#the love of my life number 1 top 1 anime villain

[windswept-fields]

My favorites of 2023

I wanted to make little wrap up of 2023, so here are my favorite movies and performances from 2023

Top Five Favorite movies

#5 The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snake - dir. Francis Lawrence

I am a YA/dystopian boy through and through. I thought this was a very faithful adaptation and very visually stunning. The performances were all great and I just really liked it. However, I had my problems with the book itself and I felt the movie didn't do a great job truly villainizing Snow (I found him too likable until like the end of the film) All in all though a fun watch.

#4 Saltburn- Dir. Emerald Fennell

If there's one thing I'm gonna do on this account, It's support a boy's wrongs. This movie has so many visual details and story details, it truly blows my mind. The soundtrack? Banger after banger. I'd never heard Murder on The Dance Floor before this movie but now I want to dance around a mansion to it. The cast? I mean just look at them. I do think occasionally this movie occasionally felt like it was just being shocking for shocking's sake and I got a little tired of it.

#3 Spiderman: Across The Spider-Verse- Dir. Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, and Joaquim Dos Santos

I love art. There's no other way to say it. I am in love with creativity. The amount of details that are in this movie are so utterly mind blowing that every time I read about a new one, I feel like I have to rewatch this movie. The first Spider-verse film is an absolute masterpiece and this movie was not about to disappoint it. From the voice performances to the bleeding-water color, to animating on every other frame, this movie just had me floored. I hope it wins an Oscar for best animated feature or I'm throwing shit. I do want the second part before I fully judge the story but so far I think this is one of the best superhero stories in a while

#2 Barbie- Dir Greta Gerwig

I have never cried harder to a Nikki Minaj song. But actually, this movie made me fall in love with the simple act of being alive. It's a movie about a doll and yet its about enjoying life and growing up and how everything's so messy and it's so beautiful and we're so beautiful and I just. I get it. I get why Barbie wanted to be a human. We are all so fascinating. The ending montage alone is enough to make anyone with a heart cry. I hope that one day everyone is as in love with the world around them as this movie made me.

#1 Asteroid City- Dir. Wes Anderson

If you don't know the I'm Wes Anderson's number 1 fan, I'm doing something wrong. Truth be told, I didn't get this movie at first. I left the theater knowing that there was some deeper meaning but...what? So I thought about it for two weeks and then it hit me. There is no clear answer. There's no clear answer because the actors can't find a clear answer. There's no clear answer because the in-universe playwright didn't write one and maybe Anderson himself didn't write one. The movie has clear themes of grief and love and identity but at the end of the day what you choose to make of it is all up to you. There's also a lot to be said about how the play is existential and about uncertainty in the future and I think that's another reason I liked Asteroid City. I'm always so worried about the future. It terrifies me. But what can I do. And with that I once again realized that Wes Anderson was truly genius, and I don't think I'll ever see a film quite like Asteroid City again.

Favorite performances from each film

#5 Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird

I never got the hatred for Rachel Zegler. She was absolutely phenomenal in the 2021 West Side Story and she ate up Lucy Gray Baird. I just felt through the screen that Rachel understood her role so well. She played Lucy to all her vulnerability and strength and goddamn I am in love with her voice!! The old therebefore gave me absolute chills.

#4 Allison Oliver as Venetia Catton

being complete honest she's who I wanted to be in like middle school. Allison Oliver managed to play her as both such a free spirit and then to haunted on such the drop of the dime. From her subtle emotions to her snapping at Oliver in the bathtub she had me eating out of the palm of her hand. She would've loved Tumblr.

#3 Shameik Moore as Miles Morales

He had me laughing, crying, cheering and getting goosebumps the whole time. The absolute power Shameik Moore gives Miles is truly what tie the whole movie together. I feel like his performance often gets overshadowed for some of the bigger names in the cast and I truly find that shame. He gives Miles such a powerful and realistic portrayal that I admire it so deeply. From "Nah, I'mma do my own thing." to his conversations with Gwen to arguments with his parents, Shameik Moore makes Miles feel like a teenager who's trying to figure out who he is and a superhero saving a multiverse from collapsing

#2 Margot Robbie as Barbie

I'm fucking sick of only hearing Ryan Goslings name mentioned when we talk about the BARBIE movie! It is Margot's movie!! SHE ATE THAT SHIT UP!! She managed to so subtly bring in the changes of barbie being only a doll to being a real person. She provides so much of the movies comedy too. Her laying down crying had me wheezing not gonna lie. But she also shows us that how strong Barbie is and how she's so multi-faceted.She is truly someone little girls should see and be inspired by. Margot truly brought Barbie to life in all the ways that the audience and the script needed. She had me laughing, crying and smiling so goddamn wide the whole film. Here's to you, Margot.

#1 Jason Schwartzman as Augie Steenback/Jones Hall

It was the year of Schwartzman and nowhere was the proved more than in Asteroid City. Here we see, Jason Schwartzman playing and actor playing a single dad war photographer. Schwartzman manages to play all these layers so well, letting them blend together through on intense common factor: grief. Jones' grief bleeds into Augie in such a fascinating way that you might not even realize at first. It's so subtle and yet, it complete makes the performance. When we see Jones on his own a few times, though Jason Schwartzman manages to make him feel like a completely different man than Augie. The entire scene from Jones walking offstage to us being returned to 'Asteroid City' is truly some of my favorite acting of the year. Even through subtle expressions, we can truly see everything that Jones is experiencing. It's just such a sight to watch and it blows me away.

Some honorable film and performance mentions

Oppenheimer- Dir Christopher Nolan. Good film but a little too long if you ask me. Sorry!

Fav performance- Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer. She might not have been in a lot of the film but she stuck with me

Renfeild- Dir Chris McKay. Sorry I like fun camp! sue me!

Fav performance- Nic Cage as Dracula. I'm sorry Nic Cage is just so goddamn funny

Poison- Dir. Wes Anderson. Maybe the real snake was the Benedict Cumberbatch we met along the way.

Fav performance- Dev Patel as Woods. Wes please cast Dev Patel in a longer on of your films he ate this up.

Five Nights at Freddy's- Dir. Emma Tammi. I wanted to like it more but it felt like 3 different films until the last 20 minuets

fav performance- Matthew Lilard as William Afton. I want Stu Macher back after this.

The Swan- Dir. Wes Anderson. (Last time I mention Wes in this post I swear.) Hey Wesley! Quick question! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?? Thank youuuu!

Fav performance- Rupert Friend as Narrator/Peter Watson. Yeah he was the only guy speaking and he carried! The one moment where he breaks the stoic delivery and truly pleads for them to not kill the swan? Wow.

Gaurdians of The Galaxy Vol 3- Dir James Gunn. I have never cried over cgi this hard in my life!

Bradley Cooper as Rocket. Just hearing him scream sob almost had me open mouth sobbing in public.

Scream 6- Dir. Matt Bettinelli-olpin, Tyler Gillet. Starting to get real pissed at radiosilence.

fav performance- Jasmin Savoy-Brown as Mindy Meeks-Martin. She's so funny, I love her.

If y'all want I also have a favorite tv shows of 2023 post

#shut up pretty boy #the balad of songbirds and snakes #saltburn #across the spiderverse #barbie #asteroid city #rachel zegler #allison oliver #shameik moore #jason schwartzman #lucy gray baird #venetia catton #miles morales #margot robbie #augie steenbeck #jones hall #oppenheimer #scream vi #fnaf #gotg vol 3 #renfield 2023

[inukag]

Hey Cynthia! This is kind of an ask but mainly a rant because I find this INCREDIBLY annoying, because it's clear these people don't understand the story AT ALL.

I don't think all KogKag shippers are annoying, but I'm surprised that there are so many fans who say that Kagome should've ended up with Koga because Inuyasha was aLWaYS going after Kikyo or that Koga would've TrEAtED her better. I feel like people who say this are just self-inserting onto Kagome. Reason number one: KogKag has little to no substance in canon, with her just humoring him every time he flirts with her. Number two: if they were paying attention, they would know WHY and WHEN Inuyasha went after Kikyo and that for him, there was only Kagome.

TLDR; Do you think people who say "Kagome should've chosen Koga because Inuyasha bad" are self-inserting? I know the anime changes are a huge factor, is that why people say this? I like your analyses so I'd like to know what you think.

Hello! First of all thank you for the love 🥺

(I know I have mutuals & followers who love Koga & Kogkag so warning: this post is very critical of both!)

I’m going to start off by saying “self-inserting” exists in a lot of ships. There’s plenty of people who love Inuyasha and self-insert into Kagome with inukag. That’s not something I have a big issue with, we all have our favorite characters and there’s nothing wrong with self-indulgence. But if we analyze the canon story, I think you definitely need make Kagome OOC in order to ship her Koga. I mean, if canon!Kagome had any interest in him she wouldn't have wasted her time with Inuyasha, lol. I've said this before but the main reason why Kagome loves Inuyasha and not men like Koga and Sesshomaru is because Inuyasha has a good heart. He might have a harsh personality (that he is improving) due to his past trauma but he has never killed & eaten innocent people the way the other two did.

Also, the racism. Kagome's defining personality trait is that she is open and welcoming with everyone. Why would she date Koga who calls people slurs unprovoked? Why would she date Sesshomaru who bullied his half-brother for being mixed? Sure these two somewhat improved their behavior over the course of the series but 1- There's no indication that Koga and his wolves changed their diet. Koga never showed any remorse for his actions and never said he wouldn't do it again. 2- Sesshomaru tolerates/respects a few people by the end of the series but he very much still sees human life as expendable (see his “Who cares?” line when he hears his action could kill everyone in Kaede’s village). That is simply not compatible with Kagome Higurashi. 

The second anon brought up some good points about the misogyny in the fandom, and how male characters like Koga are praised while Kikyo is villainized for less. I constantly see Koga fans criticizing Inuyasha for “being nice to Kikyo despite what she’s done to Kagome” yet these people seemingly have no problems with Kagome being nice to Koga despite what he has done to Inuyasha. I think both Koga and Kikyo have poorly written “redemption arcs”, I think the inukag fandom just talk more about Kikyo/Inukik because Inuyasha did have feelings for Kikyo while Kagome never had any for Koga, so usually it isn’t worth talking about. 

As for Koga being "nicer" to her, I think a lot of it is definitely anime-only. There's that one filler episode where Inuyasha insults Kagome and Koga brings her flowers later (if I remember correctly) which is obviously meant to make Koga look like the better choice. I’ve talked about this a LOT on my blog but Sunrise went out of their way to make sure Inuyasha would almost never be kind and honest with Kagome compared to the manga, and they added a bunch of scenes where he insults her. Honestly with all the things that Sunrise changed I don’t blame anime-only fans for having issues with anime!inukag. Kagome has self-esteem issues because of Inuyasha’s ex (who is her pre-incarnation) and on top of that the boy she loves insults her himself? I know a lot of inukag shippers just see it as a joke, but since Kagome’s self-worth is a real issue in the series I don’t find it particularly funny. But if we’re focusing on the manga, Inuyasha is not mean to her, he’s only rude when he’s angry (calls her ‘bakaa’ or uses ‘temee’). 

Also, what does Koga even do for Kagome beyond giving her superficial compliments? He saved her a few times, which is what Inuyasha does on a daily basis. Koga said Kagome is “pretty” and “has guts”, which in my opinion pales in comparison to what Inuyasha said about Kagome: 

Inuyasha genuinely KNOWS Kagome. She’s his friend. He spends all his time with her. He has seen the best and worst of her. Koga is just a guy who tries to woo her when he bumps into her once in a while. Inuyasha doesn’t compliment her all the time to score points, he says these things when he can tell Kagome is feeling down and truly needs to hear it. 

Koga really is just putting on a front to look good in front of Kagome. The things he says to her are not necessarily true, as Ginta and Hakkaku point out. 

If he did manage to win over Kagome, who’s to say he would keep up this act? Would they work out in a long-term relationship? What does Koga and Kagome have in common? Like I said, he barely knows Kagome. Unlike Inuyasha, who share Kagome’s values, and share a group of friends with her. Inuyasha knows Kagome’s world, her modern friends and her family (and they love him!). Inuyasha has a demon slaying business with Miroku and lives in a human village where Kagome can thrive as a miko. Koga rarely shows respect for what Kagome wants (he claimed her as his mate and spent the entire series touching her & calling her his “mutual lover” without her consent). Even when Kagome was crying in Inuyasha’s arms after he almost died, Koga still said he “refused to give up on her”. Like the second anon said, the guy really just can’t take a hint (until the very end), and as someone who dealt with men like this in real life I think it’s a pretty big red flag.

Inuyasha literally said he owes everything he has in his life to Kagome. That he was born for her. He continuously chose to live with her instead of dying with Kikyo, risked his life to protect her by giving her the fire rat robe, ditched Tessaiga to save her, jumped into the well every 3 days ready to abandon his world for her. The fact that some people think he’s not the biggest Kagome simp out there and think he’s not “worthy” of Kagome is insane to me. 

Inuyasha learned to give Kagome space when she needs to be alone so she can study. He respects her desire to finish school, respects the fact that she loves her world and didn’t pressure her to choose him over it. 

Also people argue that Koga’s redeeming quality is that he cares about his pack and getting revenge for the ones that Naraku killed. Well, funny how he completely gave up on that once he lost his shikon jewel shards uh? Koga is a FULL yokai and he abandoned his vow to avenge his friends as soon as he lost his power boost, meanwhile my boy Inuyasha stays true to his promise to protect Kagome even in his WEAKEST form! 

Rip to Koga but Inuyasha is simply built different 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, the last point is Inuyasha and his feelings for Kikyo. At this point I’m convinced some people watched/read a completely different series than I did. I mean, the other day I saw a Tik Tok that was like “When Inuyasha runs off to kiss Kikyo for the 100th time” like... what? Inuyasha initiated like 3 romantic interactions with Kikyo in the entire time he has known her. One hug when she was first revived to calm her down, one hug when he told her she could call him when she’s in danger, and the final kiss goodbye to put her soul at peace. Inuyasha is NOT a “two-timer” who “keeps going back to his ex”. He’s a 15 years old boy whose first love got brutally murdered, he started to move on and fall in love with someone else then his “ex” was revived as a vengeful revenant and guilt tripped him into thinking he should die with her. He cares for her and refused to let her get killed by her murderer again, but his real desire was to LIVE and move on and be with KAGOME. At this point anyone who doesn’t understand that probably doesn’t have the emotional maturity to understand the story. I’m not saying that Inuyasha handled the situation perfectly, because of course not, the situation is insane and the boy has no social skills from being ostracized his whole life, but the way some people think he’s a bad person for loving more than one person in his life is insane to me. And you know what sucks? Inuyasha can’t win. If he didn’t care about what happens to Kikyo because he has a new girlfriend, people would call him heartless and would criticize him for treating women like objects that can easily be replaced. And that is one of the main reasons why comparing Inuyasha to other men like Koga, Sesshomaru or even Hojo annoys me a lot: Inuyasha did NOT choose to be in the situation he’s in. He did not intend to be with both at the same time (the anime line “why can’t have a both” is NOT canon). 

I think one other issue is people projecting their personal romantic fantasies on the situation. So many people dream of being someone’s “one and only”, of having their partner tell them that they’ve “never felt like this before”, and the fact that Kagome is not the only women Inuyasha ever loved somehow makes his feelings for her less “pure” or less “intense” to them. Which never made any sense to me because 1- Why would you be less “pure” for loving many people in your life? The fact that Inuyasha fell in love & stayed with Kagome despite the fact that his “ex” was revived and wanted him should actually be proof of how much he loves Kagome 2- Kagome IS Inuyasha’s “first” in SO many ways! The first person to make him happy, the first to cry for him and to make him cry, the first to give him a home, the first person he will be intimate with, the first (and only) person he MARRIES. His past feelings for Kikyo does not take away from that. I think the worst is when people argue that Inuyasha “still thinks about Kikyo after her death” like yeah, he’s still fighting Kikyo’s murderer until the last chapter/episode and his guilt got progressively worse as he repeatedly failed to protect Kikyo, remembering her does not mean he’s still in love with her. He can’t exactly wipe out his memories. Some people even argue that he ”shows sign that he loves her” in the bonus epilogue chapter?? Never mind the fact that the epilogue chapter just kind of sucks, Inuyasha didn’t have any reaction when Kikyo was mentioned, he said he didn’t care and he was only worried that Kikyo being mentioned would hurt Kagome’s feelings. 

When both Kagome and Kikyo were gone from his life, who did he miss? Did he go to Kikyo’s grave every 3 days wishing she hadn’t died? Did Inuyasha ever think about using the shikon jewel or Tenseiga to bring her back properly so he could be with her? No he never did, because Kagome is the one he was born for and the one he wanted to spend his life with, not Kikyo. 

Tl;dr: From what I’ve seen the popularity of kogkag seems to be from people who just like Koga better than Inuyasha and are willing to ignore (or they don’t remember) all the atrocities he committed because they find him hotter and more “charming”, which is fine to me until people actually claim that Kagome should have been with Koga in canon. People who say that are usually just mad about the love triangle because 1- they only watched the anime and haven’t read the manga (and they also misremember the anime) 2- they idealize this idea of being someone’s “first and only love” and they think Inuyasha’s feelings for Kikyo “tarnish” that and 3- they usually lack the emotional maturity to understand the situation Inuyasha was forced in and don’t realize that Inuyasha did the best he could. Inuyasha is a hanyo who was alone all his life and is just starting to open up and trust others while Koga is a full yokai who never had to struggle in his life, and despite that Inuyasha consistently proved that he is a better person. Just because Koga is loud and straight forward with his advances doesn’t make him more loving than Inuyasha, who actually knows Kagome and is romantic and kind to her when it matters the most. 

#ask #Anon #koga-critical #kogkag-critical #wow that sure is an essay lmao #sesshomaru-critical #sesskag-critical #i didn't know i had so many things to say about the topic lmao #i don't even hate koga or kogkag but when shippers have to drag inukag/kagome/inuyasha to talk about their faves... #it definitely makes me bitter #especially when what they say is just so incredibly wrong

[kitausu]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

Hello and sorry for the 1 million year wait 😅 This is is no particular order!

Andrew Minyard

Coming in hot and number one. Andrew is my best beloved boy. I would walk over hot coals for him. I am just deeply deeply soft for an asshole with a heart of gold. To quote Kendrick Lamar, it's the "loyalty, loyalty, loyalty" for me.

2. Fitzchivalry Farseer

Sad boy. Baby. He's just so precious to me and I love him so very very much. He is King Emo. King Depression. King Repressed Bisexual.

3. Mickey Milkovich

See once again, asshole with a heart of gold AND King Repressed Homosexual. Even when terrified, Mickey will show up. He'll do what needs to be done, armed robbery, etc etc.

4. Kyo Sohma

The childhood NOSTALGIA. This man here is the blueprint. The OG. The man who won my heart as a little child and never left. Also see again, asshole with a heart of gold. I'm nothing if not consistent and predictable.

5. Kaladin Stormblessed

Sad boy baby number 2 except Kaladin is King Therapy. King get some fucking mental health treatment. King I love everyone around me SO MUCH that it makes me sad.

6. Ronan Lynch

God I'm so typical. What is wrong with me. Ronan for every reason I've said for asshole with a heart of gold but ALSO because anyone who has this line deserves my adoration: "Adam lived in an apartment located above the office of St. Agnes Catholic Church, a fortuitous combination that focused most of the objects of Ronan’s worship into one downtown block."

7. The Tenley Triad

Listen, I know they're three characters, but I can't differentiate. Shay is living my dream life, and River&Reese are my dream loves of my life. I can't help it.

8. Sophie Hatter

It's the sass, the independence, the fact that I want to be her all wrapped in one perfectly fantastic character.

9. Debbie Jelinsky

AN ICON. A TREASURE. May we all one day villain monologue the way Debbie can monologue about how much she hates Malibu Barbie.

10. Neil Josten

I did my best not to include two of a certain series here, but I cannot say "Like Neil Josten, I am a runner" as often as I do and not include him. Neil is peak "he's just like me" and I must own up to this.

#kit gets personal

[dollwritesarchive]

BABE HIII I MISSED YOU!! I've been super busy with work/college recently AND it was my birthday (which I celebrate for like a week lol) so I've been caught up in that but now things are finally starting to calm down! Unfortunately I haven't had alot of down time recently, and any tv time I did have was taken up by watching house of the dragon and desperately trying to finish game of thrones lol so I havent been able to watch any of the animes on my list BUT I finally did finish game of thrones literally a couple days ago so I'll finally be able to start one 😁 which one I'm not sure right now its between aot, jojo's, and hxh (which I saw you started recently 👀 tbh I'm scared of the person I might become once I get introduced to chrollo) so if you have a suggestion on which one I would love to hear it!

