#Meta Liberation Army Arc

[everytsuyuasui]

Chapter 218 ~ The Meta Liberation Army

[pardon-my-scifi]

Hot damn. That was..........a lot. At least Deku is still saying "Go beyond, plus ultra." I've been told that's ending soon.

[salvagesmha]

Altering the Final War's Battlefields

With the series done, one of the few things that took me until now to get to was basically a bit of a revamp of the Second War battlefields.

The problem with them in the long run for me is that, LOV members aside, there was just...no other major villain established in those fields to really give a shit about or really have a sense of dread about.

One of the major differences between the 1st and 2nd War is that, regardless of how you feel about the results of the 1st War, waltzing into it you understood that the Villains were very credible, established threats.

The League of Villains and their upgraded powers, the MLA top brass and knowing what havoc just one of them could do, the High End Nomus that lay in waitin production thanks to Ujiko, Gigantomachia being a living disaster, 100K soldiers who we know should be on par with regular Heroes from training and have put the LOV on the backfoot. YMMV on how the 1st War turned out, but walking in there was some solid anticaption and intrigue in how these elements would be used....

The Second War does not have that. Why? Because Horikoshi kinda just...gutted the PLF and didn't reaaaaaaallly bring suitable, built-up replacements for them?

High Ends that have personality and can think? Nope, back to just the dumbass Nomus who are just rampaging monsters...that's it.

The PLF soldiers? Literally just 100 people now and, even then, the jailbreakers they got to replace them are just...well, nothing, like I talked about here.

The top brass of the LOV/PLF? Most who could provide interesting fights or intrigue were taken away for just Skeptic...whose regulated back 'hackerman' only.

Replacing them are either AFO's Assassins or Advisors who are just ether not developed at all or just came in too late, beaten too quick and used too little to care about. Thus, it really makes them feel totally irrelevent to the other stuff going around during the war.

For all the talk of the Heroes being at a disadvantage, it certainly did not feel so with just...6 of the bad guys out of a hundred or so people would really care about.. As such, my list below is basically having major Villains take the spots of the Jailbreakers/Advisors as 'Bosses' of their fields so as to give each place a solid Villain to get invested in. In addition, also adding in more returning Villains to help make each place to feel 'alive' in a sense.

If you wanna see how I'd use the Advisors, for the most part (there's a few changes here), look here.

Central Hospital:

This is the most blatant change I feel works for the story better is Trumpet being the ‘Boss’ (or well, one of the Bosses) of Central Hospital. One of the issues in the that battle came about from Disgustus being shoved into two contradictory roles. The first, up until the midway through the battle, is an advocate of mutants that seemed to be genuinely hurt and bitter from the discrimination he’s implied to have gotten (as evidence by his scar)...except then we get to the second half. Which has his internal thoughts filled with how the PLF were just using the mob they gathered as tools and makes him just cartoonishly corrupt. 

Instead of him being forced into both, I think a good idea would have been for Trumpet to take the reigns as the corrupt leader, acting as a false sympathizer for the Heteromorphs, and Disgustus to remain as a genuine, if disdainful extremist. It gives a mook of the PLF more depth since it reminds the audience that a lot of the Villains walked down the path due to rough lives, and allows for their still to be a scummy Villain still to stop. Heck, I feel using Trumpet as the Boss also just makes some of the plot feel more coherent, since he can use his Quirk to not only boost the mob, but make them too frenzied up to really listen or notice something being off (like Spinner clearly being out of it due to the additional Quirks) or notice him clearly covering his ass.

In this case, it’s Shoji and Koda beating Trumpet that could allow for the mob splinter to really begin and stall, with the pig guy’s group merely being the final blow to crack the facade for good. As for Disgustus and the rest of Spinner’s crew, they can be defeated right before they could enter the hospital. Something that hurts Shoji and the others badly enough that the mob genuinely could have killed them if not for pig guy. Heck, to help with this option, I also raise Chimera from movie 2 to return, acting as extra muscle for the crowd and, given his own experience being discriminated against, be another pillar of change get the crowd motivated. While Shoji loses the first encounter against Chimera, this second time, he barely manages to defeat him and is in danger of being killed when help arrives.

On a minor note, more of the USJ crew returns, mainly the Heteromorphic side as well, perhaps trying to spread the idea that, from the beginning, the League of Villains was just trying to raise awareness and change…even though that was very much not the case XD

Boss: Spinner, Trumpet

Jailbreaker: Chimera

Advisors: Spinner’s Advisors

Return: Steel Bulwark, Invisible Wall, Chomper, Greedy Gaping Jaw

Okuto Island

Given this is Toga’s battlefield, there’s not quite too many changes I’d make here. I think the most blatant that could be done is make Moonfish, whose acting as the ‘Jailbreaker’ for the Okuto Villains, more prominent. If Kunieda and Gashly are allowed to wipe out or fend off multiple Heroes, than a guy whose supposed to be on par with them should really be allowed to cut loose and be more of a massive thorn for their side. Plus, since I also think League members should at least get at least a significant send-off, I think Tsu being the one to take him down would be a good way of giving her something major to do. In this case, Tsu uses her wits and camouflage to bait Moon into being more careless with his attacks. Something that leads to him leaving himself open to being stunned by her poison mucus before being knocked out.

Another change I’d make is including Eleph from the High Ends on this battlefield. I think it’d hit the point home how much of a gamble splitting hte Villains up from each other was, as there was always a chance one Villain could have a real advantage wherever they got sent to. In this case, Eleph’s quirk allowed him to suck in water to make fierce hydro attacks at his foes. 

On a lesser note, I’m also for Hanzo Suiden/USJ water thug to add to his mayhem since it should have been high priority for that water fucker to at do something threatening given that battlefield was his advantage. Perhaps’s he’s teaming up with Eleph to help boost the Nomu’s attacks? 

Likewise, for the Advisors section, I’m all for Toga having her #1 Advisor at the scene to help add to the pressure of Okuto.

Boss: Toga

Jailbreaker: Moonfish

Return: Hanzo Suiden, Minotaurus

Nomu: Eleph

Advisors: Toga’s #1 Advisor 

Kamino Ward:

Given that the purpose of this place is that it doesn’t have any Major Jailbreakers, only real major tweak I would make for this is that Ribby replaces the NHE here. I think it’d be fitting if the High End assigned to Dabi was also an ax-crazy killer Nomu that wouldn’t give a shit to being set on fire and is just enjoying the chaos of the War. SImilar to the anime, Ida’s attacks with Ribby, alongside someone like Burnin, are what eventually gets him to go down.

Honestly, I’d probably include Starservant and Ending since both were Dabi’s grunts during the EA arc, and it’d be nice for them to assist their boss once more. Plus, both fit the theme of being crazed Villains unconcerned for their lives, like the other two above as well. Not that I think they’d be a major help, but it’d give some familiar faces the audience would recognize and help care more about the battlefields beyond just the final Boss taking up a major focus.

Boss: Dabi

Nomu: Ribby

Return: Starservant, Ending, Sharkyonara (RIP poor bastard), One-Eyed Green Dragon, Sickle Claw

Advisor: Dabi’s 1st ranker

Jaku Ruins:

To take the place of Skully of the Jaku Ruins battlefield, I raise you Geten. Honestly, I think this is the most natural choice as the Face of Jaku Ruins given how Skully shares Geten’s ‘Quirk Makes Right’ mindset and I think it’d hit more for Mina trying to reason with Geten about how both were fighting for their fallen mentors (in this case Re-Destro) than her trying to resonate with a character who hasn’t really been given his due at all. It’d especially hit harder given RD is basically Geten’s Dad too, so ice boy’s attempts at freeing Machia is coming from a placed of enraged love like Mina had.

As the Jailbreaker of Jaku, I raise Slice as being the sort, mostly to act as a villain against Mina, and would be in a similarm indset to geten about trying to avenge a loss loved one + getting payback on Mina while she was at it since it was her acid that cost her the first fight.

Likewise, in this case, all three of Geten’s Advisors + Dabi’s #2, will be at Jaku. Skully is there to work with Bindi Girl into creating gas that’ll keep their forces safe. Geten’s #3 can probably utter his mammonist line from overhearing about the Heroes plot, and be apart from the first wave of the Jaku villain forces to intercept the Heroes (before being taking out fairly easily - he’s No. 3 for a reason after all). As for Geten’s #1…well, he’’ likely just be there for Geten to bounce ideas off and defend the Commander against enemy attacks.

Now, on the returning Villain side, I’m surprised Giant Villain wasn’t brought back to rematch Mt. Lady. He’ll not be as strong as her, but he can keep her busy after she stomped through a good number of their guys. And, like in canon, Sludge Villain can stay and do his thing. Also, as apart of the first wave, Teruo’s here…to probably be one-shot immediately again, but he will be there XD

Boss: Geten

Jailbreaker: Slice

Return: Sludge Villain, Giant Villain, Teruo Hazakashi (Naked Guy), Axer, Stitched Giant

Advisors: Geten’s Advisors, Dabi’s #2 Advisor

Troy Parking Lot

Now this is one of the trickier locations since it’s pretty just one of the ‘spares’ of the battle. But, ultimately, I think it can work to be something even more meaningful than in canon. In this case, I want Mr. Compress to be left behind here. The support of the League faceing off against pretty much the spares of the Heroes trying to mop up the last of the resistance. Plus, it’s not like Compress doesn’t have a Hero of his own he has beef with. Aoyama was the reason his plan to capture both Bakugo and Tokoyami went screwy, and given Aoyama comes from a rich family that his ancestors would have likely stolen from, well…there’s a lot fun you can have between these two brawling out.

The way I see it, Kunieda makes his plants like in canon, and thanks to Compress’ mask, (alongside several other Villains still remaining that do wear masks of their own or maybe even just Kunieda has control over who he turns into plants) Compress is able to go back to his tree hopping shtick like in the training camp arc and show off his own stealth abilities again. Able to gradually whittle down the Heroes by taking advantage of the foliage to turn those who aren’t plant turned into marbles.

Since there are no Nomu here, the lesser Villains will be made of minor villain gangs, those like Cider House to Team Resvoir Dogs. Stragglers that are really only lasting as long due to Kunieda’s cover and will likely go down after Aoyama/Hagakure’s combo attack.

Boss: Mr. Compress

Jailbreaker: Kunieda

Return:Cider House, Blade Villain/Street Thieves, Reservoir Dogs, Gorilla, Spike

Advisors: Compress #3,

Takoba Stadium:

Honestly, this might sound weird, but Skeptic honestly could have taken Gashly’s place. Gashly’s whole thing is that he spawns minions to outlast others while he himself is in a safe location…

Kinda like Skeptic’s Quirk…or Twice’s…or Toga with Twice’s Quirk (Horikoshi didn’t spend much time on Gashly’s power, let’s be real…). If the main boss of Takoba is just a summoner, than just let Skeptic be badass and not only hack UA’s systems, but also fuck people up via his henchmen too? Heck, you don’t even have to do much to explain how he can do both without issue.

Have him hide somewhere during the chaos…or alternatively? Bring back the Shie Hassaikai guy, Tengai, Barrier and allow Skeptic to camp with in. As for how he can use his set-up at all, have AFO’s spies implant a virus that allows Skeptic access to UA’s systems so that he can safely work his magic in peace…at least up until La Brava stops him. As for how he can fight so well, perhaps have a chapter detailing Skeptic actually bothering to improve his Quirk so that he doesn’t need to use much to create puppets thats can do simple commands, and with access to Detnerat support items, he can effectively spawn more infinitely.

That’s how you can explain Skeptic outlasting the others for so long. At least, up until Tengai is knocked out by Tokage and Kamikiri via the Warp Gate. Thus, shutting down the barrier to allow Skeptic and any remaining Villains to be wiped out. 

Of course, there’s also the issue of the likes of Ketsubutsu’s deal with Skeptic being overturned, though I think a good way to handle that is to have them also at Takoba trying to take Skeptic’s forces down. In this case, a good midtier Villain that can give them a challenge is Deidoro Sakaki and Katsukame. Sakaki’s Sloshed and Katsukame’s energy drain are being a real nuisance in preventing the Heroes from getting to Skeptic, so it’s up to Ketsubetsu to stop them. In this case, Shindo and Nakagame take down Sakaki, while Ms. Joke and those other two guys beat Katsukame. Thus, freeing up more space to focus on the nerdy fuck who needs to get out of the barrier. 

As for any other side Villains to go along with Skeptic, I’m all for including the likes of the Carmine Advisors that made it out, beyond Toga’s 1st ranker. So Toga #3 and Skeptic’s #3. As for Gashly, he can still work as the main muscle, albeit with a revamped Quirk? Perhaps his Baby Tree quirk is more on the psychological side of things that make Skeptic’s puppets even more of a hassle to fight against? Nomu for Takoba will be Chubs to add to the whole theme of ‘this place is chalk full of tanky, long-distance, support fuckers who won’t fight directly’ which is just bound to get on the Takoba Heroes nervesXD

Main Boss: Skeptic

Jailbreaker: Gashly (with a revamped Quirk, probably something rhyme-based to help Skeptic’s puppets out)

Return: Tengai, Katsukame, Sakaki - Shie Hassaikai. Needle Hair, Martial Hair

PLF:  Skeptic #3/Toga’s #3

Nomu: Chubs

UA Shelters

Always thought this was more of a shame that there wasn’t really any proper fights here. Yeah, I know the idea is ‘oh, we can’t let the Villains in’ but c’moooon! It’s the final fight - let them be more of a threat by a few breaking in, causing the Heroes on the inside to try to stop them.

Let Mustard return to spray his gas to help weaken the Heroes defenses, which allows him to get a rematch with Kendo and Tetsu again! Let Mimic get smuggled into UA to take control of the damn thing after Skeptic failed! Have the remaining yakuza work with the saboteurs, acting as their guardsman while they try to bring UA down and it’s a race against time to really stop them. Hell, let Mummy return to use his powers to turn the machinery against the Heroes and have them work hard as Hell to stop him!!

How did they get in? IDK, let one of the saboteurs have a Quirk that let’s them be dollar tree version of Mr. Compress, or maybe they snuck in, if only barely. Heck, maybe after Kurogiri is freed, AFO placed the data for inside of UA and the team meant to rampage in it (thanks to the spies) inside of Shiggy’s mask and Kurogiri warped the taskforce in after the factl There are ways to go about it to make it work. Just allow people like Kaminari and Momo to get more to do than off-screen deal with Twice copies!!! 

But, with that in mind, every location needs a boss of some sort, right?...So why not have the one in charge of such operations be Giran? Have him sneak into UA via his muddle Quirk and make him the director of sabotage for the Villain forces, something he’d be proud to do since he’d want revenge for Twice's death. As for how he doesn’t get folded instantly when found out, if you don’t want to have him unguarded, you can have him use his/Detenerat’s support items to hold off Heroes long enough to make some play happen for his side. I just think it’d be a fitting way to end his story trying to payback the man who saved his life instead of just…not existing after a while.

Boss: Giran

League: Mustard

Jailbreaker: Mummy

Shie Hassaikai: Chronostasis, Mimic, Nemoto, Garbage Trio

PLF: Saboteurs (Tajima, Mihaera, and three people no one cares about)

Gunga Villa

Last, but not least, we got the Gunga battlefield…which is very much due for an uplift. Seriously, the battlefield against the Demon Lord should not have been so damn barren like in canon. Even the Nomus that got sent with him, who were giving everyone else so much trouble, went down likes chumps. So…how to correct it?

Simple! Make it the powerhouse buffet with all the heaviest of hitters being sent there. Woman and her analytical skills mixed with her bloodlust? She’s there to kick ass like the rampaging beast queen that she is, and ensure that the the Heroes really don’t get that much of a break while AFO is wrapped up fighting Team Endeavor in the skies.

Rappa of the Eight Bullets rampaging through the battlefield, knocking out people clean up until Kirishima arrives on Machia - then the rematch of a lifetime could occur!!! I will never stop harping on this, I truly believe we should have gotten a Kirishima and Rappa rematch in the Final War, and its a WASTE Rappa/none of the yakuza besides Overhaul returned!!!

Toxic Chainsaw, the name-dropped foe that All Might whooped back in the 1st chapter and could have probably been a neat callback? Add in Dreadlock Jailbreaker having a spike quirk and the threat from a living pincushion and toxic waste shoots the threat level way up. These guys I’ld probably leave as a deal opponents for the Shiketsu side of things, to give them some form of meaningful foe to clear out before taking on AFO.

Finally, the name-dropped Sanctum and the rest of the Twice Squad serving as, well not really AFO back-up, but general mook rallying nonetheless so the battlefield for this affair is a bit more of semi-organized affair for the Villains instead of a huge mosh pit where they got wiped out so easily.

Boss: AFO

Jailbreaker: Toxic Chainsaw, Dreadlock Jailbreaker

Nomu: Woman

Advisors: Sanctum & other Twice Advisors

Return: Rappa, Habit Headgear, Tesla, Victor

-

Ultimately, this was how I'd split them up! I tried to give each battlefield someone related to the League or who we have seen could be a credible match for the Heroes.

ALso saw fit to give an expalnation as to why some are here and others elsewhere...or not here at all.

Why isn't Re-Destro here?

Because I think the idea of Redestro going down fighting allow the PLF to escape is actually a good idea and could have lead to more development for his top brass, with the post-war showing how each of them are trying to carry on the organization's will. Geten's furious and preparing his Quirk more, Skeptic is actually training to defend himself and other better, Trumpet is channeling his inner Usopp and just lying to every straggler he finds to bolster their forces.

Why is the Shie Hassakai helping AFO?

Mutual benefit. The SH wants Overhaul back, AFO can free him if they win. Also, in Rappa's case, he just wants to brawl so he's imediately on board.

Why only Movie 2 villains on-board?

Because they're the only movie villains that are both in Japan, and not arrested internationally. I mean, I could have tried to incldue Wolfram and his dudes, if I wanted? But if I do ever make a pitch for a new Dark Deku Jailbreaker arc, I'd rather save him for that.

Aaaaaand, that's that?

Regardless, this is pretty much just a thought experiment on my part so hope you got some enjoyment from it!! Think I could have done any of these battlefields better?

[deadhands69]

Steam

MDNI

Smutty Drabble - Tomura Shigaraki x reader

Imagine post-Meta Liberation Army arc Tomura Shigaraki holding you by the back of your legs as he presses you into the shower wall, fucking you relentlessly. His slick skin gliding easily against yours, while your fingernails dig into his back. The sound of splashing water and heavy breaths echo off the tiles surrounding you.

Imagine your surprise when your once thin boyfriend picks you up with ease, like it's nothing. Lightly veiled in the thick air - he's gorgeous. Pale scars standing out on his heat flushed skin. Strands of his milky white hair cling to his neck and face, dripping trails of water that run down the curves of his body. Muscles rippling in places you aren't used to seeing them yet.

His steam-softened lips smash into yours. Tongues dancing as you swallow his moans.

And to think, you were only taking a quick shower together to save water.

masterlist

[haine-kleine]

after sitting with my thoughts about the epilogue for some time, I think the thing that broke the story had started right after Dabi's dance. said thing is LOV' utterly out of character treatment of each other and Shigaraki specifically.

them just standing there and passively observing the scene makes absolutely zero sense, if you use anything from their previously established relationships within the organisation for reference. especially with All for One's creepy comments. Spinner even points out shortly before this chapter that AFO!Shigaraki seems nothing like his normal self and this person is not the one he had chosen to follow.

and yes, Spinner does approach screaming Shigaraki and tries to help him, and his concern later leads him to seeing Shigaraki's mutated form in the cave, and on its own this development for Spinner is in line with his character and all around fine. pretty reminiscent of Toga and Twice, too.

