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lunasohma · 1 year

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sangfroid

[ ao3 / ff.net ]

They’ll eat you. It's nature.

Matoba Seiji bleeds and bleeds and—

He’s losing a lot, but isn’t that what he’s supposed to do?

warnings: blood, nosebleeds, canon-typical warnings

—

mister monster.

Its eye is bulbous and overcompensating; milky and unseeing. Perhaps that is why it hungers so for another. Nanase says it grows more intelligent after each attempt. Assuming forms familiar to the beholder of its long-due prize, Seiji would rather not think of it.

Truthfully, it frightens him.

—

what is your nature?

He remembers one of those nature documentaries that Natori had lent his voice to.

Animals don’t try to compensate for the things they’ve lost. And sometimes they might even regain them if that is their design.

Would that be nice? Would that satisfy? Simple survival mechanisms that might ensure them another day?

Or is it the betrayal that burns brighter still?

If he were to take the monster’s place, he knows how he would feel. And in that case, he understands. That is what disgusts him most.

However, in such a kindred, familiar disgust, there can be nursed—then gained—a great advantage.

The original is best, after all.

—

anatomy.

One time, Nanase had patiently pulled a flower apart for him, divulging the secrets of its inner workings to further his knowledge or some such sentiment. Her face had softened.

They'd put the remains in the garden under the hydrangea bush. Food for the earth. It's a cycle, see? Seiji wonders if he's supposed to take comfort in that.

He'd done one such dissection for Shuuichi.

Shuuichi had made a strange face.

So then Seiji had laughed, tossing the petals to the wind.

Pistil. Stamen. Sepals.

—

bloodlet.

She had pulled up a chair to the sink, leaning into him even as the blood dried on his face, skin, and clothes.

Then they had tiptoed down the hall, on a quest for fresh sheets, quiet so as not to wake the rest of the household.

The edges of the droplets feather away against the stainless steel of the sink basin as they make their way to the drain.

“I didn’t realize they were still this bad.”

It's not, though. It never was. He wants to say. He has before.

He doesn't want to see the look on Shuuichi’s face when he does, so he says nothing.

Shuuichi fills a glass with water, sets it within Seiji’s reach.

—

papillon.

Its wings realign, mask back in place, and Seiji raises the parasol. A sort of camaraderie, he’s inclined to think.

The rain picks up and jostles the butterfly's perch. He shifts closer and stays there until he hears Nanase calling for him.

#distillation of my canon-adjacent matoba seiji thoughts #only took 10+ years #man what a guy #matoba seiji #nanase #natori shuuichi #matoba seiji’s mother #horrible exorcists #natsuyuu #natsume yuujinchou #fanfiction #my fic

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ao3feed-spinaraki · 4 months

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Time Never Waits For You

by birbanana3

It felt like he was submerged in the worlds softest material in the world.. Like he was one clouds.

But One For All can’t take him. Not yet, another chance this time but only he goes back. No one else but him.

Now he’s alone.. But he doesn’t realize he didn’t actually come back alone.

Words: 3556, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Other

Additional Tags: Analyst Midoriya Izuku, Cute Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku Has PTSD, Quirkless Discrimination (My Hero Academia), Quirkless People with Extra Toe Joints Wear Custom Sneakers | Red Shoe Theory (My Hero Academia), Divorced Todoroki Enji | Endeavor/Todoroki Rei, Yagi Toshinori | All Might Bashing, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Break, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Stalker Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Midoriya Izuku & Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko Friendship, Shigaraki highkey got a friendcrush on izuku, FRIENDCRUSH AKA REALLY WANA BE FRIENDS SO BADLY, Possessive Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko

source: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55981207

#ao3feed #iguchi shuuichi #shigaraki tomura #spinaraki #spinneraki #spnrk #tenko shimura #auto

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ao3feed-izuku-midoriya · 4 months

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#AO3 Link #FanFiction #AO3 Izuku #♤#Erasermic·#Izuku Midoriya #Yagi Toshinori #Nedzu #R:T #A:Birbanana3 #Mental Illness

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ladysunamireads · 2 years

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Quirkless Not Powerless

Quirkless not Powerless by BurntoutEnby

Izuku knew nothing he could say would get Kacchan to stop and yet something in him snapped. “Why? Why Kacchan? Why? Why are you doing this? You said- you promised we could be heroes together!” he cried

“Stupid Deku! Why would I ever want to be Heroes with a quirkless nobody?” Kacchan started to walk away, but then he stopped “You know what Deku, you say you want to be a hero and yet you do even put in the work! You'll end up dead in a ditch, Stupid Deku!” Kacchan snapped. The whole world seemed to stop as the realization hit Izuku like a punch to the gut. How could he ever be a hero if he was never going to train? What was he even thinking? Did he expect to get into U.A. based on luck? And how had he never once realized this? Sure he was only 10, but being quirkless puts him at a major disadvantage. If he was going to make it as a hero he needed to start working now, not later, not in a few years.

That was the day Deku: the weak and helpless died and Inat: The Quirkless Hero was born. All thanks to Kacchan, the best friend, bully, and awakener.

OR: Gremlin child doesn't let stupid opinions get in the way and instead becomes both a menace and Hero to society.