Also BACHIRA!!? You have such taste LOL hes my favorite too 🖤 Your blurb was literally so spot on to how I imagined bachira too it's crazy, I definitely see him as a biter lol and omg the "it gets you wet when I tell you no" STOOOPP 🤤. You know that position where the girl is on top and the guy is like fucking up into her really fast? That's what I always think of with bachira lol like sure he says you can try being on top for once but the second you sink down on him hes wrapping his arms around you anchoring you in place and fucking you up 💖

I literally stopped dead in my tracks and gasped when I saw you're considering writing for dabi like OH!!? My FAVORITE writer on here writing for my FAVORITE character might actually kill me I don't know if my heart can take it 😭 I know you havent seen mha yet but dabi just had like HIS MOMENT and yes I will be adding a bunch of tiktoks below for it lol

Also are you excited for the new season of demon slayer 👀 God himself will not be able to stop me from seeing it in theaters idc if I cant get tickets I WILL be witnessing akaza and doma on the big screen

I actually have so many tiktoks to send you it's crazy lol

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG9LWW2/ HELLO?? If he looks like this I'm so excited to see kokushibo

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHnTgo/ the fact I'll also be able to see gyutaro in theaters 👀

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHoLg6/ my fav feminist 💖

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG96dkW/ who tf allowed him to be this pretty 👀

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG9j1QN/ him falling to his knees actually makes me wanna cry

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG9LTS1/ HIS VOICE 👀

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHt3GN/

Now for dabi 👀

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHwmb3/ I volunteer

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG9jw7c/ my unhinged boy 💖

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG9REHL/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHv4Ss/ HIS LAUGH https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHWfE9/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHWPwt/ PLEASEEE MY GOD

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGH3Hut/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG96K12/ the fact they did it on purpose too lol

I'm so sorry I sent like an absurd amount of tiktoks LMAO but I've been saving them up for you 😘 I hope you've been doing well and I'm so excited to catch up on more of your fics 🖤 jjk anon

HI BABY OMG HOW ARE YOU IM SO GLAD YOURE BACK

This is a little bit late BUT I SAW ALL THOSE LINKS AND I WAS LIKE OH LORDT IM GOING TO NEED SOME TIME TO GO THROUGH THESE

PLEASE SEND HELP THESE HXH VILLAINS ARE RUJNING MY LIFE

I haven’t even gotten to chrollo yet I’m in some DEEP SHIT

PERSONALLY I would really like to see you watch AOT first!! it’s only because it’s my number 1 and I really really really love to talk about it 🥺🥺🥺

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD WATCH IF YOU HAVENT YET ?? GANGSTA! ITS ONLY GOT ONE SEASON AND I JUST WATCHED IT RECENTLY AND I AM HEAD OVER HEELS FOR WORICK AND NIC ( IT DOESNT HELP THAT THEIR VAS ARE SUKUNA AND NANAMI )

BACHIRA YES

So gagamaru is actually my fave of the boys

LOVE JUST A LITTLE ( big ) FREAK BUT BACHIRA IS SECOND

And then… there’s barou I think I just simp for anyone sukuna’s va voices honestly

DABI YES THAT IS 1000000% YOUR INFLUENCE because I’ve still only seen the clips that you sent me, but I WILL ADMIT I am more receptive to some of the characters in mha

LIKE I FIND THE ONE MAGICIAN GUY REALLY HOT AND I CAN NEVER REMEMBER HIS NAME BUT HE HAS THE BALLS YA KNOW

LIKE THE BLUE ONES

Black hair, wears a mask I think? IDK IVE SEEN THE PIC OF HIM ALL BLOODY FACED MISSING PART OF HIS TORSO AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS SEXY OF HIM

But I have been itching to write for dabi AND IM THINK THONKING HARD ABOUT IT

There will for sure be some dabi food on this blog very very soon

BABE DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW EXCITED I AM FOR DEMON SLAYER MY ULTIMATE FAVE IN THE SHOW ( KOKUSHIBO ) IS ANIMATEEEDDD FINALLYYYYY IVE BEEN WAITING ON HIM

I’ve also got an au coming out once this season does, because it’s all about the demons ❤️❤️❤️

YES TIKTOK TIME OMG IVE MISSED BEING FED

I’m also gonna send you a bunch that I’ve been saving, some are hxh some are jjk IVE JUST BEEN SAVING LIKE CRAZY

GYUTARROOOOO I LOVE THAT FREAKY LITTLE WEIRDO lil mantis man 😭😭😭

THE DIO ONE ???? KICKING MY FEET SCREAMING AND CRYING THATS MY DADDDDYYYY

THE SLUTTY LITTLE WAIST ON DABI I WANNA GRAB HIS HIPS IM NOT PLAYING AROUND 🔪🔪🔪

Bro his laugh… I adore it please

OH GOSH YOU FED ME SO WELL AND I HAVE BROUGHT DESSERT:

demon slayer ( plus dabi )

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNACsJ/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNGm9w/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNXa5v/ THE KOKU GIRLIES ( me ) STAY WINNING

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNHhXC/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNUWmK/

HXH ( mostly feitan and hisoka )

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNHwm7/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNfyeV/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNDqjj/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNHY9w/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNq2T9/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNU4dy/

JJK ( BACK TO THE ROOOOTTTSSS )

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNph6o/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNUHEr/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNVDQt/

SOME GANGSTA TOO

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNC2A8/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtN494w/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNgsoN/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNXp3b/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNX4Ko/

IM SO SORRY THAT WAS WAY MORE THAN I INTENDED SOSKSKKS

#liSTEN I LIKE SHARING ALL OF MY FAVES WITH YOU IM SORRY ( I AM NOT ) #jjk nonnie ! #💗💗💗💗 #MISSED YOU #also I HOPE you enjoy my latest fics from this year lmk what you think BUT ONLY IF YOU WANT

[soupbabe]

Hi there!!! <3

I want a matchup if that's alright! For jojo's ofc <3 (any part is fine)

I'm straight and my pronouns are she/her (so a preferred male character to be matched with)

I am 18 years old! I love writing and reading! I also LOVE fashion. Dressing up is always really fun for me so sometimes I look like an over the top video game villain or sometimes I look like a character out of Jet Set Radio lmfao. I can play a couple of instruments (guitar and uke) and I'm pretty good at singing (was always in good choirs and loved being in musicals). I have red hair and wear glasses. I'm a lil thicc in the best ways <3 my zodiac sign is cancer as well.

I think I'm pretty funny and fun to be around and LOVE talking, so I would love someone who loves talking just as much as me to stay social and chatty lol. I love just chillin and watching anime and also going out for walks. Both introverted and extroverted depending on the day lol

I hope this all works! Have a lovely day and stay hydrated! <333

I match you with,,,

Joseph Joestar ♡

There's no one as chatty and loving as Joseph Joestar! Your personalities blend together so well, I can see you two as one extroverted and dramatic couple ever <3! He adores the way you dress, I think he'd always want you to give him smaller makeovers! Put him in a dress and he's living in it, sorry not sorry that's his now.

While it may take some persuasion, I think you could get him to love staying inside and spending time with you. He can't do what he's told for the life of him, but promise him you'll serande him and you have his full attention! He thinks your music is wonderful, absolutely your number 1 fan <3

#Match Ups #Joseph Joestar #jjba

[stagefullofentertainment]

Songs for Hazbin Hotel Characters (Playlist Series) PART 1

Starting a new series which I will try to update once in a while! Isn’t this exciting? Basically, the idea was to take various songs/music from different artists and those who were used in various pieces of media. Then I shall try to match the best ones to the beloved characters. Might be off but hey, we’re having fun!

Part one is supposed to be quite special, right? Well, what can be more special than an animated movie series that shaped a lot of people? Indeed, we’re talking about Shrek. Okay, 1 and 2 were the OG’s but third had some laughs and fourth was actually nice. So, I’ll be ranking Hazbin crew based on how much they would enjoy Shrek series, plus – a song that would be up to their alley.

ANGEL

This man would love Shrek series so much! You cannot prove otherwise! It would be right up his humor type – funny, yet sometimes suggestive. Guys, can you imagine him with Fairy Godmother’s red dress? Or rocking Prince Charming’s look? Actually, give me a sexy man – boy chauffeur Kyle! Well, at least can Angel be my fairy godmother? That would be fun. You know what, he’ll get two songs!

This is his morning routine song. Or when he needs to give someone a makeover.

This just screams to me about how cool Angel really is. Turf war must song!

Favourite character – Doris. A literal icon. Also, he would kin Snow White.

CHARLIE

Upon first time viewing Shrek series, she would find it so fun! In my humble opinion, she would quote or try to incorporate its life lessons into her “How to Get to Heaven” course. Charlie would happily rewatch it time and time again.

Is this song not about her journey to save a princess, I mean, to save sinners’ souls?

Favourite character – all of them! Just one? How about Donkey? He’s funny!

VAGGIE

The only person who saw Shrek in her live life. I feel like Vaggie would be chill about Shrek. Not a huge fan but still loves it. She would feel so nostalgic while watching the series. Vaggie would enjoy seeing others’ reactions while viewing the films – jokes, twists, music, everything! The only new movie would be “Puss in Boots: The Last wish” which would be incredibly endearing to her.

This song is just silly enough to be one of her favourites. Vaggie’s and Charlie’s new song!

Favourite character – Fiona. Fighter princess who takes no shit from anyone.

NIFFTY

She would not find Shrek in top of her favourites. I think she would like it only for the romance plot lines. Also, princesses and Far Far Away parts would make her really happy. Humor would be a hit or miss, except for some jokes. She would think that all the animals are really cute, especially Puss in Boots!

She would vibe to this song, I already feel it!

Favourite character – Prince Charming. She knows that he’s a jerk and everything but she’s gotta admit, that Charming makes her hotter than July.

HUSK

He would only watch Shrek for “the sake of the kids”. Shrek wouldn’t be his cup of tea, I believe. Although! Husk would love slapstick comedy. Also, all the “Poison Apple” tavern scenes and fighting segments.

His kin song, you have to agree.

Favourite character – Shrek. You would think that it is a basic answer but his actions are the most understandable to Husk. Loneliness besties.

ALASTOR

He would not like Shrek. Like, at all. Just not his taste. He promised to watch all 4 films to Charlie but nothing more – no shorts, no “Puss in Boots”. Alastor only enjoyed the second one for a little bit, mostly for the Fairy Godmother’s scheme.

If he must choose a song, let it be this one. Least annoying.

Favourite character – Fairy Godmother. The best villain and the best musical number.

That’s my takes and the end of part 1. Hope you had fun reading it and revisited some nostalgic songs! I for sure will be holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night!

#headcanon #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin angel dust #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel husk #hazbin hotel niffty #hazbin hotel vaggie #alastor #angel dust #charlie morningstar #husk #niffty #vaggie #Playlist Series #Youtube

[silentiumlitwicks]

1-5 music asks ඞ

1 Song i like with a Color in the title:

Vanilla Twilight- Owl City

The ULTIMATE YEARNING SONG songs that make you feel the entire scope of human emotion in 3 minutes.

2 song i like with a number in the title: I have 3 actually

21 Guns- Green Day

I don’t fucking Care how edgy it is sometimes I just really fucking feel it man. “Put up your arms, give up the fight” yeah, felt.

The five of us are dying - my chemical romance

This is like a early demo of welcome to the black parade with completely different lyrics but similar music and it’s good on its own.

The Magic 8 - Set it off

“so shake the magic 8 until it breaks breaks breaks. And close you eyes and take a leap of faith faith faith. Don’t be afraid of going your own way way way, shake the magic 8 until it breaks” just…. Yeah man Cody Carson was so right.

3 A song that reminds you of summertime:

Summertime-My Chemical Romance

Ha I’m funny

Forever Stuck in our Youth - Set it Off

“I’m on a permanent vacation, we’re young we’re young we’re dumb and we don’t care. And I don’t owe an explanation we’re young we’re young we’re dumb and we don’t care. FOREVER STUCK IN OUR YOUTH”

Just has that vibe of a song you’d hear at a end of High school year party.

4 A song that reminds you of someone you’d rather forget about:

There’s a few and they’re mostly from Emmet

I don’t love you- my chemical romance

“WHEN YOU’RE GONE WOULD YOU EVEN TURN TO SAY I DONT LOVE YOU LIKE I DID YESTERDAY”

enough said

Wolf in Sheeps Clothing - Set It Off

Yeah the edgy song in every anime villain amv. When emmet heard it the first time he was out in the driveway at our old apartment singing his heart out to it and the neighbor called over and said he had a beautiful voice.

“maybe you’ll change? Abandon all your wicked ways and start all over start all over”

Hum Hallelujah- Fall Out Boy

“A teenage vow in a parking lot until tonight do us part i sing the blues and you swallow them too”

“I love you in the same way there’s a chapel in the hospital, one foot in your bedroom and out the door.”

Lyrics in this one are something that’s for damn sure.

5 a song that needs to be played LOUD:

Disloyal Order of Water Buffalos- Fall Out Boy

“IM A LOSE BOLT OF A COMPLETE MACHINE WHAT I MATCH I AM HALF DOOMED AND YOURE SEMI SWEET, SO BOYCOTT LOVE DETOX JUST TO RETOX AND ID PROMISE YOU ANYTHING FOR ANOTHER SHOT AT LIFE AND PERFECT BOYS WITH THIER PERFECT LIVES NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR YOU SING ABOUT TRAGEDY”

This song is our anthem, I may be the one who made it our top song of 2022 in only two months time but this is just a song for the whole system.

The World we Knew- sayonara wild hearts soundtrack

“I’ll treasure any fragments left behind”

Yeah man …. Yeah. Cannot put into words the emotions this song inflicts on me. Both the game version and the demo version have a Vice grip on my brain and I constantly find myself belting out “they say begin again, they say begin again, I’ll take any fragments I can find.” Man.jpeg minato family guy death pose emoji and I know you get it, dear asker you feel this song in your soul like I do.

This is Gospel - Panic! at the disco

When you’re going the fuck through you will Blast this song and not give a flying fuck. I hate Brendan urine as much as the next guy but this song just fucking HITS.

Ancient History- Set it Off

“I KNOW I KNOW HOW TO DRIVE YOU WILD YOU KNOW YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE ME SMILE BUT IIIIIIIIIIII NEED YOU TO BE MY ANCIENT HISTORY”

Even if you don’t have a clingy ex that you can’t seem to shake this song fucks hard and is AMAZING preformed live.

Backside of the Tv- Persona 4

Just yeah man yeah.

#minato.txt #ask meme #music autism moment #emmet.txt #hi lyta!

[intothewickedwood]

2, 6, 9, 43, 44, 45, 47, 57, 58, 59, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66 for the Disney asks! :D

WOAH! Thank you a million, Maria! I always want to send you more numbers but I feel like I should give your other mutuals a chance xD but let me know if you want me to go quezzie wild anyway xD!

2) Top 5 Disney movies

Okay, I’m not 100 per cent sure if live-action movies are meant to be included but I find animated and live action very difficult to compare because I’m more of a live-action girl so I’ll cheat & do my top 5 of both!

Live-Action

5. Sky High

4. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

3. High School Musical 2

2. George of the Jungle

1. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997)

Animated

6. The Fox and the Hound (I couldn’t leave it out because it makes me cry uncontrollably every time)

5. The Lion King II

4. Mulan

3. Frozen

2. Tarzan

1. Frozen II

Strangely (for me) I think all the animated movies would come first, except for maybe George of the Jungle and R & H Cinderella is my absolute favourite.

6) Favorite villain

I think Zira from the Lion King II is actually my favourite! I am very much influenced by her villain song being my favourite but her obsession with Scar and treatment of her kids is facinating. But I do really like Maleficent and Frollo gets points for being the most freaking terrifying (though I hate him with a burning passion (see what I did there??))

9)  Favorite sidekick

Oooh! Cool question! I haven’t thought about this before. I think I’ll go with Olaf. Though I do really love Terk from Tarzan too.

 43)  Which princess’ story is the most similar to your life

Oooh! Really cool question! Honestly probably Rapunzel because… well, I’ll just say I know a Gothel and I don’t go out much.

44) Which princess’ personality is most similar to yours

Hmm. Maybe Anna? I’m quite excitable and intensely enthusiastic about things. Family means the most to me. I’m pretty naive in the romance department and I would totally sing with a stranger I just met. I have a tendency to say the first thing that pops into my mind, also but I’m probably more random than her. 

45)  All time favorite song

Into The Unknown from Frozen II! (Special mention to Colors of the Wind, Out There, I'll Make a Man Out of You, Not One of Us, I Won’t Say I’m in Love and My Lullaby & a load of songs from R&H Cinderella)

47) Favorite villain song

“My Lullaby” from the Lion King 2, for sure! It’s so intense! Ngl, I wish the Lion King II was a stage musical rather than the first film. I like the songs and characters and overall story a lot better!

57) The most underrated Disney movie

Tarzan! I grew up obsessed with it. I wanted to be Tarzan. I used to walk around on all fours just the way he did in nothing but my underpants lol. Those were the days.

58) The most overrated Disney movie

I think Aladdin. I just watched the animated tv series to death. I’m not too keen on the story or the songs. I much prefer the sequels, especially King of Thieves. And I think I much preferred the ouat versions of the characters, especially ouatiw’s Jafar. Such a great villain!

59) Favorite Pixar movie

I’m not a big fan of Pixar because I don’t like the way the animation looks. They are pretty heartfelt though and I have cried during them. I think Incredibles 2 is my favourite because superheroes! We must bring back the Two Ds! (I miss beautiful 2D animation)

62) Best soundtrack

I would say Into the Woods because it’s one of my absolute favourite musicals but I much prefer the original broadway cast. So, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella 1997! But special mention to The Lion King II, Frozen II and the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

63) Last Disney movie you watched

Hmm. I feel like it’s been a while. I’m pretty sure it was Prince Caspian. That movie has really grown on me! Especially since I got into Ouat.

64) Two characters that would be great friends

Anna and Rapunzel. They have similar personalities and look a lot alike lol (I headcanon they’re cousins). They might already know eachother because (spoiler for Olaf Shorts) Olaf implies she is a good friend of his & they were at Elsa’s coronation, I think. Though I thought they were from different points in time. Also, they should let Elsa and Kristoff interact.

65) Two characters that would be enemies

All the Villains would not get on. I can’t remember if they did in House of Mouse. I think Frollo would be really upset if Maleficent called on all the powers of hell in front of him.

66) Two characters that should be paired up, but aren’t

Mulan, Aurora and Phillip xD. Heck, they can throw Shang in there too. Also Elsa and any woman! I think she’s pair nicely with Mulan or Belle.

#disney #frozen #tangled #elsa #princess anna #the lion king #tarzan #narnia #cinderella #ask game #the chronicles of narnia #darkpoisonouslove #this was so fun! thx again! #am*

[lasnevadaslaborunion]

top 5 characters from anything ever

This was an extremely difficult list and subject to change as soon as I rewatch something.

5. Pretty much the entire cast of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and part 5 in particular for number 5 on this list. They all have such limited time, but they're all dripping with personality. If I had to pick just one... sigh. Narancia. I would have given the world for that kid.

4. Much like with Jojo, I only wanted to pick one Breaking Bad character... gah. I'd say Jesse, but that's just a given because everybody loves Jesse. I'd say Gus, but the villains get their rep further up this list. So that leaves Skyler White. Yeah, yeah. Go on. Throw your tomatoes. She's still smarter than you are, probably.

3. c!Quackity. I would be remiss not to mention this guy, if only for the sheer impact he has had on my life and for the fact that he embodies so many of my favorite tropes. Seriously, he might as well be a living primer on how to appeal to my specific tastes in fictional guys.

2. Meruem. Ohhhhh my goodness gracious, where to begin. Favorite villain in any anime ever. His development over the Chimera Ant arc is sublime, and he could have gone so much further...

1. AHHHHHHH... Frodo and Sam. Two for this spot. I refuse to separate them. I can't. Tolkien could, but I can't do it.

Honorable mention: Sylvanas Windrunner. I prefer to remember the Banshee Queen as she once was, not the abomination she has become...

#asks

[headlesschaos]

Nightmares

A bit of spoilers, as long as your caught up with the anime and have watched season 3 you should be fine.

A BIT OF CONTENT TO THE STORY: Bakugou and Reader aren't really dating yet but are interested in each other. The reader is Izuku's sister so she has known Bakugou since childhood.

First time writing a oneshot. Please enjoy. No stealing my work, please.

