#kotaro's rules

[sohcah--toa]

Ladybug!!

OKOK it's so different from the movie version of him... I'm sorry. Haha I was reading the book and thought, oh how cool would it be if I drew him from my interpretation and then compared it to the movie? As you can tell, I was totally wrong hahaaa.. I apologise to movie Ladybug fans 😮‍💨🙇‍♂️ but I hope you like it anyway~!!

[bugtransport]

also this is i think the first time that love and peace has been happening when love and peace forever has played

[ni-kol-koru]

[tsumuus]

my recs !

navigation

just a short list of my fav fics/smaus/headcannons/etc. (these aren’t all that i recommend, anything that i’ve reposted that i haven’t yet added here are also fics that i recommend for yall)

♥ = my favs

short stories/fics:

something stupid | kotaro bokuto, tetsuro kuroo, kei tsukishima (@/enmie)

everyone adores you (at least i do) | kotaro bokuto (@/froyaoya)

standing next to you | tetsuro kuroo (@/quirrrky)

sticky notes | kiyoomi sakusa (@/sosmyon) ♥

on the table | atsumu miya (@/ktarology)

rule number one | atsumu miya (@/tsxkkis)

wait | kei tsukishima (@/tsxkkis)

drunk in love! | kei tsukishima (@/tsxkkis)

perfect match | kei tsukishima (@/tsxkkis)

like the wind | issei matsukawa (@/haikyu-mp4)

atsumu miya never not thinks about you | (@/kyoghurts) ♥

knight! osamu miya | (@/augustinewrites)

untitled | atsumu miya (@/augustinewrites)

untitled | atsumu miya (@/capricornlevi)

untitled | osamu miya (@/a-pastel-edgelord) ♥

untitled | osamu miya (@/osamugs)

untitled | multiple hq characters (@/makkir0ll)

more coming soon...

smaus:

bruised | hajime iwaizumi (@/eggyrocks) ♥

35mm | keiji akaashi (@/eggyrocks) ♥

stamped | toru oikawa (@/froyaoya)

mousetrap | hajime iwaizumi, keiji akaashi (@/froyaoya)

out of my way! | osamu miya (@/rintoorou)

iwaizumi hajime as your co-star boyfriend | (@/rintoorou)

on stage | shoyo hinata (@/guitarstringed-scars)

koshi sugawara crushing on you | (@/struwberrii)

maps | kiyoomi sakusa (@/gl6ss)

20191009 i like her | kei tsukishima (@/yenqa)

oikawa breaking you up | toru oikawa (@/ventismacchiato) ♥

hq boys as tweets | multiple characters (@/ferigrieving)

more coming soon...

headcannons:

meet and greet | atsumu miya (@/sassycheesecake)

meddle about | kei tsukishima (@/jasi-jx)

ice skating date | atsumu miya (@/epilary)

fake dating | atsumu miya (@/epilary)

fake dating | toru oikawa (@/afyrian)

more coming soon...

[afyrian]

friends to lovers w/ msby | headcanons

m.list

sakusa kiyoomi

- only became friends with you cause you were neighbors - he helped move your couch up to your apartment - you offered to buy him dinner in exchange for more help - after that you would just find each other everywhere - sakusa’s on the elevator when you are - he’s at the same coffee shop - even getting his groceries at the same time - so you start hanging out more - you’ll go watch his games - he’ll beta read your food-based articles - even joining you to try a new restaurant for your blog - the change happened for him first - when you spilled wine on his couch - you were so apologetic, doing anything you could to clean it - fell for you first AND harder - he kept it a secret for awhile - not even telling the rest of the team - (although atsumu found out pretty early on) - only told you when you confessed to him - ‘i like you.. and i appreciate your friendship, i just can’t continue like this’ [you] - ‘i like you too, and i have for a while’ [sakusa]

atsumu miya

- met you at a volleyball game - thought you to be one his many fans - 'you want my signature or a photo? or both?' [atsumu] - 'i'm sorry who are you?' [you] - humbled him immediately - you were there investigating one of the teams for fraud and its connection with a coach - he wanted in on it as soon as he heard - wanting to tell others that he was part of a 'serious investigation' - when really you were just writing for the city's news station - however, you do come to find out that he's pretty good at it - he'd get you interviews you couldn't get before - even chatting to the coach to get him to lie through his teeth - 'pretty good investigator, aren't i?' [atsumu] - 'depends on what you define as good...' [you] - you have a very playful relationship together - meeting up at small coffee shops to discuss it - him getting a shout out at the bottom of your article - you quickly realize your own feelings a few weeks later - he’s laughing about something hinata said and the first person he looked to was you - and there’s a light in his eyes that you realize has been there every time he’s looked into your’s

hinata shoyo

- you met him on a layover out of brazil - you were in another part of the country when your layout took you to rio de janeiro - hinata bumped into you when walking to your gate - ‘i’m so sorry, i should’ve looked-’ [you] - ‘it’s okay! i should’ve been paying more attention too’ [hinata] - as an apology he walked you to your gate - only realizing when you got there that it was his gate too - you talk the enter time you’re waiting to board - he ends up in front of you on the airplane - the two of you chat as everyone gets situated on the plane - just as you’re getting off, hinata hands you a piece of paper with his phone number - ‘maybe we can meet up later’ [hinata] - ‘i’d love to!’ [you] - as you make your way down the aisle, the paper falls from your hand - it disappears beneath a few rows - so you spend the next year wondering what would’ve happened - magically, you run into him again at a coffee shop - ‘hinata?’ [you] - he was ecstatic to see you again - offering to buy your coffee and chat - knowing you had just gotten out of an almost year long relationship, you tell him it can only be platonic - he accepts profusely - as you chat, you start wondering if anything could be there - and you spend a couple months strictly as friends - only breaking that rule when you invite him out to dinner

bokuto kotaro

- prefers being friends before dating - so when he meets you at his favorite coffee shop, he's inclined to learn about you slowly - you just started as a barista and you happily welcome his morning routine - he'll always come in with the intent to try something new - however, he always convinces himself to buy the same thing - 'well we have a new seasonal flavor-' [you] - 'no, no, i think the usual will work today' [bokuto] - until one day when he asked for a baked good and wanted to know if you could hang out during your break - and it slowly became routine for the two of you - you’d talk about everything under the sun - about your schooling, his volleyball, your personal lives - eventually he brings his friends to the shop to meet you - and what cements his budding crush on you is just how well you get along with them all - akaashi to atsumu, you’re able to communicate so well with them - watching you be so kind to them just got his heart beating - and he’s vocal about a lot but he was too nervous to say anything - especially when he didn’t want to lose your friendship - so he only said something when akaashi told him to - telling him that he could ‘totally see’ the crush you have on him

gen. taglist (open): @eggyrocks @causenessus @applepi25 @softpia @bakery-anon

@nekozaki

[isadollie]

hi anne! i wanted to request boyfie x fem!reader headcanons for daichi and kuroo from haikyuu?

btw loved your recent bokuto hubby drabble 🥺 you've really blessed us 🥺 i wanted to include bokuto for the ask but you wrote him so well in that drabble! 🤧 you can still include him in this request if you'd like 👀 might be fun hehe 🤭

thank you! 🤍��

boyfriend! daichi, kuroo, bokuto headcanons (separate)

★ hello anon! tysm for requesting<3

★ and omgg, i'm so happy you liked my little bokuto drabble! 🥹🥹 i included him in the headcanons here as well cause it's never too much bokuto am i right or am i right

♡ DAICHI SAWAMURA

★ super protective like omg

★ i feel like he loves to hold hands at all times

★ the sidewalk rule.

★ is veryy serious about your relationship

★ already plans your future together and loves to talk about it

★ always asks for your opinion though

★ "my love, when we get married, do you want to get a cat? a dog? maybe a hamster?"

★ can be a bit too serious sometimes tbh

★ like, when you guys are out with friends, sometimes you have to nugde him and be like "that person was joking btw" cause he just doesn't get itttt

★ that type of man that your family would love

★ might get late to the meeting with your family and then enter with a cute smile and be like "i'm so sorry, i met an elder lady on my way and i had to help her with grocery shopping"

★ he's that type to read every single book you said you liked, and watch all your favorite movies

★ always insists to pay for everything

★ acts of service allll the way

★ will stop in the middle of your walk to kneel down and tie your shoe

★ loves to show you off in front of his teammates

★ ALSO OMG imagine you two go shopping cause you wanted to get some new makeup supplies

★ he'll carry your cart and when you want to see how would a lipstick, eyeshadow or anything else look on skin, he offers you his hand so you can try out all the shades on him hehe

★ and then when you two walk out of the store both of his hands are covered in blush, lipsticks and other stuff but he doesn't care tbh

★ (now i kinda want to write a drabble abt it)

★ (let me know if i should)

♡ KUROO TETSURO

★ would probably do anything you asked of him tbh

★ he's that type of boyfriend to also be your bestie ykwim

★ "they broke up?? no way! give me all the details rn"

★ skincare routine is his favourite activity with you, he's just so glad you got him into that

★ then he goes to practice and talks to his teammates like "don't you guys see how i'm GLOWING??"