Words: 1858, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of The Quirkless Hero: A Saga

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto, Bakugou Katsuki, Kirishima Eijirou, Midoriya Inko, Ashido Mina, Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Kaminari Denki, Sero Hanta, Tsukauchi Naomasa, Yaoyorozu Momo, Asui Tsuyu, Uraraka Ochako, Tokoyami Fumikage, Iida Tenya, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Takami Keigo | Hawks, Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Toga Himiko, Bubaigawara Jin | Twice, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner, Kurogiri, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Nezu, Kayama Nemuri | Midnight, Eri, Kan Sekijirou | Vlad King

Relationships: Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Ashido Mina & Bakugou Katsuki & Kaminari Denki & Kirishima Eijirou & Sero Hanta, Midoriya Izuku & Everyone, Midoriya Izuku & Tsukauchi Naomasa, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto & Yaoyorozu Momo & Asui Tsuyu & Shinsou Hitoshi & Hatsume Mei, Hatsume Mei & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi & Todoroki Shouto & Tokoyami Fumikage, Dabi | Todoroki Touya & Midoriya Izuku, Dabi | Todoroki Touya & Toga Himiko

Additional Tags: Mineta Minoru Doesn't Exist, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku Has a Knife, Midoriya Izuku can and will bite you, Protective Todoroki Shouto, Protective Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Swears, Bakugou Katsuki Redemption, Yagi Toshinori | All Might is a Bad Teacher, Hero Public Safety Commission Bashing, Corrupt Hero Public Safety Commission, Protective Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Good Sibling Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead | Dadzawa, Fuck Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Midoriya Izuku is a SINnamon role, Mean Uraraka Ochako, Mean Iida Tenya, Chaotic League of Villains, League of Villains kidnaps Bakugo Katsuki AND Todoroki Shouto, Kurogiri is Shirakumo Oboro, Sassy Midoriya Izuku, Quirkless Discrimination, Quirkless People with Extra Toe Joints Wear Custom Sneakers | Red Shoe Theory, Confident Midoriya Izuku, Supportive Midoriya Inko, Quirkless Hero Midoriya Izuku

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44710333

#AO3 Feed #FanFiction #AO3 Tododeku #♥#Tododeku #Kiribaku·#BNHA #⚣#🐰❄️🔥#R:G #Dadzawa #A:BurntoutEnby

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ao3feed-izch · 6 months

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A hero girl’s encore as a villain

by Wezko

All Izuma ever wanted was to be a heroine. But when the number one hero told he she could never be one, she realized the hypocrisy in today’s society. But she, as well as her new dysfunctional ‘family’ are going to ‘fix’ society. So is going to die trying, whether it’s them or someone else, they’ll find out on the way.

At the same time, All Might found himself a successor. And if Izuma had to describe her in one word, she would say ‘perfect’.

Words: 1959, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Kurogiri (My Hero Academia), Uraraka Ochako, Toga Himiko, Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Mustard (My Hero Academia), Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner, Hikiishi Kenji | Magne, Bubaigawara Jin | Twice, Moonfish (My Hero Academia), Sako Atsuhiro | Mr. Compress, Muscular (My Hero Academia), Midoriya Inko, Sensei | All For One, Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Asui Tsuyu, Bakugou Katsuki, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Yotsubashi Rikiya | Re-Destro, Kizuki Chitose | Curious, Geten (My Hero Academia), Hanabata Koukuu | Trumpet, Chikazoku Tomoyasu | Skeptic, Eri (My Hero Academia), Shimano Katsuma, Shimano Mahoro, Nine (My Hero Academia), Chisaki Kai | Overhaul, Akaguro Chizome | Stain, Mocha | Cloning Noumu

Relationships: Midoriya Izuku & Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Midoriya Izuku/Toga Himiko, Toga Himiko/Uraraka Ochako, Midoriya Izuku/Toga Himiko/Uraraka Ochako, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko/Usagiyama Rumi | Miruko, Eri & Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Midoriya Izuku & Sensei | All For One & Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Takami Keigo | Hawks, Dabi | Todoroki Touya & Mustard & Toga Himiko, Dabi & Toga & Mustard & Spinner & Compress & Twice & Magne & Muscular & Moonfish, Midoriya Izuku & Shimano Katsuma, Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner/Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko (minor)

Additional Tags: Female Midoriya Izuku, Villain Midoriya Izuku, Yagi Toshinori | All Might Being an Idiot, Midoriya Izuku & Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko Are Siblings, Midoriya Izuku Has a Telekinesis Quirk, Uraraka Ochako Has One for All Quirk, Bakugou Katsuki Being an Asshole, League of Villains as Family (My Hero Academia), Cute Eri (My Hero Academia)

source: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55137715

#ao3feed #dekuraka #izch #izuku midoriya #izuocha #ochako uraraka #ochadeku #auto

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ao3feed-tododeku · 2 years

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Quirkless Not Powerless

Quirkless not Powerless by BurntoutEnby

That was the day Deku: the weak and helpless died and Inat: The Quirkless Hero was born. All thanks to Kacchan, the best friend, bully, and awakener.

OR: Gremlin child doesn't let stupid opinions get in the way and instead becomes both a menace and Hero to society.

Words: 1858, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M

Characters: Class 1-A, Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto, Bakugou Katsuki, Kirishima Eijirou, Midoriya Inko, Ashido Mina, Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Kaminari Denki, Sero Hanta, Tsukauchi Naomasa, Yaoyorozu Momo, Asui Tsuyu, Uraraka Ochako, Tokoyami Fumikage, Iida Tenya, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Takami Keigo | Hawks, Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Toga Himiko, Bubaigawara Jin | Twice, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner, Kurogiri, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Nezu, Kayama Nemuri | Midnight, Eri, Kan Sekijirou | Vlad King, Class 1-B

Additional Tags: Mineta Minoru Doesn't Exist, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku Has a Knife, Midoriya Izuku can and will bite you, Protective Todoroki Shouto, Protective Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Swears, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki Redemption, Yagi Toshinori | All Might Bashing, Yagi Toshinori | All Might is a Bad Teacher, Hero Public Safety Commission Bashing, Corrupt Hero Public Safety Commission, Protective Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Good Sibling Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Midoriya Izuku Has A Gun, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead | Dadzawa, Fuck Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Midoriya Izuku is a SINnamon role, Mean Uraraka Ochako, Mean Iida Tenya, League of Villains as Family, Chaotic League of Villains, League of Villains Are Not Villains, League of Villains kidnaps Bakugo Katsuki AND Todoroki Shouto, League of Villains Redemption, Kurogiri is Shirakumo Oboro, Mamagiri, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44710333

#AO3 Feed #FanFiction #AO3 Tododeku #💚#💙#Tododeku #♥#R:G #A:BurntoutEnby #Quirkless AU #Dadzawa

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ao3feed-dadzawa · 2 years

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Spite and Coffee

Spite and Coffee by MrMiss

Izuku Midoriya just wanted to become a hero to help people. Even as he was diagnosed quirkless, he still wanted to become one, despite all the jeers and snarked remarks. Slowly, his spirit becomes crumpled, and given an opportunity at meeting his idol, All Might, he asks that one question on his mind. His dreams were crushed as he was left on that rooftop. Izuku realizes how cracked people's views are, given the example of All Might. So no, never again, he doesn't need the validation of people against him. He'll just become a hero out of spite and show them.

Words: 1803, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Multi

Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku & Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Midoriya Izuku & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Midoriya Inko & Midoriya Izuku, Hikiishi Kenji | Magne & Midoriya Izuku, League of Villains & Midoriya Izuku, Hatsume Mei & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku & Monoma Neito, Midoriya Izuku/Monoma Neito/Shinsou Hitoshi

Additional Tags: Yagi Toshinori | All Might Bashing, Yagi Toshinori | All Might is a Bad Teacher, Protective Midoriya Inko, Neglectful Midoriya Inko, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Quirkless Discrimination, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Bakugou Katsuki Bashing, Bakugou Katsuki Redemption, Aldera Middle School Faces Consequences, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Hikiishi Kenji | Magne Lives, Mentor Nedzu, Parental Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Soft Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Insomniac Midoriya Izuku, Insomniac Shinsou Hitoshi, Chatting & Messaging, sometimes beta read, Vent Cryptid | Gremlin Midoriya Izuku, Cryptid Nedzu, Feral Midoriya Izuku

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38252860

#AO3 Feed #FanFiction #AO3 Dadzawa #♥#Erasermic #Monoshindeku #Inko Midoriya #R:T #A:MrMiss #Quirkless AU #Dadzawa #Dad Mic

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goodlucktai · 3 years

Note

What about some hurt/comfort for Natsume & Natori? (Not slash tho)

Natori doesn't seem like he has anyone in his life to take care of him except his shikigami :(

"You need to sleep," Hiiragi says. Her tone is unchanging, an unhurried monotone, but somehow it manages to carry a thread of concern.

Shuuichi waves her off, sifting through papers. "In a minute. I just have to finish this."

A group of exorcists in over their heads sent these reports earlier today. Yesterday, now, Shuuichi amends inwardly with a bleary glance at the clock in the kitchen, which reads an inappropriately cheerful 6:07 AM. And they'll arrive to collect them, along with Shuuichi's notes, in just a few hours.

"They are presumptuous," Hiiragi says, "to assume you had this time to spare them, and on such short notice. You're busy."

"Not with anything that matters," Shuuichi laughs. It comes out not sounding like a laugh at all. Hiiragi tips her head incrementally to the side, no doubt staring at him behind her mask.

"Your work does matter."

"This work does," Shuuichi says, laying a hand on the papers scattered across the desk. "The other stuff-- "

"The 'stuff' that pays your bills," Hiiragi says. "The 'stuff' that keeps you fed, and gives you reason to leave your house and interact with people who won't make you think about ghosts."

It's Shuuichi's turn to stare. "I didn't realize you were such a firm believer in my acting career."

"I don't understand it," she says frankly. "But you enjoy it. It may not be.... 'vanquishing evil,'" she goes on, quoting the report the exorcists sent as if it's something slimy she's peeling off her shoe, "but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter."

It might be the lack of sleep talking, but Shuuichi feels strangely touched. He has to swallow before he can reply, something that happens rarely, if at all.

"I'll make sure to sign an autograph for you," he teases, grinning. "But only after I've finished this."

"Hm," Hiiragi says. She doesn't call him an idiot, at least. A few minutes after that she leaves from the living room window, ostensibly to patrol the neighborhood.

Shuuichi will just finish his notes, and then set an alarm for-- he checks the clock again, and winces-- and hour and a half. He'll get that much sleep, at least. He's worked with less.

At some point, the front door opens. That's odd. Only a few people have a key to his apartment, and none of them who do live anywhere near here. His shiki certainly don't use the door.

A familiar voice says, "Hi, Natori-san."

Shuuichi lifts his head, so fast his vision swims. There's Natsume, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the sitting room, hands full with a cardboard drink tray and a brown paper bag bearing the distinctive golden arches. He looks decidedly windblown, as if he flew the whole way here. He probably did.

His brow is wrinkled, mouth tucked into a frown. It's the way Shuuichi imagines Hiiragi's face looks behind her mask at least ninety-percent of the time.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Shuuichi says, pushing himself upright. He has to lean on the desk to get there. Natsume clocks it with a flick of his eyes but doesn't comment. "Don't you have school today?" Shuuichi goes on, desperately trying to remember what day it is. Friday, right?

"No school," Natsume says, putting the drinks and the bag on the counter. "Teacher's institute."

"Are you in trouble?" Shuuichi asks carefully.

"I have to be in trouble to come visit you?"

Natsume wanders into the sitting room and sets his messenger bag and his ugly cat down on the sofa. He actually points a stern finger at the cat in clear warning that it needs to behave itself, as if it isn't actually a giant monster capable of leveling buildings should it so choose. Something about that manages to be hilarious, where it isn't slightly horrifying.

Shuuichi smiles a bit. This weird kid means the world to him.

"Did you bring me breakfast?" he asks lightly. "I hope that's coffee."

Natsume is so receptive to any manner of kindness, even after the life he's lived, that he smiles back like a knee-jerk reaction. It still feels like an accomplishment when he does.

"Tea," he corrects. "And some egg sandwiches. The sausage ones are for sensei. Can you eat with me, or-- if you're too busy-- "

"I can take a break," Shuuichi says, and slings his arm around Natsume's shoulders, steering him back into the kitchen. "Let's talk about what dragged you all the way out here in the early hours of the morning, shall we? Does your mother know where you are?"

"Of course she does," Natsume insists. "She even sent some leftovers with me. I put them in the fridge already."

Shuuichi is in a vulnerable state, and that just about undoes him. He clears his throat and takes a big, scalding gulp of tea instead of saying or doing anything embarrassing. "Tell her I said thank you," he manages.