_____________________________________________________________

In the middle of the night, my peaceful slumber was interrupted by someone kicking my legs. I whimpered a bit not wanting to get up, but the movement in the bed didn’t stop. Suddenly the person next to me shot up, they started panting trying to catch their breath. My eyes shoot open trying to figure out who was next to me.

I turn my head a bit, spotting a bit of blonde-looking hair in the dark and a well-built body. ‘Katsuki… oh that's right we fell asleep while studying.’ I thought, closing my eyes again, resting back down.

Once Katsuki caught his breath I felt his hand brush my forehead shakingly when a small crackle was heard. ‘His Quirk?’ He shot up from bed and started looking for something in my room.

“Shit, shit, shit, where the fuck is that fuck ass wipe?” He said in a low voice. I sit up spotting the ash-blonde run around my room, looking for the towel he came in with. He grabbed the towel from the table and wiped his hands. He was still cursing under his breath.

“Katsuki?” I say calling out to him.

I stared at his back as he stopped wiping his hands, he looked at his hands then over his shoulder to me. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Go back to sleep.” He says in a soothing voice. Though it nearly put me to sleep again, something about his voice stopped me.

Opening my eyes that I didn’t realize were close. “Bakugou, tell me what's wrong?” I told him in a tired voice. I swear I saw his body tense up as he looked towards my bedroom door. “Nothings fucking wrong just go back to sleep. I’m going to go back to my room so you’ll have your bed to yourself again. This was a fucking bad idea, so jus-”

“How long?” I asked, I knew he was playing an escape root. Something happened, whatever it was he wanted to hide, and I had a feeling I knew what it was. “What!?!” he asked, turning his head to me.

His red eyes glared sharply at mine, I almost want to hide under the covers instead. “You're having nightmares aren’t you?” I asked him. His body tensed and his face just turned angrier than before.

“I’m not having a fucking nightmare! Who the fuck do you think you're dealing with? A child? I’m not a fucking baby (Y/n) I don’t get fucking-.” He scolded me, but I cut him off. “Everyone has nightmares Katsuki! We all have fears! We’re human, we have flaws, it's a thing that happens all the time!” I say to him, lowering my voice at the end cause it was the middle of the night.

I couldn’t see him clearly but I could tell he was shaking. “I-I don’t- It’s not a nightmare okay. I may be human but I’m not a fucking pathetic weakling.”

I look at him, a sigh falls from my lips. “I…” I started but then paused before continuing. “I have nightmares at times,” I say, admitting my fault. “About the sludge villain, about failing, and about the incidents with the villains. When you were taken away, I had nightmares, I panicked. Am I weak and pathetic because of that?” I asked looking down at the bedsheets, my arms were crossed for comfort.

There was silence before Katsuki answered. “No, you're not,” he says, placing the towel in his hands down onto the chair. I felt his eyes burn into my body, it was silent again. “Then why does it make you?”

I heard him groan as he clenched his fist. “This isn’t about me,” he says sharply. I looked at the sheets not wanting to meet his eyes. “But it is, how am I supposed to be here and support you if you won’t tell me what's going on with you. Katsuki I can't be by your side like you want and just not know a thing. I need you to tell me.” I say my eyes started to water. I tried my best to hold it back.

His body started to shake. “I’m fucking fine, I don’t need you to get in my goddamn business!” In anger rose my voice letting it all out. “Then what am I here for? Just to have around? To sit there, look pretty, smile, and act like it's okay? Because if that's what I’m supposed to do then I want no part of this.” Tears ran down my face and my voice cracked at the end a lot. I tried to stop myself from crying, but it was proving to be difficult. Why wouldn't he just talk to me?

I heard the floor creak as I tried to wipe my tears. I was pulled into a hug by strong arms, one around my waist and the other on my head. I continued to cry as Katsuki held me. “What do you want from me? What am I supposed to be to you?” I asked him in tears.

He lifted my head up cupping it with both hands, his thumbs wiping and tears. He leaned forwards and kissed my forehead. Before putting his forehead on top of mine. His red ruby eyes gazed into mine as I held tightly to his t-shirt.

“Be my everything.”

It was all he had to say to make me crumble at his touch, he pulled me closer onto his lap. One arm around my waist as the other was on my face. I held that hand there, kissing onto it then rubbing my face onto it, falling in love with the warmth it created. His thumb rubbed circles again on my cheek.

“Be my fucking everything, the damsel I have to fucking rescue, my hero to fucking recuse me.” I laughed when he said that, but he just continues. “Correct me when I’m wrong, cheer me on when I’m fucking right. Help me when I’m about to give up, be there for me when I don’t. Put up with me when I’m a jerk, and let me put up with you when you're stubborn. Make me laugh, share moments like this with me. Tell me it's okay to be scared when I am… like I am right now.”

My eyes widened as he admitted his secret to me. I let go of his hand and cupped his face to see his eyes better. The ruby eyes showed me no lies, it showed me that yes indeed he was scared, but this time willing to share. A sigh fell from his lips as he closed his eyes for a brief moment to push his pride away before meeting my eyes again.

“Yes, I had a nightmare about the sludge villain. I couldn’t breathe and he was holding me back from getting to you. The fire fuck dude had you, he was burning you until you were in pain and that blonde bitch was stabbing you. And the other fucking hand guy just kept saying ‘should have joined us when you fucking had the chance. How can you be a hero if you can’t save yourself or her?’” He started to shake again, terrified of reliving his dream.

“Katsu.” I say grabbing his hand that had fallen to my shoulders before placing it over my heart. “I’m right here, Katsu. I won’t leave if I don’t have to. I know you’ll protect me.” But he pulled his hand away from me, tears gathered in his eyes. “But what if I can’t? What then?” he asked me, looking at me through his tears.

“Your human Katsu, you can’t always save everyone. You won’t always save everyone, but you will always be number one in my heart. It doesn’t matter anyway, what matters is right now. You and me being together right now, is all that matters.” I say with a smile. I knew I couldn’t tell him a lie. He was too smart and he knew the truth. I just had to remind him of the present moment.

Tears fell from his eyes as he just nodded then bared his head into my neck. I felt tears land on my neck as I rub his back and my fingers get lost in his soft fluffy hair. I felt us start to lean back then we fell onto the bed. “Ah Baku, my bed,” I say worried about him accidentally breaking it.

“Shut up and go the fuck to sleep.” I smile as I play with his hair, he wasn’t leaving me tonight, and all was better now. I slowly fell to sleep when I felt Katsu lift his head and kiss my cheek.

“(Y/n)?” he called out to me. “Yes?” I asked him. “What am I to you?” he asked me. Being tired and in the middle of sleep, I answer back.

“My jerky, cussing, childhood friend, that I had a crush on, that I also hated for nearly all my life. Now I’m waiting for you to ask me to be your girlfriend. To sum up everything, my crappy everything. Now go to sleep.” I say, it came out drowsy and tried but he got his answer. He smiled ear to ear, feeling high and mighty. He didn’t even care about the other half of the answer. He was your crappy everything.

“So that means you love me right?”

“Yes,” you answer without a second thought.

“I’m the fucking best?”

“Yes.” He smiles and basically screams/celebrates in his head.

“Am I better than Deku?” He asked with a smirk on his face.

“.....”

He glared at your silent form, he noticed that you were asleep. He blushes as he realizes that 1. You're cute when you're asleep, 2. You were in his arms and 3. You still didn’t answer the question. He nudged his nose on your face not wanting to unwrap his arms. You groan a bit but open your eyes slightly.

“Am I better than Deku?” He asked again, wanting an answer from you.

“Yes.” He cheered in his head. “But only by a bit…. and I’m better than both of you.”..... Wait, what? But before he could correct you, you were back to sleep. This time he didn’t bother you and closed his eyes pulling you in closer.

________________________________________

Izuku then walked up to your door early in the morning to ask you if you wanted to run some laps before starting today. Only find your door wide open with Kirishima and Ochaco standing there with their phones.

“Um… what are you two doing in my sister's room?” they both turn around. Ochaco blushed but before she could answer Kirishima got to it first. “See for yourself.” Izuku stepped into the room more, he stopped once he saw Katsuki and you. He paused for a moment to take what was in front of him.

At first, Kirishima thought that maybe his bro didn’t have Izuku’s approval, Ochaco was praying that Izuku would let you date Katsuki because she really shipped you and him. But then Izuku pulled out his phone and took some pictures before walking towards the door pushing the other two out.

“Um... Izuku, Katsuki didn’t do anything wrong I swear. Both of their clothes are still on and Bakugou wouldn’t touch her in her sleep. That isn’t manly.” Kirishima said worried as they were being pushed out so Izuku could yell at them. Ochaco looked at Izuku clearly confused as well. “Deku-kun?”

Izuku finishes pushing them out then closes the door keeping all three of them out. He just smiles at them. “Let’s give them time. I'll come back and check on them after my morning jog. They both should be up by then.” He says walking towards the elevator. Ochaco looked at him. “But Deku-kun, what about the pictures you took?” she asked.

“Oh those, I’m sending them to mom and saving them to put them in the (ship name) memory book.” He smiles as he gets into the elevator, he looks at them. “Would you like to see the pictures I collected so far?” Kirishima nodded and followed Izuku while Ochaco was amazed. Izuku was completely okay with this.

“Wait? How long have you been shipping them?” There was silence between them before Izuku pressed the close door button. “Not that long. Maybe since kindergarten?” he answers as the doors close.

“What? Izuku!?!”

#bakugou x you #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugou katsuki #bakugou fluff #first writing #bhna bakugou #boko no hero academia #mha #bnha #bnha bakugo katsuki #mha katsuki #katsuki x y/n #x reader #katsuki x you #bakugou x reader #bakugou katuski x reader #bakugou imagine #katsuki #bakugou

[shoutogepi]

A Million Times Over, part 1

┌────── ⋆⋅✧⋅⋆ ──────┐

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Todoroki Shouto x American!Reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 11.3k holy shit this is so long guys. fuck.

[ ☀︎, ☁︎, ✘ (nsfw!) ] (series warnings)

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : some NSFW themes but no actual smut. a lot of pining and angst. some cute moments too tho!

𝐛𝐢𝐨 : You lose all memories from the past five years of your life due to an accident-induced coma, including any recollection of your beloved boyfriend and fellow pro-hero, Shouto. He’s devastated that you don’t remember him, but the both of you are determined to get your memories back, no matter how long it takes. In the meantime, you attempt to rebuild your relationship with him… while also nurturing the spark that’s still very much lit between you two.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 : Originally I intended for this to just be a long fic… but even for my standards, this would be wayyy too long to be just in one post. I decided to split the fic into three instead, so this will be the first part of my very first multi-chap series, A Million Times Over, for my beloved Sho <3

𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 : big thank you to my sweet friend @todoscript​ for beta-reading this for me and hyping me up!! love you, can’t wait to read what you have in the works soon <3

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“.../n”

…

“.. y/n…”

…

🅃he buzzing noise in your ears sharpened. White light snuck between your eyelids and you groaned, fingers reaching toward your temple. Confusion burst forth as you recognized foreign, plastic tubing connected to your skin, your eyes opening wider as you began to register your surroundings.

You were in a hospital room. To be more exact, you were in the bed in the middle of the hospital room— meaning, you were the patient. The realization shocked you, and you jolted upright abruptly, suddenly all too aware of the tubes stuck up your nose. At your sudden movement, large, warm hands landed on your arms and rubbed at your skin gently, making your attention turn to the person sitting at your bedside.

“Y/n? Hey, you’re okay, love, it's alright. You’re safe, I’ve got you.” His voice was smooth and deep, an anchor for you to grab onto in the midst of your confusion.

You were gawking, staring straight at him— you couldn't help it. Your jaw was probably hanging open, gaping like a fish at the man before you. What were you in the hospital for exactly— had you gone insane and dreamed this situation up?

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“Sh-Shouto Todoroki,” you mumbled, gaze connected with his tired but bright, heterochromatic orbs. His brow furrowed and his head tilted slightly at your courteous acknowledgement, but he brushed it aside and smiled at you instead.

Your heart was pounding in your chest as you took in his form beside you. He was tall— you could tell even though he was seated— and he was more handsome than you’d ever imagined, somewhere in his mid-to-late twenties judging by the sharp, masculine features of his face.

“Y/n…,” he breathed out, a large, calloused hand coming up to cup your jaw. Then he pulled you into a hug, his strong, muscular arms wrapping around your torso and cradling the back of your head to press you into his chest. He smelled of clean laundry and winter, a crisp, fresh scent that made an unknown comfort blossom in your chest.

Slowly you placed an arm around his neck, your other hand laying limp on the sheets as it was still connected to the IV. You rubbed his back slightly, still dazed by your apparent situation. Looking outside the open window in the corner of the room, you realized it was daytime; yellow sunlight beaming into the room and pouring onto the tiled floor. There were vases of flowers all around the room, as well as stuffed animals, cards, and balloons that all wished for your health and speedy recovery.

“I’m so glad you’re awake,” Shouto whispered into your shoulder, still holding you tight in his embrace. His voice was still low, but this time it shook with profound emotion. “I missed you… so much.”

Your body felt relaxed in his arms, even though your brain was whirring a thousand miles a minute. You had no clue how you’d ended up in the hospital, who sent you all these gifts, where you even were geographically, and most importantly, why Shouto Todoroki was holding onto you like you meant the world to him. You patted his back stiffly and he let go of you just enough to move his face in front of yours. His eyes held such love and relief, the emotions as clear as day that butterflies ruptured from your stomach. As if his expression wasn’t enough to get your heart racing, he leaned forward and captured your lips, pressing his mouth to yours in a firm but sweet kiss.

It only lasted for a minute, but it was enough to have your heart rate monitor start beeping rapidly, noisily chiming at the other side of your bed. His face was so perfect and smooth up close— you couldn’t close your eyes as you took in his astonishing beauty. Sure, you’d imagined he would be perfect… but in person, here before you, he was indescribable. The man of your dreams. And a good kisser, too.

A nurse rushed into the room, seemingly out of breath. When she caught sight of the two of you, your lips locked, and Shouto holding you so tenderly, she let out an awkward cough and pawed at her scrubs, averting her eyes as she approached your bedside. Shouto pulled away, only to plant a soft kiss on the very tip of your nose before leaning back into his seat. He had a wide smile on his lips, content-crinkled eyes settled on you as his hand enveloped yours.

“So you’re awake!” the nurse stated excitedly, busying around with the beeping machine, managing to shut the blasted thing off. “How are you feeling? Any pain, discomfort?”

You glanced at Shouto, who smiled at you warmly and squeezed your hand. If that heart rate machine was still on, surely it would be going haywire again. “Uhh, I think I’m okay… just kinda groggy,” you replied truthfully, your voice coming out hoarse. You cleared your throat and she handed you a small cup of water, which you took gratefully. You continued on after taking a few sips, the liquid cooling your irritated throat. “No pain, but I’m a little… confused, to be honest.”

“I’m sure you are, hon,” the nurse said, giving you a smile full of understanding. It made you feel a little less on edge, and you gave her a half-hearted smile back. “You were in a bad accident almost a month ago. You suffered some head trauma, and you’ve been in a coma ever since. You also had two bruised ribs, and some minor surface wounds. The cuts are all gone now, and your ribs should be almost all healed by now as well, but if you have any discomfort on your left side here,” she gestured to your ribs and continued, “just let me know. I’ll page your doctor and we’ll do a quick check-up on you in just a minute!”

You nodded slowly, the gears turning in your head. You were in an accident, and then a coma for a whole month? It all seemed so crazy to you— you can’t remember a single thing leading up to your supposed accident. Head trauma… you weren’t usually the type to get hurt, and you’d never been in a coma before. “Umm… what kind of accident was it?” you asked, looking between Shouto and the nurse, not really directing the question to either of them specifically.

“You were flung into a cement pillar during a fight, love. The blow was mostly on your side, hence your bruised ribs… but your head smacked into the pillar secondarily,” Shouto replied, his smile disappearing as an unfamiliar bitterness washed over his handsome face. “We were battling together and you were knocked unconscious instantly… you’ve been asleep ever since.”

“A fight..?” you frowned, tilting your head in confusion. “We were fighting, and you threw me against a… cement pillar?”

Shouto looked horrified at your misunderstanding, adamantly shaking his head and making his soft, two-toned hair shine in the sunlight. “No, I would never hurt you— the villain did, baby. I incapacitated them right after,” he paused, eyes casting downwards and his free hand forming into a fist at the memory, “but the damage had already been done...”

That sounded right… your job was herowork, you could at least recall that. But you didn’t think you’d ever fought beside a hero as great and renowned as Japan’s famed dual-tempered Shouto. Sure, you’d been doing your best to climb the American hero leaderboard, but you weren’t by any means at the top yet. “Umm… can you tell me.. why we were fighting a villain together, exactly?”

Shouto looked directly at you, his brow furrowing before he looked to the nurse on the other side of your bed. They shared a look, and you shuffled uncomfortably in the cotton sheets pulled up to your waist, unease sitting like a rock in your stomach.

“Y/N, can you tell me what you remember before the accident?” Shouto asked slowly, his grip on your hand tightening just a fraction. There was a sliver of something else in his voice now, a hint of urgency in his request.

You looked between him and the nurse hesitantly, racking your brain for anything you could think of. “Uhh… I don’t… I don’t remember, I— I’m sorry.”

“That’s alright hon, don’t worry. It’s common to have some confusion after just waking up from a coma. We can try an easier question. Let’s see… do you know your birthday?”

You responded instantly, and there was the tiniest amount of relief on Shouto’s face at your correct response.

“Your mother’s maiden name?”

You got that one right too, Shouto’s thumb rubbing over your knuckles soothingly in silent praise.

“How about your phone number?”

You took a second to think of it, but you answered that one too. The nurse looked over at Shouto to see his reaction, and so did you. But Shouto was frowning at you, making dread drip into your veins. “That’s your US number, love… what’s your Japanese number?”

You looked at him incredulously. “My Japanese number? Why would I need a Japanese number?” you inquired, thinking this must have been some kind of trick question.

The nurse and Shouto shared a more serious look, and Shouto swallowed as he looked away from you, turning toward the window instead. You squeezed at his hand but he didn’t respond, so you turned to the nurse instead, confused now more than ever.

“I don’t understand…,” you mumbled, hoping for some clarification from her. She smiled at you, but this time it did not reach her eyes.

“You’re in Japan, hon. You’re speaking Japanese right now… and you’re also one of the top heroes in Japan, just like your boyfriend here.”

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The next few days passed by in a blur. The hospital staff was all very kind and hospitable, but it still felt like you had woken up in the middle of someone else’s life. Even though your body was yours, and you looked just the same, you couldn’t help the unease that lingered from your imposter syndrome.

You had gone through so many tests and check-ups that they all blended together at this point. You had been poked, prodded, and quizzed the entire time since you’d woken up from your coma. There were so many different tests regarding your memory that your brain felt like melted jelly by now, and your frustration was at an all-time high.

Shouto had gotten up and left the room shortly after the nurse informed you of your situation. Your heart felt heavy for him— he seemed so excited, so relieved that you were finally awake— and this was the devastating reality that he was left to face. After patiently waiting at your bedside for weeks, this was the bitter pill he had to swallow when you had finally come-to… you imagined that he was not eager to confront such a terrible twist of fate. Yet he had come back into your room half an hour later, eyes suspiciously puffy and pink, and his nose a little stuffy, but nonetheless, he grabbed your hand and kissed your knuckles, squeezing even tighter than before. Even though you barely knew him, his presence made you feel safe, and you were glad to have him by your side.

Between your numerous mental tests and check-ins, the conversation between the two of you was surprisingly easy. He was patient with you, and kind. Apparently, you’d first met him in America at a hero convention about five years ago, and you started dating after a year and a half of being friends. Your memory had been completely wiped of the past five years, leaving your Japanese friends, coworkers, and dedicated boyfriend all in the dark. According to Shouto, you had befriended many of the top heroes in Japan, seeing as they were also your colleagues. It turned out that the numerous flower arrangements scattered about your room were from these heroes, as well as fans… though a good amount were from the heterochromatic man himself.

Shouto took care of you during your days at the hospital. He talked to the doctor after your check-ins, pulling them aside and conversing in hushed voices in the hallway just outside your door. He called your family for you and flew them out, only adding to the chaos in your hospital room. He told all of your Japanese friends and acquaintances to stay away for now, knowing that meeting them would probably just overwhelm and guilt you. And each day he would bring you a treat that you would inevitably love, proving to you that he really did know you, and that he knew your preferences and even your favorite boba order. He probably would have stayed by your bedside even through each night, but you insisted he go home and sleep in a proper bed. You already felt bad enough that he was taking a hiatus from hero work until you recovered… you didn’t need to add his future back issues to your already guilty conscience.

