#mirio is quirkless

[delawaredetroit]

After seeing Mina leap into action in an emergency, Kirishima felt discouraged but still had UA listed as his first choice for high school. He hadn't given up his hero dream yet.

It was only after Kirishima heard about another middle schooler jumping into action to save a classmate even without a quirk that he crossed out UA. Some people think of this moment as Kirishima being inspired by Izuku. But at least at first, this interpretation isn't supported by the text.

When it was just Mina beating him to the punch, he could chock it up to Mina being an ideal hero for modern society anyway. He could justify it by thinking "well not being faster than someone like her doesn't mean I'm not hero material too."

But then, a presumably quirkless kid had the guts to save someone when Kirishima could not. There were no excuses to make after knowing that. It forced Kirishima to reckon with the fact that he was weak in spirit. As much as Kirishima declared that quirks don't matter, in truth they did matter to him. Izuku going against the grain during the sludge incident demonstrated to Kirishima how complacent he was in his own assigned role and he felt ashamed.

Kirishima's view of Izuku (while not knowing it was about Izuku) was similar to Izuku's feelings about Mirio. It was not inspiration: it was discouragement. They felt they couldn't measure up to Izuku or Mirio either in spirit or in talent and almost gave up on their dreams as a result.

On another note, here are several other reasons Kirishima and Bakugou became fast friends. Kirishima thought of the moment in Bakugou's life that Bakugou was most ashamed of (until Kamino) as manly. Kirishima and Bakugou both felt insecure about people who embody this idea of a strong heroic spirit because at some level they both knew they lacked this trait in themselves early on in the series.

[alumi-san]

I wish Mirio stayed quirkless. He and Izuku could be quirkless hero besties/siblings together

[bnha-more-like-bnh-gay]

Got a new prompt for you! 😁

10 year old Mirio goes to the park and spots 6 year old Izuku getting ganged up on and bullied. Mirio ain't having none of that shit and immediately swoops in and saves Izuku.

The two get to talking and Mirio is immediately enamored by the cute kid who so desperately wants to be a hero who saves people with just his smile and presence, just like All Might, even though he's quirkless. Mirio reassures Izuku that he absolutely can be a quirkless hero, and that he believes in Izuku (which immediately results in the park being absolutely FLOODED by Izuku's happy tears).

Mirio basically adopts Izuku as his little brother and helps him achieve his dream. Dadzawa eventually helps Izuku with physical training. Dadmic and Auntnight help Izuku with his confidence (as well as cultivating a dramatic flair so that no one look away and dismiss him).

Izuku eventually becomes an absolute terror, and Mirio could not be prouder of his baby bro.

Okay, I had literally spent over 2 hours writing for this and then my phone kicked me out of the app and they all got deleted, so I am absolutely fucking DEVASTATED RIGHT NOW

Literally sat there for a minute contemplating life

But holy fuck, I love this so much

Big bro mirio

Sunshine brothers

I will try to make this as much like the original as I can, because I was actually really happy with it and I want to SCREAM

But I can’t. This is fine. I’m so normal and not bound by eccentricities at allllll

Kaachan had been mean to him for a while now, even more he found out about his quirk, but once they all found out that little izuku was quirkless, it was tenfold.

Kaachan had also taken to being mean to the other kids too though! And izuku didn’t like that at all! Heroes were supposed to help people, right? So, that’s exactly what he’d do!

Even though the other kids didn’t like him anymore.

Even though kaachan had a bunch of other kids on his side, and had a quirk, and izuku was small for his age

So, izuku spent a lot of his time running away from kaachan, but that was okay! At least he got the attention away from the other kid! And he was getting really fast! That’s a great trait for a hero to have!

Izuku did often get lost in his thoughts though, and he didn’t notice the bigger kid standing in his path. Until he ran into him, that is

:(( he’d be so apologetic and scared :((

Mirio is confused, but makes sure to tell the kid that it’s okay and try and help him relax!

Eventually though, kaachan and his friends (not really friends, but I feel weird calling 6 year olds lackies)

.

..

…

Eventually though, kaachan and his ✨henchmen✨ caught up to izuku and the boy he ran into

Bakugou starts his whole monologue of how great he is, and how izuku is never going to amount to anything, and his general douchebagary (I do recognize the irony of me not calling 6 year olds lackies but still calling them douchebags. My moral compass is clear to no one but myself)

Izuku expects the older boy to just walk away or to agree with kaachan. What he doesn’t know, is that mirio is going to be a hero, and that heroes do not stand for bullies!

So, he tells him that he’s not acting very heroic

Kaachan goes into his whole “i’M gOinG tO bE tHe #1 hErO AnD sUrpAsS aLl MiGhT-“

But mirio just makes an executive decision to take himself and the little green boy out of the situation

Bakugou, of course, yells at them for ignoring him and whatnot, but mirio is not bothered

Izuku, however, is shook tm

No one had ever ignored kaachan before! Or stood up for him! Or told kaachan that he was anything other than a hero! Who was this boy???

He’s togata mirio!

Izuku tries to defend the explosive boy, because really, what else do you expect a child who’s spent year being told how great this kid is to do

But mirio simply asks if heroes are supposed to bully or be mean to others

No, of course not!

So, why should kaachan be allowed to?

It take Izuku a little while to process this, but he does soon come to realize that katsuki’s actions aren’t that of a hero, and that he is really just a bully

Mirio has a little brother now

Sorry, @ his parents, you’ve got a new pseudo son!

Inko is more than happy with this arrangement, and accepts her new son with open arms

Izuku explains that kaachan and his ✨henchmen✨ always pick on him because he’s quirkless. He expects mirio to agree with them and say that he is a deku. Or to at least just leave him there

But mirio is a child of quality tm

So, he tells him that there is no reason to bully someone! Especially over something so silly! Especially over something that they can’t even control! And that izuku is not a deku! That he can be a great hero if he wants to be!

Needless to say, izuku cries

8 years later and mirio still thinks izuku has a tears quirk because the park was practically flooded

Yo, kinda sad when some 8 year old is nicer than any teacher you’ve had, but we’ll focus on that later

Anyway <3

Mirio introduces izuku to his friend, tamaki!

They’re both riddled with anxiety, but mirio is always glad to reassure them!

Izuku is also a great help with tamaki’s confidence! And both mirio and tamaki always listen to izuku’s quirk theories!

Soon, mirio and tamaki start training for UA! Mirio starts teaching izuku what they’re learning too!

Izuku is a fast learner, and he loves to watch mirio train and add ideas here and there! Mirio is so proud of his brother, he’s so smart!

Izuku is also proud of his brother! He’s so strong!

Mirio calls izuku, “little hero”

I do make the rules and I enforce them.

I do realize that this could also sound condescending, and I’m pretty sure some villains do refer to izuku as, “little hero” so I just love the image of izuku being like, “jokes on you, my brother calls me that and I take it as a compliment”

Izuku is very sneaky. I know this in my soul. He is clumsy, yes. But when he needs to be, he is very sneaky.

The celebration when mirio and tamaki get their UA acceptance letters😭😭😭

They make a new friend there too, nejire! She thinks izuku is adorable and loves when he analyzes her quirk!

Kaachan and the teachers are still assholes, but izuku is going to prove them wrong

And now, he’s going to prove all might wrong too!

After his first meeting with the sludge villain, and after kaachan being even more of an ass today, and after all might telling him he couldn’t be a hero without a quirk? Izuku has had one hell of a day. And he is feral on a good day.

