#because Deku isn’t getting through to Shigaraki

[codenamesazanka]

extremely questionable methodology but i compiled all the dialogue spoken between Shigaraki and Deku starting from when Shigaraki breaks out of AFO’s control in Chapter 379 up to Chapter 412.

(There are chapters where they appear but do not speak. Those are the chapter numbers.)

The takeaway is that Shigaraki is extremely chatty! A lot of it is taunts, but Shigaraki’s also revealing a lot of stuff about his plans and his opinions.

Deku does not seem as interested in returning the conversation, however. Whenever he does speak, it’s less in response to any of the content of Shigaraki’s chatter, and more heroic statements of intent. (The ‘you’re still human’ is the only direct refutation, I think.)

To be fair, his focus is all on surviving Shigaraki’s attacks. Nearly all his internal thoughts are strategy - combining a quirk with this quirk, how exactly he can physically stop Shigaraki. Additionally, before Chapter 410, he was probably too worried about All Might; while for most of Chapter 412, he was asphyxiating. Hard to chat when so much shit is happening.

And you can argue Shigaraki is just Villain monologuing. Deku doesn’t have to pay attention to anything he says - a lot which are, after all, taunts - he doesn’t have to engage with Shigaraki’s dumb rants.

His goal is to save Shigaraki/The Crying Child, and only that - not like talking or asking questions about anything or responding is required for that.

[eris-snow]

𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲

Tags: bakugou x fem!reader, bakugou's birthday series 2023

Update: This has been edited through and apologies for the first draft being crap

Finally.

Bakugou knows this is your doing.

The party streamers.

Sato’s delicious cake.

The fucking balloons.

All of these fine preparations had your name scrawled all over them. Heck, most of the class was downstairs today and it was all thanks to you.

Bakugou watches Kirishima with lazy eyes as he and Kaminari battled each other furiously with the Nintendo switches in the living room.

Mario Kart, he scoffs. How amusing.

So many things had happened over their first year, and given Shigaraki’s recent defeat, everyone was still in the celebratory mood. Hell, Deku, the literal savior of the world, had his eyes water with big, fat droplets when Bakugou decided to accept his present, resulting in more yelling that only made the party burst with life.

The waterworks weren’t ending anytime soon, because when the blond decided to thank the nerd, said nerd had morphed into a leaking fountain with wails of joy on the side.

Even with all that power coursing through his body, Izuku still retained his bawling from when he was a brat.

The cake Sato made was probably the best part.

Everyone had insisted on inserting 16 melting candles into the cake just so they could see him blow them out.

His friends are a bunch of saps.

He’s done this before. Set the table, insert candles, sing a song, make a wish and blow them out. Finally, as he cuts the cake while polite, muddy applause and cheers whoop around him, he officially becomes a year older. Despite his reservations, doesn’t really have a choice.

His wish has always been the same: to surpass All Might and to become a number 1 hero. This year, however, he decides to squeeze in one more.

I wish to be a hero who surpasses All Might and to be the number one hero, he recites in his brain as he glares down at the candles. They burn brightly, as if reacting to his fustration. Glancing up, Bakugou shoots you a look, glare dissolving in a way it always has whenever he looks at you.

And that maybe… sometime down the road…I’d get with that ray of Sunshine sitting over there.

–

He can’t fucking find you.

Bakugou growls as he rips off the party hat Mina had forced onto him, yelling as he hunts you down to every inch of the living room.

Part of him wants him to just leave. It’s late and there’s still school tomorrow, so he really should go but…

He needs to thank you.

Of course, out of all the people here, you, the person who planned it, were absent. You’ve done so much for him and the least he could do was thank you.

Katsuki Bakugou isn’t going to give in to his slumber just because he slept late the previous night.

He can afford to fix his fucked up sleep schedule tomorrow.

Next thing he knows, he finds himself stalking out of the dorms to leave his own goddamn party you planned out for him. The blond isn’t escaping.

He just…needs a breather. Yes, that’s it. He’s so physically, mentally and emotionally drained that it makes him wonder if he’s ever going to get over you.

If he’s ever going to be able to finally look at you in the eyes and admit, I don’t like you, straight in the face. If he’s ever going to let go of this stupid crush he has on you and focus on being the number one hero. He doesn’t need you after all, so why is he out here—?

“Why are you out here?” A new voice voiced, and internally Bakugou curses.

Ah, crap.

He knows who that is.

–

Your first thought was to question why Bakugou had come out here. It was past curfew and all of your classmates were in there too. But no. Instead, he had to come to your usual meet-up spot in the dead of the night on pure instinct.

Your second thought was to notice how good he looked. In the soft glow of the lights from the dorm rooms, he seemed almost soft if it weren’t for the fact that he had a crease in between his eyebrows and a scowl on his face. Clinging onto the present you wrapped mere seconds ago, you meet his eyes and voice your question.

“Why are you out here?”

Bakugou pauses, eyeing you for a second.

“Shit’s too noisy in there,” He says, shoving his hand in his pockets. “Mind if I join you?”

You tighten your grip on your clumsily wrapped gift. “Go ahead.”

There’s silence as the mat rustles noisily when he sits beside you.

Bakugou breaks the ice first. “You planned this shit, didn’t you,” he asks, raising an eyebrow. “Damn Deku handled the people and you handled the rest, right?”

Sputtering in surprise, your back goes rigid. “How did you-?”

“I have eyes, moron.” He replies sharply, effectively shutting you up. His eyes soften. “And it’s because you’re you, Sunshine.” He mutters. “I know you. Only you would do this kinda thing for me. And maybe Deku, but that’s beside the point.”

You let out a huff, thanking God that he couldn’t see how red your face was. Now that it was a little less awkward, the atmosphere a little more lighter, you take in a deep breath and bring up your gift. “Right. This is for you,”

You gingerly plop it on his lap, facing him properly to gauge his reaction. Honestly, getting Bakugou a gift was as difficult as getting Shoto to get along with his dad. After careful consideration and a poorly drawn out flowchart that took you weeks (the day of the quirk accident was a major set back for you), you’d decided on the one with the least number of cons, and the most personal one.

This decision was made last night. You know that you aren’t exactly the best at meeting deadlines, but even for you this was cutting it close.

Bakugou gives you a quizzical stare, but shreds the wrapping paper off and gazes at your gift for one entire minute.

“You got me a photo album?”

He finally says, already making a move to open it. Inside, there’s a bunch of silly photos of the idiots, you and him.

Why are you so thoughtful, you cheery cinnamon roll?

You smile at him, face melting into relief as you flush red in embarrassment, watching him sift through the photos you picked out. You were trying not to get your hopes up because whatever reaction he had given was nowhere near concrete evidence if he liked it or not-

“This is amazing, Sunshine,” He interjects your thoughts with his own, flipping to one of the selfies you took while he accidentally photobombed you.

It was the first photo you both ever took ‘together’.

Well, there’s concrete evidence that Bakugou likes it. Oh boy, your heart was going to explode. Bakugou smirks a little as he skims it and slams it shut.

“I want part 2 next year.” He grins, tucking the black album between his arms as he reaches over to you.

Your breath hitches as he touches your hair.

What the hell was he thinking-

Cherry blossoms fall all around you and Bakugou swipes one out of your hair before you can even react. His hand lingers though.

“Flowers in your hair,” He grumbles, drawing his hand away.

He takes the warmth away with him.

“What you staring at me like that for, Dumbass?” He grunts, still looking over the flower he plucked out of your hair. “Got something to say?”

You want to say so many things that it’s uncountable at this point.

You want to say your feelings to him, how he makes butterflies scatter in your stomach. How safe it feels to be with him, even if it’s just you and him against the world. How amazing it is, to stand by his side and call yourself his friend. But how can you tell someone to wait for you when they don’t even like you in the first place?

Another cherry blossom dances down, this time landing on his head.

Reaching up instinctively, you gingerly sweep your fingers through his hair and remove it. Bakugou almost blows up the mat you were sitting on.

“What the hell-”

“There was one in your hair.” You blurt out, cheeks pinking even redder. Embarrassed, you avert your eyes from his face and look at your cherry blossom.

You stare at the cherry blossom in your hand as Bakugou stares at his.

I like you. Those words are all Bakugou thinks at that moment. The atmosphere is right, the scenery is fucking cinamatic, but he doesn’t and can’t have you now.

I like you. Those are the words that are repeating over and over again in your head as you stare at the pretty sakura. You like him, you really do, and you know this isn’t a crush because its been going on for months.

Later, he reminds himself.

Later, you fumble with the excuse.

But what if you leave each other behind?

“I like you so much.” The both of you murmur in sync, the words just tumbling out of both of your lips without hesitation or doubt.

What.

Your heads shoot up as you catch each other’s eyes, wild and shocked mirrored.

What.

“DID YOU JUST-”

“I KNOW WHAT I SAID.” You yell back, sakura flying out of your hands as you scramble to your feet. “DID YOU-?”

“THAT WAS MY QUESTION IDIOT!” He fires back, heaving himself of the ground.

