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ocean-waters · 8 months

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Free!cember: crossover (Steven Universe x free!)

Thanks to free!cember, I finally have an excuse to share this Steven Universe x free! concept I've had cooking in my head for several years.

(This technically counts more as an au rather than a crossover, but I've hardly been following the rules, so)

Warning: word vomit. Apologies, but the brainrot has taken over me.

So far, I've only drawn the iwatobi and samezuka cast, but I'd like to do some more characters in the future. I tried to make them all distinctive and tried following SU's art style. The iwatobians have white accents on their clothing, while samezukans have black accents.

For some context: they all meet due to being involved with the process of terraforming new colonies for homeworld. (Terraforming refers to manipulating and reshaping the landscape of a planet to make it optimal for establishing colonies for homeworld, which is the planet from which the gems originated). There are 3 types of terraformers in this au:

Lapis Lazulis - They manipulate water. Only confirmed terraformers in Steven Universe Canon. They use water to slice and pierce through rock formations with deadly precision. They can also mold it into any shape they wish. They possess water wings, which give them the ability to fly.

Idocrases - They manipulate earth. They're able to manipulate large chunks of earth. They can fracture them, push them, crush them, split them, etc. They are very general use. However, they're not very precise. Usually, their work ends up looking pretty rough, so Lapis Lazulis are then often sent in to polish it.

Rubellites - They manipulate fire. How does fire aid in terraforming? Simple. Explosions. They just blow stuff up, lmao. They're often used for demolitions or sent in to clear up areas with too many unwanted elements.

So, with that, the gems I assigned them were:

Haru: Lapis Lazuli. Felt like the natural choice, given they're waterbenders in canon and pretty aloof and distant, but will do anything for those they care about (based purely on one of the lapises we see in the show, but still)

Rin: Rubellite. Apparently, it's a stone that is said to be associated with passion, high energy, and love. And since Rin is so passionate and romantic, I figured it'd fit nicely. It also has a really nice color.

Makoto: Idocrase. Usually a stone associated with positive and calming energies. It also pretty earthy, forming in lime deposits near volcanoes. And in this Au, it fits since he can manipulate earth.

Rei: Fluorite. Apparently known for mental enhancement and focus. They're technicians and data loggers in this au.

Nagisa: Spinel. Based on the canon gem. Goofy and fun-loving. They're entertainers and are often sent in to keep up morale and make gems happy. They have stretchy powers.

Souske: Quartz. Typical bulky soldier/guard. Pretty tough and intimidating, but they form very solid friendships.

Nitori: Pearl. Also based on canon. They're servants given to distinguished gems. Very polite, respectful, and loyal to their masters. (He doesn't stay as a servant. That would feel wrong.)

Momo: Amber. It's orange. Associated with courage and self-confidence. Momo is pretty self-assured and, at times, overly confident, so I felt it fit.

As for the story:

The gist of what I came up with is that Haru and Makoto are terraformers that often get assigned together on missions, which is how they become best friends. Nagisa is usually there as an entertainer for the colony and likes to meet up with them whenever they have free time, which is how they became friends too. Haru is considered to be the best among the lazulis due to his precision when it comes to working with water. His cuts are clean, and his work is impeccable. He's also pretty creative when it comes to the ways in which he uses water.

Then Rin shows up one day, assigned to the same colony as them. He is also considered one of the best among his class, having some pretty big fire power and the capacity to create more powerful explosions than average. He's pretty confident in his own abilities. Then, he gets to witness Haru in action and is completely blown away by it. And well, basically, almost the same events that happen in the show happen here.

They meet Rei when he's assigned to document and monitor their terraforming project.

Souske was a guard for the gem station Rin resides in, so they've been friends for a while.

Nitori was given to Rin for his accomplishments, but Rin does not like the idea of "owning" him, so he just treats him as part of his friend group. Though Ai still insists on helping him with everything.

Despite serving homeworld initially, they all rebel at one point and escape to their own home away from home. The iwatobi group does so first, but it takes Rin and his group a while longer. This is where the conflict comes in.

And, of course, there's fusion involved. One of my favorite concepts of steven universe.

For context: gems' bodies are made of light and are essentially a hologram with mass. This means means they have some advanced abilities like shapeshifting and fusion. When two or more gems fuse, they produce an entirely new entity with its own consciousness and individuality, which combines the personality traits and physical attributes from its components. For it to happen, gems need to be synchronized, and there has to be communication and cooperation.

Fusions are essentially a physical manifestation of the relationship between its components. It can be any type of relationship. Platonic, romantic, familial, etc.