Surprise to his family, but he’s also been training with knives!

I just think feral izuku deserves to have a feral glint in his eye, and run like a mad man towards a villain while holding a knife, all while kaachan, who has bullied him for over a decade, watches in terror and confusion (my sibling drew a picture of this for our au, and it is very dear to my heart)

So. Mirio and inko are HORRIFIED ONCE THEY SEE THE NEWS, OH MY GODS, IZUKU, ARE YOU OKAY? WHERE IS HE? WHAT’S GOING ON? WHAT-

So, they try to call him, but he’s busy talking with all might, who offers him OFA!

But, izuku is nothing if not determined, and he is going to prove everyone wrong and become a hero his way!

All might apologizes for his earlier actions and tells him that he can’t wait to see izuku become a wonderful hero!

When izuku gets home, inko immediately calls mirio, who shows up faster than he really should have? Are you okay? Did you steal a car?

Let’s not worry about that 

They do make izuku go to the hospital because when a sludge villain inhabits your body, you get checked out by a medical professional. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Kaachan is still an asshole, but leaves him alone a little bit after that.

Time goes on, training continues, mirio, tamaki, and nejire are doing great at UA, and HOLY SHIT, IS THAT ALL MIGHT TELLING IZUKU THAT HE GOT ACCEPTED INTO CLASS 1-A?!

Izuku tells mirio and his mother about how nice Uraraka was to give him some of her points????? Someone was nice to him. He’s emotional.

Me too, kid

But he hopes that they’re in the same class!

They are!

Sadly, so is kaachan.

Eraserhead is their teacher, holy shit

Also, let it be known that mirio tells mic that, after the entrance exam, izuku talked about mic nonstop for a solid week. Mirio brings this up when he, izuku, and mic are all in the same room too. Mic and midnight both think it’s adorable

At the quirk assessment test thingy (QAT), people are kinda like, “hey, hey, green kid, what’s your quirk? Why aren’t you using it? What’s up?” And he tells them that it’s a surprise

He doesn’t use it the whole time and they’re all confused

Bakugou ruins his fun and tells them all that he’s quirkless. What he doesn’t expect, is for all of them to be impressed and supportive

Izuku cries and Shouto theorizes that he isn’t quirkless, and that his quirk is actually about his ability to cry

Across the school, Mirio senses someone else recognizing his brother’s hidden quirk

Mineta doesn’t exist.

Bakugou gets expelled. (WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN AFTER HE TRIES TO BLOW IZUKU UP ON THE SECOND DAY OF CLASS?!)

All is right with the world

Oh shit, villains are at the USJ and mirio’s feral, accident prone baby brother is being attacked and he only found out because some kid with engines in his legs ran back to campus and had a panic attack

Poor Iida :(

But they get everyone back! Eraserhead and izuku are a little worse for wear, but they’re alive!! Huzzah!!

Aizawa decides that he likes this feral child even though he is a problem child

Fine, because he is a problem child

*mic sits smugly in the corner*

He’d be filling out the adoption forms right now had he not seen what a lovely woman inko was.

He still has the forms, but don’t tell anyone

I’ve said it several times, but izuku and mic start a JSL club. Mirio is very proud of his brother, and is the first to join

He already knows some because izuku is hard of hearing, but now he has structured learning!

Mic and midnight 10000% dub them the sunshine brothers

Shouto asks if they’re brothers

Izuku says that they are

Izuku is the feral gremlin of UA and class a loves him

Shinsou and Shouto: “I’m not here to make friends”

Izuku: :)

Mirio, knowing how this will end: :)

Aizawa, knowing that his problem child sees right through this: *sigh*

Mic, knowing that his little listener is going to be best friends with them: :D

Midnight, knowing this kid could demolish the world if he wanted to: :))))

Inko, sensing that she’s going to have two new sons soon: :)

Anyway. They’re friends now :)

Ah, Hosu.

Aizawa had hope that Iida would remain a responsible figure in class.

That goes out the window when he is told that three of his students are in the hospital because two came to aid him when he tried to commit premeditated murder

Mic is stressed when his husband has to go to Hosu to collect their child and his friends.

Inko is horrified when she hears that her son got caught up with the hero killer, but is also so proud of her chaotic gremlin

Nobody is supposed to tell mirio what happened, but Shouto thinks that izuku’s brother should know

He is later asked what he told his siblings, and only then does he realize he never did tell them.

He tells them later, “during the internships, my friends and I fought stain. Not endeavor.” And then spends the next hour trying to calm Fuyumi down, but really just makes her more stressed.

He tried.

I’m so sorry, fuyumi

“Why didn’t you tel us sooner?!”

“Well, I tried to fight the police officer after he told us we couldn’t tell-“

“YOU FOUGHT A POLICE OFFICER??”

“Did you win?”

“NATSUO!”

“Midoriya held me back”

“THANK KAMI-“

“Damn”

Midnight pseudo adopts Shouto

I need you to know this.

She sees this sarcastic, oblivious little shit and snatches him up

Mirio is so happy that his brother has so many friends TwT

The entirety of class A + some in class B and mei and shinsou love him and he gained two fathers and an aunt

The sunshine brothers soon adopt a sister!

Eri!

Kirishima, tsuyu, Uraraka, and nejire are also now able to witness izuku going completely feral!

It’s great

A lovely bonding experience!

But yes, new sibling acquired!

They are now the sunshine siblings or the sunshine three, thank you mic

Inko loves her new daughter

Mic and midnight (and Aizawa, but he’d never admit it) both have separate folders on their phones for pictures of the three of them together. Tokoyami never thought you could see serotonin, but after seeing one of the pictures of the sunshine siblings all smiling at the camera after making each other flower crowns and getting candy apples, he admits that he has been proven wrong

This wasn’t as good as the first one, but I still hope you like it!!!!!! This prompt made me so happy 😭😭😭

found family >>>>

[stillness-in-green]

Chapter Thoughts — Chapter 386: I Am Here

Sorry for the lateness on this one, folks. This time it was less Life Happening and more trying to sculpt all of my many, many words about All Might and his mech suit into something at least kind of coherent. I've got a few asks and a meme I got tagged in I'm hoping to get posted before the next chapter, fingers crossed.

Hit the jump!

On “Everyone’s on their last legs” and “No heroes can possibly make it in time.”:

O  I have…  Some issues with these claims.  Let me take the latter one first.

No one can make it in time?  Really?  Iida is being tasked with running across a third of the country in under ten minutes.  Gigantomachia’s ludicrous turns of speed are well-documented.  Okay, Machia’s incapacitated and Iida’s got something else to do, but even setting aside the two of them, Miss Joke turned up at the Villain Cave mere moments after La Brava determined Skeptic’s location because she and the Ketsubutsu kids “happened to be nearby.”  Lady Nagant managed to get from Central Hospital to within firing range of UA, well over a hundred miles away, in what absolutely cannot have been more than two or three minutes.  The supersonic American jets are still perfectly intact, too.

Distance between combatants has been a laughable nonissue for the heroes for this entire fight, but now we’re supposed to believe that travel time presents any sort of problem?

Further, the claim, “Everyone’s on their last legs” is certainly interesting, in that it rather strongly suggests that the villains are winning, or at least doing so much damage that even when they finally lose, it leaves the heroes who were facing them with no energy to relocate.  Like, the travel time is an issue, but it doesn’t seem to be the primary issue; it’s not the one that’s brought up first.  The one that’s brought up first, and twice, is that there’s no one in good enough shape for it.

