#“hey its been a while since i touched the game lemme see the plot developments”

[dokutah-exe]

what if instead of her being kal'sit she was kal'freaky and she was all freaky and our organization is freaky island and fuck me i cant take this shit anymore why on gods green earth am i still here im a fucking monster and i am LITERALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY SINGLE HORROR ON TERRA AND WHY THE FUCK DID YOU MAKE ME FORGET THERESA OH FUCK OH GOD

[marinettereadsfics]

Kim Seokjin

Make You Scream  Now, when I say this is a wild ride is because I truly mean it. There is nothing like this out there I assure you. Reese is a mastermind. You won’t regret reading it. [crack, smut, Monsters Inc. AU]

A Lullaby on Canvas  Pure amazing plot and writing. If smut with plot is your thing, you got urself a masterpiece right here. [smut, siren AU, neighbour AU]

Dick n’ Go  It never ceases to surprise me how well thought out their plots are + I laughed at the “five star dick” more than I should have bc I totally see Jinnie pulling that off [smut, crack]

Eight  You may be hesitant to read an octopus hybrid Jin but please, this is so well written its just *chefs kiss* [smut, Hybrid AU]

Folia  I never knew I needed an alien AU until I read this. Do yourself a favour and read it. [smut, Alien AU]

Kiss It Better  A quick but amazing read. Seokjin + crack and f2l?? SIGN ME UP [smut, crack, f2l]

Golden Boy  Love me some amazingly written smut with plot. Because what’s better than Pornstar Kim Seokjin? Neighbour pornstar Kim Seokjin.[smut, Neighbour AU, Pornstar AU]

Better With You  This three part fake dating with kinda chaebol Seokjin is juts *chefs kiss* definitely one of my faves [smut, angst, Fake Dating AU]

Min Yoongi

The Touch of Silk  You know what’s better than vampire Yoongs? Sugar Daddy Vampire Yoongs. Do you even need to know more? [smut, Sugar Daddy AU, Vampire AU]

Talk  One of the most well-written two shots out there. I simply loved it. Most probably read it when I should have been doing homework but hey, Phone Sex operator Yoongi is so worth it. [smut, Phone Sex Operator AU]

Book of The Beasts: From the Ashes  I’m a sucker for anything mythical and this is definitely no exception. It has an amazing plot and build up. 1000/10 [smut, angst, Witch AU, Mythical Shifter AU]

Owner Training  Okay hear me out, I love reading fanfics but I almost never something longer than a one shot bc otherwise I wouldn’t graduate but this. This right here ladies, gentlemen and non binary buddies, is so so worth your time. I’m a sucker for hybrid Yoongi yeah. [crack, fluff, smut, Hybrid AU]

Snake Kisses  If your thing is grumpy Yoongs, mix it a little bit with this amazingly written Hybrid fic and you’ve got: perfection! Danger noodle are my favourite words since I read this. [smut, fluff, Hybrid AU]

Glass  Pure amazing filth by this amazing author. Spare a few minutes and read this masterpiece. Thank You. [smut]

Inheritance  There are a few shots in this one and truth be told you will find yourself reading them all. This one is kinda angsty but it is so so good. Again, grumpy Yoongi hybrid is my fave. [fluff, smut, angst, Hybrid AU]

Demon! Yoongi  I distinctively remember having this one in my to-read list and saying ‘I’ll just read this one and head to bed’ on a school night bc my sleep deprived ass read “2.1 k words” but it really was “22.1k” and so… yeah. It was so amazing I ended up reading it all in one go. Education is important but this Demon Yoongi fic is more important. Don’t quote me on that. [smut, Demon AU] Catharsis  Hello my fellow kinky Yoongi enthusiasts, I bring you an amazing fic full of smut with some amazing plot behind and character development. [smut]

Android!Yoongi Excuse me while I go and weep in a corner. This is a scenario I didn’t know I needed so much. 24k yeah, but it is so so worth it. [smut, angsty, Android AU]

Mighty  I can’t recall details because I tend to read to sleep BUT GRUMPY CAT YOONGI IS A THING. [smut, fluff, Hybrid AU]

Love and Laughter  A quick read, but I’m a sucker for established relationship drabbles. [smut, fluff]

Tonight  If daechwita Yoongs did something to you, spare a few minutes to read this masterpiece. [smut, Historical AU]

Make Me  FRIENDS TO LOVERS + SLEEPOVER. THAT’S IT. [smut]

Bent Will  Heavy kinky stuff ahead. That is about enough. [smut]

Daechwita  The title is pretty self-explanatory. If you haven’t read this masterpiece, I honestly- don’t know where you’ve been. [smut, Historical AU]

Give It To Me  Hello fellow kinky Yoongi enthusiats, again. Shibari is a thing here. Enjoy. [smut]

Want a Taste? 

