#king Oikawa series

[freshfrenchtoast]

Kageyama's backstory only being revealed near the very end of the series is really interesting from a meta perspective.

For reference, his chapter is 387 out of 402. That's 96% of the way in.

To contrast, other characters like Tsukishima and Yamaguchi's backstories are shown in Chapters 87-88.

Now, we do get the explanation for his "King of the Court" title in Chapter 6, at the start of the series, but we don't see how he got to that point, or why he started playing volleyball in the first place like Tsukishima's and Yamaguchi's stories show.

It creates this situation where, despite being the deuteragonist, the character our protagonist, Hinata, is practically glued to the entire series, we barely know anything about him.

We don't even know he has a sister until that point whereas other characters' siblings like Natsu, Saeko, Akiteru, Alisa have all made appearances way before then. Even Oikawa's sister, though we don't see her, we at least know she exists because of Takeru.

He's both closed off to us (the audience) as well as the other characters in the series, and this results in them finding him rude or disliking his character in general (see: the "Kageyama is abusive" discourse that somehow keeps popping up even now).

Chapter 387 takes place in 2018 and was published in 2020 so it takes him 6 years of in-universe time and 8 years of irl time to really open up.

And the catalyst for all of this is Hinata fulfilling his promise of beating him.

You see, another thing to note is that, whenever Hinata thinks of Kageyama, he's always looking at him from behind.

His internal image of him is someone who's always up ahead, someone he needs to catch up to, meaning Hinata can only see one side of him, he cannot see all of Kageyama until he catches up and passes him.

Which he finally does here.

In this shot Hinata is finally the one who's looking back at Kageyama. At this moment, Hinata (and by extension the audience) can see him for all he is, can see how he was just a lonely boy who's been waiting for someone to meet him where he is, to keep running alongside him and not quit the race.

Someone he doesn't have to go easy on. Someone who would actually tell him to hurry up instead of slow down for a change.

His someone better.

[kairismess]

❝HIS HEART IS ALL YOURS❞

🏐 genre: fluff ~

✒️ word count: 1,198

💭 summary: it had never dawned on you that the great king of the court, tooru oikawa, would ever have a crush on you: a mere background character in the greater scheme of things. if only you knew just how much he adored you–maybe then you'd realize you're more than a side character in the plot of your (and his) life.

💗 special mention: @moonswolfie for requesting this on my @kairiscorner acc !!

🍧 request: "Beg and you shall recieve, make oikawa fall for the nerd girl😈😈😈"

the concept of being in a relationship was foreign to you. you had never really had a proper relationship with anybody in regards to romance; it was like all and every thought of romance was something you never truly experienced, if you didn't count otome games and dating sims that you always pored over, spent all your time playing and devoting your allowances to new costumes and dialogues from your favorite love interests that made you feel pretty, wanted, and loved.

you never really stood out to anybody, that much you believed was true. you found it hard to see anybody liking you, who avidly wore anime shirts and collected expensive figurines and hung up posters of your favorite game series, cartoons, animes, movies, and shows all over your room. and you don't even wanna bring up the fact that you casually play rpgs whenever you can, wearing the cutest set of headphones that made you stand out in... a rather awkward way–a way you just wish you never got attention from, through stares and stifled chuckles of amusement from others.

you did all you could to ignore the stares, the laughter, the snide comments from girls who thought they were better than you–and you had grown quite used to being alone, to finding solace in games and the internet. and though it wasn't healthy, this was a place you called home; and those characters on your screen that always smiled whenever you chose a good interaction choice, whenever you held them in the right places, they made you feel happy.

but there was another boy who wanted to make you feel happy, a boy who appeared and acted like he came right out of a fairy tale; the male lead in a shoujo manga you never thought you'd live out to be female lead in.

tooru oikawa–the great king of the court, the boy every girl in your year had the hots for. you never really paid that much attention to him because, of course, why would you waste your valuable time and energy on a boy you never knew well, nor would even take an interest in you?

sure, he was your classmate and occasional partner for activities and group works, but his personality always seemed so fake. you knew he was acting like a kind of host boy in a host club, and though you knew guys like that were totally your type, you always kept your guard up around him.

it wasn't like he was going to hurt you, anyway, he was too gallant for that, it seemed. the way a boy like this would only hurt you would be through getting your hopes up that he'd ever like you, and ultimately thank you for being a mere fan and forget your name, maybe laugh about your silly headphones and the way your eyes shone whenever your favorite character called you cute in a dating sim.

but... it was these very qualities that drew oikawa to you.

oikawa had only known you existed for a few months now, since he saw you so often during class as his new seatmate. he knew you weren't anything like the girls that vied for his attention, and it felt like a breath of fresh air for him, not having someone breathe down his neck every few seconds at every little thing he does.

sure, you were a little messy sometimes, a little quiet, a little awkward–a little in your own head most of the time, but it was, in your own unique way, charming. oikawa would instinctively smile to himself whenever you'd get flustered at him asking you for a pencil while you were sneaking to play your otome games on your phone in class, and he'd feel a little proud of you whenever you'd recite in class.

he knew it was hard for you sometimes to show confidence, though he always encouraged you to stand up straight, "you look pretty when you hold your chin up high," he'd always say. of course, you'd sometimes side eye him, and it'd make him a little worried he said something wrong, but it's the fact that you keep oikawa on his toes about how he makes you feel around you that allures him to you even more.

from talking to you during class, he'd bring the conversations outside of class. of course, he'd always carry the conversation while you were trying to beat a really hard boss in your rpgs. he'd cheer you on while he had no idea what was going on–and even the rest of the third years were worried oikawa had some ulterior motives with you, but when they saw how different that usually plastic smile of his was whenever he'd look at you, talk to you, try to get closer with you... it was like there was something out of place there, that got replaced with something purer.

shocking, they know.

"alright, out with it." iwaizumi spat out, hitting oikawa lightly on the shoulder. oikawa looked at iwaizumi curiously. "out with what, iwa-chan?" "are you stupid? you know you can't make her a victim of your charms." when iwaizumi said that, he knew exactly who the her he was referring to was. it was you.

oikawa looked at iwaizumi all pouty, his eyebrows furrowed. "how low do you think of me? i'm not charming her for anything malicious..." "so you're admitting you are making her like you." "i-i never said that!" oikawa retorted, his face getting redder and hotter, his voice getting higher as he was on the brink of admitting the truth.

iwaizumi furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips. "so why are you doing this, it's clear she has no interest in you." oikawa couldn't argue with iwaizumi's statement, it was true, you didn't look like you had fully trusted oikawa, and that hurt him to a degree nobody, not even he could bear.

"...because i like her. and i want her to trust me." oikawa muttered, looking away from iwaizumi. it was hard for him to admit, but there was no other way to express it without getting totally crushed by his own half truths and half lies. this was the whole, unadulterated truth–tooru oikawa, the great king of the court, liked you.

he liked the way you got flustered whenever your favorite character would say they love you, he liked the way you glared at him when you'd catch on to his flirting, he liked the way you were so knowledgeable on such nerdy things that... he had watched all your favorite movies and animes, and was planning to gift you merch this coming holiday season.

"...well, you have a lot of work to do to prove to her you like her." "no kidding..." oikawa replied with a sigh, at least his best friend supported his crush on you. he knew it might take a while, a very long while–maybe a whole lifetime to prove how much he loved you. but he'd prove it to you, somehow, and he won't ever stop until he shows his little nerdy girl just how much he's serious about her; how much he loves you.

[imoncloud7]

oikawa bf headcanons

notes: for those following my smau series (casual) i am working on another part!! itll either be up later tonight or tmr

in the meantime, i need to drop my oikawa bf headcanons lol i love him

first off i feel like he'd date someone that brings him down to earth a bit, like someone who can humble him

he is the great king of the sassy man apocalypse

hands on hips and everything

lots of playful arguing

always ends with cuddles n kisses tho

his love language is def physical touch

like he needs some sort of contact at all times

walking to practice? holding hands, pinkies, arm around the shoulder, just some sort of physical attachment

LOVES to rest his head on your shoulder 

when cuddling he def loves to lay on your chest and have his head nestled into your neck

he requires you to play with his hair 

ceo of the puppy dog eyes 

“Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”

“no tooru im trying to study” 

“if i buy you dinner?”

“yes”

his teammates love you 

bc u can keep him in check lol 

and you get in on their bullying 

camera trained bf, he knows exactly how to take pictures of you for ig

shopping w him is really easy, he won’t lie to you about what looks good and what doesn’t 

“tooru how do you think these jeans look?” 

