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it's always hard to choose what to put on a reclist. do you put fics that you've read recently or fics that have stayed with you for years? fics written by friends or fics written by strangers you admire? well-loved fics or fics that need more exposure? i think in the end it has to be a mixture. on this list, i've chosen three fics that have affected me deeply in whatever way, because of the content, because of the writing, because they just happened to hit on something that i, personally, love. i've gone with haikyuu!! fic, because it's where i've read the most deeply in recent years. i hope you find something to love here too!
❄️ One Gray Morning by SterlingLee ❄️
in brief: futakuchi POV datekou genfic, rated G, 3k
i regularly refer to this as "my favourite fic ever," which is perhaps an overstatement, but i unconditionally love everything about this fic so it's definitely up there. the author is one of my favourite haikyuu!! writers, not just because of their focus on datekou and genfic (my favourite team and my favourite weird niche, team bonding) but because of their way with words and their sense of humour. this fic is hilarious on every level: situational, textual, in the characterisation, in the plot. it's also touching. like, it's genuinely very sweet. that's something rarely done well, so it's great to read a fic like this that totally nails it, on every level. (also, it's raining the whole time. for those who don't know me. i love rain.)
opening three paragraphs:
It’s pissing rain when Futakuchi rolls out of bed at 5:40 A.M. and attempts to find his way into his school uniform without opening his eyes. His mother scoots him out the door twenty minutes later and when his shoes go squish in the puddle of wet leaves in the storm drain at the edge of the yard, he knows it’s going to be one of those days.
The umbrella his mother shoved into his hand is one of those fancy transparent ones, and through its slick dome he watches the clouds do absolutely nothing overhead. They are not moving. They are locked in place and emptying their guts down on him, out of personal spite probably. While he’s staring up at the sky he steps in another puddle.
The umbrella his mother shoved into his hand is one of those fancy transparent ones, and through its slick dome he watches the clouds do absolutely nothing overhead. They are not moving. They are locked in place and emptying their guts down on him, out of personal spite probably. While he’s staring up at the sky he steps in another puddle.
He makes it to the station on time, though. His stop is early up the line and most Datekou students aren’t on their way to school this early anyway—Coach Oiwake has maintained the volleyball team’s strict morning practice schedule since time immemorial, or at least since the early 2000s. It being this kind of day, he’s perfectly content to stand at his usual spot with all higher functions on standby until the lady on the PA announces that his train is here.
❄️ Riptides by Kuleshov ❄️
in brief: tsukkiyama getting-together, rated T, 12.6k
this is the only fic on this list that i didn't discover alone; it was rec'd to me, and i'm eternally grateful for that. one of the things i look for in fic is a real sense of place, an atmosphere. this fic has atmosphere in spades. there's something about summer stories set at beachside resorts that's nostalgic for me, which is part of it, but the writing in Riptides is great too and sets the scene brilliantly. the characters are true to themselves and the dialogue is well-paced, clever, sharp. this is one of those fics that stays with you. i recommend it as a lazy afternoon read; for something this length and of this quality, be sure to give it enough time.
opening three paragraphs:
in brief: tsukkiyama getting-together, rated T, 12.6k
this is the only fic on this list that i didn't discover alone; it was rec'd to me, and i'm eternally grateful for that. one of the things i look for in fic is a real sense of place, an atmosphere. this fic has atmosphere in spades. there's something about summer stories set at beachside resorts that's nostalgic for me, which is part of it, but the writing in Riptides is great too and sets the scene brilliantly. the characters are true to themselves and the dialogue is well-paced, clever, sharp. this is one of those fics that stays with you. i recommend it as a lazy afternoon read; for something this length and of this quality, be sure to give it enough time.
opening three paragraphs:
A few blocks south from Yamaguchi's house, across from the stationary store, was a parking lot bordered by a four-meter high concrete wall. For the first full week of August, during the off-hours of the salon, cell phone repair shop, and wholesale seed store that shared that space – Yamaguchi practiced alone. Using a meter stick, chalk, and masking tape, he recreated the dimensions of a volleyball net and court along the wall. The lines were imperfect, and the window of time between the shops closing and sunset was only a little more than an hour. Nevertheless, Yamaguchi only had until the weekend to better hone his footwork, toss, accuracy and power.
By Friday, he was working on a new approach to his serve. He took one long stride with his left foot – follows by two quicker steps – and lifted the ball as he jumped. Upon service, the ball rolled against the tip of Yamaguchi's fingers. His heart sank as it traveled to the wall, thudding only a few centimeters above the slight dip in his makeshift net line.
By Friday, he was working on a new approach to his serve. He took one long stride with his left foot – follows by two quicker steps – and lifted the ball as he jumped. Upon service, the ball rolled against the tip of Yamaguchi's fingers. His heart sank as it traveled to the wall, thudding only a few centimeters above the slight dip in his makeshift net line.
