#but i have a hard time focusing on one thing to talk about with Toga

[problemswithbooks]

God can hori be any more heavy handed with the "DONT YOU WANT TO BE NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL" bestie, shes drinking other kids blood, thats not just "not normal". This weird retcon thing is annoying, Idk why hed bother putting her backstory in when he didnt give much of a shit about it 😭

The thing is, I actually don't think trying to say Toga's blood drinking is normal is necessarily bad or something that can't be done well. Quirks are a major part of the world and the story overall--it's not that far fetched that blood drinking might be a normal thing a person with a Quirk would want to do. If people can accept people that can make explosions which could also be dangerous to kids and people (and very much was for Izuku) then it's not a huge stretch to accept that blood drinking for Toga is normal and she should be accepted as such.

The issue is that Hori didn't really make that the issue. I don't think he really sees it himself given how he wrote Mineta, but Toga's main problem and why shes not accepted is a matter of consent not because she's seen as a creep.

This is why her backstory doesn't work very well, besides the fact it's way to late and very short. Yes, her parents freak out about her Quirk and obsession with blood. The problem is that they don't freak out for zero reason and are the only ones who reject her.

No child should be drinking the blood of birds. Whether she killed it or not, birds carry many diseases and parasites harmful to people. Her father shouldn't have hit her (because, I guess he did even though it's poorly conveyed), but the shock given what she's doing is understandable. Especially if they think she killed it (which is weird, and suggests she might have done something they found disturbing before this or were bad parents regardless of her Quirk).

Then they yell at her because she's biting her finger bloody. That's self harm and something you would want to send a child to therapy for. Sure, the counselor didn't help, but it's not like they can give Toga what she wants.

That's hammered home when they yell at her again when she drinks another kids blood. Hori messes up and doesn't show us what happens so we don't know if she hurt this other kid, or if they were scared of her or if they were fine with it.

Just giving us a look at her parents reaction doesn't give us any idea how she was seen by her peers. Because of that it's hard to make the case that she was only rejected for her Quirk alone, rather then her actions. In fact the only time we see other students they say she was popular and well liked until she attacked a boy in the class.

Given how young she looks when her parents yell at her for sucking another kids blood, and the fact she fled school after she attacked her crush, it appears these were separate events. If that was the case people in her school might have already heard about her sucking a kids blood earlier, and clearly not cared. In the very least we have to assume they knew her Quirk involved blood because Hori doesn't make any suggestion that it was hidden.

And that's why the theme of acceptance and Toga being normal because blood drinking is a part of her falls flat. No one ever said shit about her Quirk ever, except for her parents in sparse flashbacks. Ochako never thinks her blood drinking is gross nor do any of the the other Heroes or class 1A students. Hell, Tenya doesn't even bad mouth Stain for drinking blood even though he hated the guy so much he wanted him dead. This doesn't make it seem like the world rejected her for her Quirk.

No, the entire problem is that Toga doesn't understand consent or boundaries. We never see her ever ask anyone, even as a kid if she can drink their blood (that would have been a better scene then her drinking birds blood imho) and get rejected and told off and bullied/ostracized for her desire. Which if that did happen would explain why she never asks again and feels no one will accept her.

And, you could blame her parents and the therapist for this, but I'd just wager Hori doesn't really grasp that consent is the issue here. Mainly because Ochako never addresses it in anyway, even though she does bring up Toga's crimes. She offers her blood to Toga for life, but does not say that difference between Toga drinking her blood as opposed to anyone else's is because she is giving permission.

In the end Toga doesn't learn anything and just gets what she wanted given to her. Maybe Hori will address this next chapter but it really should have been brought up sooner. That or he should have had Toga actually not be accepted what-so-ever and shunned by all her peers for her Quirk even before she attacked her crush.

And this is part of the reason I really don't like the queer reading of the chapter is because by doing so it is suggesting that queer people are dangerous. If we read Toga's blood drinking as the same as kissing--which she seems to say (though her expression while drinking blood suggests something more...problematic) then she has been going around kissing people against their will to fulfill her own needs. If we read this as queer, is the story not saying that repressed gay people will sexually harass people because they can't understand consent when they inevitably snap?

I'm not saying this was or is Hori's intent. I think it's pretty clear he just didn't see how big an issue of consent there was with Toga and her Quirk. He wanted it to be all about how she wasn't accepted as normal, but didn't put in the work of showcasing that well. He has a lousy track record with female characters getting way less attention and with his rush to finish on top of that, Ochako and Toga got screwed with a half baked climax. Unfortunately that's also left it with less then great implications if you think about it for a coupe of minutes.

[scary-grace]

Somewhere in the Crowd- a Shigaraki x f!Reader fic

Tomura tells himself he's content with singing backup in the band he founded, and most of the time he is. But when he takes a song request from you during the biggest concert the League of Villains has ever played, he realizes that there might be a few advantages to claiming the spotlight. 4.1k words, no quirks, band au. the League sounds like Lord Huron because I want them to and all songs referenced are from LH's discography.

this fic is for the lovely @scarlettcryptid's birthday! she offered me free rein to write a Shigaraki x reader fic, and true to form I have produced a band AU. happy birthday Scarlett! sorry it's a little late.

Even midway into his second tour with the band he started, Tomura still hasn’t fallen for the supposed romance of being onstage. It’s hot under the lights. The entire venue smells like sweat. And if it wasn’t for the earpiece jammed in one ear and the earplug jammed in the other, he wouldn’t even be able to hear what the rest of the band is doing. Not Twice on drums, not Toga on violin or musical saw or whatever weird instrument she dug up, not Dabi on piano or Spinner on guitar, and definitely not either Dabi or Spinner’s singing. Without the goddamn earpieces, the League of Villains would fall apart.

And at the same time, Tomura doesn’t hate it quite as much as he used to. Since the League got signed with Deika Records, they’ve been playing sold-out shows in increasingly larger venues. Tonight’s venue has three thousand people. Three thousand people paid money to get in, and some number of them paid more money to meet-and-greet with the band afterwards, and right now, all of them are focused on the stage.

They’re mainly focused on Spinner and Dabi, who are singing, or on Twice, who’s always doing something weird and destined to go viral, or on Toga, who’s better at playing to the crowd than anybody else in the band. Tomura, off to one side of the stage with his bass and a mic in front of him, might as well be an afterthought. And that’s fine with him. He’s the one who formed the band. He’s the one who writes the songs. His music is in the spotlight. That’s good enough.

They’ve just wrapped up a crowd favorite, one of the songs from the first album, and they’re officially in the back half of the set. Tomura glances down at the set list, sees the blank spot, and feels a wave of apathy sweep over him. It gets even worse when Spinner, his handpicked lead singer who’s all about keeping things fair, steps up to the mic and announces it to the crowd. “We’ve got space for one more request, so send it on over to Shigaraki! It’s his turn to pick.”

When it’s Dabi or Spinner picking the request, people rush the stage, and people rush it this time, too – so they can try to get the poster they made or the picture they want signed right up and personal with Spinner and Dabi. Tomura sidles awkwardly over to the edge of the stage, wondering if anyone will try to request something from him. Tonight there are two dozen or so, all with big posters asking for the band’s most famous songs. Someone wants a deep cut, one that Dabi sings solo, and Tomura’s feeling like an asshole, so he skips that one on purpose. And then he spots something else.

It’s not a poster or a photo for signing. It’s a piece of folded-up notebook paper, held up by someone who doesn’t look like the type to be right up front at a League of Villains concert. It’s hard to get a good look at your face with all the posters in the way, and somebody keeps bumping into you, almost knocking you over. You keep your arm up, your piece of notebook paper flapping, and Tomura reaches out to the absolute edge of his balance and snatches it from your hand.

“We have a winner,” Toga calls out, and a bunch of people cheer – because it’s Toga talking, not because Tomura grabbed a request. “What’s it gonna be, Tomura-kun?”

Tomura unfolds the piece of paper. Three words. Play your favorite.

He knew he grabbed the right one. “Lost in Time and Space,” he announces, to the tune of a collective “huh” from the audience. “Spinner. Move over.”

Spinner’s grinning as he steps away from the center mic. “We haven’t done this one in forever,” he says, too quietly for the crowd to here. He swaps his guitar for Tomura’s bass. “Whoever did the request must be a fan of yours.”

Tomura doesn’t think you are, really. He’s not even sure you’re a fan of the band. If you were, you’d have requested a specific song, not just requested that Tomura play his favorite song. Tomura feels a surge of nerves as he gets set at the center mic, then pushes them aside. Just because he hasn’t sung lead in a while doesn’t mean he’s forgotten how. Everyone might rather look at Spinner or Dabi, but for the next three and a half minutes, they’re going to have to put up with looking at him. Tomura cues the rest of the band, adjusts his grip on Spinner’s guitar, and plays.

It’s an old song, off the League’s first LP. That LP became their first album, with the weird character songs and story arcs the League is famous for, but neither Spinner nor Dabi wanted this song. Tomura doesn’t blame them. He was pretty depressed when he wrote it, and it’s a little too mopey for the LP and for what the League usually plays. But it’s his damn song. He hasn’t played it on tour at all. He’s going to enjoy it.

He does enjoy it. Not enough to make him miss singing lead or being the star of the show, but he enjoys getting to play a song that’s his, one he didn’t write to play to anybody else’s strengths. And at the end of the song, once he’s stepped away from the center mic and gone back where he belongs, he picks up the notebook paper off the stage and tucks it into his pocket. Whoever you are, he hopes you got what you were looking for out of the show. As he slogs through the rest of the set, Tomura wishes he’d gotten a good look at your face.

After three encores – a record – Tomura and the rest of the band get a break, hanging out in the green room before the meet-and-greet. Toga beelines for the fridge, but instead of opening it, she hauls out a can of air freshener from the floor next to it and starts spraying it everywhere. Twice gets a blast in the face and sneezes through his mask. “Hey, what the hell? That’s the best thing I’ve ever smelled and it sucks!”

“It smells like boy sweat in here,” Toga says. “I love you guys, but you stink. The girls at the meet and greet won’t like that.”

“Some of them are into it,” Dabi says, and smirks. Spinner grabs the air freshener from Toga and sprays both armpits. “Quit simping so hard for your fans, lead singer. It’s supposed to be the other way around.”

“They paid to come talk to us. We shouldn’t tear-gas them with our body odor.”

“So you’re going to tear-gas them with air freshener instead?”

“They’re his fans. He can do what he wants.” Tomura shakes his head when Spinner offers him the can. Deodorant exists, and it’s not like anybody’s going to want to talk to Tomura anyway. “That goes for everybody. Do what you want. But if you break Magne’s rules, you’re on your own.”

Magne’s been the tour manager since halfway through their first tour, and she’s strict as hell. In fairness to Magne, they earned it. Halfway through their first tour, one meet-and-greet turned into one party and turned into five separate scandals, one for each of them. Spinner’s was the smallest and Twice’s was pretty funny, but Dabi and Toga both spent a night in jail over theirs, and although it upped their cred with the fanbase, it also tanked a possible record deal. Kurogiri showed up to bail them out, and he brought Magne with him.

The door to the green room opens, and Magne steps in, like Tomura somehow summoned her by mentioning her name. “They’re all lined up,” she says. “I’m sneaking you in the back way. Does everybody remember the rules?”

Tomura mumbles agreement along with everybody else. Magne’s smile takes on a dangerous glint. “There are only three important ones,” she says. “First: The bus leaves when it leaves, regardless of who’s on it. I don’t care how hungover you are. Get your ass on the bus.”

When Tomura’s hungover, he usually sleeps on the bus, just to make sure it doesn’t leave without him. “Second,” Magne continues, “remember that whatever you do with a groupie is going to end up all over the internet. And don’t bring any groupies on the bus unless the rest of the band okays it.”

That’s happened exactly never. Tomura uses the bus trips for writing or for naps, and too much groupie bullshit makes it hard to do either. “And finally,” Magne says, “if I find out that any of you were hooking up with a groupie in a goddamn koi pond again, I’m taking you to the vet and having you neutered before you sober up.”

“That was one time!” Twice protests.

“Yeah, and we’re still getting therapy bills from the fish,” Tomura says. Toga cackles. “Can we get this over with?”

“Yep! Right this way.” Magne leads them out the door and down a hallway, then ushers them through the door into the venue’s VIP lounge. Tomura’s last in line, and she grabs his arm before he can go in. “I got a call from the big boss at Deika. He says to try not to look like you’re in pain the entire time.”

“Tell him to stop looking at me, then.” Tomura shrugs her off, steps through the door, and skulks over to the far corner of the room. “Nobody else is.”

Back before he made it in any capacity, Tomura used to daydream about meet-and-greets, getting all wound up over the idea that people would pay to talk to him about his music. A few years into his career, the reality’s set in: Meet-and-greets are for photos and autographs and fans throwing themselves at the artists, and nobody throws themselves at Tomura. Kurogiri thinks it’s his stage presence, or the fact that he doesn’t interact with fans on social media, or that he doesn’t look very approachable. Tomura’s pretty sure it’s about how he looks, period. With a face like his, approachable doesn’t matter.

The fans start filtering in, beelining for the others, and Tomura digs his notebook out of his pocket. He might as well write a bit.

Compress, who handles production and merchandising on the tour, swings by at one point to give Tomura the figures. They’re doing well, which is a surprise. “Even the new stuff?”

“The K-pop strategy is working,” Compress says. He lifts his mask to take a sip of water, then lowers it down again. “Everyone’s trying to collect them all – the photo cards, the different editions of the albums, the replica costume pieces. The fans on Twitter are competing to see who can get an autograph on every piece of merchandise first.”

The fans on Twitter are really stupid. “If it works, it works.”

“It’s working very well,” Compress says. He pauses. “Somebody did come by looking for something I didn’t have. They wanted a copy of Vide Noir. Not the album – the LP.”

“The LP? Why?”

“Because the album doesn’t have Lost in Time and Space on it,” Compress says. “I’m not kidding, Shigaraki. Those were her exact words.”

Tomura has a hard time believing that. He’s pretty sure Compress is saying it just to build him up, because they’re halfway through the meet-and-greet, and nobody, not even the autograph hunters, has come to talk to Tomura. Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Tomura didn’t start writing music so people will talk to him. That’s what he’s been insisting on since he started the band. Midway through their second tour, it’s almost the truth.

Compress leaves, and Tomura keeps writing, scratching away at a verse that’s not coming together. He’s just starting to wonder how much longer this thing is supposed to go on for when a shadow falls across his notebook page. “Um,” a girl’s voice starts. “Hi. Are you Tomura?”

“Dabi’s over there.”

“Yeah, I saw,” the girl says. “Are you Tomura?”

“I’m Shigaraki.” Tomura doesn’t look up. “You want to talk to Spinner? He’s over there. He likes the shy ones.”

Tomura’s not sure if Spinner likes the shy ones or if he’s just less scared of them than he is of the others. For a lead singer, Spinner’s unusually spooked by his fans. “Is Spinner the one who writes the songs?” the girl asks. “I wanted to talk to the person who writes the songs. If the liner notes are anything to go by, that’s you.”

Tomura looks up at tonight’s misguided, irritating fan, and stops at chest height when notes the lack of a backstage pass around your neck. He notes your breasts, too, and the fact that you’re not showing them off. “Nice work on sneaking in here without paying. Dabi will be impressed.”

“I didn’t sneak in,” the fan says. “The woman at the door let me in when I showed her this.”

Tomura doesn’t look up, and the fan sticks a notebook into the middle of his eyeline. A notebook with lined paper and the remnants of a torn-out page still clinging to the binding. Tomura fumbles in his pocket for the request he took and unfolds it, lining it up to match the torn edge of the page. The request is a little crumpled, but when Tomura smooths it out, he can see that the edges match.

His heart skips an awkward beat, then another. He’s not talking to a random fan. You’re the one who gave him the request. He hands you back the notebook without the request sets his own notebook aside, and gets to his feet, so he can finally get a look at your face. You’re pretty, and you’re dressed like you came here straight from an office job, and you came to talk to him – and he’s been a dick. “Sorry,” he says, the word feeling awkward and unwieldy as it forces its way out of his mouth. “Thought you were here for somebody else.”

You shake your head. “I was hoping to talk to you,” you say. “Sorry about the first-name thing. That was – awkward.”

You used Tomura’s first name, and Tomura was a jackass to you. That makes it even, in his opinion.  “What did you want to talk about?”