“hm i think you’d look better in low rise jeans. want me to grab a pair?”

when he’s sad he loves to lay in your bed and just rot with you 

so many movie marathons omg 

SNACK HOGGER

BLANKET HOGGER

overall a great boyfriend, growing up with a sister really did him good

[aozui]

POKER FACE previous series masterlist next OO2: PACIFIERS FOR GROWN MEN warnings - language, crude humor, kys joke, mention of meds currently playing coffee cold by galt macdermot

- layout for the articles between texts inspired by mitch @.sandwhitches LOVE YOU BIG BRO CMERE AND GIMME A HUG

- she’s just a phase sukuna mentioned plug plug plug

- oikawa helped host love island this year he’s the king of sidequests.. imagine if instead of ariana we got kendall 😬

- sorry sort of a filler episode even though 99% of it is necessary info. shit goes DOWN in the next two …ranpo < 3 < 3 < 3

- typo in the tweet but tumblr keeps glitching when I go to fix it so I KNOW HOW TO SPELL RESORTED GUYS I SWEAR

- long planned to make a spinoff for omi (and issei), if anyone’s interested they can peek at the playlist here

- watching dandadan & mob psycho at the same time feels like putting two kaleidoscopes over both my eyes

- what is up rn oh my god the air is so off this month. I’m at the autopilot period of the year where you do errands like an out of body experience lmfao please tell me someone gets me

TAGS ( CHECK SETTINGS IF YOURS IS IN BLUE! ) @nectardaddy @nekozaki @yogurtkags @s1ckntw1st3d @corvid007 @moonstros1ty @thatonecroc @chososcamgirl @aobajozai @kiyoramen @asrichin @mochroialainn @dazqa @itsdragonius @acesgirlfriend @galsxi @klanimei @lost-0rchid @atzixo @mollyrolls @izanacult @whorefornoodles @kr1nqu @ghostreader0307 @honeyfewr @weezerbby @a1-ic3 @sh0ot1ngst4r 30/50, see series masterlist for taglist instructions

[haikyuu-moments]

if you think this is some kind of cursed image you're wrong! that's actually the oikawa. kageyama's great nightmare. the great king 🤴

lol, i love reading haikyuu-bu!! here's 2 panels of the chapter with oikendo (the name that first came to mind when i saw him)

for people who don't know, haikyuu-bu!! is a spin-off manga series based on haikyuu!!. it is written and illustrated by kyōhei miyajima.

[yamisamuel]

Haikyuu and it’s characters have such a special place in my heart. I should have watched the show sooner, but I am happy that I watched it back when I watched it.

I relate to the characters so much and can’t help but be inspired by them. Characters like Yamaguchi, Sugawara, Oikawa and Kenma all are characters that I desperately needed. Their characters teached me so many things.

Yamaguchi, who teached me to be more confident. He teached me that just because I am not as great at something as my friends, doesn’t mean that I’m useless and I can always find ways to improve.

Sugawara, who was ready to give his place as a starter setter to Kageyama, who is seen as a volleyball “genius” and “king”. Yet he was not bitter, but instead helped him. Sugawara showed Kageyama what he can do better, even though it meant that he himself wouldn’t be the strongest setter of the team anymore. Suga teached me that it’s more important to just help others out and push them to improve, instead of feeling jealousy. And sometimes what my friends need is someone to count on to help and support them.

Oikawa never got into nationals in high school, yet after time skip he’s playing in the olympics, his coach being the man who inspired him to become a setter! He didn’t make it as far in high school as some of the other characters, but he still made his dream come true.

And Kenma, the character who I relate the most. He was the one who truly pushed me. He is a lot like me, not the most athletic or social, rather playing video games, but easily bored if he falls into a full routine. He doesn’t play volleyball because he likes it, but rather because his friends do and it became a routine to him.

He sees the world like a game, but when the game is too easy, he becomes bored and depressed, yet there isn’t a reason for him to push himself to try harder, to take the harder path.

But when he is pushed into giving his all, forced to make an effort, he starts having fun. He learns that sometimes taking the harder path and actually making effort can make the end reward better, fun and more satisfying.

His story of learning to have fun while playing volleyball is something I relate to, both in volleyball and other hobbies. Volleyball was the first just a sport that I liked the most because it forces you into team play, but when I actually started playing seriously (or well, half seriously since I don’t play professionally), I noticed that it was more enjoyable to see my team win. Like Kenma, I don’t have the plans to become a professional player, but I will now continue playing it for fun.

Kenma clearly didn’t know fully what he liked and unlike everyone else he knew, volleyball didn’t immediately suck him in, but with time he learned to enjoy it.

This accidentally turned into a Kenma rant, but I don’t give a fuck. These characters teached me so much and make me actually fully push myself to do what I enjoy!

This is (partly) why Haikyuu is my favorite series and why I really needed it in my life. I don’t think I would be who I am if it wasn’t for the whole cast of characters inspiring me.

[mania-sama]

trick or treat!! =)

love the emoticon! the candy you've gracefully drawn is... a crossover! interesting, i wonder what kind... ah, yes! what gods i think the haikyuu characters are children of, in reference to percy jackson lore. i'm doing specifically the greek cabins (so, none of the gods that don't officially have any cabins, just to simplify things). but if i have any extra insight/thoughts on some of the other series (roman, norse, or egyptian) for the character, then i will give them.

i'm not doing all of the characters, just a select few that i can think of off the top of my head from most (not all) of the main high school teams:

KARASUNO

Hinata: Hermes, god of travelers and thieves, and often referred to as the "messenger of the gods". Now, I debated heavily on whether or not he would be a son of Hermes or Apollo, as Apollo is the embodiment of all things bright, but I think it is much more important that the speed aspect of Hinata's character is acknowledged. Additionally, Hermes... gets around. There are a lot of his kids, and at the beginning of the series, everybody who was unclaimed went to the Hermes cabin. Haikyuu is about, first and foremost, starting at the bottom and rising to the top. Literally, the main character's quote, "I'm Hinata Shoyo, from the Concrete." Nobody expects anything of him, as a child of Hermes. And then he proves that he can fly. Or, in Percy Jackson terms, be really cool and really important and have cool amazing powers, or something like that. He defies all expectations and fate itself and becomes someone worth listening to. He's like Luke, if Luke weren't so, hm, evil. I guess. And if he were a bit younger, more full of youthful life.

Kageyama: Apollo, god of archery, prophecy, healing, and disease, amongst many other things. I really went back and forth with him. Every god I thought of didn't seem right, but out of all of them, Apollo seems the most right (he very nearly got assigned Athena, but I think he is a little too stupid for that). He has natural talent, and I think that is something children of Apollo are blessed with. They are naturally talented at a great many things, and Kageyama was blessed with a natural talent of handling a volleyball. It's that disconnect from his peers that set him off. When people look at him, with his abilities and his unintentional controlling demeanor, they feel not just jealousy, but anger at the fact that he can't seem to get down at their level. That is the journey Apollo goes on in the Trials of Apollo, where he has to align himself with mortals and work with them, not just control them and make them do his bidding. The king has to become the peasant, and that is the same thing Kageyama has to go through. I am not here to say that Kageyama intentionally flaunts his power and precision and abilities, but he does do it, and it is something that he has to actively work through. Also, I think it pissed Oikawa OFF that Kageyama is a child of Apollo because Oikawa wanted to be that lmao.

Daichi: Hephaestus, god of fire and craftsmanship. I am NOT going to imply that he is ugly. He is not. My choice for him being a child of Hephaestus is not on any technical level; nothing about his character implies or shows that he's skilled with creation in any capacity. No, what it's interesting about Hephaestus is that, essentially, he provides the weaponry and tools that the gods use. When something breaks or needs repairing, he is the god the other gods turn to. He is the survivor of being thrown off of a cliff, you see. He is the foundation of the other gods. He is underrated; when you take away that foundation, the gods are left to stumble. Hephaestus can also have a certain level of wrath. He takes a lot, but he can also give a whole lot back in return. You don't get on Hephaestus' bad side. So, obviously, Daichi, as "Karasuno's foundation", would be a child of Hephaestus. He is that steady, important figure to stabilize and provide the tools needed for success for the rest of the team. Also, I think he played with fire as a kid. Sue me.

Nishinoya: Hermes, god of travelers and thieves. Originally, I had him clocked as a child of Hephaestus, but the more I explained it, the more I realized that, no, he is a child of Hermes. The reason why I thought Hephaestus was because of how much he reminds me of Leo Valdez (sans the insane levels of insecurity). But then I reconsidered. He is a menace to society. Children of Hermes are, in text, menaces to society. He's a fast little fucker, the guardian deity of the Karasuno. He came up with the quickest ways to get under the ball and back up to the air. The most damning evidence, though, is who he becomes in the timeskip. A traveler. He's all around the world, bringing himself and his love of volleyball with him wherever he goes. He's taking pictures, meeting new people, and having the time of his life. If he is not a child of Hermes, then Hermes is not the god of travelers, plain and simple.

Tsukkishima: Aphrodite, goddess of physical love and beauty. This mainly stems from how Riordan wrote the children of Aphrodite, who, for lack of better terms, are generally described as catty bitches in the first series. They also happen to be beautiful, and while I personally think Tsukkishima is... unattractive... I recognize that, canonically, he is attractive. For some reason. Anyway, many of the children of Aphrodite have the ability to use charmspeak, a type of hypnotism using words that can "convince" another person to do something that they want. Tsukkishima is most often featured using his words. He's not an incredibly physical person; when he wants to fight with someone, he does so using biting, venomous words. When he defends Yamaguchi in their backstory, he does so using intimidation in his words. He convinces them away. Also, Tsukkishima is a catty, mean character, but he is not without the positive attributes that redeem him, along with many of the Aphrodite children characters in the series.