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it all the time, SMUT WITH PLOT. Yoongi rapper while working in a mall is something I didn’t know I needed. As always, amazing writing and plot. [smut, humour-ish, Mall Worker AU]

Mixtape 

Let me tell ya something, this fic right here has slipped from my fingers more than once, but I just loved it so so much that I’ve spent hours looking for it without remembering the title. A FAVE. Amazing writing and an even more incredible character development. A MUST READ. [smut, fluff, comedy, College AU]

Tsundere 

The pure essence of Yoongi’s life lessons mixed with a tiny bit of bad boy vibe and smut. [angst, smut, College AU]

Tricks of the Trade 

This was such a fun and sexy reading! I LOVED IT SO MUCH. Can you just imagine swapping bodies with your crush okay look no further. Here it is. [smut, humour, fluff, Soulmate AU]

The Singularity Theory 

Three parts of absolutely worthy Min Yoongi smut with plot [smut, comedy, college AU]

Nine Months From Now

SMUT. WITH. PLOT. And a hell of a plot I absolutely love CEO Yoongi [smut, fluff, CEO AU]

To Love an Empress 

Ummm hello? This piece of art is just- idk absolutely brilliant to say the least. I am in love with the writing okay and you know im a sucker for smut with plot.[smut, fluff, Historical AU]

Jung Hoseok

Airplane Pt.2  I’m not saying that I can totally picture Hobi in this scenario but maybe I am. Welcome to the mile high club, everybody. [smut, Sugar Daddy AU]

Fake Love  I’m a cliché lover okay. [smut, fluff, fake dating, enemies to lovers]

Rogue Galaxy  SMUT. WITH. PLOT. May you feel blessed with Kristi’s amazingly written masterpiece. [angst, fluff, smut, alien AU]

Kim Namjoon

Hammer it Home  I started reading this in the middle of my customs and tariffs class and somewhere along the middle I kinda forgot I started reading it BUT MY MY THIS IS *chef’s kiss* one of the most amazing smut with plot I’ve read in a while. [fluff, smut]

The Moment Pleasantly Frightful  Joonie here is a devil, you are an inexpirenced witch [smut]

What Friends are For  Joonie is kinda inexperienced but hey, making sure he gets it is what friends are for. [smut, BFF AU]

Love Bites 

YESSSS VAMPIRE JOONIE [smut, Vampire AU]

Park Jimin

Love Me, Love Me I read this in a sleepy haze for the first time but ever since, I’ve re-read it bc it is just so good! One of my hybrid faves tbh [smut, Hybrid AU]

Book of The Beasts: The Hunt I was so caught up with the story from the beginning, no words, just do yourself a favour and read it. [fluff, smut, angst, Mythical Shifter AU]

A Serpent’s Flower Part 1 and Part 2  You gotta read these if you wanna have a good laugh but still get the sexy writing in it + if you like HP AUs okay. The plot is so rich I loved it.

20 Things (and Counting) I Hades about You  Cocky Jimin makes an appearance in this one as Hades’ embodiment and lemme tell ya I’m here for it. [crack, angst, Greek Gods AU]

Beneath the Water by @jungshookz ExcuSE YOU, this is easily the best mermaid/merman AU I’ve read. It really takes you places, please read it. [fluff, crack, smut, mermaid AU]

The Airport Couple: Park Jimin’s Cock [pit] This was so so fun to read, plus, it is so well written I might cry. The plot is so original is2g. I never knew I needed Jimin as a pilot in my life, but we all do. [fluff, smut, crack, pilot!AU]

Everywhere  One of my werewolf AU faves in this site, this so smutty I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT [smut, Werewolf AU]

Sleeping on the Couch  Hello there cute smutty drabbles. It is so entertaining, just read ahead. [smut, fluff]