“But I thought-I thought you didn’t want a partner now!” Bakugou backs up, confusion rapidly transforming into irritation. His voice grows decibles louder. “The whole 'We’re training to be Heroes’ speech? What was that about then?”

“I don’t!” You yell back, causing Bakugou to freeze. “But I like you!” You emphasise, hiding your face in your hands as your voice softens. “Is that so wrong?”

Bakugou’s vexation seems to dissolve with your words.

“No.” He isn’t yelling anymore. “It isn’t.”

“Can we,” You try, sniffling slightly as tears rim your vision. “I like you, but, but…dammit, why is there no word for this?” You curse frustratedly. Bakugou chuckles fondly, expression softening. Cute.

“We don’t have to date now, Sunshine. If that’s what you mean.” Bakugou says, understanding immediately what you were trying to say. “We can just…take it at our own fucking pace, alright? We’re…” He scowls, voice growing softer. “'in like’,” Bakugou mutters.

A stupid smile reaches his lips and he can’t stop it from growing wider when you laugh too.

“Yeah, sure. We can date. But not now.” You still for a moment, smiling at the blond. “Hey Bakugou,”

He rolls his eyes, opening his arms. “Come here, you,”

You race into his waiting arms and crash into his chest, tears of joy streaming down your face. “Katsuki…!” You sob, gripping him tighter.

“I know,” He hushes you, even though his heart is screaming with the most happiness he’s felt in his life at your voice saying his name, “best fucking birthday ever.”

“Katsuki?” You bury your head deeper, seeking warmth in the crook of his neck.

“Yeah?” He mutters back.

“I’m in like with you.”

A peal of laughter escapes his lips as the both of you laugh under the moonlight, with cherry blossoms strewn all around you.

He presses his lips towards your ear.

“I know.”

[siflshonen]

Trauma Doesn't Make Someone Right or Wrong but It Does Make Them Easier to Manipulate: Tomura Shigaraki and All for One

I decided I should talk about the MHA villains more, particularly Shigaraki.

BNHA presentations masterpost

BNHA presentations on Ao3

Let’s mosey under the cut.

The color key is not necessary, exactly, but I will be referencing my other posts with similar color keys. I thought it would be helpful to give a quick visual refresher to what they are. I’m going to referencing the other stuff I’ve written a lot in this one when it’s time to get into the details, so please be aware of that.

Regular white text can also be neutral and mean none of these things, but I think you’ll see what I mean by including All for One on here when you see the graphics.

There is Tenko Shimura and there is Shigaraki Tomura. One of them is the scared child who looks like the perfect victim in need of saving. The other is the obstinate, stubborn, short-sighted and naive social deviant shaped by his trauma and grooming. The only thing he seems to exhibit individuality over is his love of video games and which kinds he prefers.

They are the same person. Traumura Shigaraki. Tenko Traumura. 

Shigaraki is sometimes hard to pin down as a character because his individuality beyond his PTSD is rarely allowed to shine. However, I do believe that there are common threads between Tenko Shimura and Tomura Shigaraki. He sincerely wants to make connections, and he sincerely wants to do right by those that accept him, though his own desires and emotional responses often get in the way - as do the desires of another teeny, tiny influence upon him.

His fucking Master, All for One.

Part of what inspired my initial Bakugo presentation was showing how he breaks down the tropes of “hero”, “antihero” and even “antagonist” in shonen manga. The entire cast of Heroes and Villains (remember, they are also social designations and legal definitions in the world this manga) are doing this to some extent. Shigaraki, in particular, is headlining how there is nothing inherently special that makes someone a villain or hero. The determining factor is the perspective of the observer (or affected society.)

Shigaraki may be an antivillain in this story, but to him, that makes him appear the hero of his own story - all while still wearing the self-determined label of “villain”.

Arguably, the actions he chooses to take as a result of his trauma and fear of rejection also make him the villain of his own story at the same time, but we’ll get into that later.

Deku also has at least one mentor (in the Second User) that makes no bones about telling him that his life and well-being is less important than achieving the goal of stopping All for One. But at least he is honest, I guess.

Still destructive, though.

Most of the characters act truly heroically not in moments of glorious victory, but moments of pain, suffering, or even failure (Early-series Deku does this a lot, like when he falls to earth after heroically saving Ochako in the entrance exam. Bakugo, who is sent crashing to the ground in the ironically-named “Katsuki Bakugo: Rising” chapter after putting himself in harm’s way to save someone else, also has a habit of doing this over and over again), which is not the expectation for an archetypal hero in a storybook or comic.

Shigaraki’s glorious rise with cape, model hair, and awesome suit is likewise a moment that does not bode well for him, though he doesn’t know it in the moment.

I don’t make a slide for it, but as he ascends, Shigaraki becomes, well, ethereally beautiful. As his post-family-death amnesiac self, his suffering made him more fragile, frayed, and conventionally ugly in appearance. But after going through All for One’s training and modifications, he was given a new, beautiful facade.

But he was still on the fast track to misery either way.

This discussion isn’t super duper political, but this is your heads-up that many of these “big presences in power” characters also stand in for political ideologies or even entire countries, in some cases.

Endeavor is, roughly, the Japan before modern foreign influence. I’m sure Horikoshi could give us the specific party or movements he had in mind, but he’s not the focus of this post. If you want a more in-depth breakdown of Endeavor and the Todoroki family, please see this post. 

The Kirishima Presentation post I made has the most relevant information to the topic of Westernization’s impact on Japan’s attitudes and military power, though it isn’t quite for the same approach and purpose.

All Might, the “band aid” on the My Hero Academia society, is a Japanese guy wearing the appearance of the West while wielding a power that was given to him by someone else, and at seemingly random from an outside perspective. While Toshinori’s true heroic qualities have nothing to do with his nationality (and neither do the features and purpose behind One for All or All for One, when all is said and done), it is important when understanding what Toshinori represents to Endeavor and how he views him.

Both the Heroes and Villains in this series make an entire journey and daytime soap opera of fucking themselves over, honestly.

All for One doesn’t just want to be a dictator or tyrant or king. No, he wants to be the ultimate evil and unapologetic about it. He is the big bad and he is reveling in it. He is going to make himself a cartoon, and then he is gonna rule this cartoon world. Why? We’ll find out eventually. But maybe we’ll never know! I don’t really care. He’s meant to be a static evil.

Naruto tried to be real cool by having their big bad talk about how they were gonna take over the world through hijacking the economy and using that as their in to take over all the Ninja Villages and be real fascists or whatever, but My Hero Academia jumps over that angle by taking a more emotional and universal storybook (or comic book) approach. I greatly prefer it.

I also prefer that the story is blatantly framing the movement it opposes by calling it out as a fucking cartoon villain, though there’s also a twist to this that I think Horikoshi has very intentionally performed.

Fascism most recently swept over Japan as a result of influence from the West. Bam. Easy. So it’s no surprise that, regardless of where he is from, All for One doesn’t just look like a white guy, but like fine art of a white guy from the West. Pretentious. But it’s also kinda funny since he looks like a Greco-Roman god and is trying to flatten his marble curves into lowbrow comic form.

Nazi Germany and the Italian flavor of fascist regimes dressed snappy and loved their high art. Surely y’all know how Nazi Germany defined and tripped all over themselves at the idea of an Aryan race.

Meanwhile, American comic books are a Jewish invention. Superman and Captain America were staunchly anti-Nazi, anti-fascist, anti-all that. For All for One, icon of the type of art branded as “Aryan”, to do what he’s doing in the form of a comic book and saying he likes them is... oh, it’s truly disrespectful of him, to put it mildly. It reminds me of the discussion and fallout surrounding Captain America being part of Hydra for some issues.

Anyway, All for One is rebranding again to sneak into the hearts and minds of those with more modern sensibilities (read: “lowbrow”) to do his same routine. It’s truly villainous, selfish, and disrespectful. Fuck this guy. Rip him apart.

...All of this is a compliment. A hateable static big bad is a good thing when it is what the story wants to achieve.

One could split hairs and say, “All for One’s approach doesn’t resemble fascism! It’s like X!” And if you want to do that, great. Pick your poison of specific flavor of awful Authoritarian or Totalitarian movement that causes extreme suffering. Go nuts. I chose this one because I think a broader approach is more applicable - All for One is a timeless, recurring evil with worldwide reach.

I’ve taken the qualities of Ur-Fascism, or “Eternal Fascism”, listed above from this article, which is also an abbreviation of a longer work on the topic by Umberto Eco. I don’t want to regurgitate the whole thing here, so I encourage you to read it. I did incorporate two of the 14 qualities into other items on this list, but I think you’ll find that All for One checks all of these boxes.

If you read the article or essay, please pay attention to language used like “in the name of liberation”, or how these movements tend to start in another movement with one similar ideal or begin to absorb other movements. Think about how that relates to what happened to Re-Destro’s group and ambition, and the fate of the Liberation Army as it was absorbed into Shigaraki’s/All for One’s. Think about how fascism is contradictory in many ways, but still considers itself a single movement.