AOBA JOHSAI

Oikawa: Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. I seriously debated him in putting him in another spot (Hades or Apollo, mainly), but I ultimately think he is a child of Athena, through and through. He is the head of his cabin, 100% percent, just like he is the captain of his team. He and Iwaizumi are the only ones I'm really going to bother mentioning for cabin heads, and that is because I have a very specific idea in my head, and thusly needs to be spoken into existence. Anyway, he is the strategist of his team. He sees the enemy across the court, and he is breaking them down in his mind. He is twisting their weaknesses in his head, and he is coming up with the strategy needed to win. But, another interesting thing to note when it comes to children of Athena, that the only thing they truly have is their minds. The smarts in their heads. They have no fun powers that may put them above their peers. They are "powerless". They can't control water, fire, or the wind itself. They can only strategize. I think this is important when it comes to Oikawa's character. He is someone who has had to fight to where he is, someone who was born with no natural talent, but forged it with his home-grown flames. That is a child of Athena. That is someone who will do everything to grow themselves into someone worth noticing, and someone who will do it well, and someone who will eventually win the war, no matter the battles that will be lost along the way (i.e. his eventual success to the Olympics in 2021). Not EVEN to mention the whole “pride” fatal flaw that Athena children tend to suffer from.

Iwaizumi: Ares, god of war. I want to make a special note that he is the head of his cabin, not only because he is strong, but he is also incredibly level-headed for a child of Ares. His violent side shines through, though; he is not a child of Ares for no reason. He is here because his first instinct to solve a problem is always going to be physically aggressive. To get sense through Oikawa's head, he bashes his forehead into his nose. He shakes him senseless, lobs volleyballs at his head, and is the deadly ace of his team. He is a child of Ares, and he is also best friends with the child of Athena, who's wisdom rubs off on him from time to time. Together, they make a deadly pair. Separate, they are strong, and they will war against each other with no end in sight (it is said that, when on opposing sides, neither Athena nor Ares can conquer or win over each other. They always come to a stalemate, regardless of what happens in PJO's capture the flag).

Hanamaki: Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, usually (though not by law) associated with darker magic like necromancy. You already KNOW he's cooking up some devious spells. He's got a whole book on how to ruin Oikawa's days through subtle, inconveniencing spells. He's learned how to quickly summon worms from the ground to invade Oikawa's tea in the morning. This is EXACTLY some type shit he would get up to.

Matsukawa: Hypnos, god of sleep. Oh, and you already KNOW he's right there beside Hanamaki to cause mayhem. They are the Stoll brothers 2.0., except completely unrelated, even by godly parentage. They are just best friends here to cause chaos for any camper they think is having too-good of a day. He's definitely invading Kyoutani's dreams and turning them into rainbow-glitter nightmares.

Kyoutani: Ares, god of war. Who else? Really, I want you to think of a more creative god to put this violent boy under. That's right, you CAN'T. He is the stereotypical Ares child. This is why he looks up to Iwaizumi so much, and really only listens to him (and why Oikawa chastises him so much); he really wants to prove to Iwaizumi that he is a great child of Ares. Really, though, he's just like the rest of them. Maybe just a tad more temperamental, though.

NEKOMA

Kuroo: Iris, goddess of communication and the rainbow. Now, you may be thinking, what the fuck, Mania? Where is this coming from? YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND. He was... very close to being a child of Athena, but I think his policy of "lowering the net", to teach everyone the love of volleyball and to give people the opportunity to do what they love the best that they can is vital to Kuroo's character. He becomes an organizer in the timeskip. He is actively pursuing his dream of bringing volleyball to everyone that he can, and I think that is so very, very important. He is the communicatory from the volleyball world (the gods) to everyone else who may just be an onlooker (mortals). He teaches those like Tsukkishima that volleyball is something that can be loved, not just played. He is the rainbow bridge bringing that love to everyone. Maybe she's not as cool or as sophisticated as the rest of the gods and cabins, but I want you to consider this: the demigods communication throughout the series was solely through Iris' rainbows. When her rainbows went down, nobody was able to talk to each other. Nobody. Everybody was in chaos, mayhem was tearing them apart. Nobody could get information quickly to point A and point B, all because they didn't have Iris' rainbows. Nobody would think to love or recognize her until she is gone. After all, you don't love or recognize breathing, do you?

Kenma: Hades, god of the underworld and the dead. I don't really have the best explanation for this other than the fact that I know this is right in my BONES. The way he interacts with other people just gives me child of Hades vibes. He's the brother of Nico di Angelo and Hazel Levesque and that is FINAL. Whenever I think of him, I think of the way, when he gets into whatever he's doing, he gets serious. Deadly. The way his gaze cuts over you, and the way you feel it gutting you inside out. The panel where he cages Hinata? So banger, so child of Hades. Not only that, but everyone kind of assumed he would do nothing with his life. Constantly playing games on his phone, never directing his energy into anything "productive" for society or for his physical health. And then, he has fun with volleyball. He grows up to be an extremely successful adult, CEO of his own company with thousands of fans at his beck and call. I think, when people saw Nico at his lowest, they figured he would be nothing and do nothing with his life. And then, he hones his power and becomes insanely strong, even if that strength comes at a price. I don't know how else to explain this, but Hades feels right to me and I make the laws around here, so. Yeah.

FUKURODANI

Bokuto: Zeus, god of the sky and thunder, more generally referred to as the "god of the gods". Listen. LISTEN to me. You HAVE to see the vision. When he goes to spike, the air CACKLES. It breaks, and the world shifts to recognize Bokuto as he flies. There is a reason that Akaashi is quoted to say, "We are the protagonists of this world." Why, when Bokuto is in the middle of the game, he says, "World, lend me your powers!" He embodies power, in my opinion, more than Ushijima or Sakusa ever did (who are both ranked, officially, above Bokuto in their high school days). It's clear that Furudate wanted to create a character that could embody that power, that victory, that all-importance, and he did that through Bokuto. You could argue Ushijima, but I think two things can be true at the same time. Bokuto is essentially a friendly version of Ushijima. Additionally, Zeus was known to have a temper. He was... an interesting... god, in the nicest way to put it. Bokuto's mind swings, and his incapability to reel in his emotions during his high school career, reflects Zeus neatly. And as a last little note, Bokuto graduated college, and nobody really knows how. If Zeus were a person, I kinda think that's how it would be for him, too. If you've read Percy Jackson, or really read any of Zeus' myths and legends, you'll see what I'm talking about. Not really the academic type, that one.

Akaashi: Nemesis, goddess of revenge. It also important to note that she is also considered a goddess of balance. To take something, you also have to give something. If you commit an act of violence, you will be aptly rewarded with violence in return. This is a little bit hard for me to explain, because it seems more obvious to align him with Athena. However, I think that balance is what really draws me to coin him as a child of Nemesis. He knows exactly where that push and pull is. He knows exactly when it is time to give and to take, when it is time to be mean or to be forgiving. A lot of people forget, I think, that Akaashi is not always kind to Bokuto. He joined Fukurodani to play with Bokuto, sure, but he is not a yes-man. He basically babysits Bokuto throughout the entirety of high-school. Handles him. Makes a list of his faults and strengths, and acts accordingly. Takes and gives to create balance. And that is how I view Nemesis, as the handler of the gods. She holds them accountable. She holds everyone accountable. (A more direct equivalent would be Themis, but she is... not an option.)

SHIRATORIZAWA

Ushijima: Jupiter, god of the sky and thunder, more generally referred to as the "god of the gods". No, I'm not even going to ENTERTAIN him as a child of a Greek god. In actual mythology, Jupiter and Zeus were really the same god. But in the book series, Jupiter is, essentially, a more orderly version of Zeus. Maybe not calmer, but more orderly. Camp Jupiter is also militaristic, organized, thorough. They train hard and expect great things of other people. I cannot think of any place that describes Ushijima and his mindset better. He is a child of Jupiter. People place their high expectations onto him, and he has nothing else to do but to follow through in their demands. He spikes hard, he plays hard, and he leads hard. People follow by his example, because they cannot help but to bask in his strength and glory. That is a child of Jupiter, per the Roman gods of Percy Jackson. And out of all of these that I have listed, I am the most sure of this decision.

Tendou: Tyche, goddess of luck and chance. While that may be his Greek cabin, I should like to add that I think he is, more clearly, a child of Loki (norse god of trickery), per Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. People bullied Tendou as a child. He was the freak, the monster under your bed, and he eventually grew into it. I think, in Valhalla, he is treated much the same way. People skirt around him because he is a child of Loki, the trickster god, the one set to bring down Asgard and the entire Norse mythological population... or something like that. I don't know. I'm not entirely up-to-date with Norse mythology. ANYWAY. He is a child of Loki, plan and simple. But he is also a resident of Valhalla. Despite what everyone says about him, he died a warrior's death. He died as a hero on a battlefield, the battlefield being a corner of a street in Japan where be bravely took a knife to his chest defending a child. He is a worthy man. He just also happens to be a trickster as well. I cannot think of a better summary for Tendou than that; the boy who could predict the freak quick attacks at every move, who sang unusual, eerie songs to piss off the people around him, who lets the term freak roll off of him, since he's now so used to it. I think he is someone who likes to play the occasional prank, who won't actually let a slight against him slide, should it be serious enough. Who would come up with the most creative way to get revenge on someone who punched him in the nose, in his late teenage years. Yes, that is who Tendou is.

