#I did not answer this previous similar asks cause they were aggressive lol

[my-name-is-apollo]

Honestly I'm getting so annoyed by the way Ares is perceived recently. He is such an interesting and tragic god but half of the community see him as a hot headed misogynist (wrong) and the other half paint him as a raging feminist (also wrong). It's like Hades all over again. While he's definitely far from being a misogynist, where is "Ares the protector of women" coming from? Does he protect any women other than his daughters? "Feasted upon by women" doesn't mean much when he also had a festival where women were prohibited. Whenever you bring up Rhea Silvia suddenly "it's Roman not Greek!" but they don't make that distinction for other gods (not to mention, Rhea Silvia is mentioned by Greek authors too + that kind of distinction is not ideal. Even the Greeks syncretised their gods with Roman gods) like why can't we just reach a middle ground with neither demonising him nor putting him on a pedestal.

This is like the 5th ask I'm getting about Ares so i'mma just answer this lol

I don't get enough Ares posts on my feed to begin with. The ones I do are mostly fine, just appreciating him. But yeah there have occassionally been ones that made me go 🤨 and I feel you with the way they try to like, completely alienate the Roman myths like that wouldn't make things even more chaotic. I see this happen with Medusa - Poseidon too. Like sure, it sucks that people are so fixated on Ovid's version, but the argument must be "Ovid's poem is not the only version of Medusa's tale" and not "It's Roman and it's by Ovid so it's not valid". Trust me, I have a big preference for Greek versions over the Roman ones, but there are also times I prefer the Roman versions (and some tales, like Eros and Psyche, survive only in the works of Roman authors). Every person will have preferences but it doesn't change the fact that the Greek and Roman gods were syncretised, and even some of the later Greek authors like Plutarch do not distinguish between Greek deities and their Roman counterparts.

And yeah, I honestly don't get where the feminist Ares who is the protector of women is coming from. I'm a firm believer that applying that label (feminist) to any god is an unfitting thing to do. But spreading misinformation for the sake of putting their favorite god on a pedestal is sadly not exclusive to Ares and Hades fans (but Hades fans have been the loudest, most annoying at it). I've seen it being done by the fans of all the other Olympian gods too. (Remember when there was a wave of "Dionysus is the least problematic god?" Yeah...) I can definitely understand the frustration. But Ares appreciation has so far not been too unbearable for me. In the corner of my mind I'm glad he gets to shine after all the unnecessary hate he got :3 but yes I too wish people realise he doesn't have to be the beacon of morality to be liked and appreciated.

[nightswithkookmin]

What you think of fetus V who said in front of everyone "You seem to really like men" to Jimin? Youthful ribbing? Or a moment of insensitivity ? FWI saying you like girls or guys? Or calling close same sex friends u a couple? is actually common where am from. This has happened in my friend circle too actually. Except all of us are hets so no one take it seriously. Cant think a closeted person would find it that funny. Jimins lack of denial or even laughing it off always stood out to me tho.

What do I think of that comment?

I think we both know very often when people say they think a man likes men, they mean to say they think that man is Gay and very often when the g-word is used in a sentence, it is not meant as a compliment- imma give it to you straight, no bs. Lol.

The parlance gay and variations of it, in my opinion, is often used ubiquitously and traditionally as a slur slang among ignorant, non-progressive, anti homosexual individuals and is often rooted in malice.

And when malice isn't intended, ridicule is. The sad fact is, people adopt the terminology as ammunition to blatantly attack, dehumanize, belittle and strip away the dignity of queer folks and when the term is used in reference to non queer people it has a similar effect. It degrades them as well through the irony and humor of comparing them to gay people.

Gay jokes, if you will, is a subtle art of passive aggressively slurring gay folks if you think about it. I mean let's be honest.

Personally, I don't think Tae's intentions in that moment were malicious at all. I don't think he blurted out those words with the intension to ridicule Jimin either- stay with me. It will make sense in a bit.

But he called Jimin gay nevertheless. His comment if a joke, I'm afraid, reinforces these bizzare stereotypes of masculinity and promotes toxic rhetorics prevalent especially within Kpop shipping communities where every Male idol interaction is hyper sexualised and romanticized thus, suggesting a man cannot love another man, be affectionate or be fond of them unless they secretly lusted after them and harbored a desire to lay down pipes in their behinds- which, honestly is crazy coming from a guy with a cultural background such as the Korean culture where kinship is commonplace but more on that later.

I think whatever which way we want to look at it, it was an insensitive comment especially if you believe he meant it as a joke. It was definitely not his most woke moment, socially and culturally- and that's putting it lightly.

That 'gay' comment to me is right up there with all the problematic statements some, if not all, of the members have made over the years- the colorism, racist jokes, the ' eww, you too black,' 'akekeke- you too tanned shoo,' implying if you're black or tanned you are ugly. The fat jokes, the misogyny and misogynior- please don't ask me to give you examples of these. I don't want to ruin BTS for you. Lol.

There are commentaries on these out there on the internet. You can look it up for yourselves- You welcome. Lol.

For the record, BTS have since retracted, acknowledged and apologized for most of these questionable moments throughout the years and so we cannot hold it against them, forever- not to make excuses for them but they are human too. They learn, they unlearn, they make mistakes, they correct them, they grow and as NamJoon said, they really were a bit 'unsophisticated' and rough around the edges in their earlier years- even if it was just five years ago from now, chilee. They is a mess. Lmho.

I think it's all part of the human process honestly- don't worry BTS, I have a lot of space in my heart for y'all to be human and still love ya. Keep going sweeties. Y'all's doing greatness de la grande kind!! Bless y'all.

In V's case he was, since that incident, put as a judge on a show that allegedly featured queer folks and he seemed more welcoming of them than the other judges on the panel, excluding RM of course.

A year later, he would make a song that the LBGTQ plus fraction of Army would rally behind as a highly pro gay song- Stigma, which I find debatable but whatever. I mean, just because JK has stars, clouds and the sky in his lyrics don't make him an astronaut or an environmentalist fighting the good cause for the climate but to each his own.

Stigma was still something, I'll give him that.

Flashforward to five years later, and he would be recommending songs by gay artists, appreciating and promoting gay art and the artists behind them, sporting rainbow outfits, designing a BT21 character that is genderless, incorporating sign language in his speeches- he polished up. Woke the hell up. Politically correct. Yadda yadda yadda.

I think, like some of the others, he too learned his lesson. It's not ok to trivialize the oppression of others or make light of it-

Now that we've gotten the woke bit out of the way, on to our shipping business. Follow me, chop chop. Lol.

Firt of all, I don't think that moment is a big deal. But I find it interesting nonetheless.

Do I think Tae was teasing Jimin in that moment when he made that statement? It's not quite easy as yes or no.

Personally, I think he was clocking him.

This interview was conducted at a point in the timeline where I feel Jimin was shedding his image as the Maknae obsessed hyung in the group. He was coming into his own and embracing himself for who he is and that I think included his sexuality.

Prior to, he had in my opinion, since debut, slipped into the role of the queer jest of the group supplying queer humor and entertainment for listeners at radio shows by offering himself up for ridicule as the 'gay guy' within the group- I hated every bit of it. Lol.

You'd often hear the members refer to him as the one good with the guys, the boy in love with the Maknae- There is still a fraction of Army that see him as this persona but he has since outgrown that label and that phase.

RM was basically the Black jest of the group, offering himself up for ridicule for his darker skin tone right down to his blaccent. Can you do your black accent? They will ask him at interviews and he would proceed to deliver a walmart version of the Black American English. Sigh.

Compared to the previous year where he literally gasped and panicked when the members hinted at his sexuality or made statements that put his sexuality into question, Jimin seemed more in control and mentally prepared during this interview.

When the question was asked of him, the question of why he liked JK, his instincts it seemed was to steer the conversation away from his sexuality- a tactic the rest of the members would employ to avoid discussing Jikook a few months from that interview...

I mean, when Tae asked Jimin on JK's birthday that same year what he wanted to give JK, RM cut in before JM answered. Jimin had done the same thing when in an interview JK was asked if Jimin wasn't his style and JK was stuttering not knowing what to say in response. JM asked him not to answer the question.

When interviewers ask these questions, they do so for entertainment purposes- because who doesn't like gay jokes, amirite?

For heterosexual idols I assume it's not slippery slope for them to engage in these kinds of humor. They can play gay without risking exposing their heterosexuality and when they do play gay it's for jest.

It's not the same for queer idols I think.

Jimin was basically done being the butt of the gay jokes in 2015, he was done selling himself as the JK shit rainbows and I'm the unicorn fixated on him kinda person and it reflected in that conversation.

'I don't like everything about this boy. He ain't all that. But he is the Maknae and he cute so whatever' lol.

Like I said, I think Jimin was steering the conversation away from his sexuality but Tae's comment steered the conversation right back to it. 'I just think he likes men.'

Most South Koreans I've met in person and on the internet spend a considerable amount of time and energy trying to dispel the western notion of gayness projected on to Korean men for their skinship culture.

We like to glamorize gayness in these streets but in reality gay is stigmatized especially in places like South Korea. People don't readily read gay in Male interactions unless they were being homophobic or socially unaware.

To me, Tae's statement was more of an observation about Jimin, one which he felt a need to contribute to the discussion they were having, perhaps to provide insight into the inner workings of Jimin rather than as a joke or jest- or may be he did both.

Jimin managed to avoid opening himself up for the gay jokes and to this Tae then responded, I just think you is gay sir- The emphasis has been mine. Lol.

The thing about Tae is, in the earlier days he used to have a habit of 'exposing' Jimin whenever Jimin told half truths and what not.

For example, in 2014 during an interview when JM was asked what he wanted to do on his free days he had said he wanted to spend time with his family or something and Tae immediately checked him saying he was lying. Jimin then said he wanted to be with Jungkook which had JK fuming.

Was he teasing JM when he called him out for lying about his true desires? May be but I think he meant it too. Know what I mean?

He did the same thing when during their Paris VLive, Jimin got nervous when JK was singing 'know you love me boy, so that I love you,' in the background and Tae asked Jimin if he was nervous. Jimin snapped out of whatever whipped trance he was in and asked 'why would I be nervous' or something along those lines.

Why would Tae assume JM was nervous listening to another man sing? And why would Jimin be nervous in the first place?

And if at an interview Jimin is asked, why don't you like listening to the Maknae sing and JM responded that he is cute but he can't sing and Tae says well I think listening to Jk sing makes him nervous- would that be youthful ribbing or tea? Do you see where I'm going with this?

I see Tae as very observant- If not more observant than Jk. Their jokes are punchier because it is rooted in truth. He is stating his opinion, his observations and when he felt JM's answers were dishonest or inconsistent of his general notion of him, he called him out on that.

It's like him saying JM likes to pretend to be drunk in order to tell Tae he loves him- allegedly. Was it funny, yes. Was it a lie? I don't think so.

Jimin likes to pretend, we been knew. His boyfriend don spilled that tea already. I mean Jk said JM faked being asleep when he noticed the cameras filming him. He said also JM knows he is cute so sometimes he intentionally acts cute.

Tae used to tease Jimin a lot- hell he still teases him a lot to this day. Lol. Had Jimin looking at the back of his head like he wanted to quick punch him in the throat in the recent run, chilee. Lmho.

But you gotta ask, where is the lie in all those jokes?

The question I ask myself, and I think we ought to ask ourselves as shippers is, what about Jimin gave Tae that impression of him in the first place?

What made Tae, coming from a culture and background where 'gay' is a taboo and skinship is prevalent assume that if Jimin liked JK then it was because he liked men or was gay?

Even if Tae meant it as a Joke- no one laughed. Lol. That awkward silence that ensued... now that's how you know he had deadass made a 'gay comment' for real. Lmho.

They were all silent, waiting for JM's response and only laughed when JM responded to Tae- isn't that how it usually goes when you are the one queer person at the het dinner table? The tasteless jokes, awkward silences and stares? Just me? Oh, never mind then. Keep reading. Lol.

Imagine if JM hadn't responded or had gay panicked like he did a year before that interview, when RM revealed JK had been sneaking into JM's bed at night?

Dude was legit ready to throw JK under the bus had it not been for the shady camera guy behind the cameras. Deadass, Jimin was pointing accusing fingers at JK and everything- so much for gay love. Lmho.

The question still remains, what makes you look at your heterosexual friend and go- hey, that's gay. Think about it.

If Tae thought Jimin liked men, even as a joke, it's probably because Jimin had been giving him a reason or reasons to believe he actually liked boys beyond the usual daily doze of gay prevalent within K-culture.

It's similar to JK feeling uncomfortable when Jimin in 2014 described their relationship as one between love and friendship. Jimin responding with male friends can love eachother too without being gay would imply JK was interpreting his words and actions towards him as laced with romantic and sexual subtext or intent.

Now why would JK assume this if men touching men and feeling up on eachother in their culture was a normal thing?

There are gay men in Korea you know?

Tae and Kook were both hyper aware and curious of Jimin's sexuality in that period- for different reasons of course. In my opinion.

Not sure if Jimin's androgynous features played a role in these suspicions and assumptions they had of him in the early days because androgynousity in men is often ignorantly profiled and stereotyped as queer.

Tae seemed convinced JM was queer at least and JK was projecting his own queerness on to Jimin a lot- cough, cough.

It seemed to me also that Tae for whatever reason had the impression JM had a thing for him? I'll save my VMin agenda for delulu Fridays but chilee I don't know, Jimin has been on an agenda to friendzone that man since those manly mans thawed off his chest. Lol.

VMIN... ok.

I mean Jimin's response to Tae was more to deflate Tae's ego than to deflect or evade the issue and I wonder why. 'You are so full of yourself' 'I may like men, but I don't like you' and Tae responds with 'really' as if he's been challenged or dared- ever had your straight friends assume you like them just because you are queer?

Anywho, for whatever reason, Jimin seemed to be the only member in the group around the early days whose words and actions were put through the queer litmus test.

Also, I think a distinction ought to be made between calling two same sex friends a couple and calling them gay.

Calling two friends a couple is inconsequential- except when their sexuality is on the line. Calling two same sex friends you know are straight a couple is nothing but a gay joke.

BTS do this all the time. Jimin called Namjin a couple, Tae kook a couple, himself and Suga a couple, himself and JK a couple.

Jk has equally referred to others within the group as a couple, made heart signs above them, and have even held his chest and said he never thought he would fall for a guy.

In none of these instances did he or any of them imply that they or the persons they were referring to were queer or liked men and I wouldn't make much of such comments.

When JK was called out for gifting a present to Jimin and not the others, Tae teased JK as well and his gestures implied to me, 'it's ok to like him, I know you like him, you like JM don't you, uWu' and other variations of these.

But he in no way hinted at the sexuality of JK explicitly or implicitly- not in a way that prompts a response or rebuttal from JK like it did in Jimin's case.

I guess what I'm saying is that, that moment is nothing but something at the same time. You look at Tae's personality and his reputation within the group as the one with no filter who blurts out things that often has BTS running helter skelter- that 'I want to see your children" comment at Festa almost gave RM an aneurysm. Lmho.

Then they had to literally take his mic away from him when he started talking about meeting a pretty chick or something at a fansigns.

You consider the history between him and Jimin, the context behind that comment and the things that was said after that comment- the interviewer said 'well JK is really handsome...' which means he took the 'joke' Tae had made to mean JM had romantic interest in JK- something I feel JM was trying to avoid.

I don't think Tae meant anything by it. I don't think he knew at the time JM was queer but I do believe he suspected he was.

Hope this helps,

Signed,

GOLDY

[simplybakugou]

OKAY I JUST READ YOUR SHORT STORY ABOUT BAKUGO HAVING A QUIRKLESS KID AND CRAZY IDEA BUT WHAT IF MIDORIYA, WHO’S STILL IN TOUCH WITH BAKUGO, WAS LIKE A CLOSE FAMILY FRIEND OR SUM AND GOT ALONG GREAT W KATSUO. idkidk but im sure deku would truly understand how katsuo feels so he’d kinda take him under his wing and “guide” him as he grows up AND MAYBE ONE DAY PASSES ON ONE FOR ALL TO HIM ? CRAZY IDEA BUT IT JUST POPPED INTO MY HEAD WHILE READING IT.

⋆ PAIRING: dad!bakugou x female!reader ⋆ WARNINGS/TAGS: swearing; angst ⋆ WORD COUNT: 6126

A/N: I was already planning on making a part 2 for this but you guys beat me to it! And this is so long, I didn’t mean for it to be so long but so many ideas kept coming to mind lol. This is also my way of contributing to Bakugou’s birthday because I’m too depressed and sad to do anything else for him :) Thank you for requesting and I hope you enjoy :)

Link to part 1 is here!

✐posted 04.20.2020✐

“You’re all done!” You exclaimed, patting one of your patient’s back as you wrapped up the bandage. “Remember to not put too much pressure or overwork your arm otherwise it won’t heal properly. Please contact the hospital if you have any other abnormal pains.”

The young woman smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Bakugou-san. No wonder you’re so famous!”

You smiled and thanked the woman as she exited the room. Your nursing assistance, Hana, walked into the room, holding her clipboard of all of your appointments in hand. “Hana, do I have any more appointments?”

Hana looked down at the clipboard, shaking her head. “No, you’re clear for the afternoon.”

You nodded, thanking her and pulled your phone out from your pocket as you walked out into the hallway. There were numerous missed calls from Aldera Junior High, Katsuo’s school. A sigh escaped your lips, already knowing that the meaning of the call couldn’t be good. You dialed the phone number and called back.

“Hello, this is the office of Aldera Junior High, how can I help you?” A man’s voice asked from the other line.

“Hi, my name is Bakugou Y/N and I was just calling back after receiving some missed calls from this number.”

“Oh, Bakugou-san! Let me redirect you to Principal Hirai. She will answer your call shortly.” The line was momentarily cut off until you were redirected to the principal’s phone.

