#what if midoriya izuku was actually shimura tenko

[evilkitten3]

i just. had a very silly bnha au idea

[buttercupshands]

the LoV sketches dump

honorable mentions sketches bc I was rewatching... a lot of episodes while sketching, and it got me both the inspiration for the sketches above and

this

(the sign reads 'feral dog DO NOT TOUCH')

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 419 (not actually) spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

tagline 1 死柄木の内より出づるAFO‼︎ しがらきのうちよりいづるオール・フォー・ワン‼︎ Shigaraki no uchi yori idzuru OORU FOO WAN!! The All For One that emerges from within Shigaraki!!

1 緑谷出久…！ みどりやいずく…！ Midoriya Izuku...! "Izuku Midoriya...!"

2 僕のOFAを…与一をよくも… ぼくのワン・フォー・オールを…与一をよくも… boku no WAN FOO OORU wo...Yoichi wo yokumo "[What you did to] my One for All...to my Yoichi, how dare you."

tagline 2 No.419　DESIGN　堀越耕平 ナンバー419　デザイン　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 419  DEZAIN  Horikoshi Kouhei No. 419 DESIGN Kouhei Horikoshi

3 だが daga "But"

4 無意識領域…転弧の心が押し負けたおかげで むいしきりょういき…てんこのこころがおしまけたおかげで muishiki ryouiki...Tenko no kokoro ga oshimaketa okage de "The unconscious realm...thanks to his heart being defeated*" (*Note: This word in Japanese more specifically means "to lose by being pushed out, to lose in a competition of pushing.")

5 再び意識を取り戻すことが出来た… ふたたびいしきをとりもどすことができた… futatabi ishiki wo torimodosu koto ga dekita... "I was again able to regain consciousness..."

1 愚かな志村転弧 おろかなしむらてんこ orokana Shimura Tenko "Foolish Tenko Shimura."

2 無垢なる超自我…薄鈍の人性と永訣できぬ弱き者！ むくなるちょうじが…うすにびのじんせいとえいけつできぬよわきもの！ mukunaru chou jiga...usunibi no jinsei to eiketsu dekinu yowaki mono! "[You have] become pure superego...a weak person with the nature of a half-wit and that can't say farewell!"

3 折角導いてやったというのに！ せっかくみちびいてやったというのに！ sekkaku michibiite yatta to iu noni! "Even though I took the trouble to guide you!"

4 先生が何を言っているか　わからない せんせいがなにをいっているか　わからない sensei ga nani wo itte iru ka wakaranai What is master saying? I don't understand.

5 言ったろう君は何一つ選んでなどいない いったろうきみはなにひとつえらんでなどいない ittarou kimi wa nani hitotsu erande nado inai "I told you, you didn't choose a single thing."

6 選んだ…これは僕の選択だ… えらんだ…これはぼくのせんたくだ… eranda...kore wa boku no sentaku da... I chose... This is my decision...

7 そう思わせねば"意志力"は生じない自由意志を逆向けにする事が肝要だった そうおもわせねば"いしりょく"はしょうじないじゆういしをさかむけにすることがかんようだった sou omowaseneba "ishiryoku" wa shoujinai jiyuu ishi wo sakamuke ni suru koto ga kan'you datta "If I didn't let you think that, then the willpower [I needed] would not arise. To reverse free will, it was essential."

1 「ラリアット」万縄大悟郎 「ラリアット」ばんじょうだいごろう 「RARIATTO」 Banjou Daigorou "Daigorou 'Lariat" Banjou"

2 「ガエン」揺蕩井煙 「ガエン」たゆたいえん 「GAEN」 Tayutai En "En 'Smoke Squatter*' Tayutai" (*Note: These kanji for En's hero name individually mean "bedroom, lie down, bend down, prostrate" and "smoke.")

3 二度の接触で確信した にどのせっしょくでかくしんした nido no sesshoku de kakushin shita "Those two encounters convinced me."

4 OFA奪還には"意志力"で���回らねばならぬ事 ワン・フォー・オールだっかんには"いしりょく"でうわまわらねばならぬこと WAN FOO OORU dakkan ni wa "ishi ryoku" de uwamawaraneba naranu koto "In order to recapture One For All, I must overcome its willpower."

5 オールマイトに追い詰められゆく中捜したのさ オールマイトにおいつめられゆくなかさがしたのさ OORU MAITO ni oitsumerare yuku naka sagashita no sa "While All Might was tracking me down, I searched"

6 いつかーーー奴の"意志力"を削ぎうる魂 いつかーーーやつの"いしりょく"をそぎうるたましい itsu ka---yatsu no "ishiryoku" wo sogiuru tamashii "for a soul that could--someday--chip away at his willpower."

7 そして最も強き感情 そしてもっともつよきかんじょう soshite motto mo tsuyoki kanjou "And then, [for] the strongest emotion,"

8 イドを抑圧する事で生じる心の機能… イドをよくあつすることでしょうじるこころのきのう… IDO wo yokuatsu suru koto de shoujiru kokoro no kinou... "one that arises as a function of the heart suppressing the id..."

9 原始の欲求 げんしのよっきゅう genshi no yokkyuu "A primitive desire."

10 "憎しみ"を醸成する苗床を "にくしみ"をじょうせいするなえどこを "nikushimi" wo jousei suru naedoko wo "[I searched for] a nursery that would foster hatred."

11 それは迷うことはないでしょう それはまようことはないでしょう sore wa mayou koto wa nai deshou "There's no reason to puzzle over it anymore, is there?"

12 この時世ヒーローは本当に助けてほしい時に助けてくれませんから このじせいヒーローはほんとうにたすけてほしいときにたすけてくれませんから kono jisei HIIROO wa hontou ni tasukete hoshii toki ni tasukete kuremasen kara "Because the heroes of this day and age, when you really want their help, won't help you out."

13 助け合えるきょうだいは必要ですよ たすけあえるきょうだいはひつようですよ tasuke aeru kyoudai wa hitsuyou desu yo "It's necessary to have siblings who help each other out."

14 長女は育ちすぎていたし ちょうじょはそだちすぎていたし choujo wa sodachi sugite ita shi "His eldest daughter had grown up too much."

15 絶対に見つかってはいけない目立つ行動は取れなかった ぜったいにみつかってはいけないめだつこうどうはとれなかった zettai ni mitsukatte wa kenai nudatsu koudou wa torenakatta "I couldn't be found out, nor could I take any conspicuous action."

16 僕は後押しするだけだった ぼくはあとおしするだけだった boku wa atooshi suru dake datta "I just gave him a push."

1 両親から授かったまだ見ぬ因子を抜き取り りょうしんからさずかったまだみぬいんしをぬきとり ryoushin kara sazukatta mada minu inshi wo nukitori "I extracted the yet-unseen quirk factor you received from your parents,"

2 抑圧を増進させ よくあつをぞうしんさせ yokuatsu wo zoushin sase "I made [your father] increase his restraint,"

3 憧憬を与えた どうけいをあたえた doukei wo ataeta "I supplied you with aspirations,"

4 志村さんの息子さん…だね？ しむらさんのむすこさん…だね？ Shimura-san no musuko-san...da ne? You're Mr. Shimura's son...right?

5 ここいらは車通りが多くて危ないから ここいらはくるまどおりがおおくてあぶないから kokoira wa kuruma-doori ga ookute abunai kara There's a lot of car traffic around here, so it's dangerous.

6 そして頃合いを見て そしてころあいをみて soshite koroai wo mite "and watched for when the time was right."

7-8 少し手をつなごうか すこしてをつなごうか sukoshi te wo tsunagou ka Shall we hold each other's hand for a little?

1 ドクターの施設にあった"個性"からーーーー ドクターのしせつにあった"こせい"からーーーー DOKUTAA no shisetsu ni atta "kosei" kara---- "It was a quirk that was in the doctor's facility----"

2 可逆性を取り払い かぎゃくせいをとりはらい kagyakusei wo toriharai "[We] got rid of the reversibility [function]"

3 破滅にのみつき進む粗悪な複製品を はめつにのみつきすすむそあくなコピーを hamestu ni nomitsuki susumu soaku na COPII wo "[to make] a crude/inferior copy that would be followed by nothing but ruin"

4 君に与えた きみにあたえた kimi ni ataeta "and bestowed it onto you."

5 ハッ HA "Hah" (*Note: The is a gasping sound for hyperventilation, which repeats throughout the page.)

6 じゃあ… jaa... "Then..."

7 そう sou "That's right."

8 悲劇も ひげきも higeki mo "The tragedy,"

9 試練も しれんも shiren mo "and the trials,"

10 否定も ひていも hitei mo "and the rejection,"

11 肯定も こうていも koutei mo "and the affirmation,"

12 僕が与えた ぼくがあたえた boku ga ataeta "I bestowed it onto you."

1 全部だ!!! ぜんぶだ!!! zenbu da!!! "All of it!!!"

2 何が"遷ろわない"だ⁉︎恥を知れ！ なにが"うつろわない"だ⁉︎はじをしれ！ nani ga "utsurowanai" da!? haji wo shire! "What's this 'Your heart won't waver' [crap]!? Have some shame!"

3 心を殺し消去！ こころをころししょうきょ！ kokoro wo koroshi shoukyo! I'll kill his heart and erase him!

4 OFA奪還後に切るカードだったが ワン・フォー・オールだっかんごにきるカードだったが WAN FOO OORU dakkan-go ni kiru KAADO datta ga It was my trump card for after I recaptured One For All, but

5 最早ーーーー もはやーーーー mohaya---- not anymore----

6 僕の身体から消えろ ぼくのからだからきえろ boku no karada kara kiero "Disappear from my body!"

1 オール・フォー・ワン‼︎ OORU FOO WAN!! "All For One!!"

2 ………もう与一はいない ………もうよいちはいない .........mou Yoichi wa inai ".........Yoichi is no longer here."

1 あ（僕の中期目標は絶たれた）あ あ（ぼくのちゅうきもくひょうはたたれた）あ a(boku no chuuki mokuhyou wa tatareta)a "AAA(My mid-term goal was eliminated.)AAA"

2 あ（余韻か）あ あ（よいんか）あ a(yoin ka)a "AAA(A lingering echo*?)AAA" (*Note: This word in Japanese refers to "a lingering memory, a lingering note, an aftertaste.")

3 黙っていろ だまっていろ damatte iro "Shut it."

1 とはいえ精神のダメージが肉体に出ている とはいえせいしんのダメージがにくたいにでている to wa ie seishin no DAMEEJI ga nikutai ni dete iru The spiritual damage is appearing on [my] physical body.

2 「崩壊」… 「ほうかい」… 「houkai」... Decay...

3 "怒り"…"憎しみ"が消え去った "いかり"…"にくしみ"がきえさった "ikari"..."nikushimi" ga kiesatta The rage...and hatred have vanished.

4 死んだか しんだか shinda ka "So he died?"

5 何年もかけて必死に捜して器を喪い なんねんもかけてひっしにさがしてうつわをうしない nannen mo kakete hisshi ni sagashite utsuwa wo ushinai I've lost the vessel for which I spent so many years desperately searching,

6 弟も喪った…じゃあ次は おとうともうしなった…じゃあつぎは otouto mo ushinatta...jaa tsugi wa and I've lost my little brother... Then next is...

7 オール… OORU... "All..."

8 フォー…ワン… FOO...WAN... "For...One..."

9 虚しき最終目標へ移行する むなしきさいしゅうもくひょうへいこうする munashiki saishuu mokuhyou e ikou suru "Transition to the hollow, final goal."

10 則ち世界へ すなわちせかいへ sunawachi sekai e "That is, to the world."

11 させ… sase... "I won't let..."

1 お互い肉体に出たな おたがいにくたいにでたな otagai nikutai ni deta na "[The damage] appeared on each of our bodies then."

2 うっ… u... "Ugh..."

3 ぐうぅ‼︎ guuu!! "Ggh!!"

4 まだ…‼︎ mada...!! "Not yet...!!"

5 まだーーーー!!! mada----!!! Not yet----!!!

6 人は喪う事で強くなり ひとはうしなうことでつよくなり hito wa ushinau koto de tsuyoku nari "People become stronger through loss."

7 その物語性を確立していくんだ そのものがたりせいをかくりつしていくんだ sono monogatarisei wo kakuritsu shite ikunda "That narrative I will go on to establish."