“I wanted to thank you for taking my request,” you say earnestly. You remind Tomura of some of Spinner’s fans. “And I wanted to know why you picked the song you did.”

Now you sound more like one of Dabi’s fans. Dabi’s fans get kind of direct when they want something. “I’ll tell you that if you tell me why you gave me that request instead of a normal one.”

You look at Tomura, and Tomura looks back. “Can we sit down?” you ask. “I took an elbow to the knee trying to get through the mosh pit, and my leg’s still kind of numb.”

Something about that strikes Tomura as funny, but he doesn’t realize what it is until you’re both sitting down on the floor, leaned back against the wall. “Did you just make a Skyrim joke?”

“Don’t get too excited. I only know the one.” You glance sideways at Tomura. “Want to see the bruise?”

Usually when Dabi’s fans ask him if he wants to see something, they mean their tits. Or their ass. Tomura nods, and you hike up your pantleg. Tomura gets kind of fixated on your ankle, then your calf, but then you pull the fabric up over your knee, and Tomura winces in spite of himself. “Are you sure it was an elbow and not a hammer or something?”

“Maybe it was. Your fans are kind of crazy.”

“The band’s fans,” Tomura corrects. You let your pantleg fall back, covering up your calf and your ankle, and Tomura feels weirdly disappointed. “Are you going to answer my question?”

“Why I gave you that request?” You tilt your head back against the wall. “You write all the songs, but you never sing lead, and songs sound different when they’re sung by the person who wrote them. I thought if I asked for your favorite, you’d pick one you sing lead on.”

And you were right. Tomura feels weird about that. Weird enough to answer your question before you can ask it again. “I picked that one because it’s the only one I still sing lead on. I have favorites for the band. But I always pick those. I just thought it might be – fun.”

“I liked it,” you say. “When Dabi and Spinner sing, they’re telling a story. It’s a good story, and they’re telling it well, but – when you sang it, it sounded like it was about you. Do you feel like you’re writing about yourself when you write songs?”

“Do you usually get this personal with people you just met?”

“I don’t usually meet my favorite songwriter,” you say. “So no.”

Your favorite. “I’m not your favorite. Don’t lie.”

“I don’t lie about stuff like that,” you say. “I wouldn’t take an elbow to the knee for my second-favorite songwriter.”

Tomura snorts. “I didn’t know people had favorite songwriters.”

“I’m weird,” you say comfortably. Now you sound like a Toga fan. Or one of Twice’s. Their fans don’t take themselves too seriously. “And I’m a writer, so I know the good stuff when I see it.”

“You write?” Tomura asks. He wouldn’t have guessed looking at you. Then again, he wouldn’t have guessed that you’d be at a League concert, either. “Poems or something?”

“No, stories,” you say. Tomura’s a little bit relieved. “Stories have arcs and plots, just like your songs do – and the band’s albums – but you do it in a lot less space than I have to work with, so you’re much more efficient. You can define a character in two lines, and it’s compelling. People connect with it. They must, or they wouldn’t dress up in those outfits.”

Tomura tries not to pay attention to the outfits. Sometimes seeing what people took away from his songs is a little upsetting. Listening to you talk about what you like about his songwriting style is a different kind of upsetting, the kind where he wants to believe it and knows he shouldn’t. “What’s your favorite?”

“Meet Me in the Woods,” you say without missing a beat. “I was kind of sad you all didn’t play it.”

“We need a female vocalist,” Tomura says. “We rented one for recording it, but Toga doesn’t sing, and Magne wouldn’t do it even when Twice dared her to. And Dabi said his balls shrink every time he puts his falsetto up that high.”

You laugh at that. Tomura likes what it sounds like. “Spinner says the song gives him the creeps,” he adds. “I sang lead in the studio.”

“You should sing lead for that one,” you say. “And find a female vocalist.”

Tomura shrugs. “Job’s open if you want it.”

Your face flushes instantly. “I bet you know better jokes than that.”

“Can you sing?” Tomura asks. You look away in a hurry, the flush deepening. Now you look like a Spinner fan again, but you’re not saying no, either. Now Tomura’s interested. He gets to his feet. “Let’s go.”

“Where?”

Tomura holds out a hand to help you up, and after a long second, you take it. “Let’s go.”

Tomura doesn’t let go of your hand, and you don’t pull away. It’s not until Tomura leads you back out onto the stage in an auditorium that’s now lit only by a ghostlight that you put the brakes on. “No.”

“There’s nobody in here but me,” Tomura says. “You said it’s your favorite song. Try it.”

“Would you try it, if you were me?” Your hand is shaking a little bit. “Faceplanting in front of my favorite songwriter was not on my agenda for this evening.”

“I’ll sing, too,” Tomura says. “I could always faceplant in front of my biggest fan.”

Maybe that was a dumb thing to say. Maybe you don’t want to be Tomura’s biggest fan. He waits for you to protest. Instead, you take a deep breath. “Start singing, then.”

The first verse is Tomura’s, and his joke about faceplanting in front of you gets a little too real in a heartbeat. There’s something weird about singing in front of just one person, someone he can’t see even though you’re right next to him. It’s a relief when you join him on the tag at the end of the verse, even if you’re quiet. And Tomura was right – you can sing, at least enough to harmonize, and to match his tone so your voice doesn’t clash with his. The real test will be the chorus, if you can keep pace with Tomura there.

And you can. Tomura knew you could, but he’s surprised by how good it sounds. By the last line of the chorus, you’re confident enough to screw around a bit, putting a turn on the last three notes of the third line instead of hitting them straight. Tomura’s not projecting his voice all that hard, and neither are you, but the auditorium’s empty. There’s nothing for your voices to hit that will deaden the sound, and the acoustics bounce it back in an echo that sends chills down Tomura’s spine.

When the echo fades, it’s silent. Next to Tomura, you shiver. “Maybe this was a bad place to sing this song.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Tomura will admit the line about the endless night hit a little harder than it was supposed to. “Tomorrow night, try not to stare into the lights.”

“I told you not to joke.”

“I don’t joke about stuff like this,” Tomura says. Now you’re reminding him of Spinner, who took way too much convincing before he’d believe that Tomura not only wanted him in the band, but wanted him to sing lead. “I told you. The job’s yours if you want it. Do you want it?”

It’s quiet for a second. “Where’s your next show?”

“A couple hours from here. Are you worried about your job or something?”

“No,” you say slowly. “Tonight was the last night of a business trip. I’m remote most of the time.”

“So you can work anywhere as long as you have internet access,” Tomura says. He hears you make some kind of distressed noise. “It’s your favorite song. I’ll put it in the set list and I’ll sing lead. You just have to sing it with me. Are you in?”

“This isn’t why I came here,” you say. “I just wanted to meet you and talk about your songs. I wasn’t trying to, like – get on the bus or something.”

“That would be a hell of a long con,” Tomura says. “I don’t think you’d go for that. Too many moving parts.”

“Yeah.” You make that distressed noise again. It’s sort of cute. “Is there a reason we’re still holding hands?”

“Yeah. It’s dark in here and I didn’t want you to fall of the side of the stage.” Tomura starts back towards the wings, pulling you along with him and trying to get his stupid grin under control before he steps back into the light. “Look at it this way. Even if you faceplant tomorrow night, it’ll be something to write about.”

“Are you going to write about this?” you challenge. “You never told me if you feel like your songs are about you.”

Tomura doesn’t, usually. He writes about characters for a reason. Most of the things that happen to him aren’t worth writing about. You, though – you fought through the mosh pit to give him your request, and then you came to find him after the show, and you like him as a lead singer and you can sing and you sound damn good singing with him. And you’re still holding his hand. Most of the things that happen to Tomura aren’t worth writing about. He met you half an hour ago and you already are.

You don’t try to let go of his hand, and you don’t hit the brakes again until you’re just outside the meet-and-greet room. “I want to know,” you say. The shellshocked look you had on when you got back into the light has faded. Now you just look pretty and stressed, and like you’re not going to take no for an answer. Tomura likes that. “Are your songs about you?”

“This one will be,” Tomura says, and he pulls you into the room to meet the rest of the band.

[darkonekrisrewrite]

This can't be the final "End", for both the heroes and the villains

(Spoiler warning, long post)

Deku and Ochako's stories didn't end well, and not just for the shipping or not keeping One For All.

The narrative endings they got, either don't make sense or flat out don't work at all.

The end of Ochako's arc doesn't work because it conflicts with what we've been shown to be true.

She does try to help others after hearing PARTS of Toga's backstory, a natural progression of her character.

But the problem is that it leads to this:

"Uravity to expand access to Quirk Counseling"

EXPANDING Quirk Counseling...

Not REFORMING and then expanding Quirk Counseling.

Remember that this is Quirk Counseling:

"Where they attempt to hammer out any bumps in your understanding of the world and program you to fit neatly into society's little boxes.

It's a far from perfect process, the counseling ends up emphasizing the inherent differences among us all, and that's one bug they've yet to work out of the programming."

Stated by Curious during the MVA Arc, then confirmed later in a flashback featuring a counselor talking to Toga and her parents:

"Let's straighten you out so you can be "Normal".

Deviance is common in children with strong Quirks.

We'll fix it. It'll be like it never existed."

Focusing only on repression and the appearance of being normal, not actually helping the child at all.

So yeah, knowing that this is how Quirk Counseling really is, how exactly does expanding this help??

THIS WAS WHY TOGA STAYING CLOSE TO OCHAKO WAS SO IMPORTANT

(Not being with her in the shipping sense but working, talking with her and just being together.)

Anything good about this project that Ochako is creating is only implied not shown, and it doesn't mesh well at all with what we already know.

And even if Ochako did do things right, it still wouldn't be a satisfying payoff.

Ochako wasn't fighting so hard and struggling so much to help random, unnamed, unseen people from the villain life.

She was fighting to help Toga Himiko.

Her failing to save Toga and only (implying) saving others we don't even know, will never carry the same weight.

It won't feel right in a story that's supposed to be "Hopeful", because there's no solid connection left for that sentiment to be attached.

And there was no saving going on between Deku/shigaraki and Ochako/Toga after their battles were over.

This is the sentiment put forth by Nana Shimura (and at the time agreed upon by All-might and Deku), on what a true hero saving someone means:

"When you have to save someone, they're usually in a scary situation. A true hero saves not only their lives, but also their hearts... That's what I believe."

"Saving" is supposed to be both the life and the heart.

Not just one or the other.

And even if Gran Torino was supposed to be the one in the right -

(The narrative sure as hell made it look like he was supposed to be in the wrong and Deku was going to be the one to prove that.)

- in that killing can be a form of saving.

Deku and Ochako didn't even save the villain's hearts.

Not fully.

Shigaraki tells Deku that he still needs to be a hero to the villains and that he fought to destroy until the very end.

Only giving a snide encouragement to Deku at the end of the fight because he's literally crumbling into dust and got his world view rocked by the "It was AFO all along~" reveal.

Toga tells ochako that she didn't make "the bad stuff", the pain in her heart go away.

Only telling ochako that her efforts and words made Toga feel happy, but that's it.

They couldn't save their lives, only partially saved their hearts, leading to the results:

100% - 50% - 25% = 25 % (final grade)

FAIL

The rest of Deku's conclusion doesn't fair any better.

Deku's heroic finale ends the exact same way it ended in every filler bnha movie, only with even less payoff.

He didn't succeed in his goal, with who he wanted to save and he just goes back to doing what he always did at the start, being a hero.

He doesn't develop in any noticable way until the OFA embers run out off screen.

Even the symbolic saving of the scissors boy, Deku doesn't get.

It would have been a world of difference if deku had seen tenko's full backstory, then told it to the world.

Telling the civilians that they needed to do their part to help those in trouble.

(Knowing that there's no AFO left to potentially get in the way.)

Resulting in many civilians coming together to help the scissor boy.

That would have delivered on everyone's narrative payoff.

But instead the theme doesn't work here because the single old lady who does step up to help, does so out of guilt (Not helping tenko) rather than because it is the right thing to do.

Nobody among the civilians besides the old lady stepped up to help on top of that.

So it looks less like a societal shift and more like the redemption of one single person.

The narrative makes a half-hearted attempt to tie this back to Deku but it doesn't work there either.

Because how exactly does Deku punching shigaraki into powder inspire the old lady to extend a helping hand to someone who represents that same villain??

It doesn't.

Even if the sentiment is: that everyone must do their part to help, there is a giant disconnect between:

Everyone seeing the heroes helping each other, fighting and succeeding in destroying the scary villain.

and

Realizing that someone has to help the person who looks like a scary villain.

It doesn't add up together.

Doesn't flow narratively at all.

The 8 year time skip makes more problems with Deku.

The line of: "You too can become a Hero."

Is meant to be the payoff callback to All-might giving those same words to Deku in bnha's beginning, so now Deku says the same thing to another kid that has doubts about his ability to become a hero.

It is kind of sweet but thinking about it for more than 5 seconds should give pause because:

Deku was about to receive the most powerful quirk in the world from All-might.

And the kid Deku was giving those same inspirational words to could throw plates from his head.

It's not even confirmed whether or not the kid could control their size, telepathically manipulate them or something like that.

So if what that other loudmouth kid in the final chapter said is true, about how only the most capable can become heroes in the current time.

The entire conversation, just like many other things in this ending, reads like false hope from the heroes.

Not like Deku has to deal with any of that or the kid himself anymore because he gets a tech suit, allowing him to be a hero again.

We don't know if he keeps his teaching job or not, maybe he did, maybe he didn't.

But still, once again Deku avoids any difficult questions that the story puts in front of him.

And all of this doesn't even cover the other issues that the story brought up:

The popularity poll expanding instead of ending, as if that would prevent the Endeavor/Dabi situation from happening again.

Lack of social/government help for anyone who gets dealt more than a couple of bad hands in life, those caught up in hero/villain conflicts or other disasters (quirk based or not).

Remember how twice became a villain?

THE QUIRK SINGULARITY DOOMSDAY

Now that AFO, shigaraki and the doctor (all of his research and technology) are gone, what's going to happen when children start wiping out whole city blocks?

(The doctor may be alive and imprisoned but with AFO dead, the doctor likely won't help anymore because AFO was so important to him.)

With the power and complexity of the quirks inevitably increasing, think Eri unintentionally killing her dad X10.

Then the next round of kids, make it X50 then X100.

And finally, in the last chapter it's stated that there's a: "Decline in the villain emergence rate."

Why exactly that is isn't said, but it's implied that it's due to the efforts of Ochako and Shoji.

Let's put aside the suspension of disbelief and assume that it's true, that what they did worked in stopping villains from being made enough to have a real impact.

What happens to the people that are already villains??

The ones currently on the run or in jail.

If the hero kids made that big of a difference in the demographic of villains just by expanding counseling and nonviolent resolution, then that only reinforces the truth that the villains are easily preventable victims.

The implications of that aren't doing the heroes or hero society any favors.

We don't know what happens after because Rehabilitation was never offered to anyone who wasn't a small time criminal (Gentle Criminal) or a former assassin of the state (Lady Nagant).

Are the other villains still currently stuck in their circumstances just out of luck, help came too late for them too just like the Lov?

We don't know.

You can assume, imply and head-canon the solutions to all these issues, with what the hero kids might do, as much as you want to.

But if you have to do that with the big questions and plot points, then the story hasn't delivered on what it said it was going to.

Maybe horikoshi isn't that good of a writer but it's hard to believe that.

Horikoshi put so much into this series and all the characters in it, the central villains and the hero kids being the most important ones.

That he'd just fumble everything and pull a Falcon and the Winter Soldier: "You need to do better" and then they did'-Type ending.

This can't be it.

Maybe the "Ending" endpoint of this narrative but not the end of the overall story.

For the villains just as much as the heroes.

Toga dying to a blood transfusion, despite everything other characters survived (Gran Torino donut, edgeshot worm, Dabi charcoal skeleton) and things that she herself survived already.

Having curious bombs go off inside her body leading to internal damage and severe blood loss, yet she still survived until she received help and recovered just fine.

They got Dabi to medical and kept him alive.

Other villains like overhaul, muscular, compress and spinner survived.

It's not like she either had to die or go to jail, she could have just escaped.

Leading to her meeting up with Ochako again in secret or something, to finally fulfill both of their arcs and iron everything out for what would have happened in the future.

Then the Quirk Counseling ending could have worked.

Shigaraki dying after finding out his life was entirely manipulated by AFO.