"Or you could just call her," Natsume points out dryly.

"Or I could just call her," Shuuichi agrees.

In his defense, Shuuichi truly didn’t stand a chance. The combination of heavy food and a hot drink… the pale fingers of dawn creeping through the shades at the kitchen window… the steady back-and-forth of comfortable, friendly conversation… no one asking anything of him, expecting anything from him, except his company…

He dozes off in his chair at the counter, face buried in his folded arms. He feels someone draw a blanket around his shoulders, their cold fingers lingering protectively near his nape, and Hiiragi’s voice says, “Thank you. He’s very stupid.”

“No he isn’t,” Natsume replies loyally. “Well, not all the time.”

It’s ridiculous how well Shuuichi sleeps after that.

He wakes up a solid ten hours later, the blanket slipping to the floor. The TV is on in the next room. Hiiragi is perched on the counter beside him. Her mask somehow manages to appear both smug and judgemental without actually changing at all.

“Sleep well?” she asks with no inflection.

“What-- time is it?” Shuuichi asks blearily, looking around for the clock.

“A little after four,” Hiiragi says. “Those exorcists have come and gone.”

“What?”

“They didn’t come inside. Natsume dealt with them at the door.”

“Sorry, Natori-san,” Natsume pipes up in the doorway. He shuffles a bit, self-conscious until Hiiragi seems to catch his eye. Then he lifts his chin a little and says, “You seemed tired, so I handled it. Hiiragi and Sasago both said it was okay.”

Betrayal, Shuuichi thinks, glaring hard at Hiiragi. She gazes serenely back, entirely unmoved. He’s firing her.

“Natsume, I appreciate it,” because there’s very little in this life that Natsume could do that Shuuichi wouldn’t back him up on, “but don’t talk to strangers. Even though they’re exorcists, that doesn’t automatically make them trustworthy.”

“I don’t trust most exorcists,” Natsume says plainly. “You’re one of, like, two exceptions.”

And there’s a lot to unpack there, but for some reason the first thing Shuuichi thinks of to ask is, “One of two? Who’s the other one?”

After a beat, in which Natsume looks as though he doesn’t want to answer, he admits, “Hakozaki-san.”

“Hak-- the recluse with the dragon shiki? The owner of that mansion we watched burn?” Shuuichi laughs, unable to help himself. It unwinds tension in his body he hadn’t even realized he was holding. “Natsume, you never even met him!”

“I still liked him!” Natsume says hotly, embarrassed. “He was friends with yokai!”

“And I’m sure if he’d had the chance to know you, he would have spirited you away as his son and heir within two business days.” Shuuichi chuckles, leaning back in his chair. “Lucky for me he didn’t have the chance, I suppose.”

Natsume huffs, but he still climbs into the seat next to Shuuichi. After a beat, Nyanko-sensei hops up into his lap.

“I might have gotten you in trouble with those exorcists,” the boy admits. “I told them to do their own homework from now on. That if they kept taking advantage of your kindness, you wouldn’t help them anymore.” He glances at Shuuichi sidelong from beneath his fringe, and adds, “They got mad, so I sicced sensei on them. I, um, think they thought he was my shiki. I also think they thought I’m from your clan. I couldn’t tell ‘cause they were all, um-- screaming, at the same time.”

And-- okay. There is a right and a wrong way to react to this, clearly. A teenage boy using his terrifying yokai friend to menace people within Shuuichi’s network? Not good! Very bad, even!

But Shuuichi has to lean forward against the counter, face buried in his hands, because he’s absolutely howling with laughter. Natsume is stammering, trying to explain himself, but he doesn’t say sorry. He isn’t sorry for sticking up for Shuuichi. He showed up at Shuuichi’s apartment at seven AM with McDonald’s on his day off from school, and chased a bunch of exorcists out of the building, because his friend needed a break and that’s just the kind of person Natsume is.

The kind of person who deserves something fancy for dinner tonight, Shuuichi decides, and he’s still smiling as he reaches for his phone.

Hiiragi places it neatly in his hand.

“I don’t want your autograph,” she says. She doesn't call him an idiot out loud, but she's probably thinking it.

Hell, he’ll order something fancy for her, too.

#natsume yuujinchou #natsuyuu #natori shuuichi #natsume takashi #hiiragi #my writing #prompt #anonymous #natsuyuu fic

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ao3feed-hawks · 3 years

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Stop judging me, it's shiny, okay?!

Stop judging me, it's shiny, okay?! by Stormysilverfox

Everyone knew Hawks got a new crush every day. He would wake up, and someone with a glittery hairpiece would walk past and bang—that was Hawks’ crush for the day. He'd gush about them, and mope around dreamily. It never lasted more than a day. Dabi found it tolerable, that way. And then one day turned to two, and Dabi realized that Hawks was still crushing on the same person. And if what Spinner said was true, had been for months now. Somebody with cerulean eyes and black hair, and how had Hawks phrased it—a snarky personality that obscured a much softer interior. Who the fuck did Hawks have a crush on? Dabi might just accidentally push them off a building and into a pit of vipers, he just had to figure out who they were first.

Or: featuring card games, Todoroki angst, accidental identity reveals, Dabi's terrifying fanbase, the League of softies, the adoption of the LOV + Hawks by one Todoroki Rei, and many, many shiny things.

Words: 11897, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: League of Villains, Todoroki Family, Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Takami Keigo | Hawks, Toga Himiko, Todoroki Fuyumi, Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner, Shiny things

Relationships: Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Takami Keigo | Hawks, League of Villains & Todoroki Family, Dabi | Todoroki Touya & Todoroki Family

Additional Tags: League of Villains as Family, League of Villains Shenanigans, Takami Keigo | Hawks Acts Like a Bird, Courting Rituals, Soft Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Takami Keigo | Hawks, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Light Angst, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Soft Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Jealous Dabi | Todoroki Touya, It's a bit crack-ish at the end, Protective Takami Keigo | Hawks, Identity Reveal, Swearing, Card Games, Takami Keigo | Hawks-centric, Christmas Fluff at the end, Todoroki Family Shenanigans, Hawks and Dabi are dumbasses

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36084655

#AO3 Feed #FanFiction #AO3 Hotwings #♥#Dabihawks #Hotwings #Fuyumi Todoroki #⚣#R:T #A:Stormysilver #Fluff #Angst

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ao3feed-todoroki · 3 years

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Stop judging me, it's shiny, okay?!