For more further reading - @transhawks​ hits the nail on the head regarding what the League of Villains are in relation to Hero Society and All for One. They’re not really revolutionaries or a unified band of anything standing against their evil government for ideological reasons. They’re being used. If you want to enter a more extreme political pick-apart or commentary of this series, this is a good place to look and a crucial thing to understand.

It would be real cool if the USA was truly a well-meaning, if hasty, rude, and entitled do-gooder superhero, but, well, this is a comic book. Y’all know that Star and Stripe is meant to be the idealized USA rooted in Democracy and Liberty and all that stuff, right?

But even the superpowered and ideal version of the USA can be corrupted. The USA has neo-Nazis (and a total shitshow political scene, particularly conservatively but not exclusively limited to that party, currently) and stuff, too. The “We Are All for One” sign in the My Hero Academia panel of violence and chaos in the United States’ establishing shot is a good way to represent how the conditions for All for One to take control can come about anywhere.

This dude, and the fascism he represents, is a parasite.

Anyway, that’s all big-picture stuff. Let’s talk about All for One’s specific approach to getting his hooks into Shigaraki and the League of Villains.

Public opinion is one of All for One’s most important tools, especially when starting out.

Again, All for One is a parasite. And I think the moth wings Shigaraki sports in figurative representations in the manga are meant to suggest the lower two of a Death’s-head hawkmoth, which has an association with death in Japan and some other cultures. I’m not totally sure about this, though.

As for me, personally, I am familiar with this genus of moth because I grew up with the Five-Spotted Hawkmoth’s larvae, which we called tomato hornworms, in the garden. Parasitic wasps like to lay eggs in the backs of the hornworms and then the larvae in the eggs eat the hornworm from the inside out before maturing. I don’t know if Horikoshi had those in mind when he made this manga because I think they’re only in North America, but, well, I thought about them.

My point: Shigaraki was an easy target and a natural choice for All for One.

Tenko fucked his whole family over when his quirk destroyed everything. The damage was not limited to his father. His family may not have stopped his father and maybe could have done more to try and stop him (and Hana could have not sold out Tenko and blamed him for their intrusion into their father’s office), but killing them didn’t exactly help anyone.

As @transhawks​ pointed out, the message of “destroying the existing system (house) to root out the existing power causes more sacrifice than it is worth” is a comparatively moderate one.

But for a boys’ manga series, the major idea that, “hey, maybe try to help one another and don’t act in negative emotion - and DEFINITELY don’t become a fascist ‘cause it’s a trap” is perhaps a more immediately relevant one for that audience than a more complicated political critique. The readership of a boys’ manga is at (or about to be at) high risk for becoming the vulnerable youth Shigaraki, Spinner, and perhaps even Dabi or Toga represent.

Sometimes, things can be as simple as the story of a shitty dad doing shitty things to his family because he sucks. Sometimes, this story can also be an allegory at the same time, if it helps your cause. Dabi certainly thinks about it like this!

Shigaraki seems to flip-flop between these hikikomori and NEET categories.

The Kirishima Presentation post talks about this in great detail with more articles.

When I think about this turn of phrase, I think about Princess Mononoke and how the musket ball inside the boar god is what turned him into a monster and sent him on a rampage, and then infected Ashitaka. There’s a lot to unpack here about that, but this is long enough.

It seems that quirks, while not a definite indicator of what a person is like, has an impact on these characters’ individuality, themes, and preferences in the story.

He rises from the ashes always, it seems. And this isn’t even his final form.

“I hurt, so I want YOU to hurt!” If you don’t know much about folks affected by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, well, Shigaraki is pretty much a perfect textbook example.

And you could have it all... my empire of dirt... I will let you down... I will make you hurt!

People are individuals. Degrees of and conditions for suffering are all unique. But the end result of trauma upon people is the same. They hurt.

So, I think now is a good time to link to this discussion regarding Tenko’s name.

I don’t know if this alike-sound is obvious to the Japanese readership or not, or if it’s just an English speaker’s ear making the observation in similarity between words. Sometimes, what sounds like a pun to an English speaker is not a pun to a native speaker. I really do not know because I am not a native speaker. But even without knowing that for certain, it’s interesting to think about and good, relevant information regarding some of Japan’s general history. If anybody knows, please let me know.

For the longest time, I thought his name was ironic because “ten” sounds like “heaven/sky” and “ko” like “child”, so he would be named “heavenly child” or “child from the heavens”, which contrasts with his “villain” status, though remains accurate because of his incredible, otherworldly power and appearance by his transformation’s end. But it’s not written like “heaven child”. I asked. But I still think it’s funny.

Anyway.

This is a story, so I literally cannot do anything about this situation except say that I am certain that a hero will come for him. I know it’s a cop-out and I am no different than the old woman who left Tenko on the street, but, well, that’s all I’ve got.

I hope they reach him soon.

[pinkykats-place]

BakuDeku one shots by nikkiRA

UA Students

AO3 Fanfic Recommendations

Disclaimers!

All of these stories are by @aravenlikeawritingdesk

Some contain mature content.

Read tags. Check Ratings.

Art work by @Milmil21229 {twitter}.

Note: If you read any of these stories and like them please let the author know with a kudos and/or comment!

jump then fall by nikkiRA

Summary: During a storm, Class 3-A end up playing a version of the newlywed game, except Deku and Katsuki get roped into playing, even though they're not dating.

They're really good at it.

“It’s cute that you know so much about each other,” Ashido says. Bakugou curls his lip; he locks eyes with Deku, and he feels his cheeks heat up at the happy smile he gives him.

One Shot | Third Year AU

Rated - General Audiences

can this be a real thing can it by nikkiRA

Summary: His friends are all laughing when Katsuki throws himself down beside them and says, “Why the fuck do people think I’m dating Deku?”

This time last year it would probably be hard to get an answer, with no one (except possibly Kirishima) willing to be the one to poke Katsuki’s anger. Now they all burst into laughter, and Mina says, “Have you seen you and Deku?”

One Shot | Second Year AU | Post War

Rated - General Audiences

this love left a permanent mark by nikkiRA

Summary: "I get 'em too."

Izuku looks at him, but Katsuki is faced away. "About what?"

Katsuki shrugs. "Take your fucking pick. Got a lot of options." And isn't that just damn depressing. "Hey," Katsuki continues, and his voice has the forced neutrality he always gets when he cares too much and he's pretending not to. "You can stay here tonight, if you want."

One Shot | Post War

Rated - Explicit

king of hearts by nikkiRA

Summary: Bakugou gets hit by a quirk that makes hearts manifest above his head— the more hearts, the more he likes you.

He can under no circumstances let Deku see him.

One Shot | Third Year AU | Quirk Accident

Rated - Explicit

gorgeous by nikkiRA

Summary: Katsuki smirks and says, "Why d’you like my summer uniform better?"

And here's the thing— Izuku could come up with an acceptable reason, except at that moment Katsuki crosses his arms, and even in the school uniform Izuku can see the outline of his muscles, his incredibly big, incredibly strong muscles. And Izuku's very dumb, very gay brain latches onto them, and Izuku's very dumb, very loud mouth opens and says, “Arms."

One Shot | Third Year AU

Rated - Explicit

this love is a bloodbath by nikkiRA

Summary: Izuku takes a breath. "When I thought that you were dead, I thought of all the things I hadn't told you, and now it's like I have a second chance. I don't want to keep secrets from you anymore.

Katsuki swallows. His mouth is very dry. “What secrets have you been keeping?"

the truth comes out.

{One Shot}

Rated - General Audiences

Research Purposes by nikkiRA

Summary: The curiosity gets to be too much for him. There were too many unknown variables. When did he start needing glasses? Izuku had been watching and taking notes on Katsuki since he first learned how to write. He needed to know for research purposes. The fact that they made Izuku horny as hell was just an unfortunate side effect.

{One Shot}

Rated - Explicit

Unravelled by nikkiRA

Summary: *spoilers for chapter 362*

The first thing Katsuki becomes aware of is the fact that he’s not dead. Or at least, he’s assuming he’s not dead, because he’s hoping being dead isn’t going to hurt this fucking much. It feels like Shigaraki had turned him into dust and some stubborn idiot had gathered up all the pieces and super glued them back together.

There’s a sniffle near him, and Katsuki opens his eyes to see the stubborn idiot in question.

One Shot | Post War

Rated - General Audiences

Someday by nikkiRA

Summary: "Bastard hit me with his quirk," his Kacchan says. "It's supposed to swap you with a version of your past self, except Aizawa erased it right in the middle, which somehow meant that this shithead got pulled through, but I didn't get sent back."

"Who're you calling a shithead?” Sixteen year old Kacchan bursts out. Kacchan smacks him on the head.

"You, shithead! Pay attention!"

One Shot | Third Year au | Quirk Accident

Rated - Teen & Up

dining in by nikkiRA

Summary: "Kacchan," Izuku says patiently. "I just squirted on your face. Tell me you love me."

Katsuki’s eyes turn hungry at the reminder. "Fuck yeah, you did,” he says leaning down to give Izuku a kiss that is mostly teeth. "I fucking love you."