Strung along like a puppet, mentally and physically manipulated to believe he is a force of destruction, so much that by the time the series starts, it's all shigaraki can believe himself to be.

Twice and Kurogiri fight and die trying to save Toga and Shigaraki, so they can live and be reunited with their friends.

This all just meant nothing in the end??

Ochako, Deku, Toga and Shigaraki's stories can't be over yet because they are important characters and there's too much left unresolved.

Ochako's resolution is incomplete and undefined.

Deku's hero ending feels disappointing and tone-deaf.

Toga completely disappeared before Ochako was taken by the helicopter, nowhere to be seen where she should have been if she had died.

And how is shigaraki a force ghost still walking around in the world if there's no quirks left tethering him as a vestige?

ALSO this recent interview with Horikoshi himself:

(Warning: Spoilers for the most recent BNHA movie)

"Horikoshi says one thing to pay attention to from the My Hero Academia "You're Next" movie is the relationship between Giulio and Anna and how it connects with Deku and the others' goals.

He writes:

"The relationship between Giulio and Anna is a part of the goal point where Deku and the others will eventually reach.

The movie as a standalone in itself is interesting, but if you watch the movie then return to the actual story, then you might feel 'oh so this is where the story leads to.' As such, please pay attention to Giulio and Anna in the movie!"

To give context, by the end of the movie, Giulio is able to cancel out Anna's quirk using his own, allowing her to live a life without being sheltered in fear of her quirk or used as a weapon. So Horikoshi's comment is probably referring to how they help each other accept their quirks or lack thereof and still be able to live in harmony.

In regards to their relationship, Giulio tells Anna he will always be by her side no matter what, they hug and then walk off into the sunset together at the end of the movie."

And another heavily lampshaded moment in the movie novelization when Giulio inner narrates this:

'He knew that killing her wouldn't be a true form of salvation.'

What was all this about??

There has to be more left.

[swan2swan]

Huh, your Black Clover post reminded me of a train of thought I had about Shonen Female Leads? What makes for a good one period and what makes for one that is good in spite of the story around them?

Furthermore what does it mean for them to be "useless" as opposed to just not being the main asskicker of the lead cast? Apologies if this turns into something way too complicated.

Not at all!

So, there are several categories of "Useless" that female characters can fall into. One is the "Actually Useless", where you can cut them out and things don't really change. Examples being Tenten, Ururu, Loly and Menoly, probably some girls in One Piece...yes, Ururu helps with Ichigo's training and stalls Ilfort, but she's mostly just there to provide a sense of scale for the enemies. This is honestly usually what they're for. And it's fine, mostly...there's plenty of useless dudes, too. Jinta isn't exactly more useful than Ururu, save for his cute subplots with Karin. They're really just There, and that's...not usually the issue with the Female Characters we're talking about. You need to be a bigger hitter.

The more prominent ones are the Winless Ones. They might be important to the plot, but they ain't gonna carry a fight. This becomes MUCH more dangerous to their integrity. Hinata and Sakura kinda fall into this category: they're USEFUL, ridiculously so, and they have Big Moments, but they'll get scorned by a fandom because they're really only there to be the Side Character Woman. Often they'll get a Dedicated Chick Fight (this also happens to villains). Orihime is often viewed similarly: obviously, being a medic is CRUCIAL to Story Progression, having your Dedicated Healer is essential to keep the story going (see also: Bulma in the Namek Arc), but they're rarely going to have their Big Moments like that.

It's also a very, very sliding scale...but what I generally want for a Successful Female Character in an anime is for her to have the same bloody, tooth-grinding, hard-fought, well-planned victories that we read and watch shonen to see. I want them screaming with fury, mustering up all their energy, pulling out combos, unleashing hidden techniques, and finally persevering. It's fine if they fall short against a big opponent once or twice! Happens to everyone in Shonen! But by the fifth time your Female Lead finds herself fighting an opponent and almost dying before The Hero or the Antihero or the Mentor or The Squad pulls up to save her...sometimes it can get tiring.

And while shows like MHA did put out a good crop of girls to fight, most of the focus of plotlines and battles tends to fall on Deku, Bakugo, Todoroki, Dabi, Endeavor, and THEN onto Ochako, Momo, and Toga (the Ochako-Toga fights are all pretty good, but again, Chick Fights). JJK did okay with Maki, Nobara, and Mei Mei, but even they kinda pale compared to Gojo, Itadori, Nanami, and such (though she is certainly lively and memorable!!!).

Black Clover, though? Noelle's right in there with Yuno and Asta. In the recent epsiodes, she kept those shields up, kept saving people, and was fighting the whole darn time alongside Asta the Protagonist. Her powers grow, she fades a little as they do a whole arc focused on Vanessa's growth...Mimosa stays involved...and while the anime's current point hasn't really given Noelle any W's that I can remember, her biggest loss is to an enemy that SCREAMS "I am going to get my power level up, come back, and crush you". And I can't wait for that.

Also, she lost her WHOLE DARN POWERSET in the movie and still fought through, joined the battle, powered up, and...iirc...netted a W.

She's still playing third fiddle to Asta and Yuno, but she's more prominent than almost any other female SC I can think of. Short of Erina and Megumi in Food Wars.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Shuffle Challenge Songs: now with added commentary

1-Grown Man Cry, Emeline

 “Wait, wait- you’re throwing this much of a hissy fit I turned you down?” Ochako can’t help but blurt out, staring at Bakugou who glared at her. The rest of the class, who had been dealing with him yelling at people more then normal, froze. 

 “Wait, this is what his whole bullshit is about right now?” Jirou asked.

 “For fuck sakes,” Bakugou snapped. “There was no reason to turn me down-”

 “Yeah there is, you’re a fucking dick,” Ochako said. “You’re a bully and an asshole. Few of us in this classroom like you, and me tolerating you made you think I like you? And then when I said no you throw a fit? Get therapy.” 

 (I wrote this after reading some fanfics and I unfortunately stumbled on a badly tagged fic where Uraraka tries to get Bakugou to cheat on Izuku with her and it kind of spiralled.) 

2-Riot, Hollywood Undead

 Izuku didn’t talk about his Quirk. Being a kid, he’d been told it was villainous. People blamed him for everything, and it took three incidents of him not being at school but still getting punished for ‘inciting others with his Quirk’ for his mom to realize it wasn’t him.

 By that time, Izuku didn’t care anymore though. He found it hard to care his mom finally believed him. He couldn’t care she felt sorry.

 No, he was to busy focusing on his Quirk, honing it to a fine point. 

 Now, at age fifteen in UA’s hero entrance exam, he was ready. Throwing his hands out once he was in the middle of the fake city, he grinned.

 “Let’s riot,” he said. Around him, the other examinees were shaking their heads, hits getting sloppy as they were affected by his Quirk, making it quite easy for him to snag his points. He didn’t push hard enough that they began actually fighting each other, but enough that they were unfocused, had a hard time moving?

 That he could do.

(This is an older idea of mine, where Izuku’s Quirk can make people go into a ‘riot’. He figured out he can keep it at a level where they stumble around and are unfocused without the aggression.)

3- So Special, Muna.

 He couldn’t look away, his eyes focusing on the green hair of Izumi. His hands felt sweaty, and he wanted nothing more then to go and offer his arm, to take her to the dance floor.

 But next to her was Iida Tenya, his hair neat and in a suit with a tie the same red as Izumi’s dress. He watched as Izumi smiled looking up at Tenya, the other man to Japanese to indulge in PDA, but the want between them obvious. 

 That was him once. Him with Izumi on his arm, going to the dance floor. It had been amazing. Being with her… it was beautiful.

 But it hadn’t been real. Or well, he hadn’t been able to admit his feelings. 

 Someone walked up to stand beside him.

 “If you told her, that could be you with her,” Sero Hanta remarked. 

 “If I told her, it would have ended sooner,” he muttered back.

 “And now she’s not with you at all. You reap what you sow Todoroki, you reap what you sow.”

 “I know,” Shouto muttered, swallowing his drink in one gulp.

(I did not have an idea who they man was until Shouto poked at me lol. This idea is that he and Izumi were in a friends with benefits thing. He caught feelings but she did not. He never told her because he was scared but then she ended up dating Tenya. 

 Given the song lyric ‘not so special’ my brain kind of goes into a ‘Todoroki was convinced she wouldn't look away from him’ because he is one of the few she’s comfortable around? I dunno.)

4-Hail to Victory, Payton Parrish

“Are you going to fight, or are you going to just lay there?” Dabi asked mockingly. 

 “KEIGO!” Izumi shouted, staring at her hero partner on the ground. 

 “Fuc-fuck you,” Keigo hissed, pushing himself up. Izumi lashed out with her metal arm at Spinner who’d been holding her. The lizard mutant cursed, letting her go. Izumi twisted to kick Toga in the face, the blond falling down before she took off to Keigo. The winged hero was standing, covered in blood. But he was standing-

 Fire cut her off from him and Izumi had to stop, staring through blue flames as Dabi stared at Keigo.

 “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while,” the villain said musingly. He grinned with all his teeth. “And I’m happy it’s today.”

(My brain really latched onto the ‘Izumi is trained by the Commission HawksDeku’ AU. On tumblr someone asked me if I did know why after some thought Dabi was weird about Izumi. I went ‘oh he's in love with her’ cause I'm a shit but actually…

 Its less love and more obsession/spite/something. He views Hawks as being Endeavour 2.0 and Izumi as Rei but also not because he's attracted to her in a fucked up way. So in order to get one over Endeavour (Hawks) he wants Izumi to follow him. Plus Izumi works better for them if she turns villain. A Quirkless girl forced down by society but then bought by the commission to be a weapon for them. Fighting against the corruption. She looks better then Hawks sadly)

5- Nightmares, Ellise

 Izumi looked in the mirror. She ran a hand through her hair, hesitating when she saw the red feather tattooed behind her ear. She reached up to touch it, staring in the mirror. 

 “Shadowstrike,” a voice said, and Izumi shook her head.

 “A second,” she said, letting her hair cover it again. She needed to finish up. 

 Outside, the hero agent she more or less blackmailed into helping her was waiting.

 “Look, if we’re going to pull this off-” the woman was saying, but Izumi shook her head.

 “Trust me, you don’t get to number two hero without a few tricks,” she murmured. 

 “Still can’t believe that happened in another world.” the agent muttered. Izumi just smiled.

 (Another reason Dabi likes Izumi. She dethroned Endeavour because in the AU I think, Hawks was the same age as the 1A gang (and things didn't happen the same way) and it was thanks to her Overhaul was overthrown. She hit the ground running for heroism and was launched high along with Hawks. They may be a duo but Izumi kind of squeaked out a bit better as a whole because she was a ‘shining exam’ and because she kept going. So Endeavour was ranked 4th and he HATED these two lol)

6-We Don’t Have to Dance, Andy Black

 It was stupid, it was dumb. God, why was she stopping?

 “Midoriya,” he said and Izumi couldn’t help but turn around. Iida Tenya, the hero Ingenium looked back at her. “Or…” he trailed off, unable to ask.

 “Atakani now,” Izumi said. “Still Izumi.” she wouldn’t say it was because she couldn’t give it up remembering him gasping it, whispering it into her ear. 

 “Ah, I see,” Tenya stared at her and she clutched her bag closer. 

 “I- it was good to-” she turned but Tenya stepped forward. 

 “Coffee?” he asked and Izumi looked over her shoulder.

 “You’d ask the Mastermind of the League for coffee?” she tilted her head as she spoke, unable to understand.

 “I’m asking a pretty girl named Atakani to coffee,” Tenya said. 

 She looked at him, and bit her lip.

 Could she? 

(Okay this one I big time had a half thought of Izumi being forced into villainy or tricked by her only friends. Izumi was the Mastermind and she wouldn't say she hated her work, she just didn't want to be a villain. She was more resigned to it. Then Tenya showed up and was a mole. She clocked him right away but found it funny people believed him so didn't say anything. Eventually the two entered a sexual relationship, and then… I dunno. Maybe Izumi helped him collar the others and escaped, maybe she saw the writing on the wall, I dunno. But here we are)

7-Out for Love, Hazbin Hotel (Damn you Ari)

 She started this out of revenge. She wanted them dead, wanted their bodies on the ground, guts ripped out and blood pooling. She wanted to see the pain in their eyes at they died, choking on their own fear because she beat them. 

 But it wasn’t that simple anymore. 

 Izumi looked at the sleeping figure of her male self, the child wrapped up in bandages.

 It wasn’t about revenge anymore.

(There is no explanation other then Izumi has realized she wants to live for more then revenge in her new world. I'm thinking this is after Inko dies in this reality. Izumi has made a point to speak with the two and befriend them, passing herself off as a cousin through Hisashi. 

 Then despite Izumi preventing the villain attack that killed Inko in her timeline there was a car accident and now she has Izuku to look after.)

8-Haunted, Chris Grey

 Watching her was the only pleasure he got nowadays.

-the cold eyes as she watched him during a meeting-

 Why was he getting these thoughts? Why was feeling this way-

 -her tear filled green eyes as a bloody body lay on the ground-

 Dabi pulled on his cigarette, watching as Shadowstrike spoke to some cops, looking very annoyed. Near her was Hawks, and the image made something burn.

-another woman bought by people with money, given to a hero to be a toy, isn’t she-

 His hands shook, not knowing what was going on.

-a scream filled with rage as she punched him in the face, light glowing around her-

(This entire thing is actually what made me think more on a fic for the Au and this would be spoilery for it so~)

9-Nice Things, Jordy

“Okay, so, fuck, marry, kill, Bakugou, Todoroki or Iida.” Ashido smirked at Izuku who snorted, rolling his eyes.

 “Fuck Iida, marry Todoroki, kill Bakugou,” he said instantly. That caused a lot of laughs, even as Bakugou exploded. 

 “What the fuck?!” he demanded.

 “Bakugou,” Izuku said, ignoring the slight flinch from the blond at the loss of the old nickname, “we would crash and burn so hard it’s not even funny. Todoroki is rich, so I’m marrying him.”

 “Yay,” Todoroki deadpanned, as the class laughed,

 “And I have slept with Iida, ten out of ten.” Izuku grinned. 

(No clue it was just fun to write.)

10-Pretty Please, Dutch Mellrose, benny mayne

  Mouths connected, hands on hips, tongue dragging down her throat as she gasped for air-

 Izumi sat up, breathing heavily. Her body ached, and she felt the heat in her skin as she looked up with wide eyes at the woman getting dressed. 

 Soulmates knew each other by a touch, when the red flash occurred. After the flash, the soulmates were compelled to have sex. The religious ones of the weird sect said it was to have children. Most just said it was something weird about the universe.

 She felt the same, more so when the other woman turned around, a smirk on her lips.

 “That was fun,” Dabi’s smirk turned deadlier. “Let’s hope our next skin contact goes like that princess.” 

 (On my tumblr I proposed fuck or die soulmates and then… here. Fem!DabiDeku and its a mess. I love it.)

[khonaker]

Hi

I think ochako is one of the most under utilised and underrated characters. I'm not a fan of her character (no, i DONT hate her). She had so much of potential amd her fight with BK just proved she's more than a pretty face. I'm fully aware of the fact that this show is oversaturated with characters. But let's not forget that she is the main female lead of the show. My biggest issue with her is that she didn't get to do a god damn thing in the Stain arc. She joined the academy with the sole intention of making money, and that's exactly what Stain hates about the hero society. Their monetary outlook. She could have been a part of the arc, the build up was there. She could have shown Stain that yes, while there are heroes who are there solely for the financial gains, that doesn't make them bad people. She all she wanted was to help her family get out of the poor financial situation they were in. Instead, she gets the typical shonen lead heroine treatment- being the love interest and whose sole purpose in life is to be a satellite character to the male lead of the show.

All her effort in the UA sports festival to do her best against Bk, all the desires to make good income as a hero to help her family financially, devolved into a girl who becomes a blushing mess infront of her love interest.

They did her so dirty. She was one of the few female shonen characters who felt like she could be someone in life without having anything to do with matters of the heart.

Also, notice how it's other characters around her who enforce her this whole Deku crush on her. Mina, toga and Aoyama to name a few. These are the characters who constantly remind her of her feelings for deku, thus pushing her further and further away from the plot relevancy.

I find this very annoying and makes me sick to think that a girl with tremendous potential is now relegated to the role of a girl hopelessly in love.

One last question: So many people think she's a terrible person for wanting to make money. I'm like, what? Are you serious? (If you want me to give further explanations I will) but it's the most human and realistic thing to do when you're stuck in a financial rut.

Please let me know and thanks for reading my extremely long post

Cheers

Ooooooooooo Lordy.

(Cracks hands and neck)

First and foremost, I still love Ochako. But I can’t ignore what’s happened to her throughout the series.

Honestly, it’s been ages since I’ve had that exact thought about Ochako and Stain situation! While he had a valid point (that wasn’t further explored, HORIKOSHI) about there being heroes that didn’t have the EXACT same mentality as All Might, her duality of wanting to provide enough money to support her family all the while having the desire to save others for the sake of saving others would be honestly a culture shock to Stain. (Or he may go further into denial, it’s actually hard to say. Guy had a few screws loose.)

But it HONESTLY would have been interesting seeing these two interact! And not to replace anyone the Hosu trio! It honestly would have been cool seeing her trying to use her new Gunhead Martial Arts (though she probably would have been focused on saving Iida as Izuku and Shoto took on the role of the main fighters, but Stain could have also tried to go after them and Uraraka would attempt to hold her own against him.) And we would have had MOST of the Dekusquad there! (Asui had her own internship.) Hiw great would it have been seeing the Dekusquad fighting together! And Ochako going feral protecting Iida!

Yeah, she happened to be more focused only about her crush with Izuku as time went on, which made a lot of her early traits and accomplishments kinda fade away and be forgotten. But for the record, and I still stand by this. A girl having a crush on someone DOESN’T cheapen her in my opinion. It’s something that happens to many teenagers. And some of their interactions I think are handled well, like them talking about wanting to save their respective villains. But other times, yeah, it felt a bit excessive that Horikoshi had to stop and say, “Hey! Hey! Do you remember Ochako has a crush on Izuku?!?” I honestly was looking forward to seeing how she acted after she vowed to put her feelings aside during the provisional license exam. But…Hori just continued to drill it into our faces.

As for the biggest perpetrator of making Ochako only about Izuku, I lay on Toga’s feet. Mina, yeah, she brings up the crush as well, but it’s done more in good fun I feel. And I think Aoyama has done that once. (Now that I think about it, it’s kind of random how he suddenly knew about her crush. He never does it again.)

But Toga? Horikoshi could have used her for something else to make her relevant, but the ONLY thing she had connected to Ochako is their shared crush on Izuku. Others say theirs other themes between them, but I’m sorry. I don’t see it, or believe that it was handled effectively. Ochako had more than just a crush. Like you mentioned, her want to provide for her family. Her fighting spirit and prowess that she showed against Bakugou. She had things that could have been fleshed out more.

Toga was a wha-wha girl that embraced being a remorseless villain and happened to be crushing on the same guy Ochako was crushing on. That’s it. There’s nothing else really about Toga. And she became to Ochako what Bakugou became to Izuku: a detriment to her character and preventing her from becoming something MORE. (Sorry but not really if I sound cynical about Toga. I just got REALLY tired being demanded to care about her. Like some OTHER blonde.)

Speaking of which, your last question? I also never understood this. I get it for a quick joke and stuff like that. Hahaha. But when people were SERIOUS about holding that over Ochako’s head? I was like, “Did you not hear her entire motivation?!?” I was dumbfounded how people could possibly come to that conclusion.

I find it ESPECIALLY interesting NO ONE brings up that BAKUGOU also had the desire to be a hero for money,JUST TO BE RICH AND FAMOUS! But no, shit on Ochako for wanting to take care of her family! Filthy hypocrites. I honestly wish Horikoshi did a better job balancing both her looking out for heroes as well as wanting to have a good paying job for her family. I think both are completely character of her.

Anyways, you gave me a long post, I gave a long response. 😜 But honestly, thanks! I don’t honestly get these and I hope my answers or thoughts are interesting or understandable! Have a good one and thanks again!

@theuntamedangel

[dabistits]

btw seeing your posts when chapter leaks drop is the only thing that reminds me when leaks drop anymore cause i dont care enough about whats going in this manga to stalk twitter tags like i used to do ghfjdksla;

personally i would never check twitter in there because you're invariably exposed to twitter opinions sdlkjfkghf😭 i'll put the chapter summary beneath the cut for the curious.

Chapter 392: Villain Name The chapter begins with Tsuyu tied up by Twice's, saying she couldn't dodge the clone's attacks due to the injury she took on Okuto island. Uraraka shouts her name and Toga starts yelling at her, saying that she acts like that because she was born with an easy life A flashback begins, with Toga's parents accusing her of killing the bird to drink its blood. Toga denies it while crying, saying that it was already dead in the backyard. We then see her being taken to the quirk counseling, the lady there says they'll make her "normal" We then see Toga walking in a park while seeing different forms of love, like a couple holding hands and a man playing with his dog. She remembers all the times she was told to act normal as she watches everyone, biting her own finger hard enough to the point of bleeding

[11:27 PM]Then we see her parents asking if she sucked the blood of a friend from school and Toga says she didn't, she just gave his bruise a little kiss. Her parents say that this isn't normal and Toga replies that she doesn't understand what this means Toga is crying desperately, asking her parents why she has to repress her love, why she can't turn into other people. Why doesn't anyone else feel the urge to drink blood like she does? The parents are screaming, saying they have given birth to something that is not human Cuts back to the present and we see that a "vestige" of Curious is talking to Toga, saying that this is why she put on a mask, suppressed her emotions, and turned into someone who was not really her Ochako pulls Toga with her wire and Jirou arrives on the scene, going to hold a falling Tsuyu. But Kamui warns her that that's not the real one, because he's already holding Tsuyu. That's when the falling Tsuyu's face distorts, getting a huge mouth and eyes

[11:29 PM]Tsuyu's clone attacks Jiro, but Kamui destroys it. Toga starts making more clones of Tsuyu and Jirou, and Kamui says that the clones are drinking the blood that's dropping through the battlefield. Jiro's surprised to see herself cloned and puts her hand on her injured ear Tsuyu finds herself surrounded by the clones and starts talking to Toga, saying that she thought a hero's duty was to follow the rules and that anything that opposed that was villainous. But now her friend is more focused on reaching Toga than following any of those rules She thinks that this path, that of understanding, is much harder than just arresting or killing everyone. So, even though Ochako is a bit too late, Tsuyu asks Toga to at least listen to what she has to say. But in the next page, we see Ochako getting stabbed in the stomach.. Ochako coughs blood and Toga says that they are fundamentally different. She can't feel the same joy as everyone else and she's tired of people judging her life. The last panel of the chapter is a flashback of Twice asking Toga if she won't pick a villain name for herself End of chapter

[hostagex]

Ultra Black

Chapter Two

Link for chapter one: https://www.tumblr.com/hostagex/711808433397104640/ultra-black

Izuku knew that the newest project he took on was going to be a rough one. His current client reached out to him asking for a large black and gray realism piece on his entire upper back of an eagle flying over a canyon. He knew he could do it, that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that it was going to take at least three sessions, each being roughly 6 hours long in length, and any tattoo that long was going to do a number on his body.

People always think tattooing is an easy and a fun job. ‘It’s just drawing a picture on someone right?’ Wrong. It takes a certain amount of skill and precision that not everyone is born with. Hell, even some artists don't have that talent. Spending hours upon hours in one position, making sure the needle doesn't accidentally fray away from the outline, and God forbid the client moves from pain or from needing a break from the position they were in. After long projects like this, Izuku takes a week long break from the shop to recover and recoup. Being your own boss sure has its perks sometimes.

“Hey ‘Zuku, you in there?” He hears from the doorway of the drawing room. Breaking from his concentration on sketching up the design, Izuku looks up to see Himiko, the artist who has had a spot in Ultra Black longest and who just so happened to be his closest friend.

He met Himiko Toga when the shop first opened its doors and was looking for artists. They showed up one brisk winter morning wearing nothing but a crop top and sleep shorts, toting their portfolio in an old Trader Joe’s bag. Upon meeting them and seeing their work, Izuku hired them instantly. At the time, they were the only other artist in his freshly opened shop. Himiko’s portfolio was all over the place. Sporting some trash polka pieces, a few new school tattoos, and even a couple beautiful portraits. But their favorite style, and subsequently what they excelled at was intricate geometric-style tattoos. Somehow, this eccentric, wild-child of a human was able to get so uber-focused and create some of the most complex pieces Izuku had ever seen.

Realizing he was being talked to, Izuku sighed and set down his Apple pencil and locked his iPad. Turning around, he looked up at his friend just to see a concerned look on their face. “What’s up ‘Zuku? I know that look. You’re working too hard, bud.” Himiko kicked off the doorframe and walked over to their boss slash friend, proceeding to rub his shoulders. Izuku let out a deep groan and leaned into the touch.

“It’s nothing new Himiko. Just the same shit different month. Client comes in with a massive tat expecting fifty things put into one job and then hoping for it to get done within a short period of time.” He lightly shoved off the other artist's hands and turned over, grabbing their hands and giving them a light, loving kiss on their knuckles. “Thank you for caring about me though. It’s just the job. Everything will go back to normal once it’s done and I get my break.” Izuku said, rubbing Himiko’s knuckles with his thumbs. Himiko let out a huff of laughter and raised one of their brows.

“Oh is that it? One of Deku’s infamous week long benders? What will it be this time? A week long fuck-fest in an AirBnB somewhere in the middle of no where or your naked ass scaring my precious dog-child by not moving for over 72 hours on the couch?” They asked coyly.

Izuku gave then a mock look of shock, took his hands away and flipped them off, turning around in his chair and unlocked his iPad to get ready to continue the drawing. “Oh don’t be like that dummy. You know I only care about you! I just don’t want you to get hurt or for anything to happen. Just see where I’m coming from for a second?” They ask, hoping up on the table, legs swinging beneath them. Izuku looked up and set his head in his palm.

“Yeah I know. I just… you know I need my breaks when I get a big project like this. Whether that be with a couple hookups or vegging out on the couch, I need some way to release.” Himiko took his other hand and squeezed it.

“I know that you idiot. I just want you to be careful. If you’re going to fuck a couple rando’s then more power to you! Lord knows I’ve done that. I just ask that you do a bit of investigating before doing anything? You remember what happened last time you had one of these weeks?”

Oh how could he forget? The first guy he found off Tinder he took up to a private AirBnB and upon getting there, the guy asked him for a couple free tattoos. And when Izuku subsequently said no, the man got aggressive. Izuku had to take out his pocket knife and threaten to use it against him if he didn’t leave immediately. Thankfully, he got the message and left. Izuku, not feeling safe whatsoever, drove back to his apartment and spent the week on and off crying and being volatile towards anyone who reached out to him. In the end, Himiko came over, heard Izuku out through tears and snot, and held him for a few hours until he fell asleep.

“I know. That won’t happen again. I just…I know this is going to be a hard one and I’ll need some me time.” He looked up at his closest friend and smiled softly. “I’ll be safe, I promise. Besides, I always have you to fuck someone up if I need you too right?” Izuku said with a chuckle.

Himiko gave him a sad smile. “Damn right you do bud.” They reached over and gave his shoulder a final squeeze before jumping down from the table and padding over to their own designated drawing area. Just as Izuku was about to continue his work, the bell on the counter of the reception desk chimed..

“I’ll get it. You keep working, boss!” Himiko said, a smile on their lips. Izuku nodded and threw a corresponding smile their way.

He went back to his work, shading a certain section of the eagle when he heard a gasp coming from his coworker out in the lobby. Rushing up, Izuku dropped everything and quickly ran over to the front of house. Noticing a particular blonde-haired delivery man in his shop.

“Oh my god ‘Zuku! Flowers! For me! Shit I wonder who they’re from?” Himiko took the flowers from the man, Katsuki, if Izuku remembered correctly. Doing a quick once over, it looked like the tall man was wearing the same attire he wore when he delivered the bouquet that now rests on his kitchen counter. Izuku’s eyes snap back to Himiko as she lets out a loud squeal. “‘Zuku! You didn’t fuckin’ tell me I had an admirer! You asshat!” They punch his shoulder and show the card. Already knowing the flowers were from his previous client, Jin, Izuku feigns ignorance.

“What! I don’t know anything! Don’t hurt me!” He says with a fake hurt voice. Izuku chuckles and looks back over to the man in front of him as Himiko takes the flowers and thanks the man. He gives a quick ‘you’re welcome’ before beginning to head out of the shop. Not wanting to say goodbye quite yet, Izuku grabs his wrist. Katsuki spins around and snatches his wrist away.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Katsuki asked gruffly, taking a step back in the process.

“Shit I’m sorry. I-uh, guess you don’t remember me, huh?” Izuku said, bringing up his arm to rub the back of his head. The florist crosses his arms and gives Izuku a knowing smirk. “Oh, I remember you. How could I forget? Sunflowers and red roses. Delivered to the guy in crisp, stark white, tighty-whiteys.”

Izuku brings his arm down and blushes bright red, highlighting the freckles on his face. “Uh…right. That’s me.” He lets out a nervous laugh. Izuku quickly closes his eyes and says a quick prayer for luck and begins. “Hey, I’m almost done for the night here. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to catch a drink later? Or grab a bite downtown?” Izuku asks with a small smile.

Katsuki looks him up and down slowly. Starting at Izuku’s deep emerald green hair, working his way down noticing the attire of the artist. Tight black tank top with black cargo pants and combat boots. Not bad. Katsuki thinks to himself.

“Nah, I think I’m good. Hope you find someone good for that week long fuck-fest though.” Katsuki says, a smirk on his face and throwing a wink Izuku’s way. Izuku’s jaw drops as Katsuki leaves out the front door.

“Oh shit. He got you GOOD ‘Zuku.” Himiko says from behind him. He spins around and sees them sitting on his tattoo table, legs rocking underneath them. Izuku sighs and shoots them a frustrated look before heading back to his drawing station, picking up his phone and getting to work.

————-

A week later, Izuku reluctantly finds himself in front of Dynamite Flowers floral shop. But before he finally made the decision to show up at the flower shop, Izuku decided to do the best thing he could in this sort of situation. Look up his schoolboy crush online.

Katsuki Bakugo. The owner of the newly opened Dynamite Flowers and son of Mitsuki and Masaru. The man was twenty-six years old and lived in the rougher part of the city with his black cat Mikey. Thank god for the internet, Izuku thought to himself.

With a heavy sigh, he opened the shop door and was met with all different types of aromas from every possible flower. He looked to his left and found roses and baby’s breath and lavender. Looking to his right he found sunflowers and lilies and marigolds. The sheer number of fresh flowers was almost intoxicating to him.

“Oh no. I know that look. Here, here’s a chair if you need a second.” A man's voice said to Izuku. He followed the sound of the voice and found a man with bright blonde hair with black roots peaking out. The man motioned for Izuku to take a seat and settle himself. He shook his head and attempted to steady his breathing.

“Thank you but I’m good. Just… not used to this level of smell you know? I love flowers and all but I couldn’t imagine working here everyday.” Izuku admits, looking around the shop as he speaks. The worker in front of him laughs and takes back the chair to the other side of the check-out desk.

“Man do I get that! When I first started working here I had to carry pain meds on me twenty four seven! The smell gave me killer headaches and I would break out in hives!” He smiled at the thought before continuing “Now it’s just all in the background. Almost like when you’re getting a tattoo but you’re listening to your own music but you can still hear the faint buzz of the needle?” Izuku laughs at the comparison.

“Yeah man I get that.” He smiles and the man reaches out his hand over the counter. “Names Denki! Was there anything I can help you find today? Anything special for a certain occasion?” Denki asks with a bright smile. Izuku looks down at the extended hand and takes it, giving it a shake.

“Actually, yeah Denki. I think I do have an idea for a bouquet.” Izuku says with a sly grin.

If you like the fic please give kudos or comment on AO3 ❤️

[thenarator]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

so i'm not sure if you meant for me to talk about five different scenes but i can't think of five scenes i wanna talk about on the same post, so here's one scene i've really wanted to talk about for a while and i'm just going to talk for extra long.

this is my director's commentary on the vigilante group training scene from savior of the desperate and forgotten chapter 18, "whenever you're ready."

in this scene izuku goes to meet up with stain and his gang of vigilante students at their hideout in the abandoned shopping mall for additional training and to give them an update. stain takes the opportunity to use izuku as a teaching assistant and the entire group train hard for a few hours. izuku then reveals that he has made the group a homemade picnic lunch of onigiri, and they all sit around eating and relaxing together after their hard work. izuku gets to bond with several members of the group individually, and receives validation for his decision to ditch his internship with nighteye. at the end of the scene he secures a promise to attend the school festival from dabi and hoshi, as part of a plan to cheer up shouto and natsuo.

what i really enjoyed about writing this scene is that it's not just a single conversation, it's a dozen different small interactions to build the relationships between characters. it's kind of a shame, because this scene took forever to write and i was super happy with all the little details i put into it, but a lot of people just commented that they "liked the vigilantes section" without focusing on any of the specific interactions. not that i expected people to notice how much time i spent figuring out what was the most in-character type of onigiri for everyone to like, but it still would have be nice for someone to comment on what a sweetheart izuku was for making everyone lunch.

for this series i will take any opportunity to get that sweet sweet sibling dynamic between izuku and tomura, so izuku bothering tomura about liking things and tomura bothering izuku about his 'hunger strike' were important details to me. i came up with the idea of izuku teasing tomura about the vault last minute, but i really liked it because it acknowledges that their relationship wasn't always great but they have come a long way. i want them to be close to each other and have a lot of their motivation be wanting to protect and take care of each other, but i also have to show their growth as individual characters. tomura learning to enjoy things when he was previously only encouraged to hate and destroy shows that he's starting to heal. izuku learning to joke about afo's particular brand of crazy shows that this legacy has lost some of its dread for him.

it was difficult remembering to give all the characters a chance to talk during the chapter, so that it really felt like everyone was present and participating, because there are a lot of them at this point. i had to go back and add in lines for twice in a few places, because i almost completely forgot he was there. i tried to give each dialogue exchange some weight from a character perspective, using the responses to things like izuku telling them about nighteye's creepy behavior to show that these aren't the same league of villains that we know from canon. i think magne only speaks like two or three times in this scene, but in only a few lines she establishes camaraderie with hoshi by saying that talking to her is a good enough reason to learn sign, and establishes protectiveness over izuku by offering to beat up nighteye for being a creep. izuku also just gets a nice interaction with almost everyone in this scene: analyzing compress's sleight of hand tricks, toga bragging to him about learning sign, spinner looking to him for his opinion, and of course everyone getting protective because of nighteye.

i also took the chance to do a lot of housekeeping this scene. i brought mustard back and even though he only spoke like once i still show that he hasn't been written out and that he's still part of the group even if he's not actively doing the vigilante thing. toga shows that she's starting to learn sign, and stain suggests that everyone else learn, so later down the line i can just say that they all know sign when i need them to communicate secretly. izuku puts cream on tomura's neck again, so that in the next big scene of this group it can be fully healed. spinner brings up the gentle criminal video, so i can foreshadow gentle and la brava eventually joining the group a few chapters later, and also remind everyone of that video recording izuku has yet to do anything with.

i really love writing scenes of the vigilante gang, almost all the scenes i've gotten to write, and i'm super pleased with how this one turned out. i hope everyone else enjoyed the fine details of the scene as much as i enjoyed coming up with them, even if they didn't know how much work went into it all.

anyway, thanks for the ask!

[amy-maguire]

Toga.. that's me. Chapter 1 - To See his Eyes.

(Note: This chapter was written well over a year ago. I promise they get less cringe)

“Toga-des! Or.. well. Hi, I’m Toga. Toga Himiko that is, and one of the super villains working with Handyman and his crew! (Also known commonly as tomura shigaraki, and the League of Villains.) I love them so much! Well, I think I do! Dabi calls me “crazy” and all that, but that doesn’t matter to me. Because as long as I’m allowed to be me here, then that’s enough.” The girl said talking into the phone recorder, her private diary which seemed safer than a physical copy. She often recorded it and then kept it to rewatch. (Unaware of course that the league sometimes looked at the files, but that’s irrelevant.)

“Today I want to talk about Izuku-kun!!” ‘Izuku-kun’ a name that often showed up in her diary videos as someone who almost anyone would notice she was head over heels for, once watching one of the videos. “Today I snuck over and watched him train! He’s doing so good with his quirk (or you could say super-power) and he’s getting stronger by the day!” She said, twirling some strands of her hair on her finger. “He’s so cool..” She added before her face seemed to shift to something a little bit more.. cold. “The only problem is that he was with Ochako.” ‘Ochako’ the likable girl who seemed to be just a little bit too close.

Well, it was hard really to tell what too close meant, because to Toga a lot of people were close to Izuku, even if they hadn’t tried to be. It was Ochako who just seemed to be crossing that line in her mind. The line that neither Ochako or Izuku knew was even there. “Ochako is such a likable person, I want to be just like her.. Because then Izuku-kun would like me.. Well everyone would like me.” her sad comment didn’t match her normally enthusiastic personality, this was something normally she would only bring up to the diary entries. 

“Ochako-chan..” She started letting the name roll out of her mouth like she didn’t like saying it for a second, with a tiny bit of spite. “Ochako-chan always gets what she wants..” She sighed and frustratedly stopped twirling her hair and went to kicking her legs instead. “So that’s why today I went to get some of her blood!” Her tone changed again, back to the happy one that seemed to always resurface around the word “blood.”

Her quirk, allowed her to take the blood of anyone she ingested, and she could turn into them for a short time. The more blood, the more time, and you can get the point. “It was actually really easy! I just had to pose as a nurse and she let me take all the samples I wanted!!” She giggled bringing about 2 vials up to the camera and spun them in her hands as her feet kicked. 

“So now..!” She started staring at the blood and smiling, “I can be like her for a bit, and I can get next to him..” She trailed off that fluttery feeling in her stomach returning like it always did at the thought of either Ochako, or Izuku, or even “mr. stainy” for that matter. “I decided that after I finish filming this! I’ll go and see them!!” She set one of the vials down on her blue skirt and then took a deep breath. “Shiggy says I can’t get caught though and he doesn’t want me doing it!” She sighed annoyed, like the thought of turning into someone so you could stalk your crush wasn’t a bad idea. (granted, that wasn’t what Shigaraki was worried about.) “Soooo, guess I’ll just have to be a bit quiet about it!” She said seeming to make her voice just a tad quieter as she said the last bit of the sentence.

“I guess I got off topic a bit.” She said, nodding to herself, beginning to twirl her hair with her fingers again. “But that doesn’t matter, I’m too focused on the other important things to stay on one topic for too long.” That's when she seemed to hear something, turned her head away from the camera, and smirked. “That means it’s time for me to go!!” She smiled. “So bye byeeeeeee!!” She giggled, ending the recording and turning off the camera. 

“It’s time, to go see Izuku~”

After turning off the camera she hopped off of the box she was sitting on and stretched. “Diary time is always so tiring..” She complained to herself, taking off the cardigan she was wearing and grabbing one of the vials. “I won’t drink it until I need to, I can’t waste a drop!” She said stretching again as she held the vial up. Then, she opened the door to the small cramped room that they all slept in, and walked into the main area where all the villains were gathered. 

“Toga, welcome back! Ew, what are you doing here?” Twice rattled off. “I just got back from my room!” She said smiling, evidently both sides of Twice didn’t bother her. He nodded before shaking his head and then Tomura sighed. “Do you need something?” 

“No need to be so rude~!” She teased, sighing as well. “I just wanted to say hi!” Tomura shook his head seemingly annoyed and Mr. Compress waved. “Well, I will have you know, I am glad to see you.” Toga smiled before remembering the time. “I have to be off somewhere!!” She giggled thinking of how easy it would be to infiltrate UA this way. 

“At this time of night?” Kurogiri, also known as the warp villain, asked crossing his wispy arms. “Yesss!” She frowned, “I have something to buy from the store!” She lied, but technically that wasn’t not true. Before she intended to go to UA she wanted to buy a snack for Izuku first. I mean, everyone tries and gives their crushes gifts once in a while. Dabi gave her a weird look, “Like what? This isn’t one of your weird impulse buys is it?” He asked, rubbing the burn patches on his face. “I-” She stopped making a frustrated noise, “I just need to go out!!” 

Tomura frowned, rolling his eyes, “Then go for our sake.” He said, wanting her to go leave. “Finally!” She exclaimed running for the door out of the base. “Be care-” slam. “Full..” Mr. Compress yelled as she ran out. “If she’s the reason we get caught again, I will kill her.” Dabi yawned. “It already sucked enough the last time our base got ransacked. Heh, if you’d really call this a base.” He scoffed, sighing. 

Meanwhile Toga was skipping along the alleyway that ran along the side of the abandoned bar, where they were staying for the time being. Humming a happy tune she slipped her hand into her pocket and played with the vials excited. This was her chance, and she was 100% going to take it. After wondering for some time she got to the exit of the alleyway that leads into a main road. “Disguise time~” She giggled, popping off the cap from the vial and pouring the blood into her mouth. Blood tastes metallic, blood tastes like love. Blood tastes... delicious. That was the mentality anyway, and so she downed the whole thing in about five seconds. Quickly she saw her clothes, skin, and hair fading into the resemblance, the exact resemblance of Ochako Uraraka, and at the same time, she felt the quirk that the bubbly girl had. Her eyes were now that beautiful chocolate color.

She now was Ochako, and she happily waddled out of that alleyway into a nearby convenience store. “Hello!” A tired looking college student greeted her, “Can I help you find anything?” He asked and Toga nodded. “I’m looking for some chocolate!” She smiled, pressing her fingers together in the familiar position. The cashier looked over and pointed towards a certain shelf that had many different types of chocolate. “That shelf!” Toga thanked him before walking over to the shelf and seeing what her options were. She didn’t yet have to get into the persona of Ochako, she could just use the body for the moment. (However, not without any precautions) That’s when she heard another familiar voice, “Pink cheeks?” a tall blonde asked looking at her, “Since when did you hang out at an expensive place like this?” This was a corner store, and the chocolate would have ranged from ninety-nine cents to 15 dollars a piece. Bakugou didn’t really take caution in pointing out things that could be considered offensive, such as the real Ochako’s broken financial state. 

“I don’t think it matters~” She chimed, not yet getting into the persona just yet. Ochako wouldn’t have responded that way and so Bakugou eyed her oddly. Once she realized she changed her personality completely, to try and reflect the original body owner’s. “I-I mean, I was just trying to get something sweet you know? I-it’s not too expensive here, no need to be rude or anything!” That was what she was supposed to sound like, nervous, bubbly, and adorable. Not.. obsessive and weird by most standards. Bakugou scoffed, “There you are idiot.” he started, “and I’m not being rude, I’m being honest.” he emphasized. Toga sighed, “Well, either way I’m going to get something.” She said oddly, grabbing what seemed to be the most expensive thing without a thought. While normally, if it was the real Ochako, she would have spent at least 15 minutes trying to compare the amount of chocolate for the price. But then again, maybe she could explain it away by saying that she was getting it for Izuku. At this point everyone had figured out that Ochako was in love, by Mina’s not so keen skill for keeping gossip secret. “Did you get a new job or something?” Bakugou asked, finding the spending choice odd, not that he really cared, but he could tell that something was weird about this. “No! I’m just getting something different this time. Something for-” Bakugou cut her off, “The nerd?” 

She turned away from him and her face reddened, she didn’t have to act out a persona for this one. She was really flustered inside that body, even if the way she expressed it was different than most people. “Iz-” she cut herself off, “Deku?” Ochako didn’t ever use Izuku’s real name, she had gotten used to the hero name. The name that the boy had changed from a means of being described as useless to something that represented a strong hero. Ochako admired that, but to Toga his hero status didn’t matter. It was him that mattered, so she adopted first-name status immediately. (Note, that in Japanese culture people often refer to each other by their last names until a certain level of relationship is established. By referring to Izuku Midoriya as “Izuku” she is trying to say that she and Izuku are close.) 

“Who else?” Bakugou scoffed, “he’s the only annoying nerd that I know. Unless you count four-eyes.” Toga sighed, “Well it is for him, but that doesn’t matter!” She exclaimed, starting to walk towards the counter. “So you're going to confess to him?” he said, point blank before seeming to be a little grossed out. But it’s not like he didn’t have crushes or anything like that. “Well, I-I don’t know about confessing!” She blushed, but inside she felt a bit sad. If she confessed to Izuku, as Ochako, and they theoretically did become a thing, it would be Izuku and Ochako dating. It wouldn’t be.. HER and Izuku. So, she just wanted to do small things, until maybe she could be the real her, or somehow get rid of the problem Ochako produced. 

“Not like he’d understand, that nerd’s always in his head.” He pointed out as they walked up to the counter and the cashier rang up the chocolate. “$10.99” the cashier said and Toga just took out her wallet and paid. She didn’t try to bargain with the price, and when her card didn’t decline, Bakugou looked visibly shaken. “Who’s funding you??” Toga smirked, “None of your business!~” She teased again, a little bit too much like her real self. “Now I have somewhere to be, so I’ll see you!” She said before breaking off into a joyful run leaving Bakugou stunned. Stunned, but not without doubts, or a pit in his stomach. He may not have been the kindest to them but he knew his classmates. And well, this “pink cheeks” wasn’t acting right. He briefly thought about looking into it before returning to looking for what he was buying. But the weird pit in his stomach didn’t leave. 

Finally, after a while she got onto the city transit and made her way to the UA campus. She had now been out for almost an hour and she had about 2-5 more with the amount of blood she drank. Of course, that all depended on how much energy she used and etc. Once she got to the UA gate she discreetly made her way towards the dorms. 

The dorms were added to help attempt to keep the students safer while on school grounds, but obviously they weren’t impenetrable to attacks. So, as Toga made her way into the dorms, no one suspected a thing. The real Ochako was currently asleep and so were the majority of the class. The only people who Toga was currently positive were awake, were Bakugou, Izuku, and herself. Normally Izuku would be outside training during this time, or at least that’s what Toga had guessed. Because from the times she had stalked him, he had always been training for a good amount of time. That’s when she spotted him outside the window of the dorms and she made her way outside. 

Once out there, she found him in the familiar thinking position and talking to himself, “If I can use one for all at 80% and..” Mumble mumble mumble, “So I should be able to control my quirk” mumble mumble mumble. He kept on speaking, or well mumbling to himself when Toga made her way over to him. “Hey Deku!!” She said, briefly catching herself before blurting his full name. At first he didn’t notice her as he was lost in thought, until he noticed the shape of a person and his head shot up. “Oh! Hi Uraraka! Sorry, did you need something?” He smiled and that made Toga’s heart melt down into her stomach. His smile was enough to kill someone. 

“Well uhm, I got a gift for you!” She chimed reaching into the pocket of the UA coat she had stuck it in. Izuku’s face reddened a little, “What for? My birthday isn’t around now or anything. Did I miss a holiday or something?” He asked, the poor oblivious boy he was. “No silly!” Toga smiled, maybe just a little too big. “I just wanted to!” She paused before finishing the statement, “B-because that’s what heroes do ya know?” She said that outwardly to fit Uraraka. She didn’t want to give herself away, but deep inside she hated saying that. She disliked heroes, she liked Stain. She disliked heroes but she liked Izuku. She disliked heroes, but she pretended she was one for just a little bit. Just so that she could fit in. 

Doing the same thing that she always had to do. What she had to do back in middle school so that her friends wouldn’t run away, or so her parents wouldn’t curse at her, or so she would stop being referred to as the “demon-child.” So being in front of Izuku, she wanted to just drop the facade and the body that wasn’t her’s, and then she wanted to say what she actually wanted to. “Hi Izuku~ It’s so nice to see you again!~ I missed you!” That’s what she would have said, that’s what she wanted to say. But she couldn’t. 

{End of Chapter 1}

[greenhappyseed]

BnHA Ch.349 - Review, parallels & comparisons

We knew there was gonna be a cliffhanger before the break. But keeping us hanging for Dabi’s backstory??? Daaaamn.

Ok, so before we get to Dabi in detail, note the 3 part structure of this chapter: Izuku squabbling with Second, Ochako/Tsu vs Toga, and Shoto vs Dabi. Toga and Dabi are with their obvious hero counterpart, but Shigaraki isn’t, and AFO is still dangling in the sky. That gives us a hint about what’s going to happen next, and where these storylines will converge. We also see how keeping feelings locked down — or not — is one of the key struggles for every character. Oh, and Endeavor looms over everyone except Toga…..