★ pretty random but i hc that he can fall asleep literally anywhere and that he loves naps

★ kinda... like a cat...

★ and oh he SNORES

★ loves to tease you sm

★ especially abt your height, let's be honest

★ asks how's the weather down there and thinks he's funny

★ i feel like he really cares about kenma's approval of your relationship

★ introducing u to kenma was more important for him than introducing you to his family atp 💀

★ so stressed abt it too it's honestly funny

★ but kenma said you seem cool so kuroo can already go look for a ring

★ sends you reels of cats cuddling and says "us"

★ loves to carry you and always looks for an excuse to do so

★ would switch his shoes with yours when your legs start to hurt

★ looks good in your heels and i'm telling you, he walks in them better than u do

★ just smirks and says that he can teach you to be better lol

♡ BOKUTO KOTARO

★ lowkey an introvert's nightmare

★ probably took ages to confess tho

★ cause he's just too afraid to mess up, and he doesn't want to ruin your friendship:(

★ asked akaashi to help confess

★ also, asks akaashi with help with ANYTHING

★ like in my head, bokuto doesn't really have any previous relationship experience

★ so he doesn't really know what to do sometimes and you're very important to him so he wants to do everything right

★ therefore he asks akaashi for help. all the time. all. the. time.

★ like let my man akaashi rest 😭

★ asks him what to get you for your birthday, how to apologize after a fight, anything you can think of tbh

★ so clingy, the definition of clingy actually

★ wants to hang out 24/7

★ if you asked him to move in with you on the very same day you two started dating, he'd agree without hesitation

★ also texts you whenever you can't meet up

★ sends the most random shit, especially on tiktok and ig

★ he's that type to, when he plays a match, before he makes a serve, points at you and is like "this one's for you" and then completely misses

★ will talk your ear off

★ says the cutest things when he's sleepy

★ he'll just cuddle up to you and start rambling abt how much he loves you

[vellichorsmystique]

The Little Things

⭒ kuroo testsurou, oikawa toru, bokuto kotaro, iwaizumi hajime x gn!reader (all seperate)

⭒ w.c. ~2.1k

⭒ Drabble set that I'm reposting from my old and deleted blog, it's mostly the same I only did some minimal editing at some parts. Established relationships for all of these. Hurt/comfort for a couple but we're mainly focusing on the comfort aspect. Genuinely most of this is like domestic fluff

⭒ No use of y/n...implied spoilers for the time skip in Bokuto's part, Iwaizumi's part takes place during the time skip as well however any concrete details are left to be ambiguous so no spoilers are actually mentioned for him.

⭒ In a world built upon the convenience of communication, and where the testament of love can be waxed poetically with a wide array of synonyms; sometimes you find that it's the actions that speak much louder than the words ever could. Aka it's the little things they do for you.

Kuroo:

It happens when you're sick, muscles and limbs sore, throat raw from sinuses, and a desolate feeling seemingly carved from within your chest. Just sleep it off and skip school for the day is the brilliant plan your ailed brain could conjure at the moment, so you do just that. It’s not like you’ll miss anything important right? 

Wrong- waking up to the sporadic texts from Kuroo, while usually a good thing, instead left your palms slick and mind running wild. Afterall the chemistry class you two shared together had an important lab done today, and it would be featured in your upcoming unit test. Raising the pads of your fingers to your forehead you began to massage your temple, wincing at the oncoming headache. Lamenting over your decision of whether you should email your overworked teacher or just go back to sleep. You find that your pondering is interrupted by the front door slamming open. 

Revealing none other than Testurou himself. His usual insufferable smirk is plastered across his visage, and he seems to be exuding a lackadaisical continence. While giddy you still roll your eyes as he saunters in, and that's when you notice the few bags in his grasp. Before you can even question he’s already setting the contents out, a college ruled spiral notebook is being pushed towards you, and when you open it to the recent notes his usual chicken scratch is actually legible. 

Looking back up you're greeted by the sight of a couple empty glass beakers, some vials of different chemicals, and wait… is that a bunsen burner? Eyes blown wide you look up at Kuroo, downed in a haphazardly placed set of lab goggles, arms crossed across his chest, and a beaming smile revealing pearly whites. 

“Did… Did you steal lab equipment from our teacher?” while a rasp it still leaves your mouth an octave higher than your usual voice. All he does is laugh at your stupefied expression. 

“I wouldn’t call it stealing, more along the lines of borrowing, besides I'm sure she won’t mind…” he trails off, but that stupid smirk is back on his face, and you begrudgingly decide it would not be smart to kiss him– afterall you were sick. So instead you sit up and lean forward, eyes squinted and a mumbled ‘you're an idiot’ leaves your lips. And Kuroo, well all Kuroo does is laugh at the statement, eyes glimmering, and grin stretching impossibly wider, because yeah he may be an idiot, but he’s your idiot.

Oikawa: 

You're on the edge of this mental precipice, eyes zeroed in on the red ink, the bold lettering taunting your very intelligence. You…you failed? How, you had studied so hard though? Hunched over text after text, eyes blurring from the onslaught of study material. But you had pushed through, you were determined that you were going to pass. All that effort was for naught. Snagging your bottom lip between your teeth, you begin to blink slowly as a way to staunch any pesky tears. Breathing deeply you straighten your back into an attentive position, pointedly ignoring the chocolate brown eyes staring at you with concern.  

Of course Oikawa was always too attentive for his own good though, after all one sly glance towards the paper you shielded with your arms and he could see a sliver of red scrawling. So putting two and two together he figures it out. Words would not suffice his point and thinking quickly he settled for his speciality.

 Annoyance Physical affection. As soon as the teacher had looked away he all but melted against you, a heavy sigh, and half lidded eyes pointed in your direction. 

“Toru, get off of me,” it’s a whispered threat as you try to shove him off, yet he just won't budge. As if to pester you further he turns his face towards your cheek, tip of his nose ghosting the flesh, and puffing out his own cheeks he forms an ‘o’ with his mouth and blows. Reactivity you nail him with your elbow, and although he winces he remains undeterred as he nudges your cheek with his nose. Flyaway strands of brown colored hair tickle your own skin, and from your peripheral you can see the goofy expression that Oikawa had fixed onto his face. You can not help but let out a small stream of giggles, and remarkably enough the bad grade isn’t weighing so heavily on your psyche. 

Oikawa finally removes his weight off of you, right before the teacher notices, but he still stares at you. Eyes slightly squinted, lips upturned into a soft smile, and body tilted towards you. While he was successful in his endeavors of cheering you up, that doesn't necessarily mean you’ll not be plagued by it later. So he formulated yet another plan. 

And when you get home to your apartment, only to be greeted with Oikawa in your kitchen, a serving of your comfort food on an outstretched plate, and him dawned in a regifted frilly apron from Iwaizumi (it used to say ‘Best Wing Spiker” but the words wing spiker were now crossed out, and instead placed above it was the word “Setter” in loopy strokes). Well that's only something you and him would need to know. 

Bokuto:

It’s too bright. It’s too loud. It’s too, too much. Nausea rolled around heavily in your gut. All while blinding pain racked across your entire temple. The glaring stadium lights also did not help with your situation, spots of your own sight conjured flashes and random blurbs of black to settle over your vision. You really didn’t want to come to this game… but a promise was a promise. You can practically feel the pitying gazes of the patrons surrounding you, their minds probably chastising you for not leaving yet. But you wouldn’t, dawned in a black jersey with the number “12” printed on it in a bold font, reminded and added to your resolve to stay.

Risking a furtive glance in the direction of the scorekeeper, you thanked every higher power out there that the game had ended. However you quickly took it all back at the resounding buzz that signified the end, leaving you breathless and dizzy. The Jakles won and for that you were happy, after all that would mean the man you came here for would be exhilarated at the results. As much as you wanted to run over to Bokuto, lightheadedness tugged at your lead like limbs, and now your neck was starting to hurt. Plus the unbearable staccato pounding on both sides of your temple wouldn’t let you focus well. So you stayed behind, shoulders hunched, hands desperately trying to magically massage away the pain, all while moisture began building in the corners of your eyes.. 

Time seems to pass agonizingly slow in the monumental stadium, and all you can do is sniffle and wither at the sound of your own quiet whimpers. You aren’t aware of the presence in front of you, at least not until they press their index finger on your arm right below the sleeve of the borrowed jersey. A rhythmic tapping leaving a comforting warmth to convalesce around you. It’s a fleeting touch, and oh, so ever gentle. That momentarily your sniffles pause, and when you finally crane your head up you find yourself locked eyes with golden ones. Although your everything hurts, and though the lights may be too bright, and the sounds may still be too loud you can’t help the giddy smile that stretches across tear stained cheeks. 

