#because maybe he really was speaking of Shigaraki as a whole

[codenamesazanka]

Maybe a hot take I dunno, but I feel like the way Deku handled Shigaraki could've been "justified" or at least a bit easier to accept if Shigaraki had actually killed Bakugou during the final fight.

That, or if Deku only found out Bakugo survived during the epilogue so he could have a moment of self reflection about giving up on saving Shigaraki because he thought someone he cared about got hurt.

Hm. On an emotional and story level, I get it! At first thought, it makes sense - Bakugou on the Heroes' side gets killed by Shigaraki, so narrative karma means Shigaraki has to die too. Would definitely help 'explain' Deku's cold attitude (tho I argue he was already pretty cold before).

But thinking about it more, I feel like it still wouldn't have worked? Shigaraki had already killed a bunch of other heroes and caused lots of destruction - so singling Bakugou out as the justification/last straw for Deku, him essentially killing Shigaraki as revenge for Bakugou, feels unfitting of him as a Hero - too personal, not him acting as impartial law enforcer. I know readers cared much more for Bakugou than Crust, but for the story, this different valuation of lives would look bad. imo.

Plus, Bakugou was truly dead. Shigaraki did kill him! It just didn't stick because of the greatest and weirdest asspull of story history, but that already happened. Bakugou was mangled and Deku did get really mad at that—for two seconds until Mirio spoke to him and Deku calmed down in order to ask about whether Shigaraki was still inside ShigAFO - to focus on his goal of saving Shigaraki.

Bakugou died, and Deku made the decision to still "not ignore the crying child". Which is a point towards him for sticking to wanting save Shigaraki despite this new evil thing Shigaraki has done! (But I guess it's just that his 'save' has always been reliant on his sympathy for a ghost child? Whose name he didn't know, so he had to have called Shigaraki 'Shigaraki', and I guess that made it seem like he wanted to save all of Shigaraki; but even at the moment, it was clear that Deku was focused on The Crying Child, given the visuals and Mirio speaking of Tenko's outburst.)

So while I get what you're going for, whether your first possibility or the second, it still does damage to the story of Deku being a Hero.

[meeludrawz]

Shigaraki dating & other hcs

🐀 Says "Damn it" a little bit too much 🐀 "Fuck off" to people who annoys him (aka Toga, Twice & sometimes Dabi) 🐀 Very silent, only speaks up when he disagrees, complains or when someone's talking to him 🐀 When he doesn't like something, no matter how small or irrelevant that thing is, he wants to dust it, because it "Pisses him off" 🐀 Sarcastic most of the time and when pissed (for real this time), he quickly jumps to threats or insults 🐀 DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO COOK, only microwave stuff 🐀 Picky eater, but not overly picky 🐀 HATES it when you're upset, mostly when you're on the verge of tears, he just wants you to be happy and it breaks his heart seeing you cry. But of course, he'll never admit that so he'll say that it annoys or pisses him. 🐀 Very VERY observant, he'll notice right away if you have new clothes, a new shampoo, if you had a bad night or if something troubles you 🐀 Has a very good memory, he easily remembers important dates, the small habits that you have or where you last put your keys 🐀 Talking about good memory and being observing, he learns very fast. You're teaching him how to drive? He already knows the basic of course (GTA) but also by looking at you driving 🐀 He could also learn how to cook if he observed you but he just loves when you do it <3 🐀 Shigaraki analyzes very quickly, he's an overthinker, which benefits him for his job. Not so much on relationships, so at the beginning he might have insecurities towards you. So you two need to ✨ communicate ✨ 🐀 After that, once he knows for sure that you love him, his overthinking will be sent towards what gift you want for christmas or something 🐀 He loves roadtrips with you, he would stick his arms or head out of the window, not dramatically, he's not stupid, it's dangerous, but just a bit, because he loves the feeling of freedom 🐀 He also loves watching the landscapes passing by, it feels refreshing as he almost never goes out of town due to his "job"

🐀He loves hearing you sing. He loves your voice, no matter what it sounds like because he sees how happy you are, judging by your dancing and the sparks in your eyes, and he thinks that's perfect 🐀Now let's talk about kisses, at first he was unsure about them because of his very dried lips, thinking you might find that disgusting 🐀 But oh, the first kiss you two shared, he was melting and his brain was throwing fireworks. Now, he won't stop giving you kisses here and there when he wants to <3 🐀PDA? Hell nah, don't get me wrong, HE'D LOVE TO! But his #1 Villain in Japan status would get dragged in the mud OR you'd end up in jail. (Which would result in him destroying the whole city to get you out of there) 🐀 Even with the LOV around, he doesn't touch you or else they'll start annoying him and he'll throw hands, literally 🐀 Buuuuuuuuuuuut, as soon as you're alone with him, GOD HE CRAVES IT. Hugs from behind, cuddles on the bed… Then you walk past him when he's on the couch? Nope, not anymore, he grabbed you and now you're stuck on his lap <3 🐀Once he starts cuddling, it's very HARD to get rid of him, poor baby just wants affection 🐀 Unless you really need space then he'll leave you alone and threaten anyone that gets too close (While he sits against the door of your bedroom, waiting patiently for you to feel better) 🐀Very flexible with his fingers, he practiced A LOT to control his quirk without any protection. And what was his best way for that? Guitars, pianos and harps! Yes, he knows how to play all three of those. Though, he'll never play harp anymore because he thinks that's not cool. But piano and guitar? Maybe he'd play some for you ;) 🐀 Talking about flexible fingers! That made him very fast on a keyboard and with a console controller, which made him the best player of the LOV 🐀He never had gloves until he met you. He was so often confused by his feelings that he'd get pissed and accidentally dust something

🐀Hell, when he realized that he had feelings for you, he really, really, REALLY didn't want to accidentally dust you. So…. GLOVES :D 🐀Why didn't he invest in gloves earlier?! Nah, really, WHY?! Now that he has gloves, he dust less and less often his shirts when putting them on, which is great! 🐀He only played a few games when you met him. Now, because of your suggestions, he plays all sorts of games! 🐀Talking about games, he has all consoles you'd need. Xbox, PS, Switch and PC. So if you ever had one console in your entire life and wanted to test a game on another platform, well now you can because of your precious dusty boyfriend :P <3 🐀You thought he was a cat person at first and he is, but he's a tiny bit more dog 🐀And jellyfish, he loves jellyfishes 🐀For the last HC 🐀You always thought he didn't take care of his hair, that it looked messy and gross to the touch 🐀To your surprise, when you first headpat him, it was very soft and fluffy. It just seems to not obey to any type of brushes

[dekusleftsock]

Me personally, I’m a very big fan of how Horikoshi handled his themes around forgiveness. I love that he really hammers in that forgiveness is a choice that someone can or cannot make, and that neither of those decisions are necessarily “wrong” or “harmful”, that they’re just that. Choices.

And I realized just how much I enjoyed how he handles this because of these leaks. Like him choosing to never forgive Shigaraki for what he’s done, yet wanting to end the suffering as much as possible I feel really speaks to an experience I could never put into words. It’s so viscerally human to be angry, happy, sad; it’s human to forgive, it’s human to not. It’s human to empathize with someone you fundamentally feel shouldn’t be empathized for, and yet it is the single most prominent structure of ancient human societies. We live to empathize, it’s why we have a dog in our house, or we help heal a stranger back to health; and I don’t necessarily think is what “makes us human” bc I feel that excludes people who don’t (because they do exist and nothing is wrong with them for not doing so), but I think it does speak to a very common feeling. It’s normal to want revenge, or to be angry, or to not forgive, but it’s also perfectly normal to want to end the suffering from its source.

That’s also a prominent feature of the Todoroki family, and it’s also what made me so angry about the interpretations surrounding it. There’s nothing wrong with Fuyumi or Natsuo to respond differently to their shared father’s abuse, they’re normal and expected ways to handle one’s inner turmoil. There is healing in forgiving someone, that’s a perfectly truthful idea. But what’s also a way to heal is to simply not let someone matter in your life, you can simultaneously be angry for what they’ve done…and be perfectly fulfilled/healed.

Horikoshi isn’t telling you to forgive bad people, he’s telling you that there’s a reason behind every bad action, that empathy and shared humanity is the single most integral part to a healthy society.

And I love this EVEN MORE because Midoriya Izuku: Rising isn’t even about Izuku, it’s about how everyone else has brought him here, now. That we are one people, one society—Izuku may be the driving horse but he stands as a symbol of our shared humanity in this moment.

I wish I could find the officials rn but I’m gonna have to interpret this given what it is.

Ochako’s choice to “not wipe your slate clean” almost feels less like a “I can’t forgive you” and more like a “society won’t forgive you” statement.

Where Izuku’s or Natsuo’s choice to not forgive someone who has hurt them was a personal decision, this was more of a decision to empathize with Himiko, maybe even forgive her. I can’t help but notice that this was much more of a confession/declaration of affection for someone who has done bad things, than it was about forgiveness and mistakes.

It almost feels more like the bkdk apology if I’m honest. Both of which never have a “I won’t ever forgive you for this” statement, more like they avoid it in its entirety. Same with Rei and Endeavors conversations.

Because it is the victims choice to forgive or not forgive someone. They have as much a right to do so as anyone else.

