#but his IS a hero with or without a quirk

[daydreamingoveracupofcoffee]

The reaction of the villains to their soulmate is a hero:

Tomura Shigaraki:

Shigaraki would initially be furious and disgusted at the idea of his soulmate being a hero. His deep-seated hatred for heroes, rooted in his trauma and All For One’s manipulation, would make him reject the bond outright.

"A hero? That’s a sick joke. The universe must be mocking me. I’ll tear this ‘soulmate’ nonsense apart, just like everything else they stand for."

He’d likely obsess over it, torn between wanting to destroy his soulmate to prove his convictions and a twisted curiosity about why fate paired him with his ideological opposite. He might stalk them, testing their resolve, but any hint of genuine connection would unnerve him, clashing with his nihilistic worldview. If they showed kindness, he’d be conflicted, possibly lashing out to suppress any vulnerability.

Shigaraki’s reaction could evolve depending on his soulmate’s persistence. A hero who challenges his beliefs without condescending might plant seeds of doubt, but he’d rather die than admit it. He’d likely try to corrupt or break them before considering any truce.

Dabi:

Dabi, with his cynical outlook and burning resentment toward heroes (especially tied to his past with Endeavor), would find the situation darkly amusing but ultimately infuriating. His soulmate being a hero would feel like a cruel twist of fate.

"Of course, my soulmate’s one of them. Just another way the world screws me over. Let’s see how long their heroism lasts when I burn it all down."

Dabi would approach his soulmate with a mix of mockery and menace, toying with them to expose their flaws or hypocrisy. He’d keep his distance emotionally, refusing to acknowledge the bond, but he’d be hyper-aware of them, tracking their actions. If they showed genuine care or tried to understand his pain, he’d deflect with sarcasm or cruelty, though it might secretly rattle him.

Dabi’s too stubborn to easily sway, but a hero soulmate who sees past his scars and rage could stir something buried deep. He’d never fully abandon his vendetta, but he might spare them from his plans, rationalizing it as indifference while secretly protecting them in his own warped way.

Kai Chisaki (Overhaul):

Chisaki’s reaction would be cold, calculated, and dripping with contempt. His obsession with cleansing the world of quirks and his disdain for heroic ideals would make a hero soulmate an unacceptable flaw in his meticulously controlled life.

"A hero? Disgusting. This bond is a disease, and I’ll eradicate it like any other impurity."

Chisaki would treat his soulmate as a problem to be solved, possibly experimenting on them to sever the bond or exploit it for his goals. He’d view their heroism as a delusion to be crushed, using psychological manipulation to break their spirit. If they resisted or showed strength, he’d be intrigued but enraged, seeing it as a challenge to his control. Any warmth from them would be dismissed as weakness, though it might subtly unsettle his rigid mindset.

Chisaki’s unlikely to soften, given his sociopathic tendencies, but a hero soulmate who consistently defies his expectations could become an obsession. He might keep them alive (or captive) to study or “fix” them, rationalizing it as necessity while denying any emotional attachment.

Himiko Toga:

Toga’s reaction would be a mix of giddy excitement and obsessive curiosity. Her warped view of love equates it with blood and possession, so a hero soulmate would intrigue her as both a romantic and destructive fixation.

"A hero? Oh, that’s so cute! I bet their blood tastes amazing. I wanna get super close and see what makes them tick!"

Toga would stalk her soulmate, showering them with unsettling affection while testing their heroism through playful but dangerous encounters. She’d be fascinated by their ideals, wanting to “become” them by drinking their blood or mimicking their behavior. If they showed kindness or tried to understand her, she’d be overjoyed, interpreting it as love, but she’d still struggle to grasp healthy boundaries. Rejection would make her pouty or violent, but she’d keep coming back.

Toga’s obsession could deepen into something resembling genuine care if her soulmate reciprocates her feelings without judgment. A hero who accepts her quirks might slowly shift her perspective, though her violent impulses would remain a hurdle. She’d likely want to “share” their heroism in her own twisted way, like fighting alongside them.

Twice (Jin Bubaigawara):

Twice’s reaction would be chaotic, torn between his loyalty to the League of Villains and his desperate need for connection. His fractured psyche would make him both ecstatic and paranoid about a hero soulmate.

"My soulmate’s a hero?! No way, that’s awesome! Wait, no, they’re the enemy! But they’re my soulmate! This is bad, right? Right?!"

Twice would swing between fawning over his soulmate and freaking out about betraying his friends. He’d probably try to meet them in secret, rambling about his conflicting feelings while his clones argue with each other. If the hero showed him kindness or acceptance, he’d latch onto them as a lifeline, but he’d constantly worry they’d reject him for his villainy. Any hostility from them would devastate him, potentially pushing him into a spiral of self-doubt or aggression.

A hero soulmate who sees past Twice’s insecurities could become his anchor, potentially pulling him toward redemption. His loyalty to the League would complicate things, but he’d risk everything to protect his soulmate, even if it meant defying his allies or splitting himself further.

Spinner (Shuichi Iguchi):

Spinner’s reaction would be conflicted but grounded in his search for purpose. As a follower of Stain’s ideology, he’d struggle with the idea of a hero soulmate, especially if they embody the “false heroism” he despises.

"A hero? That’s… not right. Unless they’re a true hero like Stain said. Are they? I need to know what they’re really about."

Spinner would cautiously investigate his soulmate, observing their actions to see if they align with Stain’s ideals of selflessness and justice. If they’re a corrupt or fame-driven hero, he’d reject the bond, doubling down on his villainy. If they’re genuinely heroic, he’d be torn, wrestling with his beliefs and his instinctive pull toward them. He’d approach them awkwardly, trying to debate their values while hiding his growing attachment. Kindness from them would fluster him, but he’d be slow to trust.

A hero soulmate who proves their sincerity could challenge Spinner’s worldview, possibly softening his radicalism. He might try to convince them to join his cause, but if they stay true to their heroism, he could be swayed toward a middle ground, acting as a reluctant ally while still grappling with his loyalty to Shigaraki and Stain’s legacy.

Mr. Compress (Atsuhiro Sako):

Mr. Compress is theatrical, charismatic, and deeply loyal to the League of Villains, with a flair for showmanship and a subtle sense of honor tied to his family’s legacy as thieves. A hero soulmate would intrigue him but complicate his commitment to his cause.

"A hero as my soulmate? Now that’s a plot twist worthy of the stage! Let’s see if they can keep up with my performance or if they’ll ruin the act."

Compress would approach his soulmate with playful charm, treating the situation like a game. He’d test their resolve with witty banter, heists, or staged confrontations, curious to see if they’re a “worthy co-star.” If they showed integrity or matched his charisma, he’d be genuinely fascinated, though he’d mask it with theatrics. He’d avoid harming them directly, citing it as “beneath the art,” but he’d struggle with his loyalty to Shigaraki. Rejection would bruise his ego, prompting dramatic but non-lethal retaliation.

A hero soulmate who engages his sense of honor or shares his flair could earn his respect, possibly leading to a secret truce or reluctant cooperation. He’d never fully abandon the League, but he might bend his principles to keep them safe, framing it as part of his “grand performance.”

Stain (Chizome Akaguro):

Stain, the Hero Killer, is fanatically devoted to his ideology of purging “false heroes” who lack selflessness and conviction. A hero soulmate would be a profound challenge, forcing him to judge them against his rigid standards.

"My soulmate, a hero? Fate tests me. If they’re a fraud, I’ll cut them down. If they’re true… I’ll decide what this means."