One Shot | Third Year AU | Trans Deku

Rated - Explicit

[gentrychild]

BNHA 367 REACTIONS

i really appreciate how everyone looks pretty chill except for Hawks who seems to be in the middle of an existential crisis.

Also, I am very curious about what they’re watching. I hope it’s All Might and AFO debating something.

Pilot: “Vacations are over, kid! Drop that mai tai and get your ass out of that beach and unto that plane!”

Izuku: *sighs and finishes his drink*

Izuku: “How is Star and Stripe doing by the way?”

Pilot: “Oh, she is recovering at the hospital. I am pretty sure she would already be out of there if they hadn’t put her in the same room as her ex, a former pro hero that just got out of prison.”

Izuku: “Oh, good.”

ShigarAFO: “Midoriya Izuku!!”

Izuku: “That’s it? That’s all you have to say after all the ‘We shall meet again?’ and the creepy video messages? That’s kinda underwhelming. But I guess there is no time to waste.”

ShigarAFO: “Well, defeating me won’t be as easy as you th-”

Izuku: “Sorry, what was that?”

ShigarAFO, mumbling: “Son of a bitch just threw me across the goddamn field... How many quirks did he get during his vacation? And why does it feel like someone who had a good rest on a beach somewhere?”

Izuku: “Uh. Why does my mouth suddenly taste like foot?”

“Everyone”: *cricket noises*

Izuku: “Oh my God, All for One even killed Edgeshot?”

Best Jeanist: “Actually...”

Mirio: “NOT NOW! HE ISN’T READY TO HEAR THAT ONE!”

Izuku: “...Kacchan?”

Izuku: “... Kacchan’s vintage collector All Might card from ten years ago that is worth so much today, at least until it was defaced with Dynamight’s authentic blood?”

Best Jeanist: “ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?”

Izuku: “I am always serious when it comes to All Might merch.”

Best Jeanist: “DEKU!”

Izuku: “Fine... Oh no, Kacchan! Sunflower! Nejire! Miruko... Wait, Miruko too? Miruko is down? How did that happen?”

ShigarAFO: “Is that rage time due to all those heroes I beat or because of that one All Might merch? Because I would like to know if all I had to do to get you here was to set a pile of merch on fire?”

Also ShigarAFO: Ehehe, step 1: break his pine. Step 2: Steal OFA. Step 3: unleash my monologue once he can’t escape anymore and make sure to stay out of biting distance.

Mirio: “DON’T GIVE INTO THE DARK SIDE! DON’T LET THE HATE FLOW THROUGH YOU!”

ShigarAFO: “How the hell do you even have that reference???”

ShigarAFO: “So unrealistic.”

Mirio: “BITCH, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE GENRE IS? AND IT’S ESPECIALLY BAD COMING FROM SOMEONE WHOSE VILLAIN MOTIVE IS A COMIC HE NEVER FINISHED!”

Izuku: “Yeah! We are going to turn fantasy into reality!”

ShigarAFO: “YOU LITTLE SHIT! I WAS THE ONE TO SAY THAT FIRST!”

Izuku: “Thank you, Mirio.”

Izuku: “Now, can you tell me why you were twerking when I arrived?”

Mirio: “How about we stopped talking for a while?”

Izuku: “Hey, Shigaraki, you’re still in there?”

ShigarAFO: “No.”

Tomura: “Yes?”

Izuku: “Hang in there. I am going to save you.”

Tomura: T_T

[ikarisenpai]

He Has to Come Home (Kiribaku x Reader)

~~~~~ Summary: Things aren't looking good for the students and heroes.. will they win their fight against Shigaraki or will the world crumble because Shigaraki got his way... only time will tell

Warning: Anime/maga spoiler, death is spoken of, angst, sad

words: 1455

~~~~~

His death hit you the hardest. 

The long barb like wires piercing his skin as you watched Dynamite hit the ground with a thud. He and the heroes were fighting Shigaraki as he had just awoken from his lumber. The sounds of screams escaping your lips as you watched from the television your boyfriend, no your fiance, die right before you. Tears streaming down your face as you shook with anger, with hate, as you wished you could do something, anything to be there to heal your pro hero. 

Dynamite being the only hero who also knew about Deku’s quirk had told you to stay behind as it wasn’t going to be safe, yeah, sure, he wanted to fight alongside you, but you were still trying to get your license and without you couldn’t fight like he and the others in classroom 1-A could. You were useless.

“Y/N! Are you okay?! I heard screaming!” Your roommate and best friend, Masaaki, asked as she came bursting through your bedroom door. 

“No! I need to go! I need to help them!” You cried as you started to scramble to your feet as you didn’t realize you had fallen to your feet. Your eyes still blurry as you were trying to find your wallet, your keys, anything to help you move from the spot you were sitting at.

“You can’t! You know if you help there’s a high chance you’ll get hurt and you don’t even have your license so fighting you could cause more harm to yourself and possibly them. Do you want that?” Masaaki questioned as you whimpered, afraid your fiance was dying right before your eyes. 

“No, but I hate watching this! All of the Pros are out there risking their lives trying to stop the villains from coming further, but here I sit watching my fiance die because I can’t do anything! Why can’t I do something!” You spoke out loud hoping some god or goddess from above would answer you. The tv still going as they kept flashing back to Dynamite who was laying on the ground. Blood pooled around him as Deku kept fighting. Long black whip-like things spewing from his mouth as his arms were broken from the many blows he had done.

“Because it isn’t our job…” Masaaki said as those weren’t the words you wanted to hear, “Everything will be okay… we just have to hope the heroes will do something. I’m sure Katsuki is fine… He has to be fine… right?” Masaaki was now watching the tv as she knew now why you were freaking out. Your fiance was gone. He wasn’t moving. Dynamite was dead.

“God I can’t believe you like him… why him of all people?” 

“I think he’s super cute! Sure he’s pretty hot headed and can’t keep his mouth shut, but the way he’s passionate about things drives me wild! It's like him and I are dreaming the same thing! We both want to be heroes! It's what our lives were meant to be!”

Masaaki rolled her eyes as you and her were out Christmas shopping. You and Masaaki were trying to get the last few gifts together as Deku was throwing a party at his dorm building to celebrate. You didn’t really like the holidays but ever since you started crushing on Bakugo the holiday season holidays just seemed to shine brighter now that he was in your life. 

“Even so, Bakugo is a lot to handle… I would hate to see my best friend get hurt because she didn’t listen to me.”

It was your turn to roll your eyes, “Whatever…” and you both finished your holiday shopping.

~~~~~

“Stupid! Get out of the way!” Bakugo shouted as he and Deku were sparring in the training room. You had decided to study some of the other students in classroom 1-A as your quirk was very helpful to them. 

“Sorry! Sorry!” You said as you moved to the left hoping to get out of the fight and into a better area. You were healing Deku and Bakugo as they fought, but as you got closer to the two of them it became sorta hard as Bakugo’s exploding quirk hit you making you fly about fifty feet into the air.

“See I told you to get out of the way!” Bakugo shouted as he blasted himself up into the air and caught you. Your eyes met for like a split second and in that moment you knew you were meant to be.

“I s-said I was-s sorry… I just couldn’t reach De-eku in time when you blasted.” 

Bakugo tched as you and him landed safely on the ground. Your arms still wrapped around his neck as he hadn’t placed you down. His calloused hands were still holding you in his arms as you wanted to be put down and away from him, but for some odd reason Bakugo wasn’t letting you go.

“Well, be careful next time. If you got any closer I could have burned you and… I would have hated that…” Bakugo said a bit softer as if he was only talking to you and no one else. His eyes were staring out forwards as he wasn’t staring at you, but for some odd reason you knew he was talking to you and only you.

~~~~~

“Are you sure you want to ask her out man? I mean isn’t she seeing someone?” Kirishima said as he and Bakugo were working out. 

“Yeah, I’m going to ask her out. I don’t care if she’s seeing someone or not! I have to make her mine! I just have too!” Bakugo said as he was doing his push ups just a little bit faster than normal. 

“Well, then let’s do it together. I know our little ray of sunshine would be happy with us if we both ask her out. I know when I asked you out, Bakubro, I was nearly drenched in sweat.” Kirishima said as he finished his rep. 

“Yeah, and you nearly ripped out of your clothes because your hardening was happening. It was like you couldn’t control it or something.” Bakugo smirked as he wiped away the sweat and took a drink from his water bottle.

“I was pretty nervous… I didn’t know you liked guys and honestly seeing how you and Y/N act together when on the training ground it just makes me wanna work ten times harder! Like you both are super manly!” Kirishima smiled as Bakugo nodded.

