I’m finally starting to get really sleepy, so this will be the last one I answer for tonight, but y’all can keep sending them and I’ll answer more in the morning!

Shigadabi:

vomit / don’t ship / okay / cute / adorable / perfect / beyond flawless /
hot damn call the police and a fireman / screaming and crying / i will ship them in hell

Shigadabi is one of those ships I love with zero regard for what happens in canon. They haven’t had a single one-on-one conversation in more than 100 chapters? Do I look like I give a fuck? Imma ship it anyway.

Because what I like most about this pairing is the potential. I’m sure there’s a whole lot more meta out there to support this ship than I can give myself, but–if the Dabi is a Todoroki theory is correct–then both Shigaraki and Dabi are people who have explicitly been hurt by heroes, in diametrically opposite ways: Shigaraki by the ambivalence and inaction of heroes, and Dabi by the direct cruelty of someone who basically qualifies as a villain masquerading as a hero well-respected by hero society. They both have completely valid reasons for being hero killers who desire to overthrow the society they live in, and in that regard, their most important personal motivations as characters are deeply aligned, opening up the door for interesting interactions and shared goals.

Ironically, I was just talking about the princess and her knight trope with Shallura from Voltron–an almost identical trope exists for the evil side: the villain and his dragon. Although we haven’t seen Shigaraki and Dabi interacting enough to determine whether this is true, I could definitely see the League shaping up into this power structure, with Dabi serving as Shigaraki’s right-hand man, the front-line offense to Shigaraki’s playing it safe in the defensible base. I think this particular set of characters is very much meant to be a one-two combo for the League–there’s going to be a big ass showdown between the heroes and both of these characters in the future, together or apart, I’m sure. While I personally am a fan of the idea that Dabi might not be as loyal to the League as he wants others to think, I would also definitely love it if the opposite is true, and Dabi proves super loyal to the League and to helping Shigaraki achieve his goals.

I’ve always thought the close camaraderie that the League is shaping up to have is the best part of their characters–seeing a group of villains that actually cares about each other and has a unified goal like we normally see from heroes is so refreshing in the sea of villains more like Overhaul, who ultimately prove willing to disregard their own allies to get ahead–therefore, I would like if the current trends continue for the League, and they become a villainous group that nevertheless manages to embrace the Power of Friendship and harness its might for their evil ends lol. Seeing a version of Dabi who is unironically dedicated to helping Shigaraki achieve his ends would just be so… different and interesting compared to other shounen villains.

Not to mention I’m clearly weak as fuck to the prince(ss) and champion trope. Ahhh, it’s aesthetically pleasing: the cruel king on his throne in the Underworld, with a dangerous, shadowy monster at his beck and call… It’s just so artistically pleasing to imagine Dabi as a dragon coiled at Shigaraki’s feet. (As unrealistic and fangirly as I think it is to imagine Dabi as a loyal hound, it is so fun lolol.) In a weird way, this ship almost brings to mind Integra/Alucard’s dynamic from Hellsing??? Two unmitigated badasses whose shared goal and potentially genuine care for each other is constantly haunted by an undercurrent of tension–the lingering hints of violence and domination, the sense that somehow they will be each other’s undoing…

This ship is like perfect proof that I never got really got over my obsession with the chivalry code. XDDD

BUT ALSO: Dabi and Shigaraki’s interactions in the Smash manga are just hilarious. Even if the personalities from Smash are non-canon, the idea that Shigaraki is a lazy bum while Dabi is a diligent, serious-minded guy who does things by the book is just amusing as all get out. Imagining crack scenarios in which Dabi somehow ends up taking care of Shigaraki because he’s just outraged by Shigaraki’s lack of interest in taking care of himself makes me snicker. 

This is just a guilty pleasure ship for me where I know the way I’m imagining it has no connection at all to the characters’ canon actions, but I enjoy thinking about it anyway. That said, there are a lot of really out of character Shigadabi fanfics which makes me a bit sad; I like it when the characters resemble their canon selves even in the most crack-ish of AUs.

(Aka I don’t like wimpy Shigaraki. The man is a beast who shook off being shot multiple times–I would like less “Shigaraki cries about his trauma to Dabi” fics and more “Shigaraki and Dabi are a BATTLE COUPLE” fics, please and thank you~!
Dumbass!Dabi is still an A+ headcanon though, this kind of fic gets the pass lmaoooo)