“Hi Ko,” the breathless rasp leaves you almost instantaneously, and he hums in response, head dipping in action and streaked hair swaying in sync. For a moment you feel touched after all you knew he would be so giddy and excited to share the thrill that he felt in the form of grandiose gestures and onomatopoeias, but he noticed what you're going through and he’s trying to mitigate it. Gently he encircles his arms around your shoulders, pulling you from your upright fetal-esque position, and the two of you (him basically carrying you) head out of the building. He had said his goodbyes to his fellow teammates already considering you two had just breezed past them to get to the exit. 

And when you two get home, he’s already flipping off the lights, guiding you into a comfortable position on the duvet sheets of your shared bed. When he comes back his hands hold a heat compress (as well as a cold one) and some random soda that had been sitting in your refrigerator. He passes you a Tylenol as well, and you take a sip of the drink. The dark complimented by the blissful silence blankets you and you can feel the migraine recede into baby thumps. Nothing too painful for you to manage. In the dark, you fumble around until your palm finds a warm one near you, grasping it you can practically picture the childish grin he’s wearing. Instead of voicing out your thanks, you instead scooch forward, sitting up right in front of Bokuto you lean your head against his shoulder, hand squeezing his own tighter. And he hums happily in response, chest moving as he lets out the sound. Whatever you need he’ll do it, gestures and all.

Iwaizumi:

When Iwaizumi enters the house, at a time where the stars are high and dancing in the sky, he notices your slouched form on the couch. Laptop toppling dangerously close to the edge of your lap, neck rested uncomfortably on the arm of the couch, and the lights off- minus the tv which had some random cartoon sending flashes of vividly tinted light splashing the room. 

Soft snores spill from your lips, and all he can do is sigh, heavy footfalls nearing your slumbering figure. Warm hands save the laptop from falling off its precarious position in your lap, should you fidget any longer, and he can only squint at the brightness. Of course, falling asleep while working on an assignment…how in character for you. Placing the item down on the coffee table he gradually rises back up, hands resting against his hips as he forms some type of plan. 

A thin line of drool had dribbled across your cheek, and some hair was messily swiped in front of your face, so you seemed to be deep asleep. Hypothetically speaking he could just leave you there- but one more glance at your uncomfortable position makes him wince. So he reaches down grasping at the beaten remote, (months of falling off of various heights has led to its predicament of duck tape keeping it together) before finally clicking the button to promptly shut off the tv. Now bathed in darkness he gathers up the near forgotten laptop, as well as your barely alive phone, the battery symbol showcasing the color red. So he plunders forward, past the empty kitchen the smell of whatever you had cooked to satiate yourself lingering gently in the air, past the hallway filled with different portraits of you and him(as well as his former Seijoh teammates), until finally entering the threshold of your shared room. 

There’s a soft light spilling from the mess that is your desk, probably some random desk lamp you had said you needed when you already had others. But it’s not like he could resist your carefully calculated pouts, so you still ended up getting it anyway. Placing the laptop down softly in a clear spot on your desk, he connected the lonesome charger to its port. Before plugging up your phone as well on the bed side table. 

In his momentary absence, he notes, you had somehow moved from your position on the couch- into haphazardly dangling off the arm of it. Unable to hold back the exasperated snort that leaves his mouth, he finally reaches under you, hefting you up in his hold. A tense silence freezes him from walking when you let out a sudden exhale, but the sigh that leaves you soon after, makes him step forward. 

When he finally gets you both situated in bed he doesn’t expect you to subconsciously wiggle closer towards him, nor does he expect the whispered sigh of his first name to leave your lips. So when he finally goes to sleep, he goes to sleep with a flushed face and you tucked in his chest, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

⭒ end notes: GUYS HAIKYUU IS SO BACK RAHHHHH. Anyways this drabble set was wrote in 2022 (yikes) but I figured what better way to soft launch the fact that I've fallen in the vices of Haikyuu then by posting it on this account. I have another haikyuu piece in the works, but if you all are interested in a part two of this let me know! I quite like this concept of loosely connected vignettes :))

[ni-kol-koru]

Okay but I think that Mibuchi won't just sit in the car with anyone!

He would most preferably ride with Akashi, because Akashi drives by the rules, plays good music, or lets you connect yourself to Bluetooth and play your own music, he takes care of his car, it's always so clean and it smells good, while he drives he makes some small talk and makes sure to put your adress in his GPS and get you to your destination safely and comfortably. He just does everything so neatly and correctly and elegantly and sitting in the car with him is just so pleasant! He truly tries his best to always make you feel like a passenger princess, and that's what Mibuchi wants and loves.

Akashi would always be Mibuchi's first choice, and after him comes Nebuya. He drives pretty well. He knows the rules, and he eventually gets you to your destination. He gets minus points for road raging a little, braking aggressively and needing to be told directions all the time. So, you can't really relax with him, because he sometimes just randomly yells and swears and you need to be looking at your phone all the time to tell him where to turn. His car is also not always the cleanest, because he is the guy who eats and drives. He's driving you to some place and there's a McDonald's by the side of the road? He was feeling hungry anyways, so why not make a stop and quickly order something? He would, of course, eat while driving, making a little mess. If you're late and insist he doesn't go eat, he will be a little grumpy, but he is still bearable...

Only after Nebuya comes Hayama! Hayama is always the last choice. Why? Because nobody really knows how he got his licence. He never knows what he's doing, he doesn't know the rules of the road, he doesn't know where he's going, he really doesn't know how he got the license either! He is the type of a guy who would be driving you somewhere, everything seemingly normal, and then just ask you, out of blue, something like 'Hey the brakes are on the right side, right?' with the straightest face ever. He never really got into any serious accident, just because he doesn't drive so often and he has incredible luck when he does! He still tries, and he really has good will! He truly, from the bottom of his heart, wants to help you and get you to you destination! His car is usually pretty tidy, he has good music on at all times, he talks to you and tries to make a good atmosphere, but Mibuchi is still terrified of driving with Hayama, because it's still pretty unsafe.

Nobody knows if Mayuzumi actually has a license, he always takes public transportation and refuses to answer the question when his teammates ask him. He wouldn't drive them anyways...

mibuchi is scared of driving. he has his license and everything. every time he gets in the drivers seat he starts crying… that’s why akashi, nebuya and hayama has to take him everywhere

[zoe-oneesama]

Less of a question and more of a comment? But your most recent ask about your Angelic Layer AU. which I love btw big AL fan, reminded me just how jarring the choices between the anime and manga were, that honestly, the anime probably gave the series a better boost in popularity overall just by way of HOW it handled everything, including the juggling relationships, because the way the manga pairs everyone off it strange

It was baffling to behold...uuuuuntil I looked at the manga vs anime release dates. Then it made sense. The manga started first...then then anime caught up but the manga wasn't done...so the anime went off and did it's own thing.

And it's own thing was insane. 🙃

I guess I get it because in most anime when they catch up to source material they'll add in tons of filler so the manga can make more material, but that only really works if the anime and manga are...popular. And Angelic Layer is most decidedly not. Though hilariously that didn't stop them from trying with stuff like a beach episode. A BEACH episode with MIDDLE schoolers and their dolls.

Now You might not like the way the middle schoolers got paired off at the end (seriously, who saw Tamayo dating the pervert high schooler who guesses people's underwear prints, like, wut?) but at least Misaki and Kotaro had build up. Boring, milktoast build up, but build up.

The anime's decision to go along with that build up, catch up to the manga, and then completely ditch all that to suddenly make Misaki oblivious to Kotaro despite for like 12 episode having a clear crush on him, give Ohjiro a crush on Misaki's mother just to turn around and pair him with Misaki, making Ichiro ALSO have a crush on Misaki's mother, and then suddenly reframe all of Tamayo's endless beatings on Kotaro and teasing him about his feelings for Misaki be a sign that she had a crush all this time...

Yeah big yikes. I usually root for the childhood friend in anime, so, way to go Angelic Layer for breaking that rule for me.

Not to say all the changes were bad. I liked the expansion on the game, including the kinda team/pit crew idea they threw in for the National Tournament, and the longer episodes made all the upgrades that were introduced to the game feel better paced and more monumental than they did in the manga. I definitely felt the tension and drama much better between Misaki and her mother in the anime. It was the only time I cried watching and the first time Misaki felt like a rounded dimensional character. And while I took a jab at Icchan getting a crush on Mama Shuko, with their backstory and the way it directly effected the development of Angelic Layer the game, I was kinda into it in the vacuum of the show.

(Though my Chobits loving heart kept shouting about how he has a WHOLE ASS WIFE-!)