8 ハナから喪うもの無いガキが ハナからうしなうものないガキが HANA kara ushinau mono nai GAKI ga "For a brat with nothing to lose from the outset,"

9 こうなるのも必然だな こうなるのもひつぜんだな kou naru no mo hitsuzen da na "it's inevitable that something like this would happen."

1 瀬ーーーー せーーーー se---- Se----

2 小さい！ ちいさい！ chiisai! Small!

3 緑谷への感知にかき消される程ーー みどりやへのかんちにかきけされるほどーー Midoriya e no kanchi ni kakikesareru hodo So much so that it's almost drowned out by Midoriya--

4 緑谷あ!!! みどりやあ!!! Midoriyaa!!! "Midoriyaa!!!"

1 助けに来たぞ!!! たすけにきたぞ!!! tasuke ni kita zo!!! "[We] came to help!!!"

1 シュガーーーーナックル!!! SHUGAAAAA NAKKURU!!! Sugar Knuckle!!!

2 尾空旋舞!!! びくうせんぶ!!! bikuu senbu!!! Tornado Tail Dance!!!

3 ハァ HAA "Hah" (*Note: This is a sound effect for heavy breathing.)

4 ハァ HAA "Hah" (*Note: This is a sound effect for

5 瀬呂くん… せろくん… Sero-kun... "Sero-kun..."

6 尾白くん！ おじろくん！ Ojiro-kun! "Ojiro-kun!"

7 砂藤くん…！みんな…無事… さとうくん…！みんな…ぶじ… Satou-kun...! minna...buji... "Satou-kun...! You're all...okay..."

8 緑谷 みどりや Midoriya "Midoriya."

1 待たせてごめんな またせてごめんな matasete gomen na "Sorry for making you wait."

tagline ワープゲートより現れた希望ーー…！ ワープゲートよりあらわれたきぼうーー…！ WAAPU GEETO yori arawareta kibou--...! Hope has appeared from a warp gate-...!

[scary-grace]

Enough to Go By (Chapter 15) - a Shigaraki x f!Reader fic

Your best friend vanished on the same night his family was murdered, and even though the world forgot about him, you never did. When a chance encounter brings you back into contact with Shimura Tenko, you'll do anything to make sure you don't lose him again. Keep his secrets? Sure. Aid the League of Villains? Of course. Sacrifice everything? You would - but as the battle between the League of Villains and hero society unfolds, it becomes clear that everything is far more than you or anyone else imagined it would be. (cross-posted to Ao3)

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Chapter 15

Your experiences with the cops have been mixed, but right now, the cops are so relieved that someone’s found Eri that they don’t ask you too many questions. They run your name through the database, of course, but when they come up with no prior arrests and the fact that you’re quirkless, you can actually see them write you off as a suspect. Sometimes your uselessness works to your advantage. You’re planning to make a clean getaway, but Eri wakes up as you’re trying to put her down and starts to cry. You try to remember who she said she wanted earlier. “Can you bring, um, Deku? She said something about him.��

Deku is a bizarre name for a hero. You wonder what Midoriya Izuku was smoking when he picked it out. “Let me see,” the officer on duty says. She smiles at Eri, who squeezes her eyes shut and hugs the plush corgi even closer to her chest. “I’ll make a call. You might have to wait with her.”

“That’s okay,” you say. You’re sort of interested to meet Midoriya Izuku. Tenko hates him, and you want to know what Tenko’s up against. “I don’t mind.”

It’s not a long wait. Maybe forty-five minutes. Forty-five minutes of Eri tossing and turning restlessly in your arms, waking briefly and falling asleep again, sometimes crying whether she’s awake or asleep, before two heroes come barreling into the police station. You know the first one is Midoriya, but you’ve seen the second one before, too – Eraserhead, Class 1-A’s homeroom teacher. The one who was defending his psychopath student on national TV.

Anger flares up inside you, and you fight to tamp it down. You can’t look defensive or hostile. You need to look harmless and quirkless and maybe a little stupid, so you’ll register as such a nonevent that the idea of you being involved with the League of Villains will never cross their minds. Midoriya reaches you first, out of breath and a little panicked. “Eri! Are you okay!”

She stirs slightly, and while Midoriya’s trying to figure out how to yank her out of your arms while still asking nicely, Eraserhead arrives. He activates his quirk at once, although you’re not sure who he’s trying to use it on. “Why is she unconscious?”

“She’s sick,” you say. “She was like that when I found her.”

“Why didn’t you bring her to the hospital? That would have been the logical choice.”

“You’re supposed to bring lost kids to the police, aren’t you?” You let your face fall slightly. “I just wanted to do the right thing. I wasn’t sure.”

“You brought Eri back. That’s the most important thing.” Midoriya’s focused on her. “Where did you find her?”

“I was walking home from the grocery store and I heard something in an alley. I thought it was a cat, but I went to look and it was her.” You’re a better liar than Tenko is. You know how many details to add, when to be nonspecific. “Do you know how she got there?”

“We don’t comment on active –”

“The League of Villains took her,” Midoriya says, cutting Eraserhead off. “We rescued her from Overhaul – it was on the news – but they took her before we could take her to the hospital. They must have decided to give her back.”

“They dumped her,” Eraserhead corrects sharply. “Giving her back would entail taking her to a police station or a hospital.”

“But they couldn’t go there without getting arrested,” Midoriya says. He holds out his arms, and you pass Eri in her blanket bundle to him. He looks at you over her head. “Did she say anything about them?”

“No,” you say. An idea pops into your head and you run with it – something to push back on the story Eraserhead is telling himself, something to make Midoriya think he’s right. Something to confuse them both, to make sure that the story Tenko was afraid they’d tell isn’t the one that survives. “She had the blanket when I found her. And the toy.”

“Oh,” Midoriya says. Eraserhead doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t look happy. “She seems like she really likes it.”

Even in her sleep, she has it crushed to her chest. You keep playing dumb. “Can she keep it?”

“Of course,” Midoriya says at once. “Right, sensei – er, Eraserhead?”

“If nothing is wrong with it, and she wouldn’t prefer a toy not given to her by a villain, yes.”

So she will get to keep it. It’s just an ordinary toy. You’ve made the handoff to the heroes, and now you can go. But would the slightly brain-dead civilian you’re playing just go? You get to your feet, but hesitate. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Yes,” Eraserhead says. “She’ll be in good hands. Much better hands than she’s been in over the past twenty-four hours.”

You start nodding, ignoring the surge of frustration at the comparison between Tenko and Overhaul, and turn to leave. Eraserhead’s hand comes down on your shoulder as you’re walking away and scares the hell out of you. “What’s your name?”

“The police have it.” Wrong answer. If you had nothing to hide, you’d just have said your name a second time. You start babbling to cover up the error. “They looked me up and everything. Did you know they keep addresses? Like all the addresses I’ve ever lived at. It’s so weird!”

“Did you see anything?” Eraserhead asks. You shake your head. “Was anyone in the alley with her?”

You shake your head. “I only saw her. I wouldn’t have known she was there if she hadn’t made a sound.”

“She’s lucky you went to investigate,” Eraserhead says. The weird look you give him isn’t even slightly faked. “Most people wouldn’t.”

“Oh,” you say. “I – um – I’m glad I looked, too. It was – nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Midoriya says. He’s awkwardly rocking Eri. “Sensei, should we call an ambulance?”

“That would be best.”

They’re not paying attention to you anymore. You leave, feeling like you’ve dodged a bullet or ten.

The League is in a celebratory mood when you get back. Defeating Overhaul and cementing Tomura’s status as the next leader of the criminal underworld is a big deal, and you’re happy, too – but at the same time, you’re stuck on the fact that life as you know it is ending. If the Hassaikai could find you, other people could, too, and you’re still quirkless. Defenseless. It’s not safe for you to be here on your own. And Ryuhei was right. As the team’s medic, you have to actually be with the team to do any good. It’s right that you should leave. It was going to happen eventually. And you still feel like you’re losing something you can’t replace.

Because you are. After this, you won’t be a civilian anymore. Even if you’re not committing serious crimes yourself, the semblance of a normal life you’ve been maintaining will die away. You’ll be like your cousin Manami for real. Except that compared to what you’re mixed up in, Manami’s strictly small-time.

“I’m gonna miss this place,” Spinner remarks, sprawling out with his feet up on your couch. It takes way too much effort not to cry.

You head back to your room to pack long before everyone else starts to settle down. What are you supposed to bring with you when you go on the run? Your costume, obviously. Medical supplies, obviously, which you’ll restock from the soon-to-be-set-up supply caches when you need to. Changes of clothes, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush? You try to figure it out based on what the League’s been asking you to buy for them, and it already feels like you’ve got too much stuff in the backpack you’re bringing with you. And that’s not even counting the evidence.

There’s not much left of Shimura Tenko. You’re pretty sure you have all of it, and there’s not room for it in your backpack, even with the plush corgi finding a new home, and you can’t leave it here for whoever searches your apartment once you’ve gone missing. The smart thing would be to get rid of it. Crumple up the valentine, shred the photos, throw the album away, flush the locket down the toilet and forget about it all. But you don’t want to do that. You don’t want Shimura Tenko to exist only in your memory. If something happens to you, it’ll be like he never existed at all.

You fold the valentine carefully, slide it into an empty sleeve of the photo album. You bury the album at the bottom of the backpack. The locket lands on the nightstand, to put on later. That just leaves you with the journal. You haven’t read through it at all yet, and even though you’re pretty sure you’ll be flushing the pages down the toilet, you decide that you should read a few of them first.

It takes only a few seconds for you to wish you hadn’t. The journal starts when you’re seven, and all the feelings you hadn’t learned to hide yet are scrawled on the page. Anger, confusion, sadness, loneliness, hurt, guilt. So much guilt. You didn’t remember how hard your younger self had tried to find Tenko, how much trouble you’d gotten into for sneaking out to look for him. You didn’t remember how insane everyone made you feel – not just for believing that he was still alive, but for remembering him at all. It’s obvious in the weight of your pen against the paper, the heaviness of the strokes, the size of the characters. HE WAS REAL. HE WAS HERE.

As the pages turn and you grow older, your handwriting gets better, until the day you found out your parents were planning to wipe your memory, at which point you go insane for real. Given what a mess your handwriting was and how blurry and water-stained the paper is, you’re surprised you managed to pull it together long enough to hide the journal and everything else away.

You’ve always thought your parents were wrong to do what they did. You still think that. But when you read through the journal as an adult, you can catch the faintest glimpse of why they went that far. If you had a kid and they were doing this, you’d be worried. You wouldn’t know what to do. And if it was really you, you grown up for real with a kid you’ll never have, you’d be terrified, because you know where this leads. It leads to throwing away a decent life, a normal life, and following your best friend off the edge of the world.

There are a lot of pages in the journal. You have to flush them down the toilet in handfuls, and you’re so focused on getting rid of them that you don’t realize how weird it is to flush the toilet eight times in a row. Someone clears their throat and you look up to find Dabi and Toga watching you. “What are you doing?” Dabi asks.

“Disposing evidence.” You yank the last set of pages out of reach and flush them, too. “Get out of my room.”

Dabi leaves. Toga stays, poking through your bathroom cabinet. “Can I have this?” she asks, lifting up your meager makeup collection. You nod. “What about this?”

Perfume you never use. “If you want to carry it, it’s yours,” you say, and Toga grins. “Actually, if you help me pack, you can have whatever’s left in my closet. That you’re willing to carry.”

“You’re the best! I needed some new things.” Toga hugs you, then turns to your dresser and closet, all business. “Bring all your underwear. Like, all of it. We can’t do laundry very much and I don’t feel as gross when I can switch mine out.”

That’s reasonable. “Don’t bring anything with short sleeves or anything sleeveless. Warm stuff only. It’s getting really cold at night,” she continues. She starts taking things out of your dresser and putting them on the bed. You can’t tell if she’s picking them for herself or for you. “Find a way to wear your hair that won’t get messed up too easy. We won’t get to wash it very often, either.”

Your hair’s going to be hidden by the veil, but that’s still smart. Toga has more suggestions – clothes with sturdy fabric, bras that aren’t uncomfortable to sleep in – before she gets serious. “Period stuff. I made Mister shrink a whole bunch of it, but it sucks to have to ask him to un-compress it.”

“That was really smart, though. It makes stuff a lot easier to carry.”

“We should have him compress most of the supplies,” Toga says, her eyes brightening. “That way we can carry more!”

She runs off to tell Tomura and the others, and you go back to reorganizing your backpack to fit Toga’s must-haves in it. She comes back a few minutes later, all business once more. “If you have jewelry, bring it so we can sell it if we need money,” she says. “And just to have. It’s nice to look pretty sometimes.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

She throws a sock at you. “Being mean to yourself isn’t cute. Tomura-kun likes you how you are. Overhaul was really gross and even he liked you.”

“He didn’t like me. He just knew he could use me to get to Tomura.” You feel guilty when you think about it. You could have derailed Tomura’s plans so easily, just by being weak, being unable to fight for yourself. You need to fix that. “I wasn’t saying I’m ugly. I’m just saying I don’t think about that a lot. Anyway – jewelry?”

Toga nods, and you start digging your jewelry out of its various hiding spots. Rather than investing in a jewelry box with a lock that Compress could pick in two seconds, you scattered your small collection around your room, figuring Compress would give up the hunt rather than risk Tomura’s wrath. It must have worked, because everything is right where you left it, and none of it’s been replaced by one of Twice’s copies. You’re hoping Toga will let the subject drop, but she doesn’t. Not quite. “How did you make Tomura-kun fall in love with you?”

“That’s a strong word,” you say, thankful you’ve got your back to her right now. Neither you nor Tomura has said the L word. In your case, it’s not because you don’t feel it. You don’t know why you’ve held back on saying it out loud. “I didn’t make him. We just spent time together and it happened.”

“That won’t work for me.” Toga’s frowning. “I like Ochako – and Izuku – and Tsu. But they won’t spend time with me because they’re heroes.”

Your inclination is to tell Toga to find a more realistic crush, but you’re also not an asshole. “You’ve seen Ochako and Izuku at least twice, right?” you ask, and she nods. “When you see them next, try to make a strong impression, I guess. Since you don’t get to spend time with them very much, you have to make it count.”

“Something romantic,” Toga says, and you nod. “When I do that, can I have these earrings? Green looks good with my eyes.”

“Sure.”

“And what about this? Can I –” Toga breaks off, gasps. You turn to find her standing by the nightstand, your locket open in her hand. “Who’s this? Is this –”

You see it in her eyes when she realizes. She claps a hand over her mouth, which is good. Now you don’t have to do it for her. “You can’t tell the others,” you say, keeping your voice low. “Please don’t.”

“I won’t if you tell me everything.” Toga looks shocked and gleeful at the same time. It’s a weirdly intimidating expression. “Otherwise I have to talk to people so they can help me guess. I won’t need to if there’s nothing to guess about.”

You don’t want to tell anyone, but you want out of this conversation, and you don’t want it to leave this room. You sit down on the end of the bed, well clear of the stuff you’re trying to pack, and Toga plops down next to you cross-legged. “I knew him when we were kids,” you start. “We lived across the street from each other. We were best friends until – um –”

“He used to be normal?” Toga looks amazed. “What happened?”

“His quirk awakened. It –” You trail off. You’re not sure how to describe the carnage in what was left of Tenko’s house. It’s not your story to tell. “He disappeared after that. It was fifteen years before I saw him again.”

“How did you know it was him? He looks so different now than he does in the picture.”

“The scratching. He did that as a kid, too. And he remembered me, sort of.” You remember the way he froze when you said his name, how fast he ran from you. You’ve never asked him why he ran away. “There isn’t really that much to tell. That’s it.”

“Childhood sweethearts. That’s so romantic!” Toga beams. You’re not sure you want to call it that when the two of you were only five – but there’s a photo of the two of you swapping valentines right before you kissed him, so you can’t really argue. “He loves you so much. I can always smell when people are in love. He’d do anything for you.”

No, he wouldn’t. You’re pretty sure there’s one thing Tomura wouldn’t do for anyone. You search Toga’s face, looking for any hint that she’s planning to double-cross you. “I held up my end of things. You can’t tell anyone.”

“Why not? I bet they’d think it’s cute.”

“It’s not safe for many people to know,” you say. You think of how Tomura reacted when you told him Kurogiri had brought you to All For One, how relieved he was that you hadn’t revealed yourself. Even with All For One locked up in Tartarus, you don’t want that information getting out. “My friends Yoshimi and Mitsuko and Ryuhei know, and my other friend Kazuo. And now you.”

“Because we’re friends.” Toga hugs you from the side. “I’m so glad you’re finally coming with us! Jin is the best big brother ever, but I can’t talk to him about things like I can talk to another girl.”

“If we’re friends, we have to keep each other’s secrets,” you say. “Even if the others would think it’s cute. You have to promise not to tell.”

“Fine. I won’t tell.” Toga heaves a sigh. She snaps the locket closed and hands it back to you. “I should get one of these. I want pictures of Ochako and the others!”

“Maybe you can steal one,” you say, wondering if this counts as helping the League commit a crime. You’ve stayed out of Kazuo’s searches this long, but you don’t think you’ll be able to much longer. “And it’s not like pictures of them are hard to find. I’ll help if you get one.”

She hugs you again, and the two of you go back to packing. You fasten the locket around your neck instead of putting it on the nightstand. Now that multiple members of the League feel fine coming into your room without asking, it’s not safe to leave it lying around.

Toga’s tired by the time you’re done packing, and so is everyone else. When she leaves, you can hear them all settling down for the night in the living room, bemoaning the fact that this is the last time they’ll have a soft bed for a while. You, meanwhile, need to make sure your absence goes unnoticed for as long as possible. Tenko comes in while you’re composing an email to your supervisors, telling them that you need to take a leave of absence from work for the sake of your mental health. It would be a good idea even if you didn’t need to go on the run.

Tenko shuts the door, sits down behind you on the bed, and wraps himself around you. “What are you doing?”

“Covering my tracks. My family won’t notice for months, but work will notice I’m missing unless I give them a reason not to look.” You scan the email one last time and send it, then shut the lid of your laptop. “I should probably leave this here, right?”

“Maybe not. It would be good to have it,” Tenko says. He notches his chin over your shoulder. “If your job thinks you’re on leave, then it won’t look weird that you’re still connecting to the internet. You can probably bring your phone and keep in contact with the others, too.”

“Okay.” You slide your laptop and charger into your backpack. “But I still have to go.”

“Yeah. It’s not safe,” Tenko says. “The heroes might not have captured all of Overhaul’s minions, and he could have left instructions for them. And they won’t be the last enemies we make. I need you to be safe, and the only way I can make sure is if you’re with me.”

It’s quiet for a second. “Do you not want to come with me?”

“I do,” you say. “It’s just – I don’t know. The way I’ve been helping is the way I’m most useful to you. I can’t fight. I don’t have a quirk. I can find a weapon somewhere and I can do the medic thing, but –”

“Don’t say you’re useless.”

You weren’t going to, but it’s what you’re thinking, and Tenko knows you too well. He hugs you a little closer. “What else?”

The question leaves your mouth before you can think it through all the way. “I want to know where this ends.”

“Overhaul really got inside your head, huh?”

“It’s not about him,” you say. You’ve opened this can of worms. You might as well dump it out. “When we were kids, it didn’t matter that we never won. There was always another day. We could start over as many times as we needed to, and try as many things as we could think of until something worked. But this isn’t like that. When people get hurt, it sticks. When they die, they die, and we can’t get them back.”

You think of Hirono and Sho. Of Magne, who’s not dead but who’s locked up with no way for you and the others to rescue her. “I don’t want us to keep fighting forever. I want us to win fast, before we lose anyone else. And I don’t know what winning looks like.”

“When all of this is destroyed,” Tenko says, like it’s obvious. “There’s no piece of it that isn’t built on lies. Even your job, the stuff you do – it wouldn’t have to happen if the heroes and the idiots who worship them didn’t keep throwing people away. It can’t be fixed from the inside, so we have to tear it down. I have to. It’s what I’m here for.”

You want to argue, but you won’t win. You know you won’t. “And what about after it’s gone?”

“I don’t know,” Tenko says. “But you do.”

You can’t manage anything more than a stunned silence. “I know it needs to be destroyed,” Tenko continues. “Anybody who’s not lying to themselves can see that. But I haven’t lived in it. Not like you and the others have. So when there’s nothing left, you can decide what to put in its place.”

He tucks his head in against the side of your neck. You can feel his eyelashes flutter against your skin. “You were always better at telling the stories than me, anyway. They were never any good on the days you stayed home.”

“Don’t you have any ideas?” you ask faintly. “About what it should be like? It’ll be your world too.”

“You wanted to know where it ends. That’s where,” Tenko says. “We win when we tear everything down. When it’s all gone, you and the others get to choose what happens next. It should be mostly you. Maybe Spinner, too, if you need help with anything.”

“What about you?” Foreboding creeps over you, making your skin crawl. “Where are you going to be, Tenko? When this is all over?”

“When it’s all over there won’t be a point to me anymore.”

“No.” You twist in Tenko’s arms, putting the two of you face to face. He avoids your gaze, which is how you know you’re right, how you know that you picked up the real meaning in what he said. “That’s not how this works. It’s not winning unless you’re with me afterwards.”

“Don’t worry about it. Are you with me or not?” He’s stubborn. You’re stubborn, too. More stubborn than he is – but he’s still talking. “It was nice to think about while we were here. What it would have been like to be normal. But that won’t happen. Not even after we’re done with all this, so there’s no point –”

“Who said I wanted normal?” You cut him off. “I’m your sidekick. That means I’m with you no matter what. So if you want me to get through this and build a new world, you’d better be planning to come with me. Because if you’re not, I’m staying right here with you.”

Are you making some kind of suicide pact? You don’t think so. You think you’re just trying to get it through Tenko’s head that the two of you are in this together, no matter where it goes or how far it goes. He’ll destroy this world that’s hurt him, that’s hurt the League, that’s hurt you and so many others – and then you’ll build a new one, one where everyone has at least a shot at being happy. Everyone. Including him.

Tenko still won’t look at you. You cup his face in your hands, run your thumb across the scar on his lip, and his gaze drifts back to you. “Are you coming with me or not?”

“I – yeah.” Tenko’s red eyes stay focused on yours this time. “I mean, I guess. If you’re serious.”

“I’m serious,” you say, and he kisses you.

He’s not wearing his gloves. You have to pull away so he can put them on, and then again to get more comfortable on the bed – and then again so he can take off his shirt. As soon as Tenko has his shirt off, he’s pulling at yours, and once it’s gone, he drags you into his arms, holding on almost painfully tight. He kisses you hard enough that his lips split in spite of your best efforts. He needs to slow down. You need to slow him down. But when you frame his face with your hands again, he melts against you in a way that’s impossible to resist. Maybe you’re the one who needs to change this time.

Every moment, every motion, fades seamlessly into the next. It feels natural to kiss the scar over the side of his mouth, and the birthmark below it, and move from there to kissing his neck. It’s natural to hook your leg over his hip, to roll to your back and pull him down on top of you. It only makes sense to peel off your pants and unbutton Tenko’s and slide your hand inside, palming him through his underwear. It feels right to kiss him while you touch him, even if it’s a shame to have to muffle the sounds he makes with your mouth. The destruction of everything and the creation of a new world feels so distant that it might as well be a dream. The only thing that matters is the texture of his skin under your hands, the brush of his hair against your cheek, the sound of his breathing and of his voice when he says your name.

“Stop,” Tenko says, his voice shaking, and you obey, withdrawing your hand from his waistband and resting it flat against his stomach. “I want – not like this. This time. I want us to – can we –”

He’s pulling at the waistband of your underwear, and it clicks in your head. There’s something the two of you haven’t done yet. “Sex,” you say. Tenko nods. He looks worried, like there’s a chance you’ll make fun of him or say no. “There are condoms in the nightstand.”

“I thought they were in the bathroom.”

“I moved them,” you say. “Is that weird?”

“No,” Tenko says. “You were thinking about it, too.”

You have been, on and off. You figured it would happen organically, but tonight is sort of your last chance to get your first time out of the way if you want your first time to happen in a bed behind closed doors. “I’ve been thinking about it,” you say. You wind your fingers into Tenko’s hair and tug lightly. “Want me to tell you what I’ve been thinking about?”

Tenko sucks in a breath. “Yes.”

You talk to him while he struggles out of his clothes and searches for the condoms you put in the nightstand. “I’ve been thinking about it,” you say, trying to shed any hint of self-consciousness. “I thought about riding you. Maybe holding your hands down, too – not so you can’t touch me, but so you don’t have to do anything but let me make you feel good. I thought about letting you take me from behind, so you’re in control of everything, start to finish. I’d trust you with that. I know you’d feel so good that I wouldn’t care about anything else.”

Tenko’s gloved hands are shaking as he tries to unwrap the condom. His cock looks almost agonizingly hard. “But then I decided,” you continue, trying not to stare, “that I want you on top of me, this time. I want to see you.”

“Why?”

“I like looking at you,” you say. You could get into it more, but you’re worried you’d embarrass him. “Tell me what you’ve been thinking about.”

He doesn’t seem to know what to do with the condom now that he’s opened it. Then again, he’s never been to sex ed. You take it from him. “I was thinking,” Tenko starts, then shudders as you roll the condom down over his length. “I – fuck, I don’t know, I’m not good at this like you are. I want – you –”

“We can work the rest out later.” You lie back, legs spread, and pull him down with you. “Let’s start here.”

You help him align his cock with your entrance, lift your hips to make it easier as he sinks into you for the first time. Tenko’s a stretch, just shy of uncomfortable, more than enough to make your head spin. Your hands are shakier than you want them to be as you reach for him, and the low moan that exits his mouth sends a rush of heat through you and makes your muscles clench tight. Tenko’s hips give a frantic jerk. “Don’t do that. I can’t last if you –”

“I can’t – not,” you gasp. “You feel even better than I thought you would.”

Tenko’s hips jerk again. You see him grit his teeth, clench his jaw, and his first real thrust is shallow, shallow enough that your body aches for more. The next is deeper, but not by much, and the pattern he falls into deepens by increments, so small that you can barely feel a difference. You know he’s trying to hold himself together, trying not to come too soon, but it feels like he’s teasing you on purpose. Torturing you. almost. Giving you just enough of what you want that all you can think of is what you’re missing.

“Please,” you say, and Tenko’s eyes widen. “I need more. I don’t care if it’s over fast. I just want –”

He sinks into you to the hilt, leaving no space between you, and it takes all your willpower not to cry out. The pace he sets is faster this time, uneven enough to keep you on your toes if your toes weren’t curling already. The only problem is that it makes kissing difficult, and without it, you’re both a little too loud. Tenko’s trying to keep his mouth covered and keep his balance at the same time. You cover it for him with one hand while the other works its way between the two of you, finding your clit. You want the two of you to finish together, or close to it. You don’t want Tenko to worry that it wasn’t good.

You’re closer than you thought you were. A lot closer. “Tenko,” you murmur, your voice shaking. “Tenko, I need you. You feel so good like – there –”

You’d have helped him find this spot if either of you had the patience, but he’s found it on his own, and there’s nothing more you can do. A few uneven thrusts, the slightest pressure against your clit, and you’re coming on Tenko’s cock. You know instantly that you can’t keep quiet, and with both hands occupied, the only way to muffle yourself is to press your mouth against Tenko’s shoulder. He fucks you for a few more unsteady, rapid strokes as you tremble and whimper and moan into his shoulder. The barely-muffed sounds he makes when he comes send one last jolt through you, intense enough that you bite down.

Tenko slumps forward against you, shuddering. You free both hands to wrap your arms around him, holding on tight.  And then it’s quiet in your room, save for the sound of his breathing and yours.

Your mouth is still glued to his shoulder. You can taste his sweat. Or maybe blood. How hard did you bite him? Embarrassment creeps in through the haze, worse when you realize you’re still clinging to him for dear life. You need to loosen up five seconds ago. “Sorry –”

“Huh?” Tenko sounds half-asleep, and two of you are working at cross purposes. You’re trying to let him go, and he’s settling in for a nap. “Don’t do that. It’s nice.”

He yawns. You can’t let him fall asleep like this. You shove lightly at his shoulder. “You can sleep in a second. We have to, um – disengage.”

“Why? I’m comfortable.”

He wants to fall asleep still inside you. That would be surprisingly hot if the condom wasn’t an issue. “The condom might leak. That’s not good.”

“It isn’t?” Tenko yawns again.

You can’t tell whether Tenko doesn’t know where babies come from or if he’s just being obtuse on purpose. “Getting pregnant when we’re about to go on the run would be really bad.”

“You were really good with that kid.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” You don’t get an answer, and you decide you’re not going to worry about it right now. “Out.”

Tenko groans and pulls away. You have enough time to ditch the condom in the trash can in the bathroom, followed by the speediest bathroom break and hand-washing of your life, and as soon as you’re within arm’s reach again, Tenko yanks you back down. He flops down into the same position as before, minus actually being inside you, and you decide the comment from before can’t go unaddressed. “Me being good with kids wouldn’t make it less stupid to screw around with birth control.”

“Yeah,” Tenko says, although you’re not sure of how much of it he actually got. His breathing is already starting to even out. “I didn’t know you kept the dog.”

“I kept everything you gave me,” you say. “Are you mad I gave it to her?”

Tenko shakes his head, burrowing deeper into your shoulder in the bargain. The bitemark you left is already bruising. “You win,” he says. You’re puzzling over that, your own eyelids growing heavy, when Tenko speaks again. “I love you.”

Your jaw drops. Toga told you that Tenko felt that way, that she can always tell when someone’s in love, but hearing it come out of his mouth is something else entirely. Some part of you is elated to hear it. That part of you wants to shake him awake and kiss him and tell him that you love him, too – and not so subtly suggest depleting your condom supply a little bit further. That would be the thing that makes sense, the normal thing to do, the thing that somebody who’s loved him for as long as you have to do. You do love Tenko. You loved him when you were children, and you’re in love with him now as an adult. So why does the thought of saying so fill you with terror?

It’s not like you’ve never told someone you love them before. You told Kazuo, when the two of you were dating. It felt easy then. You talked to your cousin about it afterwards, because the two of you were close, and she was surprised to hear you say so. “It’s never easy for me,” she said, and you couldn’t quite hide your own surprise. “It’s easy to feel love. When I love somebody I feel so much I can’t stand it. But saying it out loud makes it real. Saying it changes them, and it changes me. So it’s harder to say for me than for you.”

You always thought that was because of Manami’s quirk, which powers up the person she loves most when she tells them how she feels, but maybe it isn’t. Maybe it’s hard for you to say to Tenko because it makes it real in your head – more real than being his girlfriend, than basically moving him into your apartment, than quitting your job and going on the run with him and his villainous organization on a mission to tear down the old world. It’s stupid to think that way, when it’s everything you’ve done that makes it real. After everything you’ve done, everything you’re planning to do, you’ve proved your love for Tenko. Maybe you don’t need to say it out loud.

And maybe Tenko didn’t mean it, either. The two of you just slept together for the first time, and Mitsuko always says that you can’t count on anything a guy says until at least an hour afterwards. It was just an aberration, and it’s not like he’s waiting for you to say it back – he’s fast asleep in your arms, maybe drooling a little bit on your shoulder. There’s nothing for you to worry about. You close your eyes.

It takes you a second to get your bearings in the morning, to remember everything that happened yesterday. It was a lot. Overhaul almost had you kidnapped. You returned the girl the League kidnapped to the police. You realized you’d be going on the run and had sex with Tenko for the first time, and – you become conscious of someone watching you, and you open your eyes to find Tenko, awake before you for once and watching you with his chin propped in his gloved hand.

His hair is messy and his lips are cracked and stained with dried blood, but he looks well-rested for once. “What is it?” you ask. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, uh –” You struggle with forming the question. “Why are you staring?”

“You’re my sidekick, and my girlfriend, and we leveled up so hard last night that I slept like a rock.” Tenko cracks a grin, and a new split appears in his lower lip. “And I love you. Is that a good enough reason?”

You reach out and pull him in for a kiss, hoping he’ll count it as a yes. You lick the blood away from his lips and run your fingers through his tangled hair and do everything you can to ignore the twinging in your chest, the weight on the tip of your tongue. You love Tenko. Saying it might change things, but you can’t avoid saying it forever. It isn’t right. And with your involvement in the destruction Tenko’s planned for the world all but assured, you need to do the right thing where you can.

[super-paper]

"Thank you for such wonderful comedy."

I've been wanting to talk about how MHA plays with the concepts of "fiction vs reality, the characters vs the actor, the world vs the stage" for awhile now, bc I believe understanding how MHA utilizes these concepts is pretty crucial to understanding our Big Bad (and Tomura!) (...and Izuku!) (.. etc!) (y-yeah...!!!) (wooo.....!!!!!)

If this post is more incoherent than usual, I apologize-- I'm just really enthusiastic about stories that play with the fact that they're stories and characters who throw themselves into a fictionalized role as a means of coping. I love the way MHA handles these concepts in particular, so I lost all sense of restraint as usual.

Hori: "I'm Like Dropping Hints That Hero/Villain Personas Are Actually Coping Mechanisms Lol"

"As Tomura Shigaraki and Tenko Shimura, I've got just one wish: the total destruction of everything that created that house." "If my origin as Touya and Dabi was such a simple thing, then... No, there are still things I want to say. Arguments I want to have."

I've seen a few ppl saying that it sounds awkward/strange to have the characters repeatedly asserting themselves in the third person, but imo, the emphasis on real names versus hero/villain names during these particular scenes plays into the idea of the villain/hero identities being "alter egos" that might not actually have the same core desires as the """"actors"""" that are behind these personas.

Tomura and Touya invoke both their real and villain names while asserting their respective wishes. Himiko also invokes her villain name, though it's less obvious to english speakers because she uses her real name as her villain name (in the raws, "HIMIKO TOGA" as a villain name is written using katakana-- and this is what she uses when asserting her wish). MHA plays with the idea of "fiction"/"Alter Egos" as a form of escapism and as a coping method, and at this point in time, the Dabi/Tomura/"Himiko" identities are still being utilized as a crutch/mask by these three very hurt individuals.

*loud, terrifying chanting* PEAK FICTION PEAK FICTION PE--

Ochako's fight being like the second most thematically important fight in the whole series still makes me unreasonably giddy btw.

To contrast, Ochako uses her civilian name alone when asserting her wish-- and imo we're meant to read this as Ochako wanting to save Himiko as herself, not as Uravity. Saving Himiko is not something she can accomplish as her alter-ego-- Ochako is able to save Himiko by stepping off the stage and becoming a "real" person, while also acknowledging the person behind "Toga Himiko (villain name)".

Izuku hasn't had his "I'm Izuku Midoriya"/"I'm-saving-you-as-Izuku-not-as-Deku" moment yet-- instead, we see Tomura intentionally making that distinction between the-hero-and-the-true-self by constantly referring to Izuku by his real, full name. And I'm pr sure Izuku is also the only one he does this to-- we see him referring to all the other heroes he encounters by their hero names alone, or by insulting nicknames (l-lol). Correct me if I'm wrong, tho!

(side note: Tomura switching to calling Izuku just "Hero" in the aftermath of Bakugate is actually a big step backwards imo-- it reads as Tomura trying to push Izuku away by shoving them both back in the hero/villain box and doubling down on enforcing their respective "roles." Not that I ever expected mister doomdere to make things easy, but, woof. Good Fuckin' Luck, Izuku ( ´･ω･) )

TL;DR The final arc has mostly been about tearing off the hero/villain masks to reveal who is hiding underneath— MHA's careful use of names and monikers plays heavily into that and its distinction between "alter-ego"/"true self" a lot. Which is... probably one of the many reasons why All For One still doesn't have a given name, as someone who has all but completely lost himself in his character.

Anyway! That brings us to the meat of this post: how does MHA take the concepts of "reality vs fiction" and "the character vs. the actor" and apply it to All For One (...and Tomura) (and Izuku--)?

"Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain!"