“Hello, this Principal Hirai. Is this Bakugou-san?” 

“Yes, it is. Sorry about not answering your previous calls. I had a few appointments to take care of at the hospital here.” You took off your white lab coat and sat down in your office.

“No worries, I understand how busy and hard you work. I called because there was an… incident here.”

You furrowed your brows. “Incident? Is it about Katsuo? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine but he did get into a fight with another student here. His mother is here in my office now and I would like you to come as well. I tried calling your husband but he is currently on duty so that’s why I called you,” Principal Hirai said.

“I understand. I’ll get there as soon as I can.” You hung up, setting your phone down on the table. Your fingertips rubbed small circles into your temples as you could feel a migraine forming. Katsuo, despite being a carbon copy of his father, had your temperament, making him calmer and less aggressive than his father. That was why you were shocked to find out he had gotten into a fight, something that is not in his character. 

You grabbed your coat, phone, and bag, approaching the front desk of the hospital. “Hana, call me if I get any other appointments. I’m taking my lunch break early.”

Hana nodded, waving good-bye to you as you made your way to your car and Aldera Junior High.

***

The doors were light as you pushed open the doors to the main office of the school. A man, most likely the one who you were on the phone with, greeted you. “Bakugou-san? You can take a seat right there. Principal Hirai will be right with you.”

You nodded, looking over to where he was gesturing. In the seats was your son who had a tissue in his right nostril to stop the bleeding as well as a bruise on his right cheek. He looked up at you, his crimson eyes widening at the sight of you. “Mom!”

You sighed, walking over and sitting down next to him. You cupped his face in your hands, examining his face. “You don’t look too beaten up but that bruise will take a few days, maybe weeks, to heal.”

Katsuo looked at you with a puzzled expression. “So… you’re not upset?”

“Of course I’m upset!” You exclaimed. “Why would you get into a fight, Katsuo? It’s not like you to do something like this.”

Katsuo scoffed in a manner similar to Bakugou himself. “That bastard Watanabe is a piece of shit.”

You felt your eye twitch at the sound of your son cursing, normally reprimanding him for doing so but deciding not to now since he seemed so upset. “He was picking on a kid in class for not showing him the answers on the test so I just wanted to tell him off for picking on someone like that. But then he started getting all pissy, talking about me being shitty for not having a quirk and then he…”

Katsuo looked over at you, looking away after his eyes met yours. “Then he what, Suo?”

Katsuo sighed, looking down at his hands. “He started saying that I’m probably quirkless ‘cause ‘my bitch of a mother’s shit quirk was too weak to pass on’ and that it was ‘her fault for making such a fucked up kid.’”

Katsuo looked back up at you, holding your hands in his. “But your quirk is so cool, Mom! No one else thinks it’s shitty or anything! Everyone thinks that you’re amazing for protecting and saving so many people and they all admire you for it! I admire you for it! Even if you aren’t a pro, you’re my hero, Mom.”

You smiled at him, raising your hand up and caressing his blonde hair down. “When did I get such a sweet and caring son? You didn’t have to say anything, Suo, I’m proud of you for sticking up for your classmate.”

He smiled back at you, looking over to see the man at the front desk smiling at the sight of a mother comforting her son. Katsuo blushed, rubbing his neck. “I-It was nothing, Mom.”

The door labelled ‘PRINCIPAL’ in black, bold letters, opened up. Principal Hirai gestured at the two of you to come in and you both got up to enter her office. Inside was an older woman and a young boy, who was even more beat up than Katsuo with a large band aid covering the bridge of his nose as well as a black eye. It seemed like even quirkless Katsuo was capable of showing his strength and protecting himself. Katsuo sat down on the chair next to Watanabe and you sat beside your son.

Principal Hirari sighed, folding her hands together on the desk. “Thank you both for being able to come here today, especially you, Y/N, with your busy schedule.”

The mother scoffed, crossing her arms. “What? Being a little doctor means she gets more praise than me?”

“No, not at all, Aiko. But let me get to why I had you come here in the first place. From what I’ve heard from Mashiho, he was minding his business when Katsuo came over and kept initiating a fight. Then he punched his face, forcing Mashiho to have to fight back.”

Katsuo stood up from his seat, eyes widened and teeth clenched together in anger. “You liar! You threw the first punch! And you were the one who kept picking on Asahi!”

Watanabe rolled his eyes at him. “I didn’t do any of that, Principal Hirai. Who are you going to believe: the kid with respectable parents or the brat with a sad excuse of a father who uses his aggressive behavior to call himself a hero?”

Katsuo grabbed Watanabe by the collar, pulling him up to his feet. “I dare you to say that again, you fucking piece of shit.”

You stood up, pulling Katsuo back and making him sit back down. “That’s enough, boys. I’ve heard enough,” Principal Hirai said.

Aiko began comforting her son in her arms. “Oh, my poor baby! Hirai, as you can clearly see, that barbaric kid is the one responsible for all of this! But you can’t blame the kid for being like that, since his parents can barely take care of one kid, let alone two. I mean how many times has that behemoth of a hero caused damage to the press. He’s better off being a villain than a hero if you ask me.”

Your hands clenched into fists. “Good thing no one was asking you, ‘cause the next time you even think about insulting my son or my husband in front of me will be your last.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Principal Hirai commanded. “It’s clear to me what happened.”

“Good, so I’m glad that that brat will be taken care of,” Aiko huffed.

“No, the exact opposite will be happening,” Principal Hirai said, eyeing Aiko. She looked over at Katsuo, smiling. “Katsuo has never gotten into this kind of trouble. Nor have I ever gotten complaints about him from the teachers. In fact, they say that he will most likely be the valedictorian for this year’s class. I only expect good things from him and I can see that you and your husband have done an excellent job raising him and Suki, who also is doing well in her classes here. I also want to thank you and your husband for everything you do for the people and so selflessly as well.”

You smiled, bowing your head at her. “Thank you for your kind words and taking care of my kids, too.”

Principal Hirai nodded, her smile disappearing as she looked at Watanabe. “Mashiho, on the other hand has caused more trouble than any other child in this building. There have been numerous cases where he has bothered other students for his benefit. I’m sure that if Katsuo didn’t step up and defend his classmate, Watanabe would have continued this behavior. Therefore, I’ve decided to suspend Watanabe for three weeks.”

Aiko and Watanabe stared at Principal Hirai with wide eyes and they both jumped out of their chairs. “This is outrageous! Look at my baby, look at how beat up he is because of that little shit!”

Principal Hirai looked at Aiko with disgust. “I also advise you, Aiko, to learn some manners as well because I won’t allow any adult to address my students as ‘little shits.’ I won’t be changing my mind. Please leave my office and do not return.”

Aiko, who was enraged, got up and grabbed her purse in one hand and her son in the other as she stormed out the door, cursing as she did so. Katsuo snickered and you nudged his leg to make him stop. Principal Hirai sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I really do apologize for making you come all the way here for such a nuisance. I’m sorry to you, too, Katsuo for having to deal with this.”

Katsuo grinned at her. “It’s nothing. If I’m being honest, I only fought back ‘cause he talked shi– I mean bad about my mom.”

You ruffled his hair, bowing and thanking the principal. “Thank you so much. If it’s alright, I’d like to sign Katsuo out for the rest of the day.”

Principal Hirai nodded. “You can sign Suki out as well as my way of showing my thanks for everything you and Ground Zero do for the world.”

You and Katsuo thanked her once again, going out into the office and having the man at the desk call Suki’s teacher to have her come down. Suki was your daughter, two years younger than Katsuo. Unlike her older brother, she had inherited your healing quirk. The difference was that she inherited Bakugou’s special sweat where she is able to heal using her sweat. Although she still can’t use it to the best of her abilities, she does try and train it as best as she can.

As you signed your children out, Suki opened the doors with a large grin on her face, most likely due to the fact that she got to leave early which was practically every child’s dream. She made a face once she saw her brother’s bruises. “God, what happened to you?”

Katsuo rolled his eyes at his little sister. “I’ll tell you later.”

***

“And then, I used just one drop of my sweat and it healed her paper cut! Isn’t that great, Mom? I’m showing so much progress!” Suki said, her face lit up with excitement as she latched her arm around yours.

Katsuo scoffed. “Aren’t you supposed to be able to do more? You’re in sixth grade now and that’s all you can do?”

You nudged Katsuo’s side. “Progress is still progress. I’m proud of you, Suki.”

Suki grinned at you, sticking her tongue out at her brother. Katsuo flipped her off when you weren’t looking. It was bright outside, the sun beaming down on the three of you as you took your kids out. Although you didn’t want him to get into fights, you were proud of your son for sticking up for his classmate and defending himself even without a quirk. There was no doubt in your mind that he would become a great hero just like his father.

Katsuo extended his arm out in front of the two of you, causing you to stop walking. He pointed down the road. “There’s a bunch of reporters there. If we go down this way, they’ll just ambush us and ask a bunch of questions about Dad.”

You nodded, looking down the street that was a bit dimmer as it wasn’t exposed to the sun’s rays due to the ginormous trees on the sidewalks. “This road looks better. It’ll take us a bit longer to get back to the car but that’s fine.”

“Do you think we’ll run into Dad or another cool hero on the way?” Suki asked excitedly as the three of you began walking down the narrow, desolate road.

“It’s possible, but I’d rather not ‘cause heroes only show up in times of need and that would mean a villain would be here,” you said. 

“Do you think there are people out there that hate Dad?” Katsuo asked.

“I’m sure there are. Just as there are people who love and admire Dad for everything he’s done, there have to be people who despise him for getting in the way,” you stated. Your phone began buzzing in your pocket, looking at it to find an alert from a ‘villain movement app,’ one that notifies you when there is criminal activity in the area. WARNING: Level 5 villain, Gamma, is in the area. Be cautious.

“Gamma? Who’s that?” Suki asked.

“He was a villain that Dad and Uncle Deku faced a few years ago. He got away from police custody but no one’s heard from him since. We should get to the car as fast as we can before anything happens.”

“Too bad I got to you first,” a raspy voice called out from a few feet from behind you.

You felt like something was crawling under your skin as you clenched your hands around your kids’ forearms, turning around slowly to make eye contact with a pair of green beady eyes. 

“Mommy?” Suki called out to you softly. Gamma grinned menacingly at the three of you.

“Kids, run that way as fast as you can and get help from the first person you see,” you said in a low voice.

“What about you, Mom?” Katsuo asked, his voice trembling. Although he had never seen Gamma, obviously, he remembered watching the news feed of his father and Midoriya facing off against Gamma and it was difficult even with their combined strength. 

“Don’t worry about me, and go!” You said, your tone harshening in a way that Katsuo or Suki had never heard.

Suki grabbed her brother’s arm, running in the opposite direction. Katsuo looked behind him, your back faced him and he could see how you were shaking. Gamma took a step forward but you stopped him. “I’m your target, not them.”

Your quirk was in no way suited for combat but you knew you could distract him as much as you could just so that your kids could get away. Gamma grinned even wider. “You think I’ll let those little shits get away?”

Gamma used his quirk to create a solid wall in front of Suki and Katsuo’s path in a similar way that Cementoss’ quirk worked. “Your little husband and that All Might wannabe did this to me!” He pulled down his hood to reveal all of his hair singed off as well as burn markings all over his scalp. “I’m gonna make them feel every ounce of pain I felt.”

Suki began tearing up, clutching onto her older brother as Katsuo held her tightly against him. Gamma smirked. “I’m gonna kill all of you and make that explosion bastard feel so much agony he’s gonna beg me to kill him.”

Gamma moved his arm, his quirk activating to create a branch like substance, wrapping around Suki’s waist. Suki screamed as she was ripped from her brother’s grasp but Katsuo refused to let go of her, holding onto her arms. Although he didn’t have a quirk, he still trained with his father to maintain his physique. Due to Gamma’s strength to have been immensely depleted thanks to Midoriya and Bakugou, Katsuo managed to yank Suki from the cement branch.

Gamma grunted under his breath and you let out a sigh of relief. But it still was far from over. Gamma looked over to Katsuo, snarling at the sight of him. “You look just like him. I think I’ll play around with you until he gets here.”

Your eyes widened, looking back at Katsuo as another cement branch grabbed him this time. “Katsuo!” You and Suki called out in unison.

Suki attempted to pull her brother away like he had done for her but she wasn’t strong enough. The cement branch moved towards Gamma, holding Katsuo up in front of him. Gamma activated another cement branch, grabbing Suki and maneuvering it forward so it would grab you on the way. The substance felt like the side of the road was wrapping against your bare skin as the tiny rocks dug into you. You winced in pain and Suki began crying out.

Gamma laughed maniacally. “You all made it too easy! I expected it from the doctor but not from the brats! I expected at least one of you to have that bastard’s quirk!”

The crowd of reporters heard the commotion from the street over, moving to the source of the sound. With little time, the crowd continued growing as they all watched on, unable to do anything other than watch. 

The cement dug deeper as Gamma tightened its hold around all of you. The silent road was now filled with the sounds of the three of you screaming in agony. You gritted your teeth. “They’re just kids! It should be enough to take your anger out on me, not them! Let them go!”

Gamma shook his head. “I want him to feel as much pain as he can! I don’t give a fuck who gets hurt!” You continued baiting him, angering Gamma even further.

Katsuo grunted, trying to break his arms free or at least move them around. Think, Katsuo, think!

He remembered watching the video of Gamma fighting all those years ago and how he relied on the darkness when using his quirk. It was a long shot, but Katsuo knew he had to do something otherwise his family would be murdered. His fingers snuck into his pocket carefully, pulling out his phone and turning the flashlight on. He shined the light at Gamma’s eyes and Gamma screamed out, his eyes feeling like they were burning. His grip began to weaken and Katsuo broke free from his hold. He continued to shine the light at him as he went over to his mother and sister.

The only way to get them out would be to break the cement. Katsuo didn’t have any tools to do this, having to rely on his fists and the fact that Gamma was weakened by the light to break them free. So Katsuo began punching the cement, his knuckles cracking and bleeding as he pounded relentlessly. 

“Suo!” Suki cried out, tears streaming down her face.

With one final punch, Katsuo broke you and Suki free, falling to the floor. The crowd cheered for Katsuo as you grabbed your son and daughter and ran towards the crowd and away from Gamma. Katsuo continued to shine the light onto Gamma, sighing in relief as he thought they had gotten away.

“Not so fast, you shit!” Gamma yelled, releasing one more cement branch blindly, grabbing Katsuo. He dropped his phone, releasing Gamma from being burned by the light. You moved to grab your son, only to be stopped by the formation of a cement wall, one with numerous net-like holes so that everyone could see what he was about to do.

“All you bastards out there, feast your eyes!” Gamma called out to the crowd. He tightened his grip around Katsuo. Katsuo felt his ribs crack as he let out a blood curdling scream.

“Katsuo!” You called out, covering your mouth as you sobbed. 

Suki fell to the floor beside you, turning around at the crowd. “One of you fucking idiots call for help! He’s gonna kill my brother!”

The crowd flinched at the intensity and vigor of Suki’s voice. One of the reporters had gotten the attention of others around him, and the crowd managed to call over Midoriya who was initially informed about the situation, the perfect person for this. 

“Gamma!” Midoriya called down the road.

Gamma flinched at the sound. “That voice…”

Taking advantage of the diversion and Gamma’s lack of attention, Katsuo pushed his arms out, wriggling his body from Gamma’s clutches. He fell to the floor, groaning in pain. He was broken and bloodied. “Suo!” Suki called out.

Katsuo punched through the wall, managing to break free, falling in front of his mother and sister. He was panting, clutching his side in pain. 

“That damn hero…” Gamma grunted. 

Before Midoriya could make his way through the crowd, Gamma created another branch, one with deadly shards of cement that would surely impale you as he was trying to grab you this time. Katsuo saw this, grabbing his book bag that was strewn on the floor and flinging it at the branch. He threw his body in front of you and Suki.

“Don’t you fucking touch them!” Katsuo screamed, his voice cracking. 

Gamma smirked at him. “Look at you being all brave. Come to think of it, I did hear about Ground Zero having a quirkless son. And you think you can defeat me? You’re just a waste of space!”

“I know that I’m weak!” Katsuo yelled. “I’m quirkless, and I’ll never be as strong as my dad.”

“Suo…” You murmured, holding onto Suki. 

Katsuo looked at Gamma with an intensity in his eyes that matched that of Bakugou’s. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll just let you hurt the ones I love without a fight!”

Gamma scoffed, angered by the child’s tenacity. He created another branch, this time aiming for Katsuo. “It’s over for you, kid!”

“Not while I’m here!” Midoriya called out, finally breaking through the crowd and running full speed at Gamma. “You’ve hurt them enough!”

Gamma flinched as Midoriya used his quirk and landed a devastating punch to Gamma’s large body. His body cracked, weakening his powers immensely. He was already weak due to Midoriya and Bakugou’s efforts all those years ago. 

As Midoriya reprimanded Gamma, Katsuo collapsed to the floor, continuing to clutch his side. You moved to hold him in your arms. “Katsuo, don’t worry I’ll fix you up soon.”

***

“Will he really be okay?” Suki asked, sniffling as she continued to cry.

You smiled softly, caressing her hair. “He’s alright. He has a few broken ribs and broke a few fingers, too. But Katsuo’s the strongest kid I know.”

Suki’s fists shook in her lap as you two sat outside of Katsuo’s room in the hospital. “He’s such an idiot! He should know better than to hurt himself like that!”

You rubbed Suki’s back, leaning your head onto hers. You shivered at the mere thought of Gamma but was assured as the images of Katsuo’s bravery flooded your mind. You knew that he trained with Bakugou since he was a toddler but you had no idea he was so strong, especially without a quirk.