I guess that’s why I always hated the whole “Izuku shouldn’t forgive Katsuki” take, it’s a very literal commentary on the very thing Horikoshi has written is wrong. It’s wrong to try to tell someone how they should or shouldn’t have reacted to something, you are taking away their integrity. To a certain extent you are infantilizing their ability to make choices for themself.

So it’s for this reason that my love for this series shoots to the sky at this “I won’t forgive you” moment. It’s like Izukus guilt has been lifted, that he has allowed himself to be angry or bitter at someone for wronging him or someone he loves. The mask has fallen, this is it; Izuku and Tenko, and he is being honest of his feelings.

That’s what I love most—the honesty, the anger, the relief, the love, and that these are his choices. No one can take that away from him. Not you, not I, not us.

[scary-grace]

Opposites Attract (Chapter 4) - a Shigaraki x f!Reader fic

Your quirk lets you capture almost anyone with ease, and you can't believe you let Shigaraki Tomura escape. Shigaraki can't believe it, either, and according to the League, there's only one possible explanation -- you let him go because you've fallen in love with him. He decides to find out if it's true. You decide you won't fail to capture him again. You both get a lot more than you bargained for. (cross-posted to Ao3)

Chapters: 1 2 3

Chapter 4

You look at the amount of food in your shopping cart, then force yourself to put half of it back. Food is expensive. You don’t need this much. The only way you’d need this much is if you were feeding someone else in addition to yourself, and you aren’t. At least not all the time. Or even more than once a week. On average. You look at your cart, then back at the shelf you’ve just offloaded half the cart onto. Maybe you can take some of it. Just in case.

Shigaraki Tomura knows where your apartment is. You’re pretty sure your apartment is his favorite restaurant, based on the fact that he keeps coming back for food. You can’t predict when he’ll be there and when he won’t, but he’s been on the fire escape outside your apartment at least once a week for the past month, and last week he was there three times. It’s the same procedure every time. He shows up right outside your window and you restrain him to the landing before you let him in. He’s gotten into scoring each episode of restraining from S to F, although you’ve got no idea what his criteria are and you’re not planning to ask.

Part of you just wants to tighten the restraint around his neck to shut him up, but with your luck, he’d be into that, and you really don’t want to learn something like that about him.

You’ve been learning things about Shigaraki, though. It’s unavoidable, when you’ve spent more than a month having dinner with him once a week or more, and when he’s clearly not trying to play a part in front of you. You’ve learned that while he knows a lot about heroes, there are things that interest him other than utterly destroying hero society. He likes video games. He speaks some English and made you critique his grammar when he found out you were fluent. He’s curious about things – when he found out that you grew up somewhere else, that you only came to Japan so you could go to UA and didn’t really mean to stick around this long, he spent an entire night quizzing you about what it’s like in your home country. Not just the heroes. Everything.

The news called him a man-child, and he isn’t, but there’s something deeply wrong with him – or something went deeply wrong with him, given the number of tiny or innocuous things that flip some weird switch in his head and make him start clawing at his neck. His friends are important to him. His table manners are a mess, although they’re improving. He always wants to discuss, or debate, or argue about things. You couldn’t tell if he was trying to refine his arguments or if he just liked trying to get a rise out of you. Two weeks into this whole thing, you asked.

Shigaraki gave you a weird look over the meal that night – an Italian recipe you were sure he’d hate, but that he tore into the same as he does with everything else you cook. “I don’t like arguing,” he said. “I want to know what you think, so I can figure out why you think it. I can’t convince you if I don’t understand.”

That’s another thing about Shigaraki, one that disquiets you even more than the fact that he’s trying to lure you over to his side: He doesn’t lie. Or at least, he doesn’t lie to you.

You’d lie to him, though. You’d lie if he asked you why you’ve been buying extra food in case he shows up, why you’ve been letting him in. You tell yourself that you’re working an angle, trying to raise the iron concentration in his blood high enough that you can capture him with ease the next time you face him in battle. It’s a good excuse, but it is an excuse. You just don’t know what it’s an excuse for. Shigaraki’s a villain, no question about it, but he’s also a person. A person you’d maybe be friends with if things weren’t the way they are.

But things are the way they are, even if you can pretend to be allies for now – allies, because you’re both interested in seeing the Shie Hassaikai going down in flames. Sir Nighteye’s built a coalition of minor heroes from around the country, all of whom are based out of towns and cities with Hassaikai presences, and all of you are supposed to rule out the bases in your town as possible locations for the creation of quirk-canceling bullets or the confinement of small, tortured children. Of all the minor heroes, you’re the one with the misfortune to be based in the same town as the Nighteye agency.

Nighteye agency is a daylight agency. They take the day shift watching the Hassaikai house. You take the night shift, which means your schedule is unavoidably screwed. You don’t get home until four am most nights, and when you do, you’re not well-equipped to withhold information from Shigaraki. Luckily, Shigaraki doesn’t seem all that interested in withholding information from you.

“I met up with Overhaul yesterday,” he says. He used to get here just as you finished cooking; now he shows up when you’ve barely started. “He’s unhinged. He’s got this crazy plan to destroy society –”

“Which differs how from your crazy plan to destroy society?”

“He wants to go back to before quirks developed,” Shigaraki says. “I just want to tear apart the corrupt system you’ve devoted your life to.”

“Yeah, because that’s so much better.” You roll your eyes and decide to play devil’s advocate. “A world without quirks might be a fairer world. With the way things are right now, a person’s whole life is determined by what quirk they got – or whether they got a quirk at all.”

“And before, your whole life was determined by how much money your family had,” Shigaraki fires back. “That’s any better?”

“There were ways to make more money, at least.” You stir the soup you’re making. “I’m guessing Overhaul’s not trying to make a fairer world.”

“No, he just wants to put the yakuza back on top.” Shigaraki rolls his eyes and steals a raw mushroom out of the pile you’re about to add to the soup. Part of you wishes Kurogiri hadn’t blocked you on Instagram. You’d love to flex your ability to get Shigaraki to eat vegetables on him. “Are you and the other establishment puppets still trying to find his hideout?”

“Maybe.” You activate your insurance policy to stall him as he goes back for another mushroom. “Why?”

“You’re right.”

That one takes you a second. “Wait, it’s here?”

“That’s right. You owe me.” Shigaraki’s smiles always look just a little insane. “That’s not even the only present I got you.”

You’re going to hold off on calling Shigaraki’s intel a present until you can figure out a way to feed it to Nighteye without revealing where you heard it. “Since when do you get me presents?”

“I’m supposed to.” Shigaraki gives you a weird look, like he’s not the weird one for being a villain and giving presents to a hero. “But you have to answer my next question before you get the other one.”

You decide you don’t really need that second present. “Ask.”

“Why’d you name yourself Skynet?” Shigaraki asks. “Skynet’s a villain.”

“You watched Terminator?” You try to keep your voice from brightening, but it only works partway. You love old sci-fi, but nobody ever wants to watch it with you, because nobody else can put up with imagining a world without quirks. “How many of them?”

“There’s more than one?” Shigaraki looks surprised for a second. Then he refocuses. “Answer my question. You’re a hero. You picked your name way before you met me. Why’d you name yourself after a villain?”

“It was my second choice,” you say. “My first choice was Magneto.”

“Magneto,” Shigaraki repeats. “What’s that?”

“A character from a comic book. The ones before there were quirks.” You remember being so excited that there was a character with powers like yours. “But he was, um, not the best guy –”

Shigaraki smirks. “He was a villain, too?”

“In a manner of speaking,” you hedge. Magneto was a complicated guy. “My homeroom teacher knew about him and vetoed the name. So I fell back on Skynet. It sounds cooler anyway.”

You got away with it for a while, but then someone complained to the school. By then it was too late to change it, and even if it hadn’t been, it was a hill you were ready to die on. Shigaraki looks skeptical. “Did you really name yourself after a villain just because it sounded cool?”

“No,” you say, a little offended. “I don’t really know why I did it. And I don’t know why you’d only watch the first Terminator movie when the second one is better.”

It’s quiet for a second. You wonder if Shigaraki’s going to push the point, either to call you out for being dumb in your choice of code name or to look for a meaning that isn’t there, some kind of proof that it’s possible to turn you. “I’ll level with you,” he says finally, “I fell asleep in the middle of it.”

He actually looks wary, like he thinks you’re going to kick him out for falling asleep during a movie you like, instead of all the billions of legitimate reasons why you could and should kick him out. “No kidding. You’re so anemic that you could probably fall asleep standing up,” you say. Shigaraki rolls his eyes. “It’s worth watching all the way through, though. And the second one. The rest of them suck.”

“Yeah?” Shigaraki reaches into the inside pocket of his coat, pulls something out, and slaps it down on the counter. “Present number two.”

It’s a three-count box of microwave popcorn. You look down at it, then up at him. “You don’t have any,” Shigaraki says. “You need it for movies.”

“I don’t watch a lot of movies anymore. Not much time on my hands.” You’re starting to get the sense that you’re missing something. “Um –”

“You have time right now,” Shigaraki says. “I have one and a half Terminator movies to watch. And now we have popcorn.”