"If you refuse to submit, then I'll just rewrite the story." - it's amazing how all of this coulda been avoided if someone had just introduced AFO to Demon Lord x Reader fanfiction. (/j)

AFO fancies himself as the author of MHA's greatest tragedy (the desecration of Shimura Nana's legacy via the sacrifice of Shimura Tenko), while simultaneously inserting himself into its overarching narrative and treating himself as the leading villain of the story-- it's self-indulgent and intentionally invasive in the way that most self-insert fanfiction tends to be invasive, with him going to extremes to make it seem as though the whole story revolves around him. AFO wants to be both the author and the leading character and the leading antagonist. This greed is typical of him, but it also establishes him as a character who's more caught up in (read: trapped by) his relationship to "fiction" than anyone else. Again, MHA explores the use of fiction and alter-egos as an escape from a painful reality-- so, it's entirely reasonable to assume that this applies to AFO as well.

To me, so much about AFO reads as an escapist fantasy of someone who is utterly terrified of being put in a position where he is truly seen. The idea of being vulnerable, of being naked, of being "human," is intolerable to him. But by not allowing himself to feel and "be a human," he has effectively cut himself off from what he wants most. The character of “Shigaraki Tomura” is as much an escapist fantasy for AFO as it is Tenko-- It's just another (younger, prettier) layer of skin he can hide his true self in.

"so basically you're saying that AFO is a never nude" yes, actually :)

AFO dehumanizes Tomura through his attempts to turn the boy into his personal comic book character, but he also dehumanizes himself by desperately trying to insert himself into that “character." It's only fitting that Tomura’s innate humanity and capacity for feeling ends up rendering AFO himself painfully, painfully human-- and ultimately causes AFO's carefully constructed character to start crumbling.

If All the World’s a Stage, Then Let’s Destroy the Stage

"That stage is gone now. The theater's knocked down. How much longer can we afford to be spectators on the sideline?" "Once upon a time, a man named All Might showed all of us how to be a hero. But somewhere along the way, people forgot about the heart and soul that made the man." -MHA, Chapter 325

Tomura is attempting to destroy the stage, because without the stage there can be no "Shigaraki Tomura" (Or "All Might," or "All For One," or "Endeavor," etc etc etc). Without the stage, there are no more "characters" and no more tragedies. But-- without the stage, there are no more stories period. There are no more tragedies, but there are no more happy endings either. The world never recognizes the actor behind "Shigaraki Tomura" without the stage. The stage is not inherently a bad thing, so long as people can remember that the actors on the stage still exist outside of it.

But Tomura himself cannot imagine what happens after the curtains fall, and all that's left is Shimura Tenko. He is stuck in a role that was written entirely for someone else, but remains convinced that the role was always his and that the role defines him.

Tomura rebels against the story the only way he knows how--against an "author" who *LITERALLY* views him as a spicier self insert, and against a "setting" that treats his death as a happy ending-- but even so, Tomura still can't picture an ending that doesn't end in tragedy. His rebellion is not about him trying to wring a happy ending out of a miserable, mean-spirited book-- it's about burning the whole damn library down so he never feels let down or hurt by a story again.

Basically: Tomura cannot act outside the confines of his "character" in a way that will truly save him. Even as he rebels, he's rebelling in a way that is painfully consistent with the way his "character" is written-- and that's why AFO (the author) still poses such an enormous threat to him. Destruction cannot save him from this story when he was explicitly penned to destroy.

The only way to break this narrative is to act in a way "the author" doesn't expect, and to tap into all the traits that AFO desperately attempted to "write out" of him-- Shimura Tenko is someone who has always rebelled against his writing, his author, and the unfairness of this story with his kindness and his willingness to accept those that no one else will.

AFO cuts off Tenko's own power at the root by reinforcing Tomura's belief that the world will always inherently reject him, without fail, always and forever-- so he should just reject the world, too (and I've talked at length about this before, but this is why a story that ends with Tomura dying or locked away from society is an ending that fails in its goal to save Tomura). The more Shigaraki Tomura rejects everything and the more Shigaraki Tomura is rejected by everything, the more he distances himself from his root and the source of his power-- and the more Shimura Tenko gets lost in this character.

While AFO is terrified of someone seeing behind his mask, Tomura longs for it. Tenko has been there since the beginning and has been begging for someone to finally see and acknowledge him (both in-universe and out of universe).

"I’ll Be There, Changing Fate by Your Side."

AFO: "Blah Blah Blah Do you still believe myths can save you? Foolish creature. Let me be clear: every version of the story ends with you being slaughtered yadda yadda yadda :) :) :)" ENTER, MIDORIYA IZUKU WITH A STEEL CHAIR.

Izuku's role is that of a completely average boy who gets pulled into a narrative ''that wasn't for him"-- he has no heroic lineage, no hidden powers, and no connection to the centuries old conflict that drives the plot. He's just a boy who did the right thing at the right time and was rewarded for it. Izuku is someone who was "never supposed to be a hero" the same way Tenko was "never supposed to be a villain" per the "rules" of their world-- and Izuku, like Tomura, is someone who exists to destroy those rules and the expectations of their narrative, completely changing the ending.

But rather than burning the book and ending the story forever (like Tomura wants to do), Izuku believes that the story and characters can still be salvaged. There's always something worth saving. It doesn't have to be a tragedy, they can still change the ending. They can talk specifics after Tomura's crazy ass puts the lighter down.

Izuku, like Tomura and so many other characters, throws himself into an alter-ego in an attempt to redefine himself and escape from pain ("Nobody's been saved yet. Don't be the worthless old Deku who can't save anyone" 😬). He almost loses himself in the role of "OFA's torch bearer" the way All Might did-- but just as Izuku managed to find Toshinori Yagi and helped in convincing him that his life as Toshinori has meaning, Izuku ends up getting saved by his friends who couldn't care less about OFA's ~protagonist power~ and know that Izuku is just a goofy, awkward, human boy who needs help.

Like.... If we explore quirklessness as like... a narrative stand-in for characters that the story typically views or dismisses as irrelevant extras/npcs, then AFO's barely restrained anger at Izuku and Toshi (and possibly Yoichi if we're being honest) for daring to ''act beyond their roles'' becomes even funnier. AFO can't stand the idea of his power/the protagonist role being passed on to someone who seems so utterly unworthy, unremarkable, and plain. He can't stand the idea of someone without a quirk/"role" standing up to him, the leading character. Dude really is a toxic comic book fan to the core.

afo really said "I didn't like how things were going so I stopped reading and just wrote a better ending to the story :^)" like...... @mhareddit that's u buddy...........................;

Anyway...........!!!!! AFO is someone who cherry picks what he likes about a story while ignoring the actual intent/message of the work (#theabsolutestateofthemhafandom), but he has no intention of breaking down the dichotomy between heroes/villains and instead actively enforces it (.............#theabsolutestateofthemhafan--). He just wants to flip what side wins in the end.

Tomura wants to break the narrative because he sees that as the only way to escape from his pain (but in doing so, he permanently cuts himself off from being a part of a story with a happy ending). He wants to destroy the dichotomy between heroes and villains because heroes and villains "will never understand each other and never stop creating each other" (lol. lmao, even).

Izuku wants to break the narrative because he's realized that there's something more to this story than your standard "Hero versus Villain," "good vs evil" affair and that he cannot explore what lies behind those masks and labels without tearing them down, first.

These three work together well as a narrative set of Fucking Nerds, and AFO works well as both Tomura and Izuku's villain for all of the above reasons (& also bc he's the only one who is actually benefitting from their current society) ((which basically offers him an endless buffet of hurt and angry children he can exploit on a silver platter)).

Anyway! Kick his ass, Izuku.

[codenamesazanka]

Renaming the chapter to ‘From Midoriya to Shimura’ feels like such a slap in the face because all the other ‘From [x] to [x]’ chapters are focusing on saving in some shape or form. But Deku didn’t save Shigaraki??

Let's see...

Chapter 53: From Todoroki to Iida Todoroki arrives to the Iida-Deku-Stain fight and helps his classmates; Todoroki gives Iida encouraging words - "Never forget who you want to become!" Chapter 84: From Iida to Midoriya Class 1A discusses plans to rescue Bakugou, despite this breaking rules; Deku, Momo, Todoroki, and Kirishima prepare to head out, when Iida comes to punch Deku for his recklessness, and calls him out on worrying people; Iida joins the team Chapter 321: From Class A to One For All Class 1A confronts Edgy Deku, trying to talk sense into him and ask to join his fight; teamworks allow Iida to grab Deku's hand Chapter 418: From Midoriya to Shimura Deku is inside Shigaraki/Tenko's darkest and most traumatic memory; Deku holds Tenko's hands, symbolically preventing him from decaying the family, to give him relief from the guilt and self-loathing he's been carrying all these years; Shigaraki/Tenko acknowledges that his hatred may be gone, but chooses to stay a Hero for the Villains

The previous three ‘From [x] to [x]’ chapters contains someone arriving for someone in trouble, and giving them help in some form, usually by talking some sense into them. The goal is to quell their chaotic heart - Todoroki trying to get Iida out of his vengeful mindset, Iida trying to get Deku to understand the worrying recklessness of his actions, Class A trying to bring Deku home and stop being acting like a like wolf.

If so, then Chapter 418 does fit the pattern: Deku is here to soothe Shigaraki's raging, guilt-ridden heart. The other chapters had a lot more talking and actual, more believable heart-to-heart content, but still, this is Deku arriving to give help to Shigaraki/Tenko, who's in trouble. This is Deku validating Tenko's existence, which Tenko had expressed doubt over - that despite decay, despite the familicide, despite the later Villainy, Deku is unafraid to hold Tenko's hands (because this is the vestige realm so he can survive; sucks that Nao tried to run to her kid and got decayed and so it's like her fault for not surviving), and is here at all to save the inner Child.

And Deku does arguably succeed. Tenko's hatred "cracks" and Tenko is able to think of happier times, of that moment he played with Mikkun and Tomo-chan and felt the seed of Heroic desire. As I've said before, Deku saves Shigaraki/Tenko's heart. That's the save. This chapter is when Midoriya Izuku got through to Shimura Tenko, the Crying Child.

It's just that Shigaraki/Tenko rejects the save. Deku got through to him but Shigaraki/Tenko says no. Or rather, decides the Hero he wants to be is a Hero for the Villains (which I guess is incompatible with the world's heroism?). And then also AFO shows up and Shigaraki's body falls apart and it's somewhat ambiguous whether Deku really is responsible for Shigaraki's death or not.

So technically: Midoriya did save Shimura's Crying Child heart - Shigaraki later vaguely admits this in Chapter 423, where he acknowledges that maybe he really was just a crying brat, so he accepts Deku's statement that Deku stopped the cycle of sadness. Shigaraki dies—not happy, but more at peace, and that is what truly matters. According to the story I guess.

(That, or the title has it that Shigaraki and Tenko might as well be separate people. Deku saves Tenko but did not save Shigaraki. But Tenko is the (15-years-past ghost) child who needed saving, while Shigaraki is the adult villain who committed atrocities, so it's accurate to use "From Midoriya to Shimura" because Shimura gets saved but Shigaraki does not (and deserves not.))

[totoanime52]

SPOILERS FOR BNHA 425 BELOW

So this may be my copium acting up because I don't want to lose another favourite character of mine so soon (Gojo is a reopened wound, thanks Gege), but looking at the clean edits of the chapter makes me think that the unknown black-haired character in 425 is Shigaraki Tomura, or more specifically a reverted Shimura Tenko.

Why do I think that? There are a couple of reasons. The first reason that we can see more clearly now is the first few frames of his introduction. We can now see scissors snipping just before we cut to the boy's teary eyes. Then we see him walking along a wall with his hand on it to steady him. Looking at his hand we see that four of his fingers look bloody. My theory is that this guy used the scissors to snip off the tips of his fingers (explaining the tears, as it was definitely painful). Now why would a person put themselves through that kind of pain willingly? Probably because he didn't want something to happen because of what his fingers can do if they were intact.

The second reason actually has more to do with another character we see in the chapter: our main protagonist Midoriya Izuku. We see our boy hardly smiling and looking very depressed and troubled in this chapter. In chapter 424, we see how Midoriya laments how he could not save that child he saw in Shigaraki's deepest consciousness. It looks like he is still trying to come to terms with this in the current chapter, about a month later. I'm wondering if his inability to save Shigaraki is becoming a deep regret that is eating at Midoriya, despite him weakly trying to justify this failure before. Adding on to that is the imminent loss of One For All, the Quirk All Might passed down to him that is now just a few embers away from disappearing forever. Inheriting this power was what gave him the ability to enter UA and was a big part of how he saw himself as a hero. Soon, he'll be back to being Quirkless, just as he was at the start of his journey. Perhaps there is a way that Deku can continue to be a hero without a Quirk, just as Mirio still strived to be one for Eri before she was able to reverse his Quirk nullification. After all, wasn't Mirio the one who said a hero is supposed to wrap their cape around a traumatized child? Didn't Midoriya see a certain child that he was determined to save? Perhaps that is still possible. Just as All Might told him at the very beginning,

"You can be a hero."