And like, really?  No one at all?  None of the heroes at Machia’s containment facility, who should all be free at this point?  No one at the arena fight where all the non-important villains were teleported?  No one at the parking lot fight?  No one at all?

Certainly it would be nice to believe that the villains at the other combat locations around the country are doing so well, but that sure hasn’t been reflected in the story thus far, which has been pretty insistent about heroes rather efficiently mopping things up everywhere but the AFO and Shigaraki fights.

I would like to take this as confirmation that Shiragiri did indeed dump a bunch of Himijins on more battlefields than just U.A. and Gunga, but we didn't see any at Kamino, so what gives?

 

On Dabi’s Immolation and the Evac Boxes:

O  On the one hand, I really like the idea that Dabi is about to destroy himself because of the Phosphor move he copied from Shouto.  It’s incredibly thematically sound!

Touya drove himself to destruction because he was trying to overtake his baby brother in their father’s eyes, despite not having a body type that can perform the types of moves said baby brother can.  Shouto has learned to balance both sides of himself, has spent the whole series trying to come to terms with both the parents he inherited his dual elements from, while Dabi remains focused exclusively on his father’s fire, with absolutely zero concern for his ice side/his mother’s perspective/balance in the family.[1]  Dabi is accumulating heat because he was never trained in how to turn that heat down and isn’t about to start now.  Dabi is on a path that will destroy he himself (again) and destroy his family without intervention that Endeavor doesn’t know how to give.

Also, it’s just really great art of Dabi in general, dramatic tool (affectionate) that he is.

On the other hand, lololol imagine trying to convince readers that the police and their magic sensor machines can accurately predict when Dabi is going to explode.  Dabi!  The guy who survived for over ten years when Ujiko gave him less than a month to live!  And who lived those ten years not even taking it easy, but obsessively training himself with the fire that was supposed to kill him!  But sure, now we’re supposed to really buy that lifespan outlooks are going to be so very reliable.  Okay, BNHA, whatever you say.

O  It is entirely lost on me why Gun Head (no longer occupied with Bowl Cut spy dude, I see) thinks people would be less safe in the metal box that is quite some distance underground than they would be right at the surface when a 5km wide fire bomb set to “burn everything off the map” goes off.  Maybe the idea is to just manually run and try to get out of range?  But there are dozens of people in that box, including elderly and children.  5km is a bit over three miles—call it a mile and a half radius, then.  How fast could you run a mile back in Phys Ed, and would you want your grandmother or baby sibling to have to match that time to avoid being killed in a catastrophic inferno?

Granted, Dabi may or may not be right on top of them, but even if they’re towards the edge of the range, 5km is given as the distance at which everything will be “wiped off the map”—the damage is going to be reduced beyond that range, but it isn’t going to just cut off in a perfect circle!  Also too, if Tsukauchi is right and Dabi did get information from Skeptic, he might well be right on top of them!  He has been chasing Endeavor through the woods for several chapters now—perhaps he knew the spot he was aiming for?[2]

On the other hand, there are already pieces of the ceiling falling and taking out chunks of the interior structures, so maybe the reasoning here is that if they stay, they run a chance of the whole thing collapsing on them and burying them alive?  I dunno; I assume the real reason for getting people above ground is to facilitate the long overdue full Todofam reunion, but good lord, if what’s happening on the surface is so bad that it’s doing this underground, how could it possibly be safer to send people right up into whatever’s causing that damage?

O  Of course, it’s fairly ridiculous to begin with that Dabi’s anywhere near one of these escape routes.  As @itsnothingofinterest pointed out here, the heroes had complete control over where they set these battles.  Why, other than the meta reason that it would be better for the battles to be set in places the audience would recognize, were any of them set anywhere near an evacuation route?

This becomes particularly egregious when you look at the battle map volume extra and realize that all of these combats are happening in a roughly horizontal band across the central, southern parts of the country.  Why not move any of them north or much farther west?  Also too, once those locations are chosen, why send any of those escape cubes on routes that would pass nearby?  The cubes look basically as crowded as a random street scene—people gathered up in clumps in some areas with a lot of empty space in others—so why not just put more people in cubes that are headed on northerly routes?

I’m looking forward to the reunion, don’t get me wrong, but the seams are showing in ways that, taken at face value in-universe, reflect very poorly on the heroes.

 

On All Might, Quirklessness, and a Fight With AFO:

O  GOSH THIS ALL MIGHT QUIRKLESS STUFF.  Yes, even a quirkless person can be a hero, at least as long as they have millions of yen to burn on transforming mech suits!!!

And okay, maybe that’s reductive; I can see an argument that the point here is that even quirkless people can use what resources they have available to help!  Except that All Might is, by any measure, incredibly wealthy and influential because of the 30+ years he spent being the number one hero with the most powerful quirk in the world.  He has access to resources that no random quirkless kid—certainly not middle school Deku!—could hope to match!  His mech suit car thing is basically a souped-up support item, and support items are strictly, intensely regulated, such that only two categories of people are allowed to utilize them at all.

One category of people is irrelevant for this discussion: people whose quirks interfere with their everyday life.  If you don’t have a quirk at all, obviously you can’t get cleared for a support item through this method!

The other category, of course, is heroes.  Could a quirkless kid get access to support items that way?  Well, Deku seemed to believe, back in Chapter 1, that U.A. allows quirkless people to take its hero course entrance exam; hypothetically, then, a quirkless kid who got into a hero school would then be able to access support items to use in hero work.  However, since they wouldn’t have that access until after passing the exam, they’d have to pass the exam with nothing but their own abilities.

Has that ever happened?  Well, no—Deku clearly stated that there was no precedent.  That implies that it’s not allowed at most schools—or has only become allowed very recently—and that, even at schools that do allow it, there’s never been a quirkless person who’s been able to pass an exam.  Not at U.A., apparently not anywhere.

And that’s not really a surprise.  Diminishing the agency and potential of quirkless people so thoroughly that they lose confidence in themselves is a well-established pattern!  Mirio handily proves that a quirkless person with the right advantage—in his case, his training in Nighteye’s fighting style—is more than capable of facing down a threat even well-trained heroes would struggle against.  Yet Mirio was still either allowed or required to withdraw from hero courses after losing his quirk.

I suspect it’s the same with support items: the right tool could make all the difference in the right hands, but if those hands are quirkless, no one bothers to give them the training or tools that would make that difference, nor do they themselves believe it’s even worth trying.[3]  You see how that works?  Quirkless people need support items to be heroes, but only heroes are allowed access to support items.

Remember, All Might himself said that it was a bad idea to rely on support items, especially if they’re such a central part of one’s persona/skill set that losing them would be cause for hopelessness.  Even if he’s changed his mind since, it’s easy to imagine that that sentiment as being the party line on why quirkless people can’t use support items to become heroes: they’d be so reliant on them that they’d be “helpless” without them.[4]

With all that in mind, how exactly does All Might’s decision to face AFO in a mech suit like nothing the average quirkless person would ever have access to have any bearing on Deku’s question about quirkless people becoming heroes?