Goshiki: Ares, god of war. I've already explained extensively how I think about Ares and his children, so I fear this should be obvious. Also, he seems more to be a child of Mars, the Roman god of war, just purely for that militaristic, orderly fashion that the Roman camp goes by in the books. I should explain that I've always viewed Ares/Mars to be a rip-off of Zeus/Jupiter. Literally the god children were born to because Uncle Rick couldn't overpopulate the Zeus/Jupiter cabins more than he already did. So, yeah. Goshiki is striving to be the ace of Shiratorizawa, following directly in Ushijima's footsteps. He's just a more volatile, rip-off version of Ushijima (no hate to Goshiki, and I sincerely apologize for my words to all Goshiki fans. But this is how I believe. He is funny for this exact reason. A blood-lusted, temperamental version of Ushijima). He is a child of Mars, through and through.

INARIZAKI

Kita: Demeter, goddess of agriculture. Is this a bit of a gimme? Sure, but it's a gimme for a reason. Demeter absolutely fits him well. In Percy Jackson, Demeter is one of the cabins that's severely overlooked, in my opinion. We don't get much on their characters until we hit Meg, who's lineage to Demeter is very non-relevant due to all of the stuff she has going on with Nero. Likewise, as he is in the series/manga, Kita is a severely underestimated character until we see just how impactful he is on the court. In his story, he doesn't even get a jersey until high school. And then, suddenly, in his third year, he's made captain? He's the example, what people should follow if they want to succeed. Likewise, people worshipped Demeter for their harvest, which was absolutely essential to their lives in Ancient Greece. Then, of course, Kita grows up to be a farmer. That plays a part in my decision, too.

Atsumu & Osamu: Nike, goddess of victory. It would be too much of a gimme to compare them to the Stoll brothers. Really, I don't think they are that much alike the Stoll Twins, so they do not get the Hermes cabin. They are so clearly children of victory that it HURTS. I think, despite their obvious hunger to win, the dead give-away is the amount of pain and anger Atsumu was in when Osamu told him he wouldn't be going pro. To Atsumu, he and Osamu were his ideas of victory. He thought that the only way to win was together. When that broke, he felt like Osamu was admitting defeat, and bringing Atsumu down with him. He felt like Osamu was preventing their victory, their chances to win and their chances at ever bathing in the glory of competition ever again. Because that is also a give-away of their parentage; their competitive streaks. As much as victory is important together against other people, they are also striving to be victorious over each other (i.e. Osamu's bet to Atsumu to see who will be the happier twin). When you think of Miya Twins, only one word should ever come to your mind: Victory.

Aran: Apollo, god of archery, prophecy, healing, and disease, amongst many other things. But, I am not very confident about this. Why? Well, I sat with him for a really long time and pondered what cabin he would be in. Nothing felt right, and I was juggled between many options. And then I realized, oh my God, he is a magician for SURE. He is definitely an avatar of Horus, Egyptian god of the sky and (somewhat) the sun, per the Kane Chronicles. It's been a while since I've read any of the Kane Chronicles books, and I have never truly finished the series, not for the fault of not finding it interesting or good, it's just never worked out. So unfortunately, I don't have as much insight as I do for many of the other characters. However, I will provide this: Aran has a slightly different energy than Bokuto and Ushijima, but he is still powerful in much the same ways they are. His energy is very similar, but it's not the same. They are Roman and Greek, who were pretty much the same gods in actual mythology. Horus is a little different; Horus is the son of the sun, Ra. He is a leader of the gods, and in some tales, he is considered the "god of the gods", kind of. And that's all I really have; I just KNOW this is right. Trust me.

ITACHIYAMA

Sakusa: Apollo, god of archery, prophecy, healing, and disease, amongst many other things. Yes, the jokes write themselves. He is a top two ace. His precision and speed is deadly accurate, with insanely flexible wrists. He is a cutie patootie. I mean, LOOK at him. That is an attractive man. He does not obtain some of the other qualities that Apollo children may have (namely, comfortably at the center of attention), but that does not mean he isn't one. I look at the way he cares for his health and well-being, constantly donning a mask and worrying about germs. I look at his strengths and the way he analyzes other people, slamming the ball like Apollo sends an arrow into Achilles' heel. His words tear into you, breaking you down and all your weaknesses. He demands to know more, because Apollo is the god of prophecy and knowledge, a god that inherently bestows curiosity into all of his children. Sakusa's curiosity just tends to come off more, ah, aggressively. I guess.

[raisunomii]

Hi,.....if you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top 5 favorite characters from Haikyuu? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

I haven't! You're actually my first ask so this is super fun!! My top five would prob be 1. Oikawa Tooru 2. Atsumu Miya 3. Akaashi Keiji 4. Iwaizumi Hajime 5. Kageyama Tobio (but honorable mention Suga because he's a darlin' but I can't say he clears top 5)

I really really love cocky characters? casually arrogant characters really do it for me but also I find that all of the HQ boys have something they deserve to take pride in! pride is also such a big concept in HQ because 1. Japanese culture 2. athlete culture and I love to see characters that fully embrace it. Also I'm a sucker for pretty boys. Iwa's there because I had a massive crush on him in my sophomore year of HS.

TOP FIVE MOMENTS UNDER THE CUT!

My five moments are definitely more mundane than any insane on-court action. I love to see characters interact more than ANYTHING.

"this is going to be one extravagant family quarrel." Oikawa acknowledging that even though the monster generation has grown up and grown apart, they are still childhood friends and the best teammates/enemies on the court that the others have... you can tear found family out of my cold dead hands! ESPECIALLY when it's oikawa tooru.

"we messed around too much, tsumu." "you're right, samu." i love the miya twins and i have an adoration for their attitude towards volleyball, which is "ill drop it if it isn't fun" because I feel like we get a lot of characters in the series who are battling to remind themselves that volleyball IS fun and that they DO love volleyball (showcased in brazil arc). But the miya twins purely do it because of the novelty. this moment also is them acknowledging that they let down their senpais by not winning them nationals for their last year. despite being the favorites to win, Inarizaki lost to a small, underfunded school... social commentary.

"thank you for hitting exactly how i expected you would every time." okay THIS moment really showed how good tsukishima is at blocking, despite him being one of the more passive blockers in the series. tsukishima's attitude towards blocking develops a lot throughout the series especially when we see him challenge date tech and shiratorizawa. i love that he's almost completely disregarded kill-blocking near the end of the series (SWEETENED by the knowledge that he goes pro, my darling boy) in favor of his own playing style. this scene definitely shows his development, especially when going against a blocker like sunarin. :)

"if you ever get boring, i'll drop you." Firstly, it's nice to see that kenma keeps his near-psychopathic attitude even after he's grown up (my redditor king) but also- I LOVE kenhina whether it's platonic or slash. Kenhina is one of the pairings which I FIND has the most chemistry, so to see them carry on being not only besties but also have a sponsor/beneficiary relationship is awesome. (I also secretly relate it to a prince/his champion relationship in my mind but shhh).

"power curry is a service ace!" This is so domestic. seeing the characters make fun of each other for their cringey moments as celebrities... it's so good. they really are each other's family and i will cherish every moment which we're reminded of it.

Anyways thank you so so much for your ask!! i had so much fun answering it :>

[miyamoratsumuu]

𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐊𝐘𝐔𝐔 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

-where the crows take flight, where the great king became a comrade, where the eagles soar, where the cats roar, where the owls prey, where the foxes are the most sly, and the weasels unpredictable

navigation . . .

DRABBLES (short fics below 1k words)

↳ "uh, tsumu?". . . it's normal for people in a relationship to BOTH share their clothes. right? (miya atsumu, gn reader. fluff, crack) ↳ at midnight. . . kuroo tetsuro being the nerd he is, had the audacity to give you butterflies this late in the evening. (kuroo tetsuro, gn reader. fluff) ↳ you're safe here. . . you come home late due to an accident during volleyball practice. little did you know your boyfriend was waiting for you the whole time. (seperately- oikawa toru, bokuto koutaro, kuroo tetsuro, gn reader, fluff, comfort) ↳ out of your league. . . he wanted to be yours. and he can be., but certain circumstances say otherwise. ↳ unsent letters. . . he was a writer, you were his muse. and every stroke of his pen reminded him just why all he wished for was to be the one to love you until the end of forever. (iwaizumi hajime, fem reader. fluff, angst)

HEADCANONS

↳ dating the pretty setter squad W/ MOODBOARDS. . . ft. oikawa, akaashi, kenma, atsumu, semi ↳ dating the hq boys, W/ MOODBOARDS pt. 2. . . ft. kuroo, mattsun, suna ↳ dating the hq boys, W/ MOODBOARDS pt. 3. . . ft. bokuto, iwaizumi, tsukishima ↳ haikyuu boys + tiktok trends with you. . . ft. various hq boys ↳ in love all over again. . . as you walked down the aisle, the song that described the story of your love played in the background. or your wedding with them as opm (original pinoy music) songs (ft. various male characters) ↳ still into you. . . after all this time, kenma was still into you as much as he was in the beginning of your relationship (ft. kenma)

TEXTS/SMAUS

↳ jamais vu. . . (h.iwaizumi x reader smau series, ongoing)

FICS

↳ and they were roommates. . . keiji seemingly made everything easier for you when he moved in. especially the part where he made you fall in love with him. (akaashi keiji, gn reader. fluff. 1.9k words) ↳ easy to love. . . love has always been a beautiful mystery. until kiyoko came along to help you uncover it. (shimizu kiyoko, gn reader. fluff. 1.2k words)