He can’t be saying what you think he’s saying. The problem is, you have no idea what else he could be saying. “We also have soup.”

“So we’ll eat that first, and then we’ll have popcorn.” Shigaraki shrugs. “Come on. It’s not like we can go to a theater, so this is the next best thing.”

Why would the two of you be going to a movie theater together? You’d be friends with him, sure, and movies are a friend activity – but they’re a big-group friend activity, not one-on-one. Going to the movies with just one other person is suspect. Really suspect. If this was anybody other than Shigaraki Tomura, you’d assume they were suggesting that the two of you go out.

But it’s Shigaraki Tomura, so you know he’s not asking you out. And you’re never going to turn down a Terminator rewatch. “I’m not starting the movie in the middle. We’re going back to the beginning.”

“Fine.” Shigaraki steals another mushroom. You dump the rest into the pot. “I’ll watch it again.”

The two of you eat the soup on the couch, and you discover five seconds after pressing play that Shigaraki is a movie talker. Or maybe he isn’t – he just reacts to things out loud, and there’s lots to react to, starting with the fact that this movie’s from the 1980s and therefore older than All Might is. “Where did you even find this thing?”

“My grandma was a movie buff. She said quirks made them boring.”

When you were younger, you thought she was just being edgy, but now you think she’s sort of right. There’s a quirk for everything, theoretically, so any conflict in a movie can be boiled down to wondering which quirk would solve it, and that’s not very interesting to watch. Shigaraki doesn’t start picking on your grandma, which is a relief. He focuses on the movie again, and so do you. You can’t tell if he likes it or not.

“I don’t remember this part,” he announces abruptly, just before the start of the police station massacre. “She saw that thing get up after Reese shot it ten times. She should believe him.”

“Would you?”

“Yes.”

“You wouldn’t,” you say. “If I dropped out of the sky and told you that there was a robot from the future wearing a skin suit and hunting you down to prevent you from fathering the person who overthrows the machines – see, look at the face you’re making. You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Only one part of it sounds stupid,” Shigaraki says.

“Which part?”

“Which do you think?”

“Robots in skin suits from the future,” you say. It’s really hard to stop yourself from adding “duh”.

“Maybe to you,” Shigaraki says, which makes no sense. On-screen, the T-800 drives a truck into the front of the police station. “Damn. That’s one way to do it.”

You really hope you don’t turn on the news one day and see that the League of Villains has driven a semi-truck into the HPSC’s headquarters. And you’re still trying to figure out what’s less believable to Shigaraki than robots in skin suits from the future. It’s not until a lot later in the movie that it clicks. You didn’t think Shigaraki had that component in his personality, but apparently he has just enough of it to think about the prospect of knocking somebody up and decide that it’s not going to happen. You could see him being pretty picky about girls, but if he gets far enough in his plans, he’ll be able to afford being picky. That’s probably it. The other idea, the one that says he’s so insecure that he can’t imagine anyone wanting to sleep with him, falls squarely into woobification territory, and you eject it from your mind as usual.

Besides, it’s not like he doesn’t have game. You could see somebody going for it, somebody who likes banter and a bit of a challenge, somebody who’s not into true romance and fairytale endings. If Shigaraki acts around the right villainess the way he acts around you, he probably won’t have a problem.

You clear away the soup bowls and make one bag of popcorn, dumping it into a big bowl and setting it on the couch between the two of you. “Thanks for bringing this.”

“Yeah.” Shigaraki doesn’t look away from the screen. He’s been quiet for a while, slumped back against the couch, and suddenly he sits bolt upright. “You’re kidding me.”

“Hmm?”

“He’s the father,” Shigaraki says, like he’s on a soap opera or something. You snicker in spite of yourself. “Shut up. The father of the resistance leader. Now I get it.”

“Okay,” you say, wondering what he’s talking about now. “There’s a sex scene coming up. We can skip it if you want.”

“No.” Shigaraki fishes a few pieces of popcorn out of the bowl. “It’s fine.”

When you named yourself Skynet, you didn’t expect that you’d one day find yourself watching an extended soft-focus sex scene, complete with dramatic hand holding, with an aspiring supervillain sitting on the couch next to you. Your life has taken some weird turns. You feel the need to reassure Shigaraki that the gunfire is going to start up again any second now, and get the weirdest look of the night in response. “Do you think that’s all I care about or something?”

“I know it’s not,” you say, deliberately ignoring all the handholding on the screen. “I just – I mean, these are always really awkward to watch with other people. Maybe I just think it’s awkward. I don’t know. Don’t look at me.”

“This shit makes you nervous?” Shigaraki nods at the screen, takes an actual look, double-takes, and glances the other way in a hurry. “Cute.”

Cute? What the hell does that mean? You decide you don’t want to know, and the promised gunfire has kicked up again, so you focus on that, hoping Shigaraki will do the same. You’re sort of offended by the whole characterization of events – you being afraid of sex scenes, which you aren’t, and you being cute, which you also aren’t. You’re not afraid of sex. You’re so not afraid of sex that you’ve actually gone out and had sex. More than once. It’s not the sex scene. It’s more who you’re watching it with.

And that’s weird. Why would watching a sex scene with a villain make you nervous?

You stick your hand into the popcorn bowl, devour a handful of kernels, and reach back in for more. This time, your fingers brush against Shigaraki’s, and you recoil so hard it’s a miracle you don’t fall off the couch.

That was rude. No way to spin it otherwise. You have to apologize. “Sorry.”

“You’d be stupid not to react like that,” Shigaraki says. He doesn’t look offended. “I’m paying attention. Don’t worry about it.”

You’re going to worry about it. You’re not putting your hand back in the bowl until his hand is somewhere else.

The first movie ends with Sarah Connor driving off into the storm, and you press mute over the too-loud credits music. You glance at Shigaraki. “Thoughts?”

“Not bad,” Shigaraki says. “You said the second one is better?”

You nod. “Let’s watch that one,” Shigaraki decides. He tips the popcorn bowl towards himself, then lets it slide back. “We need more of this.”

You get up to make another bag. Shigaraki stayed on the couch while you made the first one, but this time he comes over, lingering next to you, close enough that you’d be worried if you didn’t have four separate insurance policies wrapped around his wrists and ankles. If he comes after you, you can glue him to the ceiling in a split second. “I don’t Decay everything I touch,” he says. “I know how to make it safe.”

“That’s nice.”

“I’ll show you.” A challenging note enters Shigaraki’s voice. “Don’t kill me.”

You’re just wondering what he expects you to try to kill him over when his thumb and forefinger close around your left wrist, lifting your hand from your side up into full view. He keeps it upright with three fingers around your wrist, then raises his other hand. Both his wrists have shackles around them. You can throw him out the window if you want to. Why aren’t you doing it? Shigaraki matches his other hand up with yours, lacing your fingers through his one at a time while leaving his own extended. His hand is open. The only person holding onto anything is you.

You, and if you try to get out before he decides to let go, you risk making contact with all five fingertips. You leave your hand where it is and try to slow your heart rate down. “What is this?”

“Somebody had to do it.” Shigaraki shrugs, but he looks way too pleased with himself. Not smug. You wouldn’t call this look smug. It’s just – pleased. “I told you it was safe.”

Nobody had to do it. What the hell? Your hand is starting to shake. That hand, and the other one, and there’s popcorn popping in the microwave and rain rattling against the window and Shigaraki so close to you, too close to you. You’re panicking. You can’t panic. When you panic, you forget about how dangerous your quirk is, how you can barely control it, how disastrous it would be to let it loose to get yourself out of this. You can’t panic. You have to calm down.

You have to, but it’s not happening, and worse, Shigaraki notices. He lets go of you, but he doesn’t step back, and his hand comes lightly down against your shoulder, index finger raised. “I should have warned you before I tried it,” he says. You nod, looking everywhere but at his face. “I’ve been practicing. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t know for sure. And I thought you were probably tired of waiting.”

What is going on? You need a second to figure that out, a second where Shigaraki’s not right here watching you, clearly expecting a response that’s not the one you’re having. The microwave beeps and gives you an excuse. “Go sit down. I’ll bring this over.”

His hand falls away from your shoulder, and he heads back to the couch. You take the popcorn out of the microwave, burning your hand on a drip of fake butter and doing everything in your power not to scream.

You’re not scared of him. You’re clear on that, at least – in spite of your temporary freakout, containing Shigaraki is still well within your abilities. You check him over with your metal sense, confirming the presence of your insurance policy. You’re not scared of him. You’re scared of what just happened, what it means. It means that you and Shigaraki have very different ideas of what’s going on here. You’ve maybe had different ideas this whole time.

You thought you were a restaurant and a source of entertainment and maybe you’d be friends in another life. Shigaraki thought – something else. Bringing presents something else. Going to the movies something else. Holding hands something else. He’s not just here for the free food. He likes you. And based on his comment about you being tired of waiting, he thinks you like him too.

What do you feel for him? You care, obviously – probably too much, given who you are and who he is. You’d want to be friends if the two of you were ordinary people. When you were thinking about whose type Shigaraki is, it somehow escaped your notice that you were describing yours. How does the thought of him hooking up with some villainess actually land with you? You test it out and a dent appears in your refrigerator door with a dull thud. You smooth it out in a hurry. Not well.

