#hq character analysis

[shadow-haikyuu-h3ck]

one of my favorite interpretations of bokuaka’s dynamic is that akaashi is extremely aware that bokuto’s a dork and loves to pick on him for it, and that knowledge is constantly at war with how he also finds him incredibly charming

[liillyliilly]

I Need A Challenge

ushijima wakatoshi x reader words; 3804 synopsis; she writes a scathing review of ushijima's volleyball skills. how else should he respond if not by inviting her out to dinner?

She was tired of people like him. People who had no reason to be so stereotypically perfect. Everyone knows the type, comically good looking, is a prodigy in their one specific thing, acting so nonchalant that it ends up becoming their token personality trait. It was all so boring to her.

Which is why, as she was taking notes in the most recent Volleyball Nations League game, she wrote down some very harsh words for her analysis of star spiker Ushijima Wakatoshi. It was just the brutally honest truth of the world, she reasoned. Her editor, after reading the article she wrote at the game, almost dropped their jaw in shock at what she had written.

“This is really,” Editor Xhou sucked in some air through his teeth, “This is almost borderline libel material.”

She inspected her nails, shrugging as Xhou kept talking to her.

“I mean, you said that he is, and I quote from your own words, ‘Ushijima is the default setting for a volleyball player, there’s nothing too particularly unique’. You want me to let the paper publish this?” Xhou leans back into his office chair, pushing his glasses up and sighing.

“I write the truth, and the truth is that when Ushijima is on the court, you always know the exact plays he’ll make, the exact moves he’ll execute. The result is consistently the same. The games are too predictable when he plays.” She stands up from the seat opposite to Xhou.

Xhou sets the paper on his desk, checking that she really is okay with the article having her name attached to it.

A thumbs up is the only response she gives to her supervisor.

Xhou stamps the paper with his name, and faxes the documents to the coordinator putting together the sports magazine review for this issue. He wonders if the legal team is going to get involved again, he remembers the last player she reviewed, he was crushed and had to move to Alaska to play in a much smaller league. Xhou fully believes he’s going to get the magazine sued for letting her article fly.

Tendou finishes his squat set, hanging up the weights with a heave. Ushijima finishes his hundredth bicep curl, finally finishing his repetitions of this exercise.

Tendou pokes some fun, “I'm so sad for people without legs, they have to skip leg day.” He muses, trying to see what reaction or comment his best friend will make. Tendou twists and flexes in the full length mirrors lining the gym.

Ushijima only responds with a nod. He checks his phone, only to see that he’s received a little over four hundred notifications and counting. The beeping and noises start to pile up. Tendou peeks over Ushijima’s shoulder and gasps, he steals Ushijima’s phone away and immediately investigates what all the hustle and bustle could be related to.

“You should probably read this article, I think the writer has it out for your throat Wakatoshi.” Tendou grimaces while handing the phone back.

He skims the article, viewing the main talking points and major issues the author brings to light about his play style. His boring, everyday genius playstyle. He’s read criticisms of his volleyball skills before, but this one doesn’t seem too targeted solely about him, just using him as the mechanism to get a broader point across about the lack of challenges in volleyball recently. He chuckles at one of her comments, reading it aloud.

“Monster generation? I need a real challenge from these players, but all they’re giving me is platinum dreams without true passion and anger for the sport. I want them foaming at the mouth with new tricks, but I’m getting the same exact game over and over again.” Tendou cringes as Ushijima reads the words out loud. Ushijima stifles another chuckle.

Ushijima tucks his phone into his pocket, picking up his duffel bag. “I like her. She knows volleyball.”

It wasn’t just her comments, it was also the name of the author that Ushijima liked.

Tendou drops his water bottle in response to Ushijima’s behavior, stunned at the openness of amusement he has for the article and for the investment he has for this particular reporter.

Ushijima’s manager says that she’ll have a cease and desist letter issued to the paper for publishing such a slanderous piece. Ushijima proposes an entirely different solution.

She didn’t expect to be sitting at a restaurant, pencil and paper in hand, waiting for someone she just dragged through the mud to arrive so they could share a meal and an interview.

It was winter, and her reading glasses had fogged up slightly in the difference between the outdoors temperature and the warmth of the restaurant. The main features of the restaurant was the Western Style dining choices and decor, it reminded her almost of a hibachi place, but instead of Japanese food it was just a bunch of American and European dishes.

“It’s nice to see you again.” Ushijima pulls out his chair and settles into it, grabbing his glass of water so he can drink from it.

“High school seemed so long ago, but yes it is nice to see you again Wakatoshi. Sorry for the piece, your name just carries the right amount of importance to get my bigger points across.” She crosses her legs, setting her pencil behind her ear. The waiter comes around and takes their orders. He asks for the salmon, and she gets the house soup.

“No, I totally get it. But the statement about how people just continually eat up the single dish I serve? I thought you would’ve found a better analogy for my consistency on the court.” He just smiles at her, watching her move the pencil from behind her ear to her mouth so she could chew on it a little. One of her tells of when she was deeply thinking about how to respond to something.

Ushijima remembers all the stories she would write back in high school, ranging from sports analysis of Shiratorizawa clubs for her journalism extracurricular to getting paid to write love letters from person to person. She garnered enough money to pay for a new laptop and her entire wishlist of stationery items.

He remembers her lending him a pen once during class, it was a weightier metal pen. The ink was so black he was sure it was made of pure darkness. While he admired the pen she went into a rant talking about the pen itself, the quality of it and how it took forever to be delivered to her. They both got chastised by the teacher for having a side conversation and had to sit outside the classroom. But they ended up talking outside the classroom despite being told not to.

“Like you’d know what a good analogy looks like.” She hides her smirk behind a spoonful of soup. Ushijima appreciates her ability to be unapologetic, her honesty and bluntness matching his own linguistic traits.