Stop judging me, it's shiny, okay?! by Stormysilverfox

Words: 11897, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: League of Villains, Todoroki Family, Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Takami Keigo | Hawks, Toga Himiko, Todoroki Fuyumi, Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner, Shiny things

Relationships: Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Takami Keigo | Hawks, League of Villains & Todoroki Family, Dabi | Todoroki Touya & Todoroki Family

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36084655

#AO3 Feed #FanFiction #AO3 Hotwings #♥#Dabihawks #Hotwings #Toga Himiko #🔥#🏮#🐦#⚣#R:T #A:Stormysilver #Fluff #Angst

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ao3feed-hitoshi-shinsou · 3 years

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Kings Gambit

Kings Gambit by XysidheQueen

“Not everything is what it first appears, look more into those heroes you believe to be paragons of purity and tell me what you find. “

Midoriya Izuku spent his life looking up to Heroes, believing they were what it meant to be good. Slowly he realizes the dark truth behind the glittering facades. When his last Idol fails him and leaves him with the understanding that nothing is what it appears Izuku rises from the ashes of his hopes. He's determined to tear down the corrupt society they live in and build a better one from the rubble that remains. One where flashy Quirks don't excuse evil hearts, where someone's Quirk or lack of one doesn't automatically determine their life path. Slowly he gains friends and allies, other lost souls desperately searching for a place to finally belong. All of them failed by the society they live in.

The world wrote them off as useless, as villains, as unworthy. They'll bring the world to it's knees.

Words: 3470, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M, Multi

Characters: Sensei | All For One, Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Inko, Midoriya Hisashi, Shinsou Hitoshi, Monoma Neito, Yaoyorozu Momo, Hatsume Mei, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Kurogiri, Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Toga Himiko, Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner, Sako Atsuhiro | Mr. Compress, Mustard, Bubaigawara Jin | Twice, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Class 1-A, Class 1-B, Class 1-C, Class 1-H, League of Villains, Todoroki Shouto

Relationships: Midoriya Hisashi/Midoriya Inko, Midoriya Izuku/Shinsou Hitoshi

Additional Tags: Sensei | All For One is Midoriya Hisashi, Midoriya Izuku Has All for One Quirk, Villain Midoriya Izuku, Heroes to Villains, Vigilante Midoriya Izuku, Villain Shinsou Hitoshi, Villain Yaoyorozu Momo, Villain Monoma Neito, Sensei | All For One is Midoriya Izuku's Parent, Angst, Fluff and Angst, League of Villains as Family, League of Villains Shenanigans, Protective League of Villains, I'm Bad At Tagging, Slow Burn, Yagi Toshinori | All Might Bashing, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor Being An Asshole, Bakugou Katsuki Faces Consequences, Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Good Parent Midoriya Inko, BAMF Midoriya Inko, Supportive Midoriya Inko, Villain Midoriya Hisashi, Good Parent Midoriya Hisashi, BAMF Midoriya Hisashi, Midoriya Izuku is a Ray of Sunshine, Analyst Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto is a Dork, Midoriya Izuku is a Dork, Midoriya Izuku is a Little Shit, Shinsou Hitoshi is Bad at Feelings, Vigilante Shinsou Hitoshi, Shinsou Hitoshi is So Done, Hero Public Safety Commission Bashing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, who's canon?, never met her, Morally Ambiguous Midoriya Izuku, Dorks in Love, Gay Disaster Midoriya Izuku, Polyamory, Maybe, we'll see, Traitor Midoriya Izuku, Traitor Shinsou Hitoshi, Traitor Yaoyorozu Momo, Traitor Monoma Neito, I'm Bad At Summaries, no beta we die like sir nighteye, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32701819

#AO3 Feed #FanFiction #AO3 Shindeku #♥#Shindeku #AFO #Hisashi Midoriya #⚣#R:M #A:Xysidhe #Vigilante AU #Quirk AU #Fluff

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magioftheseas · 4 years

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Look Look Look

Summary: They both have one reason for interacting with each other, and that reason is to get Momota Kaito's attention.

Rating: T

Warnings: This is angst. It’s pretty bitter.

Notes: This is for Jen who wanted “Ouma using Saihara to get to Kaito” and my brain was like “okay but imagine Saihara being the same” and this is what I ended up with because I have Chapter 4 on the brain. Uh. Don’t read this if you’re looking for Saiouma Saiouma because it very much isn’t a Saiouma fic.

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

Commission? Donate?

“Oi, Shuuichi!” With a friendly wave and a friendlier grin, Momota Kaito shone brighter than the sun. “Hey, you got any free time or what?”

It’s so bright it hurts to look at. Bright enough that he wants to shrivel and retreat into the shadows, but that wasn’t going to happen when two thin arms latch onto his own like a vice.

“Soooorry, Momota-chan!” Ouma exclaims with the same amount of cheer, even if it’s just a cheap facsimile of the real thing. He presses against Saihara, his grip unforgiving rather than secure. “Saihara-chan already promised his day away to little ol’ me!”

“You again?!” Momota’s smile dropped, his teeth gritting. “Haven’t you been hogging enough of Shuuichi’s time! Seriously, Shuuichi...” Momota’s gaze darts towards him, and Saihara freezes under such a strong stare. He’d reach up to yank down the brim of his hat—but dammit. Momota had convinced him to toss the thing weeks ago. “He’s not blackmailing you, is he?”

“Wah! What a horrible thing to accuse someone!” Ouma squeezes his arm hard enough to cut off circulation. Saihara thinks of trapped wolves gnawing off their legs to escape. Ouma sniffles, exaggerated but still putting on an impeccable show regardless with tears welling up in his eyes. “T-That you’d even think so lowly of me, Momota-chan... That hurts! That really, really hurts!”