1. Izuku and Second

Izuku has a habit of ghosting the vestiges and ignoring their advice. Too much smoke? Not enough practice using Fa Jin? Whatever, Izuku’s gone and done it anyway. But the vestiges can get picky about timing — e.g., remember when they told Nana it wasn’t time yet? Or how they keep reminding Izuku to save his strength for the big battle? Post-singularity, they know Izuku is their last hope for defeating AFO, none more so acutely than Second. In fact, he remains a military commander, personality-wise, telling Izuku to remain focused on his mission and letting his fellow soldier-friends handle their own battles. It’s like parallel processing of multiple moves/quirks, but for a big fight.

Why does parallel processing matter? Why is Air Force featured prominently? Yes, it’s a reference to Katsuki, but also remember that Air Force is a temporary overloading that’s painful and limits movement — Izuku can’t maintain Air Force output without breaking. It’s complex so I’ll let him explain (oh, and note Endeavor’s reaction to the kid whose quirk hurts himself).

Whatever Second’s quirk may be, Izuku clearly can’t wield it yet because it dips too deep into the danger zone. It’s waiting for him, down the road, when (if??) he gets closer to 100%.

Hori shows us a locked vault door, but it’s NOT the vestige vault — it’s actually Izuku’s vault, which he visualizes (at All Might’s direction) to keep Blackwhip “locked up” before the Endeavor Agency Arc.

Second is just like All Might, trying his best to advise Izuku on a power he never really wielded, even if it’s literally the same quirk passed down. Last time it was Endeavor who helped Izuku break through with Blackwhip, so somebody(ies) other than Second will be the key to helping Izuku use Second’s quirk at the right time without hurting himself. Maybe the quirk has gotten so strong it needs 2+ people to control it. Maybe Izuku will have to reach out and get help to win, or else choose to risk his body.

Whatever it is, I suspect it’s going to hit AFO hard.

2. Ochako and Toga

Not much new here. Toga says outright (again) that she loves Izuku, Ochako, and Tsu, but she can’t handle their rejection anymore. She says she’s done, she’s going to be the person who feels right to her, and she has no use for heroes. In the English version, she says “get ready to say goodbye,” which sounds personal to Ochako and Tsu. However, in Spanish, her line is more like, “So, can they[heroes] disappear?” It sounds more like Toga gave up on the things she loves and went all in on Shigaraki’s plan to destroy.

3. Shoto and Dabi

So much good food here. First, did the “hero must die” sign burn, but All Might is still standing????

Second is the revelation that Dabi was watching in Hosu, but other writers have gone over that so I won’t. Instead, I’ll just note that Dabi can’t have memories of Kamino because he was unconscious, ha.

Third. The speech Dabi gives when he flies up, surpassing All Might’s hair tufts as he winds up to fight his father’s perfect creation, both of them born to defeat All Might. There’s a slight difference in the Spanish version, so Dabi is saying “Again, I’m finished talking about myself. And again, you don’t pay attention to me. It’s depressing.” The Spanish version is more like Dabi talking to Shoto and assuming Shoto will be like Endeavor, rather than English where Dabi is telling Shoto that Endeavor has ignored him. I much prefer the Spanish here, tbh.

But the thing is, Shoto HAS been listening and paying attention. He’s never been Endeavor’s pawn, and just as Shoto told Endeavor he was exercising his free will in choosing his internship, Shoto tells Dabi he freely chose to come to this battle. (This also proves how much AFO was wrong when he taunted Enji about his youngest son cleaning up his mess.) To top it off, Shoto insults Endeavor just for good measure, saying if he ignored Dabi and kept trying to be a hero anyway, then he’d be imitating Endeavor. That momentarily stuns Dabi, leaving him saying, “Fair enough….”

Fourth. Dabi starts talking again, because of course he runs his mouth. That’s not new. But he’s a little too honest and gives away the game: The hard limiter in a super powered society isn’t quirks, it’s messy human emotions. It’s being true to yourself. It’s getting creatures with free will to agree and work towards one goal. We’ve known since USJ that bio-engineered multi-quirked Nomu — even those built to kill All Might — can be defeated. But theyr’re not robots. The line gets blurred with Kurogiri and the High Ends that talk, think, and retain personality elements from their human hosts. For example, Six, the big villain from Vigilantes, has feelings and big dreams for his life, and is jealous when vigilante Koichi gets the public adoration he wanted. They may not be movers and shakers, but they are part of the equation.

This leads directly into Shoto’s raw, honest question: If Toya lived through Sekoto Peak, then why did he feel the urge to become Dabi? Why not come home? How did the emotions that caused Sekoto Peak lead to villainy? Once again, Dabi decides to talk. But this time, Dabi’s not running his mouth about society, heroes, and villains. It’s Toya talking about who he really, truly is and that’s rare, considering the LOV didn’t know Dabi was a Todoroki until everyone else did. No other hero except Shoto could get Toya to talk about this. Yes, it’s partially because they are brothers and share how they feel about Endeavor (feelings in common!!), but also because Shoto’s actions show he’s listening. He’s giving Toya an audience. And I am SO excited to see what happens next.

Bonus piece: The Kido part. It’s weird! Like his coworker is suddenly concerned he can’t handle the heat even though that’s been his job for a decade? He can alter the trajectory of anything, including air and flames? And wow, what a suspicious timeline drop. Kido started working for Endeavor right around Sekoto Peak. His bandages and reference to being logical sound Aizawa-ish, but why? What point does that serve? Aizawa would say heroes correct unfairness, but in the case of Endeavor…what if a hero is himself unfair? And then Kido says he follows orders because he wants to, which…if you want to follow orders, okay, but MHA has been pretty clear that heroes shouldn’t follow orders blindly. I’m reminded of Tsuyu’s speech before Kamino, which she later regretted deeply.

[shig-a-shig-ah]

LAYING CLAIM

» pairing: dabi x fem!reader

» cw: dubcon, revoked consent, noncon (we’re going on a journey, okay?), rimming, anal fingering, anal sex, crying, gratuitously fanon characterization. 18+, minors DNI.

» a/n: Started this months and months ago, and since I’m finally getting around to wrapping some WIPs, I guess you can have it now. Thanks @thebiggergroove​ for beta-reading!

» wc: 5.3k

» ao3 mirror

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The thing about Dabi is he's not usually a possessive guy. Fucking is fucking, as far as he's concerned—it doesn't really matter who is doing it with whom as long as everyone is getting off on it. But goddamn if there isn't something about you that makes him want to make you his.

And he's gotten that, more or less. It took some sweet talking and cajoling, and a few late nights where he made you come until you couldn't see straight, but you agreed not to go sleeping with anyone else. Sure, you've made him promise the same, but that's fine. Not that he's going to actually stop, of course, but he goes out on recruiting missions alone and he figures what you don't know won't hurt you.

That's all enough to satisfy him, at least for a little while. But then a few weeks pass and there it is again: that stupid jealousy and all those unbidden thoughts about the people you were with before him. People he knows. You never talk in too much detail about your past hookups, but he's not stupid, is all too aware that he's not the first one in this ragged band of miscreants that you've crawled into bed with. You've fucked Jin, and Shigaraki, and probably even Magne, god rest her soul—Dabi hadn't missed the way the two of you had huddled up giggling in the corner of the old bar one night, disappearing together unusually early, making those bedroom eyes at each other. And in theory that's fine. Nothing wrong with two girls having fun together, after all. Hell, bi chicks are hot and Dabi wouldn't mind taking advantage of that someday.

But first he needs to find a way to get the image of you with your legs spread for half the League out of his goddamn head.

If he's being honest, it's Shigaraki who bothers him the most. Magne is dead. Jin is a decent dude and, Dabi has to imagine, tame as a kitten in the sack. But Shigaraki, well...Dabi can tell just by looking at the guy that he's a freak, and the idea of you riding Shigaraki's dry, crusty dick, of letting him do who-knows-what filthy shit to you? It just gets to him.

And then Toga has to suggest that stupid game and go putting ideas in his head.

You're all sitting around the crumbling office space that passes for a hideout, drinking to celebrate the League's first successful double-amputation (because fuck that germophobic, transphobic prick), and blondie is just begging to play a drinking game. Normally Dabi doesn't go for that shit—why anyone needs an excuse to get wasted is beyond him—but he's in a good mood, and you make that adorable pouty face as you tell him that you played in college, that it's really fun, and somehow he finds himself sitting in a circle on the dusty floor with the rest of you losers playing 'I haven't' or whatever the fuck it's called.

It's all bland shit to start. Toga's never driven a car, Shigaraki's never gone to school. But, after you've made your way around the circle once, everyone seems to be loosening up and Spinner takes one for the team by getting to the interesting shit and admitting he's never slept with a girl. It spurs a moment of awkward silence made all the worse by his red face and obvious self-consciousness about being a virgin, but then Compress stage-whispers "Neither have I," before winking salaciously at the blushing lizard and taking a dramatic pull from his beer bottle. It's enough to lighten the mood.

After that, Dabi's forced to admit it's a decent game. There's not much he hasn't done sexually or criminally, and since those are the two topics everyone focuses on, he finds himself getting hammered faster than usual. It's a good thing too—his buzz makes it easier to ignore the look you and Shigaraki exchange when Jin announces that he's never tried watersports, easier to pretend his gut isn't twisting at the knowing smirk on your leader's face as he raises his beer bottle to drink and you follow suit.

That particular moment makes it all the more surprising when, on your next turn, you hide an embarrassed face behind your hand and announce that you've never taken it in the ass.

Dabi can't stop thinking about it the rest of the night. Obsessing over it, and the idea of being your first, your only, even if only in some less than conventional way. The thing is, it's downright tame in comparison to a lot of what you two get up to, so barely even kinky that it's almost impossible to believe you've never tried it. Sure, you've never done it together, but he'd just figured neither of you were all that into it, since it hadn't come up when you were doing lewd shit to each other.

That kind of sex is fine from his perspective, but only fine. He doesn't actively seek it out because in his mind nothing beats the feel of being balls-deep in a warm pussy, but that doesn't mean he hasn't done it. He's hooked up with plenty of girls that were into it and has always been happy to oblige; hell, he's even taken it more than once, on account of the fact that when it comes to the bedroom he's willing to try anything twice.

But doing it with you? Well, that thought sticks. The two of you finally go to bed and Dabi's so turned on by the idea of your virgin ass that he can't help testing the waters, prodding teasingly at that tight hole with one spit-slicked finger until you're squirming away and whining. He doesn't manage to convince you right then, but he makes those puppy dog eyes that are far more effective than they have any right to be, and you agree to give it a go in the future.

"Not here," you specify, the words fuzzy on your drunken tongue. "Someplace nicer, with a real bed." You already have your reservations, and you certainly don't relish the idea of undertaking that particular venture now, on a worn mattress in this falling apart building, with its paper-thin walls and complete lack of hot water. Between your booze-fueled haze and the seeming interminability of the League's poverty, you mostly forget about that casual promise by the following morning.

But Dabi doesn't. He picks up a small bottle of lube the next day and carries it around in his pocket shamelessly, a little reminder that he has something to look forward to besides roasting that prick Endeavor, and he strokes himself off to the idea more than he's proud to admit as he waits for the League to move on to better things. He can be patient, when he needs to be.

That patience takes a toll though, and the minute the League settles into their new digs in Re-Destro's sprawling villa, where there's actually privacy and clean, comfortable beds, Dabi shows up at your door with a cheshire grin and every intention of finally getting something from you that's just for him.

You grimace when you remember that promise, try briefly to talk him out of it even, but he isn't so easily dissuaded. It's made all the harder by the fact that you can't give him a specific reason why you've never tried it, beyond that it seems uncomfortable and you hadn't particularly enjoyed the couple instances when you'd allowed someone to slip a finger or two in there.

"C'mon, baby girl," Dabi coos, his breath hot in your ear as he pins you to the wall, working two unnaturally warm fingers into your cunt. "I'll make sure it's good for you. Be gentle, get you nice and warmed up first, all that sweet shit."

It really is unfair how persuasive he can be when he fixes those pleading turquoise eyes on you. The way the pads of his fingers are curling just right deep inside isn't helping either, and he teases you like that until you give in to his cajoling, though you still insist on waiting a couple nights so that you can do your research and make sure you're entirely prepared. Dabi demonstrates his appreciation by burying his face in your cunt and not surfacing for air until you've come three times and are begging for a break.

When the night finally arrives, Dabi's feeling positively giddy. He slips into your bedroom with a bottle of wine and a couple glasses he's brought, a little something to help you relax because he's a gentleman when he wants to be. It should be good booze too—he lifted it from Re-Destro's private stash, and he's certain baldy doesn't drink anything that costs less than ¥30,000. Of course, Re-Destro doesn't love sharing either, but the uptight prick is too scared of Shigaraki to complain about anything the League does. They all take advantage of that, because they can and because it's fun to watch him bite his tongue when they piss him off.

You don't make it easy for Dabi to focus on pouring the drinks though, not when you're reclining in that armchair by the window, freshly showered and fidgeting nervously. He was half-erect before he got here from just thinking about what he was going to do to you, and the sight of you acting like you're some blushing virgin spurs him all the way to rock-hard. By the time your glasses are close to empty, he's straining uncomfortably in his pants, and can't fight back his impatience any longer.

"What do you think, doll?" he murmurs, setting his glass to the side and standing up, shrugging his jacket off before leaning down to ghost his lips over your neck. "You ready to move this to the bed?"

The way you chew at your lower lip anxiously before nodding makes his dick throb.

You empty your glass with one final, large swallow, your heart racing as you rise. You know it's stupid—you and Dabi have fucked countless times and a lot of it hasn't exactly been vanilla—but it's been a long time since you've actually tried anything new. His obvious excitement doesn't help either, paradoxically; it leaves you fretting about what will happen if you're somehow bad at this, or if you can't take it and have to stop. You've never really worried about disappointing him before, but now the thought weighs acutely on your mind.

It's with halting steps that you approach the bed and then, when you can't realistically drag your feet any longer, you finally tug the nightgown you're wearing off your shoulders, letting it fall to the floor to reveal what's underneath.

"Damn, baby girl," Dabi breathes, looking you up and down. You'd figured that since it was a special occasion you might as well dress up, donning a strappy bra and panties. They're little more than elaborate, crisscrossing pieces of lace, all white since he'd seemed so fixated on this pseudo-innocent, first-time act. His reaction doesn't disappoint, eyes lighting up as he stares at you hungrily.

You let yourself fall back on the bed, nestling against the many pillows. The look on his face has your stomach fluttering, and the wine has helped you to relax a bit despite your nerves, a pleasant warmth spreading throughout your body. It's joined by a different kind of heat when you feel the mattress dip beneath Dabi's weight as he positions himself over you, one knee resting between your thighs, just barely brushing against your center, a hint of what's to come.

"You look so good I could just eat you up," Dabi whispers hotly against your ear before tracing his lips over your jaw. Even though he wants to take his time, let himself savor this, it's taking every ounce of patience he has to keep the promise he made to get you worked up and ready for him, to not to tear those pretty bits of satin and lace off and have his way with you right then.

You whine eagerly when his mouth slants hungrily over yours, savoring the feel of those mismatched lips, the way the rough skin of the bottom one contrasts so deliciously with the top. Hot hands run over your sides as the kiss deepens, your tongues tangling together, and you moan against him.

When you finally break for air, Dabi moves his lips to your throat, his tongue lapping at your pulse before he sinks his teeth into you. He loves to mark you up, loves making sure everyone can see that you're indisputably his, and it's even hotter now that he knows he's going to fuck you in a way no one else has. You're shivering beneath him as he works, your hand tugging insistently at his hair, and Dabi lets out a low, throaty growl.

"Guess I'm not the only one who's eager, huh?"

Your hips tilt in response, pressing needily into his firm thigh, and Dabi can feel the skin on his cheeks straining against his staples as he grins. He traces one hand up over your ribs, cupping at your supple breasts, teasing your hardening nipple through the flimsy fabric of your bra. Those deft fingers work under the seam of your lingerie as he shifts his weight, increasing the pressure against your center while he pinches and tugs at the peaks of your breasts until you're whimpering, spreading slick along his leg even through your thin panties.

Dabi pulls away abruptly, rolling onto his back and tugging at you to change positions, shaking his head when you move to mount his hips.

"Come here, baby girl," he says, his tongue tracing over his bottom lip. "Like I said, I wanna eat you up."