(except Spinner is not allowed to really help Shigaraki in any way, unlike Toga was allowed to help Twice, and this entire thing between Shigaraki and Spinner only ends with Spinner's regrets and survivor's guilt instead of anything good or meaningful that isn't meaningless angst porn)

it isn't Spinner approaching Shigaraki that is the issue, it's the other's complete lack of action or even reaction besides appearing mildly disturbed. this is simply out of character for all of them, just judging by Twice's example who had similar breakdowns and wasn't plainly ignored by the others until his fit stops. this reaction makes even less sense, when you take into account the current state of the League. Twice had just been murdered by Hawks, the double agent who had infiltrated the League via Dabi, and Mister Compress had just sacrificed himself to give the League a chance for escape, and was sent to Tartarus immediately after his condition was no longer life threatening. Kurogiri is also being held captive by the heroes. there are only four of them left, with two dead and two captured. and none of them even mention the dead or the captured outside of the context of Kurogiri and his quirk.

this straight out makes no sense if you look back to the Overhaul arc and remember how far Shigaraki and the rest of them were willing to go to avenge Magne's death and Mr Compress' destroyed arm. this was important.

the event had motivated Shigaraki to be a better leader, because he had realized these people depend on him, and he won't let them be hurt under his protection. it had started the seed of self-doubt in Jin which would eventually grow to the desperation that allowed him to overcome the mental block against his quirk in the MVA arc, because he wanted to do everything he possibly could to help the League. it allowed him to make his clones despite the crippling trauma, because he saw Toga's hurt, bleeding body, and he didn't want her to die.

even fucking Giran, a broker whose very profession requires him to care about himself and his own well-being first and foremost, had sacrificed all of his fingers to prevent Redestro from getting his hands on the League. because he wants to protect them, to save them. and then we never actually see his mutilated hands or hear anything from him ever again.

and when Twice actually dies? all we get in response to that are two upset faces from Dabi and Toga's fury. that's it.

i really want to stress how out of character this barely-present reaction is, because Magne's example is right there and when Overhaul had killed her, the League knew each other for no longer than a month. this League has been together for at least half a year, had been through thick and thin together, had spent months on the run, homeless, having no one but each other to rely on, has defeated the Meta Liberation Army, quite literally, with the power of their friendship. they all cared enough about each other and Shigaraki specifically to stay with him during those months they had to fight Gigantomachia with barely any breaks for rest, still homeless, barely scraping by. it was imperative that they all survive through this together, especially for Shigaraki, who had went on this quest of getting stronger at least partly so that he would become a more reliable protector for the League. and when Twice falls victim to the hero who had murdered him in cold blood, because no one except for Dabi was there to save him, Shigaraki doesn't even get to react to Twice's death, and possibly never even learns about the fact.

on topic of Dabi, his reaction being exactly two frames of sad expressions and including the footage of Twice's murder into his broadcast, and ending immediately after that, also makes no sense. Dabi is someone who holds himself accountable and despite his declarations, cares about the League, it's the very reason he was keeping Hawks from the League and sprinted to Twice as soon as he realized Hawks' intentions with him, to protect him. Dabi's unsuccessful attempt to save Twice is another iteration of Overhaul, a combination of Shigaraki and Twice's roles in the tragedy. but unlike Shigaraki, who had steeled himself into taking care of his subordinates and becoming a responsible and strong leader, or Twice who had never forgotten about his role in the incident, Dabi just somehow forgets about the entire thing as soon as the first war is over. Toga is the one whom the narrative allows to actively react to Twice's death and express her grief. it makes sense that her reaction would be the strongest, as she was the closest with Twice, but why are two LOV members no longer allowed to care about the same incident at the same time? why aren't they allowed to protect each other anymore, when Giran, who is not even in the League, had made that sacrifice for them?

These are pretty small things, but it's these instances of Toga and Dabi preventing Machia from being injected with the sedative, protecting the League that are sorely missing in the second war.

and the biggest act of devotion and protection to the League, which was the last time we saw anything like this for them, Mister Compress' last moments with the League.

Mutilating his own body just to buy them five seconds to possibly escape. Because he loved the League, because he wanted all of them to be happy and achieve their dreams, to be free, and to live.

and in return for the favour, not only do they not come back for him like they did for Kurogiri (because his quirk is important for the plot, while Compress' isn't), but none of them mention Compress ever again. same with Twice (with the exception of Toga), same with Magne. from this point onwards, none of them are allowed by the plot to even care about the League of Villains. the interpersonal relationships between two individuals still shine through, occasionally, like Spinner's devotion to Shigaraki (and him alone), Dabi and Toga's pyromaniac trauma lane visit to her house and him giving her Twice's blood, Kurogiri reaching out to Shigaraki in the very end. but what about the League? ahd what about the dead members of the League, or Mister Compress?

somehow, at the point of the final war it boils down to the generalized conflict of heroes vs villains and the morality gymnastics involved in the concept. on its own, this would have been an okay development, if the examples the story was using to prove its point weren't people who had become very close friends and who had lost four people to this war against the heroes.

if the individual conflicts, like Toga's desperation to be acknowledged as human being deserving of affection, Dabi's familial abuse trauma and Shigaraki's lifelong manipulation by All for One not giving him any chance to be saved at all, were the finishing line of the villains' story development, why join them within the League at all? LOV is a separate concept functioning as a collective uniting all these villains, giving them a place to belong and people who give a fuck whether they live or die. except not anymore, because for some reason after the first war this concept is scratched completely.

so why not make them mere acquaintances who sometimes collaborate to bother the heroes together, if the bond between them got in the way of the story and wasn't the point of the story? why prove the depth of their bond with the Overhaul and My Villain Academia arcs? why make Shigaraki develop relationships and a sense of responsibility for these people at all, if in the very end his desire to save these people is denied by the author himself?

the previous arcs have spent a great deal of effort establishing that the villains are human too. they have human feelings, human desires and human relationships. so why is it that in the final arc their ability to experience human emotions towards each other is turned on and off manually by the author? at the very end even the author stops pretending like anything happening to the villains is evaluated on the scale of human experiences (unlike the heroes, whose injuries and deaths are talked about and mourned in great detail) and Kurogiri and Shigaraki are wiped out like plot inconveniences rather than important and well written characters.

honestly? it's ironically meta that the story ended up proving the very point it has spent 400 chapters arguing against.

[lacunammmm]

I like to make those asks and metas abot.nha bc as much is a dog shit manga (good ideas tossed in favour of abusers)

Have to ask

What you think of MPA?

The concept is cool but can work better in a fanfic, not on this canon. My humble opinion.

Let’s Talk About the MLA (and Why MHA Blew Its Chance with Them)

The Meta Liberation Army arc is peak MHA. But here’s the kicker: their entire existence proves hero society is a dumpster fire beyond repair. Think about it—every villain group before them was either:

F-tier randos: Background noise for heroes to punch.

The League: Society’s rejects lashing out.

Yakuza: Profit-driven thugs.

AFO: A relic cosplaying as a Bond villain.

Then the MLA shows up with 100,000 members—actual people with jobs, families, and grievances. Students, elders, normies, radicals—all united because quirk oppression got so bad they’d rather burn society down than endure it. These guys infiltrated entire districts in secret and built a political party. Imagine if they’d stayed hidden during Shigaraki’s rampage? Heroes collapse, society crumbles… and the MLA swoops in with a legal takeover. They could’ve won without firing a shot.

But nah, the story just uses them to buff Shigaraki’s crew before tossing them in the trash.

Here’s the real tragedy: The MLA exposes cracks the story refuses to fix. Thousands of ordinary citizens joined a revolution over systemic abuse, and MHA just… shrugs. No addressing their grievances, no aftermath for imprisoning 100k people. Where’s the fallout? Do their kids grow up radicalized? How does Japan even hold that many prisoners? Crickets.

Also, let’s clear up a misconception: The MLA wasn’t just about “strongest quirks rule.” Yeah, Geten wanted a might-makes-right dystopia, but revolutions are messy coalitions. Grandma MLA Member #42,041 probably just wanted to use her quirk to garden without jail time. The story frames them as a monolith, but real movements aren’t.

Their ending? A joke. They get steamrolled, thrown in jail, and forgotten. Meanwhile, Re-Destro’s clone does the heroes a massive favor by blowing up the corrupt Hero Commission—something the heroes themselves would never do. Classic MHA: heroes coast on villains doing their dirty work.

And don’t get me started on the Final War arc. Japan’s a warzone, prisons are overflowing, and the heroes somehow have enough guards to watch thousands of MLA/PLF prisoners? Sure, Jan. Villains break out everyone… except the MLA? Plot armor at its finest.

The MLA deserved better. They introduced real stakes—a society so broken it births a civilian army—but the story bailed. Instead of exploring systemic change, we got another “heroes win because villains jobbed” arc. The MLA wasn’t just wasted potential; they were a mirror held up to MHA’s biggest flaw: its refusal to let hero society actually fall.

TL;DR: The MLA was too real, too raw, and too competent for a story that’d rather recycle “heroes vs. villains” than ask hard questions. But hey, at least we got Re-Destro’s clone doing terrorism-for-the-greater-good. Priorities, right? They got wasted on a story that’d rather have Deku punch harder than ask, “Why do 100k people hate us?” Hero society’s a joke—and the MLA was the punchline.

[myvillainacademiafan]

Bones Studio Screwed Over The Meta Liberation Army So I’m Doing An Analysis To Complain:

(Slight Spoilers: Mentions of Season 7 and the Manga)

So, As the title suggests, I’m going to be complaining about Bones Studio and how they handle my favorite arc and my favorite characters and how basically they water them down where it’s kind of lame. As I have written this, This could change after written/posted. We’re on Season 7 and while they showed the very important battle of certain hackers. They missed an important part...

That is Geten and Mr. Compress talking in prison about Geten’s family being toxic. This was an important part to not only Dabi’s backstory to reveal the harmful ways the Himura family bred for improved and better quirks, but also important to Geten’s story as well since this revealed, Geten is related to Dabi. They removed that scene even though this involved Dabi is loved by fans. This is truly beyond me since I believe it was a crucial part of the story. In my personal opinion, I believe it’s a personal hatred of the Meta Liberation Army on Bones’s part…

Which is why… I’m making this post, talking about everything Bones Studio did wrong with the MLA Arc and the Meta Liberation Army, why this makes me angry, and the created differences between the Manga to Anime.

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How Bones Studio Handled The Meta Liberation Army Arc:

This is an arc I absolutely love and is one of my favorites, Even in the anime it’s still my favorite. HOWEVER, I can’t forgive them for what they done to it. I personally believe that if the arc was animated properly and included the scenes missing, The MLA would have been almost as popular as the other villain groups and a lot more fans would be on board with them. Have you seen the merch for the MLA it is very little and usually exclusive to Japan. Now you must be thinking but “Myvillainacademiafan, They cut a lot of those scenes out to make it work for the anime!” I’m aware you gotta make room for time and other purposes. I’m aware some scenes don’t seem relevant. And yes, I’m aware some scenes might be inappropriate for a TV-14 rating. I “MAY” have forgiven them if it was only like a couple of times. BUT THERE WAS OVER A DOZEN SCENES CUT OUT, CHANGED, CENSORED, AND MORE. At that point, you might as well either create a new story with the amount of changes and bonuses made. Now let’s get to the changes…

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Re-Destro’s Introduction And The Proper Introduction Of The Army:

In the Manga, instead of the introduction of the Meta Liberation Army being the call with the League of Villains in the episode “My Villain Academia”. It’s actually when the UA students are hanging out and a certain commercial comes on the tv. It’s Re-Destro advertising for his company Detnerat. The commercial shows how the company is to help people in society with mutant like quirks or abilities live in the world easier with the help of their items. (I would also say that in a way, whether his company or the army, he wants citizens to live freely with their powers and this commercial was a perfect way to show that). After the commercial plays, it turns out it was being watched by Re-Destro and his assistant as well. (they don’t even reveal his assistant in the anime. Rip Miyashita for not getting an anime adaptation…)

The two talk for a bit when suddenly Re-Destro lets the word “Meta Ability” slip. Miyashita questions this and this was a perfect time to advertise Destro’s book “Meta Liberation War”. While he was hoping the assistant would be on board of the Meta Liberation Army, Miyashita however wasn’t convinced and saw this book as harmful and Destro nothing but a “Ranting Criminal” So with a slight uncomfortable and chilling scene, Re-Destro makes sure the man didn’t have any close loved ones before cracking his neck. After doing so, He expressed not only disappointment in Miyashita disliking the book and insulting Destro, but mourned the loss of the life taken…

After this we get the familiar scene we got with Re-Destro walking in to the lieutenants of the army to talk about their updates of the league in the episode “Revival Party”…

Why Removing This Scene Was Wrong And Makes No Sense:

While starting with the call for the League Of Villains is good at giving Re-Destro a mysterious feel to him, I believe you still would have gotten the same even if you included the original scene. Not only that, but it gives Re-Destro some unpredictably with how he’s going to react when you insult basically his lively hood. The commercial was a smooth and charming introduction of the character himself and having him talk and introduce the book was an excellent way to introduce the reader/viewer to the next arc. The murder of Miyashita was also an excellent way to introduce the threat and uneasiness of the Meta Liberation Army and what’s to come, Especially since it perfectly transitions to the fight with the ice villain fighting Shoto and Bakugo and that the villain was using Detnerat products. (Revealing panels later that Detnerat also helps villains in the black market as well)

In the anime, nobody is going to understand the ice villain and why his weapon was destroyed after he was caught because the manga explains better with the context. People were confused at first on Slidin Go’s sudden appearance and relevance to the story, (however, that could be a fault on both ends). When you go straight to the phone call for the introduction and appearance of the army. A lot of people were confused on who the hell those guys were anyways. So, instead of seeing them along the story and getting excited to see them finally go into action when the League of Villains do fight in Deika City. You’re left a bit confused with the anime…

AND SPEAKING OF CONFUSION, Is anyone going to talk about Giran in this?…

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Giran’s Sudden Kidnapping In The Anime:

While both the anime and the Manga don’t reveal how Giran got captured in the first place. The Manga added a bit more understanding compared to the anime. Before they show Giran in the Manga, We cut to the Meta Liberation Army talking with each other about Re-Destro’s black market items. (Which was played exactly after the ice villain was arrested. Literally a perfect transition and explanation on to the MLA as a threat and why everything happened the way it did) To which Skeptic told Re-Destro their “Guest” has arrived. We see Giran being dragged in by two body guards. And while the army has tried to beat and threaten the information out of Giran. He refuses to sell out his clients/League… And then after that we cut to the introduction of Gigantomachia like how we have in the anime.

…For the Anime, He’s just already there… He’s already Kidnapped, tortured, and had his stuff recovered while looking sad… Where’s the stubborn refusal and where’s the context on the anime’s part? While I guess it could be forgiven, they went easier on Giran in the anime given that his bruises are a lot more tame compared to the manga. It’s just confusing to have him suddenly there with not really any context. BTW, in the manga, they LITERALLY showed Giran’s fingers being placed around the areas the League has been. The anime really cut down the gore for that. (Not to mention the small dialogue revealing Skeptic got the information from Giran’s files after he thought he deleted them) Anyways, It’s just giving me earlier Mario games where you hear Princess Peach is kidnapped but they don’t show it. At this point, I feel like Re-Destro is going to tell the League “Their Broker is in another castle.”

The Mistakes With The Beginning Fight Of Deika City:

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I’m not going to go over the missing details with the League of Villains and such because this post is talking about the Meta Liberation Army. So here’s a list of missing mistakes until we get to the major big con of the anime again (While these are not really a big deal, I felt it would have been more cool if they kept these)

*After Trumpet welcomes them to the Revival Party and the fight begins. We see several shots of security cameras around the city. In the anime, They usually show the security cameras like once or twice. (While I can understand this being cut out. It’s a way that not only shows this is being recorded and that the citizens of Deika City are constantly watched. But it is also implying the incoming threat of Skeptic)

*Theres a shot of a hero trying to stop a worker from heading in Deika City area and Re-Destro talks about how it’s a city in a far away place covered with trees, Explaining it’s a perfect place to lay low in. (This one is understandable too and anime fans may already get the point. It’s still a way to show how the MLA haven’t got caught yet)

*The small dialogue removed from citizens/soldiers defending the army (Personally. I like them all to have a word. It just makes it more lively).

*The gore and violence being toned down. (I’ll talk more about, this but Bones Studio tends to have this thing where they either tone down certain things, Go off screen, they even clean them of blood. I understand it’s for TV-14 but if you’re going to develop the manga. Develop it right.)

And Finally, How they handled Curious’s Death which is my next topic…

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Curious’s Death And How It Had Much More Effect In The Manga:

From what I described in the little difference above after Trumpet introduces the army and the fight with Curious, There wasn’t a lot of major changes to complain about (I still will though) However, one thing I found specifically interesting is Curious’s death and how it was almost completely brushed away in the anime…

In the Manga, When Curious fell down it was brutal. They did not shy away from hiding the bodies dropping to the ground. After her death and Toga finding the shed to hide in. We cut to Re-Destro talking about Curious’s death and mourning her as Skeptic comes in. We see Re-Destro actually cry at the loss of Curious. Which brings me to the next part of this topic…

How The Lieutenants Handled Curious’s Death In The Manga:

While neither the Manga or anime showed Geten’s reaction to the news, The Manga showed how Re-Destro, Skeptic, And Trumpet handled the news of their comrade.

As I mention, we seen Re-Destro cry. He has cried TWICE. And yet, Bones Studio decided to cut those scenes out! (It’s like they don’t want Re-Destro to show emotion) But removing this was such a huge waste to his character because having a villain that cares so much about his subordinates is so rare to see these days and while we know he cares, It’s good to see this.

Now back on subject, Skeptic then talks about how they can’t use the footage of Curious’s death because “Toga isn’t a good fit for the tragic lead of narrative they’re pushing” Giran asks about the footage and Skeptic lectures and nags Giran about being stupid and to ask properly. Just like with Re-Destro’s scenes, Removing this is also a waste since it shows Skeptic’s character and behavior that could have been entertaining in the anime. (I will go over how they toned down Skeptic’s character in the next topic)

After, Skeptic goes on his tirade, Giran questions the MLA, and Re-Destro remains determined, We cut to the scene of the league fighting (It’s the same scene we see after Toga kills Curious however with a twist) Trumpet comes in on his political van and announces some tragic news. He announces the death of Curious and the soldiers/citizens are distraught. Trumpet uses his words to let them know of Re-Destro’s wishes and to fight harder making the crowd even more determined and angry, A harder challenge for the League of Villains.

