoilers