#also bakudeku is such a queer love story

[imaginarylungfish]

ok evidence for bakudeku (and/or togachako) to become canon:

- so mha starts out really normie/cishetero because we are shown good (heroes) and bad (villains) presented as a binary. this is a popular-held belief in society (i'm writing from the perspective of someone from america).

- but the story is now changing into bad (villians) isn't necessarily all bad and irredeemable. bad is just seen as bad because of trauma (especially childhood trauma).

- and we may end up seeing more "reform rather than prison" ideas pop up later too

- in other words, this manga/anime is liberal-leaning. queerness and progressive politics usually go hand in hand.

Hori is constantly presenting us with "shades of grey" vs. "black and white" thinking. Queerness is a shade of grey. How can it not be included at this point?

[neonscandal]

Okay, if you were asked who are in JJK & BNHA that you can see based on canon that are gay/bi/pan/demi, which characters are they?

For me satoaugu and bakudeku are definitely not straight (yes, I ship them but I don't think they "must be into women only" like a post I just saw). Also, kaminari, jirou, toga, nobara, megumi, kenjaku....

Ah yes, a person with discerning tastes. ✨ While this feels like a sure fire way to get me into some hot water, let's dive right in.

✨🌈 Happy pride to the queer people in my phone 🌈✨

But especially these

Megumi "Only Interested in Compassion" Fushiguro - pansexual (very much choosing to overlook very subtle implications of siscon as a red herring to, of course, further contextualize ItaFushi). See also Gojo and the uncharacteristic Miwa agenda.

Satoru Gojo - Let's be so for real. Man is down astronomical for Suguru but I think there's still evidence/reason to believe he could be ace or demisexual. Can strength be conflated with love?

Kinji Hakari - waving the white flag on this one considering I'm 4 weeks behind and I don't know if there's been further clarification that might swing this verdict one way or another but support Hikari's love regardless of Kirara's gender expression/identity. Also, given current events, it'd be pretty weird if Gege slipped that in out of nowhere.

Kenjaku - 🗣️ IF GIVEN ENOUGH TIME, DO WE NOT ALL BECOME A LIL GAY!? I understand straight people probably don't have such realizations so I'm just going to sit with that reflection.

Nobara Kugisaki - be so for real. I think she had a misplaced crush in her idolization of Saori that made more sense when she left the bumble fuck countryside and could live her best life, out and proud with her muscle mommy girlfriend, Maki. Also explains, a bit, why Saori was ostracized where Nobara may have lacked understanding/context.

Maki - Plenty of gay icons without last names, queen. This one just happens to also be gay.

Eijirou Kirishima is almost so straight that he unintentionally makes a hard U-turn into flirting with queerness. His phrasing is baffling as he tends to pop up in those threads frequently with assumingly unintended innuendos but it is also reminiscent about how no one third wheels harder than a dude's girlfriend when he's with his best friend? I don't know if that makes sense but I'm throwing him in the mix as someone who maybe just needs some time ✨ regardless of the BakuDeku to KiriMina parallels.

Denki Kaminari - This kid has eyes and he uses them, gender be damned. A bi-disaster if I've ever seen one.

Minoru Mineta - IDK if his Deku confession was a translation faux pas or if Mineta, too, has fallen for the male lead's quintessential charm that wins over hearts and minds. While the Council on Bisexuality would fight me on this one... his membership is still pending.

Izuku Midoriya - I have it on good authority that Izuku is Bakusexual. Flustered by girls in the same way that any awkward and bullied kid might when encountering the opposite sex but his heart has always had its allegiance to one person. Whether that makes him gay, demi or even bi, I think it tracks.

Katsuki Bakugo - bi, pan or gay, the consensus is he is Not Straight.

Kyoka Jiro - in Smash, Jiro is a total fujoshi (she just like us fr). If you'll allow submitting MHA Smash into evidence, coupled with the canon main story, I say bi. A girl who knows Momo is stacked but also reasonably wants the attention and company of a Class 1A boy as a girl would at that age.

Himiko Toga - one thing about Toga. She is going to know and live her truth. Confidently bi ✨

Ochaco Uraraka - SPEAKING OF LIVING TRUTHS. She a little late but she has the right spirit.

Bonus, if including Kirishima didn't some how get me booed, I was going to add Yuta Okkotsu too but I thought better of it. 👉🏾👈🏾

[ammy246]

Just saw some Narusasu shippers shitting on Bakudeku, and as someone who's first gay ship and otp used to be Narusasu instead of Bakudeku, I have some thoughts.

I remember the heartbreak I felt the day Kishimoto ruined Narusasu by forcing them to be romantically involved with women without a single bit of relationship development. Naruto ended up with Hinata in a filler movie despite having ignored her even after her romantic confession to him, and Sasuke abandoned Sakura after having a child with her. This was not the ending any of us wanted. We wanted Naruto and Sasuke to peacefully resolve their rivalry, and find love in each other after all they've been through. But unfortunately, that's not what happened as Kishimoto had to force a next-gen onto us, and permanently friendzoned them. It's tragic and felt like a betrayal, but shounen had not been ready for queer relationships, so Narusasu being shafted was ultimately inevitable.

While I cannot say for 100% certain, I can say that Bakudeku has a much greater chance of becoming canon than Narusasu ever did. Horikoshi once stated that he will tell the story he wants to be told and not follow the stereotypical formula, contradicting Kishimoto who went with the shounen ending we've seen many times before of the protagonist accomplishing their goal and marrying a woman and having kids (even though they have no chemistry with said woman or a lack of feelings for them compared to their rival).