Shewolf by @dovechim​

You should know by now this is the author of some AMAZINGLY WRITTEN SMUT so just go ahead please [smut, werewolf AU]

Love Like This  If your thing is soft boyfriend Jiminie, look no further, this will make you feel things for sure. [smut, fluff]

User: Mochibuns95  There is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for camboy Jimin, now make it a “we kinda know each other but not really” and you got this brilliant plot! Kudos to the author, you are an absolute genius! [smut, Camboy AU]

Lovebug  Gimme some more of this angsty smutty hybrid Jimin slowly learning to love himself YESSS [angst, fluff, smut, Hybrid AU]

Dress Code  If you haven’t thought about CEO Jimin in a nsfw type of way. Stop lying to yourself. Read this. [smut, CEO AU]

So it Goes

A 3 part masterpiece. Once again I kinda cried reading it. It must have been hormonal. Or perhaps the amazing way it is written. [fluff, smut, Alien AU]

Power Play

Okay so I went on a reading spree for Addie but can you even blame me? SHE IS AN AMAZING WRITER PERIODT. FEED ME THAT FILTH WITH AMAZING PLOT. Definitely one of my faves. I can promise you your heart will skip a beat with this one.  [smut, fluff, Pornstar AU]

Watch Me, Watch You 

Listen up, I can’t be the only one that has found a TA attractive as fuck. Now bring Jimin into it? YES PLEASE [smut, college AU]

Kim Taehyung

1-800-music-street

Ahem. Excuse you. This hit hard it is amazing, astounding, I loved every word of it. I’m a sucker for smut with plot and this right here, delivered. Homeless but passionate for music Tae is here to save the day. [fluff, smut]

All That Is Gold  I’ll said it once, I’ll say it until I die, AMAZING PLOTS THAT NEVER FAIL TO DELIVER. Tae is a sugarbaby here. [smut, angst, roommate AU]

Plunge  Hybrid shy Tae is a thing here [smut, angst, Hybrid AU]

Fun & Games  Soft smutty lover Tae is a dream come true in this one [fluff, smut]

By Chance Tae saves your life and things get… heated. An amazing plot, lovely characters as always. [angst, smut, fluff, Mythical AU, Shifter AU]

By Chance Tae saves your life and things get… heated. An amazing plot, lovely characters as always. [angst, smut, fluff, Mythical AU, Shifter AU]

Sehebon Then again, a bless to read Alien AU, Tae here is just a dreamy one. So so lovely writing, smut with plot, you know it. [angst, fluff, smut, Alien AU]

The Talk  I absolutely loved this, pornstar Tae stepping out of his comfort zone is something so so needed in your life [smut, Pornstar AU]

Good Girl  Accidentally sending your coworker nudes can be something less than a nightmare. [smut, Office AU]

Planning Ahead  Sweet baby Jesus. I loved it. [smut, breeding kink]

The Morning After 

I’m sorry I love ex to lovers smut but y’all shouldn’t stay in toxic relationships okay [smut, e2l]

Jeon Jungkook

The Underwear Thief  I found this so so funny to read and I just noticed that it is 10k but it doesn’t feel like it. Plus, Kookie and a cat as a concept is so cute to me. [smut, neighbour AU]

Bandslam  I haven’t read a fic with this much well written plot ever since my 1D phase so I am forever in debt to Laura for delivering such an amazing fic. Enemies to lovers is a cliche, I know but mix it with drummer boy JK and you got this amazing piece of art. [angst, a bit of fluff in there, smut, E2L, Drummer AU]

Caught Me  I read this quite a while back but I can still recall bits and pieces of it. Seokjin is a sneaky bastard in this one + JK is that roommate that is kinda hard to live with.[smut, Roommates AU]

Crybaby  I’m just going to say: this goes hard. Do yourself a favor and read it. [smut]

Dynasty  I was on a historical streak when I read this. It is angsty but trust me, you’ll absolutely love it. [angst, smut, Historical AU]

Black Card  A wonderfully written two shot that gathers a few faves: CEO Jungkookie and a spoiling kink. Honestly, where can I get myself a man like this. [smut, CEO AU]

Periapt  A two shot (? where JK is an incubus. That should be enough of a description. Amazing writting as always by Rha.