They talk for three hours, about volleyball, life after high school, the article she wrote, about friends and the situations they found themselves in. Ushijima talks about Tendou and his chocolatier aspirations, she brings up Semi Eita’s new album that actually sounded truly alternative and unique.

He remembers her having a crush on Semi throughout high school. He didn’t really see why she would sit at their practices sometimes, just sighing wistfully, before freezing and turning flustered when Semi tried to make conversation like a normal person. But when Semi was seen to be a slight habitual complainer, she grew a distaste for him. Ushijima was sure that Semi was her longest crush, clocking in at around two months or so.

Ushijima did enjoy that she came to their practices sometimes, because then he could ask her about her pen collection and she would openly, loudly, and enthusiastically layer on every detail she could fit into her remarks. And she was someone who asked him about his favorite things, primarily volleyball but also about reading the advertisements in the Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine. Or about how good a runner’s high could feel sometimes.

Around her, he could share without fear of being misunderstood. She just accepted what she heard, and then analyzed it, taking her time and asking clarifying questions. He did his best to emulate her mannerisms and tact within their conversations, usually failing, but she didn’t mind.

She did openly declare an aversion for him throughout high school, that genius powerhouses should never be entertained with acknowledgement. What others considered harsh from her was almost like beaming encouragement for him. It was like she was telling him, if he didn’t continually improve and advance then the stagnation would leave him in the dust. A push in the right direction was more accurate of why she would say what she did about him.

He takes the bill from her, puts his gold debit card on the clipboard, and returns it to the waiter before she can even open her purse. Rolling her eyes, she sets some bills on the table and slides it over to him. Glaring at him until he accepts the cash and puts the bills into his wallet.

“Are you dating anyone right now?” Ushijima inquires while they walk down the street to get to the train station. The night air leaves a chill around the two of them. He had his hands tucked into his pockets, and she had her arms folded over her body.

Snow falls from the sky, catching the lights and making streaks of color burst in small flickers like fireflies. The piled up snow in the roads hadn’t yet been plowed thoroughly, and wasn’t sullied with pollution that made it yellow and black. The snow was much more like a blanket.

“Listen, I’m what people consider easy to love but hard to please. Most people say they felt like they were never enough for me when we were dating.” She bites on her bottom lip a little. It’s a confusing feeling to be unnerved by him, and she feels even more uneasy when she realizes that she’s speaking too openly. “I don’t intentionally degrade those I date, I just, I have high expectations. I don’t give many second chances.”

His breath comes out in puffs of white, winter nipping at his nose which makes him feel uncomfortable. He wonders if she’s as cold as him. He knew that she had high expectations, none of the boys at their high school got remotely close to being romantically involved with her. She wanted more than what most people could offer. She wanted someone who was as open as her.

She feels a little guilty about her article now. Maybe she pushed the words a little too much on his bad qualities. Ushijima really wasn’t that bad, he was just dependable and rational, which crafted his playstyle of being an ultimate pillar of strength for a team. Why shouldn’t a team go with the most reliable way of scoring points? Then she shooed the thought. If volleyball wanted to keep being popular, it needed to evolve.

“I liked your article a lot.” He offers, segwaying the conversation, knowing her thoughts better than she knew them. “Power goes far, but even then, there’s ceilings that need to be broken. There’s talents that need to be unearthed, planted, and then allowed to bloom.”

They sit on the bench under the covering for the train station. The screen shows that the train she needs to take will come in around ten minutes.

“Thanks. My editor was worried you were going to sue me for what I wrote.” She laughs a little, rubbing her hands against her thighs to build up some lingering heat in her hands and her body.

He passes her his gloves from his jacket pocket. Making a small hum he waves them in front of her. She accepts and embraces the black fleece covering her fingers.

“Oh, no, there’s no way I’d want you to be sued. But I do want you to add another part to the article.” He blows some air onto his hands, rubbing them together. She raises an eyebrow inquisitively, turning towards him on the bench.

Once he had finished reading her piece on Ushijima’s game, he went through and read all her other articles. He found out her favorite current player was actually Hinata Shouyou, the energetic innovator. She had written about his unique approach, due to natural athleticism. Also about his experience in Brazilian beach volleyball making his defense skills unique in the field of both Japanese volleyball and on a global scale. It was all about Hinata this, Hinata that. But could the ultimate decoy ever compare to the pillar of strength?

“What do you want me to change? I can’t make any promises.”

“Say I’m your number one, because I don’t do last place.” Ushijima lifted her chin up, looking right into her eyes. He inspects her face, the small miniscule motions her features display show that she’s listening, actively listening. “Did I ever mention that you’re the only one that has my attention?”

She really was. The only reporter he cared to give quotes to after big games, the only girl who he ever wondered if there was any possibility to develop a relationship with. He was hooked on every word she wrote, every interview she hosted online. She was in his world, but never overlapped her social circle with his for longer than an hour at best.

She swallows thickly, “I’m sorry to say this, but I really am unimpressed by your playstyle.”

He raises an eyebrow, sliding his hand from her chin to the side of her neck. He can feel the way her pulse is racing under her skin.

“We both know that’s not true.”

Her train arrived. She ducked under his hand and made her way onto the train. Before the sliding door closes, she motions him closer so she doesn't have to yell.

“Then show me your talents. I need a challenger for my first place.”

Tendou lies on his stomach on the floor, Ushijima is reviewing some plays written by his coach. He scans for any play that could show off his left hand spikes, or any play that he could try and improvise a receive if he wasn’t on the front row rotation. The plays are different from what he’s used to. But his coach said that they were all optional, and that Ushijima’s playstyle was perfectly fine as it was. But ‘fine as is’ doesn’t earn him any accolades in her book.

Tendou perks up, “I always felt like fighting had romantic undertones.” He references what Ushijima had told him about how the dinner with his reporter went last week.