You found yourself enjoying your time with him. You knew who he was— you had certainly heard of him during your previous hero work that you actually remembered. You kept it to yourself that you had harbored an embarrassingly large crush on him, though. You figured he probably knew that, seeing as he was your boyfriend of three and a half years… no need to bring it up! But now that your memory had reverted back to your mental state five years ago… you inevitably had feelings for the pro hero, and you weren’t sure if he either couldn’t tell how he affected you, or if he was just being polite. Whatever the case, there was still a spark between the two of you. Even though all the progress of your relationship had been erased on your side, each day your feelings only grew for the selfless, charming, and witty half-and-half man. So much so, that you would now reach out for his hand when he would enter your room each morning, and he would smile at you and slip his fingers between yours, no matter how much it hurt to restrain himself from showing you more affection.

After about a week, you were cleared to go home. Your nurse, who you had come to know as Akari, told you that the doctor had originally wanted to keep you for longer… but that Shouto was such a doting beau that they had given you the express go-ahead, knowing you would be in the highest of care.

Your memory was still not restored, though you had started to remember odd things here and there. Like how to use your phone— it was the newest model and far from the technology you were familiar with five years ago, but you opened the device and navigated it expertly on your first go. The doctor said that that was a good sign, though it could just be muscle memory... but Shouto still gave you a small smile of encouragement. Next was when you had asked Shouto to bring you your favorite moisturizer, a Japanese brand, and you just mentioned it so casually in conversation that you would have blown right over it had Shouto not pointed it out to you. You were recalling little, mundane things here and there, but never anything big— no people, no places. No distinct memories.

Akari assured you many times that as long as you kept working at it, your memories would return. She always said it when you were frustrated— she could tell your moods and she could see how hard you were trying. But she also said it when you were doing fine, and that was when you knew she was saying it more to Shouto than anything. You were glad to have her there, because even though Shouto was there for you physically, he kept most of his emotions sealed off from you… and it was hard for you to read him. Akari was an excellent nurse, and you felt blessed to have been taken care of by her. But a tiny, minuscule part of you was jealous that she could tell how he was feeling, while you were left in the dark.

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You sighed as the car door clicked shut, feeling apprehensive. The vehicle that Shouto had driven to the hospital today is sleek, shiny, and foreign. You had no clue what model it was, but you knew it must have been expensive— the interior was framed with a polished wood that complimented the peanut-butter color of the leather seats and steering wheel. Shouto slipped into the drivers’ side next to you, offering you a small smile as he clicked his seatbelt into place.

“Are you nervous?” he asked, pausing before he turned the ignition. The car purred to life, a welcome screen popping up in the middle of the console.

You thought it over for a moment before answering, watching as he slid the parking ticket out from under the overhead visor. “A little… I think excited is a better word for it, though.”

Shouto’s smile broadened just a tad, his hand reaching over the center console and squeezing yours briefly. “Me too,” he murmured, eyes locked with yours for just a moment too long before his arm propped back against the corner of your seat, and he reversed out of the parking spot. You couldn’t help but admire his chiseled jawline as he did so, eyes flitting away quickly when he caught your lingering gaze.

The drive from the hospital to your home wasn’t long, and you were thankful that was the case— you’d have definitely felt even guiltier if he’d been driving for a long time all these days to come and see you. The city distracted you along the way, bustling and bright as ever, and your eyes were wide with wonder as you took in the colorful displays littering the streets and storefronts. Everything— everyone just seemed so alive; it was impossible to keep the smile from your face.

At one red light in particular, you saw a cat cafe, zoning in on a particularly pudgy cat snoozing at the top of the cat tree in the window. You giggled and pointed it out to Shouto, glancing over at him to see if he was looking, and the softest smile was on his lips as his eyes gazed deeply into yours. You held his stare for a moment and then looked away again, flustered and your cheeks feeling warm as you cleared your throat.

It was then that you noticed his hand lying atop the center of the console, tempting you to reach out and lace your fingers with his, like you had done so many times at the hospital. But it felt different without the safety of the white walls and medical equipment you had grown to know, somehow scarier— like he might reject you for whatever reason. You chose to keep your hands to yourself for now.

“It seems like you’re curious about the city,” he said as silence settled between the pair of you, the only noise in the cabin of the vehicle being the low melody from the radio.

You shrugged and hummed in agreement, eyes now glued to the other side of the window as countless people and businesses whizz by. “I like to know the city I’m protecting,” you answered, leaning back against the headrest. “It makes me feel more connected to the people that live here… the people we’re helping when we do our jobs. Y’know?”

Shouto nodded, humming his own agreement. “Yeah… I know what you mean,” he replied. After a short pause, he turned to you, waiting for another red light to turn green. “Maybe we can come out in disguise sometime… if that would interest you. I can show you around, we can have a little adventure.”

You visibly perked up at his suggestion, your grin making his heart flutter suddenly in his chest. “Yes! I would love that!” you beamed at him and he smiled back at you, the faintest hint of a blush dusting his cheeks.

You bit your lip as he turned back toward the road, the car shifting forward as he pressed the gas at the green signal. He was trying… so you had to, too.

“But only if we go together, okay?” You reached over and took his hand before you could chicken out. His fingers fit perfectly in between yours, and your cheeks felt hot again as you gazed intently at your intertwined hands.

Shouto let out a little breath of surprise at your action, but his fingers curled tightly around yours in under a second. “Of course… love.”

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Shouto had sent your family home, despite their protests. The doctor’s orders were for you to resume life as you normally would— apparently, that would be the quickest way for you to regain your memories. The verdict was much to your parents’ dismay, but they understood that it was the fastest means for you to return to, well, you. So they left Shouto to take care of you, and he insisted that once your memories came back, he would fly them back out to see you again, or the two of you would come to them.

Though technically he was a stranger to you, he was the closest thing to home in the strange storm of your memory loss. He had been there for you every step of the way, every day. He tended to your every need, and he even anticipated your needs before you were aware of them. That didn’t change once you arrived at your shared apartment.

If you could even call it that.

“Holy shit,” you mumbled when Shouto unlocked the door for you, gesturing for you to enter first. Your jaw was on the herringbone-patterned, hardwood floor as your eyes wandered around the entryway, taking in every design detail you came across. You barely managed to take off your shoes before you were peeking your head into the bathroom next to the entry hallway, inspecting the clean and gorgeously-furnished half-bath.

Shouto chuckled and closed the door behind him, making sure to turn the lock as he set his keys into a porcelain bowl beside the door. “Go explore, I think you’ll like what you see,” he said amusedly, a half-smirk on his pink lips as he eyed you. Your starstruck expression only grew as you padded into the open space of the living room.

A long, cushy sofa and chaise stood before the huge flat-screen that was nestled into an elegant built-in, shelves filled with books you knew and loved and ones you didn’t recognize, too. Game consoles lined the shelf below the plasma screen, and your toes curled into the fuzzy rug underfoot as you gaped at the room. Everything— even the curtains and the coasters on the coffee table— was exactly in your taste. You felt like you were in wonderland. Had you fallen down a rabbit hole and this was the magical, heavenly place you had landed in? Clearly this had to be a dream, right? You woke up as Todoroki Shouto’s long-time girlfriend, and apparently you lived here, with him?

Goddamn.

The kitchen, laundry room, main bath, office, bedroom, and master bath all fit your taste exactly the same. Only the second office and spare bedroom seemed a little out of place— they were more of a traditional Japanese design, but even though it was different, you did not mind. Even the runner on the staircase— who had a staircase in their apartment, by the way?!— was in a pleasing color and pattern. There was even a decently sized home gym, with various equipment and machines and a mirror running the length of the entire wall. By the end of your expedition, you were simply at a loss for words. You found Shouto sitting on one of the stools at the marble island that separated the kitchen and the living room, busy combing through some manila files.

“Umm,” you started, catching his attention.

He looked up at you, propping his chin onto his hand as his elbow rested on the counter. One brow quirked up, he grinned slyly at your outright astonishment. “Well?” he prompted, sitting up and rolling his neck, then stretching his broad shoulders. “What do you think?”

You try not to linger on the way the muscles rippled underneath his tight, crisp shirt, playing off your silence as shock. “It’s uh… perfect? I live here? I actually live here, right? You’re not pulling my leg?”

Shouto chuckled and shook his head. “I would never, love. Well, I have before, but no— I’m not right now. You live here. We live here. It’s all ours.”

You laughed giddily, unable to contain your excitement. Shouto smiled fondly at you, your grin infectious as your eyes wandered around the kitchen once more.

“Snack pantry is behind that door,” he nodded his head to the side and your eyes grew even starrier. He couldn’t help the laugh that trickled out of him at your instant footsteps— you were still you, after all. He knew all the ways to your heart very well, and one of them was most definitely through food.

“Woah.” Your mouth hung open once again at the rows of snacks and foods that greeted your gaze when you opened the door, the light flicking on automatically. Your eyes danced over the labels, recognizing many of your favorite flavors throughout the variety. “We could survive a whole year off of this stuff, Shouto.”

You stiffened when an arm wrapped around your middle, his front pressing up against your back as his chin fell onto your shoulder. That same comforting scent encircled you, but this time it was mixed with a subtle, woodsy aroma that made your mouth water.

Shouto breathed softly into your hair, the tip of his nose brushing the side of your neck. “I stocked up for your return, love.” He took another leisurely deep breath before he pulled back, his arm falling from your body and leaving you surprisingly cold without his touch. “Wanted you to have everything you could possibly desire.”

Your eyes inspected the pattern on the hardwood floor as he stepped away from you, your arm crossing over your front to grab onto your bicep nervously. Letting out a small laugh, you replied, “Yeah, I think you covered all the bases…”

He only hummed as he returned to his seat, sliding on a pair of thin metal glasses you hadn’t seen him take off before. You couldn’t help but think he looked incredibly handsome like this— a rare, domestic sight for only your eyes to enjoy. “Sorry I can’t entertain you at the moment,” he said, that analytical gaze locking onto you once more. “My agency asked me to look over these cases and I just have to finish them up— I’m technically on leave, but I still want to help out when I can. I only need another half hour or so. Feel free to help yourself to anything you like. This is your home, after all.”

You smiled and nodded, rolling back and forth on the balls of your feet. “Alright, I’ll try not to bother you.” Shouto frowned at your wording, but you carried on anyway. “I think I’ll poke around our room and see if I can find something that triggers a memory.” Your acknowledgement of your shared bedroom seemed to put him at ease, and with that, you grabbed a strawberry-flavored snack from the pantry before making your way past him, roaming over to the bedroom.

“You can go through my things if you want, too!” He called from behind you, having already made your way to the stairs. Choosing not to reply to his invitation, you hopped up the steps and quietly closed the door to your bedroom, hands landing on your hips. Inspecting the room from left to right, you decided to go through the toiletries in the master bath before anything else.

Before you could move even a foot in the direction of the en-suite, a furry creature darted out from underneath the bed skirt and dashed toward you. You gasped in delight at the gorgeous visage of the long-haired cat— she had bright blue eyes and fine white fur, her coat streaked with gray here and there. The cat meowed cutely and curled around your ankle, rubbing her head against your leg affectionately.

You immediately crouched down and lowered yourself to her level, fingers eagerly diving into her soft fur and offering a good scratch behind the ears. “Hi gorgeous,” you cooed, the animal mewling back at you in response. Your fingers found her collar and you flipped over the tag, reading her name with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Yuki.” 

Heart softened at the thought of Shouto owning such a pretty creature, you gave her a good long rub before you decided to move on to your quest at hand. The creature followed closely behind, twisting in between your legs as you entered the en-suite.

The bathroom was large and luxurious, just what you would expect from a pro-hero of Shouto’s standing. It occurred to you that you too, were a hero of such regard, which must explain why you could afford all the lavish things you came across while combing through the closets and cabinetry.

You went through countless skincare products, face masks, makeup items, and bathing goods on what you presumed was your side of the double sink before you peeked into Shouto’s drawers. You fingered through his hygienic products, mumbling to yourself in surprise when you came across skincare items whose existence most men would not even be aware of. You shrugged and figured that you just must be an excellent girlfriend and teacher, assuming he used them correctly.

Eventually you found his shaving items, eyes scanning the labels until you find his aftershave. Shrugging, you took the cap off, giving a tentative sniff before you realized that must be what you smelled on him earlier, when he’d pressed up against you from behind and nuzzled into your neck. You bit your lip as you recalled how his arm felt around your waist, his nose on your throat. It had felt so intimate, and oddly… natural.

It was the most contact you’d had with him so far. While you were at the hospital, he would hold your hand. Besides that first moment when you had just woken up— when he hugged and kissed you, and the fireworks that had gone off had been then overshadowed by the horrific realization that your memory had been wiped— the half-hug just twenty minutes ago was the only time he had initiated further physical contact with you.

You frowned. It wasn’t like you’d been super affectionate toward him, either. Sure, you had reached out for his hand at the hospital, and you took it again during the car ride home… but now that it was just the two of you, alone in your home… it felt different. Maybe that was why Shouto had asked if you felt nervous when you were in the car, following your discharge from the hospital only an hour ago. Had he seen it coming— this potential pitfall in the reconstruction of your relationship? You wondered how he felt about all of this, but you were too shy to ask him so directly. Not when you barely knew him.

“Missed me so much you’re sniffing my cologne?”

You froze and glanced up at the mirror, Shouto’s reflection smirking at you from his leaned position against the doorway. Your cheeks immediately went warm and fuzzy again as you capped the glass bottle, carefully placing it back into its drawer before looking over your shoulder to him. A glance at the clock on the wall revealed it had been forty minutes; you must have gotten swept up in examining your beauty products.

He didn't have his glasses on anymore, and he had changed into a solid-colored t-shirt, the crisp button-down he’d donned earlier nowhere to be seen. Damn it… you had missed your chance to ogle at him with his shirt off. At your silence, his smirk melted into a small smile, stepping forward and joining your sitting form on the heated-tile floor. “Don’t worry, I’ve done the same to your perfume before as well,” he murmured as he reached toward the drawer on your far side, his arm brushing against your back as he searched for the glass vial. “You can try it, too. It’s the most recent addition to your collection, and I personally am very partial to its scent.”

The contact made you swallow, your gaze flicking over to his. He was looking at the various perfume bottles in the drawer, though, giving you the chance to inspect his face as his hair fell forward, soft locks of red and white splaying across his forehead. He was so breathtaking up close like this… your gaze dropped to his lips. God, you wanted to kiss him. You wanted to feel those lips on yours again, to be in his arms and to be held as tenderly as you were that first day you awoke.

“Oh right,” he chuckled, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. “I brought it into the spare room the other day… Must’ve forgot to put it back.” He leaned back, ending the accidental physical contact with you.

You looked at him quizzically. “The spare room? Can I ask why?”

Shouto blushed and your heart thudded in your chest. Oh crap, he was so cute with his cheeks tinged pink. “Yeah… I’ve been sleeping in there since the accident. It just feels…,” he paused as he searched for the right word, eyes avoiding yours, “wrong… to be in our bed without you.”

Your own cheeks warmed at that, his confession pulling at your heartstrings. “So the perfume..?”

His cheeks darkened a few shades, the hand on his neck rubbing harder at his skin. “Ah, that’s… honestly kind of… embarrassing to explain.”

You reached out so your hand covered his, and Shouto sighed as he allowed your fingers to slide in between his. “Can I guess? Will you tell me if I’m right?” He nodded at that, deciding it was better if he didn't have to say it. “You spray my perfume onto a pillow at night and snuggle up with it?”

Shouto’s eyes widened at your immediate response, swallowing before he let out a stiff laugh and a nod. “Yeah, that’s exactly right… kind of lame, isn’t it?”

Shaking your head, you smiled gently at him. “No, I think it’s sweet. It’s just what I would do if you were away, too.”

There’s a shocked silence that filled the bathroom then, Shouto’s wide eyes fixed on you for a long, intense moment. Eventually you broke eye contact, looking to the floor with an awkward smile.

“And you don’t have to do that tonight…” you offered quietly. “If you want, I mean… you can sleep in here.”

“Is that where you’ll be sleeping?”

You looked back at him, surprised by his instant reply. “Y-Yeah, I think so…”

“Alright,” he conceded, his blank face melting into a warm smile. “Then that’s where I’ll sleep, too.”

You returned the gesture, pleased to have made him happy. “Will you be spraying me with perfume before we tuck in?” you joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“No,” Shouto answered seriously, the smile dropping from his face, “your natural scent is a thousand times better than any perfume, love. I’ve missed it lingering on our sheets.”

Cheeks warmed for what seemed like the thousandth time today, you tucked a piece of hair behind your ear and smiled, unsure of what to say. “Aha okay… well, I think you smell pretty good, too.”

⋆⋅✧⋅⋆⋅✧⋅⋆⋅✧⋅⋆

Shouto originally wanted to order in from your favorite restaurant for dinner, but you managed to sweet talk him into allowing you to cook instead. After about a week of feeling completely worthless, it was nice to have something you could finally, actually do.

The refrigerator was just as stocked as the pantry, so after analyzing the plethora of ingredients at your disposal, you decided on a meal and set off, gathering all the things you’d need in an excited hurry. Just as you were about to start washing vegetables, Shouto slipped an apron over your head, steady hands drawing the ties together at the bottom of your spine. The garment fit you perfectly, intricate design in your favorite color. You thanked him as you glanced over your shoulder, grinning up at him.

There was a somewhat somber look in his eyes, a halfhearted smile just barely curving his lips before he nodded and moved away, retreating back to the other side of the counter where he’s staked out to watch you work. He’d offered to help— numerous times, actually— but you told him to just sit back and relax. You wanted to do something for the tired man, even if it was as small as putting together a meal.

It didn't take long for you to get into a rhythm. Chopping the vegetables and preparing the other ingredients came naturally to you, and you found yourself enjoying the process. It was something familiar, which was very much welcome.

“Do we cook a lot?” you inquired, raising your voice a bit so Shouto could hear you over the sizzling pan in front of you.

He was leaning on the countertop again— he must’ve known he looked delicious like that or something— and he glanced over at you from the open book he was reading. “Mm, when we have time. It’s not that we don’t enjoy it, but usually we’re both very busy. It’s normal for us to leave early, and return home late.”

You nodded in understanding, grinding fresh peppercorns above the skillet and giving the contents a stir.

“I like everything you cook for me, though.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that, stealing a look over at him. While your cooking had improved since your teenage years, it wasn’t like you were a chef by any means. “Everything? You’re just trying to be sweet on me.”

The corner of his mouth curled up. “Maybe… is it working?”

The sound of the food crackling from a drizzle of oil filled the kitchen for a beat, and you stared at the wilting greens before you, unable to bring yourself to look at him. “Yeah, I think it’s working…”

There was another pause in conversation, this one less stifling than before. This time, Shouto broke the ice. “Even though we’re busy people, we always have a date every Friday… It’s the highlight of my week.” His voice sounded gloomier than just a moment ago, but when you chanced a look over at him, he was smiling slightly, staring at a cabinet and seemingly off in his own memories.

You wondered which memory he was going over particularly, but didn’t want to intrude his recollection, so you focused on stirring the pan instead. Tapping your phone on the counter next to you just to make sure, your eyes flitted over today’s date. 

Thursday. 

“Tomorrow’s a Friday,” you mentioned, trying to be casual, despite your heartbeat ringing in your ears. It was stupid for you to get anxious that he’d reject you— he was your boyfriend after all. But to you, this was all  uncharted territory; foreign waters.

“Tomorrow is a Friday, yeah,” he confirmed, looking down at his book again. “It’ll be a week since you woke up.”

The realization that you’d woken up exactly one week ago—the day that caused the man so much joy and then so much pain— that that day had been on a Friday, your sacred day that was devoted to being spent with each other… it made your heart throb uncomfortably in your chest. You nibbled on the inside of your cheek, shutting off the burner and transferring the food into a serving dish. Bringing it over to the counter and setting it in front of him, you untied the apron and folded it neatly, placing that on the counter too.

“Would you… want to go out with me tomorrow, then?” you proposed smally, opening the drawers before you in search of eating utensils. You frowned when all you were met with was measuring cups and spatulas. “For our Friday date ritual, I mean.”

Shouto stood and crossed the island, opening the drawer behind you and revealing all the silverware and chopsticks. You moved to grab two pairs of chopsticks and he took your wrist gently, large thumb stroking across your skin. His other hand came to brush against the small of your back, but he chose not to grab onto you. “I would love that.”

You shared a smile and a meaningful look.

“Then it’s a date.”