The promise in those words sends a bolt of heat straight through your core as he guides you to straddle his face, hot breath tickling your inner thighs. One calloused thumb brushes your clit lightly through your underwear, blue eyes sparkling when your breath hitches at that soft touch. When he pulls that useless fabric to the side and runs his tongue over your already-damp slit, you shudder.

Dabi lets out a pleased groan at your reaction and gets to work more earnestly, lapping at your sensitive nub, licking and sucking until you're moaning and only then shifting a little so that he can lap at your insides, that same rough thumb replacing the pressure of his tongue on your clit. It strokes firm circles as he buries that hot, wet muscle inside you, the metal barbell there teasing your inner walls as you grind involuntarily against it. You can't help but whine when he withdraws it, but that disappointment is quickly replaced by you startling as that same wet muscle extends further back to tease at your puckered entrance.

"A-ah, Dabi, wait," you protest, your face heating up self-consciously almost at once.

Dabi pauses, shifting just enough to keep his reply from being muffled as one warm hand runs reassuringly up your thigh. "I don't think I can help myself, doll," he says, his slick-coated lips splitting into a wide grin, "you just taste too good."

That heat in your face worsens as he dives back in, not even waiting for you to respond before he's flexing his tongue to poke at that tight ring of muscle. You still try to squirm away, feeling unprepared for this. You hadn't even considered it among the possible activities were volunteering to participate in, but Dabi is holding you firmly in place with the hand not working at your clit, and when another whine of protest escapes you, it's weaker than the first. The foreign sensation of his tongue against your neglected hole has you hyperaware of the press of his thumb at your apex, and you can feel tension building in your core even as you writhe in embarrassment.

It's as though he knows, too, and you suppose maybe he does; after all, he's the one who's done this before. He thrusts his tongue a little deeper, rolling your clit between two hot fingers with enough pressure to cut off any further protests. A long moan is the only sound you can muster as you spill over the edge, your thighs clenching around his head and your hips jerking shakily as you ride out your climax with his tongue still buried obscenely in your rear.

Dabi's face is covered in your juices by the time he slides from between your thighs, and he wipes it away carelessly with one arm as he repositions you again, pinning you on your back and wasting no time peeling away your now-soaked panties. He grins at the sight of your glistening folds and swollen clit before stripping off most of his own clothes, kicking them unceremoniously to the side and relaxing between your legs, kissing at your still-trembling thighs.

He teases at your sensitive cunt with his fingers, coating them in your juices as you whimper. "Ready for a little more?" he asks, and you nod despite the fact that your cheeks are still burning from before and your stomach is knotting with nerves.

"Just...go slow, okay?"

"Of course, baby girl," he promises, "I told you I'd take good care of you." With that, he starts to work you open, dipping one finger into your tight hole just until he reaches the first knuckle, working it in and out slowly. His other hand toys at your clit, stroking and rolling that puffy nub again, making you mewl.

Dabi waits until you're relaxed before trying any more, pulling away from you just long enough to dig the lube from the pocket of his discarded pants, coating his fingers with it. He works that lone finger deeper this time, in and out until it's buried to the last knuckle.

The sensation is strange, but not entirely unpleasant; even if you think you'd rather have that finger curling in your cunt, the slight stretch is still adding to the faint throb already growing inside you, the one that worsens when his thumb returns to your apex.

"Fuck, you're so tight," Dabi growls when one well-placed stroke of his thumb has you clenching lightly around his finger. He ruts his hips against the sheets, trying vainly to find some relief for his aching member, but it's not enough—he needs to feel you, needs the vice-like grip clutching his fingers to be wrapped around his cock, and he needs it soon.

You feel him withdraw to add more lube, and then he's fingering you again, adding another digit to stretch you wider. It comes with a stab of discomfort when he forces his way past the second knuckle, and you reflexively try to pull back. "Dabi, that's too much."

He abandons his soothing attentions to your clit, one warm palm pressing you tight against the mattress to keep you in place, stroking soothingly at your hip. His breath tickles over your inner thigh as he chuckles softly. "If you can't take this, how are you ever gonna take me, hmm?" he says teasingly. "You're doing great, baby, just relax."

You will yourself to unclench, trying to picture Dabi's satisfied face once you're taking him, that adoring look he sometimes gives you, the one that you relish. Your efforts are only marginally effective, but Dabi keeps pushing deeper, fucking you slowly but insistently with those fingers, and when you don't complain again, his thumb returns to caressing your sex.

"That's a good girl." Dabi picks up the pace, cursing under his breath. "You're doing so good."

You're wriggling against his hand now, trying to increase the friction at your center, not quite minding the foreign sensation of his fingers and the uncanny fullness they bring so much now that there's heat thrumming in your core. "Y-yeah, like that," you pant encouragingly, and Dabi grins.

"That doing it for you?" he purrs. "Think you can take more?"

You start to shake your head—the stretch now feels like all you can handle—but Dabi's already adding a third slick finger, shoving it in with less restraint than before. You feel more than discomfort this time when three knuckles breach your asshole, and it quickly dampens the arousal that had been steadily building. "Dabi, slow down," you gasp.

"Aw, are you sure you can't handle it?" His blue eyes meet yours, pupils blown wide with arousal as he looks you over with the hungry gaze. "'Cause if I'm being honest, it feels like you're trying to suck me in. Like this greedy little hole wants to get fucked."

The huskiness of his voice sends a shiver down your spine, even as another whine of discomfort escapes you. For just a second his expression darkens slightly, but then he's slowing his movements, twisting his fingers instead of thrusting them in and out.

"Better?" he asks, and you think you catch an edge of impatience in his voice.

It is better though, a little at least, enough that you can focus on the way your cunt flutters every time his thumb strokes over your clit. So you just nod; it's not like this wasn't bound to be a little unpleasant at points, right?

Dabi's smile stretches wider, his thumb working faster. A mewl slips from between your lips and Dabi takes that as encouragement, his fingers resuming their persistent thrusts. It's still uncomfortable, though not quite as bad as when he started, and your teeth sink into your lower lip to bite back your complaints. You let your eyes fall closed instead, trying to focus on his attentions to your hooded nub, on the heat that's pooling in your lower belly. You're inching towards another release, and you let a hand lift to your breast, tweaking at the pebbled flesh of one nipple to help yourself along.

"D-dabi, I'm close," you stammer, your hips bucking against his hand.

"Yeah?" His movements speed up, his voice breathy and excited. "Do it, baby girl. Come for me and then I'm gonna fuck this tight little ass of yours."

You swallow hard, trying not to dwell on those words for now—you can tell you've loosened up more, tolerating the jab of his fingers, but his cock is substantially larger than those, all too intimidating. Thankfully, it's not hard to remain distracted, to focus only on your approaching peak.

Dabi can feel that orgasm rip through you when it hits, your asshole clenching around his fingers as you keen, and it's then that he reaches the limits of his patience. He needs you now, needs the thrill of burying himself in your tight ass and claiming you for his own, of reaching his own release deep inside and then watching his seed spill out afterwards. What a satisfying sight that will be.

He scrambles up from between your legs to catch your lips with his, fumbling his boxers off as his tongue invades your mouth. When he pulls away, his eyes are bright, needy. "Ready for me?" he asks.

You're not, not really, but you can see the fervor in his eyes, hear the urgency in his voice, and you convince yourself that he won't be able to work you open much more with his fingers no matter what. Your agreement doesn't matter anyway—he's already rolling you onto your side and slotting his chest against your back, his straining erection poking at the cleft between your thighs.

"Like this?" you ask, surprised by the choice of position.

"Just like this," he pants in your ear. His teeth nibble at your lobe as he slicks his cock generously with lube. "Want you spooned against me so I can see those cute faces you make, feel you squirming when you take me."

And fuck, when he slips one hand back down to finger your asshole one last time, it doesn't disappoint—your body ripples against him when that invasion catches you off guard, and he can see the way your lips part obscenely as you gasp at his touch. His fingers abandon your tight hole almost as quickly as they'd entered, and then Dabi is aligning himself with your entrance, using the last of his restraint not to slam his hips forward and bury himself inside with a single thrust.

You can feel the spongy head of his glans, and the slick coolness of the ring that adorns his tip, prodding at your rear. One of his arms worms its way under your side, his hand groping distractedly at your breasts as you tense in anticipation.

"Relax, baby girl," he murmurs, but he doesn't wait for you to even try. He's already slipping in, moving slowly until he encounters resistance an inch or so inside, and then pausing.

He has to struggle to keep his composure. Even like this, with not even the full head of his cock in your ass, his balls are tightening, just the thought of what he's doing nearly enough to send him over the brink. He waits until he's sure that won't happen and then starts moving, pushing insistently to work you open around his length with shallow thrusts.

"A-ah, Dabi, g-go easy," you stutter, already squirming. You can feel your body resisting the intrusion, so much larger than his fingers, and it aches slightly every time he tries to breach that inner ring.

"I am, baby, don't worry. I'll take care of you." His cheek is nuzzling against yours, his lips kissing and sucking wherever he can reach, but his motions don't change at all even as he murmurs so sweetly. He only slings one arm over your hips, toying lazily at your clit. That attention helps you relax, helps distract you a little, but it's not enough to prepare you for when he drives himself in further, finally surging past that taut band of muscle.

The invasion brings a sharp pain, one that has you crying out. Tears prick at the corners of your eyes, your body reflexively contorting to try and escape the cause of that hurt, but his arms tighten around you, holding you in place as he continues to work himself deeper with every thrust.

"Dabi, that hurts." Your words are sharper this time as each stroke sends another unpleasant throb through your overstretched hole, but his only response is to plunge the fingers rubbing at your clit into your dripping cunt.

"Shh, you're doing great." He curls his fingers, stroking against that spongy spot deep inside. It makes you writhe, but that does nothing to address the pain between your legs as he fucks you.

"Dabi, don't, that's not helping, I—"

"It's okay, baby girl, you're taking me so well," Dabi coos. You'll adjust, he knows you will—you're usually up for anything, of course you can take this. And fuck, there's no way he can stop now, not when it's even better than he'd imagined—hotter and softer, your pillowy walls enveloping his length every time he plunges into you, the exquisite tightness of your entrance massaging his shaft with each thrust.

"I'm not— I don't— I don't want to do this anymore." You can hear the desperate edge in your voice now. Your heart is racing and there's a cold sweat forming on your skin as tears of pain and confusion start to leak down your cheeks. "Dabi, stop."

"Shh, shh, you're fine. You—fuck—you feel so amazing. 'S never been this good with anyone else, fuck."

"I don't care, I don't want this." You can't understand what's happening, why he's not listening. You twist your head to look at him, pleading with your eyes, but he's barely even focusing on you. His blue eyes are glazed and half-lidded as his lips wander over your shoulders and your neck, all the while murmuring those useless reassurances against your skin. You're thrashing now, your feet scrambling for purchase on the sheets as you try frantically to pull away, but he keeps his tight grip on you, one of his legs hooking around your own to hold you in place. "Dabi, I said stop!"

He shushes you again, rutting into you harshly, and a choked sob escapes you when he bottoms out inside you, his hips flush against your backside as you struggle against him. You feel sick to your stomach, and it only worsens when he pulls out until nothing but his tip remains, then drives himself back in with one agonizingly rough thrust.

You keep begging, pleading, wracking your brain and trying every past safe word you can recall, but he only continues to pound into you, his breathing erratic as he pants in your ear. "It's okay, baby. You're taking my cock like such a good girl. You're—ngh—making me feel so good."

The ache between your legs is diminishing slightly as you adjust to his girth, your body entirely unconcerned with whether you want that or not. He's still fingering your sopping cunt too, his palm grinding against your oversensitive clit with each plunge of his long digits, the lewd squelching sound of those attentions mingling with the sharp slap of his hips against your ass as he fucks you.

"You like this?" he asks, but you know he's not really asking. "You like knowing I'm the only one? That I'm making you mine, just mine, just like how it should be?"

"Dabi, stop. Please stop." Your appeals are feeble now, far more for yourself than for him as you continue to utter them between quiet sobs. Dabi's somewhere far away, awash in the tight heat of your ass and the satisfaction of finally staking his claim on you, aware of your supplications but not hearing them, not really.

You slump, still sobbing, and let him take what he wants. His attentions to your cunt have a coil tightening in your gut, but when your climax hits it's perfunctory and mechanical, no real pleasure to be found even as your hips jerk and your holes spasm, a joyless whine passing from your lips.

No real pleasure for you, at least. But fuck, the feel of you squeezing around his cock as you come is what Dabi has been waiting for, your insides massaging his length as though desperate for him to decorate your walls with his cum. It's a gift he's glad to grant—he rocks his hips more urgently, keeping his thrusts shallow now so that he's sure to get it all deep inside.

"Fuck," he groans against your neck. "Gonna make me come, baby girl. That what you want? Want me to fill you up?" You shake your head, but his movements are already growing spurtive and erratic, his grunts louder and throatier, and then you can feel his cock jerking inside you, a hot rush of cum flooding your guts.

Dabi doesn't stop then, either, keeps fucking his seed into you until he's softening, not quite able to work himself in and out of your tight, abused hole any longer, and only then does he finally pull out, a dribble of cum leaking obscenely down your thigh.

You're sniffling, drawing shaky breaths, and you try to pull away the moment his arms relax around you. They only tighten again, his lips planting soft kisses along your temple.

"Shh," he murmurs. The sound of his shushing makes you want to scream. One hand lifts to wipe at the tears on your cheeks. "You were so good, baby girl, there's no need to cry. You were fucking incredible." He means it too, doesn't think he's ever come so hard in his life as he did now, making you his.

Dabi can't wait to do it again.

[kunikuzxshi]

Shigaraki with a s/o shorter than 5'5"

Taegan if this is you I’ll take away all your Kuroo merch. Try me bitch. I'll still write it anyway. As a 5'2" person, I feel like he'd be like every tall person

——————————————————————————

Ok, first thing's first. Since he's 5'9", dude has at least a good 5 inches on you

He's the type to make fun of your height, but he's not a total jerk about it unlike Taegan

He thinks its cute when you can't reach something, or how you try to compare your height to his, just to see if you got taller

He does that thing all parents do where he marks your height on the wall.

^ Sometimes he gets Toga to stand next to it to compare your heights

Shigaraki just adores it in general

He says you're "travel size" just to annoy you

Sometimes just randomly scoops you up and walks away

He likes coming up to you while you're talking to someone and just holding you from behind, he could very well be glaring at the person you're talking to as well, just saying

"You're so small, the hell are you gonna do?" break your kneecaps

He doesn't try to come off as rude, but he just can't take you seriously when you're mad

Shig's the type to hold something out of your reach

^ Just start pouting and he'll give it back, it makes him feel bad

He likes being the big spoon, it's just a little easier for him to comfortably hold you when you're short

Crouches down every ones in a while to talk to you just to try and get on your nerves

^ Snap back at him and say you'll punch him in the stomach when it does get on your nerves, works like a charm

Shigaraki wouldn't be the kind of person that complains about having to reach stuff for you, unlike half my friends

^ He knew your height compared to his the first time you got close to him as friends, he knew what he was getting

Probably extra protective and gentle as fuck

He already sees you as fragile, your height only makes you seem even more fragile in his eyes, at least normally

^ Honestly I feel like he'd give you your own Nomu as a bodyguard, not like he wouldn't anyway if you were fucking 6'7"

If he gets jealous, he would 100% just pick you up and walk away with you, don't tell me he wouldn't

^ He'd go back and either disintegrate the person or just glare at them until they get uncomfortable

Definitely the type of asshole to use you as a head rest or an arm rest. He just casually pops his arm on top of your head during a conversation

——————————————————————————

"Tomu, give it back! We're supposed to leave in a few minutes." You whined, crossing your arms as your asshole of a boyfriend held up your phone.

"Awww, someone's getting mad. What are you gonna do about it? I've got the height advantage sweetheart." He said, a smirk appearing on his face.

All it took was one hard stomp on his foot to drop your phone.

"I thought you would've learned by now. That gets old quickly. Let's go, before you make us late."

——————————————————————————

"Y/N, you're being slow. Aren't you the one that said we're going to be late?" He stated, leaning against a pole as you tried to catch up, "or is it just that you can't take big steps?"

"I'll fucking bust your kneecaps if you say that one more time."

He picked up his pace, taking bigger steps just to piss you off. After about the first 3 times you told him to slow down, he opted for just picking you up instead.