“But I don’t want to fight her? I’d hardly call a slight disagreement a fight.” Ushijima sets aside the packet he had been studying.

He opens his phone and refreshes the webpage for the newspaper she worked for. When nothing pops up under her name, he goes to the calendar page to see if she’d be attending an upcoming game he’d be playing in. He sets his phone aside when he realizes she will in fact be in attendance.

“But you do want to fight for her ‘first place’ hottie player ranking.” Tendou kicks his feet in the air, crossing his feet and tapping the top of his head.

Ushijima stands up and goes to check his closet, seeing if he needs to get a tighter jersey for the upcoming game. “She never used the word ‘hottie’ when talking about her favorite player.”

“So you admit that you do want to be her favorite player?”

Ushijima finishes trying on the jersey over his long sleeve compression shirt, the jersey fitted better than he remembered. He tugs on the front of the uniform. Then what Tendou said clicks for him.

Ushijima blinks, “I do want to be her favorite player.” He doesn’t see why he would deny that observation. Being her favorite player would be the ideal situation for him.

Tendou rolls over onto his back and wiggles his pointer fingers in the air, “You want to be more than just her favorite player.” He sings the words in a teasing manner.

“Maybe I do.”

One time, near the end of high school, she was talking during lunch. Her friends were uninterested, wanting to discuss boys or homework instead of her critical worldview analysis. Her table was right next to the table that Ushijima and Tendou were sitting at, their volleyball friends already outside tossing around a ball.

Ushijima listened in, drinking his milk while Tendou ate chicken nuggets. When her voice got quieter, almost to the point of fading out entirely due to her slowly realizing her friends were not as interested in the conversation as she was, Ushijima leaned in subconsciously, trying to catch her words.

Tendou pinched Ushijima, telling him that if he wanted to listen to her, he should ask her to come sit with them. Ushijima froze. So Tendou invited her to come sit with them. Placing her lunch tray down, she ate a carrot, sensing Ushijima’s hesitance and Tendou’s eagerness.

It was Ushijima that spoke first, “Keep going. You remind me of someone. He said almost the same thing, about his worthless pride and not forgetting about it.”

She brightens. Continuing her dissection of the value of pride, she refers to Ushijima as a reference point for pride. Using him in her examples and demonstrations of her illustrative examples. Around the third time she says his family name, he makes another request.

“You can just call me Wakatoshi.”

Tendou drops his chicken nugget, but quickly regains his pace in eating the arms off the dinosaurs.

She says his name, once and then twice. Letting it settle onto her tongue and leave a trace of what a first name basis could mean. Pondering on that instead of her newest philosophy interest is quickly dropped. She only ever calls him by his name from then on.

Needless to say, the next game he plays at, she’s there, with her notepad and pen. Each receive, hit, serve, and toss is carefully recorded on her paper.

He doesn’t do anything too off the typical, but he does try new things his coach had mentioned. Pressuring an opponent’s highest scorer more, trying a few block kills when he’s in the right rotation, scoring some points off the tip of the blockers hands instead of cutting right through their attempts to defend. He’s more tired after this game than his last one. Yet, he had more fun this time around. His teammates seemed thrilled with the results of never having a gap less than five points.

After the game, before he goes to the locker room to debrief with the team and change into regular clothes, he stalks his way over to her. She’s talking to another reporter that had been sitting in the media section, but the other reporter just elbows her lightly when he notices Ushijima making an attempt to approach. The other man slowly walks away, bidding her a farewell.

She’s still sitting on the bench, cheekily covering her notes with her hand, and writing something down. When he takes a place next to her, he spreads his legs a little, expanding his presence and bumping their thighs into each other. She initially retracts from the touch, but relaxes into it.

He’s aware that his body is thinly sheened with sweat. It drips from the hair at his nape down his back and soaks into his player kit. She brings her notepad up to her face, looking at him over the spiral binding of the paper. Trying to hide her comments and analysis of the game, which had been overwhelmingly positive for Ushijima.

“What’s your professional opinion of the game?” He uses a finger to push down her notepad that was covering her nose. A streak of ink and pencil lead was across her cheek and nose. He brought his thumb up and wiped away the markings. At first swipe, nothing moved, so he slid his thumb over again with just a little more pressure.

“It was entertaining in a different sense. Rather than being solely athletic entertainment.” She licks her own thumb and finishes wiping away all the marks that she could feel him trying to get rid of. She misses a sliver on the apple of her cheek but he doesn’t say anything, enjoying the way that it makes her seem less intimidating and more adorable.

“Care to share with the class?”

“Well, when a certain player keeps trying to make eye contact during the game, when he should instead be invested in the game, it does pose some interesting investigative questions.”

At this point, Ushijima slid his hand to her thigh, asking her to explain further, “Such as?”

“When will he get up the nerve to ask her on a date? Will he take her for a ride in that brand new car he got? Does he need glasses from how frequently it seemed he scrutinized the audience in search of her?” She pauses, then continues, “And will he be mad if she writes something about how attentive the setter was during the game?”

“Soon, for the date. Most definitely a long car ride to the mountains. His vision is actually perfectly 20/20, he just wanted to make sure she was having a good time by observing her reactions. No comments for the setter, he’s a rookie, and much less attentive than an older, more experienced player.”

She hums a little in regards to his answers to her inquiries. Soon, she tugs on the back of his hand, the hand that was resting on her thigh. She bites the cap off her pen, waving the pen in the air, close enough to his skin for him to understand the point of what she was communicating.

The pen tickled the skin of his hand, but he liked the way she put one hand under his to make his hand rest flat so she could write her piece on his body. Capping the pen back up, she tucked it behind her ear.

Written on his hand was a series of numbers, along with a small doodle of a volleyball.

Getting up from her spot on the media bench, she leaves him with a short statement.

