>> libero

[rielity]

This was hands down the most research-intensive fic I've done in years... with barely 1.3k words to show for it HAHAHA research for this story took up 14 whole pages of my working doc, between video screenshots and other things.

Despite its length, I'm pretty pleased with how this story turned out. I first came up with the idea of writing a story about Nishinoya and the world last March, when he was revealed to us post-timeskip for the first time. Freedom is tied so intrinsically to Nishinoya, the ocean, and to Haikyuu as a story, and I wanted to pay it tribute here.

Writing it was a challenge: after I finished preliminary research last week, I went through at least three different drafts, all which were very unsatisfactory and stale to write and read. Eventually I gave up on writing and simply spent the time before bed turning the story over in my head every night HAHAHA. Then last night (24 Sept) it finally all came together somehow, and I wrote it all in one sitting... in the middle of the night... Of course, I kept the elements from the scrapped drafts that I liked, and reworked them into the final story, which helped a lot because I already had my key ideas down.

Some of the biggest things I had in mind when I went into writing:

• Harpoon fishing as a metaphor for Noya's attitude about the future. As canon has showed us time and time again, he's not passive by any means; he will go to the fish and catch it himself, claim the future for his own. 
• I deliberately did not explore the life and people he had left behind in Japan, when he embarked on his trip. It was simply not the right fic for that. I think for Nishinoya, the anticipation of the future and adventure would far outweigh any homesickness or longing. 
• The waters of the Straits of Messina are wild and untameable. In many ways, I think it is the same for Nishinoya.
• Nishinoya’s entire theme has always been about facing forth, with courage, with strength, with the daring of freedom. I wanted to pay it homage.
• The world is so, so, very big. Nishinoya would surely long for the great outdoors, no matter where he goes.

Specific research-related rambling:

• It was incredibly difficult to find proper footage on the felucca that ply the Strait of Messina, hunting the Mediterranean swordfish with harpoons. Then I discovered my mistake: I was searching in English. Key videos that helped me a lot with visualising and understanding how the fishermen work their craft (warning for blood and fishing-related violence): one, two, three
• The Strait of Messina is known for being very dangerous to sail. This blog post was a huge help for me in understanding the Strait, especially as someone who knows absolutely nothing about being out on the water.
• Language: I assume Nishinoya has a passable level of English proficiency, at the very least; the older Sicilians speak more Sicilian than Italian, to say nothing of English, but Carlo and Corrado are pretty young and it would be more believable that they be able to speak English with Nishinoya. I also wanted to take the chance to emphasise the linguistic differences between the languages, and how they can breach them even without complex language!
• Another thing I really wanted to incorporate was the use of hand gestures by the Italians! It was tricky to balance body language with dialogue and a good exercise at the same time. As a character, Nishinoya is very physical and expressive too - Furudate really knew what they were doing when they sent him to Italy :')
• I also took a lot of liberty with the naming of the OCs here: Alceu is the Sicilian form of Alcaeus, meaning 'strength'; Corrado means 'boldness/fearlessness'; Carlo means 'free man'; and the felucca's name Alessio means 'defender/protector'. The themes, I think, are more than clear to see. 
• Libero means free, as an adjective, and a noun. Nishinoya has always, always embodied both.

This was the very rare piece that I drew strong inspiration from music. Specific songs and stanzas:

• The whole of ANN's 讓我逃離平庸的生活 (Escaping the Mediocre Life) is what I wanted to capture, especially the last stanza: Let me own my wild freedom. / Let me escape from mediocrity, and never look back. / When I'm going to fly, I'll see all blue sky. / The future that I want will belong to me.
• 831's 規則就是用來打破的 (Rules Are Meant To Be Broken): Courage is not something we are born with
• *Luna's あの夏のいつかは (Someday In That Summer): What have you touched, why have you laughed / When have you imagined, was it today? / What do you yearn for, why do you want to know / When will you come to remember? About today
• Mao Buyi's 海上日記 (Diary on the Sea) has a dialogue line in its MV that says: "Everywhere is the sea here. Seems far-reaching, but honestly you can't reach anywhere." / "Aren't those boats?" / "Those are fishing boats. They're built to always return, not to go far away." 
 

On a more personal note, as I wrap up this small reflection: I mentioned in my end notes that I'm about to set out on a new journey too, as this fic goes up. I'm honestly a little nervous, a little excited, a little hopeful, a little curious. These are all things I put into the fic, not just for Nishinoya, but for myself as well.

And lastly, I do think that with this, I have written everything I wanted to for Haikyuu. 70 fics over 5 years, with 137864 words in total. I could never have imagined this, when I got into the series in Aug/Sep 2016. I have grown a lot as a writer this last half-decade, and it has accompanied me through many stages of my life. I'll always be glad that I could grow up with Nishinoya and Haikyuu, and I think it is fitting that my last Haikyuu fic (for the far foreseeable future) should be one dedicated to the vibrant thunderbolt who pulled me in, who still gives me courage and strength in so many ways. I will always be thankful, and I think it's time now for me to embark on new voyages of my own as well, while keeping everything that Haikyuu has given me firmly in my heart.