“Then it's settled. We will ask her out tonight.” 

~~~~~

“So, are you dating both of them?” Masaaki asked as she was a bit confused on what you were talking about.

“Uh, yeah, they both asked me out and I said yes.” You said as if it was sorta normal.

“And they didn’t get jealous and Blasty didn’t get angry because his BEST FRIEND also asked you out?!” 

You nodded, “They both told me they were sorta seeing each other and when they had talked about it they saw that they both felt something towards me and I towards them. It was like we were all meant to be, ya know?”

Masaaki shook her head, “No, I don’t know and I probably will never know, but if you're happy then I’m happy.” She said as you nodded happily. Your text tone going off as it was Bakugo letting you know dinner was ready and that he and your other boyfriend wanted you to come eat with them.

“I gotta go, duty calls.” You smile as you hugged your bestie goodbye. 

“Awe, okay, see you later.”

“See you.”

~~~~

“Come on babe… please… please get up…” You whimpered, staring at the tv again. You didn’t see Kirishima around so it meant that he was probably somewhere else in the area helping those who needed it. Tears stinging your eyes as you looked back over at Masaaki and asked, “D-do you think he will make it? I mean he has to make it… He promised he’d come home to me… He has to come home to me….right?”

Masaaki came and gave you a hug, “Right, Dynamite wouldn’t go back on his word. A promise is a promise.” your roommate lied as she saw the future, just like Sir Nighteye she could look into the future and what she saw for you and your boys wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all.

“Good… because… I have news… news for both of them…” 

Masaaki looked at you as she pulled away just a little, “What’s that?”

“I…” words stuck as you didn’t want to tell her but had too, tears streaming down your cheeks more as you smiled weakly, “I’m pregnant… I’m pregnant with Bakugo’s child…”

[stillness-in-green]

On Giving AFO the Chainsaw Man Treatment

Below the cut, find a pair of asks about the chances of AFO's threat being resolved in a similar way as Chainsaw Man deals with its Act I villain. I'm not planning to actually discuss that CSM resolution, but even a passing description of it represents a major spoiler to anyone who's only following the anime, so hit the jump only if that's not an issue for you.

I gotta say, anons, if anyone in this series has to get age-reversed for a do-over, my first choice would be AFO.

Forgive me; I'm going to talk a lot about the widespread Age-Reversed Shigaraki prediction below. I know you didn't bring up Shigaraki at all—for all I know, you hate that theory just as much as I do!—but most of my familiarity with Baby!AFO is through that filter, so it's through that filter my answer comes. But I don't think either character should get age-reversed, which I'll get to in the latter half of this post. Please just skip to the next bold header if you don't want to read me comparing the two.

Better AFO Than Shigaraki:

So like, as far as I'm aware, the general assumption is that if Shigaraki (the only other candidate for whom reversion to infancy is ever proposed) is rewound to an infant, he’ll truly be an infant, with his memories wiped clean.  And this, it's implied, will give him some kind of moral clean slate whereby the person who committed all the many, many crimes Shigaraki has committed will have “died” and therefore be beyond punishment.

If that would be morally acceptable for Shigaraki Tomura—arguing that the person who caused all that harm and death doesn’t exist anymore—why would it not be morally acceptable for AFO?  If the people who lost homes and loved ones to Shigaraki would be expected to just let bygones be bygones because That Is A Child, why would the same not be true of those AFO hurt?

Of course, the easy answer is that Shigaraki is himself a victim of AFO, whereas AFO is not—so far as we know—the victim of anyone.  Thus, Shigaraki is perceived to be deserving of a second chance, while AFO is not.  But if the karma gets wiped clean regardless—if you can make AFO a better person instead of killing him, give him a chance to grow up as a person who will put good into the world instead of bad—I don’t see the two as being all that different.

If anything, I think it’s a better answer for AFO than it is for Shigaraki.  Narratively speaking, Shigaraki is a product of Hero Society’s failures as much as he is AFO’s upbringing, so addressing those failures is every bit as important as saving him from AFO for the challenge he presents to feel adequately resolved.  AFO, conversely, isn’t challenging a bunch of societal mores,[1] so I feel like the story giving him a do-over wouldn’t feel like it was trying to sneakily evade answering that challenge by raising him up as a good little law-abiding, paradigm-accepting citizen.

Also, the heroes having to deal with Baby!AFO is much, much funnier than them having to deal with Sweet Blameless Tenko.  As someone who staunchly believes that All Might has done sweet fuck-all to earn some kind of saccharine Dad Might Raises Baby Tenko ending, I would far rather see him having to navigate the fraught waters of raising the innocent child version of his lineage’s archenemy.

It Won't Be Either of Them, Though:

All that said, I think it’s going to be a moot point regardless because Ujiko’s little Rewind serum is clearly not working on AFO’s memories, nor was the raw version, so to speak, ever shown to affect Deku or Mirio’s.  Baby!AFO with his memories intact doesn’t solve the problem AFO presents at all, any more than it would for Baby!Shigaraki.  At best, it might reduce the raw physical threat they pose, but if their mentality is unchanged, it’s just kicking the problem down the line for a decade or two.

Even setting the memory issue aside, though, AFO has been pretty clear that the serum has put him on a timer.  He’s fretting about getting to Shigaraki because there’s something he needs to do before he, like Eri’s father,[2] gets Rewound to nonexistence.  I suppose there are ways around this—having Erasure work on the serum’s ongoing effect, having the serum just run out of efficacy before it can eat through AFO’s prodigious lifespan, etc.—but from the current setup, I don’t think a Nayuta-style resolution to AFO is on the table.

And It Shouldn't Be:

And that's just as well. While I think Baby!AFO would be funny, I can really only say that because AFO as we have him here in the endgame is so two-dimensional that he barely registers as having an identity to lose to the ego death of reversion to infancy.

That ego death is why I don't much care for resolutions that involve returning a villain to infancy. Usually, when I see that plot, the unspoken reasoning runs that the affected character had their life and innocence stolen from them, and thus they deserve a second chance at being happy and having a normal childhood. Maybe that's a comforting thought for some people, and I wish those people well of it.

To me, though, it smacks unpleasantly of rhetoric that says that once someone has been hurt enough, scarred enough, changed enough by their suffering, they might as well just die and start over because they're too damaged to ever find happiness again, so why bother trying? I am Extremely Not Here for that message.[3]

Now, there's probably a whole different discussion to be had about how that plot reads symbolically when the author/readers believe in reincarnation. I have no idea where Horikoshi falls on that in the Shinto/Buddhism spectrum most of Japan occupies. Still, I don't know that it can rightly be called reincarnation, if the person has to grow up with the exact same name they had before and is probably being raised by someone who remembers everything they did under that name previously and is always going to have half an eye on making sure they don't grow up the same way again. That's a pretty lousy "new life," isn't it?

IRL subtext aside, I'm also against the idea because, as I mentioned earlier, Magically A Baby Again is too easily used as an end run around having to meaningfully address a character's anger, trauma, wickedness, or whatever motivation is so insurmountable that it can only be defeated by completely obliviating it. That definitely shouldn't happen to Shigaraki, but even with AFO, it feels like it would serve the same function as a Disney Falling Death: remove the villain's menace without dirtying your heroes' sparkling clean hands with the moral responsibility for a death.

Thanks for the asks, anons, and your patience.

------------------ FOOTNOTES ------------------ 1:  Narratively speaking, I mean.  Obviously, as The Supervillain Of All Time, AFO challenges all kinds of societal mores!  But the reader isn’t encouraged to think of those challenges as legitimate the way they are with Shigaraki.

2:  And it only just occurred to me in writing this, if Eri’s quirk requires the consumption of her horn to power the Rewind effect, and we saw it go from Very Large to Tiny Nub just in taking six months off Mirio, what on earth is the explanation for her Rewinding her father out of existence?

3: This is also why I've got zero time for the whole idea that "Shigaraki Tomura" has no meaningful existence of his own; that the thing going by that name is just fifteen years of AFO's Grooming caked on top of an inner perfectly innocent, perfectly preserved, Shimura Tenko.

[katsuizu-stuff]

*cough*

imagine if izuku’s life ended up being the fucked up one and AFO choose him?