"If you were faster, I could actually put you down."

"It's not my goddamn fault. Maybe you should slow down for once in your life, Tomura."

——————————————————————————

Another quiet night. The only sound in your shared room was barely audible from where you were, already passed out on the bed. Missions were always extremely tiring for everyone, but yet your insomniac of a lover was still up, headset on and controller almost dead.

He got up, trying to avoid the floorboards the few floorboards that would creak under his weight as he turned off his console, plugging in his controller before throwing his headset on his seat.

He climbed up into the bed, carefully moving you just enough for him to squeeze in next to you. He positioned you on his chest, arms wrapping around you the second he was settled, focusing on your weight against him.

One hand moved up, resting on top of your head as he tried to get up just enough to press a kiss against your forehead before resting back against his pillow. He tried closing his eyes, rubbing circles into your back with his thumb.

Those quiet nights he used to love just wouldn't be the same anymore, not with you in his life.

[plush-rabbit]

Straightforward Confessions

Request: Oh ok then maybe when you have time can you do dabi, Bakugo, Tomura and Toga himiko with female s/o who's very straightforward about liking them? Recently I saw a similar request somewhere but unfortunately it looks like it was deleted :( I hope this isn’t too much for you.

A/N: I did this as more of a confession type rather than an established relationship because i feel like they would know if you like them if youre in a relationship with them, so yeah. Sorry if its not what you wanted:P (also i dont know enough about canon bakugo so yeah?)

-

Bakugo Katsuki:

Katsuki is a bit rough around the edges but he’s growing. He’s maturing and trying to be more of a team player rather than facing everything by himself and trying to prove himself to others. He doesn’t have a secret soft side, but he is kind in his own way. He looks out for his allies and includes them in his plan. He’s admirable, having such a strong goal in mind. But, he’s still one who has focused his entire goal towards becoming a hero, not having time for any romantic relationships.

Telling him your feelings isn’t exactly the best idea. You can never be sure where you stand with him- he isn’t some flirt or tries to attract his classmates in any way so you aren’t even sure if he will return your feelings. The only thing that you can actually rely on is that he won’t spread around the fact that you like him and that he’ll be in his room before the clock even strikes ten. You knock on his door and just like every day and night before, his room is empty, and he’s already dressed in his pajamas.

Your words blurt out before you can even subtly make the conversation about feelings. It’s silent for a minute, his expression is neutral and somehow that makes it harder for you to read, unable to know what he feels- even if it were to be something negative, you just wish you could gauge his reaction. He clears his throat, telling you to leave his room. He’s anything but sweet in your moment of confession and somehow that makes you feel relieved- knowing that what you said doesn’t change anything out of the ordinary, at least that you hope.

He isn’t entirely sure about how to feel towards you or his reaction. He has a restless night, tossing and turning and when he wakes up, he still feels exhausted.The next day, he’s unable to go on about his day like he usually does- he stutters in his insults, his attention drifting back towards you and he’s less than pleased with it all. He’s never used to actually developing feelings for someone and when you came to confess to him, it caught him off guard. He’s unable to tell whether he actually has romantic feelings for you or not.

The next few days consist of Katsuki in his own mind, trying to figure out the feelings that he does have for you. He would rather not leave you in the dark especially when you had the courage to actually confess to him. He walks up to you, calling for your attention and when you meet his eyes, he tells you that he’ll take you out on a date- something simple- enough for him to gauge his feelings for you.

Dabi:

Dabi is a hard individual to read and interact with. He puts on a stoic demeanor, trying to act as if he’s unbothered by the people around him, but he isn’t. He’s crude with his words, not bothering to mince them, self-assured despite how his quirk hurts him, passive-aggressive, making snide comments and grinning widely at the misfortune of others. He’s a being who tries so hard to appear to not care, but the truth is, he cares deeply about those around him, but his views and passions are brighter than his emotions.

Confessing to the cremation villain is easy. He likes being alone for most of the time, retreating to his room and if you were to follow him and request entry, he’d more than likely allow you. When you do so, he only shouts back with an “it’s open” and the door squeaks as you push it open. He raises his hand in a greeting and returns his attention to a magine, the thin pages pressed between his fingertips. When you call his name, he gives you his full attention, arms spread and legs extended, the magazine closed without a bookmark to return him.

It’s surprisingly easy to confess when there are no distractions around. He takes your confession with consideration. His eyes wide and head tilting, only for his features to morph into a wicked grin. He’ll humor you, tell you okay and when you can huff with a disappointed look, he waves his hand away. Once you’re gone, his smile quickly falls, his hand dragging down his face and his head knocking against the wall behind him.

You like him- that’s certainly something new. He isn’t entirely sure of the feelings he has towards you. He rubs his thumb and index finger together, trying to figure out what he does feel about you. He doesn’t want to string you along and give you any false sense of hope. Yet, he’s hardly aware of his own feelings towards you. While he prefers to be alone, he does enjoy spending his time with you and has the habit of trying to impress you when you two are out on mission together. Perhaps it is something akin to a crush or an emotion that mimics yours.

Time passes for him to actually gather his thoughts and feelings into something cohesive. However, during that, he has to avoid you and while that is less than pleasant, he needs to sort out his own feelings first. You were straightforward with him, it’s only right that Dabi confesses to you as you confessed the way to him. He goes to your room, sits beside you and tells you that he also has feelings for you.His eyes are on yours, his hand on his knee with his ring and pinky finger outstretched as if trying to grab your hand.

Shigaraki Tomura:

Tomura isn’t able to gauge feelings well considering he hasn’t had interaction with people other than what All For One allowed near him. He’s a born leader, focused and planning ahead, desperate to be on top. He has a strong will that he set out for himself that makes you believe that he actually has a chance at winning despite the odds. His personality is something painted in gold and you can’t help but want to admire him and want to be with him.

You speak to him in private, hoping that no one else will hear your confession to him. The only thing you can hope for in case of rejection is that he’ll treat you the same. You manage to get him when he’s alone, the door to his closed behind you and you sit beside him, asking him to just listen to what you have to say without interruptions. You tell him that you like him, plain and simple, that you have romantic feelings for him and while he doesn't have to return them, you also wanted to tell him. You don’t mention how you can’t seem to control your beating heart when around him.

New to these types of feelings- especially those that involve something more than friendship or hatred- he’s unsure of how to respond. The silence is enough for you to recognize that he needs to be alone with his thoughts. You pat his knee, telling him that he doesn’t have to respond, but you just wanted to tell him. You give his knee a squeeze and give him a soft smile, standing up and exiting his room, closing the door behind you, leaving a villain alone to fester with their thoughts.

The following days are odd. He’s in a mix between wanting to talk to you and be around you, desperate to figure out what should happen next, but he also wants to avoid you. You left him to fester with his thoughts and he has. It’s a mess of emotions that go on inside of him. He doesn’t know how he feels about you. This group is as close as he’s ever got to friendship and freedom, romance was something completely off the table, discarded and told it was worthless. He’s unsure how to feel about you.

He knows that he likes you, but he isn’t sure if he likes you simply because you’re one of the few who treated him as a person rather than a villain first or if he actually likes you in a romantic sense. Tomura figures he must like you back- he thinks about you constantly, but confessing to you is difficult. But, he doesn’t want you to think of him anything less for being inexperienced with relationships. He comes up to you, his gaze on you, trying not to look away while doing so. He clears his throat, his hand against his neck as he tells you that he does have some sort of feelings for you but that he’s new to anything romantic.

Toga Himiko:

Himiko is an energetic one. She wears her heart on her sleeve, falling for those who have strong hearts and love struck once she does. There’s a lot to like about her- her energy, her excitement, her personality and how she laughs and seems to constantly move when just standing. You were drawn to her, your heart pounding in your chest, and you could only take so much of it before you confessed to her.

Once you confess to her, she is a bit dumbfounded at first. She’ll stare blankly at you for a minute, her head tilted and hands are relaxed as she processes your words. After a moment of silence, she's smiling wide and wrapping her arms around you, her face nuzzling into the crook of your neck. She pulls away, her hands never leaving your body as she comments how happy she is to hear that, and that she returns your feelings. Her lips peck at the corner of your lips, a pink tint dusting across her face as she confirms that you do have feelings for her. She accepts your feelings for her with an open heart, holding your hand tightly and wanting to show off that you two are something more than friends.

After the initial day of feelings being confessed, she’ll avoid you the next day. The night before, she was fine, chatting with you the night before, holding your hand and painting your nails to match hers. The next day, she avoids you. You don't see her in the morning, and nor does anyone else- or at least they merely shrug and mention that she was feeling sick and locked herself in her room.

As a villain, her options for romance are limited and having you confess to her is almost too good to be true. She’s unsure of what to say, of how to even act other than the girl who’s in love. She’ll call for you, shoot you a quick message for you to meet her in her room where she confesses her fears. For once, you see a more serious side of her, her eyes downcast and grin gone, replaced with only a slight frown.

It’s obvious that she likes you as well, returning your feelings, but she’s just so nervous about the relationship- the woulds and the ifs. She wants to be close to you but she also fears that she’ll be too much during it. A reassurance about the relationship moving at a pace comfortable for her calms her worries, her smile gentle and her cheeks tinting with a pink hue. She hugs you tight, her perfume light and sweet like candy as she nuzzles her face into your neck.

[haloshornsinkstains]

25. Moving Day

y/n sighed, tapping her pen against the prison desk as she waited for the last two members of the League to be released. The others had already left with their new housemates, Toga was practically bouncing off the walls when Rumi turned up to collect them, y/n wasn’t sure she’d ever seen the young woman grinning so wide and Rumi of course was preening under the attention. 

“You sure you want these two?”

She looked over towards the sound of the voice, spotting Tomura and Dabi lurking behind the guard. She grinned, nodding firmly. “Unfortunately yes.”

“Ah doll, you’ll hurt my feelings.” Dabi rasped, holding a hand over his chest in mock hurt. “We thought you’d be excited to spend more time with your favourite people.”

Y/n shook her head. “Oh honey, you’ve got a long way to go before you beat the girls to the top of my favourites list. Have you got all your things?”

The guard nodded, retrieving two small bags from behind the front desk and handing them over. Y/n frowned slightly, they really didn’t have much of their own did they? She should have known, but talking to them so often made it too easy to forget how much freedom they had lacked in past years. They’d have to go shopping, she thought, motioning towards the door.

“Well then, what are you waiting for? Unless you want to st-”

Both men nearly collided with her in their haste to get out of the door. Laughing y/n waved goodbye to the guard and followed after them.

“Oi, dumbasses, where do you think you’re going to get to without me? The car is this way.”

As they drove towards y/n’s apartment the boys watched the world go by outside. If y/n noticed just how hard they were gripping the door handles she didn’t say anything, focusing her attention on the road as she wove between cars. Eventually Tomura spoke up from the passenger seat, eyebrows drawn together in a frown.

“You live in this part of town?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, that building over there.” She gestured, ignoring the yelp as the car swerved slightly. “Top floor.”

“You sure that’s safe doll?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” She hummed, turning into the apartment complex parking area.

“Isn’t this part of town… uh…” Tomura frowned again, looking around.

Y/n hummed thoughtfully, guiding the car into a space and parking. “Ah. I get it. You guys weren’t really involved in this bit of the underworld were you? You’ve not got anything to worry about. C’mon, let’s go.”

The two men followed her, both still looking concerned as they made their way up to the top floor of the apartment complex. 

“This is my floor, and this-” she slid her key into a door in the middle of the hallway and pushed it open “is my apartment.”

“Shit doll, how have you not been robbed out here?” Dabi breathed, looking around the spacious apartment.

“Someone tried once, a long time ago. Just once.” She hummed, toeing off her shoes. “Honestly, you don’t need to worry about anyone in this part of town. It’s better than it used to be, and these are my people, they’re good.”

Tomura huffed, prodding at a cushion tentatively. “Sounds too good to be true. Don’t you have any grumpy neighbours who are going to complain about two villains in here?”

“No? This floor is mine.”

Dabi and Tomura looked at each other for a second before turning confused looks back at y/n.

“Before you ask the HCA said you have to stay in my apartment, so you’re stuck with me for now. Feel free to make yourselves at home, the spare room is over there, and there’s a futon in the office there if you don’t want to share...” She trailed off, frowning slightly. “Maybe I should have sorted out a second guest room in here somehow…”

“I have a lot of questions.”

“You sure we can’t sleep with you doll?”

Flustered she shoved them towards the spare bedroom. “I’d expect you to buy me dinner first at least!”

Dabi paused on the way, ducking away from her arm and making his way towards the back wall. “What’s this?”

“Don’t touch.” y/n snapped, darting between him and the katana. “This is the one thing in the apartment you can’t touch.”

With a resigned shrug Dabi nodded, following Tomura into the guest bedroom. Y/n watched them go before turning and clapping her hands together, offering a quick prayer to the katana, and the two photos settled beneath it.

“Don’t take too long, we need to go shopping!”

< previous || Masterlist || next >

- y/n totally forgot that the boys might want separate rooms in all the chaos of work, luckily for her they don't care.

- Dabi and Shigaraki hated shopping. So much. They do have some comfy new clothes now though.

- yes they did pick Macdonald's and sitting by the river over the wide array of nice resturaunts in the area. Sometimes you just have a craving.

Taglist: @denkisclown , @dabi-sunflower , @toshiuwu , @insane-without-delirium , @seashells26 , @im-always-in-need-of-a-nap , @tina-98 , @kiris-bakuho , @beepeoplefromspace , @mmmochi-art  , @galagcica , @unlogical-ella, @bokutosuwus​ , @kusuinko​ , @nao-cchi , @punicorn999 , @ashwontcare , @clubfairy , @myfavoriteficsandsuch

[deadwriter16]

324

Okay now that I've gotten some hours of sleep and gotten my rants and immediate responses out of the way, I wanna actually respond to 324 the way my English teachers wished I did with other books.

I do still think that uraraka could have more roles besides love interest, and I do still wish she could have a speech without focusing on how deku responds to it. BUT, her speech was absolutely wonderful and exactly what both the citizens and deku needed to hear.

I think uraraka and deku have a closer bond than is shown in the anime/manga. there's no way she doesn't know about how much deku was brought down as a kid, about how much he deeply wants to be a hero. she's looking at her best friend and seeing how much it hurts him that he's not seen as a hero anymore, and she wants to repair that. she wants to reassure him that he is still a hero

WHILE showing that to the citizens as well

uraraka has waited over three hundred chapters to finally get her time to shine, her moment, and this is it

she's a symbol of hope, an inspiration. i always thought that deku, bakugou, and uraraka should be the next big three, or at least that uraraka should be part of some bk/dk/ocha trio together. because she has what they both lack, logical hope. deku has too much faith and is rapidly losing that, bakugou never had faith to begin with, but uraraka is a realist who is still filled with hope, and THAT kind of attitude is exactly what people need during such a chaotic time.

uraraka is one of the most emotionally intelligent people in this manga, there's nobody else who could have given this speech and inspired the people the way she did. and while i still wish she could have a non-deku related moment, one where deku supports her and not the other way around, but this speech was of course still wonderful

my main issue is that bakugou got half a chapter of an apology and there's only been radio silence since. i find it hard to have faith that bk/dk will even have a proper talk, but maybe they will. my biggest issue is that the apology was not well-placed, because i feel like it was rushed and now there's no time for deku to respond to it.

honestly all bkg had to say to bring deku home was the second part of his speech, that already means so much to deku after everything they've been through. maybe the apology should have been saved for in private, but i think it was important for bakugou to face everyone while he apologized. i think that maybe he knew the consequences of delivering a rushed apology.

i hope that eventually deku and bakugou will get a chance to really talk about what happened and that apology, and the faithful part of me thinks that things are starting to reach a turning point. there will probably be a few calm transition chapters, and hopefully it's then that deku and bakugou will talk, and deku can respond to the apology and they can just...communicate.

i hope they get to once everything calms down, once uraraka inspires the citizens and makes them let deku be. uraraka is one of the most important people in deku's journey, and I'm glad she finally gets to be a part of it again after so many chapters. i also hope she gets more moments to herself like her fights with bkg and toga, like her part in the overhaul arc.

in summary: not my favorite chapter, but definitely still a great one. uraraka has been so underrated this whole time, so underused. im so glad she gets to rally people and inspire them like this. im so glad she's finally getting to really become the symbol of hope.