Robot!Jungkook  Okay so one of my many not so guilty pleasures is reading android AUs and lemme tell ya, this 5 shot scenario is just *chefs kiss* [angst, fluff, smut, Android AU]

Dumbo  Wanna have a great laugh while still getting the smut content you deserve? This is your fic. Please just read it. It is amazing and will most likely make your day better. [crack, smut]

2! 3!  Fluffy vanilla smut. Sometimes we deserve it. [fluff, smut]

New Beginnings One of the sexiest Werewolf AUs I’ve read if not the sexiest. You know I love my smut with plot on the side and this fic right here: absolutely amazing. [smut, angst, Werewolf AU]

Felicity  NOW THIS FIC TOOK ME PLACES I DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED TO BE. There are amazing hybrid fics out there but this is on a whole new level. Like seriously, novel-worthy plot. Also, this is off hiatus now apparently and I will most definitely be waiting for it. [angst, smut, hybrid AU]

Out of the Blue  Four-piece that is worth every second you read it. It takes you places, trust me. Plus, you get Namjin on the side. [smut, fluff, Hybrid AU]

Anemia  Hello, a quick read but smutty and quite the ride. Just read it. [smut, True Blood AU]

Fluff and Smut 

Yesssss love me some pinning pornstar au I LIVE FOR IT [smut, Pornstar AU]

[blue-likethebird]

Shimizu Kiyoko: A Meta

Recently, Haikyuu finished its last match and ended an 8-year run in Shonen Jump. I love Haikyuu. It has so many unique characters with complex motivations, a plot that had me invested for 4 years straight, good pacing and a fanbase full of talented creators. It had a big impact on my style as an author and even motivated me to try out for my school’s volleyball team back in middle school (but I ended up getting hit in the head with a serve and cut after the first tryouts ended rip.) But like every story, Haikyuu had a few flaws too.

Shimizu Kiyoko is without a doubt one of my favourite characters after Michimiya and Suga. But when I reread the series following the manga’s end, I had the uncomfortable realization that as much as I love Kiyoko, the way her character was handled fell into a few -kinda misogynistic- pitfalls. Well, this is me taking a closer look at that. Below the cut is the full meta, which contains spoilers for the final arc of Haikyuu!! You’re free to add your thoughts, argue that I’m wrong, or call me a bitch and block me at your own discretion!

In fairness, Haikyuu is a series about a boys’ volleyball team, and that premise doesn’t leave much room for girls outside of the supporting cast. At the very least, Furudate did a good job making the female characters in his series likeable individuals with distinct personalities who have lives of their own outside of the guys. Even characters like Michimiya, Kanoka and Mika -who are comparatively minor characters serving romantic roles in the story- have identities not revolving around their relationships with boys. I’m glad that the girls were allowed to express ugly emotions, have supportive relationships with one another, and weren’t solely defined by what guys they were in love with. On that level, Haikyuu is leaps and bounds better than a lot of other shonen mangas ie Boruto’s Dad.

Unfortunately, Kiyoko’s arc fell slightly short of the mark. In the grand scheme of things, she really didn’t have much to do and her identity as a character is comparatively murkier than others once you strip away her relationships with the men in Haikyuu. Given her potential, popularity, and the higher standards Haikyuu set for its ladies, it’s a bit disappointing.

“But blue!” Someone in the back row pipes up. “You said yourself that Kiyoko isn’t a main character! Authors don’t develop the supporting cast nearly as much as the protagonists!”

Well yeah. If authors expanded on every character to the extent they expand on the lead, then it would be impossible to get to the actual plot. But hey, Oikawa appears less frequently than Kiyoko does and his motivations and interests are given time to develop. Heck, Yachi only joined the cast in chapter 73 and the series explores her interest in art and relationship with her mother really well during her introduction. We don’t know Kiyoko’s family situation, or why she quit track, or what drives her to put so much of her own time into the volleyball club. And the scenes where she has an impact on the story, or the game going on, or Hinata’s quest to become a great volleyball player, or another character she interacts with are few and far between when stacked up against other members of Karasuno’s volleyball club. The only exception would be Kinoshita and Narita, who have the bad luck of being Haikyuu’s version of “those two guys” so that’s not exactly the best demonstration of what Kiyoko has to offer.