like just try to imagine it this way…

Izuku is still born quirkless and his father, who isn’t absent, hates him for being quirkless. inko was the only one who truly loved him quirk or not. she taught izuku the classic “smile through the pain” and izuku listened to her. his life was horrible yet he still smiled and even though quirkless he looked up to the heroes but he had to go home and be constantly reminded by his father that he is quirkless that he can’t be a hero and all the hero items izuku had gotten from his mother through his birthday’s/christmas/special achievements got burn before his eyes yet he “smiled through the pain” even though he was slowly burning inside thanks to his father

until one day, when inko was coming home back from her job she gets hit by a car and sadly she doesn’t make it. now izuku basically has nobody so he lives with his father who works 9 to 5 and goes straight to a bar and comes home late expecting dinner made by izuku and a clean house

however some nights, not all, his father comes home wasted just straight up drunk and that’s when izuku gets badly hit and gets called all sorts of names. on those night he goes and sneaks into katsuki’s bedroom because katsuki is his only friend. katsuki knows everything about izuku’s life and katsuki is there for support and izuku is truly grateful for katsuki and his parents

but then one night izuku’s father comes home late at 2am, his father is over the moon wasted he had the worst day ever that night izuku gets beaten almost to the point of going into a deep coma but gratefully his father passed out and izuku leaves his house. he was debating on wether or not to go to katsuki’s house to get patched up and take a decent warm shower like every other night before but this time it’s so bad he doesn’t want his ‘precious kacchan’ to see him like that so instead he heads to the nearest hospital which sadly is 4 hours from his house

as he’s walking in the middle of the night he needs to take a break he sit under a bridge, due to the fact it started raining and he is beaten up, then all of a sudden AFO shows up (and just like shigaraki) AFO helps him. Izuku ends up telling AFO, a complete stranger, everything and how even though he likes heroes he just (to some point) he dislikes them thanks to his father and now thanks to that AFO chooses him

katsuki, izuku’s only friend and the one that basically cares for him and his well being, starts to panic due to the fact he hasn’t seen izuku at school or how izuku would sometimes come to his house to spend the night. all the bakugo’s are worried for him. masaru even goes so far as to go see izuku’s father. one day while being out katsuki bumps into All Might and All Might see katsuki holding missing posters with izuku’s face on it. katsuki, ends up being chosen by all might to be the next OFA user due to the fact that katsuki is looking for his lost friend

from that day on katsuki, not only has OFA and not only wants to be the number one hero but he wants to find izuku to see his friend again. it’s not until the USJ incident that katsuki finally sees izuku and izuku, who wasn’t surprised to see katsuki there, just gives him a dead absolutely gone look and katsuki now wants to save izuku his ‘deku’ and bring him back home. home being katsuki and his parents the only people that still want him back and care for him

And from that day on everything changed…

[bitchlessbkg]

Bakugou and being a “damsel”

people always use the term “damsel in distress” as meaning “this person is only suffering for the sake of another character,” and that’s just completely untrue to how they’re trying to apply it to bakugou now.

you know the thing about bakugou being “damseled?” it always comes in the form of him sacrificing himself for the win/save, and it’s never JUST for the sake of another character.

their exam where deku punched allmight to get bakugou and they got to the gate together was after bakugou sacrificed himself and declared that he’d continue to mess himself up for victory. that moment showcased bakugou’s resolve as a hero that wins and deku’s need to save anyone he sees needs it despite himself

in the first war where bakugou sacrificed himself to save deku, and in turn got up to save his allies and win, deku went berserk due to his sacrifice being insulted. it showcased bakugou’s growth as a hero who saves to win and emphasized deku’s “control your heart” plot point in regards to bakugou and OFA that has yet to be addressed.

both of those times above, they failed in 100% all-in teamwork due to lack of cooperation from bakugou’s insecurities or deku’s self sacrificing taken to the extreme because he wanted to keep everyone safe and “do his best” as the holder of OFA to destroy AFO. but this time, it’ll be different.

now, with the pending “damsel in distress” role for him, i believe that once again it will come in the form of a sacrifice. right now, it’s just like the allmight exam — he was beaten down and his insecurities over the power gap were on full display (AFO even talked down to him about them), but he’s still gonna give it his all to win. i think with this new evolution he’ll be pretty damn close to foiling AFO’s plans (he already called his leading attack a few chapters ago amazing, it’s why he broke his arm) and since he couldn’t break his spirit or keep him down and bleeding for deku to find, he’s either gonna do something else to take him out of the battle, or since he couldn’t get to him he’ll go for deku mainly instead — either way, i expect bakugou to make a sacrifice here, and for deku to need to “control his heart” once more—

— but this time bakugou will see, and this time he’ll get through to him what deku couldn’t remember before — that they’re still in this together (and who else better than kacchan could help spring this development?). this time, his sacrifice would not be in vain (since last time deku still charged in on his own and almost got the power stolen). it’ll work for both deku’s character to keep that in mind and fight to win without casualties plus keep a clear head despite emotions in a battle like bakugou in order to save shigaraki (win to save), and their relationship development to which bakugou is always either unconscious or not there during the moments where he could see how much he means to deku really. the spin on this trope is to say that kacchan isn’t a damsel just for the sake of deku or that someone else MADE him one. he made the sacrifice in order to get shit done, and regardless he’s not gonna be down and out — he’s gonna WIN, and they’re gonna do it together.

[superbeeny]

I don’t get antis going all ‘no no, Bakugou isn’t special to Deku, Shigaraki would have said this about anyone’ because they claim to want Deku to get development, so why wouldn’t they want Deku to be put through something as challenging as possible?  To have his ideals and desire to save even a bad person to the test when someone he loves deeply and has wanted to reconcile with for a long time is at stake? What would the point be otherwise, especially in the endgame of the series?  This view sounds like bad ship war brainrot where one can’t seem to think deeper about why Horikoshi would create this scenario from the standpoint of trying to write a serious and emotional story with actual themes, and a main character who ideally should have interesting conflicts and actual flaws.

[codenamesazanka]

I'm trying to stay optimistic but the recent chapter was such a letdown after all of this speculation, and I'm really not ready for afo gave tenko decay to become canon :(

So, same as you, I've always hated the 'AFO gave Tenko Decay' theory, but I think it’s important to examine why. 

What I hate is less of the actual act - it is incredibly possible, after all, that AFO just gave this kid descendant of a hated enemy such a deadly quirk for his own twisted ends; and more in fear of what the confirmation of it might signifies - cheap 'easy-way-out' writing that would pretend to solve the problem of Shimura Tenko/Shigaraki Tomura while not actually doing so:

If Tenko was given Decay, then it means the Shimura massacre and then The Walk could've been avoided! 🎉 Because Tenko's hurt and anger at being repeatedly rejected by his father and family would not have manifested in such a lethal way, and so... what? Could've been ignored for a little longer? Wouldn't have sent him to the streets, where people should've helped him but didn't, and now Shigaraki's making them paying for that? (Somewhat related, I’ve seen people suggest that Decay makes Tenko itch because his body isn’t compatible with it, a la Aoyama - the itch is caused by the quirk. However, the day AFO brought Tenko home and Tenko was locked outside, Tenko already had scars around his eyes, and his mom was worried about “his allergies getting worse”. This suggests Tenko was already itchy and scratching at himself before he ever met AFO (and received the quirk that day). And given how the itch represents Tenko/Shigaraki’s frustration and anxiety, that Tenko says he’s only itchy in the house, demonstrates the Shimura household problem was a thing that hurt him long before AFO ever showed up that day.)

If Tenko was given Decay, then it means Shigaraki/Tenko is not innately a destructive and twisted child! Such a sweet kid would not have such a evil quirk! And he has no good reason to want to destroy stuff! 🎉 Because we're going to believe in the idea that ''Bad' Quirks Makes You A Bad Person’. And throw kids who do have unpleasant traits for whatever reason under the bus. And act as if Shigaraki wants to destroy because he's beholden to a gene inside of him, instead of having perfectly valid reasons to be angry and want to lash out.

If Tenko was given Decay, it means we don't have to worry about the 'what ifs' of having a deadly quirk like this even if the massacre never happen! 🎉 Because what if Decay was a naturally-occuring quirk? How would Heroes that aren't Eraserhead have dealt with an accident from such a quirk? Would Tenko have been forced to enroll in Quirk Counseling, which we know from Toga is such a great program? Would Tenko have grown up discriminated against, much like Shinsou, or worse? And these things are absolutely factors that would make someone feel ostracized in society and lash out, even without the backing of a crime lord?

If Tenko was given Decay, we have thee easiest way to deal with Shigaraki Tomura: the story can blame AFO for being the instigator of all tragedy and suffering - without Heroes needing to own up to the fact the society they've have been propping up for a century might play some role in creating Villains through countless, unintentional ways. The focus - the supposed real tragedy - becomes the fact that AFO gave Tenko a scary quirk, and Deku can focus his energies on that… instead of where, imo, the actual tragedies lie - an unhappy and dysfunctional home of generational trauma that was never dealt with, a city full of people who ignored an injured five-year-old because they put off all communal responsibility on Heroes*, and how this can all happen in a 'Hero-saturated society' without Tenko being helped in any of the multiple steps it took to get him to where he ended up under the bridge, being hugged by AFO.

* bonus: none of the people on the street knew what quirk Tenko had, so… what are we to make of this fact? Tenko could've easily been injured in a car accident, walked away, and still be ignored if AFO isn't revealed to made everyone ignore Tenko as well? But that would've been okay, Shigaraki would've been less pissed off, because it wasn't part of a villainous mastermind plot? 

Meanwhile, Shigaraki would be only a sad little pawn, an empty victim crammed with a deadly quirk and engineered trauma and fake wrath, and once Deku saves him by telling him his entire life was a lie, that he actually has no reason to feel so betrayed and angry (can't even direct that at AFO anymore, because the man’s gone), Shigaraki can (selfishly!) forget his friends and his experiences and take pleasure in knowing he wasn't supposed to be a Villain. He was supposed to be a Good Person, without an Evil Quirk, and now he can assimilate back into his rightful, conforming proper place in society!

However–I don’t think that sounds like Shigaraki at all. It could happen! God forbid it, but that is how Horikoshi can end up writing the character and the conclusion. I don’t know how likely that is. 