“You're tossing the ball too far in front of yourself.”
in brief: ennofuta meet-cute, rated T, 2.2k
this is another one of those fics that has a particular place in my personal mythos. sometimes i reread it and think, wow, remember when this changed my life? bystander is not just a fic. it's a philosophical exploration of the bystander effect, presented dramatically, cinematically. and it's so impressive to see these ideas packed into such a short fic. ennofuta is a ship i'm very invested in, given it's so rare, and the characterisation here is impeccable. the writing is great too; there's one bit that's the culmination of incredible pacing and build-up and every time i read it, it still gives me chills. i would recommend this to anyone, even if you don't know the fandom.
opening three paragraphs:
this is another one of those fics that has a particular place in my personal mythos. sometimes i reread it and think, wow, remember when this changed my life? bystander is not just a fic. it's a philosophical exploration of the bystander effect, presented dramatically, cinematically. and it's so impressive to see these ideas packed into such a short fic. ennofuta is a ship i'm very invested in, given it's so rare, and the characterisation here is impeccable. the writing is great too; there's one bit that's the culmination of incredible pacing and build-up and every time i read it, it still gives me chills. i would recommend this to anyone, even if you don't know the fandom.
opening three paragraphs:
“You’re here.” Someone says. “Again.”
Kenji turns around to see that a man had joined him in leaning against the wall. It’s a little too dark in the tiny room to be sure, but it looks like he’s wearing all black.
Pretentious, he thinks. He should have expected it the moment he turned into the building on a whim after seeing a sign on the street advertising a graduate thesis exhibition, open daily and free to the public. Kenji assumes that this black-garbed person created the work that Kenji is currently parked in front of. He hadn’t read the tiny plaque on the wall to see what the artist’s name was. Hadn’t bothered to catch the title of the short film currently playing either, for that matter.
there's no set theme for this, but i've decided to go for personal favourites of mine that i feel are underappreciated in some way. i have elected to rec fics from before this year, since i just covered all my faves in my 2016 summary. these are all haikyuu!! fics. i hope you find something here to interest you!
❄️ Coincidence ❄️
summary: oikawa and suga keep meeting, by chance, and take to each other instantly. but the course of true love never did run smooth, and sometimes anxiety gets in the way. featuring scallions, selfies, and a convenience store that acts as matchmaker.
this is only the third haikyuu!! fic i ever wrote, but nonetheless i'm fiercely proud of it. i had just discovered the joy of rarepairs, and oisuga was (and remains) my poison. so when i signed up to the very first hq hols exchange, i said i'd write oisuga on a total whim. am i ever glad i did! i was hit with a really inspiring prompt and it led me into a beautiful spiral of obsession, of late nights and emotional outbursts that made this fic what it is. this really is a self-rec because there is so much of me in this fic. it marks the moment i went from an okay writer to a good one, in my opinion. i love it so much and compared to some of my later oisuga fics it's much lesser known, mainly because oisuga was still tiny when i wrote this. if you want to go back to the early days of oisuga, this is the fic for you!
❄️ Mutually Assured Distraction ❄️
summary: there's a bit of rivalry beetween konoha and akaashi that has nothing to do with volleyball. they both like bokuto, and a miscommunication ends with both of them scoring a date with him. at the same time.
this was for haikyuu!! rarepair week in 2015. i was determined to write something each day because i'm such a rarepair evangelist but i was struggling a bit with ideas. i'd been interested in konoaka for a while after seeing some cute fanart and i kind of went with it because i wasn't writing anything else featuring the tokyo teams. i had basically no plan when i started other than "romantic rivals end up getting together with each other." and then in like the space of an afternoon, i'd written the entire thing. this fic was so much fun to write. it's a total farce and unashamedly silly in parts, which i think is what makes it so great. you can tell when a writer really loved what they were writing. however it's such a micropair that it's not as big as some of my other hq stuff. a diamond in the rough!
❄️ imperfect, tense ❄️
summary: it takes a lot to fall for someone, more still for that feeling to grow. in spring, hitoka falls for kiyoko as the blossoms grow on the trees. by winter, their love is in full bloom.
i couldn't do a self-rec post without this fic. it was written for 2015's hq winter hols and i think i really pushed myself with it, to write something a little different to my usual. so there's a lot of lovely language and nature metaphor in here, but i managed to pull it off. despite my love for the ship i hadn't written kiyoyachi before, and i think because of the differences in their experiences so far it's a ship that has to be handled with some delicacy. i know why it's underappreciated, it's because it's a fic about female characters, which doesn't do well in the hq fandom. but, that's an occupational hazard. i think some of my best writing is in this fic, and i love the whole mood of it, the hesitancy but the passion, the force of feeling overcoming all the natural nerves. if any of this interests you, please give it a try!
ask.fm round-up 1
Jun. 1st, 2015 08:47 pmi've decided to store all my ask.fm drabbles here for reference! every now and then i'll do a round-up post like this, with a whole bunch of drabbles. enjoy :>
( 27 drabbles under the cut! )
( 27 drabbles under the cut! )