I wanted to share some photos of the 10-disc audio CD set I just completed for my recording of The Job by @esselley (fic link / podfic link). It was a really fun experience to record, and to engage via ao3 comments from listeners. I started thinking awhile back that I really wanted a physical copy for posterity (digital-only records being at risk and all that), and if I was going to do that, I might as well make it look cool.
A zillion thank yous to ESSELLE for writing this masterpiece and also for granting me permission to record it as a podfic
ANOTHER zillion thank yous to @littleskrib who kindly granted permission for me to use fanart inspired by the fic for design and labeling.
Additional thanks to @chubsonthemoon for the pro-tip about Sleeve City, where I was able to source the blank 10-disc DVD case as well as a variety of other cases I'll use going forward for additional podfics.
I'm so pleased with how it turned out. This is a personal copy and is not for sale and not available via commission. The one possible exception to this is-- @esselley, if you want a copy, now that I've done most of the hard work a second one would be easier to put together, and I'd be happy to make one for you as well.
Some info about how I made this below the cut.
All of the layout and design was done in Apple Pages because that's all I have. 🤣 Labels are Avery brand, matte white (because my printer access isn't great). I ended up takin' my yaoi down to the FedEx and using self service printing for all of it. (If I'd gotten glossy labels this may not have been possible, all the FedEx's say their self service printers can't really handle it.) Built my own DVD cover template when I couldn't find one for Pages. Printed the DVD label on glossy 11x17 and hand-cut it down to size. Printed a booklet for the inside on what the FedEx calls resume paper and hand-cut.
Yaoyorozu: Shouto! You’re okay!
Todoroki: Weren’t you the one just telling everyone not to fret?
Yaoyorozu: Well yes of course! But it’s only natural to worry about one’s friends!
Kaminari: Exactly.
Ashido: you self-admittedly were not even worried about him
Kaminari: i was told not to fret
class 1-A’s group chat (chp. 1)
Thanks for Texting Me by Esselle (AO3)
Boku no Hero Academia – Teen – Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto
#Alternate Universe #Canon Divergence #Quirkless Izuku #Pro Hero Shouto #Texting #Todoroki’s POV in Thanks for Saving Me #(via text messages) #Chatting & Messaging #Humor #Fluff #Feelings Realization #Friendship #Minor Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou
Todoroki: There was a girl trapped inside. He went back to rescue her.
Todoroki: And then he saved my life, too.
Sero: what lol
Uraraka: oh my gosh?????
Kaminari: ?????????
Ashido: ??????????
Iida: How? He was just a civilian!
Todoroki: uh
Todoroki: Science?
Sero: ………
Kaminari: …are you gonna expand on that more or
Todoroki: It was badass.
--
Of course the hottest topic of gossip in the Class A group chat after a civilian saves Shouto's life is "Just who was that little green dude and why is Todoroki so fixated on him?" As his loyal former classmates, they cannot rest until they find out.
[Or: Todoroki's POV during the events of "Thanks for Saving Me", uncovered through texts with friends.]
helloooo can you please recommend some comfort kagehina fanfics? 🥺🥺 was thinking of finally finishing reading the hq manga and i know i'm gonna CRY and be emotional and sad and i just want kagehina fanfics that will make me remember that everything is ok and kagehina still endgame 😭😔 lengthy ones would be the best. thank u so much 🥺 and also ur blog is amazing!!!! i've read everything u post here <3
YES!!! (I apologize ahead of time because I definitely went overboard 😳) Don’t be afraid to finish Haikyuu, fanfics will always be here for you 💖💖💖Plus, we still get to wait for the anime to adapt everything, so it’s not over yet!! Here are my best recommendations for KageHina longfics that will make your heart explode! I promise, even if these fics have some angst, KageHina get what they need by the end (EACH OTHER)!
Binding Problem by @majesticartax
Hinata tries to kiss Kageyama after a game on sheer instinct and then twists himself into knots while simultaneously jumping through hoops of fire, trying to convince both Kageyama and himself that it didn’t mean anything. This is an extremely long KageHina pining fic, guaranteed to make your heart feel like a claw machine is eating it, but there’s an insanely satisfying get-together moment in the later chapters. Also, we get both Hinata's and Kageyama's POV in this! It’s not totally done yet, but is still being actively updated, and most of the conflict has already been resolved.
I Can Do Better by Buu @manakete
Kageyama is distracted and doesn’t want to stay late tossing with Hinata for once, which Hinata absolutely does not accept. Through all his whining and needling, Hinata accidentally discovers a very (ehem) hard problem in Kageyama’s shorts. That leads to the kind of R18 competition only two total idiots could fall into, and before Hinata knows it, he’s in way in over his head, having a gay crisis. This entire fic has a fun, light-hearted vibe mixed in with some minor angst and not minor smexiness. There are some lovely Daisuga mentions here too!
Here is Rhea314 (Rhea)’s excellent podfic of this story. If you’ve never listened to a podfic, you’re in for a treat.
Thirst by Esselle @esselle-hq
This story takes place in an AU where people are broken up into Wolves and Lambs in the same way that an omegaverse fic works. Hinata is a Wolf blacksmith in a medieval village. Kageyama, a Lamb, comes to apprentice for him. Touch-starved Kageyama from a toxic noble background gets a happily ever after, but not before tons of UST and master/apprentice dynamic goodness. I find Wolf (aka Alpha) Hinata to be super refreshing. Esselle has another fic (Hunger) which takes place in this same-ish verse where Kags is the Wolf, and Hinata is a royal Lamb.
All three of the authors above are giants in the Kagehina fanfic community. I’ve read all of their fics and would blanket recommend any of them.
**Note** I’ve been writing my own KageHina fanfics lately, so if you have any specific fics that you’re looking for, feel free to send another ask and I’ll try to write it!
(hq fic fans, please, I need to constantly be talking to someone about this fic (no pressure, but I refuse to accept that I'm the only one who wants/needs to talk about this fic with every update))
✨ We’re proud to introduce Esselle as a guest writer for the zine!✨
Esselle’s favorite Boku No Hero Academia character is Deku 💚
Esselle’s favorite Disney movies are The Lion King 🦁, Tarzan 🦍, The Emperor’s New Grove 🦙, and Tangled 👱♀️
“Delightful, Funny and Charismatic, Esselle can get you invested in everyone she writes. Her stories are warm and heart wrenching with happily ever afters that’ll leave you smiling without notice.” - Mod Linh
It’s BEYOND obvious that I’m a Baku x Deku stan and I’d never entertained the Todo x Deku dynamic. That was until I read Esselle’s fic Thanks for Saving Me. I’m not sure how I was introduced to it but I’m so glad that I was.
TFSM is a 7 chapter TDDK fic with a Quirkless Izuku who’s a college sophomore and a little younger than our heroes. The official summary:
Midoriya Izuku is a university sophomore, a fanboy, quirkless. On the list of things he is not: a hero.
That's why he's more surprised than anyone when he rescues Todoroki Shouto, his favorite pro hero, from a deadly villain attack. His actions fling him into the media spotlight, grabbing the attention of the entire country, including Todoroki himself. But Todoroki actually wants to get to know him past the headlines.
Izuku finds himself living a story straight out of a fairy tale, one where the mysterious, handsome prince is played by the real-life superhero he has always admired. But Izuku is convinced he's the ugly duckling, not the swan; could he ever be remarkable enough to get his happily ever after?
This story is SO GOOD! There’s a villain attack at Izuku’s school and he meets Todoroki, Pro Hero Shouto, while helping a tour of high school kids escape the chemistry building. I was GEEKED when I read that one of Izuku’s majors was chemistry. I have a degree in chemistry and got all kinds of feels and started imagining my old stomping grounds as the setting. LOL So, by the power of CHEMISTRY Izuku stops Todoroki from making a misstep that would have blown up the whole building and finds the right chemical to knock the villain unconscious. Izuku saved his hero and his hero THANKED HIM!!!!! I would have died on the spot if I was Izuku. LOL I’m sure that he left a part of himself behind in the ambulance when Todoroki cleaned and bandaged a cut on his cheek. And gave him his phone number??!!! YUP. Dead. There lies Izuku Midoriya cause of death Pro Hero Shouto’s overwhelming cuteness.