Stain would stalk his soulmate, meticulously analyzing their actions to determine if they’re a “true hero” worthy of his approval. If they’re corrupt or fame-driven, he’d target them with lethal intent, soulmate or not, viewing the bond as a cruel irony. If they embody selflessness, he’d be conflicted, sparing them but demanding they prove their worth through sacrifice. He’d engage them in intense, philosophical confrontations, seeking to understand why fate chose them. Kindness would unsettle him, but he’d interpret it as a test of his resolve.

A genuinely selfless hero soulmate could shake Stain’s worldview, potentially earning his respect or even loyalty, though he’d never fully abandon his crusade. He might protect them from afar, rationalizing it as preserving a rare “true hero,” but any romantic connection would be suppressed by his obsession with his mission.

Re-Destro (Rikiya Yotsubashi):

Re-Destro, leader of the Meta Liberation Army, is a calculating ideologue who believes in a world where quirks are used freely without heroic or societal constraints. A hero soulmate would be an ideological affront but also a strategic opportunity.

"A hero soulmate? An inconvenience, but perhaps a tool. Their ideals are shackles, but I’ll liberate them—or break them."

Re-Destro would approach his soulmate with cold pragmatism, viewing the bond as a means to manipulate or convert them to the MLA’s cause. He’d engage them in debates, probing their beliefs to expose contradictions while subtly appealing to their emotions. If they resisted, he’d escalate to psychological or physical pressure, seeing their heroism as a flaw to be corrected. If they showed strength or conviction, he’d respect their resolve but double down on his efforts to “free” them. Emotional connection would be dismissed as irrelevant, though it might secretly intrigue him.

A hero soulmate who challenges Re-Destro’s ideology without buckling could earn his admiration, potentially leading to a tense stalemate. He’d never abandon his vision, but he might spare them from the MLA’s wrath, framing it as a strategic choice while denying any personal attachment.

All For One:

All For One, the ultimate mastermind, is manipulative, power-hungry, and devoid of genuine empathy, viewing relationships as tools for control. A hero soulmate would be a curiosity to exploit, nothing more.

"A hero soulmate? How quaint. This bond is just another string to pull, another pawn to move. Let’s see how they dance."

All For One would treat his soulmate as a game, using his charisma and psychological insight to toy with their emotions and ideals. He’d infiltrate their life, posing as an ally or mentor to manipulate them into serving his goals, all while mocking their heroism. If they resisted, he’d escalate to threats or coercion, relishing their defiance as a challenge. Genuine care from them would be met with amusement—he’d see it as naivety to exploit. The bond itself would mean nothing to him beyond its utility.

All For One is incapable of true emotional attachment, so a hero soulmate would remain a tool or obstacle. If they proved unusually resilient, he might keep them alive as a long-term project to break or corrupt, but he’d never waver from his pursuit of power. Their survival would depend on their usefulness or ability to evade his schemes.

[b3ach-bunn7]

OPEN ARMS

Touya is bored in the back rooms of comic con, where you and your nephew accidentally find him

support course Touya, they found him he’s alive and well, two povs

—————————————————————————-

Touya is not embarrassed that he works in the support field of the hero world.

Not everyone is destined to be a hero. Sure, it stings that his little brother is one of the top ten pros in Japan. And sure, it stings a little more that it was supposed to be him if his father's twisted little training program had gone the way it should’ve. He was the one who was supposed to be a hero, what with his incredible fire quirk and all. It’s just his luck that his quirk was too powerful for him to handle, and all his dreams had ended in a fiery inferno on Sekoto peak.

The doctors said Touya was lucky to even be able to walk after what happened to him. Touya doesn’t think it’s very lucky to have a body full of scars or an unusable quirk, but he counts his blessings where he can get them.

He’s come to terms with it at least. He thinks the counselling he’d been forced to go to for a year had beat the determination to prove everyone wrong out of him. It also gave him the realisation that now, his fathers attentive, controlling personality was all focused on his sweet little brother Shoto. Pre-counselling Touya probably would’ve turned to a life of crime, but therapy got to him first. 

So, instead of fighting villains, Touya sits behind a desk and designs hero gear.

For his brother specifically. Turns out even perfect Shoto’s quirk has its ups and downs, and Touya’s gadgets were some of the best. He had graduated top of his class, after all. And it’s nice, if he’s being entirely honest. There’s a weird sort of bond the two had formed, the endless hours spent together in his lab and tweaking over the little details in designs. It’s all a little too sappy for Touya’s tastes, but it’s nice.

But this. These stupid hero events are what Touya hates the most. 

These aren’t the formal ones. No, these are the conventions filled to brim with over-excited fans dressed in mediocre cosplay. At least the fancy events he can stomach, what with the open bar and pretty heroes all dolled up for him to flirt with. But this? The sweaty teenagers and overpriced memorabilia are all things Touya can do without. He has no idea why he even has to go to these things. His mother says it’s in case Shoto needs anything from him but what could he possibly require? Touya is sure the little kids clamouring for an autograph on their IcyHot themed water bottles are no threat to his gear. And yet, he still finds himself sitting in a room on some random corridor, idly working on some new tech.

It’s all his mothers fault. All it takes is one look, one tilt of her head and he’s doing whatever the hell she asks of him.

Touya huffs. He scratches at the worn out collar of his shirt. The lettering on the front is worn down, specks of yellow scattered across his chest. It’s hot, and his jeans stick to his legs and he wishes there was a wide enough window in here so he could smoke. The designs in front of him are mediocre at best, sloppy work that he knows he’ll have to go over again. Anything to kill some time.

He wonders how pissed mom will be if he bails. He doesn’t think he should be blamed, honestly. It’s so horrifically boring here.

That is, until he hears a loud thud, the sound of the door to his private little room slamming into the wall. There’s a kid on the other side of it, in a poor rendition of Shoto’s hero costume, and a woman runs in shortly after him. A pretty woman.

Maybe this day isn’t so boring after all.

———

You’re going to be arrested for breaking and entering. With a seven year old child, no less.

Today was supposed to be fun. Busy, crowded, comic convention fun. But instead, youre in a random room in a random corridor where you definitely should not be. It might be a tad bit your fault. You love Kenzo like he’s your own. He’s your first ever nephew, young and gap-toothed and adorable. But he’s hyper on a normal day so a one as exciting as today should’ve had you on a higher alert than you were. Especially with how over-excited he was to meet his favourite pro hero.  

You like Shoto. As much as someone can like a celebrity without it being creepy. If you’re being entirely honest, you don’t really get the hype about pros, but Kenzo is quite the opposite. He’s obsessed, down to his IcyHot socks up to his IcyHot cap. You’d paid an obscene amount of money to get him these tickets. VIP all day passes for the weekend, with a hero meet and greet included. It was expensive. Very expensive, but you loved Kenzo and you also loved being his favourite aunt who gave him his favourite birthday gift.

It was all going well. Aside from a couple crowded escalators and merchandise you’d been forced to buy, Kenzo was behaving himself. He's usually quite rowdy if you’re being brutally honest, but the promise of seeing Shoto had him on his best behaviour.

That is, until you get lost.

It was inevitable really. The map you’d been given at the front desk was hard to read. And honestly, you’re quite useless when it comes to directions anyway. The heat that presses against your skin and Kenzo’s incessant tugging on your sleeve doesn’t help your brain work. You’re sweating, even in the tank top you have on, and the constant noise humming around you doesn’t help.

