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Haikyuu Figure Skating AU
Dec. 10th, 2018 08:29 pmSo I was going to post about my BSD figure skating au here and in looking for my post from last year about that AU I found a whole post about a figure skating winter Olympics AU for Haikyuu from four years ago. I completely forgot up until this moment that I ever did anything with figure skating for Haikyuu, and then Ama asked if there was anything I would change looking back, so I decided to take a look at this and see if I would. I haven't written for Haikyuu in a long time but who knows? I've gone back to some old fandoms occasionally and it isn't like I'm not still a fan of Haikyuu. I'm just bad at writing for more than one fandom at a time. The original post in its entirety is here.
So first off, I didn't make everyone figure skaters. Only three of them are, and they're all setters. The first one is Kageyama:
I would not change this. One thing I would say is that Yuzuru Hanyu is (obviously) a lot more artistically inclined, but in terms of determination and ambition Kageyama would be like Yuzuru, considering Yuzuru is the most driven and ambitious skater I can think of to the point of trying to skate past injury. He's gotten better about it (Yuzuru), but it's taken him years to get to a place where he can do that. Kageyama would also take years to calm the fuck down. That being said Yuzuru isn't without mistakes, particularly when he's decided to skate with an injury or when unwell, which I think is something Kageyama would do.
Next was Suga:
And then there was Oikawa, the last figure skater in this AU:
Hinata was a speed skater. I don't know anything about speed skating but here is what I wrote:
Everyone else was hockey players because despite not knowing a thing about hockey I decided that they should be. I guess I didn't want to lose the team aspect of Haikyuu because that's part of what makes it so good. Daichi is still the team captain and he's a goalie. Nishinoya plays defense if that's even a position -- whether or not it is, it's what he's good at. Asahi scores the most goals, but more gently than you'd think was possible. I have no idea which ship I was going for with this but given what I was writing at the time, it was probably a Suga ship and probably either daisuga and oisuga.
It's funny to think that I was already thinking of figure skating au's four years ago, back when I first got into figure skating, and then completely forgot that I had done that. It's interesting to see what I was thinking back then, and it's also nice that two of those three skaters are still really active and successful.
So first off, I didn't make everyone figure skaters. Only three of them are, and they're all setters. The first one is Kageyama:
Kageyama is the new genius on the block. All his routines are pretty much technically flawless, though his artistry lacks a bit. But he’s one of the few men’s figure skaters who can make a quad look effortless, and he’s always always always doing the hardest routine out of anyone competing. He’s the favorite for gold, he’s won the last two national championships and the last world championship. But he’s easily angered and sometimes he can overdo it, which leads to more artistic mistakes in his program, like getting ahead or behind the music, or ignoring the music completely and just doing the moves. Think Yuzuru Hanyu (who won Sochi gold and broke several points records.)
I would not change this. One thing I would say is that Yuzuru Hanyu is (obviously) a lot more artistically inclined, but in terms of determination and ambition Kageyama would be like Yuzuru, considering Yuzuru is the most driven and ambitious skater I can think of to the point of trying to skate past injury. He's gotten better about it (Yuzuru), but it's taken him years to get to a place where he can do that. Kageyama would also take years to calm the fuck down. That being said Yuzuru isn't without mistakes, particularly when he's decided to skate with an injury or when unwell, which I think is something Kageyama would do.
Next was Suga:
Sugawara has been in this slightly longer than Kageyama. They actually train together, and while Suga provides calming support for Kageyama, what Kageyama doesn’t know is that Suga almost quit after Kageyama started training with him. It was a combination of figure skating being an isolating sport (and Suga needs people) and seeing how good Kageyama was and getting scared that he’d never surpass him. He’d come in third during the last two nationals and didn’t even place above fifth at worlds. But he has Daichi to encourage him, and now he’s more determined than ever to do his best. Because he didn’t spend all those years training to just give up. Suga seems to know everyone who’s ever set foot on an ice rink in Japan, and he’s pretty much friends with all of them. Or polite to all of them. Some of them are his competition, even though they’re on the same team, and that’s a lot to wrap his mind around. Suga’s skating style is not perfect technically–he struggles with quads and other jumps when he gets flustered–but his artistry wins over crowds and judges alike. Think Jason Brown (this year’s US Champion!)
I agree with this fully. I think Suga would skate like Jason Brown, and I think the way figure skating is him and Kageyama's relationship to each other would make sense. There is so much focus on technical content with regards to jumps that people like Jason Brown have struggled in the past few years, with others surpassing them with those quads in terms of points. But this year's change in rules has highlighted how valuable it is to execute your elements well so that people like Jason shine over people with quads who make a lot of mistakes or sacrifice some artistry in their programs because of those quads. Anyway, Suga would be that person, and like Jason he has a really positive personality! And then there was Oikawa, the last figure skater in this AU:
Oikawa is a born and bred champion, or so he tells himself. He acts like it, though, and he has the talent to back it up. He’s intense, spends long hours practicing, and takes Kageyama’s genius as a personal challenge. He resents coming in second in the last two national championships to Kageyama, and third in the last world championships to Kageyama’s first. They also have a deep seated rivalry from when Oikawa beat Kageyama at Junior Worlds years ago, and they both put too much importance on that one event. His skill level is somewhere between Kageyama and Sugawara. Oikawa is really good at getting inside the heads of his opponents. His favorite way to piss off Kageyama is by going up to him and saying, “But we’re on the same team Tobio-chan. Be nice to meee!” He’s also really good at charming the judges, and he excels at navigating the politics of the sport. Think Evan Lysacek (2010 Olympic Gold)
I haven't watched Evan Lysacek anything since then I don't think, so if I had to compare him to someone more recent it would probably be Nathan Chen. Oikawa is the guy who would go to a top university AND try to skate at the elite level AND still win gold at the major competitions. In terms of being like both, Oikawa would value being a technical expert over the more artistic aspects of the sport. His personality wouldn't be like either one of them aside from his drive and charm. Hinata was a speed skater. I don't know anything about speed skating but here is what I wrote:
Hinata, who’s a speed-skater. He’s really really fast but he has an issue with balance and falling and crashing into walls. But if he can control that, he can probably get gold. Hinata has a weird rivalry with Kageyama because they train in the same ice skating complex and challenged each other to a race once. Hinata accidentally crashed into Kageyama at high speed and nearly caused both of them season-ending injuries. He insists that he would’ve won that race, but Kageyama insists that Hinata is useless at his sport if he can’t even beat a figure skating at speed skating. Hinata has vowed to win a gold Olympic medal before Kageyama.
I'm down with that I think. I'm sure there are figure skaters Hinata would be like and honestly he'd probably be a really great jumper but I like him as a speed skater because I like the idea that he and Kageyama are in completely different disciplines and yet are still rivals. Everyone else was hockey players because despite not knowing a thing about hockey I decided that they should be. I guess I didn't want to lose the team aspect of Haikyuu because that's part of what makes it so good. Daichi is still the team captain and he's a goalie. Nishinoya plays defense if that's even a position -- whether or not it is, it's what he's good at. Asahi scores the most goals, but more gently than you'd think was possible. I have no idea which ship I was going for with this but given what I was writing at the time, it was probably a Suga ship and probably either daisuga and oisuga.
It's funny to think that I was already thinking of figure skating au's four years ago, back when I first got into figure skating, and then completely forgot that I had done that. It's interesting to see what I was thinking back then, and it's also nice that two of those three skaters are still really active and successful.