“I liked your response to my challenge. Keep making the Monster Generation bloom with each game Wakatoshi.” She halts for a moment, then turns back to him, “You can be my number one on those conditions. Blooming the Monsters and responding to my challenges.”

He’d return every challenge she gave him if it meant he could be hers.

[httpserb]

bc I'm right at all times Ik kageyama purposely likes noisy ppl (even if he lies and says no) bc he is constantly surrounded by quiet due to his parents not being super involved and miwa being in tokyo

Bc he was alone in the silence I also think he'd low-key disassociate without realizing until someone from karasuno noticed and were like hello!?? Are you good? (It was probs suga, yachi, or yams, so now they don't leave him alone [a head cannon])

Anyways I noticed he is often quiet and very polite (esp to authority figures like he is so well-mannered idk how y'all look at him and think he cusses out everyone and they mama) and more than being polite he low-key only speaks when prompted too like a general discussion, in response to someone, or smth he is passionate abt (ex: volleyball, setting) thus making me believe kage only really speaks when he feels the need to not randomly (unless with Hinata tho most of that is responding to what Hinata is saying to him)

So back to what I was saying, kage loves noisy people or situations bc it fills up the silence he is always surrounded by so I imagine it could be a karasuno sleepover and noya, Tanaka, and Hinata are doing smth stupid, suga is encouraging it, asahi is in tears, tsuki & yams are making fun of/ laughing, the second years are recording, kiyoko is watching while keeping yachi away (while yachi is three milliseconds from passing out), and daichi is yelling and that is probably one of the most peaceful moments kage had ever experienced or one of his favorite memories

[mania-sama]

This is also something that I've noticed a lot in IwaOi fanfics, headcanons, skits, and what have you. Particularly when it's too heavy in a fanfic, I really do start to get bothered. Because, what you said is true and exactly what I think: being that dependent on another person makes for an incredibly toxic relationship and a horrible imbalance of power. Even though I am a sucker for these two being horribly, sickly in love with each other no matter what happens, I would prefer it if it was a little more realistic. What ends up happening when it's not realistic is an unintentional toxic relationship that's never addressed as such, which leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

(Not that it's necessarily that serious, but I tend to think a whole lot about things that are never that serious and end up developing deep opinions on the matter).

So, yes, I agree with you on this matter. Iwaizumi should be shown more to have his own life and feelings outside of his relationship/feelings towards Oikawa. I made it a point in both of my own Iwaizumi POV fics to touch on the fact that he does have both a successful career and friends, and he does so without Oikawa's direct help. Having him drop his entire life suddenly to go to Argentina is a little frustrating, especially when he does it with little consideration.

... However.

Canon IwaOi is... so hard to write in fanfic because they have these two different lives. For two best friends that grew up with each other, that have loved each other through a thousand different mood swings, phases, and obsessions, being long distance for the rest of their lives while deeply in love is kind of like severing their limbs. It just doesn't work very well, so it tends to be that if they are meant to be together and stay together in the fic, one of them has to move to be with the other. And when it comes down to this, Iwaizumi is always going to be the first choice, and I cannot fault anyone for this.

Why? Well, this is something that I've thought a lot about. It mainly comes down to this: Iwaizumi is not tied to Japan like Oikawa is to Argentina, and Oikawa is not tied to Iwaizumi's character like Iwaizumi's character is tied to Oikawa. Oikawa is a more fleshed-out character than Iwaizumi is in canon, and that's perfectly fine. Iwaizumi is a side character, while Oikawa is a main antagonist (who even has a... sort-of redemption arc, I suppose, if you want to count the Brazil reunion as a redemption, which I would considering that this is a sports shonen and not a high-stakes shonen). Iwaizumi isn't meant to be as fleshed out.

So, when it comes down to it, it's much easier and also slightly more canon to write Iwaizumi as the one to leave for Oikawa, because that's most of who he was in canon. He doesn't have an internal monologue about how he came to volleyball on his own. Almost all of his scenes are with Oikawa, and when they aren't, he still shows much of the same dynamic as he does when he's with Oikawa; he remains a firm and reliable force to everyone around him, just like he does with Oikawa. He's a supporting character. That's literally the whole point of his being in the narrative aside from being a formidable opponent in volleyball. Even during the time skip, he is brought back with a flash-back to his promise with Oikawa. His character is, quite literally, inextricably tied with Oikawa's. That's why he's the constant victim to being moved in this relationship. He's... meant to be that way, more or less.

For Oikawa, it's the exact opposite. He has his motivations. He has that internal monologue, that drive, those deep and complex relationships with our main characters that Iwaizumi notably doesn't have. He is one of the main antagonists; a character that is fleshed out, meant to stand on his own, to provide a solid and complete narrative to balance out with the main character's. And he does that very well. For that reason, he is not tied to Iwaizumi, even though, again, most of his scenes are with Iwaizumi. Oikawa does not have to stand with him to be worth putting on the screen, in a narrative sense. His character arc is not tied with Iwaizumi. It's tied with two other characters: Kageyama and Ushijima, his main source of conflict, and also the exact reason why he is usually never the one being moved back to Japan to be with Iwaizumi in these fics.

Here we come to my main point, after describing these characters: Iwaizumi does not have a narrative tie to Japan. Oikawa does, to both Japan and Argentina. He left Japan because Japan had nothing left for him. If he wanted to succeed as an athlete (which he did - that is his entire character, that visceral need to succeed), he had to go somewhere far from his competition. He had to escape the two people he kept comparing himself to, and he did it. He left to go chase after his idol in Argentina.

That's why he has to stay.

In the two time-skip fics I've written for Haikyuu (and both of which have Oikawa stuck in Japan), I've had this internal debate with myself. When I'm writing, it's like I can feel Oikawa shaking his head at me. He doesn't want to be in Japan. In both fics, he had an external force keeping him in Japan. His character does not want to be there, and that's because it goes against everything Furudate has written for him. Oikawa is in Argentina because that is who he is - he is someone who has fought and scraped every step of the way to climb to the top of the volleyball world, to stand at the same level as his competitors on the Olympic stage and smile. Bringing him back to Japan, making him move there to be with Iwaizumi... he doesn't want to, no matter how badly I want to make it work.