[the-sky-is-my-home]

idk if anyone is here for hq analysis text posts in 2023 nor do I know if something like this has been made before but. it wouldn't leave my head so here. my attempt at a cohesive analysis of the kageyama/hinata/atsumu/osamu dynamic (note: this isn't meant in a shippy way at all. any relationship as complex and narratively juicy as this is great shipping material I know but for this post I wanna keep things canon)

for the sake of something like brevity (lol), I won't delve into the kageyama/hinata partnership here. I assume you watched/read the series and I don't need to explain how they're both partners and rivals. it's the core relationship of the story, after all. also, the twins are twins, and aran spelled out their dynamic and relationship pretty nicely in their flashback, so...

let's start with kageyama and atsumu, the first ones who cross paths outside of their partnerships. as we know, they don't exactly get along great at youth camp. they don't fight, but atsumu makes himself seem like an ass immediately by calling kageyama's playstyle that of a goody-two-shoes. to the reader, this feels like an incredible insult because the way kageyama plays has been developed through some hard-earned character development spanning the entire series so far. we're meant to conclude he's wrong and will be proven so in a future game.

except this is not at all what the interaction is about, or what it will lead to. we don't actually understand the conflicting perspectives here until after the timeskip. what this is is a misunderstanding between two very similar people whose experiences differ in one key aspect. both of them are setters who are incredibly talented and extremely dedicated to volleyball. both are blunt, and not afraid to point out other people's shortcomings. both of them have essentially been friendless and outcast on their middle school teams because of this.

there is just one key difference: kageyama has been desperately looking for someone better ever since his grandpa promised he'd find them, while atsumu has spent his entire volleyball career with "someone better" right at his side. at this point, kageyama only knows failure and rejection in that regard. his sister quit volleyball. his grandpa died. oikawa and iwaizumi had their own thing going on and were never really in his reach. kindaichi couldn't keep up, and kunimi absolutely wasn't willing to.

he's got hinata now, but the harsh truth is that while he's kageyama's partner, he's not "someone better" at this point. this is because he kinda sucks at volleyball even if he's rapidly learning. and this one, simple difference changed everything. when kageyama is too arrogant and demanding, his team rejects him, and he's alone and unable to play. when atsumu does the same, he still has osamu who will sit with him and make an effort to pull him into the group. and he's always got proof that he's not asking too much, because of course osamu can hit all of atsumu's sets. when kageyama is too harsh on his hitters, nobody can really handle it and people get scared, so he tones himself down. when atsumu does the same, osamu yells at him and fights with him, until atsumu gets his point, and the rest of the team sees it as a fun twin squabble, endearing rather than scary.

but the thing is, neither of them know anything about the other, and atsumu speaks with the absolute confidence of someone who only knows volleyball like this. he's got "someone better" privilege and he just doesn't know that's a thing one can have. (he actually has this over others, too, including hinata before he had a team. having to run alone is a common thing among the volleyball obsessed.) but with his perspective, unexplained and badly phrased as it may be, kageyama manages to grow yet again, with hinata crowning him king of the court again as he realizes he can demand things from his hitters and they'll answer him (and to this day, atsumu is totally clueless he kickstarted it, and also that osamu taught him the same).

but as the years pass, even as they remain rivals, they do start understanding each other on a level no one else can (see atsumu explaining kageyama's thought process of "the points I score are mine, the points my hitters score are also mine" to hinata)

but while I do think these parallels are fairly well understood, people are sleeping on the osamu/hinata parallels. probably because they seem so much more different at first glance, with osamu looking calm and disinterested while hinata is, well, hinata. all bouncy and loud and sunshine-y. but they're as much the same as kageyama and atsumu. both were excited kids who like volleyball and, even seeing and understanding how cool setters are, just didn't vibe with it because spiking is just cooler.

except hinata was alone in his desire for so long it went nowhere for years, while osamu could always play as he wanted, with the best and most dedicated setter right there at his side. the way osamu plays is what hinata could've/would've been if he could've played for years and years. (I love this cover page it says like yeah look they're the same just with vastly differing levels of experience)

we know this, because hinata's playstyle actually turns out a lot like osamu's after the timeskip. but even with those differences, regardless of pre- or post-timeskip, again osamu seems to just instinctually get hinata in ways nobody else seems to. from his "he plays like he's eating good grub" to being absolutely unimpressed by hinata simply expecting the ball to be there - because isn't that just the natural state of things? doesn't everyone have a setter who will bring the ball without fail? why wouldn't you expect it? it's not unreasonable or too demanding, it's just how it is - that everyone else clocks as special.

when hinata gets intense, people tend to get scared, but osamu plain isn't, because he's the same in too many ways, and the familiar isn't scary.

and years later, when even atsumu is surprised by the timing of hinata jumping for the freak quick, osamu isn't. this is exactly where he'd jump for it. just like hinata knew osamu would jump for it at the last point of their game in high school (and like kageyama knew atsumu would answer the spiker, both times, because he would, too).

but their arcs end in complete opposites, unlike their setters, because their starting points were more different, too. to go with the food metaphor introduced by osamu, he's someone who always got to eat his fill, while hinata was starving for years and only gets hungrier the more crumbs he gets to eat.

when hinata does get his fill, finally, he can never give it up. but what's a feast to him is just a normal meal for osamu, and he needs other spices to be happy. and I can't really make this fit in the food metaphor but. hinata shines the brightest on the court, but osamu gets eclipsed by atsumu because he's just not hungry enough for it. so it's only fitting hinata pours his all into it while osamu quits and finds his place somewhere else. hinata finds fulfillment in challenge, in teammates and rivalry (with kageyama), while osamu finds his in support (of atsumu) as opposed to competition, and pursuit of something that's entirely his own.

and then there's the relationship between atsumu and hinata. the first match they have is defined by atsumu first writing hinata off as a scrub (to be fair, the first impression he leaves is jumping for a toss and plain forgetting to hit it. it's hard to come back from that), but throughout the game, atsumu comes to understand hinata, and by the end of it, declares he'll toss to him one day.

even at this point, it's pointed out he's good news for hinata in the sense that he won't need kageyama forever. there's someone else who could be his setter and make him shine just as brightly.

what the coaches can't know is that atsumu will be in sore need of a partner just a few years down the line, and that by that time, hinata will be perfect for the position. yes, atsumu can give him the freak quicks. yes, he's the kind of setter hinata can expect the ball from. but post-timeskip, hinata can toss the ball to atsumu just like osamu used to. he can do all the fun, reckless, perfectly coordinated plays that atsumu used to do with his twin.

they're the perfect partners for each other, united even in their desire to beat kageyama, who's both of their main rival at this point, the one who hinata wanted to beat since his first game, and the one who's in the way of atsumu getting the serve trophy and the sole spot of setter on the olympic team.

I know this is a very anti-climactic last dynamic but. unfortunately, kageyama and osamu never really interacted. but for the record, I think it's a shame, we were robbed, and they'd absolutely get along great.

idk if there's a conclusion to be had here tbh, but the post-timeskip arrangement really is ideal for them all, exactly what they wanted. hinata gets to shine and continually improve himself, he gets to stand on the court as a force to be reckoned with. kageyama has finally, finally found the "someone better" he was promised, and through him, continually gets to play the challenging game he was sorely missing in his early years. atsumu gets to play exactly the kind of volleyball he likes, too, with the kind of partner at his side that made volleyball so fun for him from the start. all three of them get to play again and again and again, always learning and growing, winning and losing, and never getting tired of any of it. osamu, while he's not playing, gets to do his own thing that he loves just as much, and he's certainly not losing his dumbass happiness contest with his brother.

so. yeah. I may have thought about all this a little too much. leave me alone. (no don't please talk to me about this actually)

[lebbys-world]

i know i tend to mainly write for bnha, but would you guys read hcs/fics for other series as well?

i've been thinking of writing an oikawa x reader hard to get/enemies to lovers sort of fic? im SUCH a sucker for tooru falling in love with the one girl who just cant stand him (thats a lie- she actually thinks hes kinda cute, even if he is a brat. but why would she let such a showboy know that when hes trying so hard to make her like him?? and anyways, she likes learning more about the GENUINE oikawa, as opposed to the "great king" persona she always sees)

[sports-character-tournament]

FINALS

Tooru Oikawa (Haikyuu!) vs Meguru Bachira (Blue Lock)

Tooru Oikawa

Sport: Volleyball

Appearance: (1): brown hair, brown eyes, japanese (2): Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown Height: 184.3cm (pre-timeskip), 185.5cm (post-timeskip) Nationality: Japanese --> Argentinian

Propaganda: (1): Now you might have heard of Oikawa Tooru. The so-called "Great King" of volleyball. An exceptional setter. An unbelievable player. He is one of the most talented players in the series. On the surface, that may just sound like "Oh so he's just really good at volleyball big deal." But we have to take into account HOW he got good at volleyball and how that interacts with the others around him! Let's take into account one the most famous lines regarding his character: "Talent is something you make bloom. Instinct is something you polish." This is a very huge line in the series. Oikawa, like many of us, is very aware that anywhere you go, there are "geniuses." These are people who appear to be naturally gifted, those who are better than their peers effortlessly. Oikawa is not one of those people as it has been directly stated that "Oikawa Tooru is not a genius." He sees the value in his own training, improvement, and dedication. And it is that mindset that propels him to be one of the best. (2): Oikawa Tooru has had a great passion for volleyball ever since he was a child. After watching a professional setter play, he has followed his dream. He's described as someone who would continue playing volleyball for the rest of his life, by his childhood friend, and it's exactly what he does! He traveled across the world to play volleyball on a world stage as during his school days, his team could never make it to a national tournament (due to very strong opponents in their area preventing them from participating in a country wide competition). He got to play in the Olympics! Isn't that great!!! He's someone who is attuned to his team and brings out the best in the other volleyball player teams!! He works hard!! Has learned not to push himself too much, and ultimately remembers that the sport he loves is fun :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meguru Bachira

Sport: Football

Appearance: Black/dark brown hair with yellow under-dye. Yellow eyes. 176 cm. Japanese.