The next morning Izuku is resurrected and dies again because he is awakened by Todoroki CALLING HIM ON THE PHONE!!! Evidently, the news got out about who he was (Todoroki told them in order to not take all of the credit for the rescue) and Todoroki called to warn him that the media knew and were on the way to his apartment. These goofballs didn’t get to that part of the conversation before Izuku answered the door to a mob of reporters while wearing PRO HERO SHOUTO PAJAMAS!!! Total fanboy. LOL
Todoroki uses his pull and gets them an interview so the media will stop hounding Izuku. Bless Izuku’s heart and I love Esselle for keeping him a canonically horrible dresser. LOL A pinstriped maroon suit with his sneakers. Thank goodness for Todoroki trying to help this poor walking disaster. So, the interview…..I suffer from issues with second hand embarrassment. Even though I’ve read this chapter multiple times I can’t say that I’ve read the whole interview scene. I think I threw my phone a few times and scrolled quickly by. In fact I’m quickly scrolling by now as I reread to write this review. HA! Embarrassment, you won’t catch me!!! ANYWAY, from what I did see, Izuku was his usual adorkable self and charmed everyone. Todoroki arranged a car ride for Izuku back to campus and I swear these lines were perfect to describe their interaction in the car “Izuku slowly raises his head to look at him again. Todoroki is watching him out of the corner of his eye, like he's afraid if he looks at Izuku full on, Izuku will fling himself out of the moving vehicle. Honestly, the assumption might not be that far off.” If Izuku could he would have tucked and rolled out of that car in embarrassment. LMAO Oh and Todoroki is a jerk. A jerk hiding behind that stoic demeanor. I love when he’s written like that. LOL
So, fanboy Izuku is a member of his school’s Pro Hero Fan Association. Any surprises? No? No, ok. LOL And I hate the smarmy chick who is vice president of the club. Just gonna put it out there. DO NOT LIKE! NYET! And OMG Izuku’s clubmate showing him a Twitter feed of Todoroki watching him during the interview??!! Yo! Looking back, Todoroki was sprung from day one. LOL HE EVEN RETWEETED THE TWITTER THREAD. Yup, sprung. LOL Moving on to the end of the week and Izuku takes Shouto up on his offer of a tour of his agency. Again with Jerky Shouto teasing Izuku about that god awful maroon suit. LOL To Izuku’s surprise, Shouto personally escorts him around on the tour. HIs assistant Aiko alluding to the fact that Shouto had been looking forward to it all week. Oh. Everything is going well, Izuku gets to see a lot and fanboy and then Shouto gets a call from his assistant. Enemy number one is in the building. Shouto’s dad, Endeavor. DUN DUN DUUUUNN!!! These two fools take off running and HIDE in a damn broom closet. WHAT?! LMAO All is still semi-good until the unthinkable happens. All of the excitement leads to Izuku getting a hard on. NOOOOO!!!!!!!! And he’s squished up against Shouto in the small hiding place. “his leg juts out a bit more, and his thigh slots between Izuku's, and Izuku's soul abandons his earthly body.” RIP Izuku Midoriya. AGAIN! At the end of their adventure Izuku ends up with an invite to the Hero’s Gala. An invite from Shouto to attend WITH HIM! Izuku has left this planet again. How many lives does this kid have? LOL
Poor awkward Izuku. His phone calls with Shouto are a mess. It helps that Shouto is awkward as well. As for the gala, Izuku pictures himself going as “Todoroki's friend-guest.” *snort* FRIEND-GUEST?! A guest that is a friend? LOL The things that go through this kid’s head. And what will this walking fashion disaster wear?! Now to worry when Shouto offers to get his outfitted in a suit. Oh! And Shouto wasn’t slick wanting to keep Izuku on the phone after they finished talking about the gala. “How was your day” indeed. LOL
It’s suit fitting day and this whole section is my favorite part of this chapter!! Izuku’s running late at his hero fan association meeting and his fellow club members overhear him talking on the phone with Shouto. Of course that annoying vice president immediately jumps in to say that he’s lying. BLEH! And just as Izuku’s deciding that that he’ll quit the club, who comes to his rescue? None other than Shouto showing up AT the club room to personally retrieve him. You go Shouto! Go save your wannabe bae!!! Their car ride over was adorable with Izuku admitting to liking to see Shouto for who he really is. And NOT wanting Shouto to follow his embarrassing fanboy Twitter account. HA! All of the things that Izuku knows about Shouto’s public persona never ceases to amaze Shouto. Even amazes the tailor. The tailor who’s noticed that Shouto has taken a liking to Izuku. And yeah, Shouto is practically damn drooling when Izuku shows off his tailored tux. Alright people, the TodoDeku train has left the station!! LOL
Momma Inko is a treasure. Even she thinks that Shouto likes him. Recounting all of their “dates.” Gotta pay attention to a mother’s instinct. They KNOW things. LOL When the news showed that Shouto got hurt in an overseas mission poor Izuku got so worried. When he finally talked to Shouto, he jokingly played it off that Izuku was just worried about not being able to go to the gala. JERK! LOL I thought we were about to lose Izuku again when he accidentally called Shouto by his first name and when he heard Shouto call him by his first name. How many more lives does this kid have? Is there a 1-Up mushroom anywhere nearby? LOL And it’s absolutely adorable that they stayed on the phone and Izuku fell asleep with the phone next to him. Like some high school romance when you’re not supposed to be on the phone late at night. LOL
Ooooooo, Todoroki showed up at Izuku’s apartment as soon as he flew back into town. *sings* He wanted to spend time with Izuuukkuuuu! And poor oblivious Izuku still doesn’t realize that it means that he’s interested in him. LOL An impromptu date, cause it is a date. Shouto even brought takeout to eat together. They ate, and talked, and enjoyed each other’s company.