Momota looks unimpressed, but his gaze bores into Ouma. Saihara thinks of leeches.

“It’s nothing like that,” he whispers. “It’s not—anything like that, Momota-kun. I’m fine, it’s fine.”

Momota hardly looks relieved. He’s also hardly looking at Saihara at all, gaze still focused more on Ouma, wiping off his face and sniffling loudly. Momota’s brow furrows the way it does when he’s working on a puzzle.

Saihara thinks of drowning. Drowning with leeches.

“It’s fine,” he repeated. “I’ll talk to you later, Momota-kun.” A pause. A sharp inhale. “Ouma-kun. Let’s go.”

“M-Mm,” Ouma nods, still caught in his tearful act. “I wanna leave right away. Momota-chan is horrible!”

Momota rolled his eyes, but he does grin at Saihara. Easy and kind. Saihara eagerly searches his expression for a reassuring hint of disappointment.

“Later, Shuuichi.”

Momota waves him off, turning on his heel without another comment. Saihara feels cold.

“Ooh,” Ouma coos, quiet and pressing up against him again. Saihara can feel the other’s racing heart and contemplates digging his elbow into Ouma’s sternum. Of course. He’d never do anything like that. He wasn’t Momota Kaito, after all.

Momota, who does glance back. At Ouma. Ouma sticks his tongue out, and Momota hurriedly snaps his head forward with a huff.

He hadn’t given Saihara a second glance.

“Come oooon, Saihara-chan,” Ouma sing-songs, and pulls him along. Weakling that he is, worthless coward that he is, Saihara follows mutely.

No matter who it is, he just goes along with what the other person wants. Even if he doesn’t really want to do whatever they want to do, he just goes along with it. He can’t say he enjoys being around other people, honestly. He’s not like Akamatsu, who laughs with others and leads as easily as she breathes. Momota is like that, too, of course, but Momota is—

He’s special. Like that.

He’s special and shining, and someone like Saihara Shuuichi can’t stand being around him just as much as he wants to bask in that radiance until he burns to a crisp.

And that’s why he...tolerates Ouma. Sits with him and picks at the treats, at his teacup. It’s more tolerable than those weird card games that Ouma likes to force him through. Or the inane games of Clue. Or the detective dramas that he’s sure Ouma puts on just to watch him squirm.

He doesn’t enjoy it. But, he doesn’t think Ouma’s super crazy about his company either no matter how much he laughs.

They both have one reason for interacting with each other, and that reason—

“I think it’s best to break things off, Ouma-kun.”

“Eh? You’re breaking up with me, Saihara-chan?” Ouma doesn’t even pause in sipping his tea. It’s like they’re discussing how it might rain soon with his dry his tone is. “Just like that, huh.”

“It’s...” Saihara swallowed. He pushes away his own cup. “The more I hang out with you, the less Momota-kun looks at me.”

He just looks at you. You, you, you.

He can’t bear to say that because the last thing he needs is Ouma giving him one of those truly unpleasant smirks.

“You said that an upside to us hanging out would be that Momota-kun would pay me more attention.” Saihara tries not to grit his teeth. “But, it’s been the opposite. Because you’re nothing more than a dirty liar, Ouma-kun.”

Ouma doesn’t even look offended. He just looks bored.

“How was I supposed to know this was how things would turn out?” he asks, yawning into his hand. “Do I look like a seer? Well. It does break my heart that this backfired for you, Saihara-chan. My deepest, sincerest apologies.”

There’s not even an attempt to fake sincerity. For that, Saihara hates him.

“You had a suspicion it wouldn’t. You...”

“Me?” Ouma does feign innocence with wide eyes and pursed lips. “Don’t tell me that you think I’m trying to steal Momota-chan from you. Whyever would I do that? I already have Gonta, I have Amami-chan...” He ticks on his fingers. “Kiiboy’s so fun to mess with, too. And Akamatsu-chan! She’s so much better than Momota-chan. Whatever would I even need Momota-chan for?”

How is he supposed to answer that? Is he supposed to explain all the ways that Momota is kind and wonderful? How Momota is his strength and stability and how lucky he is to know him? How Momota is so overflowing with care and consideration that he looks out for everyone? Everyone—including Ouma?

How Momota keeps looking after Ouma, how he keeps bothering with Ouma, how he gets so worked up over Ouma, how he gets so fixated on Ouma because Ouma makes himself such a troublemaker—!

Ouma smiles at him, and Saihara knows in a heartbeat that the other is well aware. Of all that. There’s no point. There’s no point in trying to play along.

“The only reason you even pretended to notice me was because of Momota-kun.” That’s just a fact. He’s suspected it from the beginning. He’s not the kind of person to just attain another’s interest, after all. Even kind-hearted people like Akamatsu and Momota just treat him as they would any other person. “You wanted his attention, too.”

And you got it. You won. But.

“You don’t even know what to do with it. Momota-kun could look at you like you hung the moon and stars, and you wouldn’t have any idea what to do. You only know how to keep others at a distance, even as you manipulate them into chasing you. Ouma-kun...” Saihara blinked, realizing. “You’re pathetic.”

Ouma’s expression does change. He sets the tea aside. He leans in. There’s nothing but shadows encasing them both. Not a hint of light. Radiance. Anything.

“And you’re any better? If you wanted Momota-chan’s attention, surely there are better ways than trying to make him jealous. The two of you are supposed to be friends, right? Sai-ha-ra-chan?”

“You’re right,” he conceded. “I’m pathetic, too. But...at least being with you let me see the truth.”

That Momota-kun isn’t going to look at me the way he looks at you.

“Truth?”

It’s funny. Ouma looks genuinely confused. It’s really, really funny.

“What truth?”

“As a detective, it was easy to figure out,” he replied solemnly, shrugging as he did. “But, for a liar like you... It’ll probably take you a while, Ouma-kun.”

“What truth?” Ouma repeated, irritated. “You aren’t even going to tell me? You’re just going to keep that shit to yourself?! You sleazeball!”