Then there’s my beef with the pedestal she’s dropped on: Both in canon and out, Kiyoko is presented as a perfect goddess who can do no wrong. This setup has so much room to expand on and deconstruct, which dozens of stories have done incredibly well. Even Haikyuu itself has done a similar thing through Kageyama’s relationship with the other Kitadaii alumni and the “king of the court” storyline. Yet Kiyoko never gets a chance to explain her feelings on being held to such a high standard, nor is it ever brought up as something that could be uncomfortable for her. It’s briefly implied that she’s somewhat out of her element when she’s the centre of attention in the “do your best” scene, but that’s not really touched on further. Given that haikyuu has acknowleged being held to unreachable standards is damaging, it would have made sense to acknowledge Kiyoko’s perspective too. Is she insecure about being considered flawless? Is it something that brings her confidence or boosts her ego? Idk, because it’s never explained clearly. It’s like a porcelain doll: Kiyoko is perfect, but by keeping her up on a high shelf to maintain that perfection, we miss the chance to get a closer look that could help further our appreciation of her.

It’s not that being one of the less dynamic characters is inherently a misogynistic pratfall, since there are plenty of male characters out there who could give a cardboard box a run for its money in terms of complexity. However, given that Kiyoko’s character is already floundering among all the unaddressed idealizations around her, to have so little opportunity to address that and how damaging it can be, well it’s not great to say the least. She’s also one of the only characters in the whole series to suffer from this particular burden. It’s kinda difficult to handwave that as just a weird coinky dink that Kiyoko’s not given more development while the arrival of Lev at Nekoma warranted a dissection of how this affects their dynamic. 

This all builds up to a defining moment. The one that made me realize how Shimizu Kiyoko had never quite escaped the trap so many other shonen manga ladies since Sakura and Orehime had fallen victim to.

The reveal that she and Tanaka got married between the end of nationals and the time skip. That was when I realized that for all I loved her and the series she was a part of, the writing surrounding her was misogynistic. 

I have a... variety of emotions about this particular relationship’s road to becoming canon, and they’re not especially positive emotions either. I could prattle on for ages about the execution or buildup, and a whole other post could be written about why I always interpreted her as a lesbian, but that’s best saved for another time. How was Kiyoko falling in love with Tanaka a weak point?

To put it bluntly, it’s because she didn’t.

We’re shown over and over again that Tanaka has feelings for Kiyoko. That was established in basically the first scene they appeared together in. What irks me is that she never gets the same: that the ‘hints’ that Kiyoko returns those feelings barely qualify as hints at all. Yet, with one scene where Tanaka carries her bag, we’re supposed to believe that the few scraps of interest she’s shown throughout the 300+ chapters of the manga they’ve both appeared in is a strong enough end point to lead to them getting hitched. Come to think of it, is there ever even a scene outside of the bag carrying where they spoke one-on-one about anything meaningful? Did Tanaka ever get to see her as more than her pedestal that we saw? The scene they ended off on is where most romance arcs start for heaven’s sake, and it ultimately disservices both characters. 

Once again, poor Kiyoko got screwed over by the series denying her a chance to express her feelings, and the marriage bomb came off as less of a satisfying conclusion to either of their arcs and more like a one-sided “wear the girl down” pullout where the girl in question is treated more like a prize than part of a healthy relationship. That kind of “romance” is more at home in a cliche action bland-com than Haikyuu, where the relationships are written with more complexity. This would have so easily been avoided with even one throwaway line. But since Kiyoko never got to express her own feelings, a crucial building block to a satisfying romantic arc was left out and the whole relationship toppled over like a jenga tower.

To wrap this up, lemme say that Haikyuu is one of my favourite series and one of the strongest shonen or sports manga I’ve read. I love both Kiyoko and Tanaka both a fuck ton, and I’m incredibly grateful that Furudate gave us such a powerful series these past eight years. None of this is me trying to bash the author, story, or any of the characters and I’m definitely not trying to argue that they’re in any way problematic. This is merely one interpretation of the series and an examination of a relatively minor part of the genuinely enjoyable whole. My goal in writing this longass meta wasn’t to condemn. But, in a manga whose biggest strength is having such well-rounded characters, it’s still somewhat of a shame that so much of Kiyoko’s potential stayed just that: potential. Haikyuu is a series that’s well-known for giving complex personal stories to all its cast from major player to one-chapter rivals. Why is it that Shimizu Kiyoko -who’s been a regular presence in the story since the very first chapter- couldn’t get the same?