And then IT’S GALA DAY!!!! They’re taking Shouto’s private jet to the location of the gala and the jerk that is Shouto “forgets” to tell Izuku that Ururaka, pro hero Uravity, and Hanta, pro hero Cellophane, will be flying with them. Izuku called him out though. He knows those jerkish ways. LOL Looking back on this segment and this was all a setup for his friends to get to know Izuku. To know him and see all of the wonderful things that Shouto sees in him. ANDDD Izuku’s soul left the building when the plane hit turbulence and Shouto stopped him from falling by pulling him onto his lap. “ Izuku is mentally filing away every detail regarding the entire experience of Todoroki Shouto's Warm Lap.” BWAAAAAAA. Shouto was so protective of him afterward wanting him to feel comfortable with the turbulence. Touching Izuku’s hair and shifting over so their legs almost touched. Such tiny intimate actions. I love how Shouto’s style team pampered Izuku getting him ready for the gala. Izuku deserves a nice night like this. WOOOOOO when those two saw each other in their suits it’s like electricity in the air. They are both so far gone. LOL
Shouto was amazing helping Izuku navigate the red carpet of the event. Even pointing out two girls who were fans of Izuku’s hero actions. The interview with Kaminari made me laugh. The whole time I was thinking, being friends that I know those two have talked about everything already that Kaminari was going to ask. But they had to do it on camera for sure. And when Kaminari asked who Izuku was and Shouto hesitated with “my…” I wondered if he stopped himself from saying “boyfriend” and later on thought maybe he was going to say “date.” “"I feel pretty damn lucky that you're here tonight, too."” Shouto is a goner. LOL
Inside the venue Shouto AGAIN surprised Izuku and introduced him to All Might himself!! Shouto really does enjoy seeing Izuku freak out. The jerk. LOL LIke how do you not tell him he’s going to meet his favorite hero and like Shouto’s surrogate dad??!! LOL All Might’s words of wisdom were just what Izuku needed to finally get it through his head that he had performed heroic acts and it didn’t matter if he was quirkless. All Might in his fatherly way ALSO alluded to Shouto being fond of Izuku. Does EVERYONE know how Shouto feels about Izuku? LOL The hand holding at the table SQUUEEEEEE!!!! They are so adorable. And Todorki’s acceptance speech where he purposely took time out to thank Izuku...yeah, if anyone didn’t know before, they knew then. LOL
At Shouto’s class’ after party EVERYONE pokes fun at them. His class knows and they’ve been itching to get to meet Izuku. LOL Poor Izuku, consistent minor heart attacks. LOL And then a moment that I had been waiting for (and forgot that I was waiting for) was the introduction of Bakugo! First off, thank you Esselle for making him married to Kirishima. YES! The rival-friendship between him and Shouto. Staring each other down before smiling. Yes, YES!! But I was looking forward to how the interaction between Bakugo and Izuku would play out. Immediately like an older brother/younger brother thing. LOL And Oooooooo is Shouto a little bit jealous???!!!! Tee hee! Well, I think he got over that pretty quickly when Izuku slipped again and ended up on his lap AGAIN! Not that Shouto minded at all. LOL
And THEN the walk back to Izuku’s hotel room and both of their insecurities popped up. Shouto’s fault, though. While Izuku thought there were no way that a pro hero would be interested in him, Shouto was thinking that he had nothing to offer Izuku other than being a pro hero. These two disasters. LOL But Izuku acted on his feelings and shared his first kiss with Shouto. Who proceeded to then beat down his door to tongue Izuku down something filthy. LOL WOO BOY!!! These two have been dancing around each other for months and now they’re in Izuku’s hotel room losing their minds. I think that Izuku dies again, more than once. LOL And OMG!!!! Todoroki is so turned on that he can’t control his fire side. YOOO!!!! His mouth is so hot that he’s blowing steam and his jacket caught on fire. LOL Shouto blindfolded listening to Izuku jerk himself off and then watching. HOT!!! On the bed rutting together, in the shower washing each other, Izuku got his man!!!! It tickled me that Shouto was very comfortable walking around naked, not like Izuku would complain about seeing him. And he finally convinced Izuku to be mutual follows on Twitter. LOL Welp, can’t say no now.
Well, that’s it. I really enjoyed this one. And enjoyed the reread I did tonight to work on this review.