So far, I've only done two:

Rhodochrosite

The Rin & Haru fusion. At first, I wanted it to be a pietersite, as that is a gem that has both red and blue chaotically intertwined within it. However, I then became aware of the existence of a stone called Rhodochrosite. And it just seemed so much better. It might be a stretch, but the markings it has, together with its soft pink color, made me think of cherry blossoms, which is just so much more symbolic of the relationship between these two. Plus, the gem is called Rhodochrosite. RHodochrosite (hehe). So I opted for it instead. I know blue and red don't make pink when mixed together, but fusions don't necessarily have to follow color theory. (See: smoky quartz, s1 garnet, sunstone, and more)

The clothing is loosely based on the japanese team uniform from the final stroke movies (meant to represent how Rin and Haru become their best selves together). He has only two eyes because of the whole seeing a sight they've never seen before together sentiment. And yes, he has shark teeth, too.

In terms of character, rhodochrosite is.. a lot. I mean, what do you think would happen if you combined these two. Pure chaos (in a good way, mostly).

He's ridiculously competitive about everything. "This isn't a competition." - Yes, it is, and he' going to win. He's also pretty impulsive and quick tempered. Act first, think later. If he likes or doesn't like something, he'll show it. He can be pretty blunt, too (given that Rin is very opinionated and Haru doesn't care for sugar coating things). He can also be pretty closed off, keeping things to himself. He will do absolutely anything for his friends, though, even if it means using violence. (To be fair, violence is almost always the answer for him)

He's pretty confident in himself and likes to do as he pleases. Usually, he flies around and plays around with the elements, testing out his capabilities. Being the fun-loving thrill-seeker that he is, he usually gets a bit too carried away with this and ends up causing a lot of damage. His elemental powers are also enhanced, meaning he's truly a force to be reckoned with. He's overall a fun experience for Rin and Haru. I imagine fusion would be the equivalent of swimming together. They don't stay fused forever like garnet, though. They value their individuality too much for that. But they do it often. Sometimes on accident. The rest are used to seeing him around a lot. And yes, there are feelings involved, but they're in denial.

Apatite

The Makoto and Haru fusion. Saw the stone and its beautiful teal color and thought it would fit quite nicely. Plus, it's opaque like lapis lazulis and idocrases. He has two pairs of eyes. However, the pupils from the top and bottom sets move in synch, as if they're just one pair split down the middle.

He's quiet and serious, but also very gentle. I imagine he usually gets lost in his own head due to constantly having an internal monologue, so you could often see him just sitting there staring into space, deep in thought.

He's mostly level headed, due to Haru's stoic nature and Makoto's overabundant patience and prefers to avoid conflict instead of engaging with it. However, if someone or something were to threaten their friends, they wouldn't hesitate.

Haru and Makoto are already pretty in synch, so fusing is not difficult for them, but they mostly do it only when necessary. Like during combat or to protect their friends. They enjoy each other's company either way, merged or apart, it makes no difference.

They can manipulate mud and clay (earth + water), and sometimes, they create little sculptures.

There is so much more I wanted to share, but I've been working on this for a while. So I'll leave it here for now. I do want to do more for this au, though. More characters, definitely more fusions, and expanding the story a bit more. Also, some sketches of small interactions/moments. Particularly some with nagisa and rin&haru. They're both like big brothers to him, so their fusion is like his ultimate big brother figure, and I think their dynamic could be so fun. Until then, though, I'll share this.

Steven universe isn't as relevant anymore, but like free! I don't think I'll ever let it go. It's a lot of fun working on things like these.

#we're back to line work being my number 1 nemesis.#some of them look grainy; but that's because of the quality of the pencils i have :(#I've had this cooking in my brain for literal yearsss. Like since 2017 #it has changed quite a lot since then #there is so much i want to share about this dbsgsjdhdwkbs please ask me about it #even then; I'll probably make more of it just out of self indulgence #free!cember #gem au #free!#steven universe #haruka nanase #rin matsuoka #makoto tachibana #nagisa hazuki #rei ryugazaki #souske yamazaki #aiichirou nitori #momotaro mikoshiba

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badpostureart · 1 year

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Message in a Bottle (pt. 1)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#free iwatobi swim club #gou matsuoka #kisumi shigino #sousuke yamazaki #nitori aiichirou #momotaro mikoshiba #mikoshiba seijuurou #isuzu mikoshiba #nao serizawa #asahi shiina #mikhail makarovich #long ass post #free!meta #badposture answers

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