“Kenzo, please stop pulling my shirt, I’m trying!”

He whines, loud and tinny in your ears. “Come on, the line is gonna be huge by the time we get there!”

You ease his little fingers off. “Okay, so. I think if we go to… the third floor? The meet and greet is there?”

Kenzo groans. You shoot him a glare at the back of his head. You’ll never have kids. One day of whining and you don’t think you can handle any more. 

The map is confusing even without your stupidity. There's a key on the side with about one hundred labels on it cramped in the corner, and you’re shocked anyone can get around with this thing. But, after another few seconds, you think you might have it figured out. You can just walk in a direction and you’ll find your way.

“Okay. I think I found it! Let’s-”

You glance down to where he’d been having a tantrum on the floor. And he’s gone. A cold chill spills down your spine and your head darts up. 

“Kenzo? Kenzo, what-”

You look around, your heart beating faster than it ever has. You call out his name, and people around you turn. It feels a bit surreal, a hall full of cosplaying heroes that can’t help you find your missing nephew.

You’re sisters going to kill you for losing her kid. You’re going to kill yourself for losing her kid.

And then you see it. A red and white cap that looks exactly like the one you’d bought Kenzo half an hour ago. 

You push forward through the crowd, trainers squeaking against the floor as you call his name. And he turns to you, and it’s the steely determination in his eyes that makes your panic worsen.

“Kenzo, get back here!”

“No! I’m gonna find Shoto!” 

And he runs. Seven year olds are fast, you unfortunately find out, and very nimble. He slides through legs and somehow manages to not fall over and he dashes across the hall. You apologise to everyone as you barge past, trying to close the distance between you two.

He doesn’t even know where he’s going. Not anymore than you do at least. That’s why, you think, when he comes to a random door on the end of a pretty secluded corridor, he comes to the conclusion that Shoto would be in there. You have no fucking idea why he thinks that, but he belives it enough to push through and you curse again.#“Kenzo, you can’t go in there!” You hiss. 

But it’s too late. The door slams as it hits the far wall and Kenzo rushes in. You follow quickly after trying to tug him back, but it’s too late.

The room is small. You think it’s supposed to be some sort of break room, because there’s a fridge and an island table. There’s wide windows on the far wall, and sunlight streaks in lazily along with a soft breeze that tickles the surface of your skin.

And there’s a man. Sitting on the island with papers and pencils scattered in front of him. A very attractive man, the longer you look at him. His hair is stark white, falling in waves across his face. His skin is marred with scars but you can see the lean muscle through them, anyway. His eyes narrow as he looks at you two, piercing blue eyes that look you up and down slowly.

Kenzo looks at him suspiciously. “You’re not Shoto.”

His eyes move down to Kenzo, who you think is trying to look intimidating. “I’m not.”

His voice is deep and a little raspy, and you have to pull your eyes away from him. You kneel down next to Kenzo and turn him to face you.

“Of course it’s not Shoto, you idiot.” You scold. “Don’t run away from me like that again.”

Kenzo pouts. “You can’t call me a idiot.” 

“I can when you run away from me.”

“I’m telling mum.”

“No, I’m telling mum.” You close your eyes, and take a breath. “It’s very dangerous what you did, Kenzo. Please don’t do that again.”

This is why you can’t be a parent. The whole scolding part. Just two blinks of those big brown eyes and suddenly you feel like you’re the one who did something wrong.

“Sorry, auntie.”

You pull him into a hug. “It’s okay, Kenzo.”

It’s not forgotten to you that the man at the table is watching all this. You stand back up and he’s shamelessly turned to you both, head propped up on his palm.

“That was real cute.” He drawls and you bite back a smile.

“Thanks. Now Kenzo, what do we say to the man for barging in here like we did?” You nudge Kenzo’s shoulder and he groans.

“Do you know where Shoto is?” 

“Kenzo, no.”

The man at the table laughs. “No. I’m his brother, if that helps.”

You wish you were one of those crazy fangirls so you could fact check that comment. But you’re as clueless as Kenzo is.

Kenzo narrows his eyes. “Liar.”

The man frowns. “I’m no liar, kid.”

Kenzo crosses his arms. You cover your mouth with the map in your hand to hide your smile.

“Prove it.”

A sigh. “How am I meant to do that?”

“Dunno. A real brother would know how.”

Kenzo speaks with such conviction that you can't help but let a snort escape you. Blue eyes shift towards you. You hold up two hands in apology, and take a step back.

“I have a fire quirk like him.” 

Touya holds out a hand, and you and Kenzo watch in awe as a blue flame licks around his fingers. Kenzo is only impressed for a moment, though. He shakes his head with all the energy of one of those stalkery news reporters always in the paper.

“Shoto’s fire is yellow. Not blue.” 

Touya shakes his head in defeat. “You're right. I'm a fraud”

Kenzo tugs on your sleeve. “Come on, let’s go.”

“I make all his tech, if that interests you at all.”

It does, you think, because Kenzo’s eyes light up ever so slightly, and he pauses. You unhook his little fingers from your shirt.

“For serious?”

“For serious. I’m Touya, by the way.”

His words are for Kenzo, but he looks at you as he speaks. You smile, a little nervous under his heavy gaze.

“I’m Y/N. This is my nephew-“

“Kenzo. Can I see your gadgets?” He cuts in, dashing forward to where Touya is.

You roll your eyes. Touya moves his chair back slightly. You get a better view of the Radiohead t-shirt he has on, and the jeans that hug his legs perfectly. He pats his lap for Kenzo to sit on and you watch as he clambers on. God. You wish it was you.

The thought makes your face heat, and you shake your head a little. You’ve literally known this man for about two minutes and you’re already acting like a degenerate.

“You can look at these. New designs I’m working on.” he says, dragging over his paper.

You walk towards them. You lean forward on the table, elbows propped in front of you. Kenzo leans forward too, and his little eyebrows furrow. 

“These drawings are messy.” He says and you laugh.

Touya grins. “You’re mean, kid. They’re works in progress.” 

Touya reaches for an empty paper. He lifts Kenzo up effortlessly and sits him down on the chair. He pulls a pencil from his pocket and passes it to him.

“Why don’t you show me some of your designs? And I can show Shoto. Meanwhile, I’ll get to know your pretty aunt.” 

With that, Touya’s attention turns to you. 

“Am I the pretty aunt?” You flutter your lashes at him.

“I hope so.” 

He smells good; like smoke and something spicy, and the smell overwhelms you as he steps closer. He rests his hip on the table, and you’re sure he’s flexing a little more than necessary as he crosses his arms. His arms look good though, so you’re not one to complain.

You look at Kenzo, who’s drawing increasingly messier drawings. Hes trying to copy some of the designs Touya has done, and it’s so cute. 

You drop your voice to a whisper. “Are you really Shoto’s brother?”

Touya sighs heavily, like the question pains him to answer. 

“Yep. Older, by ten long years.” He narrows his eyes at you a little. “You're not one his crazy fangirls, are you?”

You shake your head. “Oh, no. I never really got the appeal, you know. He’s kinda broody.”

Touya raises an eyebrow. 

“Oh! Not like that- I mean, your brother, he’s very- A good pro! I just don’t-“

Touya laughs a little, patting your shoulder. “Only teasing, sweetheart.”

He inches towards you just a bit. 

“So. You here for the convention, then?”

You wave your VIP lanyard. “Yup. Birthday gift for Kenzo.”

Touya nods, impressed. “Expensive birthday gift for a seven year old.”