You need to get back over there. You scoop up the bowl of popcorn and settle back down on your side of the couch. Shigaraki looks up at you, and your stomach twists at his expression. He looks so – “How bad did I fuck up just now?”

“It was just a surprise.” A big surprise. The mother of all surprises. A surprise so massive that you nearly tore the endoskeleton out of your apartment building trying to cope. “I kind of thought hand stuff was off the table.”

That’s not wrong. It’s what you’d have thought, if you’d thought about it at all. “I didn’t want it to be off the table,” Shigaraki says. He looks away. “That’s why I practiced. I just – what was I supposed to do? Everything I can think of takes hands.”

That’s a problem. You make the executive decision not to make it your problem right now. “Um – we can sit closer together.”

Shigaraki perks up slightly. “How much closer?”

“Like –” You sit down on the middle cushion, popcorn balanced in your lap. Shigaraki edges closer to you, a few centimeters at a time, until the two of you are side by side, pressed together from shoulder to hip. “Like this.”

“My arm’s stuck.” Shigaraki works it free, fingertips tucked away inside a fist, then drapes it across the back of the couch, where it slides onto your shoulders in short order. You laugh. “What?”

“That’s kind of a move,” you say. You feel insane. “People usually do it as a yawn-and-stretch thing, but this was a lot subtler. Very smooth.”

“It wasn’t a move,” Shigaraki says. You glance up at him and see a flush creeping down his neck. “Are we watching this movie or not?”

“We’re watching.” You summon the remote by the batteries inside it and press play. Shigaraki’s arm wraps a little more tightly around you. If you turn your metal sense on him, you can feel the meager iron concentration in his blood shifting through his body, faster than usual. His heart rate is elevated. “This one’s even better than the first one.”

His arm tightens around you by a fraction of a degree. “Yeah. I can already tell.”

[rayshippouuchiha]

I remembered your idea about Grimmjow mentoring Izuku and I have world building/background.

Grimm got to the bnha universe because some idiots were trying to summon a demon to kill some heroes and since there aren't any in universe the magic spell outsourced. The idiots did not survive their stupidity. Grimm is really annoying because he's pretty sure it's going to take at least a year to get home.

Finding and starting to teach Izuku delayed his plans, but not by too much. Grim figures he'll just wait for the kid to die and bring Izuku's soul back with him. Classic Arrancar adoption tactics.

Inko is a little uncomfortable with a demon adopting her son with a plan of making him another demon, but honestly Izuku's just so happy these days that she's cool with it. She does the paperwork to make Grim a distant relative.

People in the bnha universe don't really have reiatsu but they still have souls. Grim just has to teach izuku to reform his soul so it's bleach style instead. He's pretty sure that any of the many mad scientists he knows would tell him it's impossible, but izuka did it anyways so there.

For paperwork they claim that it's a family inherited work that is super finicky and requires a lot of control and often doesn't activate without life or death danger or knowing how to activate it beforehand. Which it is true, using reiatsu for stuff more complicated than "be stronger and hardier," let alone kidou, takes decades of learning. Even if hollow style kidou is easier to learn, it's not by that much. Grim mostly focuses Izuku on learning the basics of combat and maybe sonido.

Izuku ends up good at kicking people in the face like canon, but he also has throwing knives and a tanto to complete the danger gremlin evolution.

He kicks Bakugou in the face and breaks his nose. Their relationship isn't great but it's not as awful as in cannon.

Grimmjow is setting up connections with the villain community one day when he hears about some mysterious, powerful fucker called All For One. He hasn't eaten in a while, and that seems like someone no one will miss so he eats out for the day. The villain underground immediately falls into chaos but that isn't his problem.

Coincidentally, Inko's deadbeat husband finally stopped sending money. (Whether he's AfO or just some asshole who died in the chaos is up to you.) She shrugs and moves on. She saved and invested most money he gave them anyways.

Grim ends up running a dojo. First he just needs space to teach Izuku but I firmly believe that despite his general misanthropic tendencies he actually likes kids, so the whole thing balloons pretty fast. He ends up with this weird teenager who calls himself Dabi as an assistant, since the kid already knew how to fight pretty well.

With an actual support system Dabi ends up significantly less burned and significantly more sane. He works as a vigilante, killing marital and child abusers. He's really uncertain about what to do about Endeavor, because he wants to kill him but the man also scares the shit out of him, and he doesn't want to free his siblings just to put them in the spotlight. Grimmjow is less than zero help, but Inko gives him a big hug and helps him start to set up a legal case if that's what he decides to do. He's like Izuku's weird, obnoxious older cousin.

Speaking of the lov, Kurogiri got out and took Shigaraki with him when AfO died. They end up picking up the rest of the league overtime. All the kids try to convince Kurogiri to reach back out to his friends from when he was Oboro. They might or might not be vigilantes.

What are you talking about, this isn't a fix it fic.

The UA staff are deeply baffled when they meet Izuku's guardians: the sweetest little lady you ever did meet and what Aizawa is pretty sure is an actual, literal demon from hell. In hindsight, though, it makes sense.

Thank you for the idea! Sorry for shoving this thing in your inbox.

Never apologize because this is fantastic.

[bibibbon]

Miriko shift from "this dude" to "this thing" brings so many terrible implications. At best, she thinks Tomura is becoming a Nomu.

Speaking about Nomu, having their intelligence evolve was mistake since making them more human makes the heroes seem more murderous.

Like, the USJ Nomu had no intelligence or desires outside following orders, yet he was allowed live. However, Hood actively showed intelligence and desires, yet he was killed.

There also the fact Endeavor did the All Might pose after performing worse on either accountings of saving or winning.

I disagree having the nomu's overall intelligence evolve isnt a mistake. Instead it actually plays with the heroes heads and mortality. Will they still be able to kill something that doesn't look human but very much acts human? Is there really a difference between nomu's and humans? Heck you can even bring in the arguement of mutant discrimination and nomu's!!

I for one believe that the nomu's were severely underused in many ways. What does the public think of Nomu's? How were the people who had their family members turned into nomu feel? (This is explored a bit in fics but not really in canon) @thr0wnawayy has a post on the wasted potential of nomu's.

How about how Nomu's are made? How they're used? Or is them evolving to have more intelligence makes them more human? In a society where being human doesn't have a specific look is intelligence the thing that makes people human? Or is it another criteria?

With miriko it's interesting to see her physical switch go from "this dude" to "this thing" because it could very much show that maybe this is how hero society teaches and produces heroes. Heroes are supposed to do easy take downs relying on violence instead of ethically and properly working out a situation. The heroes whole win to save issue and their instinct to fight first talk later is exactly why the first war arc was so catastrophic and why there are so many deaths. Also miriko's attitudes show one way heroes may think of their opponents as non human effectively dehumanising them so they don't feel bad for inflicting harm on them and subconsciously convincing themselves that this is all for the greater good. "I mean killing a puppet who can't think for themselves or express pain is easier than killing a human someone who is the same as you right?" That's probably the thought process of many heroes and we see it with both miriko and hawks explicitly.

However, the whole dehumanisation of villains and enemies can also apply to other characters like Enji and maybe even ochako in the first war arc when it comes to her conversation with toga.

Enji cannonically has tried to kill koichi (a vigilante) in the manga and has expressed quite the aggressive behaviour towards villains and even objects so he really isn't a good person or hero either.

Nomu's and their increasing intelligence for example kurogiri says a lot and brings a lot of moral dilemmas which would be interesting to see how the series could of dealt with them and how it may even reveal some innate corruptness within hero society.

The hitting of the all might pose is something that three characters have all done aka enji, Izuku and shigaraki have all hit the all might pose yet in all of those scenarios it's had different meanings. Even with that the one meaning that they all share with that pose is one of victory (they all struck the pose after their supposed victories) but it all has a different meaning for example with enji his pose was supposed to show that he can live up to the title and that he can try and keep peace within society. The pose also showed the classic upholding of the status quo and hero societies original corrupted ideologies and ideals that enji will go ahead and uphold.

[darkcircles4lyfe]

hi hello ive just come from your enneagram 9 izuku post and i am just OVERWHELMED with joy & excitement after reading it, everything you said just feels so RIGHT!!

(i am a nine myself & have always felt weirdly attached to izuku in that he felt soso similar to me in such a weirdly specific way but i couldn't really explain why i just Got Him until now, so thanks for that little boost of validation lol)

with your post in mind, i couldn't stop thinking about this line from 412 and it got me curious if you had any additional thoughts on it/read it the same way i did:

the moment i read this line i immediately took a screenshot & filed it away in my Important Izuku Moments file, like idk! the wording of it, the way he's talking about shigaraki but could SO easily be talking about himself, that honestly devastating panel of the tears in his eyes...

we've gotten plenty of hints about izuku's emotional suppression (that 'heroes dont cry' scene with iida & todoroki, his flashback of all might telling him to 'stop being such a cry baby' during the afo fight, the whole 'control your heart' plotline...) but THIS line in particular feels so significant for some reason. maybe cause this could easily be izuku recognizing himself in/through shigaraki? maybe bc it is so close to izuku acknowledging the lid hes put on his own sad & lonely past? maybe bc this is the closest we've ever gotten to izuku saying i'm not okay, even if he isn't actually talking about himself yet?

im trying really hard not to ramble too much in your inbox lol, but everything you said in your post about tomura & izuku really hit home for me, i think you're so right about them. and this line in particular is what makes me think we really are going to see some version of tomura being the one to finally break through (Decay) izuku's emotional blocks & barriers (something something locked door imagery), and that just makes me really excited. for both of them :')

YAY!! I’m so glad to hear you resonated with it. It’s otherwise a bit of a “if you know you know” sort of situation, and it felt good to actually explain it.