[20001541]

I was thinking about this panel the other day and how the narration tells us that afo choose that particular kanji for yoichi's name is because he saw yoichi as a gift that was given to him.

then I also remembered this line when he's talking to kotaro, "children need siblings because nobody else will help them out"

I feel these two panels show that afo saw yoichi as the one good thing in his life growing up. he's living in complete destitution, he has no adult to take care of him, society doesn't bother to help him and he's considered a diseased creature majority of them. the only thing he has that stays by his side on a consistent basis is yoichi, that tiny weak thing that has been there with him from the very beginning.

focusing on that word "need", I believe afo was speaking from his own experience here and not simply saying this just to get kotaro into the idea of having another child. for a long time the only one that ever acknowledged his presence was yoichi and because of that he grew deeply attached to him. of course yoichi's acknowledgement wasn't enough for afo in the end and he wanted to get the world's attention, but the fact that he emphasized how children need siblings because no one will help them out shows how much yoichi's presence in those days meant to him.

he needed him because without him who would've been there to give him some comfort amongst the chaos that surrounded him? who would've talked to him and kept him company during those quiet nights when hiding out in abandoned buildings? humans need affection from other humans in order to thrive, there's been literal studies done about how loneliness can kill you. afo wouldn't be the exception to this rule, yoichi helped him get through those dark days.

I think afo would've turned out much worse if he was forced to grow up alone. at the end of the day afo just wants people to acknowledge his existence and yoichi gave him that as a child. the only one who ever did willingly for many years and that made a huge impact on afo's life.

going back to how he named yoichi, I think it shows how he sees yoichi as the one good thing the universe decided to grant him amidst all the ugliness in his life. everything else he had to take by force, but yoichi was the only thing granted to him freely. so he viewed him as something precious and irreplaceable, something that must be held onto tightly to a suffocating degree so it could never leave him. unfortunately that attitude is what ultimately caused him to loose him for good.

and it all just leads to this

you're different than everyone else, you actually mean something to me. you're the only one who was there when the world turned it's back on me. I can't keep going on without you the world loses it's colour and ceases to have meaning. everything I am is tied into you so without you I am nothing. you have to stay here with me I love you more than anything.

tragic the way things ended between them, and almost poetic in how the thing afo loved the most is what brought about his ruin

[pjsk-headcanons]

(i think im slightly breaking the rules here bc this is an orientation but its more than that so i thought id submit it anyway... very sorry mod feel free to delete...)

akito is bisexual in the sense hes a bisexual diaster. this man has managed to fall head over heels for almost everyone whos ever willingly spoken to him and he doesnt see as family. this includes but is not limited to:

toya, an and kohane (polysquad 4ever)

kotaro mita (vbs npc. most pathetic man ever i love him)

he certainly had some sort of crush on ken buts hes probably over than now. (sorry an)

same thing with arata. (an is once again disgusted)

nene (yes i fw akinene. sorry not sorry.)

minori (akito is a minori oshi sorry not sorry. he and mizuki gang up on ena over this. he then proceeds to meet the real minori through kohane and wow shes not just pretty and kind shes like. actually a really funny person who genuinly cares about people and-)

shiho (they've met like thrice and every time hes thought "wow i wish i was friends with this emo bassist shes kinda hot who said that")

haruka (while not a haruka oshi. i like to think that haruka still sings in vivid street sometimes and Hot Damn can she sing more than idol music) <- i might put that as another ask

honestly? i fw one-sided ruikito and akikasa. most humiliating thing in his life and its not even requited

yeag i like akito (makes him suffer) (makes him suffer) (makes hi

(idk if it was clear but i think he sees airi, mizuki and mafuyu as family okay bye)

.

[superhero-an-official]

Hey!

I'm An Shiraishi, one of the main...three... Heroes of Vivid street.

I have shapeshifting, i can also have the same power as who i shapeshift into, (setbacks: will glitch and change forms unconsciously very often) and electricity powers. (I can't use doorknobs without gloves) ⚡

The reason I became a superhero was cause I admired my dad and his friends, I even got shapeshifting cause I tried to be like him.

Me and my group, Vivid Bad Squad are heroes and we also sing. We're trying to surpass an event where my dad and his group, Radder defeated such a powerful villain.

I want to be one of the greatest heroes with my team so feel free to train and spar with me so I can get stronger.

Hope you can join us out on more missions, peace out.

... I miss you you ginger, I'm sorry.

(colored text in one post means she shapeshifted or its another character using the blog)

READ IF YOU PLAN TO MAKE A BLOG OR VILLAIN ARC FOR YOUR CHARACTER + Stan akitofor this post

PS: PLEASE READ THIS

Run by @novanonn jwjajs! And the main reason this au exists

tags :

⚡ an - An herself!

An-swered asks! - asks

What's going on with you..? - for others' villain arcs

The blazers shapeshifting shenanigans - it's in the name

Important!! - important posts

Who am I? - ???

My reasons for trying. - backstory stuff/lore/ memories

She's not here anymore . - villain arc tag

Reply! ⭐ - reply:3

Blazed reason - Character events!

Other blogs for the au :

Akito Kotaro Ichika Haruka Kohane Rui Honami Ken?? Nene Mizuki Mafuyu Toya Tsukasa Ena Airi Emu Saki Kanade Shiho Minori Minori

[bettermiya]

THE HAIKYUU BOYS FIGHT YOUR STALKER EX...

Pairings: Kita Shinsuke x Reader. Bokuto Kotaro x Reader x Akaashi Keiji. Miya Atsumu x Reader. Iwaizumi Hajime x Reader.

Trigger Warnings: Violence, Implications of Stalking, Mentions of Domestic Violence.

Kita – “If he ever bothers ya’ again, I’ll do more ta’ him,” Shinsuke answered easily as you wrapped gauze around his bloody knuckles. His calloused fingers ran through your soft hair, tugging gently so you would look up at him. "My obaa-chan was disappointed because I didn't get another hit in. Besides, he shouldn't be so persistent when yer clearly mine."

You never thought of this little traditional house as home. You were a city person who fell in love with a rice farmer, but it should have been obvious. After you mentioned your dirty past with Hiroto, Shinsuke and his obaa-chan did their best to protect you. Locks. Alarms. It wasn't enough. Your ex-boyfriend tried to physically confront you and, as a result, ended up with a broken face and an arrest. Those hands from hours of rice reaping were more powerful than you realized. The fact that farms had security cameras was also something you should’ve considered. You pretended Shinsuke being popular around your little community didn't have anything to do with how easy this had been.

What matters is you’re safe.

“I love you.” You choked out before finally kissing him, breathing in the sharp tang of surprise as strong arms wrapped around you. You run your tongue over his lower lip and are about to do more, but you stop yourself and bury your face in his shoulder.

You're just embarrassed now.

"If this is what I get for doing the bare minimum, darlin', what will ya' do when it's somethin' special?"

Atsumu – Samu was the better fighter, Atsumu reluctantly admitted, but they both carried the same amount of tenacity. To rip him away from your terrifying stalker, Bokuto and Meian dugged their fingernails deep into his biceps and heaved him off. They dragged their setter back into the gym by force. You followed as best you could; your horrified eyes met a laid-back, intimidating gaze. You pondered how important if he looked like he was about to kill.

Fortunately, the management team already began discussing how they could keep this controversy quiet. Despite knowing that Atsumu fought for you, you're scared because he could be a more terrifying version of Hiroto if he wanted to be. You're not scared enough to stop yourself from expressing those feelings, though. He deserved that much for grappling your worst mistake into the concrete.

The harsh laugh surprised you. “My ma’ was a single parent. ‘Cause our pa preferred to rule with his fists, she raised Samu and I by ‘erself,” he explained, taking your hand to press an easy kiss to your knuckles. “‘m sorry I scared ya.’”

“I won’t stop ya’ from goin’ ‘cause I know better than ta’ be a man like that, but I’d want ya’ to stay. Please.”

Bokuto & Akaashi – Kotaro and you clutched each other for dear life, while watching Keiji use his words to systematically tear your ex-boyfriend apart. “AKAAAASHI, CAN WE GO NOW? HE’S ALREADY COWERING. LOOK AT HIM,” the spiker whined loudly, swinging you around in his arms like a particularly loved toy. You desperately tried to whisper that you were being crushed by his massive biceps. Normally, you wouldn't care, but you'd lived long enough to be free of the past, and you wanted to share your new life with them. Even if this would be a magnificent death, you’e not prepared. What a contrast to the you of before who would’ve willingly perished by a pro volleyball player.

“YOU PROMISED TO TAKE US TO YAKINIKU!”

“Ack—” This roused Keiji enough from his verbal tirade against Hiroto.

“Bokuto-san, remember to be gentle. You’re hurting them.”

“I’m sorry!” He showered your face with kisses, soft, small touches that reminded you that for all his strength, Kotaro was the gentlest soul. The quick kick to Hiroto's side, on the other hand, demonstrated how terrifying your other boyfriend could be when provoked to protect the both of you.

His face was as impassive as ever as he walked back. “Would you like to go for crepes after, beloved?” Keiji asked, smoothing down his fashionable black trench-coat. “You’ve been wanting to try out the new shop.”

 “Yes, Keiji. We can go for crepes.”

Iwaizumi – Even though Hajime was as straight-laced as they come, a bar fight had caused that split upper lip. You're fortunate that Oikawa had been there because his silver tongue could get away with murder.

"What happened?"

"Your ex came around."

The moment you froze, he dragged you onto his lap; his head fell onto your shoulder. You could feel a soft huff of breath escape his throat. He had never been good with words, but he didn't need to be. Silence overtook you both as you brushed your fingers through his dark hair before you broke through to say,  “Don’t get hurt on my behalf, Hajime.”