Obviously with the anime, Curious just dies and nobody says anything about it. Removing those scenes is also a wasted opportunity because Bones isn’t showing how the lieutenants value one another, They don’t show the effect on everyone and how it would make the MLA fight harder after the league killed a valued member. It also makes it look like they just don’t care that she was killed to begin with. She just dies and we’re done. If Anime!Curious was in the afterlife watching them move on just like that, I bet you she would be fuming…

While Geten’s and Dabi’s fight remains the same, As we move on. There is some slight differences we notice with one Lieutenant with the Manga compared to the anime…

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Skeptic Being Toned Down In The Anime:

(Btw we never got this scene with the manga, Below is merch. While I love the art, I find it frustrating he was never seen animated like this) Anyways, while I’m aware this one isn’t really too much of a big deal and I’m happy to see Skeptic anyway I could since he is my favorite character, I believe Bones Studio toning down Skeptic really effects his character and removes the charm from it. It’s like Bones studio shoved chill pills down his throat.

For the manga, we get almost the same scenes we have from the end of “Revival Party” and the Beginning of “Sad Man’s Parade” Despite some subtle and not too much of big deal things, it’s a bit noticeable that Skeptic’s attitude is toned down. We talked about the reactions of Curious’s death, there was a scene cut out between Giran and Skeptic. Bones Studio has removed his nagging moments. (They removed another scene with him nagging at Slidin Go after the war so it just seems like Skeptic was always watching and collected. Interesting way to go at it but where’s the spice, You know)

But throughout his thing with Twice in the manga, Skeptic’s movements and behavior was slightly more chaotic. His poses were more backbreaking and animated yet his dialogue stayed similar to his character (And how it is in the anime). It was a way of showing that Skeptic doesn’t care how he acts, he’ll do whatever he wants and get the job done.

One more scene was cut out and as a Skeptic fan, It really frustrated me and that’s when he uses his quirk in action. After we get Twice becoming stronger, Skeptic telling Re-Destro he didn’t fail, the League fighting hard, and Dabi and Geten fighting (All which we have in the anime) We cut to Twice trying to clone Toga to do a blood transfusion. One of the Twice clones gets knocked back and they see that it’s one of Skeptic’s anthropomorphs to which soon… More start appearing! We see Skeptic looking insane and determined as he began to make multiple clones, commanding them all to go after Twice and capture him as he began to run after him. He was determined to capture himself because Skeptic “did not” fail.

Bones removing that scene was ridiculous because not only would that given Twice more of a challenge and show that the MLA will get their hands in there if it means success, but it also takes away showing how Skeptic’s quirk works in action. Having the scene removed and he’s just out in battle is a little strange, Like he’s just roaming and standing around? That isn’t like his character at all, he would take action! We finally got to see how his quirk works in season 7, however it was a little late when it should have been included in Season 5 to begin with… It would have been so cool to see the animation of the anthropomorphs forming and Skeptic running through the city madly and it would have been so cool to see the nagging scenes animated. (Think of it like Deku’s mutter scenes. But instead, It’s an a slight creepy nag with a dark background and the words “Nag” popping up haha)

And there is several times where Anime!Skeptic was toned down more compared to Manga!Skeptic however this is talking about the MLA arc so that’s a complain for another time probably…

Before we got that scene with Skeptic running after Twice, Most of the scenes are pretty much similar to the anime (With a scene from Hawk being placed in the middle of the MLA fight instead of earlier in the anime. That’s the only thing I will agree with for the anime’s decisions.) But one detail was also changed strangely that I also can’t help but notice…

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Regards Of Re-Destro’s Relationship With Destro In The Manga Vs Anime:

I don’t know what Bones Studio was thinking when they decided to make this choice, But in the anime Re-Destro claimed and was heavily hinted to be Destro’s son, when all actuality and in the manga, Destro is just his ancestor. There is so many reasons wrong with this and why this couldn’t work.

First of all, the time of Destro being alive wouldn’t work with Re-Destro’s because this was a time quirks were starting to appear and this was a time All For One was starting to make his ways in the world of villainy and All For One is confirmed to be over a hundred years old. (If Re-Destro was Destro’s son then he would be so old and wrinkly at this point of time… Or dead because how?)

Second, It’s just incorrect. It’s not true. Destro is just an ancestor to Re-Destro, Not his father. And when you talk about Re-Destro and Destro to fans who only seen the anime, They get confused when told Destro is actually an ancestor to him and not a father. At this point, If Bones Studio is mixing up the characters’s information. We should too, why not make AFO Shigaraki’s Biological father or make All Might related to Mineta. Because it’s fun ig!?! (Obviously people can have their headcanons, I have mine too! But when a whole studio is just getting information wrong, It’s just annoying)

@Stillness-in-green made a very good post talking about this and explains it much better then I could. So definitely check that out!

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More Minor Mistakes Before We Talk About The Final One:

*More dialogue from citizens/soldiers missing. (I already explained why this annoys me)

*Some dialogue between Trumpet and Spinner was removed. (Especially since it helps with Spinner’s character development and trimming while still works in the anime in terms of understanding and plot is still frustrating to manga readers)

*A scene of Slidin Go blocking a van from entering at the outside of Deika City when suddenly loud booming noises are heard and the hero mistakes it for earthquakes (While not really a big deal or a must have scene. This would have given Slidin Go more on screen moments… Maybe where he wouldn’t be forgotten).

*A scene/panel of a page from a children’s book talking about being kind to those with Mutant based quirks. (While also not a must, It would have been cute animated. Plus it would have been very funny if that plays after Trumpet gets offended to be compared to Spinner).

*Even though I said I wasn’t going to talk about the scenes missing with the league, this one I will. There’s a scene/panel with young Shigaraki looking on at a mysterious man leaving as his mother bows in apology. (If you’re caught up in the manga, You would know why removing that scene was a big mistake. Once again, Bones Studio picking and choosing what they want to add or not. I had to point this out because that’s what they did with this whole arc.)

*They removed Spinner clinging on Trumpet’s political van as Trumpet tries to reach Re-Destro, Basically clinging on to the van as it drives. (Suppose Spinner just ran over there quick in the anime)

*Re-Destro’s Claustro slowly breaks down in the manga. (Not much to complain. It just would have been cooler animated like that)

*And finally the last thing to complain about is the gore… Or less gore in the anime…

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Bones Studio Censoring The Gore Of The Meta Liberation Army Arc:

When people complain and talk about the comparison of censorship between the manga and anime of My Hero Academia, it’s this arc that has a lot of examples… A lot. While I’m aware and understand that this is a TV-14 rated show, it’s still in the manga and it should be represented to keep it faithful. The violence was toned more down with Giran’s bruises, to Toga’s bloody face from Curious, Shigaraki getting his fingers snapped off, and finally to the one picture above where Re-Destro’s legs were chopped off to save himself from decaying from Shigaraki’s quirk. The final scene with Re-Destro bowing to Shigaraki as his new leader was so chilling yet so cool in the Manga. It’s cool in the anime, But we could have had much more of it if it wasn’t toned down. It just feel like a cop out and lazy on Bone’s part…

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In Conclusion:

After the scenes I talked about, Everything is almost pretty much the same in the anime as in the manga as well, leaving my talk of the Meta Liberation Army Arc closing.

While I’m thankful for Bones Studio animating the anime I love, I feel frustration with how they handle not only the Meta Liberation Army but characters that are not as popular to fans or the main characters, Villains or not. Bones Studio usually will focus on characters that are more popular and give them as much screen time as they can while depriving others who aren’t as popular with scraps. (If you also notice, Throughout my talk, I had no complains of Geten’s scenes because he was usually seen with Dabi who is considered a popular character. So Geten’s scenes remain in tact because Bones knows Dabi is popular)

What caused them to do what they did to the Meta Liberation Army in the anime adaptation is beyond me? Whether it’s simply not caring about them, putting more focus, time, and money on characters that are more popular, Someone even theorized it was to put the budget of animation on the filler episodes or the movie that was coming up at the time. Whether it was, the fact that the characters I love were discarded and basically fans either don’t know or don’t like/care about the MLA and/or Arc, Hurts because THIS IS MY FAVORITE ARC. And I’ll be damned if I lie and say it isn’t because a lot of people say otherwise.

Whether anime or not, The MLA and the arc will still remain my favorite even if the studio working on doesn’t think so. These are characters I love and value a lot when it comes to My Hero Academia. But with how the Meta Liberation Army was handled and continued to be handled in the anime to this day is just frustrating. In Conclusion, Bones Studio do better…

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[honeybuckin10]

Code Blue - a Hawks x fem!lawyer!reader One Shot

Summary: Pre-Meta Liberation Army Arc. A hero’s birthday party on a night off blurs the lines of professionalism between the Commission’s rising junior prosecutor and a certain winged hero when secrets are exchanged [wc 5.2k (I'm so sorry)].

Warnings (nsfw): swearing, drinking, workplace romance, mutual pining, angst and fluff, everyone’s a dummy, mature themes, smut-ish, heavy petting. Characters slightly aged up (mid-late 20’s).

a/n: first time writing for Hawks and/or MHA, would love feedback. please don't be a ghost reader!

Nights off for heroes were few and far between. So when they did happen, usually all Hawks wanted to do was catch up on much needed sleep. But it was Best Jeanist’s birthday, which was how he found himself begrudgingly ordering a round of drinks at the bar for the handful that had gathered to celebrate their friend and colleague.

For the sake of Best Jeanist, he did his best to hide the fact that he was in sensory overload. His feathers only amplified the already deafening bass of the live band, coupled with the loud conversations, and the clinking of dishes, glasses, and silverware.  

“Happy birthday! Sorry I’m late,” he heard the squeaky voice behind him. He turned around to see you giving the birthday boy a friendly hug before handing him a small gift bag with a card sticking out. You were a prosecutor for the Hero Public Safety Commission’s District Attorney's Office. Due to the nature of your work, you crossed paths frequently with heroes to gather evidence and build case files to justly put away villains.  

The first time Hawks met you, you bumped into him in line at the Public Records Department on the second floor of the courthouse. Literally. Your face was buried deep in a case file, the *click clack* of your heels echoing as they hit the linoleum floor. Not paying attention, you walked right into Hawks’ wings, causing you to drop the plethora of papers in your arms.

-

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention!” you said, not even realizing at first who exactly you had bumped into, though you did think it was odd that you had to spit out a feather.

The halls of the courthouse, like any government building, were unfriendly, bureaucratic and slow. Annoyed, he was going to tell you to watch it. The words began to form in his mouth, but fizzled when he turned around and saw you crouched down awkwardly trying to gather all your papers, your range of motion clearly limited by your stiff skirt suit and precariously balanced in your heels. At one point your hair was probably pulled back in a sleek bun, but more than a few strands were now falling out of place. He felt bad. So instead of telling you off, he knelt down to help you pick up whatever was left on the floor.

“It’s ok, these things can be hard to miss sometimes.”

Confused, you looked up to meet golden irises and a sly smirk. Your already rosy cheeks deepened from pink to red upon realizing who was in front of you.

“Oh my God. Mr. Hawks Sir. I’m so sorry.” You immediately got to your feet, straightening out your posture. Your eyes fell from his face to the very prominent crimson wings that hung majestically behind him. You grimaced. “Wow I guess I was really out of it.”

“No worries.” He handed you back the rest of the strewn files, your fingers just grazing. “So… come here often?”

He earned a small laugh from you, finally able to put you at ease somewhat even if only for a moment. “No… or yes? I’m not really sure yet. This is my first case.” A newbie lawyer, of course. You gave a strained smile, but the furrow in your brow gave your nerves away.

“Ah, welcome to hell. Prosecutor or public defender?”

“Prosecutor.” He smiled.

“I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other, then.”

“I hope so.” Ever the professional, he was sure you didn’t mean for it to come off as anything more than introductory pleasantries. But he couldn’t help the little beat his heart skipped that caused his wings to flutter slightly. He hoped you didn’t notice.

“NEXT!” The voice of the elderly woman at the front desk boomed, hoarse from years of yelling and cigarettes. Hawks took one more look at you as your eyes kept darting to your watch.

“Why don’t you go ahead of me?” he offered. He could have introduced you to Beyonce and he was sure he wouldn’t have gotten the same reaction. You looked like a little kid on Christmas morning, but you did your best to hide your eagerness.

“Are you sure Mr. Hawks?”

“I’m in no rush, I insist. And please, just Hawks.”

“You’re holding up the line, you have five seconds to decide before I’m kicking you both to the back,” the old lady deadpanned. You looked at each other, eyes wide, both biting back shit-eating grins.

“You heard her,” he said. He took a step back, bowing slightly with an arm extended to motion you through.

“Thank you,” you mouthed wordlessly to him as you slid past.

“Good luck.”

-

That was almost two years ago. Since then, you picked up more high-profile cases, including the arrest and sentencing of Stain and had begun to make a name for yourself as a rising junior prosecutor. Two years of various long and agonizing depositions, witness prep, thousands of boxes of files combed through, late night arraignments. Almost two years of brushing elbows in the trenches, and this was his first time seeing you outside of a work setting. But for your voice, he wasn’t sure if he would have recognized you.

Your hair, free from its ordinary confines, fell effortlessly down your shoulders and framed your face perfectly. Sure, occasionally he thought about what your body might look like out of a suit, but the reality was better than anything else his imagination could concoct. Had you always had curves there?

Hawks had always thought you were pretty. But being the Number Two Hero with a predominantly female fan base, he wasn’t necessarily phased by looks. What did phase him was that big brain of yours. You wouldn’t be good at your job if you weren’t insanely intelligent with a work ethic to boot. Hawks realized he had a crush on you after the first time he saw you try a case in person. It was a trial for one of the villains he had taken down and you enlisted him as a witness. Seeing you in court charm every single juror in your opening and closing statements, expertly cross-examining hostile witnesses, keeping your cool in the face of a disrespectful opposing counsel – that’s what got his heart going a mile a minute.

So now here you were in the wild, not in a suit, saying hello to everyone like the social butterfly you were. Your exposed skin was like the answer to a riddle he didn’t know he was trying to solve. He tried not to stare, staring was rude. Staring was also causing his wings to have a mind of their own, puffing up and fluttering away ever so slightly. He turned his back again to hide them, and took a sip of beer trying very much to go unnoticed.

“Um, excuse me ma’am. I’m going to need to see some license and registration for the absolute dump truck you got behind you,” said a devilish Mirko after tapping your shoulder. Your laughter rang out, cutting through the other noise in the bar. Hawks tried to pretend he didn’t hear it, though the corners of his mouth threatened to tug a smile out of him. She’s not wrong.

“Hawks, doesn’t y/n look good in this ‘fit?” He didn’t know how or when, but he was going to kill Mirko. He blamed it on her sixth bunny sense that she’d somehow sniffed out his feelings for you - though it was probably the fact that she noticed he stopped entertaining one-night stands months ago.

“Mirko, have you considered that y/n would like to have a night out without being harassed?” Even in the dim lights of the bar, he could tell your cheeks were flushed. And despite the nonchalant act he was trying to put on, he was sure his face was about the same.

“Hey, I was just giving a compliment,” the bunny said mischievously. She gave Hawks a wink as she backed away, but not before mouthing “If you don’t fuck her, I will.”

“Hi,” you said cheekily, blissfully unaware of the chaos around you.

“Hi Counselor,” he said, no longer able to contain his smile. He dipped down to give you a hug, hoping the way he inhaled your perfume went undetected. His senses were permeated with vanilla and cedarwood, followed by the smell of your floral shampoo. The warmth of your body spread across his chest, and he tried to memorize the way your soft hands felt so small resting on his shoulders. Reluctantly he pulled away.

“So how much catching up do I have to do?” you asked. Hawks swirled around the last of his beer.

“This is my second, but I can’t speak for the rest of my – uh - colleagues,” he said as he glanced at Mirko who was now forcing Best Jeanist to take a shot.

“Ah, I see,” you said slowly, following his line of sight.

“So what can I get you to drink?” You raised an eyebrow at him.

“You buying me a drink, Hawks?” He rolled his eyes as you elbowed him in his side wiggling your eyebrows.

“I needed a refill anyways and my tab’s already open. Don’t let it get to your head,” he teased back.

“Oh don’t you worry, I will.” The bartender placed two beers in front of you. You took a long sip, as you watched the hero swirl is drink. Something was off and you were going to get to the bottom of it.  

What Hawks was actually thinking as he stared at his beverage, was that he suddenly had no idea what to say or do with his hands.

“So are you going to spend the rest of the night cowering in the corner? Didn’t think you’d be the wet blanket of the bunch.” He nearly spat out his beer.

“I’m not a wet blanket,” he said defensively.

“Prove it.” You stuck out your hand. “Since you bought me a drink, I think I owe you a dance,” you said with a smirk. He looked at you thoughtfully.

“You owe me nothing except your friendship.”

“Oh we’re friends now? I thought we were colleagues,” poking fun at his earlier comment. He didn’t like the hole you were digging him into. He could flirt with a brick wall, yet for some reason the workplace flirtations that had escalated for two years between you two were not translating to the place where they would be most appropriate.

“I, uh, tend to get in the way. Better not.” He tilted his head towards his back where his wings hung lamely.

“Oh come on don’t be a party pooper,” you gave an encouraging smile. His eyes met yours only for moment, but looking at you was like looking directly into the sun. So he kept his eyes on your hand while he found himself uncharacteristically tongue tied. He took your extended palm, but didn’t budge when you tried pulling him off the barstool. He sensed your breath hitch as he held you in place. Your eyes traveled from your now interlocked hands to his face. “Hawks…?”

*beep* “We got a code red. I repeat, code red. Over.” *beep*

The noise came from your purse, pulling you both out of whatever trance you were in. He raised an eyebrow. Sure enough, you pulled out a walkie talkie and brought it to your mouth.

“Rescue effort deployed, over.” *beep*

His golden orbs finally met yours, your eyes swimming with sympathy.

“I’ve been summoned. I don’t know what’s going on here, but come find me when you’re done sulking, yeah?”

He released your hand and watched as you disappeared into the dance floor, but not before he saw you ward off an unwanted suitor leering over Mount Lady who was still gripping the sister walkie-talkie.

He settled back into the bar seat and chugged.  

“I thought you were fun at parties.” Best Jeanist saddled up beside him, dropping off his empty round. Hawks groaned.

“Not you too.”

“It’s my birthday, you’re obligated to be nice to me. Not that I thought it would be so difficult for you.”

“It’s my first night off in months man, I’m just a little tired.”

“We’re all tired, that’s no excuse.”

Hawks felt guilty, Best Jeanist was right. Embarrassment bubbled in his gut, though maybe that was just the beer.

“Relationships are like a new pair of high quality jeans –“

“Please stop.”

“At first, the fibers are stiff. They take a while to break in, may even feel uncomfortable at first. But after a few wears, the fabric relaxes and molds to the wearer. The perfect denim…”

“Are you done?”

“No. You knew she was going to be here tonight so what gives?”

Hawks ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

-

You and Hawks had been at it for hours. You let out a low groan.

“Can you grab that box for me? I can’t reach.”

Hawks couldn’t help himself. You looked so cute on your tip toes arms extended. The persona you exuded in court was bigger than life, but outside that you were quite ordinary. He liked that you weren’t so infallible that you were beyond the need for his assistance.

The boxes of evidence filled the office, floor to ceiling. You had gone through most of them, only one pile was left. Technically he didn’t have to be there, but he’d bumped into you in the halls of the HPSC long past most had left the building. You explained your plight that the other junior associate assigned to the case with you had bailed. It was for one of the villains he’d captured anyways, so he volunteered to help.