Propaganda: Because soccer is his livelihood!! Ever since he was a kid he was incredibly passionate about it which drove other kids to find him weird and bully him ): He developed an imaginary monster friend who he played against until he found someone who was like his monster in how he plays football <3 Then he ditched his monster for a while until he found a way to reincorporate it in his play style. He's everyone's first favorite character and he's impossible to hate.

[ladyhayaakawa]

Chronology of us (as it is, as it was, as it will be)

haijme iwaizumi x f!reader, kuroo tetsurou x f!reader

For you, life is synonymous with the azure blue of the Johsai, and love rings with the cadences of Hajime's voice. But life is cruel, and power vicious, and you wonder if this devotion will lead to your demise.

tags/warnings - period typical misogyny, childhood friends to lovers?, strangers to lovers??, hurt/comfort, little to no historical accuracy, manipulation, abuse of power/authority, aged up characters, objectification of women, depictions of violence, depressed reader, self-image issues, pining, blatant mischaracterisation, brief depiction of a very creepy old man, body image issues, bad writing, frequent pov changes

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||The king is cake, cunning and deep,

With promises to keep, secrets to sweep.

After all's said and done, he'll find,

Sweet dreams leave him far, far behind.||

One of your earliest memories involve Hajime, a funeral, that devil he calls his friend, and a frog.

Woken up hours before sunrise, you remember how the wardrobe camphor clung to the mantilla lace, folded thrice to fit your crown, and the grasp the Iwaizumi nurse had on partly-blindfolded you, on your hand unoccupied by flowers. You were tired, infantile annoyance in your steps at being pulled out of bed at odd hours, but it had to be done. His grandma, the dowager duchess, had suddenly “moved to heaven”, or so you were told—why she had done so in the late of the night you didn’t know—and your white roses and solemn eyes, at the behest of the the nurse, were to signify your sadness at her departure moreso than reverence for the late matriarch.

Toru, from the other side of the nurse, asked if the hag would be back anytime soon.

(Ever since he had been found hiding in her brassiere drawer, the old lady harboured an uncanny grudge towards the Oikawa child. You knew better than to believe Toru’s story of that being her secret stash of magic potions, and when she tried to turn him into a frog, he had escaped by the skin of his teeth.)

Hajime was dressed in the same teal-white as his father, drowning in the size of the ceremonial cape (not unlike you, you note), both males tasked with officiating the ceremony while the guests filed into the pews. He met your eyes for a moment before you knelt in front of his father, the tissue in your new shoes crunching to fill out the space beyond your toes, and you remember looking away because Toru kept fidgeting as the nanny led him to the coffin, gloves and flowers long since discarded.

(He later confessed to having dropped a frog with the flowers the nanny had hastily gathered at the altar. You thought it was funny. Hajime did not.)

────────────────────────────────────────────────

“Child, you know the Duchy will agree to end the betrothal, do you not?”

You feel betrayed. The Iwaizumis are the only family you have ever known, your only other relative being a father popping up in scenes few and far between. You thought they thought of you as a daughter, hell, at least family, someone not to be discarded like this, like rotten fruit, at a greedy behest.

Silly girl. They pity you no more.

Despite your anger, a part of you seeks to understand. Whether they want it or not, they will have little choice in the matter if the king made up his mind. Besides, why will they choose not to? They know their heir deserves better than you. He deserves someone deserving to be the lady of the house, a position beyond being his wife and companion. The thought burns. You had leeched on them long enough.

( A heartbreak weighs nothing. The scales tip; a betrayal weighs heavier)

You think of the first time you tasted tea in the lessons with Hajime’s grandma, how you scalded your tongue on her words and the heat she did not warn you about. It hurt then, and it hurts now, but there’s no grandma to begrudgingly hand you honey salves and candies. You consider getting on your knees.

would she have forsaken you too? (without a doubt).

“Please, Your Highness. Please don’t do this. I-I can’t do this. This is—”

Cruel.

(Washijō prides himself on his collections. He prides himself even more on his cruelty.)

You notice the king push his chair back, sighing as if weary of dealing with a child, as if weighing your petulance against his restraints. You pray silently.

“And here I was, thinking the duke held no affections for you. Was I wrong?”

No, no, I-he- he does. He asked me to wait. He said-

“Your debut blessing was that brooch-rhodonite, if I remember correctly? One of my late mother’s, she had an awful lot of those-“

Yes. Hajime hadn’t liked it on me, yet I insisted. It was customary. It was supposed to be a blessing. It-

“It has been so long since your debut, child. If he has not wed you till now, you know Iwaizumi is just trying to be kind-“

The princess is a young thing, pretty as expected of her bloodline, and all that her family name doles in with it. She’s prim and reads and sews and takes lessons in dances and—

(As have you. It is you, in the fundamentals, who is not enough.)

The king looks at you with mock goodwill, as if he hasn’t orchestrated this. His image sickens you, and you realise why Maman refuses to let anyone take his name in her house.

“But his kindness will run out. You should fear the day he discards you, no lineage to fall back on, no wealth of your own. What are you holding onto, child?”

What a fool of a man, Washijō muses, the sweetness of seeing the girl crumple unfurling under his tongue. The Iwaizumi heir is a fine diplomat, if his recent endeavors are any indication, a pawn on his board finely draped in the guise of a knight (fit to stand on the rows of a king). But a woman like this-

(The Aoba qualities without the blood ties; if not a lady of the house, then to warm the bed perhaps?)

Maybe his preferences lay elsewhere. His eyes trail down. Probably in more buxom specimens.

“Is it honour, perhaps?”

(The Aoba Johsai peerage, a quasi-independent body with a political influence comparable to the king, is represented by five sycamores woven into one. The monolithic tree stands in the northwestern regions overlooking the sea, thriving off a subterranean stream flowing down the mountains.

A miracle, it is called. The cornerstone of the blue bloods of Miyagi.)

“A standing in society?”

(When news reached the house that the king had fallen, along with his crimson allies, Aori realized three fundamental truths. One, as Lady Iwaizumi, she was to hold her post, come what may. Two, the safe house was a good one hour away on horseback, a quart more if they were to travel by underground. Three, she was a mother of two, despite her womb having carried one; her children had to survive the night, lest the hour of tyranny brought Seijoh to their knees.

And so she dressed them in peasant clothes, braided her daughter’s hair, and whispered blessings into their ears.

Maman? Won’t you come along?

—The new king had sent the military to their doors the next morning. It had handed them two chests, one holding a dead Luzon dove, the other a fresh violet—

She saw her daughter, beyond the disguise, a deeply unnerved magnification of her; one day slated to step into her shoes, and she turned to open her coffer.

A quarternary knot. A part of the miracle they carry.

“This”, she handed her the wrought pile of sapphires and pearls. “ Iwaizumi women are given this as soon as their marriage is announced. Your grandmother passed this onto her son for me, but I hand it to you. Keep Hajime safe for me, dear?”

She is family, no less.

This is us. This is what will be left of us. If–

She kissed them farewell. Too big for her hands.

Spare them. They’re so young. Please.)

“Maybe there’s a better settlement we can reach?”

There was a time when Washijō could just watch. Watch, with his fingers splayed on the glass, as his brothers played and fought, caged in by this frailty and reticence. Watch as his brother’s head was weighed down with the crown and a match he had once sought for himself. Now, he realises as he feels the chill of metal warm under his touch, he is barred by nothing (but the limits of his seemingly limitless mangled power.)

A pawn to a knight. A pawn to a queen.

You see the king reach out, fingers unguarded with gloves, slowly tracing over the veins on your wrist. His callouses catch on your skin in their ascent, and to your horror, he doesn’t stop.

Your sudden motion to stand throws both the king and the tea off of you. Vomit crawls up your throat at the act and his insinuation, and you wish the ground would swallow you.

“I will let you know my decision as soon as possible, Your Highness. Please lend me time. I will take your leave.”

You turn to leave without waiting for a reply, panic setting your veins alight. The door is too far, and it’s difficult to trudge the path under the weight of the eyes on your back. Just a minute more. You wrap your hands around the latch and push.

The door won’t open.

You push the latch, pull again for good measure, but it wouldn’t budge. Your demeanour splinters and falls apart, veins chilling in abject alarm.

I die here. At the hands of this tyrant. Like this, if not worse.

You don’t dare to turn as the chair is pushed back, and the king rises from his seat. The door is unlocked, yet held fast from the other side. You push with all you have. It doesn’t budge.