What I do know, though, is that Shigaraki is someone who already knows AFO is a manipulative asshole:

In Chapter 237, while reflecting on his newly regained memories, Shigaraki considers, “If only, back then, someone, anyone, had reached out to help… then maybe the itch would’ve gone away for good.” That he specifically says this last part after remembering specifically how AFO had found him, Shigaraki knew AFO didn’t actually help him, else the itch would’ve faded. 

In Chapter 277, Shigaraki is not particularly surprised that the AFO quirk comes with AFO’s ‘too-strong’ will. (Then tells AFO is shut up.) 

In Chapter 298, after AFO gives a whole spiel about how Shigaraki asked for this power, Shigaraki declares that he’s not going to be AFO’s “stinkin’ pawn”. (And started looking for a way to undermine AFO’s control)

In Chapter 379, Shigaraki outright states that he knew AFO was manipulating him, especially trying to make use of the Shimura and All Might connection. (And defeats the AFO vestige from inside out, taking his body back.) 

Unfortunately, Shigaraki is also someone who knows all this, but will still continue to rely on AFO’s double-edged gifts - keeping The Hands with him all this time; partnering with the Doctor; utilizing Gigantomachia into his Deika plan despite not having gained Gigantomachia’s respect yet; undergoing the surgery to receive the AFO quirk.

And finally, Shigaraki is someone who has already regained all his memories, back in MVA. He remembers being five-years-old and still not having manifested his quirk. He remembers AFO telling him that his quirk is a rare variant mutation, just so happened to be one that no one has ever seen before. In the latest chapter, the vision of Tenko holding hands with a man in a suit - that is Shigaraki’s memory. Shigaraki remembers this moment, of being Tenko and walking home, escorted by a stranger in a suit. And it appears, right after Deku declares that he’s going to keep striking at Shigaraki until he reaches the pain Shigaraki has buried and covered up with a lid.

What I’m getting at is this: I think - I hope! - there is a possibility that, if AFO did indeed give Tenko Decay, Shigaraki already knows AFO gave him the quirk - figured it out when he got his memories back, most likely - but is beyond caring. He knows Decay was given to him, that AFO had that hand in causing the massacre; but still Shigaraki uses it, still decides to embody the quirk as his.

Because however Shigaraki got Decay, it really doesn’t change anything about how the world works. It doesn’t change how his dad was locking him out of the house before he ever got any quirk, simply because he couldn’t/didn't want to follow a rule; and it doesn’t change how he was ignored by everyone that day on the street, and no one knew at all what quirk he had or what he did. Manifesting Decay only punted him down into a miserable social position that already existed - not for him at that moment in time, but for someone else; only gave him the ability to witness something that had always been there all the more clearly.

Now, this is very much a cope. But I can cope with the 'AFO gave Tenko Decay’, if it actually ends up giving Deku a harder time saving Shigaraki, if it forces Deku to become unable to blame AFO, because that was never the real injustice Shigaraki has been lashing out against. That’s really the main thing.

Thanks for the ask, anon! Sorry it’s long and rambling. 

[astridthevalkyrie]

aot characters' favorite mha characters bc i'm funny (not meant to be taken seriously in the slightest pls)

eren—loves ochako uraraka but he breaths a little heavily every time shigaraki’s on screen

everyone thinks it would be bakugo but he saw him being mean to an armin kinnie (deku) and huffed through his nose and now he’s a bakugo anti

mikasa—bops to the hero too song but jirou isn’t her favorite character since she’s “too emo”

bakugo became her favorite as soon as he stepped up on stage in the sports festival and told everyone he was gonna win, she shed a single and called the entire gang extras after that

armin—tries so hard not to have deku as his favorite character but tbh it’s just like when he watched encanto and saw mirabel it was like it was meant to be

cries when deku eats all might’s hair

coincidentally also a huuuuge all might stan and defender who actually gets pissy everytime someone slanders him

jean—“ew i don’t watch that gay hero show” (momo bc “hot and underrated leader”)

also ojiro because “there’s just something ab that guy's voice…”

sasha—denki :) jean makes kissy faces at her when connie looks away and when connie doesn’t look away. sasha thinks it’s an invitation to make out. it isn’t.

but also momo bc of the boobs

connie—“this toga mfer is creepy as helllll”

unironically stans sir nighteye and cried when he died and makes a hate shrine dedicated to overhaul (“isn’t that a video game lolzzz” “that’s overwatch you fucking moron��)

historia—aizawa DICKRIDER bro she screamed when he cut his leg off and eren paused to shout at her for six minutes during which she kept crying about the leg

also saw dabi’s backstory and her face was just permanently stuck like this ☹️ becomes a dabi fan only after that so eren accuses her of being fake bc he’s a hater

ymir—“that girl with the green hair that moves and shit”

says she likes bakugo because he’s funny but the first time hawks appeared on screen her eyes were WIDE and she giggles a bit every time he’s in the show after that

reiner—“oh definitely mirio”

“is it because you’re also a better version of the main character”

eren: “hey what the FUCK actually” giggles and twirls hair cutely “reiner mirio’s actually in my top five too”

cried when aoyama was exposed he was like ong that’s me

bertholdt—he also likes uraraka but his one and only fav character is hagakure 

there’s not much to be said there but when he told everyone that mikasa was like “yiiiiiiiikes 😬 aren’t you literally the colossal titan too 😂”

annie—she says it’s endeavor and everyone groans really loudly and connie says “ofc you like him abusive dad ahh dickrider”

her second fav is toga. 

and her third fav is wash.

erwin—hero commission president blonde lady 

this one ->  

says he wishes he bought levi as a child

levi isn't happy about that

hange—obviously the evil doctor who helps all for one

she also thinks all for one is hot

“i wanna look at the frog girl’s tongue soooo bad”

levi—mr compress

[haleigh-sloth]

This is all I’m going to say until we get the next chapter shigaraki when fighting star and we see him as a kid said midoriya I don’t care if y’all hate deku he saving that boy maybe bkg is going to get him out of the trance fine whatever but some non Deku stans swear he not the MC as if hori didn’t make daiki the voice actor read a letter talking about this being Deku crucial fight

Yeahhhh I just 😬

I feel like it’s devolved into a fight over who is gonna do what when it comes to Shig. And amazingly enough it feels like nobody wants Deku to do anything because god forbid he get near Shigaraki 😂. But the truth is that there is a whole ensemble assigned to the Save Shigaraki Task Force.

And there are only certain things certain people can do.

Let’s start with Spinner:

Spinner’s mistake kinda backtracks back to misunderstanding the person he’s following, and staying attached to the dream Shigaraki promises, encouraging his rage and hatred to thrive, which just makes it easier for AFO to take control. Not his fault, he doesn’t know what’s going on inside Shig’s head, but that wasn’t a positive development. It got even worse when he ignored his gut instinct and through his own self-worth issues, accepted a quirk (a ticking time bomb) from AFO, putting himself at risk now too.

However! He’s the only one in position to influence a greater number of villains who are following the uprising for Spinner’s sake, breaking the chain of command and turning them against AFO and HIS followers. Spinner will do something along those lines I think. Finally make a choice for himself, and lead his followers to something that won’t result in a blank horizon full of nothing.

Then we have Bakugo:

There is no doubt he’ll do something. There aren’t parallels drawing Bakugo and Shigaraki together, but there is one thing Bakugo has in common with Midoriya (who does parallel Shig):

Shigaraki was interested in both of them. Maybe for different reasons (I have my speculations about the mall scene but only time will tell if those come true), but because of that interest, Shigaraki was seeking some form of validation from both of them.

And he was rejected by both of them on principle (understandably, taking people hostage isn’t how you make friends, Tomura).

So it only makes sense that, with both Bakugo and Midoriya, the logical answer is for them to reconsider their feelings on Shigaraki. Midoriya already has, and is currently still thinking, it seems, on what to think and do (more on this later). Bakugo I think is coming up on that soon. But despite other opinions I’ve read, I do not think chapter 358 is that moment. It seems undeniably clear to me that Bakugo is not in a “wait around for the right hero” mindset, and is taking matters into his own hands without Midoriya there, and is straight up going for the kill. He voiced his strong resentment toward Shigaraki and AFO, and I don’t think that was some convoluted mask to cover up that he wants to save him 😐. But with that being said, I do think this is leading into some turn of events. All I know is I have a feeling that what’s about to happen right now, is going to make Bakugo and company think twice. Arguably I don’t know exactly what Bakugo will do, I don’t. Only time will tell. I can only vouch for what I know he can’t do, which will be addressed at the end in the Deku section.

Then we have Kurogiri and Aizawa:

I’m still…waiting for this plot line to take off. But the set up is there. Not to mention, Aizawa made an impression on Shigaraki too, very early on might I add. I’ll keep my clown costume on until it happens, or doesn’t. But I’m not worried. I think it will.