You were broken away from your thoughts as Midoriya walked down the hallway. He smiled as he saw you and Suki. “Are you guys okay?”

You nodded. “Thanks to you, I don’t know what would’ve happened without you, Deku.”

Midoriya smiled sheepishly, rubbing the nape of his neck. “I was just doing my job! Your son was amazing out there! Speaking of, is he awake?”

You nodded. “Yeah, he wanted a few moments alone to breathe and process what happened so I’m just waiting for Katsuki here.”

“I see. Is it alright if I see him?”

“Go ahead!”

Midoriya smiled at the two of you as he slid the door open, closing it behind him. Katsuo sighed from his bed. “Mom, I said I wanted a few moments alo–”

Katsuo’s eyes widened at Midoriya by the door. “Oh, sorry! I can come back later if you want.”

“No! It’s okay, you can stay!” Katsuo sat up in his bed, wincing slightly. “I actually wanted to thank you for saving us back there.”

Midoriya shook his head, sitting down on the chair beside Katsuo’s bed. “You did so much for your mom and your little sister and I don’t think you understand how you literally saved them. I’m sure if you hadn’t done what you did and protected them in the way that you did, they would have been harmed severely. But you used your own body to protect them.”

Katsuo blushed. Although he was close with Midoriya due to his connection to his father, this was the first time someone other than his parents was commending him for his strength. “I just didn’t want them to get hurt. They’re my family and I think that if I had just done nothing, even though I don’t have a quirk, I would have never forgiven myself if they got hurt.”

Midoriya smiled. “You remind me of myself when I was your age, you know.”

Katsuo’s eyes widened. “What? No way! You’re one of the top heroes, Uncle Deku! You’re as strong as Dad, there’s no way you were like a quirkless loser like me!”

“I was though.” Midoriya paused. “I was quirkless like you.”

Katsuo stared at Midoriya with genuine confusion. Midoriya raised his hands in front of him, showing the numerous scars on his hands. “I was born quirkless but I was given this quirk by someone else. It’s called One For All.”

“You were given your quirk? Is that even possible?”

“This is the only possible way. A long time ago, I met my hero, the past symbol of peace, All Might. He gave me this quirk.”

Katsuo got excited, his eyes shining with excitement. “All Might?! Dad always tells me stories about how cool he was back in the day! And he gave you his quirk? Was that why he retired?”

Midoriya shook his head. “No, you see, that’s not how it works. One For All can be passed down from one person to another and it has been for generations. All Might was given his power by his teacher, too.”

Midoriya looked down at his hands. “I was a quirkless kid just like you when I met him. I thought it was impossible for me to become a hero and so did All Might at first. But then, I tried to save your dad from a villain, even without a quirk, and All Might saw me do it. He saw my drive to save as many people as I could as the perfect thing for the next successor of One For All. So he passed his quirk to me.”

“Dad never told me about that… about the whole villain attacking him.”

Midoriya chuckled. “That sounds like Kacchan. It isn’t something he’s proud of, having to be saved by a quirkless kid. But seeing you throw yourself and do anything to save those that you love, it reminded me of exactly why I wanted to become a hero.”

Katsuo furrowed his brows in confusion at Midoriya. “I like hearing all these stories, but why’re you telling me all this? Isn’t this supposed to be a secret?”

“I’m telling you this because I want to pass down One For All to you.”

Katsuo stared at him with utter disbelief, not believing for a second that he was serious. “Uncle Deku, I really do respect you, but if this is a joke, I think you can stop now.”

Midoriya shook his head. “I’ve never been more serious, Katsuo. Kacchan and Y/N have been telling me how much you’ve wanted to be a hero and I’m sure a lot of people have told you that you wouldn’t be able to be a hero because you’re quirkless. But from one quirkless person to another: you too can become a hero.”

***

Bakugou’s feet moved at a pace that the rest of his body couldn’t keep up with. The moment he heard the news of Gamma attacking his family, he didn’t hesitate to drop everything to rush to your side and make sure all three of you were okay. Midoriya had texted him the location of the hospital and Bakugou cursed under his breath as he had decided to take the stairs to the fifth floor, which was where you were. He even used his quirk to move his body faster, finally reaching the fifth floor.

His crimson eyes scanned the halls and found Suki lying on two chairs outside of a room, you close beside her. You looked up, smiling after seeing your husband. “Katsuki!”

Bakugou didn’t hesitate to hold you in his arms, practically knocking the wind out of you. His calloused hands held you tightly, his head nuzzled into your neck. He was so glad to see that you were alright. Bakugou pulled away, examining your body once more for any external injuries. “Are you okay?”

You nodded. “I’m fine. Suki and I got away with a few scratches.”

Bakugou’s blonde brows furrowed in worry and concern. “And Suo? What about Katsuo?”

“He has a few broken ribs and fingers. He’ll be okay though.”

“What the fuck happened?”

You smiled at Bakugou. “Katsuo protected us from that villain, Katsu. He did whatever he could to protect us.”

Bakugou stared in silence and relief. He was concerned about his son, slightly aggravated with the fact that he had been so reckless, but he also knew that if Katsuo hadn’t stepped up, you and Suki would’ve been harmed to a degree that Bakugou didn’t even want to imagine.

“He’s in there with Deku if you want to see him.”

Bakugou nodded, moving over to Suki who was fast asleep. He sighed, knowing that she was okay before sliding the door open. Katsuo nor Midoriya heard the door open, Bakugou only seeing the sight of Katsuo in a state of utter shock.

“What the hell did you tell him, Deku?” Bakugou asked, closing the door and leaning against it.

Midoriya flinched at the sudden sound of his voice, turning around to face him. “Oh, Kacchan! I didn’t even hear you come in.”

Midoriya looked back at Katsuo who was looking at his hands, both his hands bandaged up as the aftermath of the day’s events. “Dad, do you think I can be a hero?”

Bakugou sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I think what you did today is enough proof that you’re better than half the pros out there. Some of them hesitate to even save people, valuing their life above everything else. But you didn’t even think about that, and even though it was reckless, you’re the reason why Mom and Suki were able to get out of that unscathed.”

Katsuo let out a breathless laugh, his eyes tearing up as he whispered out, “So you think I’m a hero, too?”

“From how shocked you are now, I’m gonna guess and say that this shithead wants to pass down his quirk to you.”

Midoriya and Katsuo looked at Bakugou with shock. “How’d you know, Kacchan?”

Bakugou scoffed. “I wasn’t born yesterday. The moment I heard what happened and how you were there at the last minute, you probably saw that my kid was just like you all those years ago with that fucking sludge monster. And seeing as you’re here and Suo looks like he’s gonna pass out, I figured that’s what you told him.”

Midoriya turned his body around to face Bakugou. “So what do you think?”

“I think that my opinion has nothing to do with this. This is your quirk and it’s your decision for who you want to pass it onto. And it’s up to Katsuo if he wants this.”

Midoriya smiled, looking over at Katsuo. “You see, Katsuo? There are only a few people in my life that know about One For All and All Might and your dad are included. It’s all up to you.”

Katsuo clenched the sheets in his hands. The minute Midoriya had explained his situation, he knew exactly what he wanted. “I’ll do it. I’ll take One For All.”

Midoriya grinned. “Awesome! I knew I could count on you. But, I will say that I can’t pass it onto you for now since I still have so much to do with this quirk. But, I will train you and help your body be prepared for this quirk. I had no muscle training until All Might came into my life but I can see that Kacchan has prepared you well.”

“I–”

The door slid open abruptly, almost making Bakugou fall backwards. You put your hand on his back, pushing him back up. The three boys stared at you in shock and you looked at them in confusion. “What? You guys look like I interrupted a classified meeting.”

Midoriya shook his head vigorously. “N-No! You didn’t interrupt anything!”

“O-kay?” You sighed. “Can you two get out for now? I need to examine Katsuo’s wounds a little more before we can call it a night.”

Midoriya nodded, getting up to leave and sit on the chairs outside of the room. You walked over to Katsuo, sitting on the chair that Midoriya was sitting on. Bakugou unfurled his arms from his chest to his sides. “I’m gonna go talk to Deku.” You nodded and he closed the door behind him.

Bakugou sat down beside Midoriya who seemed to be deep in thought. Bakugou looked over at him. “What, you regretting your decision already?”

Midoriya shook his head rapidly. “No, not at all! I have no doubt that I made the right decision. I’ve just been thinking about when All Might approached me the same way with this quirk.”

He looked down at his hands which had numerous scars. “I want to approach this the right way. All Might was running low on time with One For All and he prepared me as best as he could until the U.A. entrance exams. But I want to make sure that Katsuo’s body will be prepared to the fullest before taking this quirk. You’ve seen it’s backlashes and I don’t want him to have to experience that same pain.”

Bakugou looked over at his daughter, caressing her (H/C) hair. He smiled. “He’s stronger than he looks. He’s my kid after all.”

Midoriya smiled as well. “I figured that much. If he wasn’t strong, he probably wouldn’t have been able to fight Gamma and hold him off as much as he did.”