Horikoshi had the chance to make Izuocha canon. They could've confessed before the war, but they didn't. The two moved on with their lives, and have made no desire to talk about feelings for each other, but are rather focused on other peope (Bakugou and Toga) as that's where their hearts reside. Bakugou also has no other potential love interest aside from Midoriya as he is the one he is closest too in the entire world and knows the most which is different than Sasuke who had some moments with Sakura scattered throughout the series from the start.

Bakugou cares about Midoriya in a way that's beyond friendship. He means the word to him to the point he was willing to sacrifice himself and even die for him, and will make himself vulnerable around him and nobody else. Midoriya has hidden feelings for Bakugou as his thoughts regarding him are hidden, and his heart always spirals out of control because of Bakugou, but we have not yet been directly told why. Midoriya does not act like this around his other friends, and he has many.

Naruto and Sasuke resolved things right after their final fight, and their friendship returned stronger than ever before, but that was it. Yet even after Bakugou's apology, there are still unresolved issues even though Midoriya chose to forgive him, meaning something must still be said between the two. Midoriya did not want an apology; he wanted to deepen their bond beyond friendship, but was too afraid of rejection hence why he never confessed and hid his feelings instead.

This plotline is still unresolved as of chapter 405. Bakugou is now being honest about his feelings, yet we have still yet to see Midoriya's thoughts regarding Bakugou's death and revival only having been given face expressions. So if their friendship has returned and gotten stronger than ever before despite the series not yet being over, what else is there to develop aside from romantic feelings?

Narusasu shippers, I hate to say it, but we lost. We cannot change the past, but we can have hope for the future. Bakudeku has surpassed Narusasu long ago, and the two are closer to a love confession than ever before, which is something we never quite got close to with Narusasu. If Horikoshi is serious about not following the typical shounen formula, we might have a real chance here. We might not get a kiss or marriage, but if the two confess their feelings for each other and do not end up with women like nothing happened, then that would be a huge victory for the LGBT+ community, and hopefully open the gateway for more queer relationships in shounen jump for the future.

Both Bakudeku and Narusasu are amazing ships. I wish we could live in a reality where both became canon, but getting one would still be a major milestone. Do not attack each other over what could have been, but resolve your differences like Bakugou & Midoriya and Naruto & Sasuke did and look towards a brighter future where LGBT+ can be mainstream without us having to fight for it and fear losing.

[rose-void-789]

Man Soriel is so queer. Fandom wise what queer relationship isn't like weirdly hated when anyone does any little analysis on them being potentially cannon. Get it's a really popular ship that people got tired of but man it's the funniest shit so many loved this ship so then people came up with an essay on why they could and would never be a thing and in fact was unhealthy and weird. It's so much funnier to with a good canonical friendship. Like I'm in the mha bakudeku space, it's crazy going from that where stuff is a lot more nuance but still see less people being upset with it then Soriel it's insane. I feel like I'm a time traveler in the trenches day after the war.

People insisting they are just friends and that a relationship will ruin them as if relationships can't just be very good friends who happen to sometimes go on dates sometimes is such a queer ship argument to have. Toby apparently confirmed Sans as AroAce even apparently Toby then said to not use his tweets for this but hey if true this is an actual queer relationship. And honestly, I'm sure after everything with Asgore Toriel is also not that keen on all that.

But can we talk about that because man I stumbled across a post that made me realize these bitches are so queerplatonic. They remind me so much of one of my friend's relationships. They just talking for ages doing flirting through puns to pull each other up. Like yes this is cannon Soriel. The first time they talked though that door they would have been there till the next day if Paps didn't need a night story. On the surface if the post pacifist interactions are anything to go by I'm sure they nabed a house together. Maybe everyone living together but in every ending where Toriel is alive, he always seems to live with her. There such good friends in the surface these two would totally be joking flrting that might turn to actual flirting but no one not even they know yet I don't think they'll go for anyone else. Toriel certainly isn't going after Asgore any time soon and Sans isn't going to go find someone when he's content. They'll be content on the couch watching some shitty comedy joking around cuddling even. They'll go to Grilbys or some random place once a week for some reason and people will just assume that date night for them. They'll see something in the store and buy it for a prank and cause it reminds it of them. They'll get married as a bit or only because of the tax benefit. If Frisk stays with her you know he's secondary guardian on school stuff. These two are just pure fluff with angsty talks they can only understand sprinkled in. Yeah maybe they won't be an a traditional relationship but honestly these two will definitely be in some weird romantic platonic limbo.

[kae-karo]

diff anon here, but similar to the last question cause i'm curious lol, how do you feel about bakudeku? as a romantic pairing that is, but also in general tbh

ahh hi hello dear!! fantastic question!! for context (x - on bktd)

i adore bkdk!!!! they are like. i mean don't get me wrong as much as i love every other pairing i've written for and plenty that i haven't, i feel like bkdk is one of those ships that's so canon-coded that i almost don't feel like i want to write for them? which is like a Thing for me generally, the canon ships in actual queer media (ie wangxian, hualian, victor and yuuri, etc) are just sort of like. what else do i have to say abt them idk? like i enjoy and appreciate what canon had to say abt them so i feel like i don't have much to add myself

anyway!!! lskdfjlsdf that's a lot of how i feel abt bkdk? like, am i aware it's not actually a canon romantic relationship? sure yeah ofc lmao but also like? their stories revolve so heavily around each other that they are critical to each others' arcs and development as characters, and while i have written a few things abt them (mostly before some of the apology/reconciliation stuff was out), i really feel like canon is saying a lot of what i personally would say abt them with regards to any kind of relationship

fr like whether they kiss or not in canon they are undeniably critical to each other, canonically would die for each other (sorry bkg dw i'm sure u will wake up soon) and would lowkey kill for each other lmao like i love them deeply as characters and how intertwined they are it's really a very intriguing dynamic that makes their canon interactions feel as poignant as if they were like. in a romantic relationship? not out of any downplaying of a platonic relationship between them just like. they are the most important person in each others lives i think, y'know?

ANYWAY lmao all of that to say that i really do love bkdk, i think they are like fundamentally the idea of 'you make me want to be better, both as a person and in what we're both striving to become'. i think they have that particular appeal of like. there is so much history between them, have they ever even known a life without knowing each other? and that becomes like such a deep and consuming sort of vibe that really colors all their interactions. like, who knows them better than they know each other? it's a really fun flavor to dig into when i'm in the mood, and overall makes for a really fun dynamic to see in canon as well!!

tyty for the ask dear!! <3

[seikatsu-ga-tsuzuku]

Thanks for answering my long ask, Nicky. Actually, I don't know most of the shoujo/josei manga in that ask myself (sorry). Have you watched Kimi ni Todoke s3? Do you love it?

Oh, in your profile pic, is that the mc from Blue Flag? Love that series! I was so surprised when finding out that it's shounen. Really, canon gay couple in shounen?

So, when I discussed it with my friend, she said, it's weird that eventhough they canonly gay but there are no bromance "vibes" between them in Blue Flag, like many other famous shounen (NauSasu from Naruto, SatoSugu from JJK, BakuDeku from BNHA, etc). What do you think?

I just finished Shouwa Genroku Rakugo anime, so in the end is that boy (Konatsu's son) really actually Yakumo's son, too? And Yakumo's true feelings is to Konatsu's father? Sorry, I'm just so bad to read subtext. I'm saying this, eventhough I'm the big fan of the mangaka's BL (Itoshi no Nekokke).

Sorry for this long ask....

I haven’t watched Kimi no Todoke yet, but it’s on my list! It looks wholesome. As for Blue Flag, yes my icon is Taichi and I love the series a lot too. One of my favorite manga I think, it really impacted me. Also I disagree with their being no bromance vibes, I think people need to read the series again and pay close attention to how the boys act and what they say to each other. Words are very important in the series.

I do not believe Shinnosuke is Kiku’s son. I think people questioned it but it doesn’t mean it’s true. There is no true confirmation of it in the anime at least (I’m not sure where the manga ends) but I believe that Konatsu and Kiku just had a complicated relationship as her only parental figure not even being one of her actual parents. I strongly disagree that Konatsu thinks of him in a romantic context at any point during the story. I think she just looked up to him and wanted his approval but also detested him for what happened with her parents. As for Kiku’s feelings, I believe there is strong queer subtext in the story that he romantically loved Sukeroku even without it being explicitly stated. I can’t read their relationship any other way, it’s so in your face to me. Kiku even mourns him like a widow would their lover after he passes.

[hobimo]

sorry if i keep sending you asks i think it would feel a lil weird to dm bc my accounts on sns tend to be kind of throwaway accounts bc i don't know how to build an online presence prob freaks ppl out lol but yeah exactly you can tell that a lot of new jikookers experienced fan fiction for the first time with jikook so they just be reading and writing whatever. no critical thinking just big cocks and alpha knots is what it takes. the thing is that imo years ago you used to like a pairing and then get inspired by them to make up stories/characters, whereas i feel that now jikookers first and foremost see jm and jk's relationship and personalities in That specific way and it translates to fics as well. they keep saying it's just fiction but i don't buy it lmao i think it's the opposite so yeah it kinda fucks the whole thing up yk. OH btw i know that author!!! i have one of their naruto fics saved in my bookmarks so i'm def familiar w them, i'll check it out! ty <3

(i'll censor the names just in case) yeah they're rly good! hmm rk1ve1nk did an interesting spin on omegaverse in Forest,F1re. very animalistic even though the characters were made in a lab, super unique fic. Mo0nJar by them too is pretty cool. changing genres completely, user cartograph1c writes these weird lil fics, def recommended!!

HEELLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO i swear i get so excited when i see you in my inbox hello hello hello

yessssss surveycorpsjean has been Around writing bangers. i am just discovering bakudeku the last few months tho so im extra insane about them 👍also recommend watching trigun for normal reasons (please. please please please please we need more people with trigun brainrot. if u like the hanged man archetype and characters doomed by the narratve and tragic siblings you will Love trigun.)

thank you very much for the fic recs!!!!!!! i have heard of the first author but cant think of the fic ive read so i will check it out. im such a fucking sucker for super animalistic a/b/o..... that furry shit is so good

i have so many thoughts about the way people talk and think about jimin these days but im so scared putting them on public posts will get me doxxed or some shit. people are very attached to the idea that jimin acts openly queer which is really like. well. yeah. i definitely think people reallyyyy need to remember it doesnt matter how much you believe someone famous is queer theyre just presenting in a way that makes them happy and you really do NOT need to decide whether that's queer or not lmao in fact i think it says way more about someone when they decide he's queer because he doesnt act like a "typical man". like yeah in his performances obviously he explores gender some times but like sometimes songwriters are also exploring themes and thoughts that are purely creative. sometimes its not about them (and sometimes it is!) but. yeah. you can PERCEIVE him as queer if it makes you happy but you gotta remember thats not fact thats just what YOU think. yknow. and i also think this translates kinda into the fic people consume and create.

like here's the thing. people dont need to ACT a certain way to be considered men like thats ridiculous if youre a man youre a man regardless of how you act or what u say or what bits you have. same for any gender. which is why i generally think critiquing the cringey wattpad fics is a slippery slope. however, do i also think a lot of them have a very distinct cishet girl fantasy..... yes. but its embarrassing to write Y/N fic. so theyve gotta vent their desires somehow which is like fine i dont give a shit what people write. (as much as it bothers me how uncritically people read it and get it popular) but sometimes in a/b/o especially....... its VERY clear when your biases come out. which is why its sooooooooo obvious when someone who has never met real life queer people writes it. for example grouping "women and omegas" like they fill the same role despite being different subgenders when u could specify like. omegas and female betas. if u wanted. implying that women are still women even if theyre alpha but omegas are not men anymore. you get me? the fact that u decided to include male/female gender essentialism in the fic genre specifically around Not doing that is so unbelievably on the nose. and yet i see it everywhere. (i also think this is a symptom of people never having read other fandoms tho. they dont even know about gock [girl cock]).

also fics where the major antagonists are a group of girls that harrass jimin r super mean bc god we cant have a MAN do that or he's a predator. you get me? and the alpha jk who is quiet and broody and doesnt even HAVE to fight bc he's soooooooo strong the other alphas are just scared of his vibes. like you know the type of fic im describing. in general whenever the major antagonist of the fic is a bunch of women who also want to fuck jk (which like. if we're supposed to believe jk is soooo hot... like. they should?) and the author calls them a "gaggle" of women and emphasises how they "giggle" and their high pitched unpleasant voices..... brother we have some serious internalised misogyny to unpack with that one.

sorry this is such a massive rant I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS. IVE READ SO MUCH BAD FIC IVE NOTICED SO MUCH

[dekusleftsock]

I saw your post about Bakudeku and Horikoshi's use of romantic tropes. I wanted to add a couple of my own thoughts. Bkdk also use the trope of "impress the girl" a bunch. In stories the mc often has a crush and wants to impress the girl, but she's just not interested. As he progresses in the story, the two of them start to interact and flirt more. In a lot of ways, bkdk reminds me of Astrid and Hiccup. Both of them

1: use the Impress the girl trope a lot

2: have a nerdy and emotional mc

3: have a beautiful bad tempered warrior blonde as a love interest.

4: mc knew said love interest even as a kid.

5: Said love interest disliked them and considered them a rival before finally befriending them.

This is also what I often want to say to bkdk haters. We've basically already seen relationships very similar to Bkdk on screen before, they just weren't gay. But in terms of dynamics and canon trope use, both of these couples share multiple romantic tropes. People argue that bkdk is toxic, but Astrid/Hiccup also had a rivalry and bullying going on. People say they are childhood friends and brother-like, but Astrid/Hiccup grew up in fairly close company to one another. I haven't seen many people mention the similarities between the two couples so I figured I might as well.

Definitely! The thing that’s so weird about bkdk is that it’s like this.. idk.. “cringe” queer ship. That bc Katsuki bullied deku it is automatically both toxic/abusive, and also that it is the “cringy, girl who likes gay ships way too much”. In a weird way, it’s trying to say that it IS the queer ship for straight girls, completely ignoring the many other people (99% of the time queer writers) that ship it!

It’s kind of like seeing bkdk as competition for izuocha in a weird way. Because, yeah, bkdk DOES fit a lot of romantic tropes, and the only reason it’s not seen as both a valid and possible ship, all circles around homophobia and the alt right.

Cringe culture was born out of the alt rights nihilism (that’s why the indomitable human spirit trend is so interesting to me personally) and that nihilism stretches to everyone. Queer, leftist, liberal, or even down to who ships what and how much they expect it to happen.

Let’s be honest here, if izu//ocha becomes canon then it’s bad writing. Simple as that. Bkdk has followed romantic tropes, had more development, had more screen time, his LOVE INTEREST has another love interest that better compliments her, (toga and possibly tsu) and it fights what makes a shonen well, shonen. The parody of the stereotypical shonen, but when you look under the cracks nothing really follows the normal tropes. From something as minuscule as an unwise mentor (all might) to the love interest of the story.

I have many, many thoughts on this subject, (my absolute monster of a meta post that’s in the works and thankfully almost done can attest to that) because I truly do think it’s deeper than people not understanding how shipping and fandom works. There’s more to it. Could be due to horikoshi making a character driven shonen over a plot driven one. (Another example of breaking the tropes of a normal shonen) Could be general homophobia in the anime community. We just, don’t know.

Kiri//Baku is also an interesting character in this whole idea of shonen. And that’s because of the fact that Katsuki not only doesn’t have a female love interest and therefore has to have a male one that’s closest to them and not Izuku (ofc without destroying the carefully built system straight love interests, like Mina for kirishima, jirou for kaminari, etc) because Izuku has ochako.

That’s why people always say that the ship is the “most straight queer ship”, even if there’s a lot of queer people who do.

Sorry kinda rambled a bit bdisndidkdji I just have a lot of thoughts on how shipping works culturally in a fandom. Super interesting.

Anyway, how to train your dragon was a great example and I’m glad you brought it up!

Btw I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this but just in case, please don’t harass anyone who ships anything. Block them if they’re attacking you in any way that genuinely hurts you or your mental health. It’s just better if we all stay a little more positive in general. Starting a nonsense argument in a tag? Ignore it. Block it. You’re only giving them your platform which is exactly what they want. The attention you’ll give them and the argument you’ll start. Also if it’s just some guy being a mild dickwad, don’t harass him. Please.

Like I say this every once in a while just so everyone remembers that being positive and creating art out of crappy things people have said (but keeping them anonymous) is infinitely better than giving someone your platform. (This isn’t targeted at the person who asked this btw, you’re all good this is just a general positive message I talk about sometimes hedjidndl)

Be safe, be happy, and let’s uplift each other than being crappy people down. That way, we’ll always go higher :)

[imaginarylungfish]

Hello, if you don't mind, can I ask, who are your top favorite romantic relationship's couples in any media, like anime/manga, tv series, books, etc (can be canon or non-canon)? Feel free if you want to write the reasons or not of why you love them....Thanks if you want to answer....

Ooh how fun! I should just screenshot my ao3 dash lol. Let's see... almost all of these are all animanga (and not canon), but in order of my love for them at this particular moment in time:

TodoBakuDeku

BakuDeku

KilluGon

MatchaBlossom

SatoSugu

ShiGuang

TigerGhost

SasaMiya

ShunMio

KazuRei

Now, explanations, *spoilers*, and honorable mentions below the cut!

TodoBakuDeku (My Hero Academia)

Obviously not canon and never will be but oh does this ship have a chokehold on me. I just think this trio is so balanced in every way. Like we have our precious TodoDeku who connect by being nerds and the sweetest boys. Then we also have TodoBaku who are just lovely little menaces. And, of course, BakuDeku--can't beat friends to enemies to lovers. And then they all come together to form a masterpiece. Idk I just love this ship so much.

BakuDeku (My Hero Academia)

So I honestly really wasn't into this ship too much until reading the final war arc and meta. Other people's viewpoints changed my mind! Hori has done a really great job of portraying BakuDeku's complex relationship in the manga (for however you view their canon relationship). So like idk how can I not ship For-the-Rest-of-Our-Lives Katsuki with Control-Your-Heart Izuku?

Sidenote: I almost didn't include this on the list because I tend to only really ship this pair while reading the manga. I never shipped them in the anime unless it was TodoBakuDeku with Deku as a hinge. And I don't even read many fics with just Katsuki and Izuku. I just feel like fandom BakuDeku feels incomplete without Shouto for some reason. Like I'm Team BakuDeku for the manga, Team hinge TodoBakuDeku in the anime, but throuple TodoBakuDeku in the sanctuary of my mind/on ao3. (Maybe that'll change once I start watching Season 7 though.)

KilluGon (Hunter x Hunter)

I only watched this anime this year but ohmygod I immediately fell in love with Gon and Killua. They are so precious. I mean, Killua is just a little smitten kitten. And Gon? He's in it. Anyway, love their dynamic and of course I ship them. Gon is Killua's light after all!

MatchaBlossom (Sk8 the Infinity)

Literally just started shipping this so I'm in the throes of obsession rn but their dynamic? *chef's kiss* (hehe, you like what I did there?) Childhood friends? Pining while the other falls for another? Realizing feelings? Already married bickering old couple? Give me all the headcanons please!

SatoSugu (Jujutsu Kaisen)

I mean, c'mon. Tragic gays are my weakness. They're gonna be OG for me. No one can compare. They're on a different level. All I want is for them to have hopped on a plane and gone somewhere they can finally find peace, is that too much to ask? (Gege??)

ShiGuang (Link Click)

Again, I said I like tragic gays. But god, I do hope they don't end up too tragic! I love this pairing. They balance each other out well. We have puppy dog Cheng Xiaoshi and cat Lu Guang. Perfection thx.

TigerGhost (Nicktoons Unite)

Ok so this crackship was brought on by my serendipitous viewing of Nicktoons Unite fanart on this beautiful app and subsequent reading of all their fics on ao3 (a grand total of four, btw). And I'm obsessed. I was a diehard Danny Phantom fan as a kid (we stan our queer/genderqueer/bisexual/trans ghost boy). And I never watched El Tigre as a kid, but the way the fandom portrays him and Danny together just hits. Salty and sweet with a lil bit of darkness? Yum.

SasaMiya (Sasaki to Miyano)

First canon ship on this list lol. You want fluff? You got it. Give me some good pining, consent, and mutual respect, thank you.

ShunMio (Stranger by the Shore)

Second and last canon ship on the list! Love me some good ole sun and moon. Idk their story is so cute. Plus, I like how Kii Kana portrays Shun's feelings regarding his sexuality and how that affects his relationship with Mio. It's relatable.

KazuRei (Buddy Daddies)

I mean, this is practically canon, right? Well, at least queerplatonically (which we stan). Love our little found family. This anime had such a cute and goofy premise, how could I not fall for this ship?

(Honorable mentions: TodoDeku, TodoBaku, Labru, DabiHawks, Renga, VashWood, Kappa x Siren, Boyfriends, EraserMic, ItaFushi, InuOkko, ShokoHime, HaiNana, LeoPika, KudoIchi, TogaChako)

[darkcircles4lyfe]

I'm a bakudeku shipper too, but sadly I think Hori's gonna use the fight to push the izuocha endgame :( Hope he doesn't do that. Would be even better if Deku gets to know Toga's idea of love and realizes his feelings for kacchan. Doubt that it would happen though, it's a shounen manga, very unlikely for legit LGBTQ+ main character

Oh anon, look at this can of worms you’ve just opened! They’re squirming all over the table! Ah!

lol I have so many thoughts about this (some borrowed from others). I’ve been meaning to spend a little time on it, so thank you for bringing it up.