O  I note, too, that this is all framed around the idea of “a quirkless person becoming a Hero,” and very much not about the idea of a civilian, quirk or no quirk, stepping up to take heroic action when necessary.  We’ll get some of that in the next chapter, which is nice, but also very tied up in familial responsibility and parental duty, which is not equivalent to a stranger helping another stranger because they’re there and capable of stepping up.  Stepping up with no power was framed as admirable when Deku did it, but his reward was not validation that quirkless people could be Heroes after all, but rather the gift of his very own quirk.  Likewise, All Might stepping up is framed as admirable here, but it doesn’t answer Deku’s question any differently than All Might did the first time.

Back then, he said that, because of the dangers of the heroic career, only people with power can become Heroes.  All this scene does is expand the definition of power to include mechanical augmentation that no one but a Hero would be able to access anyway.  From the first chapter to today, the story is still telling us that being a Hero requires power beyond what a normal person can muster.

A reminder of how this issue reflects on another bedrock problem the narrative is presenting: if only Heroes are allowed to step up and make a difference, then Tenko is still walking.

O  Because of how incredibly faulty I find the attempted callback to the question of quirkless Heroes, I’m torn about how I want All Might and AFO’s fight to go.  On the one hand, I wouldn’t mind seeing AFO kick All Might’s ass for the sophistry of answering Deku’s Chapter 1 question with a mech suit!  He could also defy All Might’s expectations and just fly on by, and that would be funny!  On the other hand, there are a lot of good narrative reasons for AFO to, firstly, be tempted into stopping here to fight, and, secondly, lose.  

There are several arguments I can see for that, many based in the concept of him being influenced by Shigaraki:

AFO cultivated Shigaraki’s hatred of All Might, carefully encouraging it for years for the sole purpose of stealing OFA.  He only ever intended to use it as a tool; for that purpose, he intentionally warped his ward’s psyche.  It’s karmically appropriate, then, that that wrongdoing plays into his undoing, with the hatred he created becoming a trap he can’t escape.

AFO making bad decisions based on emotions he can’t handle underscores the idea of Tomura’s willpower overpowering VFO.  Shigaraki’s strong hatred was too strong for the vestige to handle, and merely moving the conflict to AFO’s mind instead of Shigaraki’s doesn’t change the outcome.  (I also like that AFO falling more under Tomura’s influence reverses the progression that we saw in Jakku, of AFO’s influence gradually overcoming Shigaraki.)

Shigaraki’s hatred spreading down the mental link is a keen parallel to his Decay being able to spread to things beyond what he directly touches.  Shigaraki destroys VFO; VFO is connected to AFO; guess what happens to AFO?

If All Might could beat AFO but get his suit taken out in the process, that would leave the rest of this story to the next generation, and it would be about goddamn time. 

O  Some of those points are in opposition to points that could be made in favor of AFO’s victory, though more in the sense of both being valid points rather than one being a counterargument that defeats the other.

For example, the idea of leaving the story to the next generation works if you believe that Shigaraki should be the final boss.  I do, fiercely, but plenty of other people believe just as strongly that the last fight should be Deku (+/- Shigaraki) vs. AFO.

Likewise, there’s an argument that AFO will win here because the story has set up the idea that he has to give his quirk factor to Shigaraki, so it has to follow through on that plot thread.  A fair point, but you could also say that we already saw Shigaraki defeat VFO and there’s no point in retreading that if the outcome will just be the same, so instead, we have Shigaraki’s hatred/will overcome AFO right here and now, resulting in him getting into a fight he can’t afford to waste time having with All Might.

…One argument I don’t have a counter for is that if a mech suit is all it takes to defeat Prime AFO, why didn’t Hero Society just do that decades ago?  But I suppose Prime AFO wasn’t on a rapidly depleting life timer, so All Mech doesn’t need to be able to decisively defeat him, so much as just stall him.

O  Some of those points are also banking on the AFO/Shigaraki mental bond having overcome the complication of distance.  I mentioned that last time, so to elaborate slightly: in 340, All Might says that the minimum separation they need wrt AFO and Shigaraki is ten kilometers—a little under six-and-a-quarter miles.  The distance from the villa to the spot where U.A. was, meanwhile, is closer to one hundred miles.  Given how much Hawks and company had been managing to stall and delay, shouldn’t the distance at which AFO started mentioning his other self's influence still have been too great for their mind link (and thus, presumably, Shigaraki’s emotions) to be in effect? Pretty sure the characters would have mentioned it if AFO had managed to get that close all the way back circa Machia's arrival!

In that light, it’s interesting that there’s a conflict between what All Might says—that Shigaraki’s influence is what’s making AFO unable to suppress his negative emotions—and what the narration box says—that, according to Hawks’ report, the de-aging process is the culprit.  I don’t know if anything will come of that discrepancy—Hawks has to be guessing, but when was the last time Hawks actually guessed wrong about anything?—but it might be worth pointing out anyway, in case it’s relevant to the theories about AFO having impulse control problems because of his quirk.  Maybe All Might and AFO are just wrong about what’s going on in AFO’s brain!

(Note that a much simpler possibility is that splitting up AFO and Shigaraki was never about their mental link but simply about separating the enemy's two most dangerous combatants. The mental connection is mentioned, but it's not the sole cause for concern. But if that's the case, why mention such a specific distance as ten kilometers, instead of just trying to get them as far apart as possible? If them joining up at all is the problem, the distance is immaterial. So what else can the 10km be if not the maximum range of the mental connection?)

 

Odds & Ends:

O This is a really damn good sentiment that I wish the story would delve further into by letting its characters actually express more doubt.  Like, fair’s fair, neither Shouto nor Uraraka have managed to cinch a victory against Dabi or Toga when their actions haven’t matched their desires—squaring up for combat when they want a more peaceable resolution.  However, given that the full extent of doubt we’ve seen is Uraraka and Deku discussing, “Hmm, maybe I’m not feeling so great about beating the shit out of someone I have recently begun to suspect is a human person with human emotions.  But maybe I’m just a big weirdo and I should forget all about that,” it’s pretty, uh, basic?  Maybe we could take more than baby steps, is what I’m getting at here.

(Also, I note harboring that kind of doubt sure as shit doesn’t stop Deku from punching seven kinds of shit out of Shigaraki as long as he can still tell himself it’s AFO in control.  So, you know, he’s doing just fine on the victory front so far, doubts and all.)

O  Shouto’s emotional “stiff upper lip while his lower lip is going all wobbly from All Might praising him” face is cute.

O  Iida clonking Shouto with his mask is also cute.  But also, given that the distance is around two hundred miles—so Iida covering that distance in ten minutes will have him moving at roughly 1200mph—I can’t help but feel like it ought to take more than a face mask to protect someone who isn’t built for speed like Iida is from the wind intensity.

O  I think a lot of people assume the “wayward child” Iida is referring to is Shouto, and that’s a fair interpretation, but given how much Shouto wants to find some way to come to terms with his brother, it’s really far more Touya who’s gone astray.  Preventing that explosion means saving Dabi too, after all, so I think it’s maybe a bit more resonant if Iida is referring to the elder brother there.

O  I say this in complete sincerity: Hawks clutching Tokoyami is a good, emotive panel.  I also say this in complete sincerity: I dearly hope some Himijins catch up to them, STAT.

O  Stain must have either immersion-breakingly superb hearing or an in on the police line if I’m expected to believe he could hear Shouto and Iida’s conversation well enough to render a value judgement on it from the distance he’s at.  Maybe he’s just making some assumptions, since I trust he’s seen the Dabi broadcast like everyone else in the world at this point and thus can draw some basic conclusions from Dabi leaving via warp and Iida picking up Dabi’s brother piggyback-style.