I had a “!” moment with that panel too, and also when he says he’s determined to break through Tomura’s barrier, expose and acknowledge his pain.

My immediate thought was, “Oh hey, I’m definitely not making this shit up after all, because Horikoshi is obviously intending to confront the concept of bottling up your emotions/your past. He literally just stated it. We're on the same page.” While it didn’t directly confirm anything about Izuku, it's at least something he is aware of, which is an important first step. There's a line in Sleeping At Last's 'Nine' that I was thinking about a lot as I was writing the latter part of that post: "I'm just trying to find myself through someone else's eyes," which speaks to a need for Tomura to be Izuku's mirror, so that he can see himself.

Also, the revelation that Izuku is clinging to the idea that everyone has a "human heart" deep down is pretty clearly applicable to himself too, implying that he's dealing with a lack of self worth (a lot of Japanese fans were talking about this, and I think it doesn't come across as easily in English). I really love how Kudou clarified that Izuku is not naive for this. It's not the same as being blissfully ignorant to how cruel people can be. It's more like, "I need to believe in the worth of others or else I can't believe in myself." That's... so painful and beautiful.

I'm also excited for what comes next! Very soon!

[starstruck-flames]

Headcanons: Villains and panic attacks

Really I’m just feeling bad, I just wanted to spread some soft ♥️

CW: Mention of panic attacks

Song for your mood?

Something soft ♥️

Shigaraki:

I’m sorry he doesn’t have a damn clue what’s happening at first

May even accidentally make it worse at first

When he hears your panicked noise from his touch he backs off, sitting opposite from you.

He’s aware this might make him an ass but he speaks softly

“Hey, focus on me.”

He leans back, sat on the floor with you as he takes deep breaths.

You stare for a long moment, griping at yourself… but feel your breathing mimic his. It feels a little easier right now.

He was more than satisfied with that, but you came a little closer. Your head leaning on his shoulder as you thanked him.

“Great! Now that I’ve fixed you can you please tell me what the hell that was.”

Kurogiri:

Idk what to tell you king/queen/royalty

He’s a shadow fella

Man stares at you blankly for a moment, a small part of him gets concerned however.

He disappears for a moment through his portal, bringing a close friend/lover.

They’re better for you right now. He’s made to look after Shigaraki but he has a good idea about you at this point.

He’ll make you a free drink later.

Dabi:

Oh. Oh he’s seen this before, he’s been this before.

At first he tries to ignore it in his usual aloof, uncaring way.

He glanced back at you, then away

He swears it’s because your fucking wailing is annoying him. That’s it, that’s the only reason why he’s doing this!

He squats in front of you, usual deadpan stare as he keeps his distance but speaks firmly.

“Tell me what you see.”

“An asshole.”

“Funny! Now let’s do this properly.” He chuckles, running you through the 5 senses to make you focus on something else.

If that doesn’t work, he’ll go through the whole damn list till he finds something.

Something works eventually

“Dabi?” “Yeah?” “Sorry I called you an asshole.”

He can’t help but laugh “Nah, you’re right. I’m just glad you’ve shut up.”

“I hate you.” ♥️

Toga:

Man she HATES these things.

Not because you’re loud or anything, she’s not Dabi.

It’s just because she hates you looking upset like this.

She’s not very good at guiding people through these things. However she’s good at being distracting.

Toga’s quick to work, rushing around the base to grab your favourite things. Blankets, snacks, whatever is there!

(She stole one of Shigaraki’s snacks, she has no fear.)

The sheer look of this walking pillow mountain is enough to take your mind off what’s happening for now.

And for now is good enough! Toga wants to be able to talk to you.

Twice:

Oh no you’re in trouble! SHUT UPPPP

Twice is instantly splitting himself to talk to the other versions of him to see if they can figure it out.

They figure you’re upset about… something!

But they didn’t do anything bad did they?

Meanwhile the sudden overcrowding of the room is making you feel worse.

You swiftly leave.

Twice doesn’t notice for a few hours, but when he does he feels AWFUL.

He’s making it up to you with a gift he stole. Please forgive him!!

(And maybe tell him what the hell he’s meant to do for next time.)

Mr. Compress:

His head tilts in a curious manner at your demeanour, but he sits opposite you. “Are you feeling quite alright?”

Shaking your head no, he removes his mask. Even with the ski mask, it’s clear he looks concerned.

“Is there anything I can do?”

Your head buries into your knees. He supposes you don’t know.

It’s a bit inconvenient for sure, but he doesn’t mind. He sits a distance from you, but close enough that you can alert him for attention should you need it.

After a long moment, he feels the slight thud of your head leaning against his shoulder. He chuckles softly, glad you could trust him enough for at least that.

“May I hold you?”

If you say yes, he’ll be very gentle, resting his head on top of yours with a soothing rubbing motion along your back.

If you say no, he simply won’t move. Just waiting for you to be ready.

Spinner:

He’s a bit similar to Shigaraki in the initial confusion. However, he’s less dense about it. Seeing this before, it was just… sudden!

He’ll ask simple questions. Are you overwhelmed? Do you want me to leave? Do you need anything?

If you ask anything of him, he’ll do it. If it makes you feel better he’ll happily do anything in this moment.

Even if it’s just sitting there.

“Next time, if you think you can notice what’s happening. Come straight to me? Ok?”

He worries about you!

He’s a chronic worrier in general though. Unless it’s driving, he needs to be more anxious about that.

[mysteriousmissfsart]

BNHA Rambles #1

I would like to thank Horikoshi-sensei for creating Boku no Hero Academia. I appreciate his hardwork and effort that he has put into his work. Thank you.

However, I am incredibly sad about episode 11 of season 7. Episode 10 as well.

I warn anyone reading this that there will be spoilers if you are not caught up with the anime or the manga (up to this point).

This post is just me rambling about a few things. (I mean a lot of things, actually)

Do tell me what you think as well!

Spoilers under the cut!

First of all, WHAT IS IT WITH THE RIGHT ARMS OF PEOPLE GETTING BROKEN OR SOMETHING????

Like, Endeavor lost his right arm??? Now Bakugo is most likely not going to be able to use that arm as well???? Are we drawing parallels between those two? Is their redemption in not being able to use one side of their body???? This is sad???????!!!!!!!! I was literally rooting for Katsuki to become a pro hero by the end of the series.

Speaking of KATSUKI BAKUGO-

Like, is my boy dead? (I already know the answer so please, no need to tell me. Also, I really had to know, okay?)

I basically grew up with this guy???? (I was 14 when the first season came out and now I'm 22)

Am I literally going to be watching bnha without Katsuki? He was literally the reason why I watched it in the first place! I could see where his character development was headed and I knew that it would be good! Yes, the other characters are amazing as well and I am going to watch the series anyway, I don't like leaving things unfinished unless its really bad. I am happy about Shinso getting some good screentime, though. Hope he doesn't get hurt in some way, seen or unforeseen.

(Fun fact: There are only two series I have dropped and will never finish watching; 1. Kuroko no Basket. 2. Shingeki no Kyojin. Reason: For Kuroko, the only characters that were interesting to me were Kuroko and the Blonde guy, I literally forgot his name, I also didn't like the cherry stem girl really. Overall, didn't find it appealing. For Shingeki: Only character I liked was Levi, still like him. It has too much gore, I didn't know that when I was told that it was a masterpiece. I couldn't stomach anything everytime I watched an episode. Bnha is MILD in comparison to whatever was going on in Titan land. Also, I always disliked Eren with a passion. If you know you know. My friend and my sister have already told me the whole thing. I was right about you Eren Yaeger!!!!)

But-

I never expected his heart to get pierced????? Why did we have to do that?????

I was peacefully eating dinner today when I was shocked by the sheer evilry that scene presented. I have not cried this much over a character death before. The first time I cried over one was over the death of Hiccup's dad from how to train your dragon (I was maybe 11 at the time). But, never like this. Never like somebody I know has died. It's strange that I felt so connected to him. I don't know, my emotions never make sense really. Like, my breath literally hitched and my eyes just teared up and flowed down my face???!!! Like, what???? Why did he have to be done like that? The scene with him talking to All Might's Shadow (ghost, spirit????) and that tone change. We have never heard Katsuki talk in that way before, he seemed like himself there and not the tough facade he always dons.

The scene at the end when we see his heart get pierced and then when Jeanist realizes what has happened was just heartwrenching. I couldn't stop crying. He doesn't deserve this, none of them do. I literally made myself pretend that didn't happen but when Jeanist pointed it out, all I could do was stare in disbelief at the screen. The saddest part of all of this? His mom realizing that it will rain and saying "that kid doesn't like the rain". Why? Because that's when Jeanist realizes that his heart has been pierced by Shigaraki/All for One. IT RAINS WHEN THEY REALIZE THAT KATSUKI'S HEART HAS BEEN PIERCED.