If you wish to view this opened can of worms ->

First things first, you’re so right. Before I got into this series and I was deciding whether to start, I heard all over about how it’s well-executed shounen through and through—not anything super original, but nicely distilled. That may be all there is to it. And yeah queer main characters in this category of manga are almost nonexistent. (keyword: almost!*) So it would be naive to expect anything. The validity of my argument here could live and die in the next week for all I know.

However, and this is nothing on you anon, but I can’t overlook how your point gets brought up by certain homophobic people in the fandom, and they stretch it to the point of not so subtly implying that queer rep and “manga for teenage boys” are incompatible. That we don’t belong here. And moreover, according to them, Japan would never. That is a categorically unfair assessment, which suggests Japan is monolithically conservative and incapable of diversity and change. That’s uh, kinda fucked up! There are all kinds of people in all kinds of places, and what do they know, anyway, as westerners? Not their place to judge. Only about 8 years ago the US got their first main queer couple on a kids cartoon, and only about 7 years ago got marriage equality nationwide.

Let’s also talk about the use of “shounen” as a pseudo-genre. It’s not a genre because it doesn’t really tell you anything about the setting (fantasy, action, slice of life, etc.), just a set of possible tropes and norms that are likely present. But it is, when it comes down to it, a marketing thing. I speak only of what I know about the publishing industry in the US, but age categories like Young Adult are all about the publishers trying to cater to what they perceive the audience of the story will be, and whatever norms arise from that are based on what they think will sell, and then it’s a self fulfilling prophecy, because that’s what the audience comes to expect. From an author’s point of view, that can be frustrating. You may want to write for a certain age group, but resent the fact that your publisher is insisting that means you have to do things a certain way. What I’m saying is, individual mangaka can have ideas about what they want in their story that are separate from industry norms. Statistical probability may be against us, but Horikoshi is a single roll of the dice. He has stated in interviews and volume notes that he doesn’t believe anything is off limits to him, and that he relishes doing what makes him happy no matter what. Also… I can’t believe I’m saying this, and I absolutely do NOT want to speculate, but we technically don’t know that he is even cishet himself. Either way, he is just one person, writing from his own experience and interest.

There is a lot of value, I think, in incidental representation, where the overall story doesn’t have to be about queerness or even romance. It shows the reality that we can exist anywhere. Why not have a queer couple in an action shounen? They’d just as soon pair up a guy and a girl for no real reason, so why does this have to be different? Regardless of the the outcome in this case, don’t let anyone say you don’t belong here or that you’re being unrealistic. Remember too that inserting headcanon rep is queer tradition, a form of rebellion and self love they can’t take away no matter what canon is.

That all being said, I see bnha like this: a story which is embedded in a world of tropes and themes but not necessarily beholden to them is in a unique position. Horikoshi watches a lot of movies, apparently. He likes Star Wars and of course super heroes, and takes inspiration from other well known shounen. This level of familiarity can actually position you to better critique and/or perfect the patterns within the things you’re a fan of. And I think Horikoshi is doing that.  Here’s the real kicker: giving your audience the impression that you’re going along with a trope means that you can more effectively break it, to play with the audience’s expectations. Take All Might for example. He’s the wise mentor who bestows his power on the mc, but he is also almost comically, pathetically awkward as a teacher (bless him) and he represents a hero society that has become too reliant on one person whose shoes should not in fact be filled by yet another Atlas. The arc where Katsuki gets kidnapped is another example, because it made people expect Horikoshi to follow the storyline of Naruto. But oops! No Katsuki as Sasuke.

I don’t feel delusional in saying Horikoshi is pretty self aware with his choices, and to go for the underdeveloped obligatory straight ship would genuinely be uncharacteristically thoughtless of him. Like, I don't even consider it compatible with the phrase “well-executed shounen” at this point. There was a time in the story when it could have been done well, but that potential has been severely neglected. Maybe then the most likely scenario is no canon ships at all. As for actual representation beyond a few subtle/minor characters, it’s a matter of how far he would be willing and able to go, and that I don’t know. None of us do. I just don’t see the harm in hoping. 

*footnote: the “almost” is basically because of the manga also published by Jump called Blue Flag/Ao no Flag. I like to affectionately call it straightbait. Which is to say, it plays with the audience’s expectations. And that’s all I’ll say on why it’s relevant here. You connect the dots!

[neonscandal]

Hi, I'm the one who send this https://www.tumblr.com/neonscandal/744748284319498240/do-you-know-that-the-mangaka-of-wotakoi-love-is?source=share

I also just realized this. But after reading the manga and watch the anime, we could tell that the mangaka also love BL, right? Yes, I have read that GL one shot, love them, wish it could be longer...

Just finished discussing with a few people that think canon BL and GL >> non canon BL and GL (like from shounen & shoujo). I disagree with them, and you know what, I showed them a few posts from various blogs (one of them are your blog). And let's just say, some of them now have also become SatoSugu, BakuDeku, and YumiHisu shipper... 😉

Your answers to asks similar to our discussion also help. Thanks for this amazing blog of yours .....

Hello again and thank you for your ask! Oh for sure. I mean, it's been a while since I last watched it but wasn't Momose a fujoshi? And I'm not saying Hanako being a crossplayer is tangential territory but the girls that get it, get it. 😂

RE: canon BL and GL vs non canon BL and GL, I giggled so much. One, thanks for sharing my posts, it's funny to think they're a catalyst for others to fall into the same brainrot I find myself in, constantly. I think there's a level of drama in the non canon BL and GL that is different from canon BL and GL. Not sure if that makes sense to say.

