#Swim for me Haru

[hinamie]

back on my free! brainrot

[edenfire]

💞😭 "oh, haru-chan...." 😭💞

whoo!! time to kick off @nanaseharukabirthdayexchange with some sappy makoharu!!🎉🎉💚💙

I had something else in mind, but I drew this on a plane and didn't have access to the reference I needed^^ I might revisit this sometime and redraw it.

but for now, I really hope you like it!!🥰💗💞

[partrin]

sometimes haru looks at rin with the sort of look a person who likes their friend has when they don't believe the person they like will ever reciprocate their feelings.

it makes me kind of sad.

(in specific, i'm talking about that scene in the ova about rin's farewell party where they're both sitting on a bench and rin is like "if you swim with me that'd be a good surprise" and haru's like "...something like that is enough (for you)?" and idk i'm probably reading too much into it with angst-tinted glasses)

[anianurst]

girls who liked rin back in 2014 like sae now in 2024. try to change my mind...

[choccorin]

[temporaerthaervaerk]

Reasons why I headcannon Haru from Free! as autistic (some aren't diagnostic criteria but I'm autistic and I relate, so bite me):

He only eats fish (mackerel) ("You like mackerel too much" is a running gag)

He loves water because of the way it feels (sensory seeking)

He's the only one who sees a difference in his swimtrunks (he likes some better because the way they feel/they fit differently) (hyper sensitive sense)

His special interests are swimming and mackerel

When trying to convince others to swim, he mimics the way he thinks you should do it (with no regard to social cues) (masking)

Limited facial expressions (unless it's about swimming)

He doesn't care about swimming time, records and winning

He has a set routine

"I only swim free."

Is often seen providing support by sitting quietly beside people // or engaging in a conversation with his back turned to the group.

Tendency to give entities human feelings ("Maybe the water hates him" // "I thought I should ask water about matter that involves the water.")

Appears blunt but cares deeply (asks outright if people are okay /// "we're not going to discuss it (about something another character finds uncomfortable)" // gives things freely to children)

Straightforward

Takes his promises very seriously

"He's actually looking at the camera for once."

"Knowing Haru he probably doesn’t want to talk to anyone right now."

Trying to understand his feelings through thinking // struggling to name feelings

He never uses his phone // doesn’t bring it with him // "Haru usually doesn’t carry his phone around with him."

He remembers small things about his friends and then gifts really meaningful gifts

When he knows how he feels he shares his feelings openly and without shame (and with an abundance of eye contact used to drive home his sincerity)

He notices people when they're sad // really perceptive // notices differences in behaviour (pattern recognision)

"You're supposed to smile for pictures." // "Haru is always smiling on the inside."

My man does not care about social norms (is always ready for a dip, no matter where he has to strip).

"I don't care about winning," (i love this boy)

"You're too easily impressed, Haru-chan." (Once again, I love him)

As kids Haru sometimes wouldn’t talk, and instead Mokoto would "translate" how he felt (i almost cried 😭)

"You're so cold," (i hate this)

He litterally just went to Australia because Rin asked him to without knowing the language + without doing any planning just trusting Rin– and then felt panicked when he thought Rin left him (... I once went to Italy with a girl because she said she wanted to and I didn’t get that it was meant to be a joke... until we were already in Italy and she told me she it was a joke but she was glad I took it seriously. She planned everything and I just followed along because I trusted her. Rin also said he didn’t expect Haru to agree, so yeah. I don't know)

"It was my first fight (with him)" (relatable dude)

"Hey, c'mon. You could look a little happier... But I guess that reaction is typical Haru." (Seeing someone for the first time in a long time)

"That’s really impressive," Haru says. "Hey," someone else says. "You're supposed to laugh at that!" (Once again, relatable dude. I don't get the joke either)

"What did you talk about?" *Haru answers truthfully* *the other person makes noises of disbelief*

I love him

[confusedpandabear]

Once Haru learns how to use a phone and I learn how to colour skin, there's gonna be no stopping us 😤

[dirkxcaliborn]

The urge to completely fuck up my sleep schedule every weekend is so strong. Yes it's 2:30 in the morning. Yes it's going to be impossible to wake up at 7:30 am on Monday. Yes I have a midterm and oral exam coming up and missing assignments I really need to catch up on. But what if I start rewatching Free! and then sleep until 3pm tomorrow??? c'mon it'll be fun

[ryuuseini]

It had always been a dream of Rin's to swim in a cherry blossom filled pool...