“Have to keep my status as favourite aunt somehow.” You shrug.

He hums under his breath. “You here for the whole weekend?” 

“Yes. If he doesn’t run away from me again.” You mumble and Touya grins.

“Yeah, I’m here on babysitting duty, too.” He grumbles and you look a bit confused.

Babysitting his… pro hero little brother? You’ve seen Shoto on the news. All big muscles and that fiery look in his eyes. You’re sure he doesn’t need any assistance with anything. 

Touya scratches at the curve of his jaw, the faint stubble growing in catching against his hands. “My mother. Very overprotective. Seems to think me and my tool kit can help the number four pro hero if he needs it.”

You snort. “The hammer might come in handy.”

“Yeah, if I bothered to even show up.”

You laugh. Kenzos taken up three whole sheets of paper with his scribbles, fingers darkening from the lead of the pencil. He’s humming something you can’t recognise under his breath, his whole body now resting on the table.

“You here with your boyfriend, or is it just you and Kenzo?”

You flush ever so slightly. You can feel him turn to look at you when he asks, and when you look his way, his attention is all on you. “No boyfriend for me.”

“Mhm.”

You lick your lips. “You, uh. You got a girlfriend keeping you company in here?”

Touya tilts his head. A few stray hairs curl over his faceand you want to reach over and brush them away. 

“Nope. I fuck-“

You gasp, reaching forward and covering his mouth. But it’s too late. Kenzo’s head darts up, his mouth dropping open.

“He said a bad word!” He points an accusing finger at Touya.

“It was an accident! Don’t say that!”

Kenzo frowns. “But he said it.”

“And he’s very sorry. Go on, keep drawing.”

Kenzo, though disbelieving, looks away. You go to scold Touya, but then you remember your hand is covering his mouth, currently. And his lips are soft and the scarred skin on his face is smooth against your palm, and you let go like he’s on fire.

“Oh, god, I’m sorry.” You wince. “Probably shouldn’t just grab you like that.” You laugh sheepishly.

“Don’t worry about it.” His voice drops to a whisper. “If you wanted to touch, you could’ve just asked, sweetheart.”

You shove his shoulder, and try to pretend that he can’t see the red flush all over your cheeks.

“Shut up.”

“Feisty. I like it.”

You flick his shoulder. “Stop. I don’t need my nephew to hear us flirting with eachother.”

Touya grins. “So we’re flirting?”

You lean a little closer. Your shoulder brushes against his. “I’d hope so.”

You’re bolder than you usually are. Touya brings out something different in you, something that stirs in your gut and leaves you blushing like a teenager. You like it. You like him, even though you only just met. At a hero convention, nonetheless.

Touya sits up suddenly. He taps the VIP pass that dangles around your neck. “You should get going. The meet and greet is soon.”

“You know when the meet and greet is?” You ask, and he huffs.

“Course I do. The second it’s over I’m home free.”

You nod. He searches in the pile of pens he has on his desk and pulls out a marker. He grabs your hand, and starts writing his number on it. His palm is soft, and you can feel the calluses on his fingers as he writes. 

“I could’ve just given you my phone, you know.”

He shrugs, glancing up at you. “Yeah, but this is more romantic.”

You huff a laugh. Touya drops your hand.

“Alright. You’re here tomorrow, right?”

You nod.

“Perfect. You call me once you’re finished up. We can drop Kenzo home, and then I’m taking you out.”

“Wow. You work fast.” You praise.

He hums under his breath. “You like it slow?” He drawls and you brush him off.

You walk over to stand behind Kenzo.

“Your drawings look great, Kenny.” You squeeze his shoulder.

“Thanks. This is a glove that gives Shoto explosion. Like Dynamight has but it’s fire.” 

“Ah. Very nice.”

Touya leans a little closer too. “This is great, kid.”

Kenzo sits up. “If you use them you have to tell Shoto I helped.”

“Oh, of course.” He assures. 

You fix the hat thats become skewed on his head, his curly brown hair sticking out every side. “Come on, Kenzo, we gotta get going.” 

Kenzo hops to his feet, already bounding towards the door.

You turn back to Touya. “Do you happen to know where the meet and greet is?”

Touya nods. “Third floor.”

“Right. Thank you.” You say.

Kenzo rattles the doorknob from across the room and you sigh. “That’s my que to leave.”

You shoot Touya a smile. “Thanks for all this.”

“Thank you. You’ve made my day much more enjoyable.”

Touya walks you the short distance to the door. Just before you leave, he grabs your arm and stops you in your tracks. He’s tall, when your standing this close to him, and he leans down just a little so you can hear him better.

“Don’t forget about our date.”

You grin. “Wouldn't dream of it.”

—————————————————————————

IM BACK GUYS 🥺🤣😖 I literlaly have been SWAMPED. With uni, life. I have like six hundred birthdays in April and my own in May 😖

I feel like I’ve forgotten how to write but I guess that’s what happens when u take such a long break. Also I’m beta reading this at two am so if there’s any mistakes there r not

I also like.. changed the pov half way because I wanted to like who’s gonna check me

ENJOY THO I MISSED U ALL

[ashthesalamipiece]

“Ashes and New Beginnings”

Pairing: Dabi x Fem!Reader

Genre: Action / Romance / Angst / Fluff

TW: Mild violence, pregnancy, labor scene, emotional vulnerability

---

The mission was never supposed to go this far south.

You were only a few weeks away from your due date—not ideal for fieldwork, but you were stubborn. You could still move, still fight, and no one dared to argue when you gave that look. Not even him.

“Stay behind me,” Dabi had warned with a voice like low fire, his back shielding yours as the Pro Heroes ambushed the warehouse. “You shouldn’t have come. You know that, right?”

You smirked, placing a hand on your swollen belly. “You think I’d let you run off without me? Nice try, hotshot.”

He didn’t smile—Dabi rarely did—but the way his eyes flickered toward you said everything. He hated this. Hated seeing you like this, vulnerable and too close to danger. Hated that he couldn’t stop you… because he knew if it were him in your shoes, he wouldn’t stay behind either.

The fight erupted fast. Flames, explosions, quirks flashing in the dark. You held your own as long as you could—until it hit.

Pain.

A sudden, sharp contraction that stole the breath from your lungs. You dropped to your knees behind the crates, gripping your abdomen with a shaky gasp.

No. Not now.

“Dabi!” your voice cracked, loud enough to pierce the chaos. He turned instantly, the moment burned into memory—his eyes wide, horror dawning.

You're in labor.

Everything else vanished for him. Enemies, plans, strategy—none of it mattered anymore. He bolted to your side, catching you as you doubled over, another wave of pain tearing through you.

“You weren’t supposed to—shit—okay, okay, breathe,” he muttered, voice unsteady for once, panic creeping into every word. “You’re early. Damn it.”

“I can’t—I can’t hold it—”

He lifted you easily, cradling you against his chest, heat rolling off his skin protectively. His own flames flared wildly around him, forming a vicious barrier between you and the heroes advancing.

“She’s out. She’s done. You come any closer, I burn you all to ash,” Dabi snarled.

One look in his eyes, and none of them dared take a step.

He carried you out through the smoke and ruin like a man possessed, whispering ragged reassurances as your contractions got closer, sharper, more intense. He’d never been so afraid in his life—and he’d never felt something burn hotter than the love he felt for you right then.

