#be the hero of your own story

[bicheetopuff]

AND ANOTHER THING one of the major factors of the manga (which a lot of people thought thought felt unfinished, me included) was creating a society that encourages equal treatment and understanding no matter what your quirk or circumstance is in order to prevent the rebirth of villains. I’m just going to remind you that Deku could’ve easily grown up to be a villain or at least a very hateful person given the childhood he had.

He started the story quirkless, him and Katsuki kept referring to OFA as a “borrowed power” AND the vestiges even warned him that he’d probably be the last user. DEKU LOSING OFA AND BEING A QUIRKLESS HERO HAS BEEN FORESHADOWED FOR YEARS!!

Given Shoji and Ochako fighting for quirk equality and creating a new quirk counseling program, those two things can easily lead to a future with more quirkless heroes. I think it’s fitting that Deku does his part by setting an example and being someone quirkless children can look up to. Not to mention it can also easily lead to less people looking down upon quirklessness and preventing another child from going through the same things Deku had to as a child.

It’s never been just about preventing children from growing up to become villains, it’s preventing any form of inequality like making sure students aren’t put on such a high pedestal at such a young age (a mistake made with Katsuki), assuring that it’s taught that people are still people no matter their quirk (something Shoji, Deku, Toga, and Shigaraki all suffered the consequences of due to its lack), and making sure that no entity is so powerful that an entire society is dependent on it (which is why it’s so important that OFA and AFO die together. All Might making OFA so powerful that people looked at him as deity causing some people to even try to challenge him and being impossible to beat to everyone but his direct counterpart - AFO ie the “Demon Lord”… literally God vs Devil especially given the religious history behind the saying “one for all and all for one”).

All of this to say, it’s frustrating that people are upset about things that actually WERE hinted at but aren’t upset about the real inconsistencies and unfinished background arcs that presented themselves at the end. There are so many other things about the end that people could be upset about and I’d be able to understand but, being upset about deku losing OFA and being a teacher before becoming a quirkless hero? How did the story fly that far above your head?

[kacievvbbbb]

Honestly despite my feelings about how the last arc of MHA went down I really love Deku and his story.

I just feel like a lot of the time we get these protagonists whose whole philosophy is it doesn’t matter what you were born as everyone can achieve greatness. But then the series goes on and it turns out that actually it DOES matter because the protagonist has this really great lineage and these really great powers you can only have through birth they were actually born born, predestined if you will, to do this.

But MHA actually sticks to its guns. Midoriya wasn’t revealed to have some great connection to all might that the universe had put in place. He wasn’t defended from some great lineage that makes him uniquely suited to this. Hell All for one didn’t even turn out to be his father, there was no hidden powerful quirk he was always meant to have. He was just Midoriya Izuku a boy who was in the right place at the right time and simply decided to act while the world did nothing. And that’s what really made him a hero.

I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I believe him a bit more when he goes anybody can be a hero if you just decide to act

[your-stranger-halfblood-things]

That time when Nico wanted ear piercings, so Leo offered to do it because, you know, he knows how to sew with needles. It can't be that differed, right? So Leo takes one of his sewing needles and sanitizes it with his firey hands and sticks it in Nico's ear

Nico doesn't flinch but when Leo starts trying to get the earring in, he realizes there's a problem. The earring isn't going through the hole and Leo just keeps trying to re-pierce the whole with the needle, so it goes in one hole and makes like 30 holes on the other side

Will walks in on them. He is beyond confused and then frustrated because he knows Leo doesn't wash his hands after dealing with grease (Leo claims his heat and fire cleans all the bacteria off his skin), so Will gets his first aid kit and starts cleaning Nico's ear

He then brings Nico to Claire's to get his first ear piercings

Nico did get to hold a stuffed animal (Will has pictures)

[pikahlua]

So many plotpoints I just don't understand in this arc. Why have bkg die? Why have him fight afo? Why have izuku lose his arms? What purpose has any of it served???? At all???????

Todorki and ochakos fights were handled so well and streamlined and benefited their characters and arcs but bkgs and dekus have been a mess all bcus hori is a coward who won't just let them fight together bcus ig save to win and win to save meant nothing at all

Why have bkg die?