“Yeah, I got it Birdie.” He walked over to where you were, but you didn’t budge. Stubbornly you continued to wave your arms as though you’d be able to summon the box clearly out of reach through sheer will alone. It was, in a word, adorable. So he perched himself behind you, pressing against your backside to absolve you of your struggle. He was being mindful of space - was the story he told himself, which was a lie. It would also be a lie to say he didn’t enjoy it.

You inhaled sharply and instinctively closed your eyes, his cologne infiltrating your nose. It’s not that you and Hawks hadn’t made physical contact before, it’s just that it was mostly in the form of professional or friendly touches. Like handshakes or pats on the back or nudging arms. There had only been a handful of other times where there was accidental increased contact, and each time felt like an out of body experience. This was no different. You tried not to push your ass into him as he reached above you, relishing the warmth of his body against yours. Meekly, you let your arms drop to your sides as a shiver rolled down your spine.

You only turned around when you heard him drop the box on the ground. You let your back land on the stack of boxes against the wall. You drank in his form, mere inches away from you. Jacket and gloves long discarded, you admired the veins in his forearms and the contours of his muscles that shown through his shirt. You knew he caught you staring, but you didn’t mind.

Hawks stared right back at you, silently enjoying the way the collar of your blouse, now partially unbuttoned and lopsided, showed off your clavicle. Your hair once perfectly coiffed now fell in a loose bun, strays falling around your face. Your half-lidded eyes beckoned him to close the tiny gap between you.

Maybe it was sleep deprivation that he forgot who you were (his coworker) or where he was (inside your office in the building of the HPSC). All sense of rationality went out the window the moment Hawks decided to take a step forward. Your eyes followed as he placed a hand next to your head, then trailed up the length of his arm back to his face, finally focusing on his lush lips that were suddenly very close. You held your breath as you patiently waited for impact that never came. His beeper went off, startling you both and cutting the moment short.

-

That was last night.

You were a lawyer. You followed rules. You enforced rules. Not that sleeping/dating a coworker was illegal, but it felt like you were doing something wrong. You weren’t each other’s superiors or subordinates, you weren’t in the same department, you checked the Commission’s bylaws and there was nothing else explicitly prohibiting romantic relations between employees. But you were still scared to disrupt the status quo.

You didn’t think much of it at first. You knew Hawks flirted with anything with a pulse. So you didn’t see the harm in giving him a taste of his own medicine every now and then. You weren’t sure when you started having actual feelings for him. It might have been a few months ago when you got to your office in the morning after a long night of work, only to find a coffee and a crimson feather on your desk. When had you told him your coffee order? All you knew was that the exchanges that once felt like an inside joke now seemed like cruel and unusual punishment, a reminder that you were nothing special and that this was just how he acted with everyone.

You weren’t sure how long you’d been out on the dancefloor. Your feet were starting to hurt. Mirko had fed you two shots and you were now nursing the remaining ice from your second gin and tonic. With clear liquor and cloudy eyes, you felt your confidence draining as the night wore on, no sign of The Winged Hero in sight. Did you go too far? Did you horribly misread last night’s events? Was he avoiding you?

You felt a pair of hands grip your hips, pulling you out of your daydream and realizing you had no idea where everyone else was. Your hand flew to your purse to grab your walkie-talkie.

“Don’t tell me you’re about to code-red me.” Your eyes immediately lit up as you turned around, too much alcohol in your system to play coy.

“You came!” Your hands excitedly drummed his chest. Your grin was infectious. He leaned in to make himself heard over the speakers.  

“Of course I did. Just took a while to find you, you’re pretty short.” His hot breath tickled your ear.

“You think I’m pretty?” you drawled, a lazy smile plastered on your face. The initial panic in his eyes softened as he realized your mistake. He didn’t have the heart to correct you, nor were you were wrong.

“That’s not what I – yeah… you’re pretty.” You pressed yourself up into him on tip toes, cupping a hand around his ear.

“Can I tell you a secret?” His heartbeat quickened, his own sobriety lacking along with his social filter. He should have shut it down, but instead he said:

“Always.”

“I – “

“Hey, watch it with those things.” His wings, again having a mind of their own, had inadvertently fluttered a drink out of a nearby patron’s hands - and he wasn’t happy about it. He was about to apologize, but you beat him to the response.

“Clearly it was an accident, why don’t you watch it you bitch-ass – ” On one hand, he thought it was very sexy how you tried to defend him. On the other, you were simply not threatening no matter how hard you tried and the last thing Hawks wanted right now was to ruin what felt like the most important moment of his life with a bar fight.

“I am very sorry sir, it was an accident. Feel free to use my tab the rest of the night,” he said to the man as he picked you up by your midsection and carried you away before you could finish the sentence. Even as you retreated, you continued your death glare towards the stranger who was left very confused.

Hawks placed you down in a corner where his wings and your sharp tongue hopefully wouldn’t cause any further disruptions. He leaned his back against the wall just to be safe.

“So do you usually go around starting bar fights?” he said with a smug smile.

“Me?! He started it and I was defending your honor,” you huffed, crossing your arms. “You’re welcome,” you said defiantly. To your dismay, the hero let out a hearty laugh. “Hey!”

“I’m sorry. You’re right, you were very scary,” he finally got out as his laughter slowed.  

“Don’t lie,” you pouted.

“It was really cute.” He was still laughing, but you were starting to sober up.

“I said don’t lie.” Your meek voice was barely audible in the still boisterous bar. His eyes softened at your hardened expression.

“I-I wasn’t.” He was suddenly very aware of your surroundings, which was next to the line starting to form by the bathrooms. Loud chit chatter and crying coming from the ladies’ room mixed with sound of someone audibly vomiting from the men’s room was not exactly how he pictured this going down. He took your hand and started walking again.

“Ugh, where are we going now? Our friends are still there,” you groaned. Friends. Why was that word so easy for you, yet rolled off his tongue like sand paper?

“We can go back inside in a minute, but I want to talk.” He’d led you out the backdoor of the bar. You looked around, clearly confused.

“Dude, what is happening?”

“I couldn’t hear you in there and we were next to the bathrooms.”

“So you dragged me out to an alleyway next to a literal dumpster. Got it.” He looked around just to check if you were correct, which unfortunately, you were.

You couldn’t be serious with each other if you tried. Snorts and stifled giggles filled the alley, overpowering the dull bass from inside.

“I guess I really know how to set the mood, huh.” He scratched the back of his head, admiring the scenery.

“I didn’t know there was a mood to be set.” Your tone was inquisitive, free of judgement. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on? You’ve been acting weird all night.”

Hawks took a deep breath, trying to gather his growing nerves. But he was a coward who’d rather fly into a burning building than share his feelings so he deflected.

“You said you were going to tell me a secret in there. What was it?”

Your felt your cheeks immediately burn. The liquid courage you had before was wearing off so you volleyed back.

“You have to tell me a secret first,” you said defensively. Hawks rolled his eyes.

“I’ve already told you two secrets tonight, you just weren’t paying attention.”

“Like wha- oh.” You brought a hand to your mouth to cover the audible gasp that left your lips. You wondered if Hawks was embarrassed. If he was, he hid it well under the guise of a knowing smirk. It was at that moment you noticed how his gilded eyes shone spectacularly under the dim glow of the nearby streetlamp. Perhaps the embarrassment, if any, was also pacified by how clearly flustered you were by the culmination of all that had transpired in the last 24 hours. You crossed your arms. “Well… I still need one more secret from you.”

“Wow, three for the price of one? Now you’re just overselling it.” He stopped teasing when he saw you pouting again. Not a playful pout, but the kind that made it look like you were about to break. He never thought of you as fragile before. He grabbed your hand, averting his gaze.

“You have to promise to keep it a secret, ok?” You nodded, squeezing his hand for reassurance.

“I promise.” He took a deep breath, finally gathering the courage to look you in the eyes again.

“Keigo.”

“What?”

“Keigo,” he said again. “Keigo Takami. That’s my real name.” Your eyes widened in horror realizing you’d made him compromise his own security. You frantically began scanning your surroundings for any unintentional witnesses. He grabbed your shoulders to steady you.

“Oh my god, Hawks, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to –“

“Shhhh it’s ok there’s no one else around. You didn’t force me, I want you to know. Please, call me Keigo.” He watched the rise and fall of your chest, trying to monitor your labored breathing. Again, this was not going as planned. Not that he really had a plan to begin with. But even if he did, causing you to go into cardiac arrest surely was not on the list. Your breath finally started to slow.

“Keigo,” you whispered, more to yourself than anyone else. You liked the way his name felt on your tongue, so you said it again. “Keigo.”

He tried to suppress a smile, watching how the corners of your lips tugged upwards. His hand, seemingly acting on its own, stroked your hair as he continued to sooth you.

“See, that wasn’t so bad,” which was another way to say he’d never heard a more beautiful sound in his life than his real name falling from your lips.

He tried to lighten the mood, not wanting to cause you any more distress than he already had over the course of the night.

“Not to brag, but this better be one hell of a secret ‘cause–“

He didn’t get to finish the sentence. You grabbed him by the collar to bring his lips to yours in a messy, fervent kiss that took his breath away but was over in the blink of an eye before he could act or process.  

You pushed him away slightly as you caught your breath, looking just as surprised as he was about the whole ordeal.   

“I-I’m sorry I should’ve asked –“

He crashed into you as he held both sides of your face, afraid you may float away if that beautiful mind of yours started to overthink as it often did. The force knocked you into the building behind you, but you didn’t mind. Wandering hands traveled over each other’s bodies, both eager to explore foreign skin. Your tongues danced in unison as you body tingled under his erratic touch, grabbing your arms, back, hips, waist, hair, whatever he could hold onto unable to stay in one place for long.

You couldn’t stop your own hands from feeling the muscles you’d watched from afar for so long, enjoying the ripple of his abs, the sturdiness of his chest, finally landing around his neck. You pulled him impossibly closer, spiteful of the little space that still separated you. His wings protectively caged around you, shielding any prying eyes from your compromising position.

In an extraordinary display of restraint he kept a hand on your ribcage, his fingers delicately ghosting the band of your bra over your clothes, his intent clear but never crossing boundaries. You smiled into the kiss deciding to take advantage of the new privacy as you placed your hand over his to guide it to its true destination. He let out a groan that reverberated against your lips as he squeezed the soft flesh under him, still in disbelief that he should be so lucky to experience all that had only existed in his imagination. He swallowed the soft moan you let out when he grazed his thumb over your sensitive nipple that peaked through the fabric of your top. You rolled your hips forward desperate for friction, and he eagerly returned the favor. You gasped at the feeling of his bulge against your pelvis, which you realized was the first time you’d come up for air since you locked lips.   

His mouth traveled down your neck until he found a sweet spot that made you squirm. Your hand also made its way south, but your path was halted by his calloused hand when you reached the waistband of his pants. Hawks might fuck you in an alleyway outside a bar, but Keigo wanted to build you the softest nest to lay you on because you deserved nothing less.

He nuzzled his face into the crook of you neck as his other hand drew little circles on the small of your back.

“Technically… that wasn’t a secret,” he whispered into your skin. Your chests rattled against one another as laughter escaped your lungs.

“You’re an ass,” you said through fits of giggles. He nipped a little more at your neck, encouraging you on. “If you’re going to make me say it… I wanted to kiss you. Tonight. And last night. And the day before that. And the week before that. And –“

He kissed you once more to cut you off, but this time it was sweet and soft. It made you feel calm and centered. So when he pulled away, you decided to share more.

“Can I tell you another secret?”

“If it’s anything like the first one, absolutely.” He brought your captured wrist to his mouth, leaving a trail of small kisses over your hand. Your heartbeat that finally started to slow picked right back up.

“I’ve never flown before.” You not-so-subtly glanced at his wings before looking back at him, eyebrow raised. He gave you a wicked grin.

“Yeah I can give you a ride little bird. Not to be presumptuous, but uh… your place or mine?” You pretended to think hard about the proposition.

“Hmm. I’d say appropriately-sumptuous, and… dealer’s choice.” Hawks had found his way to your neck again which made thinking straight quite difficult, but you persisted nonetheless. “Though… maybe we go back inside and table this for another hour. I feel bad leaving without saying goodbye.”

Hawks moved up the column of you neck until his breath was in your ear.

“I’m gonna go on a limb and say, I think it would make the birthday boy very happy if we didn’t.” Despite the blush that crept to your cheeks knowing you may be the subject of workplace gossip tomorrow, your core clenched in anticipation at his words. The hero could tell from your dazed expression that it was time to go. That was, at least, until the walkie-talkie in your purse went off again.

*beep* “Code blue, y/n where are you? Over.” *beep*

You could see his sails deflate when you pulled out the device, assuming once again that his plans were foiled. Not one to put up a fight, he moved towards the door to reunite with everyone. But you didn’t budge, squeezing his hand to hold him in place. He watched closely as your other hand brought the walkie-talkie to your mouth. The playful twinkle in your eyes told him all he needed to know.

“The eagle has landed in the nest. Over.” *beep*

[fanofflames]

Skeptic is so criminally underused in the Final War arc…

His quirk, Anthropomorph, is very similar to Twice’s… he can make puppets out of human-sized inanimate objects. In a war-torn Japan, where most have evacuated their homes, Skeptic would have nearly infinite material to work with. Rubble, fridges, desks, bookcases, mattresses, etc… everywhere.

The heroes were scared of Twice? Imagine how scary Skeptic could be… It seems his quirk doesn’t have a measurement requirement and with his hacking skills, he could probably produce a puppet of whoever he wants. The biggest drawback? How many he could control and the durability of his puppets.

He seems to be capable of controlling at least 10 puppets at a time, if his Twice puppets are any indication. However, it seems he can give direct or indirect commands to his puppets, meaning he might be able to give general commands to a much larger multitude of puppets using the comms and video system.

Skeptic could have potentially produced an army for the League, tricked the heroes into believing Twice was still alive, or even made puppets of Toga, Dabi, and Shigaraki to confuse the heroes.

Heck, depending on his limitations, he might be able to make Nomu puppets and/or have his puppets receive quirks from All for One.

Plus, Skeptic uses psychological warfare. Imagine puppets of young Touya attacking Endeavor, using family members of other heroes, or even confusing the heroes with puppets of each other.

Better yet, his puppets could have gone and freed the imprisoned Meta Liberation Army, and Mr. Compress, while the majority of the heroes were fighting against the villains.

He might not be Twice, but I’m surprised AFO didn’t incorporate Skeptic’s quirk into their battle.

[queenofcandynsoda]

The King and Queen of Villains

(Art by @jknerd)

This belongs to the Villain Nurse Deku AU, at the end of the Meta Liberation Army Arc.

Tomura becomes the Grand Commander of the Paranormal Liberation Front and Izuka becomes his Queen and soon-to-be mother of their child.

Yeah, we took some inspiration from @mamadonovan's Queen of the Underworld. It is an excellent fic and I highly recommend it.

[everytsuyuasui]

Chapter 222 ~ Tomura Shigaraki:Distortion

[stillness-in-green]

Counting Cliffhangers: The Heroes Are Not the Underdogs in BNHA's War Arcs

(Being a project to tally up which side, if either, of Team Hero or Team Villain is "on top" at the end of each chapter in the war arcs, in consideration of the impact of the overall totals. This is one of those mega-long list posts; do not click the Expand/Read More unless you're prepared for a lot of reading and/or scrolling.)

One of the things that bothered me throughout both of the war arcs was the persistent sense that, for all that the manga was trying very hard to convince me that the Heroes were up against the wall and really having to give it everything they had, I never really felt that level of danger.  Of course, one always expects a degree of that—it’s not as though any sensible reader would really think this manga could end with the Villains winning!—but the problem went beyond that.  Expecting that the protagonist will win out in the end is the standard, after all, but good stories still find ways to keep readers engaged and believing in the stakes.

So why didn’t I?  I certainly believed in the stakes for the Villains—Twice’s death happens very early in the first war, and it sets the stakes quite clearly!  Was it just the difference between my own engagement with the Villains compared to the Heroes?  That didn’t seem quite right—even if I cared about one side for more than the other, it shouldn’t have been the case that that affection alone was skewing my suspension of disbelief about the dangers faced by the Heroes.  The threat posed to Midnight certainly seemed real enough, as was also the case for the Heroes left trampled in Gigantomachia’s wake, like Gang Orca and Fatgum.  As I’ve had to tell the occasional asker here before, just because I don’t particularly care about a character doesn’t mean I become incapable of evaluating their story beats!

What was the problem, then?  Why did the dangers to the Villains seem so desperately real, while the dangers to the Heroes, for the most part, just had me rolling my eyes and waiting for the next asspull that would save them?

I think there are two primary factors.  The first and biggest factor is simply baked into the worldbuilding and the decisions made in the writing: the sides are poorly matched.  I’m not going to go into all of that here, but as a thought exercise, go through the arcs of the story that contain active conflict and consider which side has the advantage in each of the following categories: individual combatant quality (stuff like raw power, endurance, and training/experience to improve upon their inherent capabilities), equipment quality, information about the opponent, ability to set the terms of engagement, and raw numbers of warm bodies to throw at a fight. 

By my measure, much of the early confrontations in BNHA work because these advantages are divided evenly between the Heroes and Villains.  Likewise, My Villain Academia is so gripping because the Meta Liberation Army has virtually every advantage over the League, making the League really and truly feel like the underdogs in the fight.  Conversely, the Heroes are the ones with virtually every advantage in the war arcs,[1] meaning they cannot convincingly be the underdogs the story so desperately wants us to believe they are.

1:  I swear I’m not going to go into all of it, at least not in this post, but to be very brief, I think the only advantages the Villains could even kind of claim during the war arcs are numbers and combatant quality.  The numbers advantage is mostly illusory; the PLF are leveled in the cursory mass arrest of the first war and, despite repeated insistence otherwise, the only place where the Villains’ numbers are a true threat in the second war is at the hospital attack, where said numbers consist chiefly of untrained and easily swayed civilians in a battle it’s desperately unclear why the Heroes allowed to take place at all.  The quality advantage, meanwhile, is heavily concentrated in only a handful of hard-hitting, A-to-S-rank threats on the Villains’ side, while the Heroes maintain clear quality supremacy in rank-and-file or side character battles.

The other factor, and the one this post concerns, is the structure of the chapters themselves, to wit, the way that they end.  In a serialized story being published and read week to week, each installment’s ending is a crucial factor in the story’s overall tone.  What happens on the last page is a major factor in the impact each chapter makes, the feeling the reader is left with while they wait for the next part.  If the intent, therefore, is for the Heroes to feel threatened, pushed to the very edge of their endurance, then a very basic thing needs to be observed: don’t end every fucking chapter with the Heroes having the fucking advantage.

I’m so serious here, guys.  It’s not that the Villains never have the advantage, never get twists or reveals or reinforcements that turn the tide of the battle in their favor.  It’s that, by and large, those advantages come in the middle of chapters, while the Heroes’ twists and reveals and reinforcements get the benefit of being at the end of chapters, so the dominant feeling—the side that’s left wildly cheering for their “team” at the end of the week—is usually the Heroes.  While it’s possible that the impression left is different when reading the story in volume form,[2] when reading week to week, that imbalance critically damages the story’s ability to portray the desperation and strain of the Heroes’ struggle.

2: Having not read the arcs in this fashion, I couldn't say. Obviously I don't know how a volume-only reader would experience this aspect of the story, but even reading (or rereading) a bunch of chapters all in one go online suffers from some impaired momentum between chapters by having to specifically navigate to the next chapter webpage and wait for it to load rather than just being able to turn pages freely.