Like I said, Iwaizumi doesn't have this same narrative connection. His job doesn't actually even require him to be in Japan. He both received a diploma and completed in internship in the United States. Medicine is one of the few jobs that is communicable throughout the world with little boundary. Career-wise, if he really wanted to, Iwaizumi could uproot himself from Japan and plot himself in Argentina instead. Not that it would be easy, but it would certainly be easier than the dreams Oikawa wants to keep achieving - dreams that can't be found in Japan.

This is, really, just a long-winded way of saying that IwaOi is just a victim of being a side pairing that has a severe imbalance of importance to the narrative between the characters.

I still stand by the original point: Iwaizumi has his own life. If you want to write him moving to Argentina, give him a reason. Convince me that he's willing to risk everything to be with Oikawa. When an author has done that, I can't really complain. Iwaizumi's character wants to be with Oikawa, and that's the simple truth of it.

i fucking hate it so much when people write iwaoi fics where oikawa is like the center of the universe and iwaizumi just follows him everywhere like a dog like no that’s not what a good relationship is built on what if he doesn’t WANT to move to argentina. what if he doesn’t want to drop his entire life for the resolution of their fanfic. what if he is a person and not a fucking accessory to oikawa’s being

like i think that yeah, the earth orbits the sun, but the sun is also not the center of the universe

anyway. it ticks me off so bad i guess i am going to write it because YEAH maybe he’ll return in the end because they love each other and nothing could keep them apart but that is not because one of them is a person and the other just follows him everywhere it’s not fair and it also is not a healthy relationship at all and how can they be an otp if their relationship is toxic and also sucks

[freakurodani]

dont overcomplicate it

[arrayoflightarchives]

Kagehina yap because I can't get them out of my brain even tho I need to go to bed bc I have a full day of lectures tomorrow,,,

(be warned yall that this is a long one, which is why I've put the big explanation under the cut)

Okay so Kagehina shouldn't be getting together before Brazil Arcc. If you wanna write them before then, go ahead I love a good bit of hs kghn or long-distance kghn as much as the next person. However, for their characters at the end of HS, I feel like they need to have the Adlers v MSBY match before they should be in a relationship:

The end of 3rd year:

At the end of their third year, Kageyama is still not fully open with Hinata, let alone anyone else. I'm not saying that you have to be completely open with everyone before getting into a relationship, but I think for their dynamic, he needs to learn to be more open with his emotions than he is at that point before you can have two personalities like him and Hinata in a relationship together.

At the end of third year, Hinata is still nowhere near Kageyama's skill level in volleyball. Again, I'm not saying that they need to have equal skill levels to be in a relationship however, Hinata does have a major inferiority complex about this specifically when compared to Kageyama and I don't think that, with he skill level he is at in 2015 (when they graduate). He can't catch up with Kageyama by becoming a skilled player in his own right without going to Brazil, we know this, but going to Brazil also develops his personality as well as his vb skills. He is now more confident and has learnt a lot and so he is able to be on what he considered equal footing with Kageyama (what he considered is the important part here bc of his issues with comparing himself to Kageyama, which we see the whole way through the story).

Now flip to post Brazil:

At this point, Kageyama has begun to open up a bit more by spending time with his teammates, mostly on Adlers, but you can assume JNT as well - we just don't see much of that bc Hinata is the protag, and he's busy sulking over Kags not visiting him atp. Like we can see this in small things like him showing Ushijima the photo of Hinata and Oikawa. He is now more open than he was in hs but he hasn't talked to (at least not much more than maybe like a couple two message interactions) Hinata in a couple years as far as we know. Because of their whole soulmate thing because Kageyama is still somewhat alone because of his skill level (see Kazuyo's promise)

At this point, Hinata is finally confident in his skill level, I mean, he was practically unknown and got into the MSBY D1 starting line-up. However, I think it's important to note that atp he has not beaten Kageyama so although he has definitely improved - he's earned the title of Ninja Shoyo, which is his own compared to the little giant (I can also yap abt that honestly) - he doesn't know whether he has caught up with Kageyama who, for all he knows could have improved just as much as he did in the time they were apart. Hinata might now have many brain cells, but he knows enough that it's silly to think that Kageyama has not improved at all while playing with the JNT and being in VL D1 since high school.

Post-Adlers v MSBY match:

Kageyama has now opened up. This bit is less about opening up to those around him (although he has, see "took you long enough") and is more about him being open with his own emotions. Obviously, he's not suddenly fixed years of emotional repression in one match, but he's chosen to open himself up to Hinata (see being happy/smiling at losing a match) and therefore also open with the audience (we finally see his backstory - that idea is not mine it's from this post it's rlly good u should read it). At this point, I feel like he is ready to have a healthy relationship with Hinata while still working through his other issues. He isn't going to be magically perfect now, but still, he's at a maturity point where he would be able to be in a relationship with someone as competitive as him and Hinata are together.

Hinata has now won against Kageyama. He now knows and feels confident with his skills as a player of his own right and worth, and so now his competition with both people like Hoshiumi and then especially with Kageyama is not going to be him seeing himself as the small junior high version of him who got beaten in 30 minutes still trying to prove himself, but the amazing Ninja Shoyo who is an amazing all-rounder and a wing spiker (the position he's wanted to play in order to be ace which he didn't get a chance to play before). He has grown as a person already while in Brazil, but this win is simply confirmation that he has done what he went there to do. He can trust that he made the right choice to leave Kageyama and the trust and dynamic that they had created (which was a major worry of his through the first part of the Brazil arc - with the homesickness and seeing Kageyama in the Olympics) and is better for it. this game proves it all to him, and he can welcome Kageyama and a possible relationship with him now that they are equals, rivals and a team at the same time.