I think it's pretty clear from the way that whole thing was framed that the purpose of Katsuki dying was symbolic. This is a staple of Japanese drama running all the way back to kabuki. It is a trope for a main character to die to shed their mortal incarnation and come back to life as their deified form. Katsuki's death runs perfectly parallel to Tomura's from the PLW arc right down to the part where they are both responsible for their own resurrections. It's probably one of the best cases I can think of where a character's death actually did further that same character's arc without fridging them for the sake of someone else.

Why have [Katsuki] fight AFO?

Because AFO was set up as a "what if" scenario or cautionary tale for Katsuki, the other side to his "villains and heroes are two sides of the same coin" storyline. AFO in his physical form has a different character arc and story utility from AFO the quirk vestige. He provided a lot of backstory that allows us to infer the subtlety of how Katsuki is likely some sort of reincarnation of Kudou, the mechanics of which we will never need to revisit because they're unimportant. It was about karma and personal growth. It was about showcasing how Katsuki is an heir to many legacies, All Might's included.

Why have Izuku lose his arms?

Again, it's symbolic. It's been foreshadowed pretty heavily that Izuku would risk losing his arms in reaching out to save someone. This was a demonstration of his willingness to take on that risk. It also provides a moment for Eri to get in on the "everyone contributes a little bit to the fight" action all the other characters have been allowed to have. We don't even know yet what state Izuku will actually be in when this is all over, so it'd be premature to jump to any major conclusions about all of this. The story may still have a lot to say about this.

What purpose has any of it served???? At all???????

To entertain me specifically.

Todorki and ochakos fights were handled so well and streamlined and benefited their characters and arcs but bkgs and dekus have been a mess all bcus hori is a coward who won't just let them fight together bcus ig save to win and win to save meant nothing at all

Bold of you to assume you've read the final chapter in the story yet.

[antianakin]

It's really depressing that the only real Jedi centric and Jedi positive show in existence is written for preschoolers, while many of the more "adult" shows are edgy and about morally ambiguous or straight-up evil characters. As if lessons about being kind and selfless are somehow not important or relevant to adults just as much if not more than they are to children.

It feels like characters who are unambiguously good are seen as only enjoyable by the very young and adult viewers will only actually appreciate characters who are cruel and selfish (and the requisite "tragic backstory" that always goes with it to help excuse their cruel and selfish choices).

It's just really sad and disappointing.

[kynamo]

our story has yet to be finished

[yellowsubiesdance]

i think i’ve learned a lot when it comes to not applying my own values to the media i consume

for my script analysis class yesterday, we discussed two gentleman from verona, and nearly every classmate of mine was up in arms about how sexist the story is.

and i'm not saying it's not, or that it's not infuriating to read. but i'm also not putting my energy into getting upset about something written 500 or so years ago. and i'm not about to put my own beliefs onto these characters that are not me. i'm going to let their choices speak for themselves, and interpret it in the context of the story.

all that said, this now brings me to the point of alastor in episode 5, and how viscerally people are responding to it. those of you up in arms about the choices he’s making, and the violent threat he gave husk, you’re missing the entire point of his character, of this place they’re in, of the story being told. he’s an overlord, and he became an overlord by killing much bigger overlords and broadcasting their deaths over the radio.

HE IS NOT A GOOD PERSON.

if you started this show with the belief that every character working the hotel is a good person, you’re in the wrong place. watch the good place if you’re looking for a good wholesome story about getting dead sinners into heaven, because that’s not what this show is about.

you’re more than welcome to hate him after seeing the way he exerted power over a being whose soul he owns, but you’re doing the media you’re watching a disservice by writing it off so quickly. if you don’t like to be uncomfortable watching media, watch something else. this is an uncomfortable show, it handles uncomfortable topics, and it’s going to be an uncomfortable ride, and if you’re not up for something like that, then you should take a break from it and pick up something else. you don’t have to get online and defend your own ideals while you watch a show that goes against your ideals.