O  Speaking of Iida and Shouto leaving, I notice we got no input from Burnin’ this week or last.  She was still standing last we saw her, so where’s she gotten to?  Maybe she’s getting medical attention for Kido and Onima?  We haven’t seen them since Dabi was doing a very good impression of burning them alive.

I will be shocked if Dabi managed to off a named character of greater significance and personal import to him than Snatch.  Pleased, too—as I’ve said before, Dabi’s firepower gets talked up way too much for how ineffectual it tends to be in terms of concrete, lasting consequences, and I can think of no better candidates to correct that than one or two of Endeavor’s sidekicks.  They certainly don’t deserve to be burned alive, but, well, them’s the breaks when you stand there flapping your gums to a murderous abuse victim about why you personally chose to stand with his abuser.

------------------- FOOTNOTES -------------------

[1] So naturally, he goes and gets ice powers next chapter.  Sigh.  We’ll see how I feel about that when I read the official release and start putting thoughts down in writing.

[2] As, indeed, it turns out he is.  Mind you, typically the person with more control over where a chase goes is the one being pursued, not the pursuer.  Dabi would need to nipping right at Endeavor’s heels to have much ability to turn him in a specific direction, or he’d need to be teamed up with a partner who could also direct Endeavor’s flight.  So it’s actually pretty strange to suggest that Dabi/Skeptic had any hand in this confrontation winding up where it did.  Endeavor is the one who decided to take off in this direction and not veer off in another at any point.  A little more on this topic next time, probably.

[3] You could argue that Deku was an exception to this, but Chapter 1 Deku always comes off to me as someone who was pinning all his hopes on a Hail Mary without even considering his other options.  He wanted to tell himself, At least I tried, but he was already pretty sure he was going to fail, so he wasn’t doing prep he could have been doing to maximize his odds, like exercise, martial arts training, looking into backup schools with easier exams, etc.  I would be entirely unsurprised if Deku didn’t even contact U.A. to see if quirkless people are allowed to test for their Hero Course, or if that was just the earliest hurdle that would have felled him and left him thinking, Well, it didn’t hurt to try.

[4] As if that isn’t true for every hero who ever comes up against a villain that’s a hard counter for their skill set, like all those heroes in Chapter 1 who gave up on even attempting to save Bakugou the moment the “tools” they were reliant on—their quirks—were rendered moot.

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

Chapters: 6/? Fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Midoriya Izuku & Toogata Mirio, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto, Iida Tenya & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku & Uraraka Ochako, Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Inko & Midoriya Izuku, Eri & Midoriya Izuku Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Toogata Mirio, Todoroki Shouto, Iida Tenya, Uraraka Ochako, Shinsou Hitoshi, Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Midoriya Inko, Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), Bakugou Katsuki, Eri (My Hero Academia) Additional Tags: De-Aging Quirk (My Hero Academia), Sort Of, that awkward moment when a quirk accident spits out an entirely distinct younger version of yourself, who absolutely refuses to believe that you're the same person, Izuku meets himself and both versions experience the cain instinct, Quirkless Discrimination (My Hero Academia), Quirkless Toogata Mirio, Toogata Mirio becomes the first quirkless hero and both versions of Izuku are his biggest fan, Quirk Accident (My Hero Academia), Future Fic, Not canon compliant past the Shie Hassaikai arc, Bullying, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Feral Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku is a Little Shit, Parental Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead | Dadzawa, Shinsou Hitoshi Replaces Mineta Minoru, Hurt/Comfort, Age Regression/De-Aging Summary:

Mr. Aizawa breaks the silence first. “Midoriya, why don’t you go up to your dorm?”

[theetwinkleboy]

this right here is why quirkless mirio is my white whale

on that note, my three favorite quirkless mirio fics:

pez dispenser debris: mirio is the first quirkless hero. he and izuku are opening an agency together. also izuku gets hit by a quirk that spawns a child version of him. unfinished but so, so worth it, a+, i read it once then immediately went back to chapter 1 and read it again and cried both times

i’m kinda scared of graduation (‘cause who am i when this is done): izuku and mirio in the hospital. mirio is acting chipper, and izuku calls his bluff

This Is All Temporary: When I tell you this fic made me cry three separate times in 15k words--it's incredible. a day in the life of mirio, whose life is on hold as he waits for his quirk to come back. amazing characterization, beautiful exploration of relationships, just. a wonderful fic

[cartoonfuel]

Mind Games Chapter 4

Chapter 4: I Like Her

See Chapter 1 for trigger warnings, rating, etc.