---

Awesome—let’s go with Parts 2 and 3: a mix of chaotic, emotional, and a bit romantic. Dabi ends up having to deliver the baby himself at a hideout. Here's the continuation:

---

The hideout was a dump—abandoned, half-burnt, and barely standing—but it was the only place close enough. Dabi kicked the door open, cursing under his breath as he laid you down on a grimy mattress. Your face was pale, sweat clinging to your forehead, eyes dazed from pain.

“This isn’t happening,” you gasped, gripping his coat with trembling fingers. “I can’t—I don’t know what to—”

“Hey. Look at me,” he said, voice sharp but trembling. “You’re doing this. You’re strong. You’ve always been. I’ve seen you tear through enemies like nothing. This? This is nothing compared to what you’ve survived.”

You nodded, tears sliding down your cheeks, your body wracked with another contraction.

Dabi ripped off his coat and laid it beneath you. He moved like someone on autopilot—heating up a towel with his flames to sterilize it, searching the place for clean-ish water and supplies.

He had no idea what he was doing. He was a villain, not a midwife. But watching you suffer? Listening to your cries of pain and fear? That broke something in him.

“I got you, baby. Just breathe for me. I’m right here.”

He knelt between your legs, your body shaking violently, and whispered every comforting word he could think of—even though his own hands trembled like hell.

And then he saw it.

“Oh, shit. I see the head.”

---

You screamed—raw, powerful, primal. And Dabi didn’t flinch. He caught your child in his scarred hands like something sacred, eyes wide with disbelief. His flames were nowhere to be seen now—just his soft breath, ragged and stunned as he wrapped the baby up in his shirt.

“It’s a girl,” he said hoarsely, his voice cracking in a way you’d never heard before.

You sobbed, partly from exhaustion, partly from overwhelming love—for the little life in his arms, and for the man kneeling beside you, the same man everyone called a monster.

Dabi leaned over and pressed his forehead to yours, his hand still shaking as he held the baby close.

“She’s got your nose,” he whispered. “Poor kid.”

You laughed weakly, grabbing his collar and pulling him into a kiss, your lips warm against his even in your drained state.

“Thanks for not setting the place on fire,” you murmured.

He chuckled. “I thought about it. But she’s kinda worth not burning the world down for.”

You looked up at him, your breath catching—not from pain this time, but from love.

“I want to name her Aiko,” you said softly.

Dabi blinked. “Love, huh?”

You nodded. He swallowed hard.

“Yeah… she’s got plenty of that now.”

---

Hours passed. You were asleep now—finally resting after everything your body had just been through. Your breath was even, your face peaceful in the dull light filtering through the cracked hideout window.

Dabi sat in the far corner, silent, still, cradling Aiko in his arms.

She was so small.

He held her like she was made of glass, terrified to even breathe too hard. His fingers—burnt, stitched, ruined—looked wrong against her smooth, perfect skin. But she didn’t seem to mind. She just blinked up at him, curious and calm.

“You’re not scared of me, huh?” he muttered, voice barely above a whisper.

She blinked again.

He gave a shaky laugh. “You will be. When you’re older. When they tell you stories about Dabi the killer. The villain. The monster.”

His smile faltered. His hands tightened around the blanket.

“But your mom… she’ll tell you the truth. She always sees the truth. Even when I couldn’t.”

Aiko squirmed and let out a tiny squeaky noise. Dabi instinctively rocked her—something he’d seen in movies, not something he’d ever practiced.

“Yeah, I know. Life’s gonna be rough. You’re a villain’s kid. Maybe a hero’s too, if she has anything to say about it.”

His voice dropped lower. “But I’m gonna protect you. You hear me?”

A single tear slid down his cheek—he hadn’t cried in years. Not for himself. Not even for his past.

But this was different.

“You’re the only thing I’ve ever done right.”

Aiko yawned, stretched her hand out, and wrapped her tiny fingers around one of his.

And in that moment, for the first time in forever… Dabi felt warm.

Not from his fire.

From her.

---

“Alright, what the actual hell is that?”

Twice was the first one through the door, tripping over his own feet as he pointed at the bundle in Dabi’s arms like it was a bomb. Toga peeked over his shoulder, wide-eyed and covered in someone else’s blood.

“Is that a baby? Did you kidnap a baby? Oh my god, Dabi, I love her already—wait, did you steal her?”

Dabi gave them both a withering look, eyes dark and tired, but there was no anger—just exhaustion.

“She’s mine,” he said simply.

Silence.

Shigaraki looked up from scratching his neck raw in the corner, narrowing his eyes. Spinner froze mid-sip of his canned drink. Compress blinked like someone in a stage play who forgot their line.

“…Yours?” Shigaraki repeated slowly, voice dry. “As in—you made that?”

“Yeah,” Dabi replied, glancing down at the little girl dozing in his arms. “With her.” He nodded toward the back room where you were still recovering.

Toga’s eyes widened like saucers. “You had a baby with the pretty girl with the knives?!”

“Yep.”

“I ship it.”

Twice clapped dramatically. “Dabi’s a dad! Oh god, we’re all going to die. In a cute way.”

Shigaraki stared at the baby like she was some kind of ticking time bomb. “Can it explode?”

“No,” Dabi growled.

“…yet,” Shigaraki muttered, turning away.

Toga was already at his side, peeking at Aiko with genuine awe. “She’s so tiny. You think she’ll have your quirk?”

“Hope not,” Dabi muttered. “Not mine.”

Spinner walked over, scratching his head. “So… does this mean you're, like, settling down? Changing diapers between missions?”

Dabi scoffed. “Hardly. I still burn people for a living. I just… go home after now.”

And weirdly, none of them argued. None of them mocked him. In fact, a strange sort of hush fell over the room—a rare peace.

Toga pulled out her knife and declared, “If anyone tries to hurt her, I’ll gut them.”

Dabi looked up, eyes soft. “Thanks.”

The League didn’t understand much about love or family. But they did understand loyalty. And chaos. And revenge. So protecting a tiny, flame-born baby girl?

That… they could get behind

---

It was 3:14 a.m.

Dabi sat cross-legged on the floor of the hideout, shirtless, hair sticking up in every direction, dark circles under his eyes even darker than usual. Aiko was screaming like the world was ending, her tiny face bright red, and her little fists flailing like she was throwing punches at fate itself.

He stared at her. Then at the diaper. Then back at her.

“…I’ve blown up buildings with less stress than this.”

You groaned from the cot behind him, too sore and sleep-deprived to move. “You said you had it,” you mumbled.

“I did have it. Then she peed in my eye.”

Another wail came from Aiko, and Dabi winced like someone had shoved a knife in his ribs.

“Alright, alright, damn, we’re doing this.”

He opened a fresh diaper like it was an enemy he was about to fight. He glanced at the old one, holding it between two fingers like it might explode. “You’re lucky I love you, you little gremlin.”

You snorted.

After a solid three minutes of muttering threats at the diaper, several almost burns, and at least one moment where he looked genuinely afraid of baby wipes, Dabi somehow managed to get the new one on—crooked, but on.

Aiko immediately stopped crying.

She looked up at him with big, innocent eyes, hiccupped… and smiled.

He froze.

And for the first time in a long, long time… he smiled back.

“Okay. That was almost worth the trauma.”

He picked her up carefully, resting her tiny head against his chest. She nuzzled into his warm skin, calm now, soothed by the steady beat of his heart and the low hum of his fire.

“You’re gonna wreck me, aren’t you?” he whispered.

She gave a sleepy sigh.

“…Good. I probably deserve it.”