You don’t turn in fear of how close you might see him.

“I have overlooked your transgressions till now, child. You must know that I don’t enjoy being slighted.”

He sounds too close. The phantom grit of his skin burns you, yet you turn, hands pressed onto the door.

“This—” he gestures to you and the tea, “—was just my generosity.”

There’s nothing you can do, poor girl.

He knocks on the table twice, and you hear the hinges creak from behind you.

────────────────────────────────────────────────

You felt the brief prick of the needle on your skin before seeing the red on your reflection. The seamstress, youngest in the group of four, immediately fell to her knees, apologising profusely for her slip. It had been hours they had been at work, and you nodded understandably. When they had been called in, the straps of the dress wouldn’t stay up, and the waist sagged despite being tailored to you just a month earlier.

I must’ve lost a little weight.

You tried to blink away the hair falling into your eyes, afraid to move from the position they had put you in, lest you ended up interfering in the alterations. Gloves had been buttoned (and sewn for good measure), the sash thickened (and stitched), shoulders tied at the back with extra ribbons- you felt like a ragdoll, so, so horribly out of place.

The matron modiste, noticing your discomfort, reached out to push the strands away, and you smiled gratefully. You saw the hurry evident in the needle flashing in and out of the teal silk, and guilt seeped in. You should’ve noticed this before you left for the capital; what if there were no seamstresses available? Were you to show up to the King’s banquet like this?

You could only hope Hajime hadn’t been waiting for too long.

A good hour later, in the confines of the carriage, he sat across you, uncharacteristically soft in the dark, and you thought you could paint him in the pales of the palettes you owned. Older than the boy you had come to love, yet young, younger than the man that would brave to marry (you, you sincerely hoped you). Breath slightly fogging, yet warmer than the cold seeping in through the wood, you felt his eyes dart over you, trailing over the jewels matching his, down to the conspicuous lack of a ring.

“You look so-” pretty? beautiful? “-stiff. Is the dress too uncomfortable?”

You looked away.

Amid the slow roll of the gravel under you, you heard the capital live through its people; cheers of celebration, promises of good food, warm, gamboge—the street by the square, if you remembered correctly. You quickly learnt that you couldn’t turn enough to see beyond the seat across you. It was getting cold, almost unbearably so, and you moved to seat your palms under you, a futile gamble to warm them, wincing when the stitches dug into the softs of your elbow.

Hajime found himself barely swimming in his thoughts these days. There was much to do, affairs of the duchy to put into order, royal commands to carry out, papers, papers, a love to keep at bay until he could bear to breathe. Promises weathered but remembered; he would have to eventually settle into his position, the life dictated for him, be undeniably grounded to a legacy he thought he could shed, if only for a while (only because the promise of land was never far), and get married to you. You, who he had been taught to love, grown up loving, he hardly deserved you, yet he still choked under the gentle waves pushing him to you-the shore you were to his existence, he wanted to touch and push away all the same. You were shivering, and he dreamt of pulling you closer than the binds of unwed decorum.

But he could warm your hands. And sail in hopes of actually setting sail one day. Just a little while longer. Just a bit.

(He looked up to your father, a soul belonging to the sea, a merchant by nature, and his tales of lands beyond the horizon. He promised himself to see those one day— the pearl sands under a moon, the green clouds and walls so intricate they couldn’t be drawn. He would see, just see, and then return to shore. To you.)

You saw him shift and pull at his cloak, making quick work of unfastening two of the brooches and draping half his cloak over you. The warmth was immediate, your numb fingers curling into the fur, and pulling him minutely closer.

“The gloves are stitched?”

“The whole dress, really. They will have to cut me out of it once we return. Could you,” you huffed, “could you help me turn a little?”

He laughed quietly, shifting you with tightly corded strength to see out the window, but you found your vision still limited to him; the intermittent light and dark of the life on the streets reflected in his eyes, face bathed in the scintillations, white turned golden, teal to sepia.

You felt sick from how much you’re in love (its all you had ever known).

“We will be returning as soon as the formalities are over, is that alright?” he hummed, too close to speak needlessly loud. He eyed the nick on the column of your neck, barely visible under the powder; “I’ve called for a doctor at the townhouse, he’ll be there as soon as we go back.”

He was being tender, you recognized, perhaps stepping onto the role of being yours, bits you recognize from the murals of affection between the older Iwaizumis. These were the crumbs you had survived on till now, the ones sating your wait for him, the paint for your illusions of a life with him beyond the altar. He asked me to wait. So I will.

You thought you could wait. You would have to.

“Do you want to go for a walk, maybe if the doctor, or if, perhaps, after?,” you asked, “I think I saw them selling the sweets you brought home last time…”

You glanced up at him, and found him quickly looking away, frowning out the window.

“Not unless the doctor approves, no. It’s going to get colder here on out.”-her hands are so cold, do we stop somewhere for something warm? should we see the doctor now?- ”And I got a box of those sweets back at the townhouse.” He cleared his throat. “Several, actually. I know you liked them. “

(There was a brief moment where the vendor well and truly regretted calling out to the man in white and teal. His limerick of cakes and the king probably didn’t sit well with him, oh god he was losing his head today wasn’t he, the angry man in Aoba colours, he was getting too close—

“May I get two of these?” He pointed to the left. “ Also these.”

Once the surprise and relief washed over, his sense of business honed in on his catch. Loaded, definitely, someone who’s got a good taste for the finer things in life, like the sweets sold in this cart. It was easy to goad the man into handing over more coins than he had initially bargained for, thanks to his genius.

The king is cake, indeed.)

“I haven’t been to the capital in so long—“ last you were here you hadn’t even grown into your first corset- “don’t want to stay cooped up like at home.”

“You won’t be cooped up. We will be visiting your father tomorr-“

“I promise I won’t overexert myself, Hajime-“

“You know I’m having a hard time trusting those words. You’ve been looking so ill, you had me worried for- “

“Just for a little while, please? “

He sighed, shifting to lessen the pull on his shoulder, when had he linked his fingers with yours? He choked on the familiarity in you, your eyes painted with undertones of innocence, the quiet shades of his childhood. Maybe he could keep your hands warm in the winds outside too. Like before, his mind supplied. Just for a little while.

Your forehead a breath away; could he kiss you?

“Hajime?”

(You looked up to see him moving away. )

The two of you stood in front of the hall, his arm still around your waist from when he helped you down the carriage steps. There is a certain circumference provided to the two of you from the rest of the guests, a berth only their stares breached, and you quietly moved his arm into a bend for yours to slip into. His proximity was not unwelcome, but rather inappropriate in their eyes. He looked at you, worry still marring his features, and you nodded to assure him.

The moment before the doors opened for the two of you, you press your fingers into his skin in a slow caress. He was nervous, you noted, and you hoped you didn’t look as nervous as him.

We’ll be fine. We were, we are, and we will be.

The air shifted in the silence following the voice announcing you two, and you knew you would remember how it went wrong. You registered the horror first, embarrassment flooding in at a delay. The wine left a lengthy red laceration at your side, your hem beyond the reach of the shards owing to Hajime pulling you away. The world paced down beneath your feet as you both froze.

You turned to look at Hajime, too humiliated to think of actions beyond your instinct; you turned to him for the momentary succour of not being alone in this disgrace. You took in the sight of him, eyes intent on setting the gild aflame, fists clenched, all of him reverting to the rigidity of taut emotions, disappointment thinly veiled. You watched him close off what little warmth you had glimpsed, the cold burning your eyes the longer you took it in. You take a step after him, too late, and the stumble was hardly unnoticed; you had heard the initial crescendo of the gasps before your thoughts were reduced to noise.

(Lord Iwaizumi, and Lady Iwaizumi, the steward announced you as.)

You were no Lady Iwaizumi. (would you ever be?)

────────────────────────────────────────────────

|| —In the event of the Aoba Johsai leadership and associated governing bodies not fulfilling these obligations within the periods laid down above, the King and the Royal Court reserve the right to take all military or other measures of coercion which they may consider appropriate.||

Hajime thinks back to the first time he made you tea (it was just water, really).

He stares down at the now empty cup he is cradling, the detritus at the bottom rapidly cooling into acerb under his stare. The rest of the liquid seeped into the papers around in his idleness, and he thinks back to when tea came in cups too big for his hands and had sweets to accompany them.

(Tea is to be had after 3 clockwise swirls, with the spoon at 6 o’clock, and with absolutely no dunking. Your two pupils, albeit forced, listened as you schooled them on lessons you had learnt the day before.

No pinkies up. Napkins on the left.)

Coming to, he hurriedly pulls out his handkerchief to dab at them, his actions futile in impeding the rapidly disintegrating words. There, he thinks. He’s gone ahead and ruined it. Reports of unrest on the southern border, conflicts in the northwestern waters, hell, did they have copies of these anywhere? He wonders briefly if he is even suited to the role he has been bestowed- an advisor by name, a plenipotentiary armed as a knight, an ambassador to the king in regional conflicts-an unlikely favour, not without its own implications. Shoes too big for him. But why? Of all the Aoba families, the Iwaizumi’s were stout royalists, if only in the public eye. But the king knows. He knows the hooks and strings he has woven through their flesh to keep them in check; he knows of the festering humiliation of them being toothless mutts of his. To arm their heir with a sword and keep him near, surely—

“Son,” the king called him. “I hear of your victories in the east from the mouths of common people before I hear from your messenger. The pride of Aoba, they call you, did you know? They say you fight with words better than any sword they have ever seen.”