Finally, onwards:

We finally see that they are together, whether you want that to be as teammates and best friends/platonic soulmates or as romantic soulmates it's up to you, but we see that they have improved both in vb and in their relationship together (see one of my fav panels to ever exist with their fist bump in JNT uniforms).

They are on the same team together, except stronger, when they go to the Olympics together. And then when we see after that, they still have a strong dynamic with them both declaring they're going to win in the Ali Roma v ASAS São Paulo game which makes me think that they keep in contact a lot better than they did while Hinata was playing beach - only bc there seems to be less of the tension that is there when they meet before the MSBY Adlers game.

Anywaysss that pretty much concludes my yap on why they shouldn't get together until after the Brazil arc. I could probably say a billion more things about this, but this was the best way to get any sort of coherence from me about this. I will probably do more yaps so if people want, feel free to ask me questions in my ask box or in the notes!!!!

(Also I hope yall appriciate the colour coding, I chose the purple over the blue cause I felt it was more Kageyama coded, at least on my phone it is)

[anoant-haikyuu-dump]

got bored, nekoma ship wheel + sexuality hcs (explanations under cut along with empty templates in case anyone wants them)

FUKUTORA TIER

This is self-explainatory. They're basically 90% of my account. If you go to the fukutora tag its just me talking to myself because no one else has posted in it since 2022

LOVE

Kuroken - I have specific opinions on Kuroken because I'm a fan of unrequited Kenhina in highschool. Don't get me wrong, I still like how most of the fandom portrays them, but I much prefer them getting together after the timeskip when everyone's settled into their new jobs. I also really like it queerplatonic, as much or even more than romantic.

Inushiba- Idk man they're just silly, no deeper reasoning. Funny guys doing funny things with a cute height difference

LIKE

Kuroyaku/Levyaku - Honestly I like these two about equally, i think they're both shitpost-able and that's my top priority for a ship. My gf likes Levyaku so i lean towards them but i've seen some good Kuroyaku art too so i can be won over. I'm a firm believer that Kuroo and Yaku were each other's first kiss

Fukutoraken - I think Kenma being a serial third-wheel is infinitely funnier but i dont mind it, as long as fukutora aren't separated i'm chilling. Kenma getting dragged along despite not being part of the relationship is my ideal for them tho, also i think Kenma being Tora's unwilling wingman/the recipient of his sexuality crisis rambles is hillarious

Anything else i'm neutral on or haven't heard of

[shoyowo]

oikawa tooru is not a genuis

aka a meta analysis of Oikawa Tooru's hard-work & how it ties into his play-style as a setter

What comes to fruition in this episode/equivalent manga chapter has been built up and slowly put into place over the course of the last few chapters/eps, which is this - Oikawa Tooru is built up of pure effort & hard-work and not inherent talent.

Moreso than trying to put down the concept of people with natural talent, I feel this statement and this concept is more to hammer in Oikawa's character and the effort Oikawa as a person puts into the sport.

Inklings of this has always been present but the first definitive scene where we see this theme being furthered is when Oikawa gets the "Dateko vs Karasuno" match recording and watches it through the night. This is paralleled with Ukai doing the same - the extra mile is, obviously and normally, taken by Karasuno's Coach and not by any specific player in Karasuno. (Interestingly enough the anime ep title is "Coaches")

Curiously enough in Seijoh it is Oikawa that assumes the coach role. It isn't explained and the team isn't surprised, making it seem casual and normal. Oikawa calls for a time-out to his coach and his coach follows suit. He gathers his team around, explaining his findings on the team (through the homework that he had done) and devises a strategy to beat them - all things typically done by the coach.

To further drive this in, something as minute as the team's warm ups is used to show the amount of tiny details that Oikawa knows about each of his spikers - small encouragement for Makki, apologising to Kindaichi despite being his senior , and taunting Iwaizumi as per their usual dynamic.

Not only does he show it in his actions, he verbalises it before every match as a reminder. As a setter, he is someone who elevates his team - using the deep bond he has created with them as a vessel.

"Rule the court" is Seijoh's banner and while that isn't explicitly commented on, we do have multiple people commenting on how Seijoh as a team and by extension Oikawa as their setter/conductor play by taking control of each rally - by essentially ruling the court.

All of these puzzle pieces of Oikawa's grit and determination and pure, simple, effort, and him using sheer work to reach to his team & form that intimate bond with them by noticing tiny details about his own team (and his opponents), we finally reach the climax of this mini arc: at this moment, pit against the "natural prodigy" -

[haikyuu--h3ck]

these tags from @kindaichiyu are incredible <3

explain to me in the tags what you think, please 🫶

[rk-tmblr]

Suna opened the door and a heavy sigh escaped his lips.

It was raining and the chill of the night carried a light smell of dump leaves and dirt from the plants Suna kept outside, next the doormat of his apartment... it mixed with the unmistakable iron scent.

“What the fuck do you want?” His voice was quiet but sharp, cutting through the silence. It was past midnight. Maybe even later...

The low chuckle that followed was too soft to match the sight in front of him -Osamu, bruised and bloodied, drenched in rain. And Suna hated it, because it made him feel a familiar warmth inside his guts way too easily.

“Just wanted to check on ya, sleep-deprived ass.”

Immediately Suna shut the door. He nearly slammed it on Osamu's fingers, but the hand caught the frame just in time.

“Osamu,” Suna grumbled frustrated as he shoved the door opened. "Osamu,” he called him again, his voice stern.

But the brown haired twin stepped inside the apartment anyway. A hand with bloodied knuckles on the door and the other sliding on Suna's waist.

“Osamu...”