He glanced up, staring at you blandly as if you were the idiot for trying to protect him. You glared back since you refused to let this be a negotiation. His sigh led you to believe that he would give in, but his subsequent words made you shiver to the core, "You don't have to be concerned about me. I won’t let up if there’s a next time."

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

Idk what to tell to the people who still don't get that although is okay to teach kids the rules to live in a society (like respect others or don't kill or whatever), Kotaro Shimura, Enji Todoroki and Toga's parents didn't care as much for society rules as they care for the rules that made them feel okay at home.

Which in the end caused the main villain trio to reject authority and society and turn into violence, since they did try to use words as kids and were royally ignored.

Tenko, Touya and Toga tried very hard to be good kids, but in their parents conception it was not enough 'cause they couldn't repress some of their needs: they wanted their dads and moms to accept them as they were, to accept who they wanted to be, to accept the way they expressed love and accept the way they interacted with their surroundings.

In Tenko's case, Kotaro was unable to accept his kid desire to become a hero. His could be the worst case in bnha, given the violence of his tragedy and how misfortune (maybe even something else) played on it ending so badly. Tomura himself said that house rejected his very identity, even tho Hana tried to support him in secret and Nao stood up for him, little too late. For what we saw of him as a child, his only defect as a son was wanting to be a pro-hero, dream that got him beaten up for, grounded in a rather cruelly manner. Kotaro's trauma turned him into an irrational man, his hatred for heroes was both the build up and the catalysis of the tragedy that ended the lives of the people he loved the most.

Tenko didn't become a villain because he was an evil kid. He became a villain because AFO wanting it so and because Kotaro inculcated in him such extreme hatred.

In Touya's case, it's a bit more complicated. I don't believe Enji's obsession was completely evil in nature, although his actions were truly selfish and it became later abusive, when his desperation blinded him to the point he was unable to understand how bad he has turned out to be. Like in Tenko's case, the mother is at fault only in yhe sense that their lack of intervention allowed the situation to escalate 'til they couldn't prevent it anymore. Touya's case differentiates itself in the fact that he was older than Tenko, his behavior declining over the years into extreme violence, unlike the way Tenko exploded in murder glee when Kotaro hit him one last time.

The lack of proper attention from both Enji and Rei allowed Touya's behavior to become a tragedy. Their negligence, Enji's focus on his work and Shouto (as a project not a son) and Rei's role of a caretaker yet not a mother, combined with the incapacity of Natsuo and Fuyumi to understand what Touya was going through (really, only Shouto could, but at that point Touya hated him too much and Shouto was way too young)... Well, it didn't end well for a kid that didn't want help anymore but attention on his own terms. He was tired of adapting, the same way Tenko rebelled in his insistence of acting the hero way.

The same house rule ( YOU CANNOT BE A HERO ) sent them both to AFO's hands, one way or another. They were kids who couldn't act the way their dads wanted, so fuck them I guess.

That part is compatible to Toga's case. Kinda.

Toga's parents are by far the most twisted of the bunch, which is a lot to say considering that Kotaro hit his kids and Enji even hit his wife. Yet, without having to touch a single hair of their little girl, they inflicted damage so deep she preferred to become a runaway criminal than to stay at home one more day.

At least Kotaro and Enji valued at some level Tenko and Touya's existence. Toga's parents didn't care about her at all. She was as good as a broken doll, an imperfect piece of their furniture, something they wish wasn't related to them at all. Enji was at least worry about his son and he loved him at some degree, the same way Kotaro worry over Tenko was born out of his fear of losing his family. Nothing of it excuses what they do and let it be said that Enji and Kotaro did saw Touya and Tenko as monsters at some point (when Touya tried to kill Shouto and on his Dabi era, when Tenko killed his family and turned to Kotaro). Yet it doesn't compare to the way Toga's parents immediately erased her from their lives, even denying any affiliation. They sent her to that therapy like a car needing to be repaired. She was a sign of status, she was an object that they failed to produce, she was an aberration and a freak, she deserved to be put down.

From the three od them, Toga was the one who struggled the most to fit in socially, not to society standards tho. To her parents.

If all these parents had cared for their kids more than they cared for his own stupid rules maybe things would have been different. But that's the core of their problems, they don't need the whole world to accept them, they need to treat the internalized traumas their parents left them with, the self-hatred and the feeling of inadequacy and the need for acceptance (of themselves) and recognition.

That's why Toga, Izuku and Shouto are the key for their recovery. Acting as mirrors, they are meant to provide the closure the villain trio desperately need. It's not just a sibling or a nemesis bond, but a recognition of the self through the other situation.

If they can accept themselves and correct their ways and get free from their parents absurd rules, if they can move past the child need for their parents validation, maybe they can finally exist in a less painful way.

[project-sekai-facts]

Eyebrow saga when?

fine

whilst there is slight variation between all characters, An and KAITO definitely have the most unique eyebrow design. An's eyebrows are notably smaller compared to everyone else's, whilst KAITO's are thicker than everyone elses and are also thicker at the end instead of the start. KAITO is consistently depicted with the thick eyebrows though, while An tends to vary between cards. Airi and Honami also have slightly smaller eyebrows but these are basically only noticeable on their L2D models on some expressions.

As for NPCs, things are a bit more interesting. All the dads/other adult men over 20 have much thicker eyebrows compared to everyone else. Some of these also have unique traits not seen in other characters, such as Keisuke having a few odd hairs towards the end and whatever the hell Rakunosuke had going on.

The only exceptions to this rule with the guys are Harumichi, who has the same eyebrows as Toya, and Shousuke and Mafuyu's dad, who have thinner eyebrows more like Tsukasa's.

For the younger guys, we've got Kotaro and Souma, who have much smaller eyebrows. Souma also has cuts in one of his eyebrows, though I'm not sure if this is for style or if it's scarring, and Kotaro's are noticeably really thin compared to the other boys. There's also Asahi, who has really thick eyebrows on comparison with the adults in the game despite being vaguely implied to be around the same age as Sakurako/Tsukasa/Rui (his age is still unconfirmed though).

As for the girls, there's also some with more unique designs. Yuina and Saku have slightly smaller eyebrows compared to the other girls, and Nagi had notably thicker eyebrows compared to the other adult women in the game. Unfortunately the girls don't get as interesting designs as the boys do :(

I'd also like to point out Ibuki (fang) and Shuta (green) because the artists actually put effort into designing the 2-B boys despite them not even getting L2D or like being mentioned again. Shuta's eyebrows are pretty similar to KAITO's, but Ibuki's are really unique being both really small (like An's) and just made up of little lines instead of solid color.

[five-rivers]

Danger First chapter 15

(This is the actual chapter 15 btw, I mislabeled the last one, which was actually chapter 14.)

.

“Hm,” said Hikage.  

“His anxiety has certainly gone up,” said Nana.  

“But it isn’t super anxiety.”

“Uh, why do you sound disappointed about that?” asked En.  

“Maybe All for One isn’t watching?” asked Nana, not really believing it even as she said it.  After all, when Toshinori had participated, she’d been his biggest fan.  Not to mention Kotaro’s soccer games…

“Not a chance,” said Yoichi.  “I bet he’s just convinced himself of something stupid.  Like UA changing the rules so that it’s the top entrance exam scorer in the whole school who gets to do the oath, rather than the top scorer in the hero entrance exam.”

.

Ah, thought Hisashi as he slowly sipped a quirk from a failed nomu, UA must have been so impressed by his Izuku’s natural talents that they had changed their rules about who gave the insipid welcoming speech.  Of course, if they were going to change them for anyone, they would change them for Izuku.  And Izuku’s speech was much superior to anyone else’s.  

The nomu husk flopped to the floor and expired.  Ah, what he wouldn’t give to be able to drink wine again.  It was much less messy.  

.

“I mean, is that really that stupid?” asked Nana.  “It probably would be good to celebrate the other tracks as well, even if UA is hero-focused.”

Yoichi shrugged.  “If my brother thinks it, then it’s stupid.”

“Fair.”

.

“All of us,” said Izuku, gripping the microphone stand, “are here, in this competition, for the same reason.  To win.”  There were a few cheers and a distinct growl from Kacchan.  “But winning– winning looks different to everyone.  Some-someone from gen ed might want to join the hero course.  A person from support will want to advertise their inventions.  The business students want to polish their skills, win contracts, build– and build their brands.  And in the hero course–” Izuku took a deep breath.  “I-in the hero course, we want to show you, all of you, and- and ourselves, too, what kinds of heroes we can be.” He raised his fist.  This was All Might’s pose, but he didn’t think Mr. Yagi would mind.  “I believe we can all win!  Plus Ultra!  Go beyond!

“PLUS ULTRA!” the other students screamed back at him.  

.

“Huh,” said Third, scratching his ear.  “That was actually pretty good.”

“Hahahaha,” chortled Yoichi, reaching out as if to embrace him, “you’re coming around to the Izuku side.”