Sad, I'm just unbelievably sad.

I just wish this series ends on a happy note.

To Horikoshi-sensei,

If you are reading this, may your readers' tears soon dry and there be a happy ending to your series. I am truly a big fan of this series and how it has turned out. I never expected to stick around for so long but it has been interesting. This series has kept me on my toes and has fed into my love of mystery solving. I loved discovering things along with the characters as well as figure things out on my own. The angst and horrifiying theme has been carried out so well. I hope I will be around for the ending as well.

Thank you!

---------------------------------------------------------------------

What did you all think of this episode and Katsuki's development? I am dreading the next episode. Were you shocked by this scene? I literally couldn't keep my eyes on the screen. It hurt too much.

See you again sometime!

[codenamesazanka]

I'm thinking. I'm thinking. it would be cool if all of my dislike and criticism of Deku's actions in this final war arc (and maybe before) was actually supposed to be the intended feeling. That he was supposed to be read as an arrogant little shit with no plan and failed at saving Shigaraki all along. Saving Shigaraki was his ego talking - him wanting to save that Crying Child, because it makes him feel good to be a Hero... in the easiest way possible. He pried open Shigaraki's lid with no regard for how questionable such an act is. He never understood Shigaraki at all.

Deku has the potential to be a great hero. When Yoichi and Kudou talked about his great qualities, it was because they can sense the seed of it at his heart. But it hadn't been cultivated. He does have a drive to save, but it was too early to call it that. He does believe everyone has the same heart, but he hasn't actually come to that conclusion himself. That's why they needed to speak about his own feelings for him. He's 16 years old and thrown into a war. How can anyone have proper development and meta-cognition in such a scenario?

I'm thinking. It was Stain who spared Shigaraki and told him he sensed the seed of a warped conviction inside of him, when all readers saw at the time was an erratic manchild. But Stain was right. Shigaraki's conviction grew and developed and became such a noble desire, but 'twisted' - A Hero, but for the Villains.

Deku just had the high of his life. What if he's about to enter the lowest? He failed to save someone. Society is getting rebuilt and where it goes from now on is absolutely crucial. He's "quirkless" again - that personality is gone so who is he now?

I'm thinking. There's a reason why his agreement with Overhaul hasn't been resolved yet. I'm thinking Compress and his vigilante ancestor's dream of reform can't be just ditched like that. I'm thinking how Deku can fail so incredibly at not realizing why Shigaraki stayed the leader of the League all through the end, and how Shigaraki tells him 'ganbare'.

I'm thinking about Shigaraki, and how he's a fair guy. But he's a Villain. He sensed Deku's intention, understood just how sincere it was, and can respect that. And the guy did just helped heal his childhood trauma. And thus, he's holding Deku responsible for making sure his destruction is permanent, and leaves with a semi-sardonic 'do your best'. I think that's actually just like him.

I'm thinking about Uraraka and Shouto getting two sad looking panels in this semi-celebratory chapter where All Might calls Bakugou and Deku the greatest Heroes. They were the two who actually considered the suffering their Villain went through. They acknowledged the whole of their Villain, their agency and desires, and they supposedly saved them. But there's no celebration for them. Maybe it's because they've seen the truth and can't be unaffected.

I'm thinking about Spinner, who saved Deku from a teammate at the camp raid because he believed in Stain who believed in Deku to be a true Hero. And then Spinner became Shigaraki's most devoted friend and Shigaraki left a message to him, via Deku.

I'm thinking maybe Horikoshi got out all the battle shonen stuff they wanted out of him and now he can do his own thing. He sucks at fight scenes and great at character writing and darker material.

The issue to this thinking is that this hope is sooooo dangerous. I had a similar thought that Endeavor, after the Touya reveal, was going to get some brutal atonement. I thought post-Jaku would be a really cool chance to examine the issues of Hero Society, and that Tartarus being recognized as a human-rights violations would end up somewhere. I loved what I felt was the subtly realistic built-up of the Heteromorph arc, and I still love it, but then it ended up the way it did. I thought AFO's tragic backstory getting revealed could be awesome. I've clowned myself again and again. I guess this is the latest clowning.

And none of this actually saves Shigaraki or brings him back. Rather, his death and last words is pretty much required for this brutal realization and haunting on Deku and the story.

Worse, this all has the potential to make me think Deku is interesting. What am I doing to myself. 🤡

[jamiethebee]

Fully caught up on the manga (minus spoilers for the last chapter) and..... Ya know what maybe I am a villain stan because I just.... Don't trust that anything really changes in society. Everyone outside of heroes, when given speaking parts, seems to indicate that they'll step in or do something in order to protect themselves - not out of any sense of responsibility or community, but to safeguard their lives in case the other person ends up a villain. Or maybe I'm just pessimistic? But we've seen irl time and again that this ending attitude doesn't work. Doesn't have change. Certainly not long lasting change. I really really wanted to finish the series still liking Deku but throughout the fight, every cut back to someone other than Deku, talking about his heart and how good he was and how much he was doing to fight for the person - and the cut back is just "punch". He never responded to Shigaraki's words. He never engaged with the man himself. And at the end of the day, I feel more trust in Uraraka. More trust that she'll actually work on saving people's hearts. And she's back in construction work like her parents. And of course the camera dies and no one sees Toga's heart. Because how dare anyone think a villain could be a person (paraphrased that one interview guy).

I really really wanted to end this manga happy with it. I'm not stupid enough to conflate the reality of the story with fandom. I'm not. I really wanted to enjoy it for what it is. But when they directly ask "how do we fix villains being made" the answer is "you don't. We can't" and ???? That's supposed to be what the manga was working towards this whole time? I - .....

[sparrowhero]

could u write something abt shigaraki finding out his crush has a mini crush on eraserhead? 👀

tumblr ate this so you're getting the condensed version. my apologies but if you are upset you need to yell at tumblr hq and be really niceys to me bc i had to write this from scratch TWICE.

ANYWAYS because it's my vision I'm editing this to be more of S1 Shigaraki overthinking your agreement of calling Eraser-head 'cool' post USJ. Reader is implied to be closer in age to Shigaraki and Shigaraki is implied to think that Aizawa may or may not be more than ten years older than he actually is.

HEADCANONS AND DRABBLE UNDER CUT

First of all, he can't exactly blame you because Eraser IS pretty cool. He can't deny what he's said himself: while his quirk is decent, it's the skills that back it up-- He does above and beyond what all of the other fakers claim to do, for nothing but the safety and peace of mind for a few snot-nosed brats who want to become heroes. He's cool. HOWEVER-- him being cool (for a hero) and him being a match for you are two completely different questions. He goes down a full fledged rabbit hole of comparing himself to Aizawa in order to win you back. (or rather, win you over in the first place, but who's counting?)

Where the hell does that old man get off seducing people?! As a matter of fact, what the hell does he have that Shigaraki doesn't? Other than the ability to grow facial hair. (Sorry, but he cannot. It's not happening. Aizawa has been able to grow a beard since he was in high school if we count MHA Vigilantes as canon.)

Is it the hair? His hair is pretty shaggy too, and he could be considered growing it out. Aizawa has more of a curl pattern but they both pay the exact amount of care to their hair: none. He definitely could beat him on that. Sure, Aizawa has a low voice...if you LIKE that sort of thing...but Shigaraki still has a few years left of growing. His voice could deepen by then. The physique? Well...he may be a LITTLE bit shorter, and Eraser does have some muscle hidden underneath those baggy clothes...BUT THOSE THINGS DIDN'T STOP HIM FROM GETTING HIS ASS KICKED!!

He not-so-subtly reminds you that as competent as Eraser was, he also figured out his gimmick and while Eraser himself wasn't able to land a significant blow onto him, he, however, was able to disintegrate part of his arm. PLUS the nomu beat him anyways (he takes credit for that since he brought the nomu along as part of his grand strategy)

"He's not so great." Shigaraki reminds you at the hideout. After the rest of the staff foiled his plans at USJ, he's needed a lot of support due to the bullet wounds in several of his joints, and you graciously help to nurse him back to health. You're in the middle of changing his bandages when he brings this up, and you give him a questioning look because...who the hell is he talking about?? His red eyes meet yours as he looks down at you from his chair. "Eraser-head."

"I'm better for you than he is." His voice is part whisper, part grunt, and almost completely inaudible as he looks away from you. Once again, you ask him to repeat himself because you can't hear him, and he backtracks-- just a little-- in itchy irritation. "I said I'm better than he is." Shigaraki rasps out, enunciating each consonant. He wishes you were a little quicker on the uptake, not considering maybe it's his own evasive way of phrasing things that's gotten him to this point.

"Of course you are."

He has to double take. It's an answer he's come to expect from Kurogiri, who has been his caretaker for over ten years, but to hear it from you gives it a whole new meaning. His heart beats loudly, almost painfully in his chest as you shrug, as if you're saying something completely obvious.

"If I wanted to jump ship after USJ, I would have done so back then, you know?" Careful hands reapply the clean bandages to his arms while you speak, no trace of hesitation or deception lining your tone. "You said it too, he's pretty cool-- But a hero's a hero." Your eyes and tone sharpen at that. "Garbage doesn't stop being garbage just because it's a little shiner than usual."