[the-ghostly-butterfly]

Snippet 1.4

Previous

The next morning, Henchman sat in the infirmary of Villain's Headquarters, the atmosphere as thick as smoke. Henchman figured Villain let slip to someone what they were planning to do the Henchman as a punishment for what they'd done, or maybe even details of how they'd be tortured or killed, or maybe even thrown out for the heroes to round up like a stray dog, most likely with their tongue cut out and hands broken so they didn't stand a chance at revealing anything they'd learned about Villain

They didn't really know anything useful for the heroes anyway. They knew Villain's favorite color (dark blue), favorite foods (anything with chocolate), allergies (blueberries), their least favorite movie genre (horror) and a couple other things they picked up from being around Villain so much.

They learned why Villain didn't get on well with their parents (they very much had a favorite child and it wasn't Villain) and what'd brought on their anger towards the Hero Agency once Villain brought them into their confidence, sure, but they didn't know much more about plans then the average civilian--that would be Right Hand. Their actual duties consisted of watching over supplies, managing other henchmen and keeping an eye on the overall workings of Headquarters.

Henchman hoped that taking down Hero would make Villain proud of them. Would make them allow Henchman into their inner circle and bring them into their confidence. They'd hoped to get as close to Villain as Right Hand--closer, after bringing down Hero. And instead, they'd suffered two humiliating defeats (and several broken ribs).

It all came to a head when Medic came in to check on Henchman's stitches. in addition to the blunt force trauma of being thrown through a window and into a wall, glass shards stuck into their back and left jagged, stinging wounds that oozed blood well into the night. Henchman sat on their cot, facing away from Medic as their wounds were inspected and re-dressed, and even then they could feel the hesitation Medic's hands, which were usually sure and quick.

Silence hung in the room like a dead man.

"What are they gonna do?" Henchman asked in a croaky voice, just barely above a whisper.

Medic paused. Considered. "What?"

"Villain. What are they gonna do to me?"

Again, they were met with silence. Henchman was sure the stress was worse than any answer Medic could've given until... Medic laughed. They laughed. It wasn't a snort or a scoff, or even a giggle--and they didn't even try to hide it! Medic stepped back for a moment, cackling as Henchman's stomach dropped. Of all the answers they were expecting, that was one they hadn't prepared for in the slightest.

"Oh, God, I needed that. You're hysterical."

"I'm being serious!" Henchman whirled around half way before the agony from the mess that somehow made up their abdomen sent lightning-hot reminders of why that was a horrible idea.

"Stop it, you're gonna hurt yourself," Medic scolded lightly, laughter still dancing in their eyes. "Have you really been stressed about that the whole time?"

"YES!" Henchman was near screaming now, though they weren't sure if it was ager or confusion that raised their voice. "Why wouldn't I be? Did you see how furious Villain was before they left? And I haven't seen them since. I left without permission and acted without orders; they have every reason to be upset. And everyone and everything's been so quiet today, it's like I've been handed down a death sentence."

Medic cleared their throat and the last embers of amusement flickered out. "Yeah, well, you're right about that, but you're not the one in danger. Or at least, you weren't when it mattered."

The tone of Medic's voice was dead serious--terrifying--and didn't help the growing pit of anxiety that had hunkered down in Henchman's stomach. They felt like they were going to pass out, woozy and dizzy and like the world was tipping out from under them.

A sharp snap under their nose anchored them a little more steadily to the bed they were sitting on, Medic having circled around the cot to look Henchman in the eyes. "You're fine, relax. The rest of us weren't supposed to tell you because it was bad, even for Villain, but I don't think you're in for anything more than a slap on the wrist, and neither does anyone else."

And they wouldn't understand that even if Henchman wasn't going to be killed, as thankful for that as they were, even a slap on the wrist as Medic said would destroy everything Henchman had been working towards. Everything they'd been hoping for. They should've known going into the fight that they were putting Villain's trust in them on the line, and they had--to a point.

They never expected they would fail as horribly as they did, nor that Villain would react with the kind of quiet fury usually reserved for their rare interactions with heroes or other members of the Agency itself. They hadn't expected to be sent to the infirmary the way that they were, or to be teleported directly to it from an alley just off the main scene of the fight after barely getting away.

And what they really weren't expecting was what hurt most: The fact that Villain had put them here and walked off without another word. They'd spoken in their office, but beyond that, there wasn't even a threatening note, or a warning given through Medic. They'd been effectively put in time out, knowing what might be coming but not having enough confidence to really prepare themselves one way or another.