What I've noticed is that, typically, the drama in MLM and WLW romance stories that I've read is either from coming to terms with their feelings (like a coming of age) or just straight up reconciling trauma. There's a crazy amount of abuse that gets passed off as romance which I take issue with whether they are straight or queer stories. Occasionally, you'll see drama from enemies or rivals overcoming tense relations but, sometimes, even those stories are precipitated by some kind of sexual violence.

Non canon, there's an independent story that is typically multilayered and has nothing to do with romance. But there's enough "give" in these longer running stories to find deeper connections between the cast. There are also enough gaps in a developing story where fandom can fill in the blanks, especially with rich and dynamic characters that have development independent of their relationship with someone else. I think that's why I lean on queer characters having storylines independent of being queer because while that's part of ones' experience that's not all they are. So these stories provide this desperate sort of drama as characters play their role in this unfurling story, right? But then, there's another facet of drama in the "will they, won't they" that we convince ourselves of and it just compounds. Let's not forget stories with an element of danger that isn't caused between a ship.. Okay, maybe I'm finally starting to understand doom toxic yaoi.. 😅

ALSO, don't forget that canonically, Ymir was a queer character who loved Historia. Whether Historia reciprocated those feelings in the same way does not negate that representation. It makes me happy to know that people are having such sincere conversations and that my posts are a means of discourse 😂 because I'm out here smashing my keyboard and screaming into the internet void: "AND YA KNOW WHAT ELSE IS SAD!?" hahahaha so thank you for reading, genuinely, and for including me in your conversations.

[galactichoneybee92]

Thoughts on BakuDeku

I’ve been lurking in the MHA fandom for a while now, just kind of silently watching, and I have a few observations that I would like to make. Just perspectives that I would like to put out into the universe. I am on the older side of this website, much less this fandom and so I am no stranger to fandom culture. And when I say old? I mean like I was an active participant on ff.net circa 2005 so like, I’m sure some of you are older but I’m getting up there. My point? I’ve seen things.

As far as fandoms go in general, the MHA is far from the most toxic that I’ve seen but there does seem to be a few points of contention and per usual it comes back to shipping. This is nothing new but lets speak a little on BakuDeku as a ship. I warn you now, it’s not always going to be things you want to hear, but I encourage you to read to the end anyway. 

Horikoshi has fully admitted to having been a huge Naruto fan and it’s pretty easy to see the influence in his work. On that note, it’s pretty safe to say that the Midoriya/Bakugo relationship can be compared to the Naruto/Sasuke relationship. You can see other parallels (All Might = Iruka, Aizawa =  Kakashi, etc...) but for the sake of argument let’s focus solely on Midoriya/Bakugo. Personally, I tend to prefer MHA to Naruto overall, as I just like the characters better and as such I like Bakugo a lot more than Sasuke. Horikoshi has taken more time to humanize Bakugo, and while he started off being a total dick, he’s also a dumb fuck teenage boy and he’s had a lot of character growth over the last 29 volumes. 

In the Naruto fandom, much like in the MHA fandom, there were loads of fans who shipped Naruto and Sasuke romantically. If we are judging the probability of Midoriya and Bakugo becoming a cannon couple, it stands to reason that we can examine the author’s influences and infer that, no, they probably won’t. For one thing, homosexuality is still considered a controversial topic in Japan like in America, and even if the author wanted to make it romantic he would probably receive a good amount of push-back from publishers. 

Now I don’t want you to read this and think that I am at all against it. I’m not. And forever ago when I was reading Naruto I occasionally wondered what would happen if an author published a Shounen manga, got millions invested, and then SURPRISE it was a M/M romance all along. I think it would be fun but I can’t say that I am realistically convinced that it will happen. But that isn’t really the point of this post.

My point, is that this fandom, like many others (And this website in general???) needs to learn the difference between actual queer baiting and a ship that just...doesn’t happen? And I’ve seen all the arguments, about how they clearly love each other and how their bond is so deep and how if either of the characters had this kind of relationship with a female character it would ABSOLUTELY be romantic. And I hear your points, but if I may provide a few of my own: 

1. There are many different ways to love in the world and they don’t all have to involve romance and kissing and sex. Do you love your family? Do you have friends that you would die for? These are relationships that people have and their just as valid in fiction as in real life.

2. Yes, if they were opposite genders than it probably would be the central romance of the mange, but that isn’t proof of queer baiting so much as a general failure to accurately represent opposite gender friendships in media. There should be male and female friendships that are just as strong while remaining platonic so this is a failure but not the failure you thing it is.  (If anyone likes Kdramas, Suspicious Partner is an excellent one that has not only a great romantic subplot but also some WONDERFUL platonic M/F friendships and it’s just beautiful) (That being said I also recommend the Taiwanese drama HIStory 3: Trapped for a wonderful M/M romance since if you’re reading this post that’s probably something you’re into) 

I think that a lot of the problems come from the fact that good romantic relationships do build similarly to friendships. You get a lot of bonding moments, the characters getting to know each other better and coming to care for one another and since media tends to focus predominantly on romantic relationships it’s easy to just get into the mindset that like, all bonding moments are leading somewhere. And in a way they are: to friendship. And then sometimes that friendship leads to romance and sometimes it doesn’t but what I’m saying is that the two look very similar. You SHOULD be friends with your romantic partner, and I think that that is why it’s so easy to ship these sort of couples. Especially when they do have an especially deep bond like these two have.