You didn't join up with them on anything so petty, that could be shaken so easily. It's true that Eraser-head is a better hero than most, but he's still a part of hero society. He defends it, he upholds it, he perpetuates it...and so any appreciation for him starts and stops there. There's no room for the kind of hypocritical half-measures that heroes embody. "So what if we got our asses kicked? We're going to get our revenge soon enough. We're better than that, aren't we?"

You tap your knuckles against the uninjured parts of his hand in a kind of fist-bump. Ah, he realizes, you've misunderstood him. You think he needs encouragement after the fumble and losing the nomu. His lips twitch into a half smile. Maybe you're right...about that at least. The hit to his pride has gotten him into this kind of weak thinking. Shigaraki allows a few of his fingers to brush up against the outside of yours.

Of course. What a foolish thing for him to consider. He didn't have anything to fear about Eraser. Maybe in another world, a different world, a man like that could have been an asset-- someone who understood the kind of darkness that bred the both of you. But the heaviness that weighs upon you and the drive that binds you two together is stronger and more ferocious than any hypocritical kindness that current hero society offers you.

Kurogiri doesn't miss the exchange, his glowing yellow eyes narrowing fondly as the distraction that was currently weighing on Shigaraki disappears with just a gesture and a few words from you.

"We're better than that." Shigaraki agrees. "It'll be different next time." He intends to show you that you chose the right side-- the right man-- even if you don't know it yet. He'll let you think it's just about USJ for a little while longer, if it means he can hold your hand like this. You'll realize soon enough.

[salvagevillaintalk]

New Updated MHA Nemesis Unrestrained

Because what better way to welcome the new blog than by posting the updated version of Class A and who'd I choose to have them as rivals...becuase yes.

Even now my brain still has better match-ups for some of them. This time Kaminari and Jiro!

Given this is a new blog will only be posting the line-up with the newest rivals, though if you want to check out what I had before, you can look at it here.

Deku - Shigaraki

Ochako - Toga

Todoroki - Dabi (For all three above, you likely know why already xD)

Bakugo - Muscular (Same as before, genuinely think that Bakugo beating down against one of the strongest of Deku's Rogue's Gallery who was supposed to kidnap him as a way to return the favor just writes itself)

Iida - Stain (Speedster vs someone who stops you in your tracks, both are very morally centric figures with codes on how they feel heroism should be upheld - really wished they clashed in the Final War)

Kirishima - Rappa (seriously, these guys were perfect rivals. Incredible defense veruse overpowering offense. WHERE WAS RAPPA DURING THE FINAL WAR??!!!)

Tsu - Spinner (already spoke of this in the series, but both are Heteroromorphs that dealth with ostracization and are their group's mutant support)

Momo - Re-Destro (Leader of the First Years vs Leader of the MLA, one that forged her own path as a Hero and overcome her anxiety to be a proper leadervs guy who was essentially groomed to be Destro V2 and his whole ordeal is putting himself under mass stress to be strong, even if he isn't liberated.)

Tokoyami - Twice (both struggle with keeping their powers under control and have a relationship with Hawks, so its pretty natural)

Aoyama - Kunieda (for what it's worth, Kunieda made for a scary villain for Aoyama, his loyalty to AFO made me want to know more on their relationship)

Kaminari - Tajima (Basically a match-up of two electric types of contrasting disposition, that also act as supports and backbones for their teams. Kaminari is a confident, if kind over his head, showoff that struggles with his reliability under pressure, but manages to overcome it for the sake of the right thing - for his pals. Tajima, meanwhile, is one consumed by his fear of AFO and gives in to his anxiety to the point of doing sabotaging efforts that could harm people to save his own skin)

Jiro - Shin Nemoto (A girl who could hear theoretically anything against a guy whose Quirk can allow him to always gain the truth. There's a potential for introspection on how people with these sorts of Quirks are trusted, or even distrusted. Perhaps Nemoto and her could relate to people always thinking they'll spy on them or that they can't ever speak freely? Just a thought!)

Mineta -Toya Setsuno (A villain whose had a rough love life and can steal anything against someone whose desperate for love/lust and can technically hold down anything with just his Quirk. In addition, Setsuno has low self esteem to Mineta's high ego. It's a dynamic/fight that really works)

Shoji - Chimera (a Spinner stand-in that Shoji actually fought, and lost, to before and would've been perfect to be his Nemesis)

Mina - Slice (Already have seeds of a good rivalry given how Mina ruined Slice's hair that she prides herself in. Perhaps Slice could have been similar to Mina in that both were their community's popular girls that tried their best to be defenders. But in Slice's case, those she helped eventually backstabbed her to leave her destitute, maybe even for someone else - hence why prides herself in, usually, just her power...least until she met Nine's crew )

Hagakure - Mummy (The Invisible (Wo)man versus a mummy. It writes itself and Hagakure presents an interesting dilemma to him since she's unaffected his Quirk due to her, ah, situation)

Koda - Trumpet (Yeah, still think Koda would've worked well as a shy yet caring boy standing against a cold, faux preacher)

Sero - Ending (Another person who wounded up being affected by a Todoroki and essentially waltzed through. Though while Ending became obssessed and wants to be done in by them, Sero's easygoing nature has him not revolve his life around his defeat or said Todoroki's beyond a few jabs. Basically Sero is the 'dude its not that serious' of the MHA verse that makes him prime to restrain someone whose kinda off the deep end or go against them.....and, you know, similar power sets).

Sato - Deidoro Sakaki (Scratch that. Guy who gains power from ingesting sugar, vs guy whose Quirk is stronger from ingesting alcohol makes for a far better match-up!)

Ojiro - Hakiji Tengai (A disciplined monk vs a disciplined martial artist; with the added bonus of a match of pretty 'basic' power standings: someone with a tail trying to whack a guy in a shield - it's a pairing I think could lead to an interesting way for Ojiro to win.)

But, yeah, if I had no restraints, this is who I would actually give as Class A's proper Nemesis throughout the series.

[jaybird-fanfics]

Villain Roommate |Chapter Twenty Four|

Something was off with Dabi. You noticed that ever since that night he left in a hurry, that he had been acting weird. Not only that, but he has been full on avoiding you. Normally you wouldn't think of it like that. Dabi being away for a while and not coming home wasn't anything new. But he was gone longer than he's ever been. The only time you see him is when you're called in by Shigaraki. But Dabi would not speak to you, he barely looked at you. And when he got you home, he left right away. 

At first you thought, maybe you've done something to tick him off, then quickly set aside that thought. As far as you know, you've done nothing to upset him. So why was he acting like this? You couldn't exactly ask him why, as he was never at home now. So you decided to bring it up during your latest visit to the league. 

You did your healing then left, as you were leaving, that's when you asked. "Dabi?" He answered with a barely audible "yeah?". You look up at him, his eyes were set on what was ahead of him. "Why have you been avoiding me?" Dabi didn't answer, he just kept walking until you came upon the set of stairs that would eventually lead out of the warehouse. "Dabi." You say more sternly. "I'm not avoiding you." He finally said. "Yes you are, you don't talk to me anymore, you don't even look at me. Not to mention you haven't been home in forever." You didn't really care much about that last part. He could come and go as much as he wanted. But straight up ignoring you for seemingly no reason was just bothersome.  

"So what's your problem? Because honestly, you're acting like a child and-" You about tripped on one of the stairs, though Dabi was quick to catch you. He made sure you got your footing before walking ahead of you. "I don't have a problem. Maybe I just needed some time to myself." He says. You did actually consider that. But that didn't explain the whole, ignoring you thing. "That's fine if you want some alone time. But I haven't done shit to deserve being ignored."Dabi stopped and turned his head. "So now all of a sudden you crave attention?" He was trying to change the subject.

"No, that's not what I meant! I don't care if you ignore me or not, but at least tell me why." Dabi scoffed. "Sounds like you do care." Annoyance was quickly turning into anger, for the both of you. "Dabi, have I really done something to piss you off? If so, you need to tell me." 

"Why should I?" 

"So have done something then?" You ask. "Never said that." Dabi turned to keep walking. You glare daggers at his back. You quicken your pace and stand in front of him, causing him to stop. "You really are acting like a child you know? You just start avoiding me out of nowhere, you won't tell me why, and when I try to get an answer out of you, you act like a smartass! All I want, is some sort of explanation! Then I'll shut up, you'd like that wouldn't you? So hurry up and tell me already!"

"You're over here bitching and whining, and you're calling me a child?" Dabi tries to move past you. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me why." You say firmly. Dabi stares down at you, unfazed by your threat. "And what's stopping me from making you move?" He said lowly. You didn't back down, you met his cold stare. "Go ahead then." You challenged. "Make me."

Dabi tsked, grabbing your shoulders and pining you against the wall. You were shocked by the sudden action, but didn't let him see it. You continued to stare defiantly into his eyes. His eyes didn't break away from yours, and neither did yours to his. "God, you are so fucking persistent and annoying." He started. "You wanna know so badly? Huh? Fine. I am avoiding you, happy?" 

"No." You say bitterly. "I wanna know why." 