Bakugou sighed, looking in the opposite direction. “I’m gonna say this once so you better fucking listen up.”

Midoriya looked at him with curious eyes. “Thank you.”

Midoriya became flustered, expecting anything other than a ‘thanks’ from his hot-headed friend. “There’s nothing to thank me for! I didn’t really do anything.”

“You idiot, you’re giving him hope. No matter how strong a person can be, it’s difficult to become a hero without a quirk. I always told Suo that I believed in him and I still do, but I was always worried about what would happen once he faced off with an actual villain.”

Midoriya shook his head. “I didn’t do anything, I’m being honest. He’s always had hope. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did today. He believed in himself. Besides, I didn’t expect anything else from a Bakugou.”

Bakugou smirked. “Of course, where do you think he got it from?”

Midoriya smiled. “Kacchan, I’m going to make him become an even better hero than you and I. He’s going to be the best hero in existence.”

Bakugou looked over at him. “Damn right he will.”

[sulkybbarnes]

Why do you think people are so quick to dismiss or even defend against Imane's POV?. It's tiring reading people's hot takes on the current situation and how Imane is essentially "wrong" with how she acts or reacts to things. (I don't know if the previous seasons were like this too since I literally binged Skam France over two weeks just so I could live watch Season 4 & only just came into the tag to see other opinions but the place leaves a lot to be desired tbh.)

Short answer: racism, which leads to lack of empathy for people of colour.

Long answer: let me start by answering the latter part of your ask. I’ve been watching skam since Isak’s season in the original (and have seen most remakes since) and I can assure you that no other character’s pov has been treated the same way as Imane’s or even Sana’s pov. In Skam France, there has been discussions around Lucas’s pov and how subjective it might be, but that only happened during the scenes where Lucas saw things that weren’t happening (Yann and Eliott making fun of him, everyone pointing at him and laughing etc) and the narrative itself wanted us to see that those scenes were only Lucas’s imagination. The show made a point of saying: look, Lucas is seeing things due to the pressure he’s under, whereas with Imane the narrative remains solid and shows subtle hostility as to show that the microaggressions Imane is seeing are actually happening. Still, the main difference between the fandom discussing Lucas’s pov and Imane’s pov is that the discussion during Lucas’s season always had an undercurrent of love and sympathy towards Lucas. The discussion happening around Imane’s pov right now is dismissive, condescending, and bordering on hostile. 

The entire point of Imane’s season is to get the audience to see what a muslim woman of colour sees, which is the everyday racism and microaggressions that a white person would miss. As a muslim woman of colour myself, I truly believed that people were seeing what Imane and I were seeing until the posts on the tag (and the youtube reviews lol) started showing up. So let me break down Ingrid’s behaviour as I see it: 

Ingrid shows up to Imane’s house, and the first thing she does is to sneer at the girls sitting outside implying that they’re loitering in their own neighbourhood. We have seen Skam’s protagonists hanging out in the street, at parks, bus stops etc before so it’s obvious that Ingrid’s problem with the girls is their race or religion and with the neighbourhood itself. 

Ingrid isn’t an idiot, she pointedly brings the wine to Imane’s house knowing that Imane will either have to turn it down, causing Ingrid to act uncomfortable and the girl squad to get uneasy towards Imane in turn, or that Imane will let Ingrid and the girls drink wine while she watches, therefore othering Imane and highlighting that she’s not like the rest of them. 

Ingrid’s body language is hostile towards Imane, as are her looks and tone. There are several instances where Ingrid rolls her eyes when Imane talks, or takes on a condescending ‘look at me putting up with this’ tone which Daphne later adopts. 

Ingrid brings up Imane’s religion only when she asks othering questions, and she criticises Imane’s parents for being too strict to again show the girls that Imane is the odd one out. 

There were several shots where Ingrid takes Imane’s place, or stands right in front of her (during Daphne’s birthday when the picture is being taken) as if to replace her in the group. This is a visual show that sends its message through scenery and subtle references, and if people aren’t paying attention to these message than it’s because they simply don’t want to.

When Ingrid ‘apologises’ to Imane, she pointedly does it in front of the girl squad to gain their sympathy. Once again seeming as the innocent, peaceful person while Imane looks aggressive in comparison (a tactic that white women are known to use, just grab the nearest woc and ask her).  

I don’t know if you have watched Sana’s season in OG, but in it we had a similar situation where Sara (Ingrid) infiltrates the group and starts turning the girls against Sana (Imane). When Sana gets suspicious her worries are dismissed, by both the fandom and the girl squad, until it is later revealed that she was right all along and Sara (Ingrid) has planned to push her out from the start. Now most people watching Skamfr have this prior knowledge, and they come into the show knowing that Ingrid’s character will play innocent only to try and hurt Imane later on, and still Imane’s pov gets questioned and dismissed. Am I the only one who finds that curious? Notice that Ingrid has garnered more sympathy from the fandom thus far than Imane has. I have seen posts worrying about Ingrid being on her own, and posts saying that she did nothing wrong, while Imane’s pov is questioned and belittled as her looking for trouble where there is none. Questioning Imane’s pov this way, and siding with Ingrid or the comments the girls are making is quite literally disregarding the purpose of Imane’s season.

From what we know of Sana’s season and from Emma and Alexia’s comments to Imane, we can predict that Ingrid has been talking about Imane behind her back (even if it’s in a subtle manner) bc the girls quickly picked up the “you have changed” aka ‘you are different than we are’ attitude towards Imane. When Daphne talks about Islam to Imane, she uses the same tone Ingrid had used when talking about Idriss drinking. 

Women of colour are often viewed as aggressive, angry, and always ready to fight due to the rampant racism in media. This creates a lack of sympathy towards woc and our experiences, and leads to people being dismissive of a woc getting hurt in any way. If we were to switch Imane with Manon rn, or even with Daphne, do you think the fandom would still rush to question the pov and where the blame falls? Imane is being treated differently bc of her race and her religion, because she’s viewed as tough and angry, and therefore her pov has less credence to it than, say, Manon’s pov. So the long answer on why people are questioning Imane’s pov so much also boils down to: racism which leads to lack of empathy for people of colour.

Whether people realise it or not, you can’t view anything objectively when you’re viewing with pre-formed ideas and without sympathy. Maybe people are questioning Imane without malice, or maybe they see themselves in Ingrid and the girls but don’t want to admit it and tbh that’s fine too; the point of the show is to garner sympathy and reduce the differences between people of different cultures. It is meant as an instrument to help you look at yourself and your actions through the eyes of someone else, and come out of it kinder and more thoughtful. To disregard Imane’s pov is to disregard the purpose of the show.

[squishysvt]

If I’m Lucky - Ch.7`Ten

Member: Ten (NCT) Genre: Angst, dark, and a sprinkle of fluff Word Count: 2,442 A/N this chapter is long and it’s been a??? month?? sorry lol -Admin Ay Warnings: profanity, talks of: body modification, drugs, weapons and sex oh my gosh this makes this chapter sound really bad but it’s not i promise

[previous chapter] ~ Ch.7`Ten ~ [next chapter]

recap:  As you had moved you had caught sight of Ten’s out of place shirt, it lifted slightly revealing a piece of his skin slightly above his hip. A black mark peaked from above his pants that you assumed to be a tattoo. 

Curiosity overwhelmed you. You tried your best to pull down his trousers to reveal the rest of it without causing Ten to wake up. Just as you had gotten a peek at the mark, a hand grabbed your wrist.

    As Ten laid in bed he traced the familiar marking on his hip over and over again. He’s had the scar for so long that he had nearly forgotten about its existence all together.

 Ten felt his lips quiver involuntarily as he spoke, “Dad, do I have to do this? Aren’t I already part of Squalo Nero by default since I’m your son? I should get a free pass or something.” Ten could feel the beginnings of sweat threatening to drip down his back as he sat in a severely uncomfortable wooden chair in the middle of the room.

His butt was starting to hurt from how long he had been sitting trying to talk his way out of his initiation. Yuta, the older man in charge of the procedure, towered over Ten’s figure as he shifted from side to side impatiently.

“Soon you’ll find out that no one gets it easy here, kid. Stop talking and get it over with.” Ten’s father’s brooding figure was planted at the door where he could easily get a view of the process. The rest of the gang lined the walls of the room observing alongside the leader. By the way his father waved him off, Ten knew that it was decided.

Yuta, after receiving a signal from Ten’s father, erected himself as he got ready to start the the branding process. Yuta sneered as he picked up the hot rod shaped as a shark. Ten tuned out the sounds of the other members mumbling insults around him. He knew that none of them liked that the boss’ scrawny fifteen-year-old son was allowed to join so easily.

Everyone had to go through the branding, no matter who it was. However, there were more...physically demanding trials to the initiation. Sometimes you had to withstand a beating from fifteen different men at once. Sometimes you were whipped six times in the back. If you were a woman, you were given the option to sleep your way into the gang.

Ten acknowledges that he indeed had a handicap.

Yuta eyed the instrument in his hand with one of the most sadistic smiles Ten had ever seen on a man. “This’ll hurt you more than it will hurt me, squirt.”