That, in any case, was my thesis when I first started this count, listing which side has the upper hand at the end of each chapter of the two war arcs, as well as the total overall.  With the second war arc finally having ended, I figured I’d go ahead and post my results. 

Hit the jump!

For each arc, I started counting at the chapter where active conflict breaks out, including as a dramatic end cliffhanger.  Thus, for the first war, I didn’t start in Chapter 258, where the groups are still gathering, but rather in Chapter 259, when the forward momentum begins and the first Villain (Ujiko) is confronted.  Likewise, the second war count begins with Chapter 343, when the armies confront each other.  The counts end with the last chapter containing active Hero/Villain conflict rather than narrated montage.  Thus, the first war ends in 295, when AFO and the League flee the field, not in 296 with the looming threat of the long-awaited jailbreak.  The second war ends with Deku’s weather-clearing fist in 423.

My basic categories are Hero Advantage, Villain Advantage, and Neither.  Fake-outs are categorized as they are perceived in the moment of reading them, not as they read in retrospect.  Further, I do not categorize based on the overall tenor of the chapter, but only the impact of the final page.  This is by nature somewhat subjective, but I’ve done my best to call them as I think they’re meant to be read.

What is the feeling the reader takes with them into the next chapter?  Excitement for the heroes?  Dismay and fear?  A simmering tension?  Which side, if either, got the HELL YEAH HELL YEAH fist-pump?  If there's a relative clear answer, I'll call it for one side of the other; chapters that end with no particular new reveals, arrivals, power-ups, or other such shifts in the tides with be called as neither.

Finally, for ease of tracking and reading, my tallies and accompanying brief explanations are separated by volume. I'll provide totals for each category at the end of each volume, and full totals, as well as a total count for which category the volumes end in, at the end of the arcs. Final counts and commentary will close the post.

Let's get started.

FIRST WAR ARC

Volume 27: 259: Hero Advantage.  Endeavor and company confront (apparently) Ujiko, catching him completely flat-footed.

260: Hero.  Mirko crashes into Ujiko’s lab, to his horror, and kills John-chan in doing so.

261: Neither.  Mirko and the High Ends square up for their Round 2.

262: Hero.  The Villa gets cracked open like an egg, catching its inhabitants entirely off-guard.

263: Hero.  If they were on more level footing, I’d call this Neither, but given the positions Hawks and Twice end the chapter in, and the clear difference in emotional preparedness, this one goes to the Heroes.

264: Neither.  The Hawks/Twice fight continues inconclusively; Dabi is revealed to be on his way, but has not yet arrived on-scene to affect any changes.

265: Villain.  Dabi makes a strong and, for Hawks, unexpected entrance, pinning Hawks beneath his boot.

266: Neither.  Twice dies, which is a huge hit to the Villains, but the narrative sympathy is so clearly with Twice and Toga that it’s impossible to describe the chapter as ending on a fist-pumping note for anyone.

267: Hero.  Doubly so, as Endeavor and Tokoyami both show up to intervene in fights that were about to go to the villains, but we'll be fair and only count it as one anyway.

                   Heroes 5 | Villains 1 | Neither 3 | Total 9     

Volume 28: 268: Neither.  Basement action.  The tube gets cracked; Aizawa and Mic are told not to let Shigaraki wake up.  Nothing conclusive.

269: Hero Advantage.  Literally ends with Ujiko wailing that the Lord of Evil’s dream is over.

270: Villain.  It ends with Deku getting a warning about Shigaraki, which makes it a bit borderline, but Shigaraki being awake at all has to count for the Villains.

271: Villain.  Gigantomachia stands up.

272: Neither.  The kids start rallying against the Decay wave.  Deku gets a new move that doesn’t seem like it should have any effect but is played as being effective.  Shigaraki’s Decay wave is being monstrously effective, even apocalyptic, but the tone of the last page is ambiguous.

273: Neither.  Shigaraki faces off with Endeavor.  Both are known factors on this field of battle.

274: Neither.  Deku is on the move in hopes of leading Shigaraki to a more deserted area.

275: Hero.  Aizawa arrives at the Shigaraki fight, locking down his quirk use.

276: Hero.  Deku and Bakugou arrive in time to save Aizawa from what likely would have been the same kind of blow that will later cost him his eye.

                   Heroes 3 | Villains 2 | Neither 4 | Total 9     

Volume 29: 277: Neither.  Mount Lady attempts to stop Gigantomachia.  Results inconclusive; both known factors.

278: Neither.  Leans a bit Hero side because it’s Momo dramatically getting her head on straight, but it’s really just more preparations for a face-off.

279: Hero Advantage.  The League is getting swarmed and Mina is on the brink of delivering what’s framed as a knock-out blow to Machia.

280: Neither.  Shigaraki laboriously gathers himself, preparing to monologue.

281: Villain.  Shigaraki readies a quirk-destroying bullet with Aizawa’s name on it.

282: Villain.  Gigantomachia, who is very much not knocked out,  looms over an unsuspecting city.

283: Hero.  Deku negates the (immediate) danger of Decay by activating Float.

284: Hero.  Deku lands a full-power blow on Shigaraki, who’s been largely unable to fend him off in the air.

285: Villain.  It pains me to grant this because I knew good and well Bakugou would be completely fine.  But he is a major combatant and face for the Hero side and this is clearly intended to look like it will take him out, at least for the fight.

                   Heroes 3 | Villains 3 | Neither 3 | Total 9     

Volume 30: 286: Hero Advantage.  The action moves to the vestige realm.  Very borderline, but Nana’s words are definitive: “Let us handle this.”  The implication is very much that there’s no need to fear because the vestiges have got this.

287: Neither.  Chapter ends with Toga reflecting on heroes and the weight they give to the lives of Villains.  Could represent a major turning point for Toga, but it’s still soft-pedaled by making that turning point dependent on a Hero’s yet-unspoken words.

288: Neither.  Chapter ends mid-dialogue in the Toga/Ochaco fight.

289: Villain.  Machia and his passengers arrive.

290: Villain.  A little borderline because the actual very last panel is the plane containing Best Jeanist, but the audience doesn’t know that yet, and the bulk of the final page is dedicated the devastation of the Touya Reveal, so I have to give this one to them.

291: Hero.  Best Jeanist arrives.

292: Hero.  Mirio arrives with his quirk restored.

293: Hero.  Machia goes down because the sedative finally kicks in.

294: Villain.  Mr. Compress backstory reveal and big escape moment.

295: Neither.  The battle ends save for the wrap-up.  The villains are neither victorious nor defeated.

                   Heroes 4 | Villains 3 | Neither 3 | Total 10

FIRST WAR TOTAL: Heroes 15 | Villains 9 | Neither 13 | Total 37 Volume End Advantage Count: Heroes 2  |  Villains 1  |  Neither 1

                       

SECOND WAR ARC

Volume 35: 343: Hero Advantage.  The Heroes counter AFO’s army by “unexpectedly” whipping out their own via Warp Gate.

344: Hero.  The Heroes take the offensive and split up the villains’ army.

345: Villain.  Toga lassos Deku through a gate, separating him from the field he’s supposed to be on.

346: Villain.  The beginning of Fingervetr.

347: Neither.  Borderline because it’s a big dramatic page of Toga, but it’s more conversational then confrontational to me, and isn’t revealing anything particularly new.

348: Neither.  Deku flees the island, leaving Toga to Ochaco.

349: Neither.  Dabi gears up to provide the answers Shouto has specifically asked for.

350: Neither.  Dabi’s coming on strong, but Shouto remains undaunted.  I’d give it to the Villains if the last page were Dabi liquidating the All Might statue, though.

                   Heroes 2 | Villains 2 | Neither 4 | Total 8                    

Volume 36: 351: Hero Advantage.  Shouto unleashes Phosphor.

352: Hero.  Shouto appears to beat Dabi.

353: Neither.  AFO is talking a lot, but not about anything groundbreaking.

354: Neither.  AFO and Jirou exchange smacktalk.

355: Hero.  Hawks and Jirou combine efforts to break AFO’s mask.

356: Neither.  Endeavor has a big moment, but AFO gets his hands up in time to block and is still shown intact at the end of the chapter.  Borderline, but I’d say not quite definitive enough to qualify it for the hero side.

357: Villain.  AFO regenerates.  A little borderline because it actually ends with Deku, and the approach of what I guessed at the time were the American jets, but I think it’s a similar enough scenario as the end of Chapter 270 to call it for the Villains as well.

358: Neither.  No impact from the Hero attack leaves it a little unclear how much effect it will have, and a new attack is not a big enough game changer for me to really count it even unproven.  It’d be easy to call it for the Heroes, though.

359: Hero.  Return of the Big Three.

360: Hero.  Bakugou’s in rough shape, but there’s a hint that he’s noticed something important, which could foreshadow a change in the tides of the battle.

361: Hero.  Suneater’s Chimera Cannon, which certainly looks incredibly hype and impressive in the moment.

362: Villain.  Bakugou’s “death.”

                   Heroes 6 | Villains 2 | Neither 4 | Total 12                    

Volume 37: 363: Villain Advantage.  AFO finishes regenerating; full face reveal.

364: Hero.  The impossibly moronic Edgeshot-as-Bakugou’s-heart business.  Not conclusive, but it steals one of the Villains’ victories out from under from them.

365: Villain.  A shift in Inner Tenko’s emotional state heralds Shigaraki’s next form.

366: Hero.  Deku arrives at the Sky Coffin.

367: Neither.  Deku attempts conversation to ask about Shigaraki’s status.

368: Hero.  Deku lands a full-power hit on ShigAFO while Yoichi talks to his big brother about letting this being the day that their battle ends.

369: Villain.  A scene change to Spinner that’s timed in such a way that it could really only foreshadow Spinner’s victory.

370: Neither.  It’s very close to a Hero call, but mostly what Shouji’s doing is shaking off mundane attackers and making a dramatic proclamation.  Not quite enough direct impact for an end-of-chapter Hero Advantage.

371: Neither.  Even closer than the last one, but neither blow the kids are gearing up for actually connect on-page.  I wouldn’t fault anyone who called it for the Heroes, though.

372: Neither.  An extremely effective cliffhanger, for once, as Spinner and Mic call out to Kurogiri simultaneously.

373: Villain.  Kurogiri gets up, calling himself the protector of Shigaraki Tomura.

374: Villain.  Toga deploys Sad Man’s Death Parade; Hawks proves he hasn’t learned jack shit from the last time he faced this question.

                   Heroes 3 | Villains 5 | Neither 4 | Total 12                    

Volume 38: 375: Hero Advantage.  Toga’s narrative-destined rival manages to follow her off the island and to the Villa ruins.  Close to a Neither call.

376: Neither.  Setting up a Dabi/Endeavor clash with Endeavor not caught on the back foot.

377: Hero.  Return of La Brava.

378: Hero.  Return of Lady Nagant.

379: Neither.  Sets up a reengaged clash between Shigaraki and Deku.

380: Hero.  Arrival of Shiketsu.

381: Hero.  Tokoyami lands a blow that AFO is explicitly afraid to get hit with.

382: Hero.  Shinsou and Kirishima arrive with a brainwashed Gigantomachia.

383: Neither.  Reiterates that AFO is in trouble, but it’s not new information, and the choppers coming in at the very end are an unpredictable element.

384: Hero.  The choppers are full of Hero-supporting journalists here to tell the world how incredibly hard-working and earnest and admirable Heroes are.  Gag.

385: Neither.  AFO’s belated but impressive show of force gets dampened somewhat by the Heroes refusing to give in, and even getting one of their number back.  It’s back and forth, but Stain really tips it for good over to a neutral chapter ending.  While he’s obviously not aligned with the Villains, he’s far too murderous to chalk him up as a Hero yet, either, especially on-scene watching two kids he tried to kill last time he saw them.

386: Hero.  All Might gets a cool robot suit and the last-page chapter title drop references his iconic catchphrase.

                   Heroes 8 | Villains 0 | Neither 4 | Total 12                    

Volume 39: 387: Hero Advantage.  Rei is, of course, a civilian, not a hero, but she’s clearly aligned on the Team Good Guy, so I have to give it to them.  It’s not a hill I’d die on, however, particularly with the very last panel being the flashback to Touya emphasizing Rei’s culpability.

388: Neither.  What a nice vision of hell as everyone burns to death, including Dabi.  If I gave it to anyone, I’d lean Villain, because it’s certainly more in line with what Dabi wants—what he’s always wanted.  But in terms of impact on the reader, it certainly isn’t going to get anyone whooping and cheering for the Villains.

389: Neither.  It’s a good last few pages of Shouto and Iida, but the reader already knows they’re on their way, so it’s not a pleasant surprise to see them enroute.  The fact that they are still enroute rather than dramatically arriving to save the day keeps this from being a full Hero moment ending.

390: Neither.  Teasing more of the fight between Toga and Uraraka, but no sudden turns, new elements, or grand statements on either side.

391: Neither.  Ongoing fight; while Ochaco gets the stirring line, the actual last page is Toga lashing out.

392: Villain.  While I’m loathe to give it to them on the basis of an injury I was not for one second actually worried about, the chapter does end with Toga putting a knife into Uraraka’s gut and a flashback to Twice asking Toga about a Villain name.  A clear Villain-upper-hand ending.

393: Hero.  Ochaco comes through with flying colors, getting a quirk awakening and making Toga an offer she’s dreamed of her whole life.

394: BOTH.  For literally the first time in this whole count, I can’t count this against either side.  If pressed, I’d call it a Hero win, but it’s a win because it validates both sides.

395: Neither.  Sorry, gang.  I’m utterly incapable of calling this one in an unbiased way.  It’s an all-too-real death scare for Toga and, regardless of how happy she is in the moment, I can’t call her potential death a victory.  But since Ochaco obviously feels the same, it’s not a Hero win, either.

396: Hero.  And get ready, ‘cause there're about to be a whole lot of them.  Good god, but I hate this All Mech sequence.

397: Neither.  Ongoing battle, no major tides turning in the final page.

398: Neither.  As above.

                   Heroes 3 | Villains 1 | Neither 7 | Both 1 | Total 12                    

Volume 40: 399: Hero Advantage.  The big turn-around with Aoyama, with All Might dropping the Aoyama-themed laser of AFO.

400: Hero.  Stain’s return.  Stain’s a Villain himself, but far too aligned with Hero orthodoxy for me to count him returning to help All Might as anything but a Hero-side victory.

401: Neither.  All Might’s still kicking, AFO is within range of Shigaraki, but nothing decisive deployed on the final page.

402: Neither.  To all appearances, All Might continues to shovel more battle damage onto AFO.  There’s a death threat in the explosion, one I don’t think I took very seriously at the time, though plenty of others did.  Left to my own devices, I’d call it for Team Hero, but I’ll err on the side of restraint and call it a hero equivalent of Toga’s death threat.

403: Hero.  Unequivocal Hero victory—Bakugou’s back up.

404: Hero.  Saving All Might with the literal power of prayer.

405: Hero.  If I wanted to be snide, I’d point out that Final Boss is definitionally a Villain role, so Bakugou enthusiastically claiming it for himself implicates Heroes as having been the Villains all along, while the Villains are the clear heroic underdogs struggling against a corrupt, violent system.  But that’s just my bitterness making me perverse; this is a clear Hero victory.

406: Neither.  Exchanging of smack talk, Bakugou gets a good but not definitive hit in.

407: Neither.  AFO’s flashback ends with one of the most crushing emotional defeats of his life, but you can hardly call AFO slice-and-dicing Yoichi a Hero win, either.

408: Neither.  AFO’s going all-out, but Bakugou remains undaunted.

409: Hero.  AFO’s effective defeat at Bakugou’s hands.  Yoichi’s regretful glance is not enough to shift the needle.

410: Villain.  Shigaraki does what the narrative has long been warning that he can and steals a portion of One For All, grabbing Danger Sense for himself and stealing Shinomori from the OFA collective.

                   Heroes 6 | Villains 1 | Neither 5 | Total 12                    

Volume 41: 411: Neither.  Deku’s readying an offensive that gives Shigaraki lots of Danger Sense tinglies, but nothing definitive.

412: Neither.  The temptation is strong to call this for the Hero side, as it’s the moment Kudou formulates the plan that will soon be leading to Shigaraki’s ultimate defeat, but the caveat that the plan requires losing One For All kiboshes that feeling very triumphant.

413: Hero.  There’s some nominal sadness for Deku gearing up to lose OFA, but the tone here is much more about how great and awesome Deku is for being willing to do it, on top of how incredibly fucking rad the art plainly wants us to think that he looks.

414: Hero.  I’d normally call it Neither for lacking new elements or definitive actions, but I have to acknowledge the sheer disparity between, on the one hand, the vestiges telling Deku that it’s working and to keep going as Deku gears up to unleash another punch while, on the other hand, all Shigaraki can manage is huddling in on himself and choking out a few pained grunts.

415: Neither.  Borderline in that Eri is a clear Hero-side ally with an absolutely game-changing power, but the truth is that she’s at U.A. with no immediately clear way to make it to the battle even if anyone were to let her go, so it’s not too different from any other chapter that ended with a major player en route but not yet arriving.

416: Hero.  Deku finally breaks into Shigaraki’s inner mind, over Shigaraki’s protestations.

417: Neither.  Deku and Nana make a major breakthrough, but Shigaraki’s backstory yet has terrible bombs to drop.  I can’t call it a Villain advantage, though, because it’s still stuff Shigaraki very much does not want Deku meddling with.

418: Villain.  AFO returns yet again, spoiling Deku’s hard-won moment of equilibrium and understanding with Shigaraki.

419: Hero.  We can’t even get a week to savor/freak out over Deku losing his arms because the actual last beat of the chapter is Aizawa bringing in a pair of classmates via Kurogiri’s warp gate, suggesting (albeit inaccurately) that Kurogiri has settled as a Hero ally.

420: Hero.  More of the above and Deku gets his arms back after a world-shakingly relevant and momentous chapter and a half.

421: Hero.  All around Hero support, now including from civilians too.

422: Hero.  More of the above and now Deku’s punching Shigaraki at the end of it under a chapter title of Midoriya Izuku Rising.

423: Hero.  Deku’s triumphantly raised fist clears storm clouds, changes the weather, and kills the man he was trying to save.  This is framed as a victory anyway.

                   Heroes 8 | Villains 1 | Neither 4 | Total 13

SECOND WAR TOTAL: Heroes 36 | Villains 12 | Neither 32 | BOTH 1 | Total 81 Volume Count Total: Heroes 2 | Villains 3 | Neither 2

                   

TOTAL CHAPTER COUNT FOR BOTH WAR ARCS: 118 CHAPTERS Final Page Hero Advantage: 51 Final Page Villain Advantage: 21 Final Page Neither: 45 Final Page Both: 1

Total Volume Count: 11 Volumes Last Page Hero Advantage: 4 Last Page Villain Advantage: 4 Last Page Neither: 3

---------------------

Now, you could (and I might) write a whole different post about the unbalanced strategic advantages that I discussed at the beginning of the post, but I think this breakdown also serves to illustrate the scope of the problem with raw numbers (percentages rounded off a bit such that they total to neat 100s).