[luffyvace]

˚✧₊⁎MASTERLIST⁎⁺˳✧༚

a masterlist of all hcs I’ve done~ (any characters who are not here or in part 2 have not been done—link to part 2 in my pinned post)

One piece

Luffy D. monkey

Luffy relationship headcanons

Strawhat headcanons

Luffy x reader x Zoro

Luffy x black reader ♡

Luffy x male reader hcs ☆

MORE LUFFY RELATIONSHIP HEADCANONS

Luffy x heroic fem! reader (requested)

Roronoa Zoro

Zoro’s kisses headcanons

Zoro x male reader headcanons

Zoro x reader x Sanji poly relationship headcanons

Strawhat headcanons

Luffy x reader x Zoro

Zoro x overly sweet reader (requested)

Sitting in Zoro’s lap hcs

Nami

Strawhat headcanons

Nami x male reader

Nami x black reader

Nami x female reader

Nami x poker faced male reader (who’s Robin’s brother)

Nami x fem! Reader ft. Jealous! Sanji

Vinsmoke Sanji

Zoro x Reader x Sanji poly relationship headcanons

Strawhat headcanons

Sanji x black reader (also has Ace separately) (requested)

Sanji x overly sweet reader (requested)

Nico Robin

Brook and Robin thoughts

Nico Robin x morbid gn! Reader hcs

Strawhat headcanons

Hcs of what I think Robin’s ideal s/o would be (requested)

Robin x male! Reader neglects himself from always taking care of the crew (requested)

Robin x (biological) younger brother! reader (requested)

Nami x poker faced male reader (who’s Robin’s brother) (not my idea)

Brook

Brook and Robin thoughts

Strawhat headcanons

Franky

Strawhat headcanons

Jinbei

Strawhat headcanons

Portgas D Ace

Ace x amab! Reserved! reader

Ace adopts a dog headcanons

Ace x black reader (also has Sanji separately) (requested)

Ace x childhood best friend! Reader who he has a crush on

Akagami Shanks

Red hair pirates x male reader who has heterochromia (requested)

Shanks x fem reader (a mini scenario in hcs format)

Shanks x male reader (a mini scenario in hcs format)

Boa Hancock

Boa x older brother! Male reader platonic relationship hcs (requested)

Buggy

Buggy (relationship) headcanons

Perona

Perona x male reader

Monkey D. Garp (platonic)

(Platonic) Garp x younger fem! Reader who looks up to him as his apprentice (requested)

HUNTER X HUNTER

Kurtapika Kurta

Kurapika fluffy relationship headcanons (requested)

Cute domestic hcs of kurapika x fem reader (requested)

Big brother kurapika hcs (requested)

Chrollo Lulcifer

Chrollo x outgoing reader

Feitan Portor

Feitan fluff hcs (requested)

Feitan x seemingly angelic and innocent reader who’s actually in an criminal organization too (requested)

Feitan x a truamatized reader who’s a sadist and has hemokinesis powers (requested)

Machi Komachine

Macho relationship hcs

Shaknark Ryusei

Shalnark x closed off reader (requested)

Shizuku

Shizuku with a S/O she thought she was already dating

Bonolenov:

Bonolenov x reader who’s from his (gyudondond) tribe

Uvogin:

Uvogin x reader who’s as big as him

Phantom troupe relationship hcs (separate):

(Separate) phantom troupe relationship hcs

MY HERO ACADEMIA

Izuku Midoriya

Izuku x male reader hcs

Bakugo Katsuki

Katsuki x shoto twin reader

Katsuki x male reader

Katsuki x black gn! Reader

Shoto Todoroki

Shoto hcs for his big day

Shota Aizawa

Aizawa crush headcanons

How Aizawa courts you/relationship headcanons

Aizawa’s kisses headcanons (mini series by me)

Mina Ashido

Mina x gn! Reader

Minnax black gn! Reader

Uraraka Ochako

Uraraka x shy fem reader

Tsuyu Asui (Fixed! Tsuyu relationship hcs

Tomura Shigaraki (Tenko Shimura)

Shigaraki x scholarly reader with glasses (has dabi separately)

Touya Todoroki

Dabi x scholarly reader with glasses (has shigaraki separately)

BUNGO STRAY DOGS

Fukuzawa Yukichi

Fukuzawa’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Ranpo Edogawa

Ranpo x lazy male reader

Ranpo’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Yosano

Yosano’s reaction to screwing up her first date with you

Kunikida

Kunikida’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Osamu Dazai

Dazai’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Tanizaki Junichiro

Tanizaki’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Naomi

Naomi’s reaction to screwing up her first date with you

Kenji Miyazawa

Kenji’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Atsushi Nakajima

Atsushi’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Mori Ogai (i don’t condone his behavior)

Mori’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Hirotsu

Hirotsu’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Koyo Ozaki

Koyo’s reaction to screwing up her first date with you

Chuuya Nakahara

Chuuya’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Chuuya x gn reader

Chuuya x male reader

Higuchi Ichiyo

Higuchi’s reaction to screwing up her first date with you

Higuchi Ichiyo as your girlfriend

Tachihara

Tachihara’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Ryuunosuke Akutagawa

Akutagawa’s reaction to screwing up his first date with you

Gin Akutagawa

Gin’s reaction to screwing up her first date with yo

DEMON SLAYER

Tanjiro

Tanjiro x male reader

Inosuke

Inosuke x black male reader

Rengoku

Rengoku x gn reader relationship headcanons

Obanai

Obanai x chubby gn reader

SAIKI K

None yet~ coming soon!~

MOB PSYCHO 100

None yet~ coming soon!~

BLACK BUTLER

None yet~ coming soon!~

List of characters I want to write for eventually

List of character I want to write for eventually

[moonsb1996]

Villains are those who have been abandoned by superhero society. TW: long post

It's something I've been wondering about for a while and how true it is. If that's the case, let's talk about it.

From the picture above we get the idea of LOV using violence against violence. This is a good starting point for questioning MHA's superhero society: "The use of violence Solving the problem of violence” is it a good solution in this society or not? Of course, this is not a very elegant point when we come to Shigaraki's true, deeper reasons, what his true desires are.

On the red circle layer is The entire cause of Shigaraki Tomura's character is his entire cause. "Destruction" has no other reason beyond that. Just because of what happened to him, "Shimura Tenko"

The above scene is how Tenko felt. He wanted someone to lend a helping hand to him. And in the end, the person who came to help him was nothing short of an AFO, which is not all I have to say. Because there was another episode that happened and I felt like this was the little boy that Midoriya Izuku wanted to save?

Wait a minute…I understand that it is about your father. Emotions take you…but Tenko's (Tomura) mother tries to hug him to comfort him. “My dear, everything will be fine.” But she died because of your power. Isn't that a matter of tragedy? Shigaraki ?? Are you relieved that you destroyed everyone in your family except your father??? What is this?? Okay, I'll try to calm down a little more. yes ! The story of Shimura Tenko or Shigaraki is really sad. And it's true. But is there anything else that makes me feel like this? This guy can't turn back.

Okay….damn it! Is this a character worth reforming?? So ?? Blame nothing but others. I personally can float away, I'm not wrong. Everything is just me, me, me! Don't you believe it? Okay, let's continue.

Oh! Here we go again with me, me, I'm not wrong! Society is too difficult to live in! In this ENG dub, it made me almost vomit about throwing shit at other people but never myself. Because that's what Toga, Himiko, and everyone else mostly do.

I really hate this picture. Don't think too much about the black box.

And LOV's most famous words are!!

And !

There's nothing but me, me, you, they're the ones at fault, not me, no. (And I don't deny that Happening right now, but hey! You will talk to the Super Cop (Hero) for betraying the Villain. Even though he was sent to become a member of an underground organization? No need to say that they are different! In MHA, the hero is actually a super policeman, just applying stupid rules from cartoon heroes that aren't true in real life!)

And don't forget about you guys!

oh ! These are truly the words of a "good person".

FAN : But but but ! The people of MHA deserve to die! Ps. And I don't mean the children who deserve to die.

okay ! Tell me, what do you see in these 2 pictures??? If you don't see it, open your eyes and look wide!! okay ! That's all I'm going to complain about. Because some villains are… they can't reform!

[sillyunknownkitkat]

Hey !

Now, I know this account had other names and did other things in the past but this time I'll use it to write headcanons, oneshots, series,... about characters and self insert (so reader's) and character ×/+ character

So please send ask but be mindful of the rules that are under the cut :)

ABSOLUTE NO'S :

Anything with poop

Pee if it's sexual (but it can be a little reader having a accident for example)

Pedophilia (the best I'll do is 16 and 18 but if one of the characters is older then they have to at least be 18)

Extreme NSFW (if it's in your ask I'll explain)

Poly releshionship with more than 4 people

Anything with actual rape (cnc might be okay)

Racism coming from the reader or the characters (But can be a headcanons if you got harassed by someone for exemple)

Death (like suicide or someone graphically killing another [for the last of us and resident evil "zombies" dying ate okay]

Sexual Assault (once again if it's too graphic)

SUBJECT YOU CAN ASK :

Any hardcore kink (if you're not sure you can message me and we'll talk about it)

worms, maggots, ...

Fluff, angst, nsfw, ...

LGTBQIIA+

Self insert or a ship

Headcanons, oneshots, ...

Self harm (not too graphic)

Eating disorders (again not too graphic)

Mental illnesses

Hybrid characters (like puppy!Chris, bunny!Izuku, ...)

Pretty much anything actually as long as it's no from the list above

FANDOMS AND CHARACTERS :

UNDERTALE : Sans, Papyrus, Asgore, Toriel, Alphys, Undyne, Mettaton, Grillby, Muffet, Frisk, Chara, Asriel, Astel (I don't remember for wich au or wich au but it's a new Dreemurr basically), Gaster => and their Au's such as

-Undertale, Underswap, Underfell, Swapfell, story shift, horrortale, echotale, gastergang, dreamtale, Ink, Error, Fresh, aftertale, reaper, ... all of the basics

....

RESIDENT EVIL : Chris Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, Carlos Oliveira, Ethan Winters, Rose winters, Zoé Baker, Lucas Baker, Karl Heisenberg, Dona Beneviento ,... No big Au's but might change from which game they're in and I can "change what happens"

...

THE LAST OF US (1 AND 2) : Ellie Williams, Joel Miller, Dina Woodward, Jesse, Tommy Miller, Abby Anderson, Many/Mani, Owen, ... the games, not the series, tho

...

SALLY FACE : Sal Fisher, Larry Johnson, Lisa Johnson, Ashley Campbell, ...

Same as above, no Au's, but changes in the game are okay

...

MY HERO ACADEMIA : Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugou, Eijirou Kirishima, Shoto Todoroki, Kaminari Denki, Mina Ashido, Hanta Sero, Hitoshi Shinsou,Tokoyami Fumikage, Tenya Iida, Mirio Togata, Tamaki Amajiki, Nejire Hadou, Shouta Aizawa, Hizashi Yamada, Toshinori Yagi, Keigo Takami, Rumi Usagiyama, Tenko Shimura, Touya Todoroki, Himiko Toga, Jin Bubaigawara, Shuichi Iguchi, Kai Chisaki, Hari Kurono, Kendo Rappa, Shin Nemoto, Toya Setsuno, ...

...

CALL OF DUTY : John "Bravo 6" Price, Simon "Ghost" Riley, John(ny) "Soap" MacTavish, Kyle "Gaz" Garick, Alex Keller, Nikolai Badanov, Kate Laswell, Alejandro Vargas, Valeria Garza, Keegan Russ, Konig, Phillips Graves, Kim Horangi, ...