Added TW: Discussion of suicide

Chapter 5: Imagine It

~~~~~

“Eri wasn’t supposed to be here, originally,” Mirio explained to you, both of you sitting across from one another in chairs. Eri stood next to him, wrapping her arms around one of his biceps. “I was sort of tasked with babysitting.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you responded. “I feel indifferent when it comes to kids. I try not to let my personal experiences with them sway me.”

“Awesome!” Mirio replied, throwing you off a bit. What a wholesome response to your monotone statement. “Eri’s a sweetheart! She’s working on controlling her quirk. Which is something I heard you wished to work on, too, is that right?”

“I’m not really sure.” You had just been brought here. Coming to UA wasn’t much different than being taken to an orphanage against your will, or dragged to an insane asylum for that matter. However, you felt comfortably out of place here at UA. Aside from the Sludge Boy, everyone had been treating you well. Plus, Eri’s constant innocent thoughts kept bringing a small hint of a smile to your face.

She’s so pretty.

Maybe we could be friends.

I wonder what Mirio thinks of her.

I like her.

Why am I so shaky all the time?

Knowing that your quirk might alarm her, you kept her thoughts to yourself. Mirio’s thoughts were rapidly streaming through his mind at a constant pace. Though, one of his thoughts stood out to you:

Would it be easier if I talked to you in my head?

You nodded, quite pleased with his cleverness.

Great! We can get to know each other this way. Can you tell me more about your quirk? I’d love to hear it! Well, think it? I dunno. Have at it! If you’re willing.

You explained your quirk to both him and Eri, surprised to see Mirio’s smile only slightly falter when you began to dive into the current state of your mind. Your quirk had definitely tainted the way you behaved and thought—and you’d be the first person to admit it.

What is the range of your quirk? Like, how far away can you read minds?

“Ten meters,” you replied aloud. “Anyone above, below, or within ten meters of me can’t avoid the effects of my quirk. Although it’s really the other way around. It’s me who can’t escape their thoughts.”

How many thoughts can you hear at one time?

“There’s no limit, as far as I know. Crowds terrify me.”

And your family?

“Gone,” you lied again. “It’s just me.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Mirio said out loud. “Oop! Sorry!”

“It’s fine,” you smirked. “I heard All Might teaches at this school.”

Indeed, he does! Would you like to meet him? I’m sure he’d have wisdom for you!

“Maybe eventually.”

No rush at all! Nezu told me you wanted to meet Izuku. He’s a great kid! I’m not sure how good he is at controlling his thoughts, though.

“Thoughts are hard to control in this world.”

Lots of things are hard to control! Like your quirk, for example! If you’re willing, I’d absolutely love to assist you in learning how to control your quirk!

“What’s your quirk?” you asked. Almost immediately, his smile vanished.

I used to have a quirk called Permeation. I lost it in a recent accident.

You noticed Eri hold onto Mirio just a little bit tighter.

What do you call your quirk?

You sighed. “Growing up, people called it Mindscape.”

All of a sudden, a head peered into the infirmary. It was Izuku Midoriya. “Hi,” he squeaked. After realizing Eri was running towards him for a hug, Midoriya stepped into the room and knelt down on one knee, catching the girl in his arms. “Nezu told me you wanted to meet?”

You shrugged and said, “I mean...I thought it would be cool.”

Speaking of “cool,” Midoriya was not. His thoughts were flying all over the place.

Okay, Izuku. She can read your mind. Which is totally cool but equally freaky! I mean, we’re not sure if we can trust her yet, like Nezu said, so be careful not to think about One For All and—CRAP! CRAP! I just did! I’m an idiot! Okay, calm down, what would All Might do? No, no, too specific. What would a hero do?

“Chill,” you told Midoriya. “I don’t plan on hurting anyone at UA. I don’t have any real motives at all, actually, so I’d deem myself pretty trustworthy.”

Mirio shot Midoriya a glance as if trying to say something without thinking it.

Sheesh, keep yourself together, Midoriya. I can already tell he’s overthinking literally everything.

“Why’d you want to meet me of all people, Aya?” Midoriya asked, walking Eri back over to you. You were beginning to feel frightened by the amount of people in the room now, and Midoriya must have noticed. “Did I say something?”

“No, there’s just a lot of you in here now,” you said, massaging your temples.

Mirio cut in. “Would you like Eri and I to leave?”

“Please.”

“Okay, gotcha!” Mirio stood up, taking Eri’s hand in his. “If you ever want me to train you in the ways of controlling a quirk, let me know! And Midoriya? Can I talk to you in the hallway for a second?” Midoriya nodded.

You watched them all file out of the room, their thoughts overlapping one another.

Is this ten meters away?

Nah, not quite.

Get over here, I think this might be ten meters.

Okay, we’re—

You sat patiently for a few moments, playing with your hair and scanning the room for anything interesting. Eventually, Midoriya entered, looking as awkward as ever.

“Are you acting this nervous because I’m a stranger or because I’m a girl?” you asked him. “Or because of my quirk?”

All of the above?

No, not that. Just—ugh, be honest, Izuku!

She’ll know if you’re lying. Not that I’d lie to her—okay, here goes.

“Because you’re a new face, I guess, and you wanted to see me, and that makes me a little nervous, um—look, I’ll formally introduce myself,” Midoriya chuckled anxiously. “My name’s Izuku Midoriya, but you’re welcome to call me Deku. Or whatever, really. I don’t have a preference!”

“Cool,” you said. “That Eri girl is really cute.”

“Yeah! She kind of reminds me a lot of you,” Midoriya beamed. “You’re both so unsure but so full of potential! You’d make great heroes!”

“If only I wanted to be one.” Before Midoriya could reply, you added to your comment. “What‘s her quirk, anyway? Eri’s?”

“Her quirk is called Rewind. It’s quite powerful, actually.”

“Oh? That’s pretty interesting.”

“Hey...can I ask you something?”

”Shoot.”

”Why don’t you want to be a hero?”

“My quirk is hardly heroic. It’s creepy and harmful to myself and to others.”

Does she really believe that?

“I seriously doubt that,” Midoriya grinned. “You need to be more optimistic about your quirk, Aya. A quirk is a gift.”

“Deku, what if...” you paused, “what if I told you I escaped from an insane asylum of sorts?”

What?!

Nezu didn’t inform me about this!

What do I say?

Does anyone else know this about her?

Crap, crap, crap—

“Calm down,” you said to him, rubbing your tired eyes. Your quirk had an odd way of keeping you awake, yet you felt most at peace whenever you slept. In other words, you were tired all the time. “They refused to provide me with a room away from the other patients. So if you can imagine, I just seemed crazier and crazier. Eventually I left.”

How did...how did she...?

“How did you manage to do that?” Midoriya queried, resting his chin between his thumb and index finger.

“If I’m able to focus enough, my quirk is good at finding out information,” you stated. “Like codes and stuff. Although it’s really hard to do that when you have insane criminals all around you, constantly thinking about murder and other things.”

“Oh, I’m sure.”

“People like that make me want to strangle myself,” you brought your hands to your neck, causing Midoriya to instinctively reach out. You stopped him. “Don’t worry, Deku. I know that if I did that, I’d just start breathing again the moment I go unconscious.”

He gave you a blank stare.

How can she say that with a smile on her face? I mean, I admire the, um, positive attitude, but...yikes.

You took a deep breath. “I know, I know. Sorry to freak you out.”

Midoriya frantically waved his arms around. “No, it’s fine!” His thoughts said otherwise.

This is totally freaky. Should I tell All Might? Or—

“Why would you tell him, Deku?” you asked.

Crap, I need to get out of here before I reveal something like how One For—NO, DAMN IT, IZUKU! Mirio tried to warn you and you’re blowing it!

Midoriya buried his face in his hands.

“No, please don’t leave,” you commented, staring at the floor. “Let me continue.”

“Sure,” Midoriya replied.

“My quirk also functions as a sort of alarm system. If I can hear thoughts, I know there’s someone within ten meters of me.”

Midoriya fist-pumped. “Sounds sneaky! Although ten meters is a long distance to gauge.”

Her quirk is amazing! How could she hate it?

“Deku,” you looked up at him, “I’d like you to picture something.“

“Okay, what is it you have in mind?”

“Imagine you’re enjoying your day. And then all of a sudden, you start to hear voices in your head. First it’s one voice. Then two, then three—all at once. You don’t know who the voices belong to and more keep popping up in your brain. You scream at them to go away, but in return, all you get are blank stares from the public. And then the voices shift focus. Instead of going on about their own day and their own issues, the voices think only about you. They judge you, ask questions, and refuse to leave you alone—even if you try to walk away.” You paused, Midoriya eagerly waiting for you to continue. “That’s my quirk.”

“Interesting,” was all he commented. You thought he was done speaking, but then his mind started going crazy. His mouth began moving faster than his head could think, which was somewhat new to you. “I can definitely see why your quirk might be so disturbing to you and to others. You’ve been judged hard for it in the past, and I’m sure you had a difficult time managing your quirk when it first manifested. She probably thought she was crazy and didn’t realize it was a quirk at all. Or she just lost her mind dealing with the darkness of others’ minds throughout her day on a constant basis.” Was he...muttering? Did he want you to hear this? “Mirio had issues with his quirk to begin with as well. She should start training with him right away! And then there’s—“

You tapped him on the shoulder. “Deku?”

“I’m sorry!” he wailed. “I do that sometimes.”

You laughed. “Hey, is it possible to arrange that?”

“Arrange what?”

“Working with Mirio. And you, too. To improve the effectiveness of my quirk. I’ve decided that would probably be good for me.”

“Of course!” Midoriya shot out of his seat. “I’ll talk to Principal Nezu and Mr. Aizawa about it right away!” Ecstatic, the boy darted out of the room, waving a quick goodbye to you. “It was nice to meet you, Aya!”

“You too, Deku.”

~~~~~

Chapter 5: Imagine It

[thebnha-auhoard]

So what is Cyberbites? {Mirio Fan anon}

HELLO ANON YOU JUST HIT BRAINROT PLACE AKAKAK!