⋆⋅✧⋅⋆⋅✧⋅⋆⋅✧⋅⋆

After the dishes were all washed, you agreed to watch a movie. You had initially wanted to pour over your things again, to see if anything could help your memories come back. But Shouto had suggested the two of you relax on the couch instead, explaining that  he was not surprised that you were overworking yourself, but that it was his job to make sure you took care of yourself. He further threatened that if you wouldn’t take care of yourself, then he would have to “take care of you himself”, and that left you flustered more than anything. So you dropped whatever excuse you had prepared to argue back at him and followed him to the living room.

Walking in, you blinked in awe at the spread that Shouto had set up. Numerous candies and snacks are laid out for your convenience across the coffee table. The lights were dimmed and curtains drawn, even a few candles flickering in the shadows and scenting the room with a cool, refreshing aroma. There was a pile of blankets stacked in the center of the sofa, all the decorative pillows pushed into the corners to leave one large space for the two of you to share. It was a little… dare you say it… romantic. You looked over your shoulder at him, shooting him a suspicious glance. He had led you to believe he was “taking care of you”, but it seemed he had ulterior motives, too. Not that you were complaining.

Seating yourself next to the blanket tower, you peeled one off the top before unfolding it, letting the soft fleece tickle your ankles and lay across your lap. Shouto crossed in front of the TV, grabbing two remotes from the basket and coming to sit next to you. There was a respectful amount of space between your legs, and you couldn’t help but frown at the gap. You thought that he would sit right next to you…

It took a little while for you to settle on a movie, all the films from the past five years unknown and novel to you… even if Shouto informed you you had already seen them. He went along with your selection without resistance, opting to grab one of the biscuit snacks on the table before you.

As the movie began, you leaned back against the soft cushions of the couch, not really focusing on the actors on the screen. Your eyes were trained on the television, but your mind was elsewhere, unable to distract yourself with the story. You also noticed that Shouto was sitting stiff as a board next to you, focused on nibbling at his snack. He didn’t attempt any moves at you throughout the first thirty minutes, even after he’d finished with his confection. Slowly you allowed yourself to relax, succumbing to the film and settling into the pillowy sofa.

Shouto detected your newfound relaxation, a gentle smile tugging at his lips as he watched your eyes fix on the main character and her love interest. “I’m going to make some tea. Would you like a cup, love?”

“I’m okay, thanks…” you replied softly, not really hearing him as the love interest was in the middle of their heartfelt confession.

He took a moment alone in the kitchen to calm himself. Even though you had been very receptive to him, he couldn’t help but feel hesitant whenever he touched you. He wanted you to want him; for you to want him to touch you. But he didn’t want to force anything with you, in fear that he’d scare you off or make a bad impression. He didn’t want to be pushy. Even before the accident, his heart still pounded whenever you would smile at him. When you would grab his hand, bring him something because it reminded you of him… when you would moan into his ear at ungodly hours in the night… Now it felt like his heart was in his throat every time you spoke to him, like if he said one word wrong, you’d fly away from him and never look back. It was terrifying.

Shouto shook his head. Sighing to himself, he filled his mug with water and held the ceramic in his hands, steam rising off the surface of the liquid almost instantly as he activated his quirk. He allowed the tea leaves to steep for a moment before he fished them out, steeling his nerves and returning to his spot on the couch. He couldn’t be sure, but it looked like you’d scooted over just the tiniest bit, shortening the distance between you two as he took his seat.

Your eyes flicked over to him and caught his gaze on you, inspecting the mug in his hands before giving a curious sniff. “Chamomile?”

He nodded and offered the cup to you, which you took in both hands. “Technically, it’s called Sleepytime Mix. But yes, it has chamomile. Have some, if you want.”

“Ah,” you gave a long inhale and smiled drowsily at the familiar scent. “I don’t wanna drink all your tea. And besides, it’s a little hot for me.”

“Oh,” Shouto said, taking the cup back into his hands. He focused for a second, and then the liquid no longer emitted steam, now a pleasant, warm temperature. “Try it now. Help yourself, please.” He handed the mug back to you, the light from the television flickering across his handsome face.

You blinked at him cutely, taking the mug in your hands again. Your fingers brushed against his in the transfer, and he cleared his throat slightly, skin warmed from your touch. “Wow!” you chimed after a sip, going back for another few gulps before you handed it back to him. “It’s really good. Perfect temp, Sho, thank you.”

Shouto felt his heart skip a beat in his chest, his eyes widening at the name he hadn’t heard in weeks. It sounded so good rolling off your tongue, so right. At his flustered expression, you laughed awkwardly, fingers delving into the blanket and looking away meekly.

“Sorry… I thought that that was probably what you’re used to me calling you, but I can use something else if you like.”

“No,” he said instantly, his hand automatically reaching for yours. He pried it out of the fleecy material, folding his fingers around yours. “I like it. Please call me that, I… I’ve missed hearing it.”

“Alright,” you mumbled, fingers squeezing his for a moment. You kept his gaze for a long pause, and then you duck down, scooching flush against his side and laying your head onto his broad shoulder. It caught him off guard, but after a moment of buffering, he moved, his arm tentatively wrapping around your shoulders and pulling you against his side. The action made your cheeks perhaps as hot as the tea in his mug, but you only settled deeper into his embrace, happy to be in his arms. You fixed the blanket so it covered his long legs, too, settling over the both of you snuggly.

You two stayed like that for the rest of the movie, another forty five minutes or so. Your hand gradually moved to rest on his stomach, his long fingers stroking your spine through your shirt. It was new to you, but it was comfortable— your body recognized his touch and welcomed it, even— years of unknowingly conditioning yourself to receive his affection allowing you to accept his embrace. By the end of the film, you were dozing off, warm and relaxed now more than ever, curled up into Shouto’s side.

Shouto, however, was wide awake, his pulse rushing in his ears at your proximity. It had been a very long month without you, and now here you were, cuddled up with him just like how you used to be every night. He knew you were somewhere in between consciousness and sleep, so he let the entire movie credits roll by before he decided to move you. Still holding his mug, which had been empty for the past half hour— but he didn’t want to risk moving and causing you to pull away— he set it on the side table, carefully maneuvering his wide frame so as to not disturb you.

You whined in protest but did not stir when he curled his arms around you, picking your form up and off the couch. After making sure all the candles were blown out and the lights were turned off, he quietly carried you to your shared room, not bothering to turn on the lights. It was then that he hesitated to make the next move— you were still in your clothes from the day, and he wasn’t sure if you would want him to see your bare body if he took the liberty to rid you of them.

His tongue wandered over the bottom of his teeth as he gazed at you, strewn across the soft blankets that covered your bed. The few beams of moonlight that slithered through the bottom of the blinds fell perfectly onto your face, your lashes casting long shadows onto the duvet and giving you an ethereal glow. He could imagine how your naked skin looked underneath that cute little sweater you donned, your bra strap poking out as if to tease him even more. His eyes slammed shut as he sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth, recognizing the color, and the image of you clad in the matching panties that completed the set suddenly sprung forth in his mind.

Acquainted was an understatement as to how well he knew your body, but the problem was not as simple as physicality— the problem was mental, and it could not be vanquished by anything except time, it seemed. The beautiful brain he loved so dearly was now wiped, void of all the memories the two of you had made and cherished together. Shouto clutched his stomach as he took a seat on the ottoman at the foot of the bed, feeling sick from the forceful whirlwind of emotion that came along with the thoughts that crept up on him in the night. The knowledge that you did not remember him, not even one measly memory of him, upset him more than anything.

He had not realized how much his world had shifted now that he had you. Of course, he loved you and he made great effort to ensure that you knew the extent of his devotion to you. But it wasn’t until you had woken up like this, confused and distraught, mind reverted to just months before he had even met you, that he had come to terms with just how much you meant to him. He knew that he loved you before. But now he knew the pain of being unable to hold you, and be with you— really, even talk to you like he had grown so accustomed to.

It was eating him alive, and tearing him apart.

When you had awoken after such an excruciating, lonely month, he had been overjoyed. Finally, he could be with you again— he could touch you and kiss you, hear your sweet voice, hold your body close to his as you fell asleep, and wake up with you still in his arms, groggy and adorable… except, he couldn’t. Because while you knew who he was… you didn’t, really. You didn’t know him at all. And what hurt the most was that he could see that you were trying… but at the end of the day, he was only a stranger to you. He was not your boyfriend, not anything more, other than a hero that you idolized and had a silly crush on.

At the very least, he found comfort in the knowledge that you found him attractive. Of course, you had revealed to him, albeit once you were deep into your relationship, that you had fantasized about him and fostered a schoolgirlish crush on him when you hadn’t yet been introduced. He remembered laughing at your embarrassed confession, pinching your cheeks and then kissing you through his smile… then, taking you from behind as you bent over the bathroom counter, pressing you against the mirror as he donned his hero suit, savoring your pleading moans for him to fuck you deeper, harder.

His cock twitched in his slacks, blood beginning to travel south as his interest grew for the first time in weeks. He groaned and he grit his teeth, frustrated at himself for even daring to feel desire while you laid asleep next to him, plagued by your wiped memory but sitting there looking like that. Gorgeous and untouchable.

As if his heated gaze had summoned you from your slumber, your eyes opened and you blinked at him, squinting at his silhouette in the dark of the room. Shouto recoiled even though he hadn’t been caught doing anything too suspicious; he was a good distance away from you, but still, you had caught him staring at you like a creep in the shadows.

“Sho?” you mumbled drowsily, a hand coming up to rub at your eyes. You propped your body up on your elbows, your shift stretching flush over your chest.

Shouto nearly moaned at the sight combined with the sound of your sleepy voice uttering his name. It didn't help the situation that was stirring in his pants one bit, only adding water to an oil fire. “Hey,” he replied, clearing his throat. “You fell asleep, so I brought you to bed.. Did you want to clean up before we go to sleep?”

You sighed, rolling over as you roused yourself from sleep. “Not really…,” you chuckled, and Shouto felt his chest tighten at the premise of having to get into bed with you with his problem at hand. “But I’ll be a responsible adult,” you finished, rolling out of bed and padding over to the bathroom.

He glanced over at you in the mirror as you brushed your teeth, the cat curling around his ankle and taking his attention away from you. Giving the animal a scratch underneath her chin, he tried to focus on calming himself, closing his eyes and controlling his breathing. Even though this wasn’t at all like how it had been before, it was still better than being alone. Your presence, the sound of you tidying yourself up in the nearby vicinity, took the month-long weight of loneliness off of his chest. It still stung, it still hurt— but at the very least, you were here. You were alive, and you were here with him.

It was you calling out for him that interrupted his train of thought, and when he looked toward your voice, he found you peeking around the doorframe, your hair pushed back and your face glistening with moisture from your nightly routine. “Aren’t you going to wash up, too? There’s two sinks in here, y’know,” you stated matter-of-factly, as if he didn’t know the layout of his own home.

But Shouto only smiled at you and nodded, leaving the cat and accepting your invitation for him to join you in your bedtime ritual. The situation in his pants had since relaxed, thankfully, so he didn’t have to worry as he took his place adjacent to you at the sink counter. Squeezing toothpaste onto the bristles of his toothbrush, and watching you put on your moisturizer in his peripheral, it felt almost as if nothing had changed. For the first time in a long time, he let himself forget about the horrible curveball that life had thrown at him, instead choosing to stare at you as you picked up the cat at your feet, and placed a sweet kiss on the top of its head as you cradled it in your arms.

You padded out of the bathroom first, opting to close the door behind you. After Shouto had finished his routine, he slinked out into the bedroom quietly, surprise flickering in his gaze at the pyjamas you were now dressed in— a pair of soft sleep shorts and an old t-shirt you had stolen from him years ago. He tried not to stare as you crawled into the sheets, the cat taking her perch at the foot of the bed.

The clearing of his throat caught your attention, and he licked his lip as your eyes settled on his. “Is it okay if I sleep without a shirt?” he asked, having to keep himself from smirking as your eyes widened and a flustered expression blossomed on your face. Cute.

“Y-Yeah,” you stuttered after a second of recalibrating, your eyes still trained on his. “The doctors said we should just live out our normal routine, so… whatever we normally do, we should do.” Sliding deeper underneath the comforter, you pretended to look busy as you fiddled with your phone.

Shouto bit his lip and wondered if telling you that your nightly routine of getting naked and passionate between the sheets would do you any good, but he decided against it, not willing to push his luck. Instead, he tore his shirt over his head and pulled down his pants, turning toward the wall so you wouldn’t have to look him in the eye. He could still feel your gaze on his flesh— he always could, for his skin prickled and the hairs on his body stood up as your eyes roved over every inch of him in appreciation. He didn’t need to see you to know that you were staring.

After he stepped into a long pair of sleep pants, he turned and pretended not to notice your obvious shuffling in a foiled attempt to not be caught looking at him. Carefully he slipped into the sheets on his side of the bed, ensuring not to wander too close to you in order to keep a respectful distance between your bodies… even though he wanted nothing more than to launch himself at you, and wrap his body around yours until neither of you could tell where one of you stopped, and the other started.

There was a long, stuffy silence as the two of you laid there, both of you unsure as to the level of affection you should be displaying at the moment. Shouto was doubtful that you’d want him to hold you like he so desperately desired, and you were hesitant to initiate anything with him laying frozen and a good distance away from you.

“Is this… how we normally sleep?” you wondered aloud, and though you were surprised that the words actually fell from your lips, you were grateful to have broken the rising tension.

Shouto left out a breath he had been holding at that, turning so that he was facing you on his side. “No,” he answered truthfully, his fingers sliding over the cool cotton that separated your bodies, wandering toward you at a snail's pace. “Usually… we like to,” he cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump that was situated there, “snuggle.”

In the quiet of the room, he could hear your lips part, a soft breath falling from between them as you processed his response. Your heart was beating faster now, body crying out for his touch, his embrace. “Can we?” you asked so softly that you hadn’t thought he’d heard you, but slowly, surely, he shuffled toward you.

You inhaled as he placed a gentle hand on your waist, pulling your body to slide across the sheets and meet him in the middle of the bed. Lifting your head so he could slip his arm beneath your neck, he brought your face into his neck, arms wrapping tight around your torso. His fingers dug into your side and the hair at the crown of your neck, curling around the tendrils as if he was scared that you would slip out of his grasp at any moment. Pressed up against his bare chest, you could hear the steady, fast thumping of his heart, and the shakiness in each breath he drew in and let out.

It sounded like he was trying not to cry.

Your hand wandered up and under his neck, your elbow angling around the back of his neck so that your fingers could trace the sinews that lined his shoulder blades. Your other arm slung around his back, and although it was just a bit of a reach, you managed to find his silky locks, combing through the ends with your fingers. Daring to push the fragile boundaries that kept you two separate, you threw your leg across his hips, trapping his legs between yours and pressing your body completely flush against his.

Shouto stopped breathing, tears threatening to spill over as he held you so delicately for the first time in what seemed like forever. Similar emotions were flowing through you as well, your body singing at the feeling of being with him, in his embrace. Your heart throbbed at the thought of leaving this man alone for an entire month, with no one to comfort him and calm his worries. No one to hold him and tell him that it was going to be okay, no one to plant kisses across his tear-streaked cheeks and help him forget his pain.

It wasn’t your fault you had been in this accident, that you had forgotten your memories from the past five years. But it wasn’t his, either. The two of you were forced to suffer in different ways, separated by your condition and worlds apart. You wished so desperately that you would just remember already— if not for your sake, then for his. Anything that would make him feel better, anything to ease the ache in his heart.

“I’m sorry,” you choked out quietly, overcome with emotion as you laid in the arms of the man you had once loved. The man you’d been learning to love again. “I’m so sorry I don’t remember you. I want to, I’m trying.” A tear dripped down your face and landed on his chest, sliding down to stain the sheets.

Shouto sucked in a shaky breath at your meager apology, rough fingers running over the back of your neck. “I know you are,” he murmured, and you could feel him swallow thickly as he tried to find the right words. “It’s not your fault, love… You can’t— you can’t blame yourself.” His voice broke at the last syllable, his arms squeezing tighter as he held onto you.

You pressed your face into the junction between his shoulder and his neck, uncaring of your tears that smeared across his skin. “Neither can you,” you sniffled, body clinging to him as best you could. “Please, Shouto, promise me you won’t.”

It was then that he let the tears he had been holding back fall, racing down his cheeks to plop onto the dampening pillow. You held him as he cried, unphased by the sudden outburst of emotion from the man who had shown you so little of himself in the past week.

“I’ll try,” he mumbled into your hair once he had calmed down a bit, lungs still rattling as he tried to suppress his emotions. “For you, I’ll try.”

You leaned back from his chest, his heart seizing up at the tear tracks on your cheeks that were illuminated by the soft moon’s glow. And then, you kissed him. It was simple and sweet, just your lips pressed to his as your thumb swiped across his cheek. But it felt like you were breathing life into him, like he had been starved of oxygen until this very moment.

Both of you gasped when you pulled away, the kiss having lasted as long as you could stand without breaking for breath. Your eyes wandered from his shining ones to his lips, shocked that you had planted such a passionate kiss there just seconds ago. It had worked, though— Shouto was breathing normally and his tears had stopped, dual-colored eyes now staring at you as if you had just given him a purpose to live. You licked your lips, not missing the way his gaze flicked down to watch the action with longing, but he did not act on it.

“We’ll get through this together,” you whispered, hand resting on his sharp jawline. There was not a hint of doubt in your voice, no hesitance nor fear. It was just a fact, simple as that. You let yourself look at his handsome face for a moment longer before you ducked and nuzzled into his chest again, taking your spot as if you had never left.

Shouto exhaled, his fingers trailing down your spine as he closed his eyes, syncing his breathing to yours. The feeling of your body wrapped around his made his bones glow with a missed sense of comfort, his heart fuller than it had been for quite some time. He welcomed sleep to take him, the exhaustion of many long and insomnia-plagued nights from the past month all piling on. Pressing his lips to your forehead as softly as he could, he closed his eyes and murmured one word, wishing with every fiber of his being for you to wake up the next morning and have just one memory of him.

“Together.”

─── ・°* ﾟ✧:* • ｡ﾟ:*･☽･*: ｡ﾟ•*:✧ ﾟ*°・ ───

.

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...soooooooo idk how this is only part 1, shit’s 11k already 💀 ahh for those of you who made it through, thank you so much for reading and i hope you enjoyed!! there was no smut in this chapter which is so foreign to me, but i’m hoping to improve my story creation skills as part of my 2021 author resolutions... so, let me know what you think! hopefully part 2 will come to fruition soon, but it would probably come faster if i knew people were waiting for it ;) 

➥ masterlist

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 © 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐩𝐢 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝.

#shouto todoroki x reader #shoto todoroki x reader #shouto x reader #todoroki x reader #shouto todoroki angst #shoto todoroki angst #todoroki angst #shouto angst #mha x reader #bnha x reader #mha angst #bnha angst #shouto todoroki fic #shoto todoroki fic #shouto fic #todoroki fic #bnha fic #mha fic #my fics #series: aMTO #shouto todoroki smut #shoto todoroki smut #shoto smut #shouto smut #todoroki smut #bnha smut #mha smut

[extorchic]

TOP 5 SK8 Episodes

So I got tagged by @akira-cr to make this list, it took some time but I think I've sorted out my mind, thank you for considering me 😊. Now here comes the list, sorry if it's supposd to be objective, but I'm gonna let my heart out over here (It's gonna be a long post and I'm not gonna cut it ):

NUMBER 5 - Episode 6 - Steamy Mystery Skating?! (A.K.A. The beach episode 🏊‍♂️)

Well this is supposed to be "breather" episode, and it's basically the one that sold the series to me. I like how fun and chill this episode is, although it does (further) foreshadow Reki's insecurity issues. The music is of course SUBLIME! "Seize the Moment" is probably my favorite insert song of all time! (it's been present in Reki's beefs as well, but here it really reflects the fun nature of his character and the show overall). And of coruse, FANSERVICE, not so much in how the boys were in swimsuits (though I gotta admit Reki does look good in them), but on the RENGA interactions!

That hug gave me life! How Langa was worried 24/7 about Reki being injured, at the end when they skated together to escape from the Bantu! I gotta admit that I have some mixed feelings about the implications of Reki being attracted to the faceless girl (I mean, Bi rep is very important too), but I guess my shipping side was just as jelaous as Langa was supposed to be (according to the fans LOL).

NUMBER 4 - Episode 11 - King vs. Nobody (A.K.A. Reki rising! ✨🌺🌞⚙️)

Reki is, without a doubt, my favorite character. He doesn't need to win, he doesn't need to be super flashy while skating, he just needs to be himself. He's been through a lot, many people (including me) have felt tremendously related to him, and seeing him in this episode is just satisfying. With his issues behind, with a promise to skate with Langa after he wins and no longer fearful, Reki rematches against Adam; and the way he does is fantastic! Taking advantage of his creativity, observative skills and mechanical knowledge on skateboarding, he faces up against the main boss and manages to not only endure his violent ways (which were gruelling to see, TBH), but also SOUNDLY HUMILIATE HIM in front of the whole S Community!