That's all for now :) Don't be shy and ask

Hope you have a good day/night and be safe everyone <3

[buttercupshands]

I just managed to get off mha hyperfixation

And now it's happening again... Oh no

Helps with upcoming MHUI LoV event tho, it was a long time since last one happened I wonder what would happen in a new filler story part

Basically this and couple of pages of mid-final arc chapters + recent episode and next one being The Dabi episode was just too much not to get excited again

But! Important thing - I need to reread the last arc before I make anything new, if possible without finishing it to the 419 chapter and everything after, it took 2 months to really recover from the damage that chapter did

Anyway am I ready for the new event? Kinda! Do I have enough gems to get new Tomura? No! I'm not sure he'll even show up this time, because other ones were and still are really stubborn

Also Steampunk recruit took like 120 pulls in a step-up recruit and in the usual one combined

Not the best time to get LoV involved, it's cruel even

Also that one part of the page I added at the beginning was so interesting to look at and them I joked about 236 being similar. The only good thing with final arc being over is that I can say that Izuku didn't draw the parallel of seeing everyone hurt and seeing Tenko react on Mon's death

Understandable why, but it's funny to just look at them and be like, "wow Horikoshi traumatized them both"

[grimalkinmessor]

'All for one as Hisashi Midoriya' headcanons?

I—

Okay, I can answer this, but you should know that no matter what the reason my AFO does anything is because "Yoichi". Literally the only reason. And I almost always think of him as 'Hisashi Midoriya', or at least Izuku's father; it's only in very specific AUs that I don't. So almost every headcanon I have for him is when he's Izuku's father.

I have a few headcanons for him here already, so you can take a look at those too :3

☣️ -All For One met Inko when she was moonlighting as a vigilante. Yes, I originally proposed this as their backstory for KTDO but that's because I see it as their normal backstory, just with Yoichi being less alive. All For One saw this little hoodie-wearing, green eyed, ass kicking vigilante take down several of his men, and immediately wanted to get to know her (You can guess why). She proceeded to punch him in the face. This, because All For One is a freak, solidified his interest in her and he started to actively court her.

☣️ -All For One never came out as All For One to Inko, even after they were married, so Inko thought she redeemed this poor misunderstood but powerful villain, and she hung up her metaphorical vigilante cloak whenever he hung up his villainy. EXCEPT that All For One never actually DID give up villainy, he just wanted Inko to stop bothering him about it, so he blew up a random building and pretended it was his Base of Operations so that he could come crying to Inko about how he'd changed and they could be together now. Inko accepted this, suitably wooed, and they started to live together.

☣️ -When Inko first announced that she was pregnant, All For One didn't want to keep it. He's sired bastards before and he's always made quick "work" of them whenever the mothers came crying to him about it—can't have another version of All For One running around, after all. But, because All For One was originally drawn to Inko because she reminded him of Yoichi, he held off, hoping that his hair color and Inko's eye color would mix and create a mini Yoichi for him to smother and place all of his 200+ years of obsession upon :D Of course, that baby turned out to have dark curly hair, but by that time All For One was already so attached to the idea of having a child that seeing Izuku with his own eyes just solidified Izuku's place in his little family. AFO just decided he'd try for a Yoichi clone again later. (Shimura Tenko feels a disturbance in the force...)

☣️ -All For One was around a lot during Izuku's first five years of life, because AFO needed to make sure that if Izuku developed a Quirk like his that he could take it or nullify it somehow. But fortunately for him, Izuku turned up Quirkless, with the extra toe joint and everything! The perks of being a man born at the Dawn of the Age of Quirks! There's a sixty-five percent chance your child will be Quirkless! However, this unfortunately coincided with All Might's return to Japan, and so All For One kind of,,,,abandoned his home duties to track down One For All. He was still in and out of the house very periodically in the next five years, but then when Izuku was ten All Might ripped his fucking face off :D And AFO can't explain that away with a 'work accident' to Inko, so he just....never went back. Oops.

☣️ -All For One handed down more than just Quirklessness genetically, he also handed down his preferences (....I'm not gonna say it but you can look at my ship list for conformation on that—). Izuku prefers sweeter foods because his father prefers sweeter foods. Izuku likes analysis and logic dissections because his father likes analysis and logic dissections. Their brains work the same way in that they'll hyperfixate on something if they don't know it, devour everything they can about it, but once they've cracked it open and eaten everything there is to know? They throw it away and move onto the next thing. It's boring, they need more stimulation now—ooo is that a telepathic fire Quirk? 👀👀

☣️ -The fire-breathing Quirk that All For One posed as his only Quirk for Inko was actually a dragon Quirk. But Inko never told anyone this because she was afraid that Izuku might face further discrimination as a mutant, even though neither he nor AFO ever showed any visible mutations. That dragon Quirk was one of the first Quirks that All For One stole on purpose, back during the riots of his youth. He can cover his skin in white scales and make his teeth sharper, see in the dark, make his nails into claws, and of course breathe fire; it's a very versatile Quirk, and he used it so many times to protect Yoichi that it became dubbed in his mind as the Horde Family Protection Quirk. That's also the reason that he doesn't use that particular Quirk when fighting One For All holders: because he doesn't want to hurt any part of Yoichi, even his ghost, with the same powers he once used to protect him.

☣️ -I'll end on a fluffier note related to the one above. Izuku knew that his dad had more than one Quirk. Not just because he puzzled it out, but because one of AFO's favorite father-son bonding activities were snack breaks on top of really, really tall buildings. He'd break out a flight Quirk and take Izuku up in the evening or in the middle of the night or early in the morning, when Inko wouldn't catch them, and set them up on a building ledge so they could watch the stars/sunset/sunrise together and share an orange or animal crackers. Sometimes All For One would tell Izuku stories about his childhood that he couldn't tell Inko without blowing his cover, or even just sing for him. He also maaay have had to save tiny Izuku from falling off a building once or thrice, so Izuku knows that he has at least four Quirks. Fire-breathing, flight, telekinesis, and duplication. Of course, Izuku never tells anyone—he's a very good little secret keeper. Not even AFO knows he knows :3

[riahlynn101]

Crack Theory:

Trigger warnings for implied sexual assault, torture, implied mommy issues, and child abandonment.

Note: I'm both a staunch believer that the man at the end of chapter 425 is Tenko AND a DFO believer, so this is just for funsies. 

BUT

What if the reason the mystery man looks so much like Tenko is because the man is a Shimura. Walk with me here.....

Introduction:

I know it sounds outrageous but what if Hori wasn't trying to hint at Inko being Nana's daughter (which I know is also a crack theory, but there's evidence there), but that another one of Izuku's parents are related to Nana.

I'm going to be very careful here, because the implications of what I'm about to say could be misconstrued. But considering the likelihood that (if) Nana had another child after Kotaro, she gave it away soon after it was born, the baby probably doesn’t have any memories of her. Actual memories of her, at least. 

But then I remembered Kotaro had a photo of his mother that, while he was conflicted about her, he did treasure very much (in his own way). 

So, what if Nana, when she gave her baby away, included a photo of her and/or the rest of the family. And when the baby (in this case) Hisashi grew up and met Inko, he fell in love with her. Both because of her similarities to Nana and her warmth and kindness (things he likely didn’t have growing up). 

We haven’t met Hisashi, so we have no idea what his personality might be. The little we do know of him seems positive and/or neutral at worst. 

What do we know about Hisashi Midoriya?

1. His name is Hisashi - which is a reference to Hisashiburi (long time no see. A perfect fit for someone that hasn’t, to our knowledge, shown up yet).

2. According to Inko in chapter one, page nineteen, Hisashi breathes fire. 

3. He works overseas (though the exact country has never been totally confirmed. A popular one is the United States or China). 

4. His relationship with Inko and Izuku seems neutral at worst. 

The only references of him (in the manga):

Why I think the mystery man in 425 could be Hisashi Midoriya:

1. His mouth is covered, which could be because of his quirk (firebreath). 

2. He looks like he’s been held captive for a while (again, fitting the meaning of his name: long time no see).

3. Him being held captive could be the reason that Inko isn’t talking directly to him in chapter 97, or the first page above. 

4. We are down to four chapters and not a lot of places to go. So, the time is now to reveal him. 

5. I have seen a few people speculate that there are two different people shown at the end of chapter 425 (Shigaraki by his feet and the mystery man by his upper body). 

Arguments against this:

1. Hisashi has no plot relevance from what we know. 

2. The man is likely Tenko. They look the same, the way the chapter sandwiches the panel of the man between Izuku and the other students, and the narrative needing him to come back. 

3. The man does look quite young. Though, that could be because he hasn’t gone outside in YEARS, experimentation, or even good genetics. We also don’t know what the man actually looks like, because most of his face was covered by a gag or hair.

Why I think this man isn’t only Hisashi Midoriya but also a Shimura:

1. It’s been pointed out before, but when Nana gives Kotaro away, she’s wearing a heavy winter jacket. This could be nothing, but the fact that it’s spring at the time does set off some alarm bells. 

This could be nothing. Maybe it was cold that day, but it is strange that Hori decided to draw her facing away, in a winter jacket, and kind of faraway. 

A popular theory, at least where Inko Shimura is concerned, is that Nana was pregnant at the time. I’m going to co-opt this and apply it to Hisashi.

2. Hisashi being a Shimura would explain why he was locked away. 

I can imagine that AFO wouldn’t hesitate to break the Shimura family in any way he can. 

3. Assuming it isn’t Tenko, the man looks like a Shimura. 

Same dark hair.

Dark eyes. 

4. We don’t know what Nana’s husband’s quirk was, or how Hisashi’s quirk works exactly. And that might be for a reason. 

For how traumatic her husband’s death was, we see nothing of him. 

Kotaro, who would have been old enough to remember him, doesn’t mention his father. Nor does he have a photo of him. 

In the Inko Shimura theory, it’s speculated that it’s because Inko looks somewhat like her father. 

In this theory I like to think it’s both because Nana’s husband has Izuku’s freckles AND we don’t hear anything about him because his quirk is also fire breathing. 

Now that I think about it, we also don’t know Kotaro’s quirk either. 

5. His face is covered. We don’t know by what exactly, but it’s clearly hard to get off. If you were to kidnap someone with a fire breathing quirk, you too would want to prevent them from using it. (Quirk suppressants in universe don’t exist in the same way they do in fanfictions.)

6. If Hisashi was kidnapped when Izuku was very young, then Izuku wouldn’t have any memories of his father. Which means the vestiges, namely Nana, wouldn’t be able to place that he’s related to her. 

7. And if Hisashi and Izuku look nothing alike, it would explain why she doesn’t notice.

8. It was pointed out by, I think Psychomurderez, that the house where Inko and Izuku play heroes is different from the one in the present day. 

For one it looks more like a traditional Japanese house, with sliding doors and tatami floors. 

There are no sliding doors that we can see in their apartment.

This implies that they moved sometime between then and now. 

Link to the original observation: https://www.tumblr.com/psychomurderz/648900055957487616/about-the-midoriya-family-what-do-we-know-about

A possible timeline:

Nana gives her son away. 

Gives birth to Hisashi.

Gives him away to foster care or an orphanage.

Hisashi grows up, meets Inko, and they get married. 

Izuku is born. 

AFO has Hisashi kidnapped and tortured but keeps a close eye on Izuku in case Tenko doesn’t work out. 

Hisashi is tortured for years. 

Canon happens. 

Hisashi escapes and stumbles all the way back to his house where he, his wife, and son used to live. Only it’s torn apart and barely standing. 

He cries, thinking that they were casualties in the war. 

Mixing it with another theory, to make it extra angsty:

The theory I’m referencing: https://www.tumblr.com/vam1mav/754020429909409792/hi-again-d-i-have-nothing-to-do-and-well-i

So, you guys know the theory that AFO killed Hisashi and took his identity? Well, Hisashi being a Shimura would give him leverage to do that.

1. He gets to destroy a family in three different ways.

For Inko, it’s the implied SA and latent psychological torment she’s likely to go through once she realizes what happened. 

For Izuku, it’s another dig at his identity, the overwhelming guilt (for both his mom and ‘dad’), and a cherry on top of his incoming mental breakdown. 

And for Hisashi, it’s being taken from his wife, having his identity stripped away from him, and coming home to a family of two when he remembers it just being him and his wife.  

2. Depending on how the DNA changing quirk/disguise quirk that AFO has works, Izuku would still be related to Hisashi as well. 

In conclusion:

I don’t know what this theory would actually add to canon, especially considering that the manga’s ending in four chapters. 