“Hey, what did I just say?” Medic says, this time with annoyance in their tone. “Even if I don’t know the details, I know you’re gonna be fine, okay? You’re gonna be fine, and I don’t think you’re clocking Villain’s feelings towards what you did to Hero as correctly as you think you are, yeah?”

Their assessment was fair, if not a little stinging. They’d never been good at reading people, but they’d hoped Villain was the exception. Even with their monotone voice and often stony demeanor, Henchman knew how tired they were in a glance after a fight; knew when to call for Medic or coffee or let them get straight to their personal rooms and block everyone else from entering–something Right Hand was usually supposed to do. 

The entire night, they’d tried not to deliberate too much on Right Hand. They’d tried to ignore the stinging jealousy of the fact that there was already someone that was so close to Villain they could almost read their thoughts. They knew Villain kept a certian amount of professionalism and distance between themselves and Right Hand that didn’t seem to be present between Villain and Henchman, but most liekly because it wasn’t seen as necessary. They weren’t close enough for it to matter in the first place. 

“Okay,” Henchman murmured, and one look at Meidc’s face made it clear to even them that they didn’t beleive them for a second. Nevertheless, Medic stepped away. 

“Okay,” they echoed, with much more confidence. “You seem to be healing well, all things considered, and I have other patients I need to take care of, so I’m going to leave you here, okay? Try not to freak out too much on me, yeah?”

Henchman gave a weak nod, and an even weaker smile. They were sure that Medic could see them spiraling form the outside, but if they did, they didn’t say anything about it. “Yeah.”

Next

Tagging: @nameless-beanie @crow-with-a-typewriter @mylovelyme (If you wanted to be tagged and weren't please just poke me with a stick)

[salty-an-disco]

"This whole thing just didn't sound right."

The Princess nods, eyes fixated on her now free wrist. She pulls herself to a standing position and stares at you, gaze intent and searching.

“… Thank you.”

Well. There she is. And there you are. And the way out of the basement is just behind you. Are you going to continue to awkwardly stare at each other or do you plan on continuing with the story?

Voice of the Hero: I thought ‘The Story’ was the one where we slay her? We didn’t do that, so aren’t we out of ‘The Story’ now?

Oh, no no no no. You can’t just get out of ‘‘The Story’™’, that’s just not how it goes. The Story™ will always move and contort around you, so that you remain in the story no matter how much you deviate from the described outline.

Voice of the Hero: I’m so lost………

Don’t worry about it. Just play your role, and The Story™, will do the rest.

“Well. This is it, then. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to leave this place.”

With that said, the Princess doesn’t hesitate to walk towards the stairs, effectively breaking the Awkwardly Staring at Each Other contest.

Voice of the Hero: Personally, I’m also eager to leave. Let’s not stay behind.

You follow her out, carefully avoiding the clutter carpeting the floor. The Princess isn’t as careful, kicking and tripping on several objects in her haste, though she doesn’t seem to even notice them.

She stops in front of the ajar door, hesitating for enough time to let you catch up to her. When you’re close enough to look over her shoulder, she already has both her hands on the handle. And with a soft push, she opens the door.

The upstairs room looks just as you remember. Oh, yes, you could recognize the plainness of these wood planks anywhere. There’s no need to linger here, when there may or may not be a world outside to explore.

Voice of the Hero: Wait. Isn’t there something missing?

Um, no? There isn’t? It’s just as you remember, and if you don’t remember anything that suddenly isn’t here, then it mustn’t be important.

Voice of the Hero: Well, I remember there being a knife. And it isn’t here anymore. The table is empty.

Indeed, there’s nothing on the plain wooden table but more plainness and dust. Maybe the knife got tired of all the nothingness and succumbed to the dust.

“I almost can’t believe I’m actually here.”

You move your attention towards the Princess, who is unaffected by your musings about tables and plainness and has already walked towards the next door. She hesitates before it much like she did in the previous door, though there’s bigger anticipation about her stance.

“You… really saved me.” She turns to you, eyes shining with emotion. “Despite not knowing me, and despite being tasked with killing me.”