In the first war, 40.5% of the chapters end with the Heroes on the upswing, 35% have no clear advantage, and only 24.5% end with the Villains waxing triumphant. Despite Hawks reflecting at the end of My Villain Academia about how the Paranormal Liberation Front was a power on par with, or possibly even greater than, that of Hero Society, the numbers don't really back that up. Instead, Heroes have the advantage over half again as often as Villains do, and even the uncertain chapters are still more numerous.

The second war is worse—much worse. Hero Advantage chapters account for nearly half of the arc at 44.5%, while chapters where Neither side clears account for the bulk of the remaining chapters at 39.5%. Only 15% of the chapters, well under a quarter, are Villain Advantage. For an endgame that wants to be about "saving Villains," only one single chapter (1%) ends with something you could credibly call both sides winning.

Now, of course, the second war is the climax of the whole series, so of you might say that of course the Heroes are going to ultimately do better. They have to win in the end, after all, so of course the arc will eventually feature mostly Hero victories.

I would counter that, while that is true, the story repeatedly tries to convince us that the Heroes are really struggling, that they've lost so many people, that they're at this huge disadvantage that neccessitates the extreme measures they use. And the numbers simply don't back that up, even less than they did in the first war!

If you look at the totals for each volume, Heroes have a wild advantage in two of the first four volumes (the arc is seven volumes in total), numbers the Villains never come close to meeting. There's one volume (the third, Volume 37) where they have the majority of the chapter-ending advantages, and even there, it's a narrow margin. Volume 38 is then a blow-out with not a single Villain Advantage chapter cliffhanger in the whole book, and in the final three volumes of the arc, the Villains get exactly one Advantage chapter per volume.

Not very convincing numbers, if the aim is to convince the reader of how much Plus Extra effort the Heroes are going to have to exert, if you ask me!

Between them, Hero Advantage and Neither chapters make up a shocking 81% of the two war arcs, with merely 18%, less than fifth, of the chapters ending on Villain Advantage beats that could serve to freshly drum up, "Our heroes are really in trouble now!" anxiety.

Looking back to what I said about the Heroes having the bulk of the strategic advantages for both arcs, that surely can't be all that surprising. You can't expect a set-up that slanted to leave much room at all for Villains to get time to shine; they simply don't have the room in the story for that when, for everything they try, the Heroes already have some countermeasure.

As a final comparison, remember I praised MVA back at the start for being gripping in large part because the "Heroes" of that arc, the League of Villains, were at such a disadvantage?

I briefly ran the numbers there, and I'd say, of nineteen chapters that contain active confrontation of some sort between the League and an antagonistic force (Gigantomachia, Ujiko, and the MLA), the League have the chapter-ending advantage beat in four of those chapters: Toga's victory in 226, Twice overcoming his mental block and starting to replicate himself in 229, and the two chapters covering Shigaraki's ultimate victory over Re-Destro, 238 and 239. That's a grand total of 20% "Hero" Advantage chapters for them, and half of those are the arc climax chapters.

The "Villains" for the arc likewise have the ending advantage in 20% of the arc, four chapters: Machia having comprehensively whipped the League at the end of 419, RD making the League an offer they can't refuse in 223, Skeptic pushing all of Twice's buttons in 228, and RD plucking off Shigaraki's fingers in 233.

The remaining eleven chapters—60%—go to the Neither category. Compare that back to the percentages for the war arcs, and you can see that, while the Villain Advantage percentage is similar (~5% higher in the first war and likewise lower in the second), the Hero Advantage is twice the percentage (40+%) in both arcs, while the Neither chapters are accordingly lower (the war arcs are 35% and ~40% Neither respectively).

In other words, the Heroes in the war arcs just straight-up have more chapter-ending awesome moments and reveals, and spend less time facing chapter-ending uncertainty, compared to not just the Villains they're fighting in those arcs, but also compared to what those same Villains got when they were being Heroes for an arc.

And to think, Horikoshi wants me to think his Heroes are being challenged. Pull the other one, Sensei; it's got bells on.

(I welcome anyone else to run similar numbers with e.g. the trainng camp attack or the Hassaikai base raid. For myself, I'm too sleepy to figure out a better ending for this post, so I'm just turning out the lights and hitting the sack. Sorry if there's any formatting wigginess or the closing analysis is lacking; I will clean it up later if need be.)

[salvagesmha]

The Curious Case of the Jailbreakers

In MHA, the concept of villain organizations having sub-groups or elite squads is nothing new in concept (albeit it rarely is it committed to for too long). For the League of Villains, they had their Vanguard Action Squad. The Shie Hassaikai, they had the Eight Bullets. For the Paranormal Liberation Front/Meta Liberation Army, they had their Base Commanders turned PLF Advisors. Lastly for All For One's army of Villains, he has his Assassins better known as just the Jailbreakers...

Who I think probably has earned the title of the most nothing group during the story's time span. Which is pretty impressive in hindsight.

(Hey, you see this group of clearly seven people - one's in the back of the dialogue box - right? Keep this group shot in mind)

So who are the Jailbreakers?

The Jailbreakers are a group of...eight(?)ish Tartartus Villains that AFO recruited for the purpose of defeating Deku to bring to him (hence them also being called his hired guns or assassins...even if the latter isn't really correct).

On paper, this is a set-up for an interesting premise as the Dark Deku arc, on paper, is also supposed to show Deku trying to reach out to better understand why people become Villains and to at least try to see if they can be reasoned with. The story also established Tartarus to be a place which has numerous human rights violations. So already you can see the potential brewing for a potential sympathetic angle for some of them. If not that, then at least it should be easy to get invested in knowing former convicts are loose and, given their location, are likely immensely strong and provide some backstory to Hero Society as well.......right?

Well........kind of? Of the two, the former was kinda the most realized...sorta? Not really.

Of the Jailbreakers, Lady Nagant easily holds the title of being the most developed of the eight(?) and most thought out of. She's the one that shows the dark side of the HSPC, its corrupt measures to keep society ignorant of issues that could threaten its image. She's the Villain that Deku manages to reach out to sway back to good. She gets her redemption in the Final War. Sounds good...on paper (again XD).

But, in practice, as much as I like Nagant and what she offers, it's still plagued by rushing her introduction and reform stint in a few chapters, and then leaving her comatose up until the final battle. She's in and out of the story just like that. What should have been foreshadowed long ago, and taken its time to really let simmer, is just suffering under a story going too fast to really want to let her stick around.

Yet, that's still way better than what her comrades got - because, wow, did the Jailbreakers run into trouble before Nagant was finised.

Starting with this damning line right here from Hawks:

From the start we're told by Hawks the Analyst that because Deku has One For All, the other escaped cons besides Nagant should be no trouble.

This right here is the start of the Nothingness of the Jailbreakers. Before we even get to see anyone else besides Nagant, a flashback says that we shouldn't be concerned if one of them runs into Deku. That sentence along along is the most damning thing one should never say in regards to a group that hasn't properly debuted.

It is a writing sin, one that makes any attempt at hyping up future villains go to waste! Because, from the very start, you got it into the audience's head that these guys are no real theat. No big deal, because Hawks the Powerscaler said so. Trading out 7ish potential for one who, admittedly, is still not given the best of their treatment is very much a bad call.

This is actually pretty strange for MHA, since Horikoshi actually got it right concerning the other three squads...for the most part XD The Vanguard he made note that these guys were 'elite' compared to the jobbers of USJ, Eight Bullets were noted to be threatening since they had nothing to lose, the Advisors (as much as the story dropped the ball with them) at least had Hawks the Tier King to say they're stronger than average. All three had the story giving an effort to build intrigue and expectation for these guys...things squandered for the Jailbreakers in favor of just one of their number. It's a strange choice, but its pretty much the start of a losing battle for the rest.

And it really doesn't get better for them since after Nagant, do you know what happens to the other two?

Yeah, no, for both the anime and manga, they just get one appearance. That's it. No real showcasing of their powers, no names, any reason as to why they worked for AFO, no real personality either. They're just...footnotes. It doesn't help both get done dirty in different ways. Gangster Fang guy gets caught no problem off-screen to really hammer in the protagonist can't be touched (which...is just a decision I never agree with - decimates the stakes for the story).

King Sharkman isn't even shown defeated. From manga to anime, he just that one still frame (Bones for S5-6 REALLY did not care consistency/extra effort with the Villains, especially the minor ones and it shows). You probably wouldn't even knew they were Jailbreakers were it not for Hawks giving the almighty report that they were enemies sent by AFO.

It's one thing for have dialogue to say these Villains won't be much, it is a very different thing to reinforce that idea. So with these showings, it's now officially solidified in the audience's mind that these guys are nothing special. Which, again, is a bad thing to be doing for your series, especially when you're in the final act and need credible villains to face (which wouldn't be an issue if over half of the credible villains from the First War wasn't shelved, but...that's a topic for another day).

Dictator, the 4th hitman, isn't much better. Sure he has an actual personality, and a cool power, with the bonus of actually using his moves intelligently (with the whole meat shield trick) and providing a boost for Crust post-mortem. But, like with the other two he suffers a lesser case of being disposed of too quickly. He's OHKO'd by Bakugo and only brought up in passing afterword. Arrived too late and gone too quick.

After that, there's a lull since Deku is saved by Class A. By now, you might think, if you haven't completely written off the Jailbreakers by this point, you would have noticed that, after Nagant, there were three of the seven(?) that went down, right? So four to go right?

...

Yeah, now here's the fun part.

???? Who the Hell are two of them?! There are clearly two extras off to the side, so what gives? Weeeelll...just forget about them.

Unfortunately, they're two things that just...don't get resolved by the end of the story. There's six of them here, Hori likely had some original plan that involved six Jailbreakers all getting stomped out during the War...but I guess he just couldn't find room to add in the two......

Okay, scratch that.

He couldn't find the room to add in four, because aside from the namedropped Kunieda and Gashly, no other Jailbreakers either appears or gets focused on, in the manga that is at the time of this writing. Despite clearly showing at least two others on the level of Gashly...they just are not shown off. This especially goes for the Dreadlock Jailbreaker that you would clearly see as being constantly in shot and is likely this guy below.

He was sent to Gunga, we see him at the start...and doesn't appear again. It's utterly bizarre and that's not even getting into the person next to him whose so vague we can't make out any real details.

But, hey, this is just the manga. Perhaps the anime makes things clearer, right?

Nope.

Instead of six Jailbreakers...they just reduced it five, even though we can blatantly see six in the original panels. On the flipside, without the text we get a better view of Kunieda, Gashly, 'Spike' (for lack of better name - also we now know his Quirk) and two of the other enemies. One is apparently bald and next to Spike, so I assume they are on the Gunga battlefield (they're the ones next to Spike in the first manga panel so the anime thought to add them back in)? As for the cloak one...yeah got nothing. I hope the anime does something with them, but if they don't won't be surprised.

But why get hung up on this?

Well, because the story now wants them to be considered important. As the 'wild card' factor that could make their attempts to stop the Villains be in danger. Or rather, it wants Kunieda and Gashly to be important (since Hori made 3/4 others that just...don't get to be shown off - still better than the Advisors situation mind you).

The problem is that the damage was both already done on top of other factors.

Like I said before, up until the 2nd War, after Nagant, the Jailbreakers were treated like a breeze to get through by Deku or Class A. Meaning their threat level is nonexistent in spite of Johnny Average saying otherwise.

Another downside to the Jailbreakers is that, unlike the other Squads in MHA, Hori was really dead set on not showing off their designs until their focus chapter. Meaning, unlike the Advisors or Eight Bullets who we can at least speculate or gain intrigue from based on their looks, speculation or potential hype for the Breakers is dead in the water since 'vague shadows' is not enough to work off of.

Even when they do show up, its not really to the story's real benefit since the focus is hardly ever on them, even as the War is under way. No one is really expecting much from them, and the story is still going along with making sure that notion isn't really defied.

And it's just sad because, when the story does focus on them, it shows a great layer of promise for what could have been.

Kunieda is the 2nd best Jailbreakers because he, at his least, does fulfill properly the roles of prior minion villains in the past. Kuneida is Aoyama's Villain - an obstacle narrative to challenge his weakness, in this case being his role as a Traitor to UA, and whether is was worth betraying AFO, with Kunieda having fierce loyalty to the Demon Lord. It also helps that he's allowd to actually, you know, FIGHT - he's not steamrolled like the other Breakers before him, he's allowed to beat others. Granted, it was off-screen but its still something that earns him his second place medal.

As for Gashly............

Yeah, I won't lie. Gashly got a raw deal. If Kunieda barely got anything, Gashly just got the scraps. Crumbs of what could have been. He's shown way, way, way too late for him to ever matter (why wait until legit the final fight to show him off). His Quirk, while just as destructive as Kunieda, suffers from taking up too much similarities from Twice and Skeptic (also people who summon clones). And, to top it off, he's worse off since not only does he not get to speak, he's not tied to any of Class A or important cast to triumph against. Tokage and Kamikiri are the ones to take him down. Not Sero, Ryukyu, Thirteen. They just do not effect his defeat and he's a little more than a foot note before the grand finale, even though he outlasted pretty much every other Villain besides Shigaraki.

And that's kind of the problem with the Jailbreakers in a nutshell:

The story treats them like nothing, even when it also wants them to be something, yet takes every avenue it can to prevent them from ever rising above 'oh, right, they're here too'.

It's a rather pitiful decision that drags down the story a bit since the final act was in serious need of threatening villains to wrap things up...and the Jailbreakers just could not deliver. Which is a shame since they had real potential behind their concept. Villains locked away for being that wicked or perhaps spouting truths the government didn't want to see the light of day. There's a lot you can do with escaped convict villains, but sadly in MHA's rush for the end, the Jailbreaker's threat level are another casualty.

[thesakuragarnet]

The Boy Born With Everything

Summary:

It had been five years since the war ended. Five long years that Touya had spent in an asylum of a hospital, watching from the other side of a glass tube, occasionally being let out to prevent his muscles from completely atrophying once the surgeries gave him range of motion…or to eat soba with his youngest brother. Once again, his body wasn’t supposed to last a month, much less years. Touya thrived on proving other people wrong…and he’d done it again.

Now, he finds out that, not only is he allowed to go back home (albeit with an ankle monitor), but also, his old hookup has nominated him for the new villain rehabilitation program.

After all these years, Touya will be able to fulfill his dream...he'll be a hero.

THIS WORK IS 18+ ONLY! TAGS BENEATH THE KEEP READING SECTION

Word Count (first Two Chapters Posted): 8,212 words

AO3 link

Tags: Fix-It Fic, Hero!Dabi, DabiHawks, LOV redemption, MHA 426 coping (everything after it has been retconned probably with this), swearing, explicit s3xual content, Final War Arc Spoilers, drinking, making out, fluff, angst, smut, hurt/comfort, Touya has Both Quirks (Post-Quirk Awakening)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter One: Prologue || Before The Betrayal

One week before X day. 

Merging with the Meta Liberation Army had its ups and downs…but this could definitely be shelved in the list of ups. Compress whistles as he rolls the dolly cart into the rec room of the Gunga Mountain Villa, and everyone’s heads turn to stare at the crate full of alcohol. It was a gift from Trumpet for the exponential increase in new recruits. Dabi, Toga, Spinner, and Twice had finished their meetings for the day, and they've been waiting on Compress to return with their “reward for cooperation”. Dabi’s eyes scan the bottles as excited murmurs bubble in the room. 

Alcohol affected his body differently. His fiery Quirk processed it, burning it up almost instantaneously, resulting in him getting shitfaced quickly but also sobering up in the same hour. If Dabi wanted the buzz to last, he had to keep drinking. He was going to have to hoard a bottle for himself. Compress opens the crate with flair, brandishing each bottle as he sets it on the center table. There’s vodka, sake, whiskey…plenty of options. 

“Oh, please can I have some!” Toga beams broadly, reaching for the bottle of vodka, but Dabi snatches it, opening it with little effort. 

“ No ,” Dabi hisses firmly, annoyed at her puppy-eyed stare as Toga pouts, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“What’s the point in being a villain if you can’t break the rules and do what you want?” She grumbles, and Dabi rolls his eyes. 

“It’s for your own good,” Dabi sighs, hating that he sounds like a parent…but he doesn’t want Himiko drunk around this compound of complete strangers. The liberation members come from everywhere…the last thing he wants is for someone to take advantage of Toga when she’s vulnerable, whether that be by stealing the little wad of money she kept in her A-line coat or…he doesn’t even wanna think about it. It comes down to the facts. It’s for her own good.

“C’mon, Dabi . You’re such a letdown . Nah, Toga, he’s right,” Twice replies as he drinks directly from a bottle of sake. Compress rolls his eyes, muttering something about Twice acting like an animal as he snaps, turning the two marbles in his hand into glasses before handing one to Spinner. 

“He’s right, my dear. You should stick to tea,” Compress sniffs as he sits down in one of the armchairs, crossing his legs as he pours whiskey for himself and Spinner. 

Dabi takes a breath as he puts the bottle to his lips, gulping it down, barely registering the ever-so-dull burning sensation running down his throat. The liquor starts filtering through his system the moment he pulls away from the bottle, sighing as the walls around his mind begin to dissolve, letting the real Touya come to the forefront. He found it harder to keep the mask up when he got intoxicated, acting a little more smiley and talkative than usual. He leans back onto the couch, sinking into the textured fabric as he unceremoniously props his leather boots up on the table. 

“C’mon. You guys are so lame !” Toga groans, staring at her fellow League members drinking without her as she kicks her feet in the air on the beanbag. 

“Dabi’s just lookin’ out for you,” Spinner explains, turning to Himiko as he sips his glass. 

“Am not,” Dabi scoffs, trying and failing to keep up his front; in truth, he’d grown to view Toga as a little sister. He felt protective over her; it was incredibly irritating. Dabi starts slugging the vodka, gulping with a comical force that clearly shows he’s trying to get as wasted as possible. 

“If you throw up, you clean up,” Spinner says flatly, but Dabi ignores him, draining the bottle until there’s only half of it left. 

“Fuck, that’s nice,” Dabi huffs; his vision blurs for a moment and his body feels lighter. 

“Guess I’m late to the party,” A familiar voice chuckles from behind Dabi, nearly scaring him out of his skin while simultaneously putting his heart at ease. Dabi never realized how much he enjoyed Hawks’ voice before; he never noticed how it was sweeter than honey beneath the shit-eating grin and the charismatic facade. Dabi would be lying if he said he never found Hawks attractive; embarrassingly, he’s had a little bit of a crush on him for a while. It was infuriating. Hawks has everything Dabi’s always wanted…and it makes his blood boil. He’s got the world’s eyes on him as the number two hero, always watching with overwhelming adoration. He’s got fans, he’s got fame…he’s got the approval of the number one hero…Touya’s father. It almost makes him sick how easy Hawks has it…to be beloved so easily. It’s not fair. 

Dabi stares at Hawks through his thick upper eyelashes, eyes tinged with lust but mouth drooping in a jealous frown. Hawks is too pretty for his own good, Dabi decides the longer he stares at him. Surely that’s not just the alcohol talking. 

“Hawks!” Twice gasps, leaping up from his seat on the floor and wrapping his arms around the hero in a vice-gripping hug. “You made it! I was hoping you’d be hit by a plane on the way here!” 

“Jin, always a pleasure,” Hawks grins, patting him a little less than condescendingly on the head before squirming out of his hold. 

“Care to partake with us?” Compress beckons, flourishing with another glass that practically appears out of thin air. 