Third leaned away from Yoichi.  “What– What was that sound you just made?”

“My avuncular laugh!  I’m working on a new one, since you said my other one sounded like my brother’s.”

En cleared his throat.  

“Yes?” said Yoichi, turning towards him.  “What is it?”

“I think I speak for all of us when I say, never make that sound again.”

“I’d honestly prefer your All for One sound-alike laugh,” said Banjo, looking rather ill.  

Yoichi dropped his arms and curled his lip.  “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” chorused the other ghosts.  

“Well, see if I share my popcorn with you guys, then.”

“We can imagine our own.”

.

Izuku hurried back down the stairs.  He wasn’t running away, but it felt a little bit like it.  He took his place between Monoma and Hagakure and breathed deeply.  

“So, Wonder?” asked Hagakure, leaning towards him.  

“It just felt like something that everyone helped me with,” said Izuku, “and I’m always wondering what my quirk even is, so it fits there, too…”

“Surely,” said Monoma, “you have a better idea of what it is after my generous guidance.”

“Y-yeah, it really helped.”

“Shhhh,” hissed Iida from further up the line.  “Ms. Kayama is about to explain the rules of the first event!”

“What a wonderful speech from our student representative!”  The crowd clapped politely again, and the big screens all over the stadium lit.  “Now, without any further delay, let’s get the first event started.  These are the qualifiers!  It’s in this stage that so many are sent home crying every year!  And the fateful first event this year is… STAR SEEKER!”

“I don't know that one,” whispered Hagakure.   

.

“Neither do I,” said Yoichi, worriedly.  “What is it?  Is it new?  Nana, Nana, do you know?”

“Hey, it's not like I participated in all that many of these myself!  If it wasn't in the kids’ presentation, I don't know about it!”

“I'm starting to wonder if anyone here went to school,” grumbled Banjo.

.

Ms. Kayama gestured expansively behind herself, and the ground rumbled as concrete slabs pulled back and something else rose up from below.  

“In this game, students must find - and keep! - the Special Stars hidden on this Stellar Stage!  Speaking of which please give a round of applause to the heroes who put this stage together for us.  Kamui Woods, Pixie Bob, Aquarius, Cementoss, Power Loader, and their agencies!”

Yes, Izuku could see the expertise of all those heroes at work.  Cementoss for the underlying structures, Pixie Bob for the seemingly natural hills, Aquarius for the water features, Kamui Woods for the plant life and fantastic, if widely-set, trees, and Power Loader for the traps and robots that were doubtlessly hidden all throughout the ‘stage.’  

“But students will have to do more than seek and find in this game of combat keep-away!  There's more than a handful of hidden hazards scattered around, and, what's more, stars can be stolen!  Students will need to keep their stars until the end if they want to move on to the next event!”  

There were cheers all around the stadium as Ms. Kayama paused, letting the microphone rest by her thigh.  She brought it back up again, grinning.  “What's that?  You want to make it harder?  Well, never fear, here at UA we're always ready to go Plus Ultra!”  She waited again, this time for the choral response to die down.  “Our terrific teachers are going to get in on the fun.  They won't be using their quirks, but that doesn't mean they'll be going easy on anyone!”

This time, the cheer was more of a deafening roar than anything else.  

.

“My,” said Yagi, “it does seem as if the ideas Nezu got from his discussion with the students bore fruit.”

Shouta grunted.  “Most of the teachers here are pretty popular,” he admitted, grudgingly, “but at least some of that is probably idiots thinking you're going to go out there.”

“I can't imagine how they think I can commentate on the event and participate in it at the same time.”

“In my experience, logic like that doesn't factor into it.”

Yagi sighed.  “You're probably right, but at least the two of us can give them a good show from up here.”

.

“It is pretty cool how we have both Toshinori and Izuku's viewpoints,” said Nana, starting to settle more into the fake cinema she and the other ghosts had collaborated on.  

“Yep,” said Yoichi, unfurling a VICTORY IZUKU banner, “two whole ways to watch Izuku being awesome.”

“It's almost like having cable again,” said Nana. 

“Cable would have more channels,” said Hikage.  

“Well, sure, it's not literally cable.  But after just having one channel since I died, unless I want to watch your reruns, it's a big increase.”

.

“Oh, UA is certainly a superior institution,” said Monoma, shaking slightly, “to take our disparate thoughts and turn them into something like this…  Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, you can never let them know this was our fault–”

“You know,” said Hagakure, “I'm invisible, not deaf.”  

“We're so dead,” muttered Monoma.  There may have been a swear word or two in there as well.  

“It-it's not that bad,” said Izuku, uncertainly.  Sure, in junior high people had ganged up on him for ‘not pulling his weight’ in group projects… even if he was the only one who had done anything…

.

“I'm reiterating my desire to kill Izuku's junior high teachers,” said Yoichi.

“You know,” said En, thoughtfully, “if you could get him to mention any of that to his father–”

“You could get him to reveal his hideous lack of a high school diploma!” said Banjo, loudly, while Nana and Third dragged En off to one side of the mindscape.  

Yoichi sighed.  “Hisashi has a high school diploma.”

“But did he earn it?”

.

But UA was different!  He had friends, now. 

Still, he could see some of the things they had mentioned to Nezu reflected in Star Seeker.  The need for something new, teachers on hand and close to competitors in case of an emergency, a dynamic activity that would pit students against each other…  

“It isn't too different from a scavenger hunt,” said Izuku.  And at least it wasn't like they had to deliver the stars and remove themselves from the game to pass on to the next event.  That meant they could support each other the whole time.  It also meant that they were at risk of having their stars stolen the whole time…

“And one more thing!” said Ms. Kayama.  “Don’t forget to stay in bounds!  If you leave the stage, that’s it for your search and your stars!”  A red line around the raised area of the stage pulsed with red light.  “Now, everyone, step on up to the starting line!  When it goes green, that’s your signal to go!”

The orderly rows of students immediately dissolved into chaos, and Izuku had Danger Sense and Hagakure to thank for his untrampled state.  

“Come on,” she said, “let’s find a good place to start from.”

“R-right,” said Izuku.  

“Everyone seems fired up after that introduction, don’t you think so, Eraserhead?”  There was a quiet grunt that might have been Mr. Aizawa agreeing with Mr. Yagi.  “I wonder if any of the stars have already been spotted.”

“If none of them have, then our students need a remedial lesson on assessing their environment.  Not to mention all the pros here,” said Mr. Aizawa, very dryly.  

Izuku took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.  Right.  Focus on the task at hand.  Not much point in learning all those anti-anxiety techniques during quitk counseling if he didn’t use them.  

.

“I think I see two of those stars already,” said Yoichi.  “Do you think Izuku will go after them?”

“Hmm,” said Nana, “maybe if he was working on his own.  He could get one or the other, then use float to stay out of reach of most of the other students.  But getting a star too early is almost a liability.  Unless you have a really good defense or stealth quirk, you'll get worn down by sheer numbers.”

“Or if you've figured out a good defensive strategy with other students,” said En.  

“Eh,” said Banjo, “I think not knowing what the event was kept them away from the main pitfalls in planning, but you know what happens to plans when they're put into practice.”

“Against large but disorganized numbers, even simple cooperation can make a sizable difference,” said Hikage.  

“What are you talking about?” asked Banjo.  “When did you cooperate with anyone?”

“I have dedicated my life to cooperation,” said Hikage.  

“He kind of did,” said En.  “With the whole, you know, living as a hermit thing.”

“He would have done that anyway,” said Banjo, waving his hand.

“That is true.”

.

A large, green, fifteen minute timer appeared on the screens scattered around the stadium.  Written in large, bold letters over it was the word ‘READY?’

Izuku wasn’t sure if the tingling, electric feeling all over his skin was anticipation, Danger Sense, or Kaminari, a few meters away, unconsciously charging the air in his excitement.  

The word above the timer changed to ‘SET.’

The air itself seemed to shift as hundreds of students tensed.

‘GO!’

Izuku activated Float as he lunged forward and pushed off the ground, then signaled his classmates towards the two stars he'd already seen– And there!  A third!

“Oh, and that's A15, creating an entire ice palace in the northern grove, right off the bat.”

“A decisive defensive move,” acknowledged Mr. Aizawa. “Made more impressive by how he avoided trapping any of the other competitors.”

“Indeed!  It shows a great deal of care and dedication.  Speaking of which, check out those springboard traps flinging students out of the arena!  Power Loader really outdid himself this time!”

As Izuku rose up over the trees and the spikes of Todoroki's instant glacier, he saw Hatsume bounce up with her jetpack and Sero get launched by a combination of his and Uraraka's quirks.  They weren't the only ones, however.  A small group of people seemed to be climbing the air like it was stairs, and dear All Might, was that half of someone's head?

.

“Wow, quirks are sure amazing,” said Yoichi.  

“We're ghosts living in the back of a teenager's subconscious,” said Nana, “I think that at some point we have to give up on the idea of things being weird.”

“I didn’t say weird, I said amazing.”