Ahem.

Sorry for the outburst. Anyway! Cyberbites started with the want for the aesthetic and imagery that could be brought to the hero academia world of the punk variety, so for slapping that into our beloved green boy, some drastic things had to be done for him to get away from the Aldera delusion.

A fight with Bakugou is the lead to that, not one of their one sided fight no. Izuku fought and drew blood with his teeth, and so he may have ingested quite a bit of the nitroglycerin like sweat, enough that he was definitely unwell, and Bakugou would know that, he studied what he quirk could do and entail very much, and yet.

Aldera forced both boys to stay, to wait for their parents. When Inko arrived at the school, quicker than any of the fashion entangled of the explosive boy could, all of them could see the moment Izuku passed out, blood pressure too low.

The week past quickly, Izuku is hospitalized and taken out of Aldera Middle school, and with the choice, he chose to conclude his studies via online courses and tests.

Now faced with tremendous freedom of time, Izuku walks, and has time to sink a bit in his rancor and sincerely rage at his society, at the way he was treated.

Did you know, there's a bit of culture in delinquent school gangs fights and the counter it has on the "upright" societal culture?

Did you know that it is Canon that in middle school, Mirio looked a lot like a gang delinquent?

Well, combining all of that, makes Izuku and Mirio meeting very much more spicy and with weight in this au, specially since it is still a fight between the two.

[greyhavensking]

hit the mirio vs. overhaul fight in my rewatch and I’m fucking sobbing. mirio is absolutely one of the most amazing characters in the series and if anyone hates on him they can square up and fight me

[cannibalvillains]

@musehotpot liked for an Overhaul starter with Mirio

" Would you care to explain to me again where exactly you have meet with my daughter? " Chisaki sounded sour as he spoke with the man who'd knocked at his front door. He never let Eri outside unsupervised unless she was commuting to and back from school. He was certain Kurono would have told him had she meet anyone when they were at the park yesterday, unless... ? He'd have to have a word with him. " I don't think I have ever meet you before. "

[cluelylikesporn]

should totally do anything mirio related. I need more mirio content istfg

HII so i'm gonna do some headcanons cuz i feel like it

some sad some random (PLZ GET THE JOKE LMAO)

warnings: nsfw below the cut!! gender neutral reader !

mirio headcanons ♡

sfw:

i feel like hes the type of guy to go to disneyworld and squeel when he sees mickey

i also feel like if he was quirkless he'd be mickey

hes definitely the sweetest boyfriend ever i swear

he def popped up out of the floor, scared the shit out of you to ask u out w a lil bouquet of flowers.

i js feel it in my bones that hes constantly giving u flowers

i usually hate the petname "babe" but i feel like its ok when he says it.

petnames include babe, hon, honey. i lowkey hate unique pet names (like how in the 2020 fanbase all the pet names were like teddy bear and pebble im sorry i hate it)

his favourite ice cream flavour is vanilla and is passionate about how its not basic and its actually super hard to make.

tried to play fortnite once and was extremely bad and came 99th. he was way too calm ab it.

gets so happy when he sees you with eri, and you guys go out together constantly.

always buys you stuff, like fully SPOILS you. he usually buys you too many stuffed animals and u js give them to eri lmao

hes a dog person 100%

was the type of dude in middle school to absolutely drench himself in axe body spray cologne

he was a wreck after nighteye died and cried in your arms every night. he blamed himself everytime.

nsfw

remember how i said he likes vanilla? i think he is tbh

but honestly not in a bad way, like very caring during it and gentle.

i js cant picture him being rough it seems strange. and does this man look kinky? no.

i feel like he likes any position where your facing him and he can be like face to face with you, or just be able to touch your back and hug you.

hes so sweet i cant

talking you through it the whole time

doing small things like tucking your hair behind your ear or wiping your sweat away.

this mans stamina is CRAAAZY LIKE HOLY SHIT

constantly checking up on you, asking if its too much or if he can go faster.

whimpers. WHO SAID THAT??

cant keep his hands off of you after, just kissing you all over your face.

an: ill be working on another request for ua faculty headcanons or imagines idk yet and it should be released tomorroww! fill up my inbox guyss ! ♡

song of the dayy !!

[fanofflames]

Based on ch.429, the theme of My Hero Academia is anyone can be a hero.

A insignificant, quirkless high schooler can be a hero. A hero-hating vigilante can be a hero, a yakuza hellbent on destroying quirks can be a hero, the “Symbol of Fear” can be a hero, an old lady can be a hero, etc..

There’s a lot of examples throughout the manga. Shigaraki is the League’s hero, Toga and Twice are each other’s, Overhaul’s men see him as a hero, Re-Destro to the MLA, Stain to All Might. Toga to Ochaco. Even AFO to Yoichi.

The problem isn’t the theme, but the execution of it. We see Izuku struggle through the first half of MHA with his new quirk, then he suddenly becomes OP. Izuku could only become a hero because of his quirk. If he remained quirkless, he would have never gotten into U.A. He didn’t earn his power, he got it because of happenstance. All Might could only fight AFO because of his armor upgrades. The best example of a truly quirkless hero fighting a villain is Mirio vs. Overhaul.

Then, Izuku is supposed to be Shigaraki's hero. It doesn’t make sense, there’s so little history between them. The only time, they ever talk is when Shigaraki is just stepping into his role as a villain. The problem is, Horikoshi showed this villain family that cared for each other. Izuku only wanted to save the crying child, Tenko, while Spinner wanted to save his hero, Shigaraki. The League should have been Shigaraki’s hero, not his master's rival's successor.

[faulty-writes]

Alright, alright, I have this little crossover idea of sorts!

Trigun is an anime in the world of MHA, and reader is crushing on Vash the Stampede. Reader has the manga, the anime on Blu-ray, figures, a plush...

How would Izuku, Bakugou, and Mirio react to their crush having a thing for Vash, who is fictional? Would they possibly get jealous, wondering what it is about him they like so much? :3

[ I love this cross-over idea. Fuck yeah! You know, it's funny. I wrote a few headcanons between the BNHA boys and them having a plushie a long time ago. I think the reader being obsessed with a fictional character, Vash in this case, is awesome and quite relatable. I honestly have to say I'm in love with Vash from the 1998 animated series, he is just so cool and I'm also currently reading the manga which is just mind-blowing. ]

His words were stolen from him when he entered your room to see endless amounts of manga, plushies, and even figurines of Vash the Stampede. Although given his collection of All Might merchandise, he knew he couldn't judge. But he also couldn't stop himself from feeling the tiniest bit jealous.

"W-what is it about t-that guy that makes them a-admire him…so much?" He asked after successfully convincing you to allow him to borrow the Blu-ray Trigun Stampede series collection you had. He didn't understand why you liked the characteristics Vash displayed but nonetheless jotted them down in his notebook as he watched.

Unfortunately, the attempts to display the same characteristics he saw to capture your attention were unsuccessful, and honestly, he felt a little pathetic about trying to be someone he wasn't. Plus, the look on your face made him feel like a bigger idiot than he was.

"I d-don't know what I was thinking…" he whined, pressing his head against his desk. "Will they…l-like me like they do V-Vash?" It was pitiful to think he was jealous of a fictional character.

"Perhaps you are approaching the problem incorrectly," Tenya suggested. "While the feeling of affection can extend to…fictional aspects, I'm certain that Y/n is aware of reality and will look at you the way you desire as long as you remain yourself." He wasn't sure how much faith he put in Tenya's words but knew he was right. Comparing himself to Vash wasn't going to get him anywhere.