Yes, Adam, the "God of S", in the ground covered in mud by a boy almost everyone dissmissed! It was really sunshine through rainfall! I must also add how much I liked to see his renewed relationship with Langa, how much they treasure their company after patching up. I want to elaborate on this in its own post but I personally see that their interactions from this point on are more, I don't know, tender, caring, still playful but not in an entirely comedic way. The way they see each other is also deeper, anyway, it's just what I see.

NUMBER 3 - A DRAW: Episode 8 - The Fated Tournament! and Episode 9 - We Were Special Back Then (A.K.A. The month in which I was in an emotional crisis because of anime sk8t3r b0is 🍎🐍😭🛹❄🍵🌸 )

This is the point in which I got into the show, and the fandom (Yeah, haven't been around for too long). At this point the show wasn't the same, and I realized it when I caught up. Though there were some cool skating scenes in these episodes, the events that caught my attention were outside the road (Yeah, this was no longer just a skateboard anime, it's a whole lot more). Though I had been mainly focusing on Reki and Langa, I really liked having more backstory related to Joe, Cherry, Adam and Tadashi. Seeing how Adam went through a terrible childhood, convoluted teeange years to culminate in an adult with too much power for his own good and a twisted sense of "love", along with some extremely serious psychological issues was very interesting.

I acknowldge him as a complex villain, but that DOES NOT justify what he did to Cherry. This only proves that just because we know his backstory, we don't have to sympathize with him (Adam's just such a terrible person). On the RENGA side, we see Reki avoiding Langa after their rift, and how this affected both. We have Langa's sadness increase scene after scene, as well as his passion for skating dwindling as progressively. Reki on the other hand, just falls deeper and deeper in his depression, but also being unable to stop thinking about Langa, and he ends up going to S to see the latter's match against Joe. It's hard to see whether there's envy, jelaousness, frustration, admiration, pining or fear of being left behind in his mind. It must have been hard for a 17 y/o.

Reki also defends Langa from people speaking behind his back and shouting his name during the race boosts Langa's performance tremendously. This culminates on Reki realizing that the thing he actually wanted was to skate alongside Langa, not on the side, not as support, but together, he just couldn't. There's also the scene which may or may not confirm that Langa's feelings for Reki are more than just friendship! (Felt represented, for reals).

NUMBER 2 - Episode 7 - We Don't Balance Out (A.K.A. This was supposed to be a fun show!😭⛈️💔️)

I wrote a lot about the episodes in the previous spot, but this is the one that flipped the tables, the game-changer, and the one that hit closer home. It is a sad episode, no races there, it's just here for us to see how the circumstances affect the characters. It was hard to see how Reki, who at this point had been nothing but supportive and proud of Langa, starts to see him flying farther from him. Is it jealousness? Dissatisfaction? Is it fear of loneliness? Adbandoment issues? Is it feeling inferior? Frustration? Not being able to improve? Admiration? Care?

And on top of that a broken promise. I just can't imagine how hard is it for a 17 y/o to deal with all of those conflicting issues in his head, as well as the toxic competitive environment on the "S Community". This just came to show that he wasn't just the excitable, goofy sidekick character, he goes deeper than that, and makes him relatable. We also see a deconstruction of the cool, aloof prodigious character in Langa, as he just can't comprehend what's going on with Reki, and he's hurt by it, but still needs to figure out his own ambitions and desries. This leads to the emotional conclusion of the episode (which in turn left me in the aforementioned 4-week-long emotional crisis, thank you)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Episode 12 - Our Infinity! - The race was cool, the Renga hug gave me life and everyone had a happy ending

Episode 5 - Passionate Dancing Night! - Despite the beef between Langa and Adam being cool, we start to see Reki worrying about Langa and opening up to him, further deepening their bond.

Episode 2 - Awesome for the First Time! - There's just something special about sharing something you're passionate about with someone else. Watching Reki teaching Langa the basics of skateboarding was heartwarming

NUMBER 1 - Episode 10 - DAP Not Needing Words

After 4 weeks waiting, the anticipation for this episode was gargantuan. Reki's depression was hitting its lowest point, bordering in self-harm, and hurting others as well. Langa continues to look for Reki after seeing him briefly at the hospital while visiting Shadow and we get to see this loving scene where he watches videos of Reki learining how to skate. After confronting Tadashi and realizing that he loves skating because it's fun, he returns home to find out that Langa had been waiting for him but left shortly before he arrived.

This leads to a heartful reunion, where words can't express their feelings, so they resort to do their thing, to skate, and that's where the feelings flow. This is when Langa tells Reki how he admires him tremendously and Reki understands that Langa'll be there by his side, and leaves his fears behind. With a mutual desire to skate together infinetely and a new dap, they rekindle their bond. People watched this show for different reasons, and though I like the skateboarding aspect because it looks cool, my interest leans more on the relationship aspect, and Reki and Langa's is so deep and intimate, and I liked seeing it grow from zero through different hardships (in other words, in all of the years I've been in a fandom, I had never shipped any other pair like these two, I needed to say that).

So I guess it's time to tag some people:

@pico-sour, @sleebycryptid, @elizabethslee, @itsamole, @kaorucherry, @blueflame97, @trieizieme, @tardiskitten, @lady-pendragon-9

So, if you've read until this point, thank you very much (I know it's not supposed to, but this post is yet again a very long "I love Renga" one, but it's what my heart wanted me to write 😅). I'd love to see people other than the ones I tagged showing their lists 😃

#sk8 the infinity #sk8 #sk8 reki #reki kyan #sk8 langa #langa hasegawa #sk8 renga #renga #lanreki #rekilan #top 5 #sk_8

[emmacornell]

Dragon Ball Challenge (you know Im gonna have to do it to ya) - ALL OF 'EM!!!

OKAY FIRST OF ALL

Thanks this was actually a ton of fun 😸

Second I tried doing this a few days ago but tumblr just said "nah" and erased everything I wrote so sorry this took so long to respond to lmao here's attempt number 2.

It's a long one folks Bleep loves making me write lol.

Favorite Character - Hehehehehe oh boy I wonder who my favorite DB character is? :3c Real talk i love so many DB characters but HO boy do i L O V E Raditz. I could talk for hours about how much i love him don't get me started

Favorite Villain - Oooh that's a tough one. Love Piccolo Sr., Z Broly is amazing (if we only focus on the first movie.), Goku Black is literally the best part of the Super anime (Zamasu doesn't count i can't stand him).

Favorite Saga - Namek! Namek saga is my favorite part of Z.

Favorite Couple - Bruh GoChi hands down. I love them so much. When i was a kid and had the biggest crush on Goku (before Raditz showed up lol). I used to be sooo jealous of Chi Chi cause thought she was sooo cool and so pretty and she got to marry Goku like she's living the dream. I miss Chi Chi i wish Toriyama wasn't weird about women.

Least Favorite Character - Buu. Every form of him. Yes that includes Uub. Sorry. Also fucking Tao Pai Pai. I've always hated him. Zamasu is annoying as fuck but he's tolerable when he shuts the fuck up (Goku Black is great but he is on thin ice for being Zamasu).

Favorite episode - How do I pick ONE?? Like Yamcha's intro, literally any tournament episode from OGDB, Boss Rabbit omg, when King Piccolo got his shit wrecked, RADITZ'S intro, that episode where Gohan gets trapped underground with a robot, the G i n y u s, T R U N K ' S INTRO, THE FUCKING DRIVING EPISODE LIKE COME ON, those episodes that take place after Goku and Gohan come out of the HTC and spending time with family and friends before the Cell Games makes me WEEP, when they break the fucking Z-Sword, Princess Trunks, the first time Goku goes 4 LETS GOOO, probably anything with SSJ4 Gogeta I have so much fun when he's on screen, Vegito showing up during the Black arc!!!!

Seriously how the hell could i pick one (1) episode?

Favorite fight - If i have to narrow it down to just one it's definitely gonna be Cell vs Gohan.

Most emotional moment - Ooooh a good follow up for the last question. The Father-Son Kamehameha. Like, c'mon that moment is just, bruh it's good okay? i'm getting emotional thinking about it now

Most epic death - Oof i'm stuck between King Piccolo and Cell. Those are both super satisfying.

Favorite Opening - I can't pick one there are so many bangers. Makafushigi Adventure, Cha-la Head Cha-la, Dragon Soul, Rock the Dragon, Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku, Chozetsu Dynamic

Favorite Ending - Again too many bangers. Romantic Ageru Yo, Zenkai Power, We Were Angels, Yeah! Break! Care! Break!

Favorite super saiyan form - 4 100% 4 ABSOLUTELY

EVERY TIME SUPER SAIYAN 4 NOTHING TOPS 4

I LOVE 4 SO MUCH FUCK OH MY GOD

Dragonball, Dragonball Z, GT, or Super? - Tie between OGDB and Z. GT is plenty of fun for how dumb it can be. Super exists.

Favorite Saiyan - gasp I can mention Raditz twice in one post? :3c

Listen. L i s t e n. I love him. He's great. If there's anything people will know me for it's for loving Raditz. I remember being six watching OGDB for the first time, having this growing crush on Goku having fun watching his adventures and wishing I could be one of the women in his life. Then he grows up, gets married to Chi Chi, and I remember thinking "Aww I'm so happy for him."

Then Z starts and opens with a beast of a man landing on Earth, wrecking shit, tanking hits, mopping the floor with what was supposed to be the strongest beings on the planet and laughs about it?? And THEN he drops the bombshell that he's Goku's BROTHER???

This guy became a FASCINATION for me. He hunts and eats an animal RAW. He flexes his power and strength literally every second cause he's hot shit and he knows he is. He's so fucking cool. He kidnaps his nephew and tells his brother to start committing genocide "or else". His whole shtick on screen is that he's this big bad mean and scary brutal warrior.

But then he does this thing. It's so quick, so easy to miss and ignore. His nephew is crying, wailing, losing his mind over everything. He's understandably scared. And yeah Raditz isn't gentle about the way he tells him to shut up. But he tells his nephew to "be brave".

That's when I was hooked. Why would such a "big mean and scary" guy tell his kidnapped victim to "be brave"? Maybe he's not such a bad guy after all? Is his "big scary guy" shtick an act? A farce? A mask to hide a softer side to him? I needed to know more I wanted to see what else this guy would do! And he's the brother of Goku! Goku manages to make friends with pretty much anyone! He'll wanna talk to the guy who is literally his big brother and the only blood family he has right?

AND THEN HE GETS FUCKING MURDERED AND WE NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN IN CANON EXCEPT FOR FLASHBACKS.

We were ROBBED I tell you.

I am SO THANKFUL that the games and supplementary stuff actually use him and look into his character, dive into the what-ifs and have FUN with him. I cling to any media with Raditz in it.

Favorite member of the Ginyu force - Jeice!

Favorite Frieza form - Third and Final.

Favorite quote -

"Fool! How could you?! You're a rare breed indeed my brother. Such a sentimental dope. You're way too soft to be a Saiyan warrior."

(Don't @ me this scene rotates in my mind like a rotisserie daily. In fact it was literally a tie between this line and the equivalent of this line in Kai.)

Favorite female character - Aaaaaaah i love so any women in DB how can i choose one. Chi Chi, Bulma, Launch, 18, Videl, Chronoa (no one said i couldn't talk about the games lol), Cheelai, 21, Pan, there's so many good women and we need to see more of them.

Favorite attack - Ok i'm stuck with Big Bang Kamehameha, Final Kamehameha, Stardust Breaker, and Bluff Kamehameha. (Can you tell i love Gogeta)

Best Vegeta moment - That fucking come from behind sneak attack he used on Cell to help Gohan finish him off will forever be the COOLEST fucking thing Veggie's ever done in the anime.

Favorite quote (again?) - Sweet if I get to say another one I'm using the one I didn't say earlier.

"You fool! In all my travels I've never met anyone as stupid as you."

Stupidest, most WTF moment - He. Ate. a fucking Dragon Ball. He fucking ate it. He just??? Swallowed it????? He just did that??????????????

Favorite "owned" moment - Does Oolong stealing the wish in OGDB for panties count. Cause not gonna lie that shit is kinda funny.

Most gruesome death - Z Broly fucking exploded that's pretty damn gruesome. So did Krillin so him too.

Funniest moment/episode - Look it's not even that funny but fucking 4Goge taunting Omega Shenron and pulling bluff kamehameha on him makes me giggle i love 4Goge so much. Also that time Krillin full strength chucked a rock at Goku's head cause he thought Goku would just instinctively catch it. Shit has me wheezing. Ooh! And the time Goku return-to-sendered Tao's grenade has me rolling every time fuck Tao lmao get fuckin rekt.

Best Goku moment - so many i love him. If i really have to pick i'm stuck again in that moment just before the Cell games where he just spends time with his loved ones. Those are literally the sweetest Goku moments and i get weepy thinking about them.

Coolest invention - Ok the smart answer here would be to say Capsule houses because i'd love to just drop a house where ever i felt like living. But the answer my heart wants to give is the Micro band.

Favorite form of Cell - Lil grubby larvae form Cell is adorbs. Imperfect is literally the coolest fucking design. I love Semi-perfect in an ugly way. Perfect is chef's kiss. I love Cell.

Favorite form of Buu - The one where he doesn't exist. Fuck Buu.

Why do you love Dragonball? - Oh god where do I begin? As a kid growing up mostly alone with a basic cable tv Dragonball was HUGE for me. This was my escape, to feel like I could go somewhere different, see incredible things, maybe even be someone else if I really wanted to. This was the thing I looked forward to every week. These adventures were inspirational, empowering. I felt like I was there, on the sidelines, in the background, cheering on my heroes as they triumphed. At the time I was the one lil black girl in a majorly white area. Goku was the weird kid with a tail. I felt like we could get along, pulled together by that universal "we're the odd ones out" feeling and be friends. When I saw Goku get more and more friends, it felt like they all became my friends too. These were my friends. It felt like I grew as they grew. I laughed when they laughed I cried when they cried. I feel like Dragonball might have shaped me as a person if I'm honest. Not fully sure how, but I couldn't imagine my life without it. Over 20 years later I'm still here. It's never left me and I know I'll never leave it. Even when it does dumbass shit that makes no sense (Future Trunks and Future Mai i am so sorry y'all fucking deserved so much better oh my lord).

#i. did it. #oh my lord that was a lot #but there ya go bleep i answered them all #this was fun lol just mad tumblr erased it the first time #asks #ask game #beegl #also can you tell i like Raditz

[wits-writing]

What’s so Funny About Vengeance, the Night, and Batman? – Two Superhero Parodies in Conversation

Back in 2016, the first trailers for Director Chris McKay’s The Lego Batman Movie hit. A spinoff of the take on the iconic hero, voiced by Will Arnett, from 2014’s The Lego Movie. Those trailers spelled out a plot covering how Batman’s life of crimefighting is turned upside down when Robin unexpectedly enters the picture. It was a funny trailer, promising another insightful comedy from the crew behind The Lego Movie. A promise it handily delivered on when it came out in February 2017 with an animated feature steeped wall-to-wall jokes for the sake of mocking Bruce Wayne’s angst filled crusade that can only come from understanding what’s made the character withstand the test of time.

But there was a thought I and others had from seeing that trailer up to watching the actual movie:

“This seems… familiar.”

Holy Musical B@man! is a 2012 fan-made stage production parody of DC Comics’ biggest cash cow. It was produced as the fifth musical from YouTube-based cult phenomenon Starkid Productions, from a book by Matt and Nick Lang, music by Nick Gage and Scott Lamp with lyrics by Gage. The story of the musical details how Robin’s unexpected entrance ends up turning Batman’s (Joe Walker) life of crimefighting upside down. Among Starkids’ fandom derived projects in their early existence, as they’ve mainly moved on to well-received original material in recent years, Holy Musical B@man! is my personal favorite. I go back to it frequently, appreciating it as a fan of both superheroes and musicals. (Especially since good material that touches on both of those isn’t exactly easy to come by. Right, Spider-Man?)

While I glibly summarized the similarities between them by oversimplifying their plots, there’s a lot in the details, both major and minor, that separates how they explore themes like solitude, friendship, love, and what superhero stories mean. It’s something I’ve wanted to dig into for a while and I found a lot in both of them I hadn’t considered before by putting them in conversation. I definitely recommend watching both of them, because of how in-depth this piece goes including discussing their endings. However, nothing I can say will replace the experience of watching them and if I had included everything I could’ve commented on in both of them, this already massive piece would easily be twice as long minimum.

Up front, I want to say this isn’t about comparing The Lego Batman Movie and Holy Musical B@man in terms of quality. Not only are they shaped for vastly different mediums with different needs/expectations, animation versus stagecraft, but they also had different resources at their disposal. Even if both are in some ways riffing on the aesthetic of the 1990s Batman movies and the Adam West TV show, Lego Batman does it with the ability to make gorgeously animated frames packed to the brim with detail while Holy Musical often leans into its low-fi aesthetic of characters miming props and sets to add extra humor. They’re also for different audiences, Lego Batman clearly for all-ages while Holy Musical has the characters cursing for emphasis on a regular basis. On top of those factors, after picking through each of these for everything worth commenting on that I could find, I can’t say which I wholly prefer thanks in part to these fundamental differences.

This piece is more about digging through the details to explore the commonalities, differences, and what makes them effective mocking love letters to one of the biggest superheroes in existence.

(Also, since I’m going to be using the word “Batman” a lot, I’ll be calling Lego Batman just “Batman” and referring to the version from Holy Musical as “B@man”, with the exception of quoted dialogue.)

[Full Piece Under the Cut]

Setting the Tone

The beginning is, in fact, a very good place to start when discussing how these parodies frame their versions of the caped crusader. Each one uses a song about lavishing their respective Batmen with praise about how they are the best superheroes ever and play over sequences of the title hero kicking wholesale ass. A key distinction comes in who’s singing each song. Holy Musical B@man’s self-titled opening number is sung from the perspective of an omniscient narrator recounting B@man’s origin and later a chorus made up of the Gotham citizenry. Meanwhile, “Who’s the (Bat) Man” from Lego Batman is a brag-tacular song written by Batman about himself, even playing diegetically for all his villains to hear as he beats them up.

Holy Musical opens on a quick recap of Batman’s origin:

“One shot, Two shots in the night and they’re gone And he’s all left alone He’s just one boy Two dead at his feet and their blood stains the street And there’s nothing, no there’s nothing he can do!”

We then get a Bat-dance break as the music goes from slow and moody to energetic to reflect Batman turning that tragedy into the driving force behind his one-man war on crime. Assured by the narrator that he’s “the baddest man that there’s ever been!” and “Now there’s nothing, no there’s nothing he can’t do!” flipping the last lyric of the first verse. For the rest of the opening scene the lyrics matter less than what’s happening to establish both this fan-parody’s version of Batman and how the people of Gotham (“he’ll never refuse ‘em”) view him.

Lego Batman skips the origin recap, and in general talks around the death of the Waynes to keep the light tone going since it’s still a kids movie about a popular toy even if there are deeper themes at play. Instead, it continues a trend The Lego Movie began for this version of the character writing music about how he’s an edgy, dark, awesome, cool guy. While that movie kept it to Batman angry-whiteboy-rapping about “Darkness! NO PARENTS!”, this one expands to more elaborate boasts in the song “Who’s the (Bat) Man” by Patrick Stump:

“In the darkest night I make the bad guys fall There’s a million heroes But I’m the best of them all!”

Batman singing this song about himself, as opposed to having it sung by others aims the crosshairs of parody squarely on the hero’s ego. His abilities make fighting his villains effortless, like this opening battle is more an opportunity to perform the song than a life-or-death struggle. Even Joker’s aware of that as he shouts, “Stop him before he starts singing!” This Batman doesn’t see himself as missing out on anything in life, even if he still feels that deep down. Being Batman is the coolest thing in the world that anyone would envy. He’s Batman, therefore everyone should envy him.

The songs aren’t only part of the equation for how these two works’ opening scenes establish their leading hero. While both songs are about Batman being cool, they’re separated by the accompanying scenes. Lego Batman keep the opening within the Joker’s perspective until Batman shows up and the action kicks in. Once it does, we’re shown a Batman at the top of his solo-hero game. Meanwhile, Holy Musical’s opening is about B@man building his reputation and by the end of the song he has all the citizens of Gotham singing his praises with the titular lyrics. Both are about being in awe of the title hero, one framed by Joker’s frustration at Batman’s ease in foiling his schemes yet again and the other about the people of Gotham growing to love their city’s hero (probably against their better judgement.)

