#i should make a proper reference so im not relying on screenshots to get their vitiligo down properly

[thats-a-lot-of-cortisol]

My tablet's almost out of battery so I can't keep working on my Solace sketch page so here's the only drawing that's cooperated with me so far ft. a pinterest t-shirt

[filipinoizukuu]

Hey! I'm making a meta on bakudeku proof and i was wondering if you could help! I have a lot of subtext proof (like the looks and reading into kacchans 'complaints' about deku) but not a lot of actual text proof? I was wondering if you had any evidence of bakudeku being romantic you could cite so I can add it to my meta? I'm working through the manga right now but stuff from the light novels is appreciated also! Please and thank you!

oh man evidence of bakudeku being romantic... its a bit of a vague request but i'll try my best!! my thoughts are kinda fast and messy so this is also me trying to organize it for myself so this might end up being a bit of a meta post in and of itself, so brace yourselves lol

as much as i joke about it... its hard to say definitively that any relationship in mha that is not already confirmed is inherently "romantic-coded". as for student relationships, the furthest we get is uraraka's crush (which, to many people, seems less like the final love interest with full devotion and more like those petty crushes you develop in highschool like most teenagers do).

i wont really use tropes as "canon proof" bc mha isn't really like most shonen animes i've seen and horikoshi... for lack of better words, is better off writing romance when he isn't consciously trying to. (no offense if somehow by some god given reason, sensei is reading this. you have many many other talents, sir.)

thing is... there about absolutely no canon mha relationships that get enough screen time for reference. If they do, they are likely to be portrayed as 'incomplete', unhealthy, or as a gag. because of this, i couldn't really find a way to match the standards of what constitutes as "romantic" in mha's canon.

so i ended up googling what makes a good romance.

first of all, looking at all the things that make up what a proper "romance" would be, I guess its important to start at the core elements. Every 'good and well-written' relationship at its core should have trust, respect, concern, and of course... love.

we know that bkdk trust and respect each other. we go as far as to say that they care for each other and look up to each other.

Deku's an open book. He's always adored Katsuki since the beginning and has told us time and time again that he's his hero. As time went on, we know that Deku's come to severely care for Katsuki (that Kamino scream, anyone?) and trust him even with the secret All Might made him swear not to tell anyone.

As for Bakugou, a lot of his character development has been marked by milestones in his relationship with Deku. The greatest reminder throughout the series of his past misgivings and flaws was his relationship with Deku. In improving and working through his history with Izuku, we see a lot of major indications like Katsuki slowly being able to trust and rely on Deku--as well as care for him and deeply know him.

i dont have screenshots on hand bc im like. in class rn but heres a good comp.

- hand-holding parallels

- deku's kamino scream (+ "give him back"/"deku dont come"

- both dvks

- "it's okay if its you"

- "i couldn't imagine a world without kacchan"

- ch 284-285

- black whip's reveal and black whip training

- "atonement"

- bkgs distrust for all might

these are the ones i think have the most er. "romantic"...? implications!! im not really sure what else to say about this topic because i dont believe any of these things can definitively code bkdk as romantic because of how "finnicky" the standards of a canon romance are in MHA which makes it very poor for me to write meta on!! hope this helps <3