---

Dabi was dozing on the couch, shirtless, as usual. Aiko was perched on his chest like a sleepy little loaf, fists curled, head tucked under his jaw.

It was peaceful. Soft crackling from the fireplace. Your gentle humming in the background as you cleaned up.

And then—CHOMP.

“OW—what the hell!?”

Dabi sat up with a startled yelp, eyes wide, clutching his neck. Aiko blinked at him, innocent as ever… mouth smeared with drool and the tiniest red mark forming on his collarbone.

You leaned over, squinting.

“Is that… a hickey?”

Dabi stared at the baby. Then at you. Then back at the baby.

“She just—bit me. And sucked on my skin like some tiny mosquito demon.”

You lost it, laughing so hard you nearly dropped the bottle in your hand. “You got your first dad hickey. Officially initiated.”

“I burn people for fun, and this is what takes me out?”

Just then, Toga popped her head into the room—saw the mark on his neck and immediately let out a wolf whistle.

“Well, well, Dabi! Didn’t know you were into neck stuff.”

“It’s from the baby,” he growled.

“Sure it is,” she sang, winking.

By the time the rest of the League caught wind, rumors had spread.

Twice: “Dabi’s into bite play confirmed.”

Shigaraki: “Ew. Stop breeding.”

Spinner: “Should we get her teething rings or garlic and holy water?”

Dabi groaned, covering the mark with his hand.

But later that night, when it was just the three of you again, he looked at it in the mirror. The little bruise, round and oddly perfect. It hurt like hell.

And somehow… he loved it.

“She’s already leaving scars,” he muttered, tracing the spot with a smile. “Just like her mom.”

---

It started small.

You were feeding Aiko one afternoon—just you, her, and the peaceful hum of the hideout. You offered her a spoonful of mashed carrots with the usual sweet smile.

“Here comes the airplane—”

She stared at you. Then slapped the spoon clean out of your hand.

“…Excuse me?”

From the other room, Dabi laughed. “That’s my girl.”

You glared. “Don’t encourage her.”

But it only got worse.

Later that day, you tried again—with applesauce this time.

“No, Aiko. We don’t throw food.”

Aiko looked you dead in the eye and mumbled something that sounded a lot like:

“Sh’t.”

You froze.

“…What did you just say?”

From the couch, Dabi shouted, “What did she say?!”

“She said your favorite word.”

Dabi came striding in, picking her up with this massive, proud smirk on his face. “No way. Say it again, squirt.”

Aiko grinned. “Sh’t.”

You palmed your face. “Dabi, stop smiling.”

“I’m not! I’m—okay yeah, I am. But c’mon, listen to the attitude on her. She's feral.”

“Oh my god.”

It didn’t stop there.

By the end of the week, she had a whole little sass vocabulary going:

Glares when someone touches her snacks.

Mimics Dabi’s sighs perfectly.

Says “bruh” when her bottle falls.

And, most dangerously of all—the eye roll.

Toga was obsessed.

“She’s a tiny Dabi! But cuter. And less murder-y.”

Twice tried teaching her to say “Boom, baby!” after every fart. It worked. Too well.

Shigaraki banned her from the meeting room after she threw a pacifier at him mid-rant.

Dabi? He was beaming the entire time.

“Kid’s got fire,” he said proudly, arms crossed, scarred lip curled in a grin. “Just like her old man.”

You gave him a side-eye. “If she starts setting stuff on fire next week, I’m blaming you.”

“Deal.”

(You both secretly loved it.)

---

It was raining.

Not the hard, violent kind that matched Dabi’s mood—just a steady drizzle outside the hideout, mist curling over cracked windows. You were curled up with a blanket, half-asleep, watching Aiko crawl around the dusty floor, babbling nonsense to herself.

Dabi leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded, just watching her. He did that a lot these days—quiet, present in a way he never used to be.

Aiko picked up one of his gloves from the floor. Turned it over in her hands. Dropped it. Then looked up at him.

And said it.

“Dada.”

Silence.

The rain didn’t stop. The wind didn’t pause. But something in Dabi broke.

You sat up instantly. “Wait—did she just—?”

He didn’t move. His face had gone still, unreadable. Only his eyes gave it away—wide, full of something between shock and something too tender to name.

Aiko smiled at him like it was no big deal.

“Dada.”

Dabi walked over slowly. Dropped to his knees in front of her. She touched his cheek—right where the staples met burned skin—and giggled.

“Dada.”

He laughed. Just once. Rough, soft, stunned.

“Yeah, kid,” he whispered. His voice cracked. “That’s me.”

He pulled her close—not tight, just enough to tuck his chin over her tiny head.

You watched from the couch, a hand over your mouth, heart about to explode.

He’d been called a lot of things.

Villain. Monster. Traitor. Burner. Killer.

But Dada?

That one might’ve saved him.

---

The night was quieter than usual. The storm outside had finally slowed to a gentle patter, and the hideout was filled with nothing but the occasional crackling from the fireplace. The warmth of the flames danced across the walls, casting shadows as Dabi sat on the couch, Aiko nestled against him.

She was asleep now, her small chest rising and falling in that peaceful rhythm that made even the toughest villains pause. Dabi’s hand rested lightly on her back, the familiar weight of responsibility and love settling in his bones.

You were asleep in the other room, exhausted from the day’s chaos, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Dabi had nothing but time.

His eyes traced the small curve of Aiko’s face—so serene, so full of life. She was perfect. His daughter. His kid. The word felt foreign on his tongue, but so right.

He hadn't realized how much he needed this—this quiet, this peace, this tiny human who somehow softened everything he’d built himself into.

Carefully, Dabi let his fingers run through Aiko’s soft hair. He didn’t even think about it—he just did it. A tender motion, a simple gesture he could barely believe he was capable of.

Then, he started humming.

It was the song you always hummed to her when she was fussy, the tune that seemed to calm her every time. A melody so soft, so gentle, it made him forget the past for a moment and just exist in the now.

Aiko stirred slightly but didn’t wake, her little hand gripping the edge of his shirt as she snuggled closer. The soft sound of her breath filled the room, the night settling in deeper.

Dabi kept humming. His voice was low and unsteady, like a fire that only flickered, but in that moment, it was full of warmth—like he was finally allowing himself to feel everything he’d kept buried for so long.

He wasn’t a perfect father. Hell, he didn’t even know if he was a good one. But right now, as Aiko slept soundly in his arms, her tiny body rising and falling with each breath, he felt something he hadn’t in years—something like peace.

Aiko shifted again, this time her tiny mouth curling into a soft smile in her sleep, as if she felt the rhythm of his heart. He kissed the top of her head, his voice barely a whisper.

“I love you, kid.”

He said it so quietly, like it was something sacred, something only meant for her to hear.

And maybe she did. Maybe she always would.

[bnhaobservation]

Overall, do you think Tomura is a well written character? And a well written main Villain?

Honestly the only criticism I have against him is that he doesn’t seem the threat the story portrays him as, but that’s really on Horikoshi and his refusal to let the Heroes face some long lasting consequences.

But, for real, I think Horikoshi’s decision to go with such an unconventional antagonist was his strongest card, both in originality and thematically. (Until he blew it).

I have seen people complain that Nine was a better Hero to the Villains, as he had an established, coherent goal from the start and was stable enough to actually pursue it, but for me Tomura’s madness and instability, his pain and raw anger, are much more compelling.

All of who he is is a manifesto of what happens to people who are discarded by society.