As far as BakuDeku as a couple in general, yeah, I ship it. I’ve read my fair share of fanfiction and if it did happen I would be psyched. I didn’t always like Bakugo (He’s just doing THE MOST at all times) but I grew to love him and if he continues to grow in the direction that he has been I wouldn’t personally have any problems with it. They have an interesting dynamic that incorporates some of my favorite tropes and I think it would be cool if the manga went there. But if they don’t? That’s also fine. 

There have been several ACTUAL examples of queer baiting in media that I can point to such as the Japanese ads for Sherlock (I didn’t necessarily find the show itself to be queerbaiting but the Japanese ads for the new seasons hardcore did) and while I tried hard to defend Supernatural (WAY too much of the fandom shipped actual brothers together for me to believe that they understood the value of any sort of platonic relationship) they kind of blew that out of the water with whatever the fuck happened in that last season. 

I don’t see that happening here and while I know a lot of you are set for your ship to become cannon I just want you to maybe manage your expectations. Because in my experience, when it gets built up this big, if it DOESN’T happen the next thing fans do is start ranting about queer-baiting and insulting the series and the team and I don’t want to see that because it isn’t fair to any of them. I’ve seen it happen in other fandoms and it gets real ugly real fast. 

Alternatively, if anyone has watched the reboot of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power you will know that the creators played their cards super close to their chest, doing their best to properly develop the homosexual relationships they wanted while keeping it subtle enough that they could prevent themselves from being cancelled before the last season aired. Then they went all in and made their homosexual ships cannon in the final season because at that point the whole show was out wtf was going to happen? They’d get cancelled? It was already over. So if you would like a serving of hope to cling to, that is a thing that happened. I just wouldn’t necessarily bet on it. 

That being said, I fully support your right to ship anything you want. And if by some chance it does become cannon? More power to you. I’d be psyched. Horikoshis assistants ship the hell out of it and he clearly doesn’t mind so there is a point in your favor. But if it doesn’t? A lack of romance doesn’t invalidate the depth of their feelings for one another. Platonic love is still love and it’s still a powerful driving force in the story. Their relationship is still compelling even if there isn’t ever a kiss, or a confession. And hey, that’s what fanfiction is for. 

Remember kids: Please ship responsibly. 

[imaginarylungfish]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "imaginarylungfish "?

yes, you most definitely can! alright, here we go!

The Distance of Differences: this is my all-time favorite fic. it actually got me into todobakudeku for good. before reading this, i really only into tododeku and never bakudeku or todobaku. but damn, the storyline was really interesting, and the characterizations were great. i loved the dynamic between shouto, katsuki, and izuku. plus, i liked seeing how they all interacted with their classmates years later. i go back to this fic when i'm having a bad day cause i know it'll cheer me up!

Don't Say Goodbye: this one sticks out as a favorite of mine for similar reasons to the last one: an interesting storyline and great characterizations. i really liked how respectful and thoughtful sasaki and miyano were of each other (nothing new, but great to see it lasted into adulthood). plus, it was just cool to see them be able be a little family.

Ten Years, One Torch: this is my favorite tododeku fic. probably because i think the characterizations are pretty on point and because if shouto and izuku are together, then i need katsuki and eijirou to be together too lol. i just think the background ships are really spot on which helped me fall in love with this fic.

Look at Me, I Hear You: i normally am not one to find alternate universe fics enjoyable, but this was an exception (probably because the characterizations were still spot on). i really liked how katsuki and eijirou find a way to communicate with each other even with their challenges. i used to be pretty sick/disabled, so i think i have a soft spot for fics that show disabilities in a way that is just a normal part of living.

Your Hand in Mine (In Every Universe): so i'm not a huge bakudeku fan (i'm really only into bakudeku if it's todobakudeku) but this fic was really creative and i really enjoyed it. i think the characterization of katsuki was really spot on, even with the different versions of him.

Falling in Love at the Photo Shop: i think i'm a sucker for some oblivious-in-love fics like this. it's just really cute when two characters already act like a couple, then they realize they love each other. this is the story i wish was canon lol

Love, or Something Like That: kinda similar to the last fic's reasoning. oblivious-in-love and acting like a couple. it was nice to have a fic about kazurei after the christmas party/pre-time skip. this is what i wish happened lol

Bakugo Katsuki's Guide to Ignoring PTSD: ok so i know i said i don't really like alternate universe fics, but i like this one okayyy? probably because i also have ptsd and it was just really relatable. i also love how katsuki's friends are just there for him. plus, todobakudeku!

Of Duckies, Justice, and Life's Other Mysteries: ok so i haven't posted this anywhere before because it's not a finished fic (and i do hope the writer finishes it!!). but i really like this fic--it takes up my brain space lol. it feels like a cross between link click and buddy daddies, so it's up my alley. i love the premise and just wish there was more!

Crash Course on Intoxication: i realize i don't have many satosugu fic favs because there story is just usually depressing. but hey look, here's an alternative universe fic (lol maybe i'm okay with alt uni fics idk). this one also isn't finished but i really like it so far. it i think how gojo acts in this fic is relatable for me (as i was a closeted queer in college) and idk the characterizations are believable to me.

wow, that was fun!

now, imaginarylungfish? well, my favorite animal is a lungfish. why? lungfish live in drought-ridden environments. so, when there is water, they breathe through their gills. but when the water dries up, they secrete mucous that forms a protective cocoon around themselves. they go into torpor (like hibernation) while breathing with their lungs until the water returns. i think that is amazing! they are super resilient and idk i find that cool.

the imaginary part is just cause idk i feel like i have a big imagination sometimes and also, what is real anyway? what if we're all just imagining life... spoopy