.

“It seems as if some of our students have taken to the skies to find their stars,” said All Might.  “We have B12 taking up Rule and Comicman, Cellophane rising with the help of Uravity, Brigid, of the support course, using a jetpack, and Wonder, C5, Jetplane, and Lizardy flying with their quirks.  What do you think of this strategy, Eraserhead?”

“Getting a big-picture view of a situation is frequently helpful, but it exposes you to attacks from below.”

Even as Mr. Aizawa spoke, thorny green vines shot out of one of the more wooded areas and seized one of the general education students.  A bright yellow star shape fell out of the student's grip, and was followed shortly thereafter by the student themself.  

Danger Sense screamed at Izuku, and he dropped just in time to avoid a pair of long, spear-like objects.  No– horns?

Izuku realized what was happening all at once.  The students on the ground had assumed that, because he'd removed himself from the chaos below, he'd already gotten a star. 

He dodged upward to avoid the next projectile, and saw Hatsume's jetpack take a shot.  The metal body was tough enough to endure it, but apparently whatever B12 was using wasn’t.  He and the two other class 1-B students fell, but one of them summoned…  A giant pillow made of the word POOMF!

Okay, sure, why not?

.

“Quirks really are amazing,” said Yoichi.  

“You know what would actually be amazing?” asked Banjo.

“Giving Izuku your quirk?” asked Nana, sounding quite exhausted.  

“Well, yeah,” said Banjo.  “Are you going to let me do it?”

“In the middle of a competition?  Are you serious?”

.

In the grand scheme of things, there actually weren’t a whole lot of quirks that could be used effectively at long distances without support gear.  That’s what made Lady Nagant so effective when she was a hero, and so devastating when she turned villain.  

However, in UA where most of the students had wanted to be heroes at some point in their lives, the ratio was much higher.  Adding those to the support students’ gadgets and weaponry made for a lot of attacks going up.  

Sero had to stick his tape to a clump of rocks and reel himself down.  Hatsume took several hits, and they were only mostly deflected by her own inventions.  

But as the students on the ground clashed with each other, they had to turn their attention to defending themselves.  After less than half a minute, few attacks were launched Izuku's way.  

Then, almost on cue, the roar of Explosion drowned out everything else in the stadium.  Izuku flipped himself over midair to look and grinned.  

He'd been right!  Kacchan really was awesome!  He'd known Kacchan had wanted to fly since his quirk first came in.  Well, since Izuku had compared his quirk to a rocket, but that was the same thing, really.  And after Uraraka had shown him what her quirk could do, there was just no way he'd tolerate being upstaged.  Then, seeing Izuku up here–

Honestly, thirty seconds was a bit long.  Izuku couldn't imagine that it had taken Kacchan that long to get the star tucked into his half unzipped gym uniform top.  He must not have realized that it was Izuku floating up here.  

“Another student in the air!  This one is, I believe, B17.  That's quite a bit of explosive power on display!”

“Foolishly.  He already has a star, and he won't be able to sustain that flight.  What is he thinking?”

He let Kacchan get a little closer, and then dropped.  The ground approached rapidly, and Izuku only barely caught himself before hitting the ground.  Then, he was wrenched sideways, under the shade of one of the sparse groves of trees.  

“Hi,” Izuku said to Dark Shadow, a little confused.  She and Tokoyami weren't supposed to be involved in the take-down-Kacchan plan.  The last iteration had them providing cover to Jirou and Shouji, so they could use their sharp hearing to their advantage.  The alternate grouping had been with Kouda, who was still a bit tentative when it came to physical combat.

“Hi!” she chirped back.  “Fumi and I got separated from everyone else.”  Behind her, Tokoyami shrugged, seemingly resigned.

Danger Sense pulsed sickeningly, giving Izuku time to dodge before Kacchan descended in a cloud of smoke and fire.  Dark Shadow squealed as she flinched away from the light.  

“Deku,” he growled, before a tumbleweed-like tangle of brawling students rolled in-between them.  

“Ha!” shouted a boy with a blue and white bandana, emerging on top and holding up a star.  “Hell yeah!  Tell them that Weld–”

“Out of the way, extra!”

“Hey!”

Izuku was in the air again, waving at Kacchan.  Dark Shadow slid up behind Kacchan, but he pushed her off easily with more explosions.  Or maybe not so easily.  As she withdrew, she grabbed the zipper of his uniform, and the star he'd tucked in there fell out.  He cursed and fumbled for it, forced to extinguish his hands and fall in the process.  

So, Kacchan still prioritized winning over beating up Izuku.  Good.  Izuku would've been disappointed in him, otherwise.

The boy with the blue and white bandana got to the star first and somehow fused it to the ground.  A glance at the still-prone group of similarly fused students, and the way the boy's star was stuck to his own arm told Izuku that must be his quirk.  Izuku had known someone in 1-B had a welding quirk - his class had researched more than the festival rules - but he hadn't realized it worked on organics, too.  Wow, Izuku definitely had to put that in his notebook!

After the event.  

“Take that, Lord Murder Explosion!” said the boy, dancing out of Kacchan's reach and into Kaminari's.  

“Don't bother,” said Izuku, still rising, and deliberately not looking at Kacchan.  “He's got it fused to himself somehow!”

“Gotcha!” said Kaminari.  “So, how're we gonna deal with Blasty, boss?”

Izuku cringed internally at the title.  He was no one's boss!  But this was part of the plan they'd come up with, so–

Kacchan screamed and exploded his star out of the ground.  Then, he turned his baleful glare back up, towards Izuku, and took off again.

Izuku watched, terrified, fascinated, and more than a little thrilled.  Right now, all he was doing was running away, but he was still putting that look on Kacchan's face.  

He had to laugh a little, despite his nerves.  This was so different from middle school.  

“What are you laughing at, you goddamned nerd?” roared Kacchan.  “Your pink-cheeked girlfriend won't be able to save you forever!”

Oh, Izuku thought, blankly, Kacchan doesn't realize I'm floating under my own power.  

He could probably use that, somehow.  Beings underestimated gave all sorts of advantages.  But it also made Izuku mad.  Kacchan hadn't even tried to research Izuku before this, had he?  He just assumed he already knew everything.  It was insulting.  

But it was true that Izuku couldn't stay airborne forever.  Or even the whole length of the event.  Even if he could keep Float going for that long (which was by no means guaranteed), he still had to get a star.  

And, for the next part of the plan to work, he had to get back to ground level and break Kacchan's line of sight while he was still raging.

Kacchan would be ready for Izuku to drop suddenly, this time.  There was no way around that.  Kacchan was smart, smarter than Izuku, and Izuku would be expecting it, if their positions were reversed.  

.

“Boo, no, Izuku, he's not smarter than you.  He just got better grades because your teachers sucked.”

“That scene down there is missing something, though, isn't it?” said Nana.  “Where are the teachers?”

“And the robots,” added En.  “I was hoping for some robot battles, they're always fun.”

“The teachers are there,” said Hikage.  

“Where?” asked En, leaning forward.  

“Ohh, I see,” said Nana.  “And the robots are there, En.  Look at that, there, and there.”

“Huh, that's going to be interesting.”

.

Izuku reoriented himself and got ready to drop.  Neither he nor Kacchan had experience in aerial combat, but Izuku knew Explosion, and Kacchan didn't know Float or Danger Sense.  

… It sort of felt like cheating, but Kacchan could have come to watch any of the class 1-A practices, just like Hagakure and Hatsume had gone to see the class 1-B practices.  So, there.  

He fell, feet first, towards Kacchan’s face.  Kacchan raised a hand to blast at Izuku, but wasn’t able to keep his flight path steady with only one hand.  He fell sideways, and they both missed.  Kacchan quickly recovered, diving at Izuku with starling speed.  Izuku arrested his descent and shot back up, and it was Kacchan’s turn to miss.  

“--that turned against villains!  And there’s an impressive dogfight shaping up over the south,” All might was saying.  “Aerial battles like this always remind me of my time working with the Angels in America.  They’re currently known for their Special-Class Villain Response work with Star and Stripe, but it’s less well known that many of them are quirkless!”

“Wait, really?”  None of the publications he’d read had ever mentioned that!  He was sure he’d remember it!  The Angels weren’t exactly heroes, they worked for the American army, but they weren’t not heroes, either, and Izuku had read about them when he was researching All Might’s early career, and when he was reading about Star and Stripe.  In both Japanese and English, too!

Not, like, nearly as much as he’d read about All Might himself, but still!

“Eyes on me, Deku!”

Izuku hadn’t really taken his eyes off Kacchan, but it was nice of him to remind Izuku!  Very sportsmanship-like!

.

“Does Ninth know what sportsmanship is?” asked Banjo.  “Because that’s not it.”

Yoichi sighed.  “The next thing you’ll be saying is that Izuku never went to school.”

“You know, considering what his junior high was like–”

Banjo was cut off by numerous groans.  

“I still don’t believe either of you two went to school.”

“I already told you about the fire truck incident.  Why would he be so invested in winning a high school contest if he wasn’t in high school?”