That’s woven into the fabric of what kind of schemes Batman is foiling in each of these. Joker’s plan to bomb Gotham with the help of every supervillain in Batman’s Rogues Gallery is hilariously high stakes and the type of plan most Batman stories, even parodies, would save for the climax. Neatly exemplified by how that’s almost the exact structure of Holy Musical’s final showdown. Starting with these stakes works as an extension of this Batman’s nature as a living children’s toy and therefore the embodiment of a child’s idea of what makes Batman cool, his ability to wipe the floor with anyone that gets in his way “because he’s Batman.” It also emphasizes Joker as the only member of the Rogues Gallery that matters to Lego Batman’s story, every other Bat-villain is either a purely visual cameo or only gets a couple lines maximum.

The crime’s being stopped by B@man are more in the “Year One” gangster/organized crime category rather than anything spectacle heavy. Though said crimes are comically exaggerated:

Gangster 1: Take these here drugs, put ‘em into them there guns, and then hand ‘em out to those gamblin’ prostitutes! Gangster 2: Should we really be doing these illegal activities? In a children’s hospital for orphans?

These fit into that model of crime the Dark Knight fights in his early days and add tiny humanizing moments between the crooks (“Oh, Matches! You make me laugh like nobody else!”) in turn making the arrival of B@man and the violence he deals out a stronger punchline. Further emphasized by the hero calling out the exact physical damage he does with each hit before warning them to never do crime again saying, “Support your families like the rest of us! Be born billionaires!” Later in the song his techniques get more extreme and violence more indiscriminate, as he uses his Bat-plane to patrol and gun down whoever he sees as a criminal, including a storeowner accidentally taking a single dollar from his own register. (“God’s not up here! Only Batman!”)

A commonality between these two openings is how Commissioner Jim Gordon gets portrayed. Both are hapless goofs at their core, playing more on the portrayal of the character in the 60s TV show and 90s Burton/Schumacher movies than the serious-minded character present in comics, Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, and other adaptations. Lauren Lopez’s portrayal in Holy Musical gets overwhelmed by everything thrown at him, eventually giving up and getting out of B@man’s way (“I’m not gonna tell Batman what to do! He’s Batman!”) Hector Elizondo’s Gordon in Lego Batman clearly reached the “stay out of Batman’s way” point a long time ago, happy to have “the guy who flips on the Bat-signal” be his sole defining trait. While the characterizations are close, their roles do end up differing. Lopez’s Gordon sticks around to have a few more comedic scenes as the play goes on, where Elizondo’s exist to set up a contrast with his daughter Barbara and her way of approaching Batman when she becomes Police Commissioner.

These opening sequences both end in similar manners as well; the citizens of Gotham lavishing praise on their respective Batmen and a confrontation between Batman and the Joker. Praise from the citizenry in Holy Musical comes on the heels of a letter from B@man read out on the news about how much they and the city of Gotham suck. They praise B@man for his angsty nature as a “dark hero” and how they “wouldn’t want him any other way!”, establishing the motif of Gotham’s citizens in Holy Musical as stand-ins for the Batman fandom. Lego Batman uses the praise of the Gotham citizens after Batman’s victory in the opening scene as a lead in to contrast their certainty that Batman must have an exciting private life with the reality we’re shown. Which makes sense since Lego-Batman’s relationship to the people of Gotham is never presented as something at stake.

Greater contrast comes in how the confrontations with the Joker are handled, Lego Batman has an argument between the hero and villain that’s intentionally coded as relationship drama, Batman saying “There is no ‘us’” when Joker declares himself Batman’s greatest enemy. The confrontation in Holy Musical gets purposefully underplayed as an offstage encounter narrated to the audience as a Vicki Vale news report. This takes Joker off the board for the rest of the play in contrast to the Batman/Joker relationship drama that forms one of Lego Batman’s key pillars. While they take different forms, the respective citizenry praise and villain confrontation parts of these openings lead directly into the number one common thematic element between these Bat-parodies: Batman’s loneliness.

One is the Darkest, Saddest, Loneliest Number

Batman as an isolated hero forms one of the core tenants of the most popular understanding of the character. Each of these parodies picks at that beyond the broody posturing. There’s no dedicated segment in this piece about how these works’ versions of the title character function bleeds into every other aspect of them, but each starts from the idea of Batman as a man-child with trouble communicating his emotions. Time’s taken to give the audience a view of where their attitudes have left them early in the story.

Both heroes show their loneliness through interactions with their respective Alfreds. Holy Musical has the stalwart butler, played by Chris Allen, try to comfort B@man by asking if he has any friends he enjoys being around. When B@man cites Lucius Fox as a friend he calls him right away, only to discover Lucius Fox is Alfred’s true identity and Alfred Pennyworth was an elaborate ruse he came up with to protect Bruce on his father’s wishes. Ironically, finding out his closest friend was living a double life causes Bruce to push Alfred away (the play keeps referring to him as Alfred after this, so that’s what I’m going to do as well.) After he’s fired he immediately comes back in a new disguise as “O’Malley the Irish Butler” (same outfit he wore before but with a Party City Leprechaun hat.) That’s unfortunately the start of a running gag in Holy Musical that ends up at the worst joke in the play, when Alfred disguises himself as “Quon Li the Chinese Butler” doing an incredibly cringeworthy “substituting L’s for R’s” bit with his voice. It’s been my least favorite bit in the play since I first saw it in 2012 and legitimately makes me hesitate at times to recommend it. Even if it’s relatively small bit and the rest holds ups.

That disclaimer out of the way, that conversation between B@man and Alfred leads into the title hero reflecting on his sadness through the musical’s I Want Song, “Dark, Sad, Lonely Knight.” The song’s split into two halves, the first Alfred reflecting on whether he played a part in Bruce’s current condition and the second B@man longing for a connection. The song does a good job balancing between the sincerity over the hero’s sadness and getting good laughs out of it:

“Think of the children Next time you gun down the mama and papa Their only mama and papa Because they probably don’t have another mama and papa!”

The “I Want” portion of the song coming in the end with the repetition of the lryics “I want to be somebody’s buddy.”

Rather than another song number, Lego Batman covers Batman’s sadness through a pair of montages and visual humor. The first comes after the opening battle, where we see Batman taking off all his costume except for the mask hanging out alone in Wayne Manor, showing how little separation he puts between identities. Compared to Holy Musical where the equivalent scene is the first we see of Bruce without the mask on, which may come down to practicality since anyone who’s worn a mask like that knows they get hot and sweaty fast. Batman is constantly made to appear small among the giant empty rooms of his estate as he eats dinner, jams on his guitar, and watches romantic movies alone.

Ralph Fienne’s Alfred coming in at the end of this sequence witnessing Batman looking at a photo of himself as a boy with his parents for the last time. Alfred outlines Batman’s fear of being part of a family again only to be met with Batman denying he has any feelings ever. Pennyworth’s role as a surrogate father gets put into greater focus here than in Holy Musical, as we get glimpses of Alfred reading a book titled “How to Deal with Your Out-of-Control Child.” Also shown in smaller scenes of Alfred dealing with Batman’s insistent terminology for his crime fighting equipment, like calling his cowl an “armored face disguise.”

Batman’s denial of his pain contrasts how B@man wallows in it. Though he’s forced to confront it a little as the Joker’s plan ends up leaving him with no crimefighting to fall back on to ignore his issues. This montage gets set to the song “One” by Harry Nilsson and details Batman, unable to express his true feelings, eventually letting them out in the form of tempter tantrums. There’s also some humor through juxtaposition as Batman walks solemnly through the streets of Gotham City, rendered black and white, as the citizens chant “No more crime!” in celebration, while flipping over cars and firing guns into the air.

A disruption to their loneliness eventually comes in the form of a sensational character find.

Robin – The Son/BFF Wonder

Between both Bat-parodies, the two Robins’ characterizations are as close as anyone’s between them. Each is nominally Dick Grayson but are ultimately more representative of the idea of Robin as the original superhero sidekick and his influence on Batman’s life. The play and movie also both make the obvious jokes about Dick’s name and the classic Robin costume’s lack of pants at different points. Dick’s origin also gets sidestepped in each version to skip ahead to the part where he starts being an influence in Batman’s life.

Robin’s introduction to the comics in Detective Comics #38 in 1940, marking the start of Batman’s literal “Year Two” as a character, predating the introduction of Joker, Catwoman, and Alfred, among others. Making him Batman’s longest lasting ally in the character’s history. His presence and acrobatics shift the tone by adding a dash of swashbuckling to Batman’s adventures, inspired by the character’s namesake Robin Hood, though both parodies take a page out of Batman Forever and associate the name with the bird for the sake of a joke. Robin is as core to Batman as his origin, but more self-serious adaptations (i.e., the mainstream cinematic ones that were happening around the times both Holy Musical and Lego Batman came out) tend to avoid the character’s inclusion. These two works being parody, therefore anything but self-serious, give themselves permission to examine why Robin matters and how different characters react to his presence. Rejection of Robin as a character and concept comes out in some form in each of these works, from Batman himself in Lego Batman and the Gotham citizens in Holy Musical.

The chain of events that lead to Dick becoming Robin in Lego Batman are a string of consequences for Batman’s self-absorption. A scene of Bruce barely listening as Dick asks for advice on getting adopted escalating to absentmindedly signing the adoption paperwork. Batman doesn’t realize he has a son until after his sadness montage. Alfred forces Batman to start interacting with Dick against his will. The broody loner wanting nothing to do with the cheery kid, played to “golly gee gosh” perfection by Michael Cera, until he sees the utility of him. Batman doesn’t even have the idea to give Robin a costume or codename because he clearly views the sidekick’s presence as a temporary measure for breaking into Superman’s fortress, made clear by how he lists “expendable” as a quality Dick needs if he wants to go on a mission.

This makes Robin the catalyst for Batman’s shifting perspective throughout Lego Batman. When Robin succeeds in his first mission, the Dark Knight is hesitant to truly compliment him and chalks up his ward’s feats to “unbelievable obeying.” Other moments have Robin’s presence poke holes in Batman’s tough guy demeanor, like the first time Batman and Robin ride in the Bat-mobile together, Robin asks where the seatbelts are and Batman growls “Life doesn’t give you seatbelts!”, only for Batman to make a sudden stop causing Robin to hit his head on the windshield and Batman genuinely apologizes. They share more genuine moments together as the film goes, like Batman suggesting they beatbox together to keeps their spirits up after they’ve been imprisoned for breaking into Arkham Asylum. Robin’s representative of Batman gradually letting people in throughout these moments.

On the exact opposite end of the spectrum, B@man needs zero extra prompting to let Robin into his life. Nick Lang’s Robin (henceforth called “Rob!n” to keep with this arbitrary naming scheme I’ve concocted) does get brought into his life by Alfred thanks to a personal ad (“‘Dog for sale’? No… ‘Orphan for sale’! Even better!”) but it’s a short path to B@man deciding to let Dick fight alongside him. The briefest hesitance on the hero’s part, “To be Batman… is to be alone”, is quelled by Rob!n saying “We could be alone… together.” Their first scene together quickly establishing the absurd sincerity exemplified by this incarnation of the Dynamic Duo. An energy carried directly into the Act 1 closing number, “The Dynamic Duet”, a joyful ode between the heroes about how they’re “Long lost brothers who found each other” sung as they beat up supervillains (and the occasional random civilian.)

That song also ties into the contrast between the Batman/Robin dynamic and the B@man/Rob!n one. While Holy Musical is portraying a brotherly/BFF bond between the two heroes, Lego Batman leans into the surrogate son angle. While both are mainly about their stories’ Batman being able to connect with others, the son angle of Lego Batman adds an additional layer of “Batman needs to take responsibility for himself and others” and a parallel to Alfred as Batman’s own surrogate father. It also adds to the queer-coding of Batman in Lego Batman as Batman’s excuse to Robin for why he can go on missions is that Bruce and he are sharing custody, Robin even calling Batman’s dual identities “dads” before he knows the truth.

In the absence of the accepting personal responsibility through fatherhood element, the conflict Rob!n brings out in Holy Musical forms between B@man and the citizens of Gotham. “Citizens as stand-ins for fandom” is at it’s clearest here as the Act 2 opener is called “Robin Sucks!” featuring the citizens singing about how… well, you read the title. Their objections to Rob!n’s existence has nothing to do with what the young hero has done or failed to do, but come from arguments purely about the aesthetic of Rob!n fighting alongside B@man. Most blatantly shown by one of the citizens wearing a Heath Ledger Joker t-shirt saying Rob!n’s presence “ruins the gritty realism of a man who fights crime dressed as a bat.” It works as the Act 2 opener by establishing that B@man and the citizens conflicting opinions on his sidekick end up driving that half of the story, exemplified in B@man’s complete confusion about why people hate Rob!n (“Robin ruined Batman? But that’s not true… Robin make Batman happy.”)

Both Robins play into the internal conflict their respective mentors are going through, but what would a superhero story, even a parody, be without some colorful characters to provide that sweet external conflict.

Going Rogue

Both works have the threat comes from an army of villains assembled under a ringleader, Zach Galifianakis’s Joker in Lego Batman and Jeff Blim as Sweet Tooth in Holy Musical. Both lead the full ensemble of Batman’s classic (and not so classic) Rogues at different points. As mentioned before Joker starts Lego Batman with “assemble the Rogues, blow up Gotham” as his plan, while Sweet Tooth with his candy prop comedy becoming the ringleader of Gotham’s villains is a key turning point in Act 1 of the play. Part of this comes down to how their connections to their respective heroes and environments are framed, Sweet Tooth as a new player on the scene and Joker as Batman’s romantic foil.

Lego Batman demonstrates Batman and Joker are on “finishing each other’s sentences” levels of intimate that Batman refuses to acknowledge. Shown best in how Joker’s plan only works because he can predict exactly how Batman will act once he starts playing hard to get. When he surrenders the entire Rogues Gallery (without telling them) and himself to police custody, he describes it as him being “off the market.” He knows Batman won’t settle for things ending on these terms and tricks the hero into stealing Superman’s Phantom Zone projector so he can recruit a new, better team of villains for a take two of his masterplan from the start. Going through all this trouble to get Batman to say those three magic words; “I love hate you.” Joker as the significant other wanting his partner to finally reciprocate his feelings and commit works both as a play on how the Batman/Joker relationship often gets approached and an extension of the central theme. Batman is so closed off to interpersonal connections he can’t even properly hate his villains.

Sweet Tooth, while clearly being a riff Heath Ledger and Caesar Romero’s Jokers fused with a dash of Willy Wonka, doesn’t have that kind of connection with B@man. Though there are hints that B@man and his recently deceased Joker may have had one on that level. He laments “[Joker]’s in heaven with mom and dad. Making them laugh, I know it!” when recalling how the Clown Prince of Crime was the one person he enjoyed being around. This makes Joker’s death one of the key triggers to B@man reflecting on his solitude at the start of the play.

What Sweet Tooth provides the story is a threat to B@man’s new bond with Rob!n. Disrupting that connection forms the delicious center of the Candy King of Crime’s plan in Act 2. He holds Rob!n and Gotham’s people hostage and asks the citizens to decide via Facebook poll if the sidekick lives or dies (in reference to the infamous phone hotline vote from the comic book story A Death in the Family where readers could decide the Jason Todd Robin’s fate.)

With the rest of the villains under the leadership of the respective works’ main antagonists, there’s commentary on their perceived quality as threats. When Holy Musical has Superman talking to Green Lantern about how much B@man’s popularity frustrates him, he comes down especially hard on the Caped Crusader’s villains. Talking about how they all coast by on simple gimmicks with especially harsh attention given to Two Face’s being “the number two.” Saying they’re only famous because B@man screws up and they get to do more damage. Which he compares to his own relationship with his villains:

Superman: You ever heard of Mr. Mxyzptlk? Green Lantern: No. Superman: No, that’s right! That’s because I do my job!

Lego Batman has commentary on the other villains come from Joker, recognizing that even all together they can never beat Batman, because that’s how a Batman story goes. The other villains get portrayed as generally buffoonish, struggling to even build a couch together and described by Joker as “losers dressed in cosplay.” Tricking Batman into sending him to the Phantom Zone provides him the opportunity to gather villains from outside Batman’s mythos and outside DC Comics in general. Recruiting the likes of Sauron, King Kong, Daleks, Agent Smith from The Matrix, and the Wicked Witch of the West, among others. When I first saw and reviewed The Lego Batman Movie, this bugged me because it felt like a missed opportunity to feature lesser-known villains from other DC heroes’ Rogues Galleries. Now, considering the whole movie as meta-commentary on the status of this Batman as a children’s toy, it makes perfect sense that Joker would need to go outside of comics to break the rules of a typical Batman story and have a shot at winning.

The Rogues of Holy Musical get slightly more of a chance to shine, if only because their song “Rogues are We” is one of the catchier tracks from the play. They’re all still more cameo than character when all’s said and done, but Sweet Tooth entering the picture is about him recognizing their potential to operate as a unit, takeover Gotham, and kill B@man. The candy-pun flinging villain wants all of them together, no matter their perceived quality.

Sweet Tooth: “We need every villain in Gotham. Cool themes, lame themes, themes that don’t match their powers, even the villains that take their names from public domain stories.” (Two Face’s “broke ass” still being the exception.)

Both Joker and Sweet Tooth provide extensions of the shared theme of Batman dealing with the new connections in his life, especially with regards to Robin. However, Robin isn’t the only other ally (or potential ally) these Dark Knights have on their side.

Super Friends(?)

The internal crisis of these Caped Crusaders come as much from how they react to other heroic figures as it does from supervillainous machinations. In both cases how Batman views and is viewed by fellow heroes gets centered on a specific figure, Superman in Holy Musical and Commissioner Barbara Gordon (later Batgirl) in Lego Batman. Each serves a vastly different purpose in the larger picture of their stories and relationship to their respective Batmen. Superman reflecting B@man’s loneliness and Barbara symbolizing a new path forward for Batman’s hero work.

Superman’s role in Holy Musical runs more parallel to Lego Batman’s Joker than Barbara. Brian Holden’s performance as the Man of Tomorrow plays into a projected confidence covering anxiety that nobody likes him. Besting the Bat-plane in a race during B@man’s Key to the City ceremony establishes a one upmanship between the two heroes, like Joker’s description of his relationship with Batman at the end of Lego Batman’s opening battle. Though instead of that romantically coded relationship from Lego Batman, this relationship is more connected to childish jealousy. (But if you do want to read the former into Holy Musical B@man, neither hero has an onstage relationship with any woman and part of their eventual fight consist of spanking each other.)

B@man and Superman’s first real interaction is arguing over who’s the cooler hero until it degrades into yelling “Fuck you!” at each other. B@man storming off in the aftermath of that gets topped off by Superman suggesting he should get the Key to the City instead, citing his strength and longer tenure as a hero (“The first hero, by the way”) as justifications. This only results in the Gotham citizens turning on him for suggesting their city’s hero is anything less than the best, which serves both as a Sam Raimi Spider-Man reference (“You mess with one of us! You mess with all of us!”) and another example of the citizens as stand-ins for fandom. Superman’s veil of cocksureness comes off quickly after that and stays off for the rest of the play. Starting with his conversation with Green Lantern where a civilian comes across them, but barely acts like Superman’s there.

One of the play’s running gags is Superman calling B@man’s number and leaving messages, showing a desperation to reach out and connect with his fellow hero despite initial smugness. Even before the first phone call scene, we see Superman joining B@man to sing “I want to be somebody’s buddy” during “Dark, Sad, Lonely Knight” hinting at what’s to come. The note it consistently comes back to is that Superman’s jealousy stems from Batman’s popularity over him. This is a complete flip of what Lego Batman does with the glimpse at a Batman/Superman dynamic we see when Batman goes to the Superman’s fortress to steal the Phantom Zone projector. The rivalry dynamic there exists solely in Batman’s head, Lego-Superman quickly saying “I would crush you” when Batman suggests the idea of them fighting. Superman’s status among the other DC heroes is also night and day between these works. Where Lego-Superman’s only scene in the movie shows him hosting the Justice League Anniversary Party and explaining he “forgot” to invite Batman, Superman in Holy Musical consistently lies about having friends over (“All night long I’m busy partying with my friends at the Fortress… of Solitude.”)

Superman’s relationship to B@man in Holy Musical develops into larger antagonism thanks to lack of communication with B@man brushing off Supes’ invitations to hang out and fight bad guys (“Where were you for the Solomon Grundy thing? Ended up smaller than I thought, just a couple of cool guys. Me and… Solomon Grundy.”) His own loneliness gets put into stronger focus when he sees the news of Rob!n’s debut as a crimefighter, which makes him reflect on how he misses having Krypto the Super-Dog around. (The explanation for why he doesn’t have his dog anymore is one of my favorite jokes in the play and I won’t ruin it here.)