His voice was too weak and the thump of the closing door covered it. Feet shifted until Suna's back was pressed against the wall. Osamu's body caged him, incredibly warm despite the dampness of his clothes.

“I missed ya...” Osamu's lips found the soft skin of his neck, murmuring against him.

Suna's hands gripped Osamu's shoulders tightly, unsure if he wanted to push him away or pull him closer.

“You're drunk... and beaten up.”

The retort fell on deaf ears.

And Suna gasped softly as Osamu's lips started to trail wet kisses down his neck. Suna's body trembled under the slow and deliberate touch.

“Lemme stay tonight.”

Suna shook his head at his pleading.

“No-”

“I'll be gone in the mornin'-”

“Exactly.”

His tone was harsh, made up from self-defence.

But Osamu always knew how to make his knees weak.

“Then I'll make ya breakfast...”

Osamu's hands squeezed gently Suna's waist, bringing their bodies flush together.

“Just lemme-”

“I hate you.”

Suna's words came out in a breathless murmur.

“I love ya too, Rin.”

In the morning, Suna woke up to an empty bed and tangled sheets.

The lingering cologne on the pillow beside him was already fading.

From the kitchen, the smell of breakfast drifted in.

But the apartment remained silent.

Suna could hear only his heartbeat stop for the common disappointment.

It was always the same.

Osamu made him lick his bloody bruises clean...

Just to leave him with only one for himself, right above the pulsing point of his neck.

[PS. This is inspired by the lyrics sentence “Ma te lo dico subito tu non venire qui se poi cerchi solo un brivido, lasci solo un livido” from Rubini.]

[sam24seven]

Tsukkishima. A very interesting and complex character from haikyuu. This is my personal take on why I kin him. Feel free to add anything you'd like or tell me what you think, any and all feedback is welcome. Also my first language isn't English so sorry in advance for any mistakes I made.

So why do I kin Tsukkishima?

so tsukki plays volleyball, yeah? and he never tries because if you don't try you can't fail, right? bro also has trust issues

he's scared of looking like he tries, like he cares, showing he's vulnerable and human and actually wants something because when you have something, you have something to lose.

he also doesn't trust most people cuz his brother lied to him once which is kind of dramatic if you ask me, but I also have trust issues so I get that somehow.

he wants to seem cool and stoic and like he doesn't care because he's scared of failing but more then that, he's scared of this humiliating feeling of people knowing you tried and failed. if he tried and gave it his all, and still failed, it means that the problem is in him, and he's not ready to face that and show other people that he's not at untouchable as he makes himself seem.

Tsukkishima insults other people a lot, mainly as a form of defending himself and yet again making himself seem untouchable, as if he's so above everything else (sometimes literally) and he can't be hurt, though when people insult him back and gave him a taste of his own medicine, he can't take it.

That's because the reason he insults others is to direct his own self hate outward, you can't be the best if you're not the worst sometimes, and because he does think he is the worst and he is incredibly insecure, he acts like he's better then everyone else, trying to bring other people down so he could step on them to be taller, use them as stairs to his thrown, but in the end he knows he's no better then them. When you look at yourself in those terms, of goor or bad, the best or the worst, you already put yourself on this scale. And no matter how good you are, you'll always be on the lesser side every once in a while.

The thing with Tsukkishima is that this hate he directs at other people is the hate he has for himself, it's like this one guy that calls everyone dumb because that's his worst fear. He knows he can't take it, he knows he might fail, so he insults people to make himself feel better but to also make them think he's above all that, so he wouldn't be judged.

Personally, I think the most relatable aspect of him is his fear of trying. It's not a fear of failure exactly because what he's afraid of isn't not to be good at something, but the vulnerability in trying. This passion he laughs at other people for, this bravery to put yourself out there because you care, because you want something. He's afraid to be like those people he laughs at, this is why he makes fun of them.

I have a lot more to say about this character and about so many others, so if you want me to write anything else I'll be glad to, just leave a request for me!

[starweed]

explaining my autistic hinata hc

“star,” you may be asking, “why are you doing this to yourself? you are sick and should be sleeping, not explaining something nobody has asked you to explain.”

the answer? because i want to and none of you can stop me.

to start with, a special interest in autism is an interest that is passionate and intensely focused and they can be absorbing to the point that they’re the only thing that somebody wants to do or talk about (they’re also typically much longer lasting than hyperfixations). you can very obviously see these characteristics in hinata’s love for volleyball and how it seems to be the only thing he talks about. he practices all of the time, and sure it’s to get better, but that comes from an all encompassing love of the sport.

he also uses volleyball to connect with people in meaningful ways. one example off the top of my head is when he meets kenma for the first time. sure, the interaction starts with him asking about a video game, but you can see how hinata becomes so much more invested in the conversation once kenma confirms that he plays volleyball. he immediately becomes much more comfortable in the situation with the presence of somebody who also has an interest in volleyball.

he seems to have trouble connecting to people without the use of volleyball. he doesn’t have any friends besides the people he knows from volleyball, and that may be a lot of people but it’s still true. we don’t know what happened with his friends from middle school, but we never see or hear from them again after he starts high school. in my opinion, that indicates that he has trouble keeping up with friends when they’re not seeing each other fairly often. which also helps explain why he was so nervous about losing his friends when he was in brazil (other than the obvious reasons). he also seems to have trouble picking up social cues, when he met kenma he didn’t really pick up on the fact that kenma seemed pretty uncomfortable with the situation. there are also other instances that i cannot be arsed to find rn, but do know that they exist.

also the gestures that he makes when he’s talking about volleyball seem like stimming to me, especially since he does it when talking about what i see as his special interest. i’m speaking from personal experience when i say that i tend to stim more when i’m talking about my special interest or a current hyperfixation. the fidgeting that he does in general could be considered stimming since they’re repetitive physical movements (though those aren’t the only type of stim they are the one that applies the most to hinata).

the way he explains how volleyball works in his mind but it doesn’t make sense to anybody else (besides noya). idk how to explain this one, just thought i’d mention it. if anyone has anything to add for this one please let me know.

let me know what you think of this!! i’m open to discussion about this (i really really wanna talk to somebody about it), but please remember to be respectful even if you disagree with me. thanks for reading, i hope it made sense.