Accepting something was the hardest thing but given that he was once the quirkless boy who dreamed of being a hero, he would face this issue the same way. He could accept it but not for long. He'd prove he was better than Vash The Stampede and then maybe…just maybe you'd see him as your hero.

"Tch, reading a lame manga, huh!? How stupid!" He remembers those words from his middle school years, and how you would always huddle in the corner with a stupid smile as you read 'Trigun Maximum.' The thing that years later became your obsession.

"What the hell is all this shit!?" He demanded. "This is worse than that damn Deku's room!" You had shelves filled with manga, and Blu-rays, not to mention plushies of the same character scattered around. "You shouldn't be obsessed with fictional dumbasses that swing guns around! I'm the only badass here!" And he'd prove it.

His jaw clenched tighter and tighter whenever he was in class, hearing you go on and on about your love for Vash. How cool and handsome he is, how amazing he is in combat. Damn, he hated it. He would never admit he was jealous, but what made Vash better than him!?

"What do you mean I can't take these!?" he demanded after irrationally barging into your room and stealing your Trigun manga collection. Nevertheless, after a heated argument, he settled for reading it in your room. "What the hell is so damn great about this dumbass?" From what he could gather Vash was nothing but an outlaw with a gun.

He didn't think his jealousy would affect him just like he didn't think his feelings for you would sway him from his dream of becoming a hero. But he found himself being fueled by the hatred of your Vash The Stampede obsession. Because of this, he grew extremely cocky during training exercises. He even went as far as shouting that he was better than some stupid outlaw which you found...odd, to say the least.

It didn't take a genius to realize you were unimpressed by his attempts and criticism of your favorite character. Yet, as usual, he'd be damned if you continued to idolize someone else when he should be the one idolized by you. Whether you liked it or not, he'd be the object of your affection next.

"Heh, wow...you really like this guy." Of course, it was an obvious statement with all the Vash the Stampede plushies, and merchandise that littered your bed and shelves. He picked up one of the plushies, staring into its blue button eyes that reminded him of his own and a strange feeling made his stomach twist. Was he feeling insecure?

"Oh, is that Vash the Stampede?" Nejire asked, pointing to the plushie Mirio held. "Huh, wait you know about him!?" He exclaimed. "Yeah, I-" He grasped her shoulders before she could finish. "What do you like about him!?" He demanded, and although Nejire didn't have a solid answer she settled for Vash's bravery and caring for others.

While Mirio was happy that he shared some favorable characteristics with Vash the Stampede, he still struggled to think of how to get your attention while respecting your love for the fictional character. How could you view him as you did Vash? Of course, he could never tell you who you could and couldn't love, but gosh wouldn't it be amazing if you did love him?

"So, what do you think!?" Mirio demanded with a bright smile. He was dressed in a red trench coat and orange glasses, the key pieces of clothing Vash wore. "You like Vash, right? I sure look like him now, wouldn't you agree sunshine?" To see your eyes light up when you looked at him, even in the silly little cosplay he was wearing, meant the world to him.

He convinced you to hang out with him and took you to a special area resembling the setting where the Trigun show took place. It was part of a beach, with endless sand everywhere. He wanted to impress you while respecting your feelings, and maybe make you have feelings for him. Overall, your reaction was so-so.

Despite his jealousy, and his somewhat successful attempts at trying to sway your attention away from Vash the Stampede and onto him, he wanted you to be happy. "Heh, who knows, maybe I will be their Vash someday!" Until then, he'd just keep smiling.

[greenhappyseed]

I posted this image last night from MHA 412 — with Izuku down on the ground, literally in All Might’s shadow — and HAD to talk about it more. See, Izuku is remembering himself in All Might’s shadow, but that’s not how the scene actually looked. Izuku is the one imagining that shadow. Nobody is thinking or expecting him to be All Might 2.0 except himself.

Way back in Chapter 97, All Might thinks how Izuku WAS walking in his shadow, but isn’t any longer. And that fact excites him — by the time we get to Kamino, All Might doesn’t WANT Izuku in his shadow. However, All Might doesn’t tell this to Izuku.

When Izuku offers OFA to Mirio, All Might doesn’t interrupt OR say anything to Izuku afterwards. He won’t demand that Izuku be like him or keep OFA. (Also notice Mirio saying Izuku would be sad without his quirk.)

All Might is proud when Izuku learns parallel processing from Endeavor and masters Blackwhip, something All Might never had to contend with and that is unique to Izuku. (Also notice the flashback to All Might saying Izuku earned OFA by being heroic.)

But Izuku doesn’t know any of this. What about when All Might DOES talk to Izuku? WELL IT DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE IZUKU DOESN’T UNDERSTAND! Going back to the ultimate moves lesson, All Might advises Izuku that he’s stuck trying to emulate All Might (which is the same thing Gran Torino told him before). But our big-brained chosen one MC [affectionate] STILL STRUGGLED FIGURING OUT WHAT ALL MIGHT MEANT. It was genuinely hard for Izuku to grasp All Might’s intent.

You’d think this moment would give Izuku a clue, but no. Izuku’s moves continue to be derived from All Might, and he continues to think he’s “not just copying.” It culminates in the Dark Deku/Villain Hunt arc with Bakugo calling Izuku an All Might wannabe, and Izuku telling 1A that they can’t join his fight because they can’t keep up with the likes of him, Nana, All Might, and Shigaraki. Since then, Izuku has promised not to do things on his own, but we haven’t gotten an update on the idolization front.

Izuku’s idolization and imitation of All Might remains strong even after hearing it directly from Gran Torino and All Might and Bakugo and 1A. It’s obvious to everyone, including All Might, but it’s just … not … to Izuku. What’s truly hilarious is that Izuku will talk back to the vestiges — he mouths off to Second and Fourth, and he withstands Nana’s challenge to kill her grandson (twice as of 412!!). Izuku also challenges Tomura, and even All for One. But not All Might.

After everything, Izuku STILL envisions himself in All Might’s shadow from the moment All Might said he could be a hero and offered OFA to him. For all his status and his “triumphs,” Izuku sees himself as a nerd who needs a quirk — who would be sad without a quirk just like Mirio was — and THAT is what Izuku has yet to overcome. Izuku has never heard anyone tell him very bluntly and directly that he CAN be a hero without a quirk. (And that kind of blunt communication is exactly what he needs because, well, he’s a little slow to change his self-perception. Remember when Toga said she liked him?)

Even though Izuku has seen quirkless Mirio protect Eri…and watched Iron Might and practically quirkless Aizawa fighting…and he knows quirkless Ragdoll helped with planning, and La Brava is playing her role as a computer expert (unrelated to her quirk)…Izuku is going to need to hear, plainly and bluntly, that he IS a hero without OFA. He’s BEEN a hero. He earned OFA “fair and square” in the first place BECAUSE he was a hero. If All Might was a madman for fighting quirkless and being willing to sacrifice his life to live his dream, then Izuku will have to be the craziest hero ever to put his quirk, his life, AND his dream on the line. I’m hoping we get some blunt verbal Izuku appreciation from All Might, Bakugo, 1A, and others so Izuku KNOWS, once and for all (ha!) he is a beloved friend and hero without One For All. Then he can go on to save Tomura (and the world).