Lifting up the soft material of Ten’s shirt, Yuta hummed a soft rendition of a children’s song.

All Ten remembered after that was the heat gradually moving closer to his skin before he passed out.

    The faint knock on his bedroom door interrupted Ten’s memories of the past. He knew before humming an invitation to come in that it was you on the other side.

“Hey, you’re pretty good at school stuff, right?” You inquired as you plopped onto the edge of Ten’s bed, disrupting the previous quiet of the room.

“I guess, but how did you get in here?”

You giggled, “We do this every week, Ten. I picked the lock.”

“At least tell me you locked the door behind you.” Ten groaned. You had a habit of forgetting to do so.

“Don’t be a bitch, I doubt anyone would care enough to break in and hurt that pretty little face yours.”

Ten felt his mouth threaten to form a smile. Although there were definitely people out to get him, your teasing tone somehow made that reality disintegrate into the air.

“But yeah, I did. Anyway, could you help me study later? I’m lacking in a few subjects.”

Ten rolled his eyes as he spoke, “Maybe if you weren’t always slacking off during your free time your GPA would be higher.”

You gasped in mock offense, “Excuse you, but you’re lying if you were never tempted to click on one of those twenty minute vine compilations.”

Ten let himself release a breathy laugh.

“When do you want to get together then?”

“How about tomorrow at my place since we both don’t have class?” You prodded Ten’s covered knee with your finger as you awaited Ten’s reply.

“Why not just do it here?”

“Wendy and Doyoung aren’t gonna be there and my room is actually clean for once. I wanna show off, okay?”

Ten only shrugged, which was enough for you to pop up from your position on the bed.

“Great, be there at three!”

Ten watched as you zoomed out of his room and out the apartment room. As soon as he heard the sound of the door slamming behind you, a muffled ring sounded from the drawer of his bedside table. Ten huffed as he pulled the black burner phone out. A familiar number sprawled out onto the small screen.

“Yes, Dad?” Ten answered, all previous lightness in his voice gone.

“Be at the main building at nine. There’s a meeting.”

Ten didn’t bother to answer back, the gruff command from his father punctuated with the beep of the ended phone call. Squalo Nero didn’t consist of a single building, as it was too dangerous. Small buildings scattered around the city, each of which specializing in the different branches of the gang. The abandoned storage facility that Ten was in charge of was only for the drug trade. Other buildings worked with selling illegal weapons, member training, the sex industry, and so on. However, the main building that his father resided in was a good hour away, serving as a meeting place for all those in charge, this including Ten.

Ten glanced at his clock, the bright red numbers irritating his eyes. Classes started in an hour. Ten groaned as he forced himself to go back to sleep. Morning classes were a bitch.

    When Ten had knocked on your apartment door the next day, he was met with Wendy’s shorter figure in the doorway.

Wendy shifted uncomfortably, “Hey.”

Ten nodded, “Hello.”

Before Wendy could question him you appeared behind her.

“Oh, Ten! Come in! You’re like ten minutes late.”

Ten decided to ignore both your shit-eating grin and the obvious joke you were trying to make as he pushed his way inside past Wendy.

“Well, I’ll leave y’all two alone. Y/n, please do not burn the place down.”

“That only happened once!” A laugh caught in Ten’s throat as he heard the the defensive pitch in your voice.

“Yeah, well make sure that doesn’t turn into twice.” Wendy signified the end of the conversation with the slam of the door as she stepped out.

Ten allowed himself to observe the room as you muttered curses under your breath. Despite the similarity of build of you and Ten’s apartments, they both gave off different auras. There was a worn out ikea couch in the middle of the living room, across from it a small tv. Soft lamps and other decorative lights littered the room. On the polished wooden coffee table layed a couple of photos of the trio of friends that occupied the apartment.

Your apartment was warmer than his. The colorful personalities of the three dripping all over the room, in contrast to the lonesome black that was Ten’s.

“My room is on the left over there,” you jerked your head towards a door decorated with stickers and a big sign with your name on it, “Go put your stuff in there.”

When Ten finally settled his things and emerged from your room, he spotted you hunched over the island in small kitchen area. Ten slipped behind you, observing as you placed an array of snacks on the table.

With a sudden spark of playfulness, Ten slowly reached over your shoulder, hoping to alarm you. He smirked as the effort proved successful, you jumping and placing a hand over year heart like a middle-aged woman.

You hissed, “Can you maybe not do that?”

Ten smiled as he reached for a cheese cube you had dropped in the moment, popping it into his mouth.

“Sorry, did I scare you?” Ten cooed at your exasperated demeanor. You pouted, choosing to throw a handful of grapes into your mouth instead of giving into Ten’s taunting.

Rather than resorting to mindless chatter, you stayed silent, picking at the foods on the kitchen island. Ten relished in the comfortable silence that hung in the air.

After several days of contact with you, Ten had gotten used to your talkative ways. It had gotten to the point to where he would go so far as to say that he missed it late at night while he floated through his empty apartment. Then, the yearning for your voice to hold the place of the ringing silence in his ears evolved into the desire to have you fill the space next to him. Your presence at this point was enough.

How you managed to insert yourself into his life and get him this comfortable around you, he wasn’t sure, but he would blame it on your persistence.

Munching on a few crackers, Ten stretched his body, not bothering to think about how his shirt lifted over his stomach until he noticed the frown that crawled onto your face. The brand was in such a visible place, he should have known to wear a clothes with better coverage.

Just as you had cleared your throat, the sound of the front door opening cut through the tense smog that occupied the room.

Ten could visualize your ears perking up as you recognized the obnoxious laughter following right after.

“Doyoung?” You asked as you maneuvered to get a better view of the front door. Ten followed you, peeking over your shoulder to see the unexpected company.

“I thought you said you’d be out with...Jaehyun?” Your your question faltered as soon as said man stepped through the door.

Doyoung sighed, “Well, yeah, cancelling of plans. Jae here got us kicked out of the arcade.”

Jaehyun, who had stayed frozen since meeting eyes with Ten, spluttered as he tried to gather a response.

“I-- uh, yeah. A parent...didn’t exactly enjoy me shoving their kid during laser tag.”

You suppressed a laugh as you spoke, “You should get that aggressiveness of yours checked.”

“It was an accident! And he looked big for a eight-year-old alright.”

Doyoung chuckled as he pecked Jaehyun on the cheek. “I love you.” Ten, had he not been preoccupied with the current situation, would have taken the time to acknowledge the fond tone in his voice with a look of distaste.

“By the way, Jaehyun, this is Ten. He’s a friend of mine. Ten, this is Jaehyun, Doyoung’s boyfriend if you couldn’t guess.” You waved your hands between the two as you went on with introductions.

The fact that Ten had known Jaehyun for about a year already stuck to the tip of his tongue as he smiled enough to not be suspicious.

Errors that had let up to this meeting flipped through Ten’s memories like a children’s book.

Maybe if he had talked his way out of helping you the day of your first encounter. Maybe if Ten hadn’t let you inside his home when you were locked out of your own. Maybe if Ten hadn’t gotten so dangerously comfortable around you.

Maybe then he wouldn’t have had to meet one of his rookie underlings outside of Squalo Nero in such an unguarded state.

Now, since Ten was under the stares of both you and Doyoung, he would have to deal with Jaehyun as subtly as possible. This opposed to his normal method of an icy scowl and a fleeting threat that would guarantee no information of his private wearabouts floating around if he did it right.

Jaehyun sucked in a deep breath before holding out an unsure hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Ten’s eyes flickered from the hand and back to Jaehyun’s face.

“Likewise.”

Ten pivoted towards your room, patting your shoulder before walking in. “I’ll go ahead and start studying.”

    The study session lasted an hour before either of you said anything, a stiff air accompanying the both of you as you worked. You wanted to say something. Ten could see it from the way you fidgeted, stealing glances of him from across the room.

“I know you want to ask.” Ten gave in, tired of your hesitance.

You choked as Ten met your eyes, catching you during your attempts to peek at him again.

“I mean…” You tensed, not sure if you should continue. Ten tried urging you on quietly with the raise of his eyebrows.

“What’s the marking, Ten?” The question flew out of your mouth like a puff of air.

Ten sighed. As aware as he was that this conversation would happen, he wasn’t necessarily ready.

“It’s a branding,” he lifted his shirt for you to see, “Of a shark.”

Papers rustled as you crawled over to Ten to get a better look. You reached out towards the marking, waiting for Ten’ approval before touching it.

Your hands were cold, the gentle nature of your fingers against Ten’s skin feeling foreign to him. A shiver ran through Ten’s body as you traced around the plain shape.

“Why do you have it?”

Your eyes peered through Ten’s soul, disassembling every evasive answer Ten had prepared.

“It was for...an initiation.” Ten heard his voice crack as the sound of Jaehyun and Doyoung’s laughter erupted through the walls. You hadn’t wavered at the interruption, instead halting the movement of your fingers around Ten’s hipbone as you spoke.