He’s a victim who won’t let what happened to him go, everyone will pay and see the consequences of his suffering. His untreated trauma and its effects, both for him and the environment around him, aren’t softened in any way.

However, he’s also shown to be able of improvement and change through the bonds he formed with the league. He had a sincere desire to make them justice hidden under the lump of hatred and sadness. But, (as much as I hate the whole afo/ofa psychic connection), he wouldn’t have ever seen his own growth and humanity without the hero who tried to save him, Deku. (Can’t believe I’m giving Deku credit.)

Nine, or someone more like him, could have never represented such a middle ground, because Nine was already able to save himself and others. Nine didn’t need society or a hero to help him, therefore society was not in need to be challenged to improve and become more inclusive.

Tomura learned to express real, heartfelt criticism of hero society, but that didn’t dismiss the need for heroes to save him from himself and his abuser.

He established valid thematic points without dismissing the heroes’ role in helping out victims, even the bad ones. He was perfect for the point MHA was making (or pretending to make).

But I don’t know, what do you think?

Sorry for answering you so late but not only I was away form home but, as usual, I planned for a short reply and ended up writing a long post analyzing Tomura.

Sorry about this but I should probably admit I do love Tomura so I’ve tried extra hard to be impartial, listing his good points and the flaws.

LET’S TALK ABOUT CHARACTERIZATION

For me the final idea behind Tomura’s character is great, he’s basically the mirror image of the main character, down to the red shoes. Both he and Midoriya start out Quirkless (Midoriya is born as such, Tenko had his own stolen). Midoriya is bullied outside his house but his mother loves him, Tenko has friends outside his house but his father makes said house unsafe. Then someone gives them a Quirk (that destroys Tenko’s family and Midoriya’s body) and offers to mentor them. Unluckily for Tenko it’s AFO while for Midoriya it’s All Might so Midoriya gets to have his ‘Hero story’ in which his actions inspire All Might to act, where Tenko murders his whole family.

And the two grow and Tenko is taught the downside/dark side of the Hero world, while Midoriya enrolls in U.A. high and learns of the bright side of it and then the two clash and Midoriya learns Hero society isn’t as perfect as he believes but decides to save Tenko, basically wanting to teach him the upside/light side of the Hero world.

This is the basic idea behind the two and it’s VERY GOOD.

Tenko/Tomura is perfect as a foil to Midoriya, he’s even given companions that match/mirror Midoriya’s friends: obviously Touya/Shouto, Himiko/Uraraka but, in a way, also Kurogiri/Bakugou (relationship from childhood) and if you really wants to pull things Atsuhiro/Iida (the families shaping them), Shuuichi/Shouji (the Heteromorph drama) and Jin/Aoyama (the betrayal plot). As you can see each of them has a point of similitude that however goes opposite to the other, same as Tomura and Midoriya.

Tenko/Tomura is given an intriguing backstory, an evolution, flaws, companions, a mentor figure, a starting point, an inner research for a goal that’s more than just ‘I’m evil’, an evolution and an end.

All this is very, very good.

What’s not so good is how the story handles all this.

Tomura’s evolution and inner world don’t get enough screentime.

In the first part he’s a certain kind of person that threatened Kurogiri, didn’t care for the Villains who carried with himself at the USJ and would have murdered Touya and Himiko because they annoyed him. Having a talk with Midoriya is a good idea to start to change him… but sadly despite Midoriya having PLENTY of screentime, the talk doesn’t equally affect Midoriya (why should we care? Because it would be important to have them affect each other instead while Midoriya does ask to All Might if there was someone he couldn’t save, this doesn’t really change his approach to things much).

Still, like Midoriya as a Hero, he’s not really much of a Villain (even though the police and the Heroes make an overly big deal of him) but it fits, because as Midoriya’s foil he can’t be too good.

Then we have the ‘Forest Training Camp’ arc and the ‘Hideout raid’ arc. Tomura somehow decides to put Touya in charge and target Bakugou. The story doesn’t explain how he came to the decision Touya was the one more fitting to lead the team which is a flaw in writing because all of sudden he considers the League his comrades and somehow it will be implied he knows their backstories (except maybe Touya’s) as he’ll claim each of them have suffered.

The story doesn’t even quite goes on why he wants Bakugou, does he see him as a fellow victim or just as an useful pawn to attack Hero society? Is he trying to be a manipulator solely for his own convenience or he’s genuinely trying to offer Bakugou a way out from a society that would chain and muzzle him?

Each one can have their own theory but the point is the story doesn’t really tell us what he felt for Bakugou and when they’ll confront again he’ll claim he lost interest in him… but he’s possessed by AFO so who knows.

All those plot/characterization holes are here because Tomura will move to his… ‘next stage’.

After AFO is jailed Tomura is characterized as someone who cares for the League. They’re now “friends”, “companions”, “allies” or, to use the word he uses ‘nakama’ (仲間), which is a word that implies a stronger bond that casual friends, they’re friends and colleagues/allies, they share with him something. He tolerates their weird behaviors, he wants to avenge Magne, he doesn’t mind if Himiko points her knife at his throat. I love this characterization and we can of course assume this is the natural evolution of him losing AFO and having to spend time with them so he grew close to them (as h e shows no care for Muscular, Moonfish, Mustard), but the story doesn’t portray this, it just jumps from a point to the other.

Kurogiri is whisked away by the plot, so that we can’t see their relation evolve.

Tomura though, is very interesting and promising as he deals with Overhaul, but also totally different from how he was before, he stays calm, he doesn’t get upset with Jin, he tries to protect the League, first telling Atsuhiro to wait, then jumping on the battleground when he doesn’t. Later he’ll negotiate with Overhaul calmly getting info out of him and sets up a way for them to take advantage of him. Ultimately he’ll destroy Overhaul and steals his bullets.

It’s a completely different Tomura if we compare him to the one who would throw a tantrum when things didn’t go his way, be it when All Might got in advantage, when he interacted with Stain or when Touya annoyed him. It’s a great Tomura and yes, as said before he could have changed naturally due to losing his mentor but… the story just change him without exploring the transition.

This is bad and sadly a recurring problem in the story. Characters change and WHY they did so isn’t explored or it is explored only vaguely so that it feels as if their character is retconned.

Now, people can change. They won’t do it overnight as it’s a pretty difficult process.

In theory times went by so yes, Tomura could change and his change would make sense and I can construct an (I hope) good argument on why he went toward this direction… but as the slow shift isn’t represented in any way, it might feel an abrupt shift to a reader.

The new Tomura block starts with ‘My Villain academia’, which more or less continues the new characterization of Tomura as someone who cares about his friends but also as someone who knows how to be a leader, making it even more marked. In fact he puts up with Shuuichi’s criticism, he goes to rescue Giran, he promises the League they can get what they want, he lets Touya free to do as he prefers, he opens up about his past, he handles Garaki and Re-Destro without losing it, gaining a commanding presence, he doesn’t coldly murder Re-Destro and his allies but becomes their ruler, he remembers what the League wanted to eat…

The change is now less abrupt compared to previously, it actually comes as a more smooth evolution of his character, plus the story gives him drama, finally revealing his past and helps us make sense of his motive.

In fact Tomura’s motive is now more ‘his own motive’, he has a target, he has decided to destroy all he hates so as to free himself from the weight in his heart where before, with his claiming he wanted to question society and that was it, he seemed to have less of an aim and just parrot AFO’s teachings.