Saihara stood up, pulling away even as Ouma scowled at him. With how small Ouma was, it was a wonder anyone could find him intimidating.

“I’m breaking things off. I’m just going to be a normal friend to Momota-kun. And you—you can do whatever, Ouma-kun. I don’t care. I really don’t.”

“Saihara-chan!” Ouma whined. Saihara doesn’t even twitch.

If he had been Momota, he would’ve at least grimaced with annoyance. But he’s not, so he doesn’t. There’s nothing to his expression at all.

“Do whatever you want,” he repeated, and he only lets his voice lower for this one thing. “Except, that’s a lie. I will keep an eye on what you do to Momota-kun. As his friend.”

“You liar,” Ouma hissed. “You’re an even worse liar than I am.”

“But I’m not as pathetic as you.”

Ouma opened his mouth, and then he shut it. His eyes glimmered with emotion—a storm of emotions that Saihara didn’t want to be caught up in, so he turned away.

“Have a nice day.”

“Ouma’s been in such a stormy mood lately,” Momota sighs later when they’re finally together. Except, Harukawa is there, too, and she’s outwardly irritated.

“Why do you care?” she griped.

“I don’t!” Momota exclaimed, and Saihara notes that it’s such an obvious lie that it’s despairing. Especially when Momota clears his throat a little, and even looks flustered. “I just...notice these things. You don’t think something happened, do ya?”

“I don’t know.” Harukawa rolled her eyes. “And I don’t care.”

Momota shuffles uncomfortably. He looks a little uncertain.

“What do you think, Shuuichi?” he asks next, looking at him—really looking towards him. And how dearly Saihara wanted to agree with Harukawa and tell him not to worry at all.

Except. He knows he doesn’t have that kind of control. And if he can’t do anything about Momota and Ouma getting closer, at the very least he doesn’t want himself and Momota to become more distant.

“Maybe... You should ask him yourself.”

Momota lights up.

“Yeah! Good point! I’ll do that, then! Thanks, Shuuichi!”

He shines brighter than the sun.

It hurts so much.

#Magi fics #Saimota #Oumota #Shuuichi Saihara #kokichi ouma

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ao3feed-spinaraki · 6 months

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A hero girl’s encore as a villain

by Wezko

At the same time, All Might found himself a successor. And if Izuma had to describe her in one word, she would say ‘perfect’.

Words: 1959, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M

source: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55137715

#ao3feed #iguchi shuuichi #shigaraki tomura #spinaraki #spinneraki #spnrk #tenko shimura #auto

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stillness-in-green · 5 years

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Shigaraki, the League and “Redemption”

(In this post: 1700 words about how much I feel like stories/meta in which Shigaraki is rescued or redeemed miss the entire point of Shigaraki.)

It's a big open question how much of Shigaraki's backstory was engineered by All For One. We're not even sure if AFO is the villain who killed Nana's husband, the event that kicked off the entire downward spiral of the Shimura family, much less what degree of involvement he had in Tenko's manifestation of Decay. There's a tremendous amount of well-thought-out, interesting meta and fic about what will happen when Shigaraki finds out the truth, whether he can or should still be redeemed as he currently stands, or how Tenko might have been saved from ever becoming Shigaraki to begin with. While I have read and enjoyed quite a lot of those theories and stories, I still find myself bothered by the prevalence of that line of thought because it ignores the fact that hero society stands condemned regardless.

Whether or not AFO gave Tenko the Decay quirk knowing what would happen, whether he found out about Tenko the night of the accident or never lost track of Kotaro from the very beginning, in truth, none of that matters to the narrative of the League on the whole. Nothing about Shigaraki's past has any bearing on the pasts of the other members. Trying to decide how to "save" Shigaraki avoids the fact that he is the leader of the League of Villains and their pain still stands regardless of their leader's history.

You cannot act as though saving Shigaraki--with All Might, Inko, Izuku, Eraserhead, anyone--would redeem hero society, because Shigaraki is not hero society's only victim. He's not even its most straightforward one! The condemnation he articulates of the world he lives in can't be addressed by him realizing he was manipulated by AFO all along or getting a good therapist in prison, because the world he lives in has failed a good many more people than just him.

Let's break it down.

The League Members

Twice fell through the cracks because of a lack of social support after his parents were killed in a villain attack. He was just a teenager back then--what arrangements were made about where he was going to live? If he was old enough that foster care/being placed in a group home wasn't a good option, did he instead have a stipend from the government? Where was the social worker who should have been overseeing his case? Where was his homeroom teacher when he dropped out of school? What support should have been available when he wound up homeless on the streets? Heroes stop villains and are rewarded both socially and monetarily for doing so, but the much more difficult and involved work of dealing with the fallout from those battles is clearly undervalued, badly so, in comparison. Hero society, which prioritizes glamorized reaction over everyday prevention, failed Bubaigawara Jin.

Spinner had the wrong kind of face. X-Men-style mutant discrimination left him isolated and alienated, shunned by the inhabitants of his backwater hometown because of his animal-type quirk. To say nothing about the threat of violent hate crimes implied by the existence of a KKK analogue! But it goes further than just the bigotry of his neighbors--Spinner's quirk was also unremarkable, meaning that, in a society that prizes flashy and offense-based quirks in its heroes, Spinner would have had few if any role models. Given how many heroes there are, it seems strange to consider that there isn't a single straightforward heteromorph for Spinner to idolize, but given how strongly he latches onto first Stain's warped ideals and later Shigaraki's nihilistic grandeur, Spinner is clearly a young man desperate for a role model--if a hero that fit the bill existed, he wouldn't be a villain today. So he's failed directly by his community for their bigotry and indirectly by society for the way it told him, in a thousand ways big and small, that Iguchi Shuuichi was not a person worth valuing.