“No thanks. Can’t drink and fly. Don’t wanna get a ticket,” Hawks winks, and Dabi almost gags at the terrible joke. But if the dumb bird turned him off that much, why were his thoughts swimming with ideas involving Hawks? Why can’t he stop staring at his lips like he wants to kiss them? The idea of kissing Hawks makes his head spin…makes something stir deep inside that he thought was long dead. Lust? That had to be it. To think it was anything deeper was crazy; the alcohol was just probably making him horny. It was a silly coincidence, regardless of how often he thought of Hawks prior…which was daily. He’d become a little obsessed with his double agent, finding it hard to keep him on a longer metaphorical leash. He enjoyed his company…enjoyed talking to him…it was fucking weird. Sure, Dabi was well aware of his own abandonment issues and attention-seeking habits, but…why did he unconsciously latch onto Hawks ? He pretended to play dumb with himself, shoving any urges or ideas deep back from where they came from in his chest. But now, the alcohol is making them float right back up to the surface. 

Dabi takes another long drink from the bottle, swishing the liquid in his mouth absentmindedly as Hawks makes eye contact with him. The hero looks mildly amused before he leans over the back of the couch, whispering in Dabi’s ear:

“Hey, Dabi, I need to talk to you. Can we take a walk?”

His husky voice and the heat of his breath totally don’t send something that can only be described as arousal pulsing through Dabi’s lungs. He hates it. It’s stupid. It’s just because he’s drunk. He’s clingier than usual…and Hawks is objectively attractive. That’s the only explanation. 

“Mkay,” Dabi slurs, finishing off the bottle before slamming it on the table as he swallows a hiccup. He leaps to his feet on swaying legs, the room spinning ever so slightly and making him marginally nauseous. 

“Fuck,” He whines under his breath, regretting chugging so much alcohol in a short period. Granted, he’d planned to just chill out on the couch all night, but, apparently, that was no longer the case. 

“Back later,” Dabi murmurs sloppily to anyone who cares as he follows Hawks out of the room and into the hall. 

Dabi is in another world; he’s hearing Hawks’ voice but not processing anything he’s saying at all. He’s mumbling and nodding, the illusion of paying attention, but he’s too captivated by the faint glitters in the hero’s irises. His gaze falls onto Hawks’ lips…they look so soft. Soft enough that part of Touya wants to reach out and touch them, even though he knows he wouldn’t be able to feel them. His senses are so fucked up…it cuts him viscerally to the core how much he wishes he could feel things again. Every sensation is dulled except his emotions, ironically…which have always been the strongest to begin with. His emotions are still as real and passionate and reactive as they were before his accident at Sekoto Peak. 

The two keep walking down the hall, Hawks dawdling on about whatever “intel” he’s managed to obtain and how many copies of the Liberation manifesto he’s disseminated. Dabi loses his balance for a moment, nearly stumbling and falling on his face, but Hawks catches him, arm lurching forward and clutching his chest. Dabi blinks as he stands up straight, turning to look at Hawks. The hero seems… concerned . Why the fuck should he be concerned about him ? Hawks has zero reasons to give a shit. His eyes dart to the hero’s lips again…and lust undoubtedly pools in his gut. 

Dabi just wants to feel something…anything at this point. Anything other than the raging anger and desperation that’s always bubbling beneath the surface of his cold and callous facade. Hell, just his imagination is enough to set his shriveled heart ablaze. The concept of another person…of Hawks touching him intimately…it’s ethereal. The temporary drunk confidence makes him completely interrupt Hawks as he slurs:

“Doyouwannamakeout?”

“Dabi. You’re drunk,” Hawks snorts, caught off guard and probably flustered with the sudden spray of pink that dusts his cheeks. 

“I’d make out with you sober, too. And other things. If you wanted,” Dabi mutters bluntly, pointing his finger at Hawks and poking him sharply in the chest, “I don’t really wanna talk business with you right now.”

Hawks raises an eyebrow before taking a look around. 

“Right here in the hallway?” He smirks in disbelief, but Dabi roughly shakes his head before grabbing Hawks’ wrist. 

“My bedroom.”

…

…

The door slams shut behind Dabi, and he hears the click of the lock as the dam breaks and his inhibitions go up in azure flames. As soon as Hawks turns back around, Dabi’s hands cup his face and pull him into an overwhelming kiss. Kissing Hawks is just as heavenly as he’d imagined it. It’s perfect even in the haze of alcohol. From Hawks’ point of view, it’s suffocating; Dabi’s clearly never kissed anyone before. 

Dabi drunkenly moans into Hawks’ mouth, panting weakly as Hawks’ tongue slides against his. Hawks takes his gloves off, throwing them on the floor in a rush before running his hands through Dabi’s hair, fingers combing through the cheaply dyed fluffy locks. 

In the back of Dabi’s brain, he knows this is probably empty; Hawks is probably seducing him for intel to get closer…to gain Dabi’s trust. That’s why he agreed so quickly. There’s no logical reason he’d actually be interested in his disgusting patchwork mug. But…part of Dabi wonders if he does feel something for him…if there’s a chance that he’s actually wanted by someone…for once in his miserable fucking life. He shoves the thought back into the recesses of his mind, focusing on the faint sensation of Hawks’ lips as they suck and bite and lick Dabi’s troubles away. Dabi’s hands drop to rest at Hawks’ waist, gripping tightly beneath his jacket as his fingertips slide along the sides of the hero’s belt.

“Top or bottom?” Hawks grins slyly as he breaks the kiss. Dabi’s mind reels; not only was he kissing Hawks, but they were gonna have sex. It’s highly suspicious for the hero to want to move so fast; the Commission probably ordered Hawks to get information by any means necessary, but who knows when he’s going to get another chance like this? It’s not like Dabi’s even had sex before…and now…the number two hero is going to be his first time. 

“Don’t care- hah -just want you,” Dabi huffs, greedily pulling Hawks in by the front of his shirt for another filthy kiss. Hawks melts into the gesture, hands delicately reaching down to unbuckle Dabi’s belt. Dabi breaks free from the kiss with a gasp, looking through his fuzzy vision to watch Hawks slip the belt off him with ease, tossing it to the side before unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. Dabi blinks, and he’s on his back on the bed; Hawks tugs the villain’s pants down enough to free his half-hard cock from his gray boxers. Dabi’s eyes widen as he watches Hawks climb onto the bed, kneeling down to press a gentle kiss to the tip of Dabi’s dick. The villain gulps, chills rolling beneath his skin as he stares at Hawks; the Pro kisses up and down his shaft, maintaining eye contact beneath his winged eyeliner, seamless and sexy. 

Dabi chews his scarred bottom lip, imagining what it would be like to fuck Hawks’ throat. Imagining what it would be like to fuck him…to be fucked by him…to succumb to mutual pleasure. The concept of feeling good was foreign to him, much less in a sexual manner, but this whole situation stirred his insides from his brain to his balls. If he was going to die in the war in a week, he might as well not die a virgin, even if he was so drunk he might fall asleep before aftercare. 

“You taste sweet. Not what I was expecting,” Hawks sneers as he laps up the beads of precome slowly dripping down. “But I’m not complaining.”

He’s doing this on purpose. The soft whisper of his voice and the deep intonations send vibrations up Dabi’s spine. Hawks is completely giving his all to seduce him right now. Dabi doesn’t care. He doesn’t care that he’ll probably be even clingier after this hookup. The war was in a week. And he would be dead. This wouldn’t matter. What does matter is for fucking once he’s giving in to his inhibitions…to an experience that he’s never had…one that might reward him in the end. His dopamine pathways must function somewhat . 

Hawks presses his lips to Dabi’s tip before slowly taking him into his mouth, sucking his length inch by glorious inch. 

“Fuck,” Dabi borderline whimpers, his other hand reaching down to run through the hero’s blonde locks. He was pretty sure he was getting off more on the idea of everything that’s happening than what he was actually feeling, but, regardless, it felt euphoric. This was a high he’d never felt before; it made his head feel floaty and his stomach feel warm and his heart pound with a violent fervor. 

Dabi’s head falls back onto the pillow, arm coming up reflexively, hiding his eyes as his back arches and his jaw drops. His voice comes out in a raspy groan, low and long and rising in pitch the more Hawks’ head bobs up and down. Dabi mumbles something unintelligible, panting heavily as he resists the urge to buck his hips. The lewd noises consume Dabi’s bedroom, the slurping and sucking of Hawks’ lips perverting the quiet and mixing with Dabi’s weak gasps and hums of pleasure. 

“You like that?” Hawks murmurs, knowing damn well that he’s skyrocketed the villain to cloud nine. Dabi can only manage a weak nod as he risks looking down at the depraved scene between his legs. It sends another jolt of pleasure through his body when he realizes that Hawks is naked from the waist down…and fingering himself. He can barely make it out in the darkness, but it’s clear the way Hawks bites his lip. 

“You ready to fuck me?” Hawks taunts, and Dabi’s absolutely sure he isn’t, but he wants to get on with it anyway, so he nods. 

Dabi nearly chokes when the tip of his dick catches on Hawks’ rim; the noises pouring from the hero’s throat are like forbidden fruit, kissing Dabi’s ears and filling his chest with butterflies…or maybe it’s just the alcohol. 

Hawks’ hands grip Dabi’s pecs over his thin white V-neck T-shirt, thumbs tracing over perky nipples and making Dabi groan.

Hawks sinks down until he’s sitting fully flush in Dabi’s lap, eyelids fluttering as he bites his lip to hold back a moan. 

“Dabi, you feel so good ,” He cries out, voice strained and breathless as he grips at Dabi’s shoulders. Dabi stares up at him, alcohol boiling in his blood as the hero begins to ride him, rolling his hips in a way that makes his dick twitch. It’s all in his head. He knows he can’t really feel it, but… goddamn if sex with Hawks isn’t more intoxicating than the vodka. He looks like a Greek god, stripped down, heavily muscled, and haloed in the dim sunset from the window. He’s never looked more attractive; it’s too good to be true. There’s no way the number two hero is riding his dick right now, and yet, the brutal sounds of skin slapping against skin and Hawks’ needy moans suggest otherwise. 

“ Hawks ,” Dabi pants, wanton and delirious, cock throbbing inside as Hawks bounces up and down and up and down. His throat feels tight…like how it used to before he would start crying before his accident. Dabi starts rolling his hips, thrusting up into Hawks, and the hero gasps, wings flaring out as his face contorts into pleasure. Curses fly from his lips, involuntary and jumbled together as his breath hitches. Dabi’s mind is on fire; desire bubbling in his lower back and making drool pool on his tongue. Heavy breaths fill the air as the bed beneath them creaks from their rampant movements. Hawks brings his own hips down with every upward rut of Dabi’s, getting as much friction for the both of them as humanly possible. Hawks doesn’t realize Dabi’s only getting off on the raw emotions and intimacy of what’s happening over any physical pleasure. 

Dabi sits up, hands moving to Hawks’ hips to get a better grip when he sees the hero’s leaking cock, hard and untouched. Before Hawks can say a word, Dabi wraps a hand around it, coating his fingers in precome as he starts to jerk him off. Hawks twitches, Dabi’s name on his lips, sweat beading on his brow. 

“ God ,” Dabi moans like a bitch in heat, head fuzzy and speech garbled as the high reaches an almighty climax. He can feel something happening when he watches Hawks writhe in pleasure. “Gonna come.”

“Me too,” Hawks grunts, moans pitching higher in tune with Dabi’s rasps as they both let the euphoria consume them. 

Dabi comes first, completely wrecked and not even sure how it’s happening. His hips stutter, cock pulsing and balls emptying as a pathetic moan bursts from his lips. Hawks keeps riding him through it, sending sparks across Dabi’s vision as his own orgasm hits like lightning down his spine. It gets all over Dabi’s hand, but he doesn’t even hardly notice, haphazardly jerking Hawks off through every spasm.

Finally, the overstimulation is too much for them, and everything stops…stillness pollutes the bedroom, save for Dabi and Hawks’ chests heaving with each intake of breath and sigh of relief.

Dabi’s vision is blurry, the alcohol slowly leaking out of his system as his Quirk finishes processing it. He should be completely sober in a few minutes, long enough for the afterglow to wear off. He vaguely registers Hawks lifting off of him, his own dick falling limp against his thigh as Hawks crawls forward, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Dabi’s lips. 

The villain’s eyes close, letting the blackness envelop him as he moves his lips to complement the hero’s. He can barely taste the sweat on Hawks, but it’s enough to confirm that this isn’t a dream. Dabi lazily wipes the come off his hand and onto the sheets beside him. He’ll worry about cleaning up tomorrow; right now, he wants to live forever in this moment. This moment of temporary bliss with someone who’s making him feel wanted … seen … loved ? That’s probably the wrong word to use, but Touya doesn’t care. The man was so touch-starved it’s a wonder the mere lack of hugs hadn’t killed him, but Dabi didn’t need to reveal that to anyone else. He didn’t need to reveal just how desperate he really was for the attention. They didn’t need to know that he clung to it like a moth to a candle. When he opens his eyes, Hawks is smiling at him. 

BZZT! BZZT!

Hawks’ phone vibrates in his pants pocket, and a feather pulls it out, bringing it to Hawks, whose forehead wrinkles when he reads the message. He sighs as he pushes himself off of Dabi, getting ready to swing his legs over the side of the bed.

“This was fun, Dabi, but, I’ve gotta head out-”

“Don’t leave,” The words come out as a desperate hiccup, embarrassing and full of fear that Hawks has never seen on Dabi’s face or heard on his lips before.

Hawks freezes when he sees the empty expression in Dabi’s eyes, longing for connection…for any sense of security. This wasn’t the villain he was used to spending time with. Hawks expected him to just roll over and sleep without so much as a “thank you” for everything he just did to him. 

“Please, don’t leave,” Dabi repeats, eyes distant and welling with bloody tears. His mask is slipping…Hawks is seeing Touya . It puts a pit in his stomach as the alcohol starts to wear off. He’s being too vulnerable. He needs to shut up and act like none of this mattered. He grits his teeth, tongue heavy in his mouth as he blinks away the crimson beads. Silence…silence is the clearest option. If he takes it back, it’s acknowledging that it happened. 

Hawks doesn’t say a word about it, letting the thoughts stew in his brain as he begrudgingly sinks back into bed beside Dabi, hating that he’s going to have to explain himself to his handler. The villain grips the sheets, staring at the ceiling as the numbness consumes his body, unable to feel the warmth of the hero snuggling next to him. It floods his veins, hardening his heart and reminding him of one simple fact. Everyone leaves him eventually…and he will never be enough for anyone to want to stick around.

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Chapter 2: Home

It had been five years since the war ended. Five long years that Touya had spent in an asylum of a hospital, watching from the other side of a glass tube, occasionally being let out to prevent his muscles from completely atrophying once the surgeries gave him a decent range of motion…or to eat soba with his youngest brother. Once again, his body wasn’t supposed to last a month, much less years. Touya thrived on proving other people wrong…and he’d done it again.

The hospital had thoroughly milked Enji Todoroki dry. Enji Todoroki’s alleged “atonement” involved pouring money into the best doctors and researchers the world had to offer…and…with surgery after surgery, Touya began to look like himself again. Compared to the last time he’d been turned into a burning corpse, the extra two years of rehabilitation and work made a drastic difference.

Within the first year, Touya went from being able to speak only a few minutes a day to holding a conversation for a full half hour. Now, he can yap as much as he did when he was a little kid, which is unfortunate for everyone else’s ears. Shoto, however, doesn’t mind. Touya always manages to fill the silence that Shoto quietly occupies, and he’s more than happy to listen. 

Natsuo was the one who had the hardest time coming around…and, after about a year and a half, Touya began to come to terms with why. The sibling that he had the closest bond with fell into the path of his anger, and Touya himself cringed when he remembered how he bragged about almost having him killed.

The rage still lurks below the surface, but Touya’s taking steps to keep his anger in check. Therapy had worked wonders. Once the doctors realized Touya wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, Rei petitioned for Touya to talk to a therapist to get him to open up more. 

The first session fundamentally shifted the world for Touya because, for the first time since his reveal, someone from the outside actually acknowledged that he was abused. Touya believed no one cared; the public had only given a shit because Dabi was a villain. They hadn’t cared about Endeavor’s sins against his family. To hear someone voice that his pain and anger were real and valid felt liberating. 

When he finally got full control of his motor skills again, Touya wrote Natsuo a letter; he showed up to visit him a few weeks later. It was a rough reunion; there was a lot of yelling on Natsuo’s part. For once in his life, Touya kept his mouth shut.

He knew Natsuo had a right to be angry. All he could do was apologize and explain why he did what he did. Natsuo’s relationship with Touya was going to take time to be repaired; it wasn’t something he could fix overnight. Besides, he had a new life now with his wife. Touya understood. 

Fuyumi always brought such a bright smile with her behind her glasses during her visits. She often came with a basket that the workers would either confiscate or sift through to pick and choose what Touya got. Touya used to see Fuyumi as just another chess piece that got in his way growing up…but…now…it’s different.

No one else brings things for him.

Touya often asks her why she decided to waste her time teaching brats, but she just brushes it off, changing the subject. 

Fuyumi was the first person other than Shoto to learn that Touya had in fact come back to the house. He felt obligated to tell her. After all, he hadn't just left her with the burden of being the oldest sibling once…but twice.

Fuyumi broke down halfway through, sobbing about how she thought she was seeing things when she saw a shadow in his old room that day. One minute, Touya was standing in front of his altar, and then, he was gone in the blink of an eye. A few months later, Touya opened up even more to her. 

|

“I’m sorry for calling you and Mom useless.” The throaty rasp echoes from the tube, reluctant and crackly. Fuyumi stands in front of the glass, peering at her older brother through the darkness. 

“When did you do that?” She raises her eyebrow, caught off guard by the sudden apology as she smooths her dress.

“A lot…before Sekoto,” Touya admits. 

“Oh…,” His sister trails off, lips pursed. 

“I don’t think that anymore. Think it was just Dad. His views. Toga and Magne weren’t useless. Changed my mind,” Touya speaks slowly, trying to articulate with his new lips. They’d finally finished the facial reconstruction surgeries, and he’d just gotten the bandages off the day before, just in time for Fuyumi’s biweekly visit. 

 |

Rei Todoroki held the record for the most visits to Touya Todoroki, the former supervillain known as Dabi. She coordinated with the rest of her children to ensure they still got their time out of the week in the early stages of Touya’s rehabilitation. She didn’t care that Touya could only speak a few sentences; seeing her eldest child alive and breathing was a blessing in disguise. Their first private meeting was tearful, but it gave Rei unimaginable hope. When she saw her son crying real tears, not blood, she knew he was going to survive, and demanded Enji to put as much money into his recovery as possible.

Not that Touya would show a shred of gratitude to his excuse for a father…too little too late. Touya didn’t want to see him, regardless of Enji’s promise to stay by his side until the end of his days. He was a coward, a fraud, and an abusive piece of shit for lack of better words. Touya would see his father in hell, just like he’d promised. Until then, he didn’t care if they breathed the same air on the same planet…at least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

He hated that a part of him still loved his father; he was latched on like a leech, disgusting hope bubbling in his stomach. But his memories were too powerful for him to ignore. Touya couldn’t separate himself from the neglect.

