There were two. First was My Hero Academia. There could, and would, be days or even months between watching episodes, but it’s always been there to fall back on. I have yet to rewatch it, though what I’ve watched and what I’ve read of the accompanying manga are, so far, sufficient.
And then there is Resident Evil (the 2002 movie with Milla Jovovich). After I got my diagnosis, I watched it over and over again with feverish intensity. There were multiple days where after I finished the movie, I would restart it. In fact, I’ve seen this movie so often my fiancé refuses to watch it with me. The truth is, I can’t even properly recall the number of times I’ve seen it.
With My Hero Academia, I fell in love with it before I knew I was sick and have loved it ever since. I’m not sure what about it I love so much. Maybe it’s the main character, Midoriya, having to fight tooth and nail to have just a piece of normality. Maybe it’s that I see myself in his shoes.
Or maybe it’s because Midoriya, like me, wondered if quitting would be easier. If laying down and letting the world’s problems wash over him like water off a duck’s back would be the better solution. Two different problems yet stuck at the same crossroad. In some ways, he could understand me in ways my parents could not.
With Resident Evil, Alice was forced into a situation she didn’t understand, let alone one that was survivable. She was stuck in an underground facility with zombies around every corner, along with a murderous AI and three hours to escape before being trapped with hordes of undead.
Unlike Midoriya, she doesn’t have time to wonder if quitting is for the best. There are too many things she has to worry about and quitting simply doesn’t fit in the equation. Frankly, I don’t think she’d choose to quit if she could. Even with memory loss, she’s smart and capable. She’s sharp-witted and compassionate. Even with nothing, she still has her humanity.
But Midoriya, like Alice, has all the odds stacked against him. He has a one-in-a-million chance of winning, yet he doesn’t quit. Even though he wants to. Even though he’ll probably lose. He perseveres.
And because of both Midoriya and Alice’s perseverance, they win. They get stronger, smarter. The more battles Midoriya fights, the more Alice remembers, and the more allies they gain, the more powerful they become. Maybe this is why they’re my comfort media. Maybe it’s because they’re different worlds with problems worse than my own.
What they have in common is that they were both in situations not of their choosing. Sometimes, if not oftentimes, multiple situations. Shitty situations that had two options, live or die. So, they pushed through and came out the other side. They had the advantage of being levelheaded and having a decent support group. So, through blood, sweat and (in Midoriya’s case) a lot of tears, they finally came out on top. Their strength, perseverance, wits, and overall levelheadedness were the things I admired deeply about both characters because they were the traits I felt I was lacking. Their stories aren’t sunshine and rainbows, but truth be told, neither is mine.
I didn’t do amazing things after I got sick. I didn’t have a job I slogged through, or some amazing story about doing great things once I got my kidney. I’m just human. Like Midoriya and Alice at the beginning of their stories. Stories like theirs are what kept me alive and vaguely sane when I got sick. Even now, when I don’t use these pieces of media like a lifeboat, they do the same thing. Bring me the same amount of comfort.
Lyric Finney is an alumnus of Idaho State University and a transplant patient of little over a year. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and returned with more stress than she came with. The more days she experiences alongside her wonderful support system and new kidney she’s lovingly nicknamed Jeffrey the better life gets. Especially since she is conscious for long enough to enjoy it to the fullest extent! She hopes one of these experiences someday soon will be the publishing of her first novel. Whenever that happens. She currently resides in Boise, Idaho with her fiance and cat.
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