“Are you part of a gang?”

Ten could have attempted to give you an unconvincing response.

“No, I just thought the design was cool. When I looked up it was apparently associated to some gang...wild, am I right?”

Except, everyone knew who Squalo Nero was. Practically the most influential group of organized crime in the area, their dirty hands controlled the streets. Schools and parents alike had to keep rash teens from associating with gang activity. None officially joined, but many took part in petty crime in the name of Squalo Nero, spray painting the black shark symbol on trains and the like.

“Yes.”

You sighed, resting your head on Ten’s shoulder. Ten considered himself excellent at reading others. It was a quality he needed for his job. Now, however, he found himself unable to read you. The different possibilities of your reaction ran through his head, waiting for you to say something.

“Why?” The question came out quiet. Nervous.

Ten was just as nervous, maybe even more so. He wondered why you still sat next to him after he had confirmed your suspicions. Most people, he would think, would peel themselves away from him in an instant. Most people would become scared of him. Most people would turn around and call the police as soon as possible. But you didn’t.  

[penpenhooray]

I wish you would write a fic where Techie is an abused pet and he's rescued and taken care of by Matt, his new owner.

I really need to learn how to write short drabbles, because for me, 1.5k is a short fic lol.

So this ficlet is in the same universe as this other drabble, so the same warnings of pets/slavery still stand. Additional warning for mentions of abuse.

___

“Mom, I’m fine, I swear…” Matt ran his hand through his thick blond hair as he held his comm to his ear listening to his mother’s ‘concerned’ voice. He didn’t dare call it nagging, even if that was what she was doing. He valued his life too much. “You’re the one who wanted me to get a pet in the first place, and you know my therapist agrees.”

“But from a shelter, Matthew?” His mother sighed, and Matt could just imagine the way she was shaking her head in disapproval, “Why couldn’t you have gone through a reputable vendor? Your brother–”

“Has a much larger salary than I do, mother.” Matt rolled his eyes, “Ben can afford pedigrees and whatever other bantha shit–”

“Language, Matthew.” His mother hissed, “And you know, if you really wanted, I’m sure Ben could put in a good word for you…” Her implication was more than clear to Matt. As if she hadn’t been implying the same thing ever since Matt had gotten his job.

“Mom, I like being a radar technician. I don’t need to be the Senator’s aide, or whatever title Ben officially has.” Matt sighed, “Look, Mom, I’m going to go inside the shelter, I’ll comm you when I get back.”

“Promise me you won’t get something…dangerous?”

Matt didn’t dignify his mother’s request with an answer, simply shoving his comm into his pocket before walking into the building boasting a sign that read 'Republic Pet Shelter.’

The shelter was a far cry from the more high-scale vendors of the pet market, filled with rows and rows of Alphas and Omegas who, for a variety of reasons, were surrendered by their previous owners. Some were seized during criminal investigations, other were simply abandoned, others still were deemed 'too much’ by their owners when they were surrendered. It wasn’t a happy place, but adopting a rescue pet was much cheaper than purchasing a pet from a breeder. And considering that Matt’s current salary meant that he wasn’t exactly swimming with credits, it was his best option.

He spent several minutes wandering up and down the rows of kennels to see Alphas and Omegas of various species looking back up at him. This was going to be harder than he thought.

“Hello there!” Called one of the shelter’s many volunteers, a bubbly Twi'lek Omega, as she walked up to him, “Need help with anything?”

Matt rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “I guess I just need to find which pet I want to take home.

She nodded, her lekku swaying gently, "And do you have anything in mind when it comes to your pet? Alpha, Omega? Human or otherwise?”

Thinking back to all his hours spent in anger management therapy, and his diagnosis with Overactive Alpha Aggression. HIs therapist had specifically said he needed an Omega pet.

“It will help keep your Alpha hormones in check, taking care of an Omega.”

Matt cleared his throat, “I’ll need an Omega…I can’t live with another Alpha…”

“That’s quite normal, actually. Most pet owners have pets of the opposite orientation as them.” She nodded in understanding, “And do you have a preference in species?”

“Not that I know of…” He shrugged, “But…maybe something on the smaller side?” He murmured weakly. He definitely needed a pet he could hold on his lap while watching a holo, or be able to carry if need be.

The volunteer led Matt past several kennels holding omegas, and Matt would give a small shug, not feeling much either way. Matt wasn’t sure exactly what he was expecting when it came to finding a pet, but to hear Ben talk about him finding Armitage, it made it sound like it was just a natural connection. Then again, Ben was the scion of the family legacy- Force-user and rising star of the Republic. Everything was different for Ben.

A small flash of red caught Matt’s attention, causing him to look into one of the kennels he and his guide were passing.

The reddish-orange mop of hair briefly reminded Matt of his brother’s pampered hound, though that seemed to be the only similarity the cowering Omega in the kennel had from Armitage.

The pet was hugging his knees tightly to his chest, leaning against the side of the kennel and keeping his head down. His limbs were long and gangly, though it seemed more from lack of nutrition than from natural litheness. If Matt looked hard enough, he swore he could count the poor thing’s ribs.

“Oh…I see you’ve met Techie.”

Matt looked over at the Twi'lek, “Techie?”

She nodded, looking into the kennel with a sad smile, “He came in last week after a Judge raid on a drug-lord’s den.” At Matt’s raised eyebrow, she continued, her voice lowered, “His owner was the drug-lord. She’s dead now, but not before doing a number on him.”

Matt nodded in sympathy, remembering the years of therapy Ben had to go through after their parents learned that Ben was being preyed upon by an old Force-user. Those kinds of wounds were hard to heal.

A small pink slip hanging on the kennel’s door caught Matt’s attention, “What’s this?” He asked.

“That’s our tag to identify our special needs pets.” The Twi'lek nodded, “Techie’s eyes were gouged out by his old owner. They had been replaced with cybernetics but…well, the shelter hasn’t been able to afford the upkeep on them.”

“I’m a technician.” Matt blurted before he could stop himself, “I could easily maintain their upkeep.”

And he could, he realized. He had more than enough parts and wires and tinkering doo-dads littered around his place. At least with Techie’s cybernetics, he’d be doing something useful with those items.

The Twi'lek looked surprised, then her face became very seriously, “Sir, I appreciate your willingness, but I do want you to understand that a pet is a very big responsibility. It’s a lifetime commitment, not a hobby.”

Matt blushed at her gentle reprimand. “I understand. It’s just…well, I can take care of him.”

She crossed her arms, “Techie is very skittish, especially around Alpha who have temper issues.”

Was he really that obvious? He was doing infinitely better than he had been before therapy, it had been weeks since his last…episode. He cleared his throat, “I’ll admit, I do have OAA, but…I’ve been attending therapy and I’m taking medication. My therapist says that having an Omega pet would curb my urges even more.”

“Yeah, he may be good for you.” She nodded, “But will you be good for him?”

Matt took a deep breath, counting to ten in all the languages he could in his head before speaking again, “I have every intention of giving Techie a caring home, and providing for his needs, special or otherwise.”

The Twi'lek gave him a hard stare before the hard line of her shoulders relaxed, “I better not see him at this shelter again because you were too much of a limp-knot alpha to actually take care of him.”

Matt had to resist the urge to grin (he was sure she wouldn’t appreciate the gesture). Instead, he simply nodded, “Of course.”

It wasn’t until after all the paperwork was filled out, and the volunteer had managed to get Techie into a soft collar and leash before handing the lead to Matt that he realized with a sense of sudden dread that he had officially become a pet owner. As if that wasn’t hard enough, he had custody of a pet that had suffered abuse and maiming that would require intensive maintenance for the rest of his life.

His life that he would now spend with Matt.

Well, too late now to change his mind. He could only make the best of it. Starting by getting to know his new pet.

“Um…” Matt started, looking at the young Omega at the other end of his leash.

Techie flinched at the sound of his voice, stepping back as far as his leash would allow.

“Hey, hey there. You don’t need to be scared.” The words sounded stupid, even as Matt said them. He couldn’t berate himself, though, it would only scare Techie more, “I know things seem scary right now, especially if your eyes aren’t working… But I’m your new owner, and even though I don’t know everything your old owner did to you, I promise I won’t hurt you.”

He knew words were cheap when it came to abuse victims. He could promise Techie the world, and it wouldn’t make him any less scared. Only time and actions could win Techie over.

“Techie…I’m going to reach out and take your hand, and I’m going to lead you back to my speeder, alright?” He began awkwardly, before slowly reaching for Techie’s hand.

When his large, rough hand touched Techie’s, the Omega flinched back slightly. Matt didn’t move, instead waiting for Techie to slowly relax, the back of his hand touching Matt’s fingers. Matt gently took Techie’s hand in his own before leading him away from the shelter. “When we get back to my place, I’ll see what I can do to fix the wiring in your eyes so you can see for yourself.”

Several awkward moments passed as Matt gingerly secured Techie in his seat in the speeder. Then,

“…really?”

Matt smiled softly, “Yeah, really. I’m Matt, by the way. I’m a radar technician.”