"Because I fucking-" Dabi's voice rose with his anger, but he calmed himself down. "Because you made me do this. It's your fault I feel this way, and now I'm stuck feeling like this." He knew he shouldn't be blaming you for this. But he didn't know any other way to go about it. He doesn't know what to do with himself. "I didn't make you do shit!" You exclaim. 

"I know! Just shut up and fucking listen." Dabi exhales deeply before speaking again. Here goes pretty much everything. He was risking a lot telling you this. And he already knows how you'll react...

"I...I have feelings for you." 

Your eyes went wide at his words. Did you hear him correctly? Dabi. Of all the people in the world. Dabi, had feelings for you. Why? How? What in the fuck was going on right now? You opened you mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. What could you say to that? Thankfully Dabi continued speaking. "I already know you don't feel the same, so spare me the pitiful rejection. You have no idea how much I fucking hate this." Dabi looked down, his hair blocking your view of his face. 

"I can't have feelings for someone. I can't love someone. It's just, not possible for someone like me. No one should be tied down to a person like myself." 

Your shocked expression turned soft, saddened. "Dabi..." You cup his face and made him look at you once again. "What are you trying to say? That you're unlovable or something?" Dabi weakly laughed. "Isn't it obvious? Just look at me. Look where I've landed myself. The shit I've done, the people I've killed. No one wants this." 

"That doesn't mean you're incapable of love." You try to tell him. "You...you're not..." You couldn't find the right words. Dabi was not a good person. He was a dangerous man, a criminal, a villain. He's killed many, and hurt far more. He's involved with a gang of killers alike. But did that mean he was not deserving of love? Many would say yes but, you couldn't go that far. "Dabi, you are deserving of love. No matter who it's from. I might not be able to return those feelings, but that doesn't mean someone else wont. I'm sure there is someone out there who can give you what you want."

Dabi put his hand over yours. "I'm doomed to walk this Earth alone, I made my choice a long time ago."

"No one is born into this world to be alone. Not even you Dabi. You might not like them, but you have the league...you have me. I won't let you be alone." 

Dabi's mouth fell agape, blood fell from the scars under his eyes. Frightened, you begin to panic. "Dabi! You're bleeding! Are you hurt? Hang on, I'll-"

Dabi pulled you into his embrace, his arms tight around your body. You felt his shoulders shaking, his hold on you became tighter, more desperate. Was he...crying? You never seen Dabi cry before. This was, so vulnerable of him. You didn't think he could be like this, no, everyone could be like this. Dabi just has never been like this, around you. You didn't say anything, you just rubbed your hand up and down his back. 

He comforted you once, now it was your turn to do the same. 

"As long as I'm here, you'll never be alone again." You say softly. "I promise."

You and Dabi didn't talk the rest of the way home. What could you say to each other after what happened back there? The both of you walked inside the house, you decided you were going to head to bed, assuming Dabi would just leave again. But what he said, surprised you. 

"Y/n?" He started. "Do you mind if I stay? I don't...I don't want..." 

You turn to him with a gentle smile. "I told you I wouldn't let you be alone, didn't I?" You couldn't believe you were about to do this. You lead Dabi to your bedroom. You couldn't help but feel for him. There were times, when you would feel alone. Want someone's anyone's company, but was met with nothing. You understood, which is why you were doing this. Dabi had only ever slept in the same bed with you once before, and it was because he was drunk. 

But he was fully sober, and aware of what was going on tonight. "I'll keep to myself." Dabi muttered. You chuckle. "Just shut up and get in the bed, I'm exhausted." You say as you get comfortable under the covers. Dabi cracked a smile before joining you. He did what he promised however, he moved to the far edge of the bed, away from you. You give him an appreciative look, but reached for him. "Might as well get comfortable." You tell him. 

He took that as permission to inch closer, but he made sure there was still enough space between the two of you. "Thanks." He said quietly. "For what?" You asked. "For letting me stay, for everything really." 

You ruffle his spiky hair before closing your eyes. "You're welcome, you big softy." 

Previous | Next

[bibibbon]

Meh silly question here but if you go to shig tag here what you will see is:

Shiga x ships

Shiga is an incel / is crusty

Shiga loves dogs

Ignore the first two, let's focus on the last one. The main joke the fandom treats as canon is how shig is a dog person. Cool.

Have you noticed how ...we never saw any corgi after Monchan? Technically, this isn't a big deal for the story...but you think Shig "I love dogs, especially corgis" this could have been.

Imagine shig wanting to destroy UA and...us has a corgi as mascot. Does he still attacks?

Imagine Izu having a corgi himself (fr I think BK would try to kill it) how shig would react?

Yes, we do have the gag on the manga where "I want to revive Monchan" but never follows up.

He never consider how the dogs would be affected in his "destroy all" plan. Yes, granted a person valuing a dog's life over millions is still wrong but you know, shig thinks about no one.

So ...the whole fanon "shig loves dog" is another inconsistency for his character.

Hi @mikeellee 👋

Realistically speaking you can argue that almost everything in shigarakis character is a bit inconsistent.

I think it would be quite interesting if shigaraki did indeed value a dogs life a lot more than a humans but it's simply a gag that the fandom has so they can further humanise and even relate to Shigaraki.

The only time we see shigaraki interact with an animal is with monchan so I wouldn't label shigaraki to be the number one dog lover at all because in canon there really isn't any content pointing to it.

When does shigaraki make a comment that he wants to bring mon Chan back? I honestly don't remember.

Shigaraki's plan is to destroy and destroy he will I don't think he would care if UA's mascot was a dog or if izuku had a pet dog maybe in the earlier arcs he would talk to izuku about it.

Ultimately shigaraki deserves better characterisation and consistent one at that. We deserve shigaraki to get a proper goal that develops from just destroying to something like taking down hero society and making a point. We deserve to see shigaraki actually utilise the MVA resources. We deserve to see shigaraki grow into the leadership role and become a proper head of the lov while developing his relationship with the leauge and izuku. We deserve shigaraki getting revenge and killing AFO and hurting the doctor. We deserve to see scenes with kurogiri being a father figure to shigaraki. We need more but dam hori fumbled the bag so badly

[haleigh-sloth]

Shigaraki was explicitly stated to have an origin chapter and the fandom just gloss over it thinking he the final boss and I laugh everytime maybe I should start saying origin quartet to drive it home to people

Tenko Shimura Origin parts 1 and 2: Shows a kid who wanted to befriend the friendless, wanted to be a hero, wanted to feel accepted in his own home in his own family, wanted his big sister to protect him when he was scared, wanted his mom to hold him as he killed her, wanted his dad to protect him and tell him it wasn't his fault and accept his apology for turning their entire family to dust, was so distressed by his father's reaction that he snapped and killed him too, was so swelled up with guilt and shock that he couldn't even speak to anyone on the street to say he was lost, just wanted someone to take his hand and tell him it was okay and that he's not bad or evil and validate the fact that it was an accident and not his fault.

Tomura in chapter 379: I've always wanted to destroy. I hate my house and wanted to destroy it the whole time I was there. I wanted to kill my family and my father. I will only be saved by following the path of destruction that my abusive master laid out for me, who I just acknowledged as someone who was grooming and using me, and now I'm asserting my independence by doing exactly what he wanted me to do and believing what he wanted me to believe. Has it worked? Has it made me happy yet? Nope! This time for sure though!

Reactions to 379: Yes. Finally. Tomura acknowledges his origin that has always been rooted in the desire to destroy the house and family aforementioned. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that his self-perception is incredibly skewed by years of gaslighting causing him to re-contextualize his grief as him remembering that he wanted it to happen, and it's not like that re-contextualization has resulted in him hating himself for what he did or anything, it's not like he didn't completely distort and twist the narration over his memories to make it easier to cope. It's not like Tomura Shigaraki: Distortion is about how he feels like he'll never feel good again and the title itself speaks to how he feels this way because of distorted thoughts. His desire to destroy has nothing to do with the fact that the reason he wants to destroy it all is because he doesn't see a place for himself in the world, so the only option left is for him to get rid of it all. It has nothing to do with the fact that he hates himself for the deaths of his family members and that's why every time he gets insanely triggered his family and his home are at the forefront. It's not like his real issue lies with how he remembers his relationship and feelings toward his family. Yeah, not that at all.

I don't really know a more blatant way to say this.

Tomura is not angry about society. He is angry that, no matter what society looks like, he'll never fit in with it, because he's an evil bastard who always wanted to kill his family, and then did.

That's what he believes anyway.

I feel that the hang up is this view on society he has. He doesn't care. He wants it gone because he can't be in it, he can't be a part of it. He doesn't want it gone simply because it sucks. It does suck. His experience is real. But that's not what he wants someone to validate his feelings on. He doesn't need that.

He needs to escape the distortion in his brain. He wasn't born to destroy. He wasn't "always wanting" his family to die. He didn't want it to happen when it did. He still feels guilty because of the distorted perceptions he has toward himself that tell him he wanted it to happen and that he meant to do it, when in reality, it was an accident.

He hates himself because in his mind he'll never rejoin the world with everyone else. That self-hatred is what Izuku saves him from, and that self-hatred is a direct result of AFO.

So yeah, he still needs to be saved from AFO lol.