Where Superman’s a reflection of B@man’s loneliness, Rosario Dawson as Barbara in Lego Batman is a confrontation of Batman’s go it alone attitude. Her job in the story is to be the one poking holes in the foundation of Batman as an idea, starting with her speech at Jim Gordon’s retirement banquet and her instatement as commissioner. She has a by-the-book outlook on crimefighting with the omnicompetence to back it up, thanks to her training at “Harvard for Police.” Babs sees Batman’s current way of operating as ineffectual and wants him to be an official agent of the law. An idea that dumps a bucket of cold water on Batman’s crush he developed immediately upon seeing her, though that never fully goes away.

Her main point is that Batman “karate chopping poor people” hasn’t made Gotham better in his 80 years of operating. A contrast to Holy Musical’s Jim Gordon announcing that B@man has brought Gotham’s crime rates to an all-time low (“Still the highest in the world, but we’re working on it.”) She wants to see a Batman willing to work with other people. A hope dashed constantly dealing with his childish stubbornness as he tries to foil Joker’s schemes on his own, culminating in her arresting Batman and Robin for breaking into Arkham to send Joker to the Phantom Zone.

Barbara’s role as the one bringing grown-up attitudes and reality into Batman’s world does leave her in the role of comedic straight woman. Humor in her scenes comes from how she reacts to everyone else’s absurdity rather than anything she does to be funny. This works for the role she plays in Lego Batman, since she’s not there to have an arc the way Superman does in Holy Musical. She’s another catalyst for Batman’s to start letting people in as another character he grows to care about. Which starts after she lets the Dynamic Duo out of prison to fight Joker’s new army of Phantom Zone villains on the condition that he plays it by her rules. Leading to a stronger bond between Batman, Robin, Alfred, and her as they start working together.

The two Batmen’s relationships to other heroes, their villains, Robin, and their own solitude each culminate in their own way as their stories reach their conclusions.

Dark Knights & Dawning Realizations

As everything comes down to the final showdowns in these Bat-parodies, the two Caped Crusaders each confront their failures to be there for others and allow themselves to be vulnerable to someone they’ve been antagonizing throughout the story. Each climax has all of Gotham threatened by a bomb and the main villains’ plans coming to fruition only to come undone.

Holy Musical has Sweet Tooth’s kidnapping of Rob!n and forcing Gotham to choose themselves or the sidekick they hate sends B@man into his most exaggerated state in the entire play. It’s the classic superhero movie climax conundrum, duty as a hero versus personal attachment. Alfred, having revealed himself as the “other butlers”, even lampshades how these stories usually go only for that possibility to get shot down by Bruce:

Alfred: A true hero, Master Wayne, finds a way to choose both. B@man: You’re right, Alfred. I know what I have to do… Fuck Gotham, I’m saving Robin!

B@man’s selfishness effectively makes him the real villain of Holy Musical’s second act. Lego Batman has shades of that aspect as well, where Batman gets sent to the Phantom Zone by Joker for his repeated refusal to acknowledge their relationship. Where the AI running the interdimensional prison, Phyllis voiced by Ellie Kemper, confronts him with the way he’s treated Robin, Alfred, Barbara, and even Joker:

Phyllis: You’re not a traditional bad guy, but you’re not exactly a good guy either. You even abandoned your friends. Batman: No! I was trying to protect them! Phyllis: By pushing them away? Batman: Well… yeah. Phyllis: Are they really the ones you’re protecting?

Batman watches what’s happening back in Gotham and sees Robin emulate his grim and gritty tendencies to save the day in his absence makes him desperately scream, “Don’t do what I would do!” It’s the universe rubbing what a jerk he’s been in his face. He’s forced to take a look at himself and make a change. B@man’s not made to do that kind of self-reflection until after he’s defeated Sweet Tooth but failed to stop the villain’s bomb. He’s ready to give up on Gotham forever and leave with Rob!n, until his sidekick pulls up Sweet Tooth’s poll and it shows the unanimous result in favor of saving the Boy Wonder. Despite everything they said at the start of Act 2, the people want to help their hero in return for all the times he helped them. All of them calling back to the Raimi Spider-Man reference from Act 1, “You mess with one of us. You mess with all of us.”

Both heroes’ chance at redemption and self-improvement comes from opening themselves up to the people they pushed out and dismissed earlier in their stories. Batman takes on the role he reduced the Commissioner down to at the beginning of the movie and flips on signals for Barbara, Alfred, and Robin to show how he’s truly prepared to work as a team, not just with his friends and family but with the villains of Gotham the Joker pushed aside as well. Teamwork makes the dream work and they’re all able to work together to get Joker’s army back into the Phantom Zone but like in Holy Musical they fail to stop the bomb threatening Gotham. Which he can only prevent from destroying the city by confessing his true feeling to Joker

Batman: If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have learned how connected I am with all of these people and you. So, if you help me save Gotham, you’ll help me save us. Joker: You just said “us?” Batman: Yeah, Batman and the Joker. So, what do you say? Joker: You had me at “shut up!”

The equivalent moment from Holy Musical comes from B@man needing to put aside his pride and encourage a disheartened Superman to save Gotham for him. This happens in the aftermath of a fight the two heroes had where Superman tried to stop B@man before he faced Sweet Tooth, B@man winning out through use of kryptonite. That fight doesn’t fit into any direct parallel with Lego Batman, but it is important context for how Superman’s feeling about B@man before Superman finally gets his long-awaited phone call from the Dark Knight. Also, the song accompanying the fight, “To Be a Man”, is one of the funniest scenes in the play. What this speech from B@man does is bring the idea of Holy Musical B@man as a commentary on fandom full circle:

B@man: I forgot what it means to be a superhero. But we’re really not that different, you and me, at our heart. I mean really all superheroes are pretty much the same… Something bad happened to us once when we were young, so we dedicated our whole lives to doing a little bit of good. That’s why we got into this crazy superhero business. Not to be the most popular, or even the most powerful. Because if that were the case, hell, you’d have the rest of us put out of a job!

This speech extends into an exchange between the heroes about how superheroes are cool, not despite anything superficially silly but because of it. Bringing it back to the “Robin Sucks!” theme that started Act 2, saying “Some people think Robin is stupid. But those people are pretentious douchebags. Because, literally, the only difference between Robin and me is our costumes.” The speech culminates in what I genuinely think is one of the best Batman lines ever written, as B@man’s final plea to Superman is “Where’s that man who’s faster than a gun?” calling back to the trauma that created Batman across all versions and what he can see in someone like Superman. So, B@man sacrificing his pride and fully trusting in another hero saves Gotham, the way Batman letting Joker know what their relationship means to him did in Lego Batman.

Each of these parodies ends by delivering a Batman willing to open himself up to a new team of heroes fighting at his side, the newly minted Bat-Family in Lego Batman and the league for justice known as the Super Friends in Holy Musical. Putting them side by side like this shows how creators don’t need the resources of a Hollywood studio to make something exactly as meaningful and how the best parodies come from love of the material no matter who’s behind them.

If you like what you’ve read here, please like/reblog or share elsewhere online, follow me on Twitter (@WC_WIT), and consider throwing some support my way at either Ko-Fi.com or Patreon.com at the extension “/witswriting”

#batman #holy musical b@man #the lego batman movie #wit's writing #movie review #misc writing #musicals #animation #starkid #team starkid #starkid productions #superhero movies #robin #joker #dc comics #comics #chris mckay #matt lang #nick lang #joe walker #will arnett #michael cera #superheroes #superhero animation

[hoekaashi]

3 am Talks

a/n: i’m starting a 3 am talks series for bnha and hq. i got this idea at, you guessed it, 3 am when i was thinking about what the characters would talk about with you at 3 am. i hope yall enjoy! pairings: kaminari x reader, bakugou x reader, kirishima x reader warnings: none taglist: @suckersuki, @bakugoustanaccount​, @babydabi​ part 1 | part 2

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

⇾ conspiracies, conspIRACIES, cOnSpIrAcIeS ⇾ Beyonce and Eminem are members of the Illuminati ⇾ he will ARGUE for this one, after seeing videos of the two of them spacing out in interviews and ‘glitching’ he will never be convinced otherwise ⇾ the moon landing was fake ⇾ Denki stands by the moon being a secret alien satellite which is why he believes in the next theory ⇾ aliens have taken over the earth and are hiding in plain sight ⇾ the ‘moon landing’ was a disguise to help cover the fact that aliens had made contact with the earth and would experiment on humans to understand when, where, how, why, and what we are ⇾ pigeons are government cameras ⇾ that’s why corona is actually happening, the government is trying to change out the batteries of ALLLL the pigeons around the world ⇾ time travel is real ⇾ this poor baby wants to go to the Bermuda Triangle because he wants to go back in time to see real dinosaurs because he finds it hard to believe that they were green and brown after seeing how colorful peacocks, butterflies, birds, and other animals are ⇾ he would go off about all these ideas and even more because this boy believes in all this  ⇾ probably even has magazine/newspaper clippings that he saved in notebooks with his own comments littering the pages

“Okay, no, but listen. You’ve seen the videos too. How could he have been spacing out like that and people think it’s normal?! On top of that, that weird stuttering and stumbling over his words. He was created by the Illuminati, that’s all I’m saying.” You rolled your eyes. “Or,” you said, dragging out the word. “He was just higher than an airplane.” Denki scoffed. “That sounds so stupid, why would he be high during an interview or when commentating?” “And him being created by the Illuminati is the only logical conclusion?” “Well duh! Next you’ll probably say that the moon landing was real.” You sat up in his bed. “What are you talking about? It was?” “No it wasn’t!” He shot up too. “It was all fake! Created by the aliens so they could invade the Earth.” You looked at him with confusion written all over your face. “What are you even talking about?” “How do I know you aren’t an alien?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “You are so dense. You think pigeons are fake?” You raised an eyebrow and crossed your arms. “Yes! Do you?!” “No!” “I will convince you, if it’s the last thing I do!” He got up and rummaged around his desk, looking for his notebooks.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　-: ✧ :-゜・．

⇾ now, for this boy, it would take A LOT of trust in you for him to even TALK to you at such late hours ⇾ oh boy, but once he does, all his walls come down around you in the wee hours of the morning ⇾ these talks would only ever happen on a Friday or Saturday night because he’s still a nerd top three student and wouldn’t let anyone jeopardize that ⇾ it would probably take place out on the balcony or out on the roof, his arms wrapped around you to shelter you from the cold ⇾ he would talk about where he sees himself in the future ⇾ it would be a really raw, one-sided conversation but also an opportunity for him to get things off his chest without having to keep a front up ⇾ talk about his future would eventually bleed into the goals he wants to achieve in life ⇾ it’s not even that he needs advice or someone to agree/disagree with him ⇾ it’s more that he just needed someone to listen to him without being judged by them ⇾ this is probably the most soft and real he’ll ever be with you, but it definitely won’t be the last time

His arms were lazily wrapped around your waist and his chin rested on your shoulder as the two of you looked out at the city on the roof of the dorm. Neither of you could sleep so you opted to watch a movie, but the longer it played, the more withdrawn Bakugou became. You dragged him up to the roof for some air, hoping that he would eventually say something. “The more we work towards becoming heroes, the more I feel like I’m getting left behind,” he finally said. You glanced at him from the corner of your eye, not replying. “Seeing how fast everyone’s improving makes me realize how naive I’ve been my entire life. Just because my quirk is strong, doesn’t mean that I’m strong.” You looked back out to the city. “How can I expect to beat All Might if I can’t even beat shitty Deku or IcyHot? I wanna be number one, but there’s still so much I need to learn.” He shifted so his face was nuzzled into your neck. “I want to be the type of hero others look up to and villains fear. I want All Might to tell me that he’s proud of how far I’ve come. I want you to be proud of the hero I become. But I can’t achieve any of that if I keep focusing on the past.” You gave his hand a gentle squeeze when he paused to tell him you were still listening. “I’ll show everyone who’s looked down on me that I was meant to be the top hero.” Removing his hands from your waist, you turned to face him, a soft smile reassuring him that he wasn’t in over his head. “I know you’ll do amazing things, Katsuki. Just look at how far you’ve come already.” You wrapped your arms around him and felt one of his hands pet your head. “I know I don’t say this enough, but I love you.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　-: ✧ :-゜・．

⇾ this is another boy who would have a soft conversation with you ⇾ the brief look into his past shows that he had a lot of insecurities about himself and I feel like he’s also a bit appreciation/compliment-starved ⇾ his talk would have to do with his future too, but more so relationship wise ⇾ don’t attack me but kiri seems like the most manipulatable (is this even a word? lol) and naive out of Class 1A and that just stems from what he views as ‘strong’ ⇾ so if he were to be manipulated by villains, it would seriously crush his soul and spirit (unless he was a willing participant but yall don’t wanna have that convo) ⇾ therefore, if he were to trust someone with his heart, he would feel very lucky - you should feel lucky too, because this sunshine child trusted you enough to open up ⇾ don’t get me wrong, he seems like an open person, but how many people truly know what’s going on inside that mind and heart of his? ⇾ he hasn’t even spoken to Bakugou about any of this ⇾ he would ramble on about what he sees in the future for the two of you and what he wants out of this relationship ⇾ maybe even talk about his weaknesses with you and his insecurities ⇾ overall, it would be a really deep moment for him where he lets down his walls completely to let you in

Kirishima’s head was resting on your stomach as you carded your fingers through his hair. His head would rise and fall with every breath you took. You weren’t expecting him to start talking about the things that were weighing heavily on him. If you were being honest, you didn’t even know how he felt about the things he spoke about. “I’ve never been this open with anyone,” he chuckled. “But if anyone should know, I feel like it should be you.” “I have no idea what you’re going on about, but I’m listening.” You carried on, playing with his hair. “I just don’t feel strong.” Your hands stopped their motions and you just stared at the red hair resting on top of you. Kirishima moved and rested his chin on your stomach to look at you. “What do you mean you don’t feel strong?” “I just feel like I’m lacking in so many areas - physically, mentally, emotionally. I know I shouldn’t be comparing myself to everyone else, but you just can’t help it ya know? I always wanted a flashier quirk, but I’m slowly trying to accept that I can be strong with the quirk I have.” You nodded, but still didn’t know where this was all coming from. “But I’m really thankful to have you. Knowing that I can trust you to be there for me always, that really means a lot to me. You’re always so patient with me.” Your shock quickly disappeared and a soft smile took its place. “I’m glad you feel that way with me.” “I know we’re young, but I can honestly see you in my future for a long time. I never really knew what I wanted in a relationship especially because we’re so young, but now I know. I just want to thank you for helping me in all the little ways you didn’t even know about.” Because his entire body weight was resting on top of you, you just brought his hand up to your lips and gave him a kiss. “No one is perfect Ei, even adults are still learning and growing. I hope I can stay with you for a long time.”

#kaminari denki #kaminari x reader #bakugou katsuki #bakugou x reader #kirishima eijiro #kirishima x reader #bnha #bnha x reader #bnha x you #kaminari fluff #bakugou fluff #kirishima fluff #bnha imagines #bnha fluff

[ipromptography]

I’m sure most people are aware that FFXVI’s announcement has brought with it an onslaught of negativity so I wanted to do two things:

1) Remember to smile! Love what you want to love and don’t let anyone tell you you’re not allowed to.

2) I’ve written something of a love letter. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, and this is mine.

It’s 9pm on Wednesday 16 September, a mouthful of pizza has near been launched to the other side of the room. I’d opened this stream merely out of curiosity, only to have the Square Enix logo and giant yellow chickens hurled towards me the instant it begun.

I am absolutely off the shits for approximately the next five hours. I drive my unfalteringly patient significant other up the wall over it. I have never known anyone put up with my bullshit quite as well as him, but I really do think I tested this ability that night.

The next day, I’m still on a high. I hop on to Twitter only to see that Final Fantasy Fifteen is trending. Before I’d even plucked up the courage to look at the hashtag, I knew what waited beyond it, and it was that unsettling, sickly feeling in my stomach that inspired me to write this in the first place.

This game has been part of my life since the day of its release. While my first experience with it wasn’t quite ideal, it was the second, my playthrough of it, that singlehandedly made an impact on my existence more so than any other piece of media.

I don’t have a definitive number of hours spent playing this game across different platforms, but it is absolutely in the four digits. Throughout that time, there’s not been a single moment I didn’t enjoy it (apart from that time Prompto kept getting shot off the snowmobile and I was foaming at the mouth).

Of course, were it not for this blog, I would never have racked up that much time. This community, the people that love this game, drove me to keep loading up the game time and time again, playing the story over and over, taking thousands of pictures of these characters to share.

The purpose of this waffle I’m writing is not to fight people’s opinions, or to try and argue that this game is perfect. I simply wanted to share my personal experience with this game and the happiness it has brought me.

Final Fantasy XV was my first game of the series, and I am absolutely not ashamed to say that.  

As my first playthrough came to an end, I remember just how potent it was hearing the same song we’d heard as we pushed the Regalia towards Hammerhead. The same cheery dialogue that had started it all playing once more, beckoning me to begin a constant cycle that I’m not sure at this point will ever end.

After bracing that same ending over half a dozen times, it never fails to bring back that heart-shattering grief I feel, but at the same time, I feel an overwhelming amount of love for it all. Yes, this game has flaws, but they’re so minor for me in comparison to what makes it brilliant that I barely noticed them.

For me, it’s the little things. The immersion. I’m there with them. If Noctis says he’s too hot, you’re damn right I’m going into the gear menu to take his jacket off. If Gladio’s sneezing in the rain, I’ll think about putting his top back on.

It’s the tiny little details – the sighs, the yawns, the expressions, the exchanges between them. All four of them have such a connection between them that’s there right from the beginning of the game. It’s what makes the story, the ending, the whole premise of this game so powerful. They become so real to the player, developing this incredible sense of empathy for all of them in the game’s most difficult moments.

I never tire of these things, running laps around Eos, finding new places to take photos of our protagonists, admiring their every detail.

I’ve seen them called every negative adjective under the sun, picking holes in their personalities. Ansel opens you up to a whole other world that you don’t necessarily see in a normal playthrough. They all smile, they all laugh, they all show emotion. Not one of them is “boring” or “annoying”. I could witter on for days with what I love about each of them, but I will save that for another day, and I certainly won’t be leaving any heroines or villains out of that either.

There are times that I feel incredibly biased, and I am. I’ve defended every decision made about this game, never questioned it, I’ve accepted what it is and continued to love the game unconditionally. Perhaps that makes me a bad gamer, or just an idiot.

I loved going to the cinema to watch Kingsglaive the night before the game’s release. Even though, at the time, I wasn’t particularly excited for the game, I still found it exciting. It was there I was handed my very first piece of XV merchandise – a card holder. It’s been with me for four years. It’s travelled to the other side of the world with me. It’s filthy and it’s been taped back together twice but that’s just how precious this game is to me. I’d be more devastated about losing that card holder than the debit card it holds.

I loved learning a little more about each of our characters through the Brotherhood anime. It was refreshing to have content in a different medium, one where we were given rich dialogue and a deeper sense of their personalities.

I had no issue with paying more for the DLC, each had an extra two hours of content, unlockables and extras. It was hardly breaking the bank.

Even when the later DLC was cancelled, I didn’t get angry. I didn’t hate anyone for it. I understood it was a necessary decision for business reasons, and the people behind this game had already given us so much. Even when they gave us an alternative, the same content in a different form, the “fans” still threw their toys out of the pram.

To me, this game isn’t incomplete. It never was. I’ve always been happy with what we’ve been given and delighted that they would offer us even more.

People will compare this game to the next – they’ll either call it the game that Final Fantasy XV never was or shove it into the corner with their other gripes and disappointments, huffing and puffing until Square Enix give each and every individual the exact game that they want.

Whatever happens, XV will always be the game that stood by me in some of my worst moments. I hope that in years to come, people will pick it up for the first time and enjoy it for what it is, experiencing the same things that I love about it. And I hope those of us that really love this game will stick around a little longer too.

To everybody who worked incredibly hard to bring this game into existence, thank you.

#ffxv #ff15 #final fantasy xv #final fantasy 15 #Noctis Lucis Caelum #noctis #ignis scientia #ignis #gladiolus amicitia #gladio #prompto argentum #prompto #ugh i feel like there was so much more i wanted to say #this game means the world to me and it hurts to see people ripping it to pieces when it has genuinely made me so happy #anyway i just needed to get this off my chest #i love this game so much #YOU CAN TELL ITS GONNA BE A SAPPY ONE CAUSE DD'S MADE THE PICS MONO