[selkies-song]

Give me more of this spin on the misunderstandings trope

[hinamie]

harus

[reikunrei]

DO YOU EVER JUST think about the final iwatobi relay in eternal summer and start crying uncontrollably?? how haru was so scared for his future and this massive pressure that everyone had been putting on his shoulders that he just kept ignoring until it got bigger and bigger and bigger?? how he started to feel so distant from his friends because he felt like they kept ignoring him and what he really wanted? how he felt betrayed by them all? but they swim together and all that pressure just... vanishes. none of it matters when they’re together. because they’ll always be together, always connected, always loving one another, no matter the circumstances. they’re the ones who give haru strength and courage. they’re the ones who opened the door to his future. and they’ll be there to open every door afterward,,

[cookie4hope]

Never forget the moment in the LN when Haru gets jealous because Rin could be a worthy rival for his love for water.

He feels the water more than me, wth?!

haruka nanase will always be the funniest sports anime protagonist in my eyes bc the crux of the show and the driving force of the cast is his magical autism. his connection to water is literally just his stim. in the show haru never gives a reason for his love of water beyond “i like how it feels”

he doesnt even give a shit about the actual sport and only chooses to give a shit bc of his separate love for his 17 boyfriends. and those 17 boyfriends will fight to the ends of the earth to explain why haru’s swimming will bring world peace end world hunger and it makes everybody horny immediately

rin matsuoka who has had ambitions to be an olynpic swimmer since before he knew his ABCs literally saw some kid stimming and without knowing anything abt him first was like “omg that guys going to be my consort at tje top of the world” and haru responds with “i hope your bike falls into the river with you in it”

[siinlight]

I block most mh blogs cause I don't need that negatively in my life but they always find a way to slip past my radar and then I see some shit take about how haru in final stroke is out of character 😅what a dumbass

[temporaerthaervaerk]

I just realised that all the media I adore has some level of autistic/neurodivergent coding and it's been that way since I was a child.

And like, oftentimes their different way of perceiving and being in the world is the driving force of the story/and or a crucial element in it.

There’s the canon example of the entire Camp Halfblood (ADHD), where the ADHD is literally what keeps the characters alive.

There's Dean Winchester (ADHD) whose hyperfixations are typically masculine (as well as geeky) and who never sits still, with the added bonus of Castiel (Autism), who Dean just... accepts, in a way I rarely see.

Then there’s the infamous Will Graham (Autism) whose hyperempathy is litterally the focal point of the entire narrative.

We have Haru from Free! (Autism), whose special interest (swimming) is the motivating factor for several other characters.

Reki and Langa from Sk8 the infinity (Autism), who share a special interest and grow a special bond because of it.

There's Sai from Hikaru No Go (Autism), who trancedented time and space to play Go (special interest) and whose special interest sets the story into motion.

We have any version of Sherlock Holmes (AuDHD), who's brilliance I attribute to a mixture of hyperfixations and special interest in crime solving. His conflicts with society and disregard of social norms are a central theme as well.

There's Anne with an E (Autism), who loves words and stories and speaks before she thinks (where all major problems arise due to her lack of understanding for social norms)

We have Pat and Pran from Bad Buddy (ADHD + Autism), like I dunno, I just really felt that vibe.

There's Beth Harmon from Queen's Gambit (Autism) with her special interest in Chess.

And like, the list goes on: Daryl Dixon, Jon Snow, Kotaro from Kotaro Lives Alone, Will Treaty from the Ranger's apprentice, Hal from the same author, Katniss Everdeen, Si-eun from Weak Hero Class 1, etc.

Don't get me wrong I've consumed plenty of stories without characters coded this way, but all the stories that truly resonated with me? Neurodivergent, all of them.

It's probably because the focus on social norms/hierarchy always seemed foreign to me. Eg. I like Skam but it's like a view into a completely foreign world where people function differently.

[confusedpandabear]

Haru & Gou ~ You have bewitched me, body and soul ❤️💙 Art by @pizza-bug. Insp.