“First off, you didn’t tell us anything, secondly, shoulding you call that the North Carolina National Guard incident?  And thirdly the bastard isn’t in government, and he still wants to win that, doesn’t he?”

All of the older ghosts, even second, cringed with their whole bodies.  “Wow, that is sure an optimistic view of the government you have there, Banjo,” said Yoichi.

“Oh, come on, there’s no way he could act normally enough to become president of a home owners’ association, much less– Oh, come on,” he said, noticing the tiniest shift in Hikage’s expression.  

“I was a building inspector.”

“What does that even mean in this context?  Give me a clue, man.”

.

Kacchan tried to ram Izuku, next, and wrap his legs around him, but Izuku had no desire to engage with Kacchan that closely, and managed to push off.  Kacchan swung around for another attempt, but Izuku thought he had enough distance to get him back on the ground, and near Kaminari.  

If things had gone according to plan there, Shinsou would be nearby.  Hopefully, Kacchan was distracted enough for Shinsou's Brainwashing to work.  Shinsou hadn't wanted to reveal exactly how his quirk worked, which was fair enough.  There had to be some easy way to avoid or break free of the quirk's effects, or else he wouldn’t be so reticent.  Right now, Izuku suspected a vocal trigger of some sort, but eye contact, emotional states, and attention were still possibilities.  

Danger Sense spiked, and Izuku narrowly managed to avoid a volley of thorny vines.  But he had dodged down, not up, and he wasn't able to avoid the vines falling on him and wrapping him up that way.  Thorns dug into his skin, and he was yanked sideways and down.  Branches and leaves smacked into him as he was pulled through trees.  

When he was finally still again, he was hanging upside down and a girl with vines with hair was frowning down at him.  Two stars hung in her hair like oversized ornaments.  Kacchan was in a similar predicament.

“Only angels should fly so high,” she said, menacingly.  

This was bad.  Izuku on his own didn't have anything like an effective counter for Shiozaki Ibara.  Even class B's recommendation students would have been easier to deal with.  

“And another two victims fall to Vine's web!” announced All Might. 

“Stop making me sound like a spider,” said Shiozaki, aggrieved.  “I'm a holy warrior.”

Luckily, Izuku wasn’t actually alone.  “Hey, Kacchan, are you really going to let this girl get in the way of our fight?”  Ugh, he felt kind of gross just saying something like that.

Kacchan, predictably, exploded.

.

“That kid needs anger management,” said Nana.  

“Yeah,” said Banjo.  “That's too much rage, even for me.”

.

All the vines near him were shredded, along with Izuku’s ears.  Angry Kaccan was loud.  

But Shiozaki thought the attack was more against her than against Izuku - those were her vines he was blowing up - and responded in kind.  They battled

Izuku, torn free of the vine keeping him hung up, rolled over, trying to think how he was going to cut himself free of the rest of the vines.  Or, did he need to cut them?  He gripped one of the inner ones with both hands and pulled as hard as he could, digging his fingernails into the skin of the vine.  It was thin and flexible, not woody.  Green, and soft, if fibrous, like new blackberry or rose vines.  

With the right force in the right place, they tore.  

Izuku had to assume that the relative weakness of the vines directly wrapping around him was at least partially purposeful, to prevent injury.  Tougher thorns and more mature, rougher vines, would hurt.  

Then again, Shiozaki's hair was green, too, and it had taken multiple strands of vines to hang Izuku's weight from the branches overhead.  Maybe he could ask her about it.  After he apologized.  

He snapped three more vines, one after another, and the rest loosened enough that he could worm his way out.  He ran from the increasingly loud and vicious fight between Kacchan and Shiozaki.  It wasn't what they'd planned, but he wasn't anywhere near Shinsou anymore.  

He looked up at Hatsume.  Her role, at the moment, was basically control tower.  Unfortunately, she was pointing at him at the moment, so–

Wait.  

He'd only barely completed the thought when Iida zoomed up to him, Uraraka on his back.  Both of them had stars, and looked like they'd mostly avoided battle, although Uraraka was vaguely green.  

“Should we join that battle?” asked Iida.  

Izuku shook his head, then hesitated.  Shiozaki had two stars.  “Do you think you're fast enough to get the stars from her hair?”

Iida nodded decisively.  “If one of you grab them.”

“Hop on!” said Uraraka, holding out her hand.  Izuku took it, and she used her quirk on him.  

Izuku still couldn't get over how different Zero-G felt from Float.  

He gripped tight to Uraraka and Iida both as Iida accelerated.  First, Iida ran away from the fight between Shiozaki and Kacchan, but he turned, making a wide arc and gaining speed all the while.  They intersected several other fights.  The first time, Izuku was too distracted by their speed to do anything, but Uraraka made a grab for the star under contention.  She missed, but Izuku got the idea in time to keep her from falling off.  They almost fell into a pit trap, next, saved from uncertain doom only by the combined application of Zero-G and Float.  

And then they were racing back to Kacchan and Shiozaki.  Fast, faster, fastest–

And then Iida slowed, enough that Izuku and Uraraka could try grabbing the stars without breaking their hands.  He must have learned that from his family, because Izuku didn't remember talking about that at all in practice–

But Shiozaki must have sensed their approach somehow, because she pulled herself up off the ground, not entirely unlike Sero, using one of the few branches left intact by Kacchan's attempts to escape.  Izuku kicked off, reaching.  His outstretched fingers brushed against the stars.  

He curled away from a blisteringly hot blast on instinct, more than anything.  Kacchan must be working up a real sweat!

But Izuku should probably focus more on how the force of that blast meant he was rapidly approaching the out-of-bounds area.  

Uraraka, apparently seeing the same problem, disengaged her quirk, and Izuku caught himself with Float inches above the ground and sort of skipped himself to a gradual stop.  

.

“Did you ever figure out how to move horizontally without using the stockpile?” asked En.  

“I'm starting to wonder if any of you paid any attention when you were with me.”

“Sure we did!” said Banjo.  “But it was a long time ago.  And also kind of short.”

“It was longer than yours, though,” said Hikage.  

.

On the ground, Izuku patted out several smouldering patches on his PE uniform and had a brief tussle with a swirly-eyed support student with… taser nunchucks.  Carrying something like that around when you didn't have any electrical resistance yourself was a remarkably bad idea.  

But he'd done it!  He'd gotten a star!  Only one, as opposed to the two he was going for, but still!  It was bigger than it looked from a distance, and reminded Izuku of a prop from a video game, all rounded, and fat around the middle.  

A faint twinge from Danger Sense kept him from being completely blindsided by Mr. Yamada, but he wasn't able to keep his grip on the awkwardly-shaped star, and it was snatched from his grasp.  He turned, ready to fight, but couldn't help but stare blankly, for a moment, at the sight of Mr. Yamada - Present Mic - in the UA PE uniform.  

This– this felt like some kind of special event, for a hero fan like Izuku, but he was in the middle of a fight, how was he supposed to react…?

“And it looks like Wonder, after his meteoric path across the event stage, has been ambushed by none other than Present Mic!  What a twist!”

“Since they aren’t able to use their quirks, our teachers won't be using their usual tactics, and students would be wise to remember that.”

.

Like usual, Kurogiri watched the UA Sports Festival with his charge.  

So why…  Why did it feel so unusual?  

Why did all of this feel wrong?

Shigaraki Tomura's debut as a leader of villains was only a few weeks ago.  Perhaps… No, it must be that, and the change in perspective such an event caused.  These child-heroes had already clashed with Shigaraki Tomura, and proved themselves to be a credible threat.  Therefore, it was natural that this sports festival, as opposed to others, would engender a sense of urgency.  Especially as Kurogiri had yet to make much progress in his goal of finding suitable companions for Shigaraki Tomura.  

However…  The feeling Kurogiri experienced as he listened to the announcers and watched the event unfold wasn't urgency, but nostalgia.   

The feeling intensified as the main camera panned over to where Present Mic was confronting the green-haired boy, the one both Shigaraki Tomura and Sensei were interested in.  The more negative of the two announcers was saying something, but Kurogiri couldn't hear it past the sudden thunder in his ears.  The side screens showed Midnight - presumably as fanservice, she wasn't doing anything at the moment - and a crowd of heroes in the stands that included Ingenium as an audience reaction.

That, that, there, was what Shigaraki Tomura needed.  A forceful blond, a depressive with lapsed hygiene, someone flashy, with a degree of showmanship, and someone friendly and easygoing who was nonetheless fierce and powerful in battle.  

Yes.  A set of personalities like that could form a bond that might transcend death itself.  

Kurogiri closed his eyes, briefly.  That was foolish thinking.  But now that he knew what he wanted for Shigaraki Tomura, he could communicate his requirements to Giran.

And… now that he had some idea of what he wanted for himself…  Unlike Shigaraki Tomura, Kurogiri wasn't supposed to have desires of his own, much less act on them, but as his half-lidded eyes roved across the screens, he couldn’t help but wonder…  What was a villain made for, if not transgression?