WELCOME TO THE FIC DEBRIEF OF...

even my cats think we'd be good together

Link to playlistObviously, spoilers ahead. If you haven't read the fic, you can do so here.Art for this fic by my partner Clea! Thank you to my beta Iris too <3 Go show them some love!If you've read the fic and checked out the art, then click on the options below to navigate!!

Inspiration

So I'll be honest, I joined the Sakuatsu Big Bang 2022 with no concrete idea in mind. I spent days trying to come up with an idea for a fic and finally, the idea of cat cafe owner Kiyoomi and barista Atsumu came to mind (at 1am).I immediately did three things.
1. Wrote the idea down in my notes app.
2. Screamed to Nate about the concept.
3.Booked a visit to a cat cafe.The cat cafe that I went to was situated on the second floor of a shophouse, overlooking a river. The interior was so pretty and the cafe housed only rescue cats as well.

During my visit, the cafe owner was very welcoming and friendly. She gave me a wooden brush and let me brush one of the cats in the cafe! Of course, I wrote this into the fic by projecting it onto Haru :)The cafe was gorgeous, the cats were super friendly and I was overall hella inspired after my visit. So, I decided to model Fickle Feline after this cafe!The cafe I went to closed a month after my visit, but it wasn't because of a bad reason! The owners just decided that after such a long time, it was time for the cats to "retire". All of the cats have since been adopted into forever homes, so I really hope they're all doing well!

Cafe Cats

Haru
Male, Tabby.
- Fights a lot with Hatsuki. Is also in love with Hatsuki.
- Is a very noisy cat.
- Sociable and affectionate <3

Hatsuki
Male, Tabby.
- Only cuddles with Haru (even though they fight a lot).
- Gets jealous when Haru plays with other cats. Also in love with Haru.
- A cranky cat, perpetually disgruntled.

Dango
Male Persian.
- Likes being picked up and hugged.
- Very calm about anything and everything.
- So calm in fact that his favourite thing to do is sleep.

Miso
Male Russian Blue.
- Tends to keep to himself more often than not.
- Is a pretty cat and aware of that fact.
- Secretly loves attention from visitors.

Soba
Female American Shorthair.
- Udon's sister
- Lives for the drama.
- Shares an instant noodle-shaped cat bed with Udon.

Udon
Female American Shorthair.
- Soba's sister, the protective one amongst the two.
- Also lives for the drama.

Matcha
Female Maine Coon.
- Has a birthmark by her eye!
- Likes sitting at the top of the cat tree to watch over the cafe.
- Very fluffy and very pretty.

Tako
Female Tortoiseshell Raggamuffin.
- Good friends with Haru.
- Hatsuki does not like her (what a jealous cat...)
- Friendly and warm, always eager to play with the visitors no matter the time of day.

Nori
Female Bombay.
- She barks. A lot.
- Kiyoomi has a theory that she lived with dogs before she was rescued.
- The cafe's youngest cat and full of energy.

Tofu
Female Persian.
- Eldest cat at the cafe.
- Respected (and feared) by all the other cats.
- Does not like noise and is hence very done with Haru and Hatsuki's constant fighting.

Extra Information

on names and kanji

Kiyoomi's first two cats are tabby cats, one orange and one black. Because of their fur colours, he decides to name the orange one Haru and the black one Hatsuki.Haru’s name (陽) translates to sunlight. Hatsuki’s name (花月) translates to moonflower.Something I only found out later was that 春, also pronounced Haru, translates to Spring, which is when Kiyoomi first meets Atsumu.葉月, also pronounced Hatsuki, translates to the eight calendar month or leaf month — aka the brink of Autumn where sakuatsu get together.It was such a pretty coincidence and it made me really happy.-

on cafe cats and latte art I mentioned in the fic that Soba and Udon share an instant noodle-shaped bed. This is an actual thing!! Here are the pictures:

I also mentioned that Atsumu does 3D latte, here are some pictures I looked at for reference :)

on scene settings If you noticed, the entire fic takes place within the confines of Fickle Feline.Kiyoomi and Atsumu see the seasons pass, grow closer to each other and share many fond memories, all within the cafe.The first time we get to see the outside of the cafe is when Kiyoomi decides to confess. He takes a running step out of his comfort zone — out into the world — and we see how beautiful it is outside.It feels like a new season for the pair, one where they move through life hand in hand now.- while writing... I'll be honest, most of this fic was written from 12am to 6am. I don't know how I did it but it happened. As you'd expect, a lot of editing was needed aha.While writing this, I wanted to bring in as many Haikyuu characters as possible!! I'm such a sucker for cameos so I had to bring the boys in for this.Also, I'm so sad. I actually wanted to add Oikawa and Iwaizumi in, but I just couldn't find a good place to add them in :")One day, I'll write something about our Seijoh boys I promise (wink wink)- final notes Aside from my big bang partners, I have a few more people to thank as well for all the encouragement.Thank you Madds for helping me look through the document even though you were really busy with your own projects as well!!Nate, Saff, my husband and wife, I loved all your comments so much. Y'all were truly my hypemen. I would have given up on this fic if not for the both of you.

Anyway, the cats love every single one of you reading this <3 Hope you have a good day/night wherever you are !