[grungeeuvu]

I love Goshiki so much and you all get to hear me briefly explaining his character:

Goshiki is the only first-year on the starting lineup of a powerhouse school that is absolutely formidable. Imagine the pressure, being selected out of the other hundred students: not just the other first years but also the second and third years. There aren't even any other first years on the bench, he is the only first year on the court entirely. Seriously, imagine the stress he is under to perform as calmly, perfectly and logically as all his cold and unreasonable upperclassmen, who've all been to nationals many times. Not only that, he is regularly told he will be the next ace once Ushijima, one of the top three in the whole country, graduates.

Everyone expects him to live up to being the ace of a legendary team, succeeding the local "miracle boy" himself. He probably doesn't have a lot of his friends in his classes due to volleyball commitments and probably is shunned by other first years on the club out of jealousy. The only company he'd really have are his other teammates, whom he is trying so hard to impress. He doesn't want to let them down, he wants to do them proud and be worth all the effort they put into him.

He is a bit loud, brazen, tries to talk big but you can see how much he looks for his upperclassmen's approval. He's making promises, he's trying to show the team that he's not cracking under the pressure, that he can brush it off too. He's challenging ushijima to prove he's fearless, to prove he's not daunted by the task everyone is expecting him to accept.

Some might read that and think I'm saying he's crumbling on the inside, that this pressure is breaking him into nothing but I wouldn't say crumbling. Hell, I don't think Goshiki could ever actually crumble. I think part of him believes this sense of confidence. I would say, though, that there is a voice in the back of his head that tells him he's not enough. Everytime he messes up, it sits in the back of his mind, every point missed he feels it. He knows he's giving his all but he wants to give more.

I love Goshiki Tsutomu and he is so often treated like a pet peeve of arrogance or Shiratorizawa's "baby" but think of it like this: Ushijima hates baseless confidence. He hates when someone's bark is louder than their bite, we see how he views Hinata for a start. Do you think he'd ever encourage Goshiki so honestly if he didn't have the potential to enhance Shiratorizawa?

Do you think Washijou would've even glanced at him if he wasn't something? Do you think Shirabu would set to someone who wouldn't score? Do you think anyone in the team would let him mess up and geek out if they didn't believe, deep down, he was as good as them?

When my mum watched Haikyuu with me, she said she found Goshiki arrogant, annoying and immature: it infuriated me and I could never quite articulate how she has misread him so much. Maybe on the surface he seems that way but it's because it is all on the surface. He is constantly trying to seem cool, for the validation and respect of his senpais, who do not seem to understand that the praise is really what he needs.

When Hinata compliments him, Goshiki shone and he performed with flying colours. The praise was all it took for him to change his mind on a dime and play with them and, not to mention, he was the designated leader of that training camp for sure!

He was the one everyone had their eyes on and he was the most advanced - you could tell that these players respected him and I hope he knew it, I hope it gave him the confidence boost he'd been lacking for so long ever since joining Shiratorizawa.

It got slightly off track at the end but I hope you followed :') I love my boy lol

[wyfy-meltdown]

*looks at your account*

“Going Through A Madoka Magica Phase, Again”

I mean, I can see why it’d catch up to your brain again, it’s a wonderful show–

(ALSO NAGISA IS AMAZING)

I managed to ever so slightly become not as obsessed with Madoka Magica for a brief time before accidentally nosediving into allowing PMMM to consume my life for a second time. It's too good of a show: they need to put some safety labels on it.

Also I love Nagisa she is the most wonderful cheese goblin, she does nothing and yet makes two of the most emotionally impactful moments in the franchise and-

[weathertheraine]

Choice breakdown pt 2 - Tsukishima

Here are Tsukishima’s frames from the Karasuno-five choice trend video !! He’s the only one who ended up with one of every word (maybe my favouritism is showing haha).

Video here!

BRAIN: as I said with Yamaguchi, the first ‘round’ of words, I picked the most obvious theme associations so Tsukishima gets ‘brain’ as the most intellectual/clever of the first years and the one most associated with strategy and planning.

MELATONIN: another more obvious one, here showing Tsukishima’s low level of energy and effort in the beginning of the series, as well as him being exasperated and tired out by his teammates.

CONTROL: this one is more interesting - representing Tsukishima’s need to stay in control: distanced and protected, while the breaking glasses show the cracks in his controlled facade and the fact that he is far more emotionally driven than he would like people to think.

LOVE: the missing word Tsukishima gets is ‘love’. I chose to have his eyes shut rather than simply being blanked out like the other missing words, since love isn’t something he lacks but that he’s become resistant to after his conflict with Akiteru. Tsukishima loves his brother a lot, which is the reason he got hurt, so I wanted to show his resistance to love and emotion by having him screw up his eyes against the implied word on this frame. I also like how the soundtrack kind of sounds like a ringing in his ears on that beat.

CAFFEINATE: part of these later stages was making sure people didn’t repeat words - but I like the idea of Tsukishima becoming alert and worked-up as part of his growing arc - like him being stressed out and running on all cylinders in the Shiratorizawa match, showing how far he’s come in his effort level

HEART: and then heart, where his glasses are lowered to show his vulnerability, and the truth that he has a lot of emotion and heart if he can be persuaded to show it. Like Kageyama with ‘love’ as I’ll talk about, I wanted to show him kind of caught off-guard by this one, unprepared for his own vulnerability and feelings.

Yamaguchi / Tsukishima / Yachi / Kageyama / Hinata

[nartml]

Imagine still calling Bakugou an abuser in 2024 💀