Kneeling down despite his wounds, Hajime felt pride prickle through him at the acknowledgement. The king was proud of him. His efforts were being acknowledged. It felt needlessly good, and he momentarily forgot how he had resolved to portray nothing more than quiet anger. Despite the convoluted ways the king had risen to power, this has been the longest they had been without any direct conflict with the lands neighboring them. Word of a king so ruthless he murdered his own kin for a taste of power did well to ward off their advances, and for a brief second, Hajime wondered if it all was for the best. There was peace, and it was glorious. A strong king at the helm, and they could finally prosper. Shame flooded him the next for even harbouring such thoughts- the same man with Aoba blood crusting under his fingertips, a death he escaped at the price of indignity.

“ You've proved yourself worthy, Hajime.”

(He made you tea when you wouldn’t stop crying when they were in hiding. You kept clinging to the little ball of fabric and cried day and night. The teacups were of clay, but it made you stop and smile.)

He grew up hearing the whispers about the four remaining blue families, rumors of betraying the fifth, how the family not conceding to the whims had been plundered. All that remained of them was a tomb built at the Oikawa’s discretion, disguised as a commoner's grave.

Betrayed by their kinsmen, they said.

|| —The fortifications, military establishments, and harbours of the region and surrounding territories shall be destroyed under the supervision of the Royal Court convened under the rule of His Highness, King Washijō Taiji, at the expense of Aoba Johsai within a period to be determined by the Royal Court.—||

The door opens, and his manservant bows in.

“Sir, the princess is here to see you.”

[stars-tonight]

hi, saw you were doing match ups and wanted to join!! long and romantic please. i use she/her and would love a boy match!

i’m tall (5’10” on a bad day), long wavy/curly ginger hair, freckles and i’m my friends’ “scary dog privilege” on a night out. i’m told i sit between doberman and black cat energy haha. i’ve also been told my care bear is grumpy bear, but i do have a silly side and will often show that with my loved ones. i 100% am a certified yapper though so can and will yap about everything and nothing (imagining in hq context just tossing balls to one of the boys in full yap mode and he’s just like “mhmm, yep, no way she said that, mhmm” lmao). I’m INFT-J.

my ideal partner would be someone who can match my energy either way, someone i can sit at a party with and judge everyone/ gossip over my drink but then do silly karaoke/re-enactments of drama with at the end of the evening over yum food. also i like a schedule, my life is planned through spreadsheets so need someone to match my organisation and be able to sit and plan each month.

hobbies wise i read, i used to do musical theatre and i cook. i do yoga and i collect teas (loose leaf, matchas etc.). i also come from a medical family so my medication cabinet is truly stacked and my friends text me for advice all the time, very much the doctor friend.

love languages, i am big on acts of service/gift giving, i love to cook for my loved ones and i’ll constantly buy little things that remind me of my friends to give to them or lending out books etc. as far as what i would look for i’m not really fussy? pda lowkey makes me cringe (handholding/ holding pinky fingers? ankles hooked around each other? LOVE. also like forehead/cheek kisses but couples that fully make out in public no thanks) so maybe not physical affection, but quality time and words of affirmation probably stand out the most.

let me know if you’d like anything else from me!!

headcanons

🥛 oikawa is probably the biggest gossiper in the whole series

🥛 like nobody really strikes me as a gossiper

🥛 but if there was one

🥛 IT WOULD BE OIKAWA

🥛 but he's also the one on karaoke night to be singing into the microphone like he's drunk

🥛 and everyone else (*the aoba johsai team) is just sitting on the couch looking at each other like "alright who spiked his drink? no that's just him?"

🥛 he likes how in control of your life you are

🥛 he can sometimes get carried away when thinking about volleyball

🥛 ("if you can't see the opponent standing in front of you then you can't defeat the one that lays beyond" -- king iwaizumi)

🥛 so he admires how grounded you are

🥛 will go to you for advice on what to do about injuries

🥛 i think he wears a knee brace but i believe he also had an ankle injury

🥛 will sometimes overexaggerate his pain just to see you take care of him

🥛 acts of service as a giving love language -> spoiled oikawa

🥛 loves it when you cook for him

🥛 if you get him something, he'll take it with him when he travels for tournaments

🥛 will call iwaizumi and laugh at him for not having someone to give him presents or cook for him

🥛 iwaizumi threatens to tell you an embarrassing story of oikawa's

🥛 that shuts him up quickly

🥛 in my mind, oikawa had so many fans, even in high school

🥛 so he'll probably want to keep his dating life private

🥛 meaning he's probably not big on pda

🥛 either this or he'll do the most embarrassing stuff in public

🥛 also he's used to "scary dog privilege"

🥛 (*cough iwaizumi*)

🥛 (i think you're literally the same height as iwaizumi too lol)

🥛 and will just stare at you when you go on rants with stars in his eyes

🥛 he genuinely thinks you're so beautiful

🥛 i feel like oikawa wouldn't hesitate to praise you

🥛 he sweet-talks enough for his fans lol

🥛 almost everything he says has a teasing tone to it

🥛 but sometimes he'll get vulnerable

🥛 usually late at night over the phone or if you're together in bed

🥛 and even though he's busy he'll always make time for you

🥛 if you don't live with him post-timeskip because of his games, he'll call or FaceTime you every night and complain about not being able to hold you

🥛 is the type to dramatically fall into your arms at the airport after some time away from each other

runner up for you was hinata shōyō!

A/N: there you go! i hope you liked it :) oikawa is probably my favorite haikyū!! character and one of my favorite fictional people of all time. he's such a comfort character and i relate to him so much ;-;

[wheniminouterspace]

Thoughts on Kageyama's backstory? Furudate saved the best for the last. Our setter. The King of Hearts presently. I love him with all of my life. True passion for the sport. And the fact that he got it all from his grandfather makes it so much more wholesome. Always knew that this dude would have a peak backstory when he says that he trains his fingers and keeps them in the best shape possible. 😭

"Always knew that this dude would have a peak backstory when he says that he trains his fingers and keeps them in the best shape possible."

shoyo says something very similar when he finds kageyama journaling, he says he doesn't know what happened, but he knows

and in the manga you can see baby tobio in the corner of the gym with the ball when he accompanies his sister and grandfather to the gym for practice. he really has been practicing every single day. if no one practiced with him, he'd practice serving. his grandfather also told him about personal maintenance which he is the embodiment of. ok now lil kageyama dissection, my man..........

they used to hang out as a trio and then his sister quit, and it was just him and his grandad. and then he fell sick. he told him about the cool senior with a cool serve who's a setter and won't teach him anything when his grandfather was in the hospital. his parents are not in the series, his grandfather dies, we don't know much about his relationship with his sister. he's basically not part of the team (spirit) in middle school, meets his "someone better" but with undercooked skills and pulls hinata up to be the player he is also vice versa but instead of vb skills it's trust and communication. got a lil side tracked sorry but yeah middle school messed him up obviously but even before that his entire world is just volleyball, no way he's not gonna be a monster. from his recrowning my boy's going nowhere but up amen.

i feel like there's so much else i could say, but along the lines of his grandfather unfortunately this is all i could muster up. kageyama as a whole is a result of everything including his grandfather, middle school, hinata & karasuno yes but aahhh he works off feedback so good and he's taken a lot of lessons from oikawa, ukai, his own grandad, SUGA, and he's got fr one track mind and that's beautiful. like all he ever learnt he applied and got better. he did whatever it took to be the best and play with the best.

[gffa]

i didn't know you were a fan of haikyuu!! i've been loving your fic rec lists lately, so are there any that you would recommend for haikyuu?

Hi! And yes I am!! I fell absolutely in love with the series a few years back and tore through a lot of it (but eventually fell away from anime/manga fandoms when other things came up), but always retained my affection for those idiots. I've been reading a bit of HQ fic, but mostly I'm still hunting for what exactly it is I want (aside from that I know IwaOi is my hardcore OTP and that I like KagaHina very much but I'm not sure yet what I want out of it in fic) in the fandom. And considering doing a full rewatch. orz In the meantime, I do have two recs! The first one I finished recently and enjoyed the hell out of it, DUMB BOYS WHO HAVE ZERO EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE yes thank you that's the stuff, and a second one that has been recommended to me and looks really good! (Both IwaOi, but I will eventually branch out, so if anyone wants to shove fic at us poor overwhelmed readers, please do!) Mind Reader by jopling, iwaizumi/oikawa, NSFW, 40.8k After Iwaizumi is knocked out by a volleyball to the face, he discovers he can now see what people are thinking. Alternatively: Iwaizumi can now read minds but he still can’t pick up on Oikawa’s feelings for him. Conquering the Great King by SuggestiveScribe, iwaizumi/oikawa & cast, NSFW, 105.6k Iwaizumi blinked his gaze over to Oikawa, "Last time was supposed to be a one time thing," he said, voice low, lacking some conviction. Oikawa's lips twitched into a smirk and he brought them hovering just over Iwaizumi's, "One time thing, Two time thing, what's it matter as long as it's not a Relationship thing?"