She smiles. Soft and grateful.

“Thank you. I’ll never forget this.”

She opens the door and

Voice of the Hero: And…?

Is he… Is he gone? Did the world really end?

And where is the princess? Should– should we try to find her?

Voice of the Hero: Is that… a mirror? Why here? Why now?

Achievements Unlocked!

– Who's dis?

Neither of you seems to know what's happening.

– Oneshot

Sometimes a single chapter is all you need.

[frogaroundandfindout]

“Nightwing and Starfire brought wave two. Which is just about everyone who’s ever been a titan. It’s a natural thing when Nightwing shows up. None of us are conscious of it really but we all look to him for orders. He basically founded the team, lead them for years. Robins lucky he’s got an older brother type he can relate to.”

Dick leads the charge against Dr. Light (Teen Titans Vol.3 #23)

[epickiya722]

Just remembered that anon that told me to "please use my critical thinking skills", which by the way I'm still waiting on that apology (sarcasm), and all I can think is...

Is it that I lack critical thinking skills or you're just upset that I don't share the same views as you and that I don't care to make a story out to be something it's not.

I honestly feel like some of the BNHA fandom (any really) chooses to try to make the story it's not just because they hate it. If you don't like the story, okay? Who cares? Why do you want people to care so much that you hate it?

"I don't care that people---"

Stop, because you do. You do care because you're going out of your way to ruin the experience for everyone else because you want to be an ass. Over fiction.

You're upset because this story wasn't what you wanted because of your sense of enlightment so you go out your way to say "it's this and it's that" just to paint this picture that the story is oh so bad. Just putting all energy into being a hater not just over the manga, but also towards others who want to read it, enjoy it for what it is and move on.

[loveisloveisacomplicatedgirl]

oH my gOd theRE's no DePth to baKugO WiThoUt miDOoRiyA- ok you fucking npc, i guess without one specific person in your life you would have no depth either

[dawnssummers]

— i never liked that ending either. more love streaming out the wrong way, and i don't want to be the kind that says the wrong way.

buffy the vampire slayer, 5.07 fool for love + 5.18 intervention + 5.22 the gift / richard siken, litany in which certain things are crossed out

[massiveladycat]

tell us about your pjo ocs!! tell us your headcanons, their appearances, if you feel like they might get along with other ocs that you or others have !! this is pretty much a judge-free, get your ideas out space i have my own pjo oc and i'll share him just to get it started!! Hector Campbell is one of the many sons of Athena. As a twin, Athena created him to be the battle half; he isn't good at reading emotions or reading other people, but give him a task and a battle zone map and he's got it all figured out. He's even apart of a rogue demigod group I'm willing to talk more about (literally, my mind is 30% this man and his friends). He has a lot of street smarts and is trained in cityscape mobility as an errand runner and sentinel for said rogue demigod group. Since the rogue demigods are all practically homeless, Hector is a little ratty and scrawny. He's malnourished, so his height has been progressing much later and much less than it would if he were healthy. He has dirty blond, tangled wavy hair, a leather cap, a camera, and usually a black jacket. And, if you have a PJO OC, to me, you've gotta have a weapon for them too . . . So I picked up a stop sign. Yes, this man is walking around with a massive stop sign strapped to his back. Yes, he gets weird looks. He absolutely gets asked if he stole the stop sign. He actually got it from a pile of scrapped metal. Hector’s a moody, snarky little guy. He’s a demigod; the son of Athena. He’s skeptical and cautious, with a biting sense of sarcasm and slightly dark humor. As expected of all children of Athena, he’s very intelligent and witty, but he also has not-so-good morals. He's a good guy, he's just strange. He does what he needs to survive, and he was raised to not be warm and cozy because he didn’t trust others, and they didn’t trust him so go ahead and share your own ocs if you want!!

[mariocki]

Honor Blackman guest stars as art expert Syd Lewis in Saber of London: Deep in the Heart of Chelsea (1.3, NBC, 1957)

[beanghostprincess]

crying my eyes out and screaming so fucking loud at 4 am that i woke up my neighbors because i was relating a bit too much to sanji's backstory and luffy's jane-austen-like speech was cathartic as hell and i don't think i'll need to go to therapy ever again