hihihihiiii seeing your kurehoya posts has made me ponder about their dynamic a lot mostly for S5 (S2/3 is more straightforward) and i wanted to ask you about your thoughts on them during S5. I feel like there is Something going on there but it is q implicit. when shu is talking to valt about how he had lean battle free he says "i thought free could- i thought if he battled with free, he'd realise the fun of a real battle, and the joys of beyblade" his expression and tone here are so... like there is an undercurrent of the hope that was held strongly beyond the sadness that it didn't work in the end.. as if he really, really believed that free would be able to do it. combined with him telling fubuki that free is a true genius in S3 i feel like shu has a sort of deep admiration for free not just as a blader but as an upholder of their way of beyblade or so it's called. I think shu likes free a lot. but the more i think abt the implications of shu having lean battle free and lui and not valt and what is said/not said the more i feel like it'll be really difficult to get shu to talk to free in a casual setting. free tells valt that it 'looks like' lean was trained by shu. as in, shu didn't even tell him that he trained lean. and there is no indication that he explained the real reason he wanted free to battle lean. i think shu didn't really want to directly ask help/admit to other people that his apprentice had corrupt resonance i think he wanted to solve the problem as quietly as possible bc that's his natural inclination. plus it's pretty clear he saw lean as his sole responsibility. so idk it reads to me like he went to free and not valt specifically and said so little of insight despite having a specific aim in mind [that free would have shared] because he didn't want to be questioned about his apprentice and he especially didn't want anyone to perceive that he wanted help when in his perspective atp the problem was still manageable. extrapolating from that i think the distance between them on free's side is like. at the very least preferred by shu and at most shu's own doing. i think the reason is because shu knows how perceptive he is and it's shown time and time again that shu does not like it when others actually understand him lol he wants to be able to easily project an image of himself that makes himself most comfortable. so basically yeas that's what makes me think it would be difficult to get shu to be close with free. especially since free has a tendency to needle people and shu hates that. guhh i wrote a lot abt what free's opinion of shu wrt lean situation could be but i exceeded word limit oops so had to delete it :'((( nevertheless i am very fascinated by the potential their dynamic has and actively looking for ways to reconcile the potential roadblocks. i think it would be so cool watching them talk about beyblade together [shu already does that w free like telling him what he thought of lean but i mean more casually beyond profound beyblade philosophy] and they would be able to sort out their problems better if they were comfortable enough to talk about them w each other. i think they'd be able to challenge each other to enable growth that sort of thing. plus free generally seems more comfortable with his contemporaries than shu so it wouldn't be repulsion from both sides ykwim. and i gthink it would be funny to watch shu coddle free like he coddles valt many laughs would be laughed. i like the dynamic u portray in your posts meow ur art is really incredibly cute and i think it's q accurate as an established relationship and so yea i just wanted to know what u think it would take for them to reach that point like how would their perspectives of each other have to change yk. maybe specifically what would let shu tolerate the idea of getting closer to free despite the needling and potentially being able to see through him too well. kknkkjgjhcnbv need to collect perspective for freeshu science
this is such a great ask thank youuuuu for being able to put some of my thoughts about this ship into words.
and calling my art accurate?? bshhhhhh stawwppp ur making me blush. (*´ω`*) ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶
yeah i think there was still some lingering want for free from shu’s side in some way, but that doesn’t necessarily mean in a romantic way. it’s hard to explain through words.
i believe that they can understand each other well because of their similar reserved behavior. in my head free is very in tune with people, comprehending emotions on a different level but he’s too apathetic to really care. shu is observant but when approaching issues he can’t quite connect with people because of a sort of social block is the best way i can explain it, i.e. he doesn’t often see social intervention necessary so when he steps forward he doesn’t quite know what to do. they’re a classic dynamic of “apathy vs. empathy”
free gets what someone is doing but doesn’t want to get involved.
shu gets what someone is doing but he lacks the proper tools to carry out what he wants effectively. when backed into a corner his default solution is to throw himself at the problem until something breaks (which is usual him).
shu is aware of free’s perceptive capability and his lack of initiative, so he can approach him without needing to worry about an emotional reaction. if he went to valt about lain valt would 100% be concerned and down his back about it. rantaro would likely give him a lecture about how history will repeat itself. lui doesn’t care. the next best option would probably be daina but he’s not present in sparking. free is chosen by default, and there’s no questioning on his end.
“come to raging bulls i want you to battle someone.”
in the future (i imagine probably when they’re around 22-ish) they’ve both removed themselves from tournament settings, shouldering their team and wbba responsibilities alone. shu takes a mentorship role, manages and captains the raging bulls, and is a representative of the usa wbba branch while free manages bc sol. they’d see each other in meetings or afterparties or passing each other in team tournament halls. overtime they’d talk about the past and face their past grievances with each other in passing, reflecting on both of their actions. slowly, their conversations move outside of work. they take walks together, meet in bars, spend their lunch break together, etc. eventually free just stays over at shu’s place while he’s in new york, and shu stays at bc sol while visiting spain. they can just vent and discuss their issues.
***somewhat suggestive topic ahead***
in a previous interpretation of their relationship i imagined they would be start as a purely physical relationship, not initially dependent on each other for emotional fulfillment but realizing that without the other something *feels* wrong (aka I WROTE BEYBLADE HEATED RIVALRY BEFORE I KNEW WHAT HEATED RIVALRY WAS). the first ever drafts of this was free initiating any form of contact without realizing what he wanted was an emotional connection over a physical one. and… idk maybe he just finds shu attractive you got me there this original idea was very superficial/shallow.
(i would also like to mention that this would also be happening at the same point as the previously discussed timeline, so they’d be full grown adults we’re not trying to be creeps here)
***ok suggestive topic over let’s get back on track***
i moved away from that idea eventually but the base is still there. they’re not fully aware of their feelings for each other but when apart there’s an instinctive feeling that something is missing. neither can fully comprehend that sense of lacking which might just piss both of them off so they don’t face it at first. they both have their grievances about each other still: free thinks shu is a pretentious fuck with cortisol regulation issues while shu thinks free is an apathetic mess with a still immature/underdeveloped mindset. their stubbornness keeps them apart but when together they find themselves talking without aim. they take their conversations outside, home, and to the couch where they can let down any social walls and just… talk.
i just love the idea of them being able to relax around each other. free is a very “zen” character already and his vibes being able to bounce off to shu is different from valt’s vibes. hard to explain, but i will always see shu and valt as forever bros. maybe it’s just off my own experience but the childhood friend dynamic AS MUCH AS IT IS CUTE just doesn’t feel right to me in this situation, but that’s a discussion for another day.
sorry this ramble went really long i’m just kinda typing without a true direction but i hope this gave some insight into why i like this ship so much.