THENNNN we have Deku. The only person with access to the vestige plane, and the only one with capability of gaining insight into Shigaraki’s head and heart and figuring out his true feelings. This is the part I see people complain about lol. Oh well. Shigaraki has a mental barrier that nobody is going to be able to see or feel, except Midoriya. And this is probably the only connection Shigaraki has that isn’t one-sided, and goes both ways. One wants the other to save them. That one wants to save the other. Both have noticed each other and rejected each other. Now it’s time to try again, and do it right this time.

But for that to work, things on the outside need to be taken care of too. That’s where everybody else comes in!

I do 100% expect the LOV to all team up with the heroes and fight AFO and his followers, tame the crowds, save people, etc. And I’m still 100% convinced Shigaraki will overcome the mental barrier with AFO and then dust his physical body on the outside. And at one point I think there was room for Toga and Touya to help with Shig, but given the pacing and timing that we’re going at right now, I’m not sure the timing will align for that to happen. But that’s just speculation. It’s still too soon to tell on that front.

But yeah—it’s a whole ordeal. And, I mean idc if people don’t like Deku. I get it, he’s really not everybody’s cup of tea. But denying his role in Shigaraki’s arc isn’t gonna do anybody any good, nor is it gonna change the outcome. I’m biased because I love it, obviously, but also from an objective standpoint, there is literally no point in denying his role. His role is there, it’s not going away.

[eijiroukiriot]

It's so weird, because That's Not a Real Person, but I've spent so much time on him... reading about him and writing about him, that I just can't help but cry over his fate. Another fake out death will be bad from a writer's POV, but I can't get through losing my beloved character...

you really said it, you really put it to words. i don’t want his death to be used for shock value again but it’s too sad knowing this is his fate after everything

i want to give horikoshi credit as a writer but @/chonideno said on twitter something along the lines of “if this is used as fuel for deku to punch shigaraki really hard and save the day then printing this story was a waste of paper” and i completely agree. the only way i can see this fitting well into some grander narrative is if deku sees bkg lying there and immediately stops fighting. honestly a big part of why i stopped reading each and every chapter around my villain academia was bc i started feeling gross abt how horikoshi was painstakingly humanizing the villains and showing the discrimination that hero society fuels while keeping the grander narrative still very pro-hero (lol). society turned on UA after bkg was kidnapped and rescued unharmed. if this is real please let it change something

sending you support in these trying times :/ yeah it’s a fictional character but isn’t it rough enough out here these days already?

[kitsunefyuu]

No, but seriously why there is part of the fandom that believes that Bakugou is being beaten or even "killed" to develop Izuku's character, Bakugou is important to Izuku no one is going to deny that but what is happening right now shows that Horikoshi only uses Bakugou for anything related to Izuku because otherwise he has no real purpose as a character, Midoriya isn't going to develop better or worst because of Bakugou, actually the one that would have to develop as a result of what happens is Bakugou since that would show that he's an independent character and not just a toy that the plot uses when it feels convenient.

I’m sure this is going to cause a divide in general with the fandom. This is development for Bakugou this has nothing to do with Izuku. All for One is the only one talking about Izuku and how he would react but the boy isn’t even THERE.

There is no mention or indication that Izuku is getting there after that cliff hanger these chapters are about Bakugou. The fight with Shigaraki the hope to defeat and the tragedy of falling short to your ideals. What people don’t understand is that sometimes development can end in tragedies, poor Twice had character development and he died.

These chapters are cementing that Bakugou is his OWN person outside of Izuku and it why his last thoughts are of All Might. Because All Might is someone he looked up to beyond anyone else the ONLY person that made him cry. News flash the fight between him and Deku when was vulnerable was because of ALL MIGHT.

This is important and hurts my heart because it reminds you he was a kid. He regressed to a child thinking how never even asked for his autograph likely because didn’t think he was worthy of it yet. He hadn’t beat Izuku- But he regretted never asking.

People trying to take that away and involve Izuku are missing the point that this is ALL about Bakugou. That why it causes such a emotional reaction in the fandom right now.

Izuku will only see the after effects wheither Bakugou dies or lives, that isn’t important. This is Bakugou moment... But Hori never said it would be pretty.

Again I don’t think he is dead until stays dead there are many ways and reasons for why his heart might stop. But people trying to drag Izuku into this are missing the whole damn point. Izuku isn’t there for you when it’s convenient to save your character. Also it invalidates Bakugou’s feelings and the shit he is going through.

I need to see what Hori does to the end.

UPDATE: SO ummmm Bakugou heart was pierced and seemed to have ruptured.... It isn’t looking good on his survival chances.

[alteredphoenix]

So the reason why BNHA was starting to dip in quality was because of that one editor that worked on a bunch of manga a’la Samurai 8 (which I haven’t read but some of its ideas are sort of being worked into Boruto, which explains why it’s veering more toward tech over ninja), Red Hood (which had an interesting premise but just took way too long to get the ball rolling after, like, Chapter 5, which culminated in it going fully meta by the end), Earthchild (which is the biggest tragedy out of this list because that went downhill after the first chapter), and Ayashimon (which I honestly don’t understand how it got popular as it did in the West, but you can only write so many fight scenes that can be boiled down to as ‘punch harder because I’m a manga protag’ before it gets old fast) that got quickly axed?

No wonder I was losing interest in this manga right after the Paranormal Liberation Front War Arc ended. Okay, the Villain Hunt Arc was decent - but that was the point where it should’ve gone down the darker route and lasted much longer than the Nagant fight (and we still don’t know why she broke Overhaul out of prison, but that’s either going to happen later on or probably ended up becoming an Aborted Arc). I think if I had to pinpoint the exact moment where my interest went from ‘I want to see what happens next’ to ‘okay quit dragging your feet and get the hell on, man’, it was during the Shigaraki/Star and Stripe mini-arc. Plus there were these...odd decisions to end some of these chapters on cliffhangers that should’ve, say, resulted in more danger for the cast than they should’ve been in instead of coming out of it unscathed without any explanation...? Like, the most notable case I can think of for me is the end of that one chapter more than halfway through the Villain Hunt Arc where Deku and the Pros go into that one mansion to square up against AFO, and I’m still trying to figure out what the actual fuck the point was for that random-ass explosion. Don’t even get me started on the current arc where it feels like the rest of the cast that aren’t Deku, Endeavor, Hawks (sort of, and I say this as a person that loves Hawks), Bakugou, and Shouto are...kind of Just There to make the scenery look pretty, if you catch my drift. We still haven’t seen Ochako and Toga trade blows yet nor learned who Deku’s father is (rather insignificant and nonexistent his presence actually is in the canon story, and that’s if you completely ignore the AFO Is Deku’s Father theories).

I’m not sure how much you can look at BNHA and say ‘this has all been planned out’ or ‘this is where I can tell it was planned and this is where I can tell either the author’s winging it or going by what his editor’s telling him to do’, but I can at least say it hasn’t been planned this far ahead to get to this point (I’m at least aware that the traitor and Dabi reveals were meant to happen much earlier than intended but the negative reaction toward the villains in Japan put a wrench in that). It’s kind of sad in a way that this is the conclusion I’ve come to as to why my interest has waned because for the longest while I thought this would be the shounen manga whose endgame wouldn’t go up in flames (and I’ve noticed it’s always a war arc that causes this to happen, and as much as I think the Kaguya twist would’ve worked a lot better if it’d been planned sooner and better I’ll forever blame Naruto for making me realize how much I utterly hate how drawn-out war arcs are in manga). I think the only shounen manga I’ve read so far that sticks its landing during and post-war arc is Rave Master - and that’s a manga that made Mashima Hiro sad (which is why Fairy Tail isn’t so heavy on the kill count)! But I also feel bad for the old editor, in a way, because I honestly think he’d work better as a trend-setter for a different profession that isn’t the manga industry; it’s pretty clear the guy’s just not cut out for it (because having that many axed manga under your belt in such a short amount of time should’ve been a cause for alarm instead of just keeping him on hoping he’ll get something right). So hopefully him getting “transferred” - which is a polite way in Japan to say “we canned your ass” - will lead him to opportunities that’ll allow him to grow into a skillset that’ll work for him that’ll benefit those around him rather than as a detriment.

I don’t know how much left there is to BNHA (and I’m beginning to wonder if it’s going to get that fabled sequel a’la BNHA Shippuden I’ve seen people talk about), but with this new editor I’m hoping the story will...I won’t say ‘course correct’ because I think it’s a bit too late in the game to be doing that, but maybe get things back on track and take some time - but not too much, that’s One Piece’s job because of how massive it is - to breathe. Like it doesn’t have to rush to get to the end, but there’s really not much left to the story other than the Ochako/Toga fight, the AFO fight, whatever Sero and Shinsou are going to do,  Deku’s involvement, that thing with Touya, whatever the 2nd OFA Holder’s deal is, and maybe the Nagant/Overhaul storyline getting picked back up.

I can’t say if the change in editors will be enough to renew my interest (I kind of think the damage has already been done), but fingers crossed BNHA won’t fumble on its way toward its ending. And I’m saying this as someone that’s in the WoW fandom and has heard (still hears) the griping and criticisms of its storyline on a daily basis for over a decade.