Toga had the wrong kind of quirk. It's true that, more than anyone else in the League, she feels like a character who would always have struggled with mental stability, even with the best help imaginable--but she didn't get the best help imaginable, did she? She got parents who called her a freak, who berated a child barely into grade school about how unnatural and awful the desires she was born with were. She was put into a quirk counselling program that apparently only caused her to feel more detached from society. If Curious' characterization of quirk counselling is at all accurate, it seems to focus not on how to manage one's unusual or difficult quirk in healthy or productive ways, but rather on stressing what society considers "normal," on teaching its participants how to force themselves into that mold. Hero society wants people with different needs to learn how to function like "normal" people; it is unwilling to look for ways to accommodate such people on a societal level. Toga Himiko was failed by a society that demonized and othered her for a trait that she did not choose and innate desires that she never asked to experience.

And then, most prominently of all*, there's Dabi. We all know where the big Dabi backstory mystery is going, and his is the most open condemnation of hero society of them all. Dabi was raised on a heady cocktail, parental abuse mixed liberally with unquestioned acceptance of the fundamental importance of having a powerful quirk. Whatever else can be said of Endeavor's path to redemption, the old Enji is emblematic of everything wrong with hero society: the fundamental devaluing of those without power, the fervent strain to push oneself past one's limits over and over and over again, regardless of the consequences to your health or your relationships, the practice of raising children to glorify a dangerous profession that fights the symptoms of societal ills rather than the root causes. The ugly secrets hidden in the Todoroki house are the ugly secrets hidden within hero society's ideals, and because he embodies those ideals so thoroughly, of course Endeavor is lionized and well-paid by a society that never had to see Todoroki Touya's scars.

Mirror of Reality

All of these issues map to things in real life, and I don't only mean in a vague, universal sense--I mean they reflect on specific and observable Japanese problems. Read up on koseki family registries and consider how the dogged insistence on maintaining them impacted the Shimura family, tracked down by a monster. Look into societal bias against orphans and imagine how it shaped peoples' reactions to teenaged Jin and his alleged 'scary face.' Read up on how Japan approaches mental and physical disabilities, on what it regularly does to homeless camps, on what responses get trotted out when someone comes forward with a story about closeted abuse. The League embodies these issues in indirect, sometimes fantastical ways, but they're not what I would call subtle, either; there's a reason the generally poor, disenfranchised League members are contrasted with powerful, urbane criminals like All for One, callous manipulators like Overhaul, and entrenched pillars of society like Re-Destro.

Hero AUs are a fun thought exercise and all, but the League exists to call out and typify very real problems in heroic society and, by metaphorical extension, modern day Japanese society as well. Hero society studiously looks away from its victims. It doesn't want to see them and it thinks even trying to talk about them is disruptive and distasteful. There's no indication in-universe that there's even a movement trying to change this state of affairs. Certainly there are a great many things that could have changed to spare the BNHA world Shigaraki Tomura, but none of those quick, easy solutions would have saved Twice or Toga, Spinner or Dabi. The League of Villains is the punishment, the overdue reckoning that their country will have to face for its myriad failures--for letting its social safety nets grow ragged, for failing to stamp out quirk-based prejudice, for allowing its heroes to operate with so little oversight. For growing so complacent that not one person had the moral wherewithal to extend a hand to a bloodied, lost, suffering child.

Shigaraki, Past and Future

One of the most heartbreaking and yet awe-inspiring aspects of Shigaraki's characterization in his Deika City flashback is that he was thoughtful and compassionate enough to reach out to other kids who were being excluded and teased by the rest of his peer group. The League is foreshadowed for him even as a child, because even back then, he was a kid suffering repression and repudiation and so had empathy for others in similar straits. Young Tenko is the person who would have reached out a hand to the scary but obviously needy Tenko wandering the streets; Tomura, despite everything All For One did to him, still retains that core of fellow-feeling that invites other outcasts to play with him.

"Saving" Shigaraki without addressing the societal flaws that created the people gathered under his banner negates the entire point he and the League exist to raise. I think readers will be forced to confront those flaws alongside Midoriya and the rest of his classmates, who the story has made a point to keep mostly isolated and on a steady PLUS ULTRA diet of all the same rhetoric that leads to consequences like the League to begin with. I only wish more of the fandom--hero and villain fandom alike--was on the same page and writing their fic and meta accordingly.

Footnotes and Etc.

*The only characters in the League whose backstories we don't have much window on are Mr. Compress and Magne, both of whom are framed as seeing society as repressive. Magne openly says as much to Overhaul; Mr. C intimates it to the 1-A kids during the training camp attack. I'm inclined to hold off on commenting on them very thoroughly, though, because in neither case do we know exactly what drove them to crime in the first place. That's not a huge problem for Sako--if anyone on that team is into flamboyant villainy for the sheer joy of it, it's him--but I would definitely want to know more specifics about Magne's personal history before I correlate her experience as a trans woman with her portrayal as a violent, even lethal, criminal. That would get right into the problematic elements of portraying all these societal outcasts as villains, people who undoubtedly have a point, but have taken to terrorism to illustrate it. It's very possible that, for all that the League maps to real problems in Japan, we're still going to get a very mealy-mouthed, "But it's still wrong to lash out when you could protest nonviolently and work with your oppressors to seek a peaceful solution," moral from all this.

P.S. None of the above meta even takes into account the multiple non-League characters whose stories illustrate various failings of hero society--Gentle Criminal, Hawks, Shinsou, even Midoriya himself, as those endless reams of Villain!Deku AUs are ever hasty to expound upon. Vigilantes touches on the idea of "hero" and "villain" categorizations as being almost entirely political in their inception, as is also hinted at with historical characters like Destro. Seriously, the mountain of problems with hero culture just looms higher with every passing arc!

P.P.S. I absolutely do not mean to imply with this meta that Japan suffers uniquely from any of the problems discussed above. Other countries obviously have their own difficulties with homelessness, accessibility of care, victim blaming, and so forth. Horikoshi is writing in and about his own culture, though, and stripping Shigaraki of his villainous circumstances in the interest of making him happier and/or more palatable strikes me as being kind of culture-blind in a way that it’s very easy for Western fans to unthinkingly slip into. Just some food for thought.

#shigaraki tomura #tomura shigaraki #league of villains #boku no hero academia #bnha meta #my hero academia #my writing #bnha

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