Very fanfic-y, and I don’t really believe it. But Hori has pulled too many plot-twists for me not to consider other possibilities. 

Like I said at the beginning I’m a staunch believer that it’s Tenko, and I so badly want that to be true. But if it isn’t I wouldn’t mind having Hisashi revealed to us this way.

But please let it be Tenko.

And please let DFO be canon!

Because this theory also doesn’t explain half of what DFO would (the Nomu scooping Izuku up, Dr. Garaki being Izuku’s doctor….)

[ao3feed-spinaraki]

Saviors of the Damned

by Calathea_Fleur

After Midoriya Izuku is pronounced quirkless, his mother abandons him to his paternal grandparents, who are also quirkless. In an effort to protect them from quirkist assholes who constantly harass them in their small cafe, Izuku asks a regular to train him. He didn't realize this would mean joining the most notorious vigilante group in Japan! But what happens when they inevitably get caught? Nedzu happens, of course!

Words: 1181, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 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: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Sero Hanta, Todoroki Shouto, Hatsume Mei, Shinsou Hitoshi, Toga Himiko, Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Takami Keigo | Hawks, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Bubaigawara Jin | Twice, Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Nedzu (My Hero Academia), Midoriya Izuku's Family

Relationships: Midoriya Izuku/Sero Hanta/Todoroki Shouto, Hatsume Mei/Shinsou Hitoshi, Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner/Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Takami Keigo | Hawks, Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko/Takami Keigo | Hawks, Bubaigawara Jin | Twice & Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner, Midoriya Izuku & Midoriya Izuku's Family, Bubaigawara Jin | Twice & League of Villains

Additional Tags: Vigilante Midoriya Izuku, Vigilante Sero Hanta, Vigilante Todoroki Shouto, Vigilante Hatsume Mei, Vigilante Shinsou Hitoshi, Vigilante Toga Himiko, Vigilante Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Vigilante Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Vigilante Takami Keigo | Hawks, Vigilante Bubaigawara Jin | Twice, Vigilante Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner, Dead Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner, Missing but not confirmed dead Bubaigawara Jin | Twice, Parental Bubaigawara Jin | Twice, Dead Sensei | All For One, Toga Himiko and Shinsou Hitoshi are like siblings, It's really adorable, Kurogiri is Not Shirakumo Oboro, Dead Shirakumo Oboro, Because it makes me sad unless I can fix him in the fic, Which I can't here, But Kurogiri is also dead in this one, Genius Midoriya Izuku, Hacker Midoriya Izuku, Genius Hatsume Mei, Hacker Hatsume Mei, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Quirkless Discrimination (My Hero Academia), Quirkless Original Character(s) (My Hero Academia), Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Toogata Mirio Has One for All Quirk, It isn't stated outright but you can assume, bakugou isn't that bad, he's still an asshole though, Tsukauchi Naomasa has a Lie Detector Quirk, Because that is actually not canon, His sister just has a similar quirk, she isn't in this fic, This is a lot of tags revolving around a person who is only there for .05 seconds, Midoriya Inko's Bad Parenting, Midoriya Izuku's grandparents are quirkless, They own a cafe, Transmasc Shinsou Hitoshi, how is that not a tag?, I've seen is so many times, Transfeminine Hatsume Mei, Protective Midoriya Izuku, Dead Midoriya Hisashi, Sensei | All For One is Not Midoriya Hisashi, This is not spiderman the grandparents are safe

source: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56153059

[fandom-susceptible]

I have too many MHA AU ideas so here

Dadzawa AU: literally just a series of Aizawa parenting his class, probably with guest appearances from the Big 3, Shinsou, and Eri. Background Erasermic with trans!Aizawa. Shinsou was a teenage accident of Aizawa and Oboro's, who Aizawa was forced to give up. Yamada and Aizawa have tried off and on for a second kid for eight years and then suddenly in a matter of two years they get 25 of them (including a newborn that forces Aizawa to take a leave of absence as Eraserhead and teach full time for a while)

Fluff(ier than canon) AU: Erasercloudmic gets together in high school, they still have Shinsou. Oboro doesn't die or go missing but Aizawa and Yamada can't pay for his medical bills *and* support their kid in high school even if they COULD keep it, so they give him up to save Oboro, who as a result never becomes Kurogiri. The three of them stay together, though not without a rough patch, and eventually get married; Oboro is permanently disabled, probably with mobility and vision issues, and Loud Cloud retires. He works as a producer at Mic's radio station. Nothing bad happens to Shimura Tenko; Dadmight Toshinori to the rescue there. He still passes OfA to Midoriya. No Kurogiri and no Shigaraki means no League of Villains; Dabi is a known vigilante rather than a straight up villain. Todoroki Natsuo becomes a detective and tracks Touya down to tell him what's happened since he left. Dabi knocks on Eraserhead and Present Mic's door to ask them for help rescuing his baby brother - "Because you'll stand up to Endeavor. No one else will." Erasercloudmic end up with custody of Shoto, Hitoshi, and Eri.

ABO AU: Same basis as the Fluff AU with Erasercloudmic and Shinsou, and no League of Villains, but omega Aizawa with his two alphas, and their pack including such gems as beta Toshinori, alpha Nemuri, and beta Tensei. Tenya and Aizawa are still pretending they don't know each other well into second year despite the fact that the young alpha has literally napped in Aizawa's nest.

Mutant AU: Everyone's quirk is actually a mutation caused by the x-gene, Marvel canon style. UA has connections with Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and Avengers Academy. Aizawa and Logan get along famously despite that time they met back when Logan was a Villain:tm: and Aizawa was in high school and almost killed him by using Erasure on his extremely poisoned (by metal bones) ass. Hawkeye and Izuku hit it off immediately. Bakugou fucking hates Hawkeye's guts, even more so after Hawkeye just douses him with something that neutralizes his nitroglycerin sweat and ties him up before Bakugou can touch him. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu have new heroes to fanboy over after meeting Hulk, Warpath, and Colossus.

[that-spider-fan-over-there]

Okay so the last post wasn't my last BNHA one for the time being but I wanted to expand on this one (how I think Midoriya Izuku: Rising would go), 'cause I kept thinking "how would the buildup to it even go" and I wanted to share!

Also, I'll alternate between Tenko and Tomura a lot in this post, I apologize for it.

So, with that in mind, spoilers for the manga, up until Chapter 417, ahead!

Okay, so the vestige world is going back in time for Izuku and Tomura; and it has currently rewinded to their origins- Izuku, as at least a part of his origins (as you could make a case he was already on his way since the Quirkless diagnosis, while the Sludge Villain incident was a checkpoint). As such, it's likely Izuku will rewind the closer he gets to Shimura family death.

So, based on previous encounters, Tomura would need to be shown a commonality between him and Izuku (being underestimated, told it's impossible for them to be heroes) or the extent he's willing to go to save a person (Lady Nagant, Eri, Kota, Katsuki). With that in mind, I don't know if Izuku would be willing to think about the last one, because of the worms inside that can.

It's a little tiring to hear the same thing, but that "control your heart" thing is indeed very important for Izuku- because how do you connect to someone like Tomura- who has (mostly) lost hope for help if you keep repressing the feeling he'd also connect with? Can anyone recall the last time we've seen, unambiguously, Izuku's thoughts?

This, is where Izuku's repression problem comes in- the first and last setback of his: "Not all men are created equal"; he is the central representation of the matter... and so are the two people involved in this narrative:

Izuku wasn't created equal to most characters, despite BNHA's house of mirrors game: no relation to heroes, no Quirk, no one to encourage him to become one through other means, no self-worth- He's like a lot of characters, but no character is like him, period, least of all Tenko or Katsuki.

Tenko wasn't created equal to Izuku because his relation to Nana (a hero) is what caused Kotaro's resentment to resurface, and Tomura's faith in heroes was shattered because the one who "cared" for him was AFO, who groomed him to be a vessel. We don't even know yet if Decay was his all along or not!

Katsuki wasn't created equal to Izuku because he was thought strong by his Quirk, and too much encouragement caused confidence to become arrogance. He grew up with love, yes, but what was expected of him (to be an arrogant hero? Izuku's closest person? An extra character?) could've been the reason he would have died.

So, they all foil each other in some way, shape or form- but the main contrast between Izuku, and Katsuki and Tomura: he hides one emotion he should be allowed to feel since chapter 1: Unbridled rage. Even in situations he'd be justified, do we see him lose it like in chapter 82-83, 210, 285 and just barely 367?

With all of that information, let's return to Chapter 417; the most recent one as of now.

We know Izuku's priorities- others before himself, even at the cost of his safety. A suicidal recklessness, especially when it comes to kids-Kota and Eri come to mind, Katsuma and Mahoro as well. The panel of him jumping in to reach for Tenko while Nana confronts Kotaro is the best representation of it. So it wouldn't be surprising if he'd stick by Tenko's side during the first Decay (assuming it's Tomura's memory and not the actual person). He's always been like that, the Quirkless teen who just wanted to help people like All Might once did.

Tomura would most likely falter on his resolve, after all, no one helped him in the aftermath of the Shimura tragedy, while Izuku just saw a kid in need and decided to protect him. But I can also see this is where Izuku would lose it as well.

This is where, I think, the memory merging would come in. Tomura reminiscing on the misery that is his life, and Izuku finally losing it once he realized he and Tomura are similar, with all of his rage finally coming loose... But also that he can use that to connect to him, using the embers of OFA he can feel. Not all, but just enough. Dark Deku returns, his feelings of inadequacy, of not belonging anywhere.

Because Izuku knows that feeling of unfairness, of knowing people don't believe in his dreams. But he knows anyone can make a difference, he needs to see how much he already did, just by being the one willing to give a hand for those who needed it. He needs to know where his origin really begins- not when All Might decided to be his mentor, but when he was the first who stepped up to help when it mattered, the sludge villain incident.

For someone who would've fit with the League, had the wrong right cards been dealt for him.

This would be where Tenko would probably cease, at least enough to hear Izuku out. Still as kids, they would probably fight until Izuku breaks through, until both collapse in exhaustion in the vestige world- not only from the fight, but from their emotional state. Just two kids who are tired.

Who, by all accounts, should've been like Tomura, right?

Weren't heroes and villains the same, after all?

The outside world holds their breath, for there is no movement yet. But all beg Izuku to do his best.

Nothing can erase their pasts, but Izuku doesn't want to focus on that. He needs to accept it's a part of him. So does Tomura.

And just as they finally come to an understanding, and Izuku lends a hand- a promise the future can be better despite everything, Tenko is snatched again by a plethora of forceful grips. AFO's trump card is activated- something that tries to break Tenko and possess Tomura again. Izuku tries pulling him out of it, but is slowly consumed as well. In this moment, they grow back to their current ages, while Izuku can barely move. He has no strength, no Quirks, no help, and he'll die then and there.

But.

The vestiges are conscious enough to rebel against AFO, like before. One more time. Maybe for the last time?

Izuku is still connected to One For All.

And he's not the only one.

Maybe this is the last time One For All will exist. But if All For One is defeated, if Tomura is saved, it's worth it at any costs.

The vestiges find their way back to Izuku, trying to pull him out, while he holds on to Tomura, who's terrified of being taken control of once again. They lack the same strength of the Quirk, but still make enough of a difference. Yet, it's not enough.

Until the two hands of a UA student appear beside him.

If their feelings are one, then Izuku knows who it is, and feels something new, worrying, regretful and afraid, but surprisingly for Izuku, he's kind, fully trusting. Vestige or not, that weakness needs to become his strength, just like before, then. So, Izuku channels that part of him, the one he’s ashamed of, and turns into something he’s proud of.

That voice says one thing: Do your best.

And therefore, his strength, complemented by the missing piece of Katsuki’s vestige, ends up being the turning point.

Izuku rips Tomura out of All For One’s grip, in the vestige world and the real world— an explosion; the shape of a star just like the one moments before. The cocoon is destroyed, the hands are shattered and falling from the sky. Tomura is unconscious, but his grip doesn’t decay Izuku at all.

In that moment, the world cheers, as Izuku gets up, a scarred right fist in the air just like his idol. The fight was won, and Tomura was defeated., No, he was saved. Japan was saved. The world was saved.

Deku, Midoriya Izuku rises, and becomes the world’s greatest hero.