The first few times Enji showed up, Touya ignored him…and it soon became clear that he didn’t outwardly care anymore about his father’s approval. Now, Enji was living in the old Todoroki house with a caretaker where he wouldn’t be a problem, divorced from Rei and mulling over his own consequences. Truth be told, Touya still doesn’t understand why he isn’t behind bars…and he regretfully knows his questions will never be answered. 

His hair had grown back to the same style from when he was thirteen; it's soft, white, fluffy, and always hanging in his face to the point where it's borderline annoying. His tear ducts were fully functioning again, which was simultaneously relieving and irritating; he could easily fall into the trap of being the crybaby of the family again.

His skin was still mismatched like it had been when he’d woken up the first time; after all, Touya doubted they could do a better cosmetic job than Ujiko. However, they had succeeded in restoring the nerve damage after several breakthroughs. Touya finally had physical feeling. 

Once Touya’s doctors assured the staff he was no longer a danger, they removed the metal bindings keeping his limb strapped to his side; they couldn’t restore his right arm, so they developed a prosthetic one. 

The prosthesis felt…alien. An extension of his body made up of alloys and other shit he can’t give names to. He’s gotten along just fine with it so far.

They’d been working on it since they realized Touya wasn’t keen on dying, and he’d gotten to test it out for the past year whenever he’d be released to spend time with Shoto. He’d exploded his right arm on purpose during the fight, opting to keep his dominant hand. It seemed like a fantastic idea at the time…but…then again…he hadn’t planned to survive. He hadn’t planned for anyone to survive.

Touya feels like every day is whiplash. His heart is under constant monitoring; the doctors are worried it’ll freeze solid or melt at a moment’s notice.

His body isn’t used to harboring both sides of the family Quirks, and he’s still having trouble believing that he has both. Since his Quirk Awakening, the facility kept him doped up with Quirk suppressants, for his safety and for theirs…mostly theirs.

The chest strap of the heart monitor still feels uncomfortably tight…something he’s going to have to get used to.

Feeling was something he was going to need to get used to. 

…

…

“Todoroki Touya,” The worker’s voice bellows, and Touya steps forward, zoning into reality. He’d been lost in his own thoughts all day, mulling over the fact that he’s finally being released.

One of the first things Touya wanted to do when he got out was get new piercings… that was something the doctors hadn’t prioritized, so his helices and triple high nostril were missing from his new flesh. He’d have to find some seedy place to get them later this week; today is his coming home party that his family hasn’t been able to shut up about. Originally, it was supposed to be a surprise, but Shoto hadn’t gotten the memo. 

Ker-CHICK!

Touya’s jaw drops in a silent gasp as they shoot the tracker implants into his neck. Pain was another thing he was going to have to get used to. He hadn’t felt physical pain in so long…it was weird. 

“Protocol,” The guard huffs, and Touya shrugs, staring beneath thick eyelashes. He didn’t blame them. The guard nods toward the end of the hallway, and Touya walks past, still handcuffed and lucid. 

Touya can’t wait to get out of these gaudy prison scrubs. Fuyumi and his mother had shown him some outfits online and let him pick out something that he could change into when he got home. He feels like it’s silly to be chomping at the bit for soft clothes, but these thin itchy scrubs have been the bane of his existence since he regained feeling in his skin.

He wonders if the others were given such a shitty wardrobe? Touya hadn’t been allowed to ask any questions about his fellow League members; he’d been answered with cold silence whenever he tried…and Shoto said he wasn’t allowed to disclose anything. 

‘I just hope they fucking made it…,’ Touya thinks to himself, remembering his ragtag found family after so many years of living alone on the street. Now…he’s going to be with his blood family. He wouldn’t be lounging around a bar, drinking his troubles away while laughing about petty arson. He’d be sitting at a table, eating dinner with his mother, his youngest brother, and his little sister.

Maybe he could figure out a way to get in touch with Himiko…he finds himself worrying about her the most. She was a total psycho, but she was his total psycho, his unspoken little sister.

He’d let her paint his nails when she begged incessantly. He’d helped her draw faces and insults on the other members with lipstick while they were sleeping. He’d helped her fix her hair the way she wanted, pulling it in those tight space buns that would have been nearly impossible if Touya hadn’t been adept at dissecting YouTube tutorials. Toga was just as much his sister in his eyes as Fuyumi. 

Touya waits patiently at the door at the end of the hallway, turning his wrists and wincing at the tightness of the cuffs. The green light above the door illuminates, and they slowly swing open, allowing two staff members to walk through. One stands directly in front of him, brandishing a taser. Even though they’re letting him out, they don’t trust him. Typical.

The other man walks behind Touya and begins clicking through the cuffs to unlock them.

“You’ll be able to get your belongings at the front. Remember to take the Quirk suppressants as instructed. It’s medication, so it’s important to follow the instructions. You’ll have to wean yourself off of them or you won’t be able to-”

“Control my Quirk. Yeah. Got it. As if I was good at that before anyway,” Touya scoffs sarcastically, flexing his hands once the cuffs fall free from his wrists. 

The staff member falls silent, lips pulled into a thin line that proves he’s stopping himself from reprimanding Touya’s smartass comment. People are still afraid of him. Touya isn’t sure if he’s happy about that or not. It’ll mean people will leave him alone, sure…hopefully. 

Touya brushes past the two workers who eye him warily, following the signs toward the discharge station. This facility had grown to replace Tartarus in the past few years, and it felt like a new maze every time he was allowed to roam the halls. It isn’t long before he stops at the final set of doors.

Touya takes a deep breath before raising his prosthetic arm. The silver glares from the overhead lights, making him squint as he pushes open the door, recoiling at the harsh lighting of the lobby area. 

“Touya!”

When his eyes adjust, he comes face to face with his mother. His heart twists. This is the closest he’s seen her; he was only allowed out of his holding tank or cell when Shoto was the visitor.

Her scar is gnarly up close, slicing across her face and spreading like fire; it makes a pit hollow out in Touya’s stomach. He put that there…whether he meant to or not. The flames of his supernova-like predicament from the final fight had consumed everything…if it hadn’t been for Rei, Natsuo, and Fuyumi…he would’ve died in that explosion. 

Her hair had grown back to just below her shoulders just like Fuyumi’s. Touya’s sister jumps up from her seat in the lobby and rushes forward with a bouquet of flowers to Touya’s chagrin. 

“What’s with those?” Touya mutters pointedly, trying to withhold any cutting remarks. She’s trying…the fact that his family is trying speaks volumes to him. It’s no longer empty words and promises. 

“Oh, I figured we’d brighten up the house! Mom and I fixed up your new room!” Fuyumi smiles before covering her mouth with her hand, “Oh, shoot! That was gonna be a surprise!”

“It’s alright, dear,” Rei smiles warmly. 

“Hey.”

Touya spins around at the sound of Shoto’s voice, and notices he's holding a duffel bag. 

“I got your things. I wanted to make sure they actually gave back all of your stuff,” He admits, the corners of his mouth pointing upward softly. Touya’s heart skips when he realizes Natsuo didn’t show up. It made sense.

He has his own life and his own family now. Rei, Shoto, and Fuyumi are the only ones living in the new house…and now…Touya’s going to be living there too. He’s not really sure what his next steps are going to be yet. It’s not like he can just get a normal job after being one of Japan’s most feared villains of the generation. Hell, he doesn’t even have proper education past middle school.

…

…

The car ride home was less than ideal, primarily due to Touya’s motion sickness. He managed to survive the car ride without incident, but only after he begged Fuyumi to drive ten under the speed limit.

Touya’s breath is taken away just by the outside of the house as they pull up to the property. Rei planted Rindou flowers all along the outside garden, creating a sea of cerulean. Fuyumi parks in the garage, and, finally, the car stops. 

Shoto hops out of the car, grabbing Touya by the wrist and pulling him outside. Touya takes in his surroundings, squinting in the fading sunlight as Shoto leads him around the side of the house through a door.

The living room is enormous, and the largest television Touya’s ever laid eyes on is mounted on the wall. He doesn’t get much time to look around as Shoto continues to drag him along as soon as they kick off their shoes. Shoto opens another door, leading to a hallway with art pieces adorning the walls. The colors blur as Shoto pulls him up a staircase leading to the second floor. 

“Can we slow down?” Touya blurts. 

“On a schedule,” Shoto mutters, making Touya raise an eyebrow. 

“Schedule?” Touya echoes, but Shoto appears to ignore him, his grip tightening on Touya’s wrist. Finally, they reach a door…with a crude sign that reads “Touya-nii” on it. 

“Here,” Shoto releases his grip on Touya’s hand and unceremoniously flings the door open, stepping aside for Touya to walk in first. 

He inches into the room, socks sliding against the hardwood as he takes in the space. Fuyumi and his mother set up a desk for him in the corner, decorated with an empty vase (probably to be filled with the flowers Fuyumi bought), a picture of the family from many moons ago (with their father quite obviously cropped out), and Touya’s old comics and Pro Hero books. Shoto sets the duffel bag in the middle of the desk while Touya keeps exploring. He stops when he sees the bed. 

The thin mattress is covered by his baby blanket; the yellow and blue stars are faded with age. It looks incredibly tacky, but it makes warmth bloom in Touya’s chest. He can’t believe they even kept that. There’s another handmade sign leaning against the back wall that reads:

WELCOME HOME :)

The only other aspect of the room that stands out is the bookshelf littered with Touya’s old belongings…he recognizes them from his altar in their old house. 

Touya flinches for a moment, the memory of praying in front of his own altar flashing across his vision. 

“Do you like it?” Fuyumi’s voice sounds hopeful as Touya turns around to see them standing by the desk. 

“Your new clothes are in the closet! I’ll go start dinner!” Fuyumi grins cheekily as she leaves the bedroom.

“You just get settled in, sweetheart,” Rei whispers, walking up to Touya and kissing him on the cheek before she slips out of the room, followed by Shoto, who closes the door behind them. 

Touya walks to the closet, jerking it open to see a pair of black cotton drawstring pants and a simple, soft gray sweatshirt with a black cat on it. He reaches up inside the sleeves, temporarily indulging in the gentle sensation of the fabric rubbing between the pads of his fingers. It definitely is going to feel better than these stupid jailhouse scrubs.

Touya never realized how much of the world he missed when his tactile senses were numbed.

He strips out of the old clothes, tossing them into the corner of the room before he slips on the new outfit. He sighs in relief, feeling the itchiness fade before walking up to the mirror.

It fits. Good. He was worried he’d told Fuyumi the wrong sizes.

He turns his attention to the bag on his desk…his belongings from the facility. 

Touya opens up the duffel bag, his heart stilling when he sees the fireproof synthetic fabric spilling out. He lifts the jacket up, examining the stitching and conductor cuffs; it’s his jacket from the first war. They must’ve raided all of the hideouts.

It’s the jacket that he was wearing during his vision…dissociation…whatever it was before he practically exploded. The image of himself as a hero with his family was burned into his brain…but…Shoto wasn’t in that fantasy.

Over the past few years, Touya had grown to realize how much he appreciated his little brother, and it made his heart pang that he directed his anger at him for so long.

Touya walks over to the closet, putting the jacket on a coat hanger before walking back to the duffel. The boots and stitched leather pants are the only other notable things in the dark void besides his clear bag of medications. 

Touya pulls out the bottle of Quirk suppressants, reading the instructions on the side of the bottle.

TAKE 1 PILL EVERY 12 HOURS FOR 1 WEEK. THEN TAKE 1 PILL EVERY 24 HOURS FOR 5 DAYS. THEN TAKE AS NEEDED. REFILLED UPON REQUEST. 

Touya sighs as he opens the bottle, shaking a pill out into his palm. He puts it in his mouth, letting the pill dissolve on his tongue and swallowing the bittersweet taste. 

‘I should probably see if I can help with dinner…might as well make myself useful,’ Touya thinks to himself as he walks out of his room. He gets to the top of the staircase when-

Knock. Knock. Knock. 

The sound echoes through the household.

“Oh dear,” Rei’s voice sounds strained. 

“He’s early!” Fuyumi gasps. 

“He used to be the fastest Pro alive, and you didn’t think he’d be early ?” Shoto bluntly replies. 

‘Fastest Pro alive? Wait…’

Touya’s heart races as he slowly makes his way down the staircase. 

The last time he was face-to-face with Keigo Takami, he was trying to charbroil him for murdering his friend and breaking his heart…for being a lying traitor…for confirming everything Dabi already knew but didn’t want to face.

The sex meant nothing. The kisses meant nothing. Keigo was playing with him like a toy to be used and cast aside. 

He’d talked to his therapist about Keigo…about how he thinks that’s the first time he felt romantic love for another person. The burning devotion turned to seething hatred the moment Hawks murdered Jin Bubaigawara.

He’d fully mourned Jin during these five years, processing the death, wondering why Keigo had chosen to target Dabi for intel.

Dabi wondered if he meant anything to Keigo, even though he knew he probably didn’t. He knew Hawks probably didn’t think about him…knew he was probably glad he was locked up for so long. 

For a while, Touya wrestled with whether or not he was upset that he failed to finish Hawks off. He felt so many conflicting passionate emotions toward him. It felt chaotic…unstable…nuclear, even. Sometimes he felt consumed with regret for hurting him, and others he found himself reliving the betrayal.

When Touya finally reaches the bottom of the stairs, he sees Keigo standing in the living room. He’s wearing a suit with a katana bag strap draped across his chest.

Keigo Takami looks up…and his golden gaze meets Touya’s turquoise. 

Touya’s heart monitor beeps twice, giving himself away by signaling an elevated heart rate. He needs to sit down.

For half a second, he wonders if he’ll just black out and get concussed on the stairs like an idiot. Instead, he slowly sinks to sit down on the final step, loathing how weak he must appear. 

“What are you doing here?” Touya manages to squeak out, his chest feeling tight. 

Keigo opens his mouth to speak, staring at Touya in disbelief. His eyes scan over the skin grafts before falling to his prosthetic arm. Touya feels naked.

“Hawks! Come help me in the kitchen!” Fuyumi materializes, whisking Hawks out of sight without a word. The heart monitor keeps beeping. 

“Touya?” 

His mother’s voice kisses his ears, soothing his erratic heartbeat as Touya zones back into the real world, pulling himself out of memories as she puts her hands on his knees. 

“Why is he here?” Touya’s voice sounds pathetic, leaving his lips in a broken mumble. His mother seems shocked that he doesn’t sound angry. Tears well up in Touya’s eyes, and he hurriedly wipes them away.

He can’t let Keigo know he’s crying over him. 

Rei’s eyebrows furrow when she notices the tears, but she chooses not to bring attention to them. 

“He’s here to discuss…Hero Commission business with you, Touya.”

‘The Commission?’

“Didn’t he lose his fucking Quirk to All For One?” Touya sniffs indignantly. 

“Touya! Language!” Rei hisses. 

Touya mumbles a half-hearted apology. 

“Hawks is the HPSC President now,” Rei explains. 

Touya’s heart monitor whines again. 

‘Why would he do that? After everything they put him through? Why the fuck would he ever accept that position? After they groomed him to be a glorified brainwashed soldier to do their dirty work?’ 

Touya shouldn’t care…he shouldn’t care what Keigo does. He shouldn’t care how it affects him or his past. Keigo has no affiliation with Touya. They had a one-night stand. He was an old situationship.

Touya swallows. 

“He couldn’t wait until tomorrow?” He groans. 

“He wants to talk to you about this as soon as possible, honey,” Rei sighs, “I had a long talk with him. I think…I think it’ll be good for you.”

‘Keigo talked to my mom ? What the fuck did he tell her? Did he tell her about us ? Us…what am I thinking? There was never an us…’ 

“Okay.”

…

…

“Keigo.”

“Touya.” 

The two sit in tense silence on opposite sides of the table, facing one another with an unspoken uncertainty. The rest of the family remains in the kitchen, trying not to eavesdrop, but most definitely hanging on to every word the two speak. 

“So…do I call you Mister President now or-”

“Keigo is fine,” He admits, straightening up in the chair. He looks tired, but he’s still as annoyingly smiley as ever. 

“I’m,” Keigo takes a deliberate breath, “I’m glad you were able to recover smoothly.”

“Me too…,” Touya trails off, slightly disgusted with the awkward small talk. 

“I have a proposition for you,” Keigo clears his throat, and Touya raises his eyebrow. 

“Oh?” He huffs mockingly. He hates that Keigo is speaking with such formality. It’s unbecoming. It’s unlike Keigo.

It’s another mask for Keigo Takami. Touya can see right through it. They know each other more intimately than this. This is stupid. 

“Well…you’re allowed to say no…you need to know you’re allowed to say no and that will be one hundred percent acceptable.”

“Spit it out,” Touya scoffs, curiosity suddenly piquing. 

“I’ve consulted with a number of members of Class 2-A of UA and the higher-ups. And…you’ve shown considerable progress mentally and emotionally…and physically, obviously, but. Based on your psychological evaluations…and…and your…um…past aspirations. I’m-”

“Cut the shit, what is it?” Touya taps his foot impatiently. 

“You’re eligible for the program I put together. The new villain rehabilitation program…we’re making former villains into heroes.”

[inkykeiji]

*washes tomura’s hair in the meta liberation army arc the moment machia begins his three hour nap*

he loves having his hair played with, and despite his blood fizzing with adrenaline + lungs burning with exhilaration, the thrill fades to a dull, dim tingle the moment your fingers sink into those silvery-blue tufts, his ruby eyes slipping shut as fingertips massage gentle circles into his scalp and scrub sweat and dirt and grime from his roots.

he never stumbles into full unconsciousness, that tingle now nothing more than a gentle kindling slumbering but smoldering deep behind his ribs, laying in wait to catch fire again, to be reignited by the spark of danger or aroused by the enticement of victory, the flame subdued but still alive, keeping him in a constant state of semi-alert.

but the reprieve your touch offers is enough to reinvigorate him some, to restore an adequate amount of energy to him so that he can fight again, and fight well, until his next pocket of rest is reached and he staggers over to you, usually fluffy strands stringy and matted with salt, scraggily stuck to his neck and cheeks and temples, and flops his head down in your lap with a heavy sigh, a nonverbal demand to do it all over again <3

[delawaredetroit]

Adding on to your point you'd think that the hassaki would be regarded with more fear than the league at this point in the story they have a larger amount of members and greater resources and not to mention the league just lost magne granted the heroes don't know that yet but still

I think you're underestimating the effect that Kamino had on their society. They associated the fall of All Might with the League. In that context, it makes sense they would fear the Shie Hassaikai less than the League. In actuality, Chisaki was more of a threat during the Overhaul Arc, but the heroes had no way of knowing how disconnected Shigaraki and company were from All for One's criminal empire.

However, it's absurd the heroes kept calling them "mere yakuza" after learning that they had developed a weapon that could erase quirks. That is something that could tear apart their society at its foundation, and it's ridiculous that they would still think so little of the Shie Hassaikai's capabilities after that.

As for Overhaul versus Decay, you're correct that Overhaul is more powerful, but one of the running themes of this manga is that the will of the person is more important than their quirk. Shigaraki was more of a threat because he had wider ambitions compared to Overhaul. Overhaul wanted the Yakuza to rule over a society that already existed. Shigaraki wanted to destroy everything in that society. The bigger scale of that ambition made Shigaraki more of a threat.

As for the earlier League attacks, it makes sense they wouldn't be mentioned much once the League got involved with the Meta Liberation Army. Everything from before that was such small potatoes compared to the damage they caused after My Villain Academia.