All this is good and interesting to me, on the other side, Horikoshi never develop Tomura’s relation with Machia or with the Meta Liberation Army so it feels like he’s just using them and this is not so great. Credits when it’s due there wasn’t much time to explore it, as Tomura soon ends up in Garaki’s lab but it still feels a wasted chance considering in the end he’ll claim he wants to be ‘a Hero for the Villains’.

Again, the readers can try and connect things but the story doesn’t bother. Tomura gets a last moment of glory when he wakes up and fight the Heroes. He’s great in his characterization, the way he takes care of the League, of how he spares the High Ends so that they can use them, how he interacts with the Heroes, how he explains them the difference between Heroes and Villains, how when Midoriya complains he won’t forgive him, he calmly answers he won’t forgive them either, how he tries to resist to AFO’s possession, at first in a friendly way only to change tone when he realizes AFO has been using him, that’s a great Tomura.

Then he gets possessed and possessed Tomura is nowhere as interesting as we don’t get him react to anything that’s going on (Twice’s death, Touya’s revelation, Atsuhiro and Machia being arrested and so on…). Credits when it’s due, the story hardly focuses on the League at this point because the new antagonist is AFO and his band of merry escaped convicts/assassins.

Tomura ‘comes back’ for the battle with Midoriya. They don’t really talk much. Tomura has some good moments of characterization but, for being a moment I had long awaited, it mostly managed to disappoint me and it comes with characterization downsides too.

I tend to think at that point Horikoshi really wanted to end the manga and that was a huge part of the problem but I might be wrong. It’s fitting he feels suicidal in the way he attacks, I liked his monologue with Midoriya in the OFA space and, later, that’s nice he cares about Shuuichi but what about everything else? The fact he gets again possessed and psychologically shattered but no, he’s saved by Nana but he doesn’t get a meaningful talk with her or All Might and he’s fine entrusting everything to Midoriya when he first said the Villains needed a Hero… as if he thinks Midoriya can be a Hero for the Villains too… honestly doesn’t work well for me. Again the evolution feels forced, jumpy, Horikoshi wants him to say something and so he complies.

So, on the long run, Tomura’s characterization (as far as I’m involved) has up and downs that other Villains don’t have because they get less screentime so Horikoshi sticks to just a characterization for them.

It’s still an interesting characterization, one that could have been amazing if Horikoshi had just taken care to smoother some transitions and one I love even if I’m the one who has to do the work to connect the dots.

LET’S TALK ABOUT HIS GOAL

At first Tomura’s goal is hard to understand.

When facing All Might he claims he’s angry because both Heroes and Villains thrive on violence but they’re still categorized in good and evil, All Might is called a symbol of peace but he’s just a tool for violence made to keep Villains down, however violence can only breed more violence and he plans to show it by killing All Might. [Chap. 19] All Might shoots his motive down claiming he’s not an idealist but someone who’s enjoying himself, which Tomura confirms. All Might will later call him a man-child.

When he confronts himself with Stain he summarizes his goal is ‘kill All Might and all he doesn’t like’ [Chap. 47] which leads Stain to label him as a temper tantrum kid claiming he has bloodlust without conviction. Pressured by Stain, Tomura insists he has no conviction but he’s still driven by All Might and the society that worship him and that he wants to crush, so that can be his conviction. Stain is impressed and agrees they’ve in common the wish to destroy the status quo and that Tomura actually has a seed of conviction. [Chap. 49]

Tomura is not quite sure, when wandering before meeting Midoriya he insists he and the Hero Killer were just ‘destroying the things they hate’ and, talking with Midoriya he claims he hates everyone and everything. His words also hint he’s upset society isn’t noticing him but they’re focusing on Stain. After his talk with Midoriya though, his mind clears up even though is explanation isn’t so clear. He claims he’s angry at Stain and Midoriya and at society because they’re all thinking about All Might, smiling wide and thinking there’s no one All Might can’t save while, at the same time, remembering how All Might didn’t save him. Moments later he’ll claim he’ll create a world without All Might and cause enough destruction to show everyone how fragile their justice really is. [Chap. 69]

When facing Bakugou he observes how everyone is giving a hard time to Heroes because their job is to protect people but they did too little, too late and  screwed up, but everyone can do it yet people expects them to be perfect. He then claims his war is based on a few simple questions: ‘What is a Hero? What is justice? Is this what society’s really supposed to be like?’ He also points out that all in the League have different stories but they’ve all suffered thanks to other people, to rules and to heroes and felt suffocated. [Chap. 85] Tomura is pointing out society is, in a way, reacting like him. The Heroes failed to save them and they turned against the Heroes, he’s NOT different from them and they’re not different from him. It’s just that they’re so stuck on how Heroes are perfect they don’t think Heroes can fail and create people like him, but have Heroes fail them and they turn against Heroes just the same as him. And this is what Tomura wants, he wants them to feel his own desperation, he wants them to notice he’s desperate and needed help and no one helped him.

When confronting Overhaul, he claims he’s collecting people to annihilate the Hero society and the latter scolds him about Tomura not having a plan, not knowing what to do once he has expanded, how to use the people under him. [Chap. 125] The two of course couldn’t be more different, as Overhaul wants to profit from the destruction of Hero society, while Tomura doesn’t. He’s not in for the money. In the following confrontation with Overhaul he’ll agree to join him as long as they won’t work under him as they’ll do what they want, when and how they want.

When confronting Garaki Tomura defines his goal better. He claims he can’t remember his past but he feels his rage boil when he wears his hands… and we’re starting to get better hints about how Tomura’s ‘rage’ is a cover, a reaction, a copying mechanism to Tomura’s suffering, to his trauma of killing his family, to how he wasn’t helped, no Hero coming to save him, how he was abandoned, people not caring about his misery until AFO found him. AFO called it frustration, rage, but it’s actually trauma and pain. Tomura concluded he’ll never feel good again, even if society comes crashing down, even if I rise to rule the underworld, the weight in his heart is never going to go away so he hates everything and wants to destroy everything, thinking this will lead him to a beautiful horizon. It’s at the same time a desperate attempt at destroying what pains him and a request for help, or, at least, a request to be understood because if everyone is miserable like him, his situation will then be ‘normal’. [Chap. 222] At the same time though, he won’t deny his allies the chance to get what they want.

Re-Destro will also question him, asking him what burdens he bears and what does he seeks to build, as all he can see is a hollow man who creates nothing and indulge in destruction. [Chap. 234] Tomura will agree with him that all he can do is destroy. [Chap. 235] He then will claim he views the future (for himself) as unnecessary but he wants the League to live as they see fit [Chap. 237]

Then we’ve Tomura answering to Endeavor who claims he can gather all the power he likes but without ideals, Tomura’s hollow destruction won’t bring down the Heroes. At this Tomura answers his father told him that Heroes hurt their own families just to help complete strangers. He then points out how he always had ideals and explains how Heroes pretended to be society’s guardians, but also how they pretended not to see those they couldn’t protect, sweeping their pain under the rugs, tainting everything they have built, so their system is rotten from inside. It built up little by little, they’ve the common trash dependent on being protected and the brave guardians who created the trash that needs coddling in a corrupt, vicious circle. Tomura claims everything he has witnessed, the whole system they have bult has always rejected him so he’ll reject it too and that’s why he destroy, why he took power for himself. He doesn’t care if they don’t understand, this is what makes them Heroes and Villains. [Chap. 280/281] There’s a tiny bit that I like to consider part of Tomura’s mindset. Midoriya jumps on him (after Tomura has hit Gran Torino) claiming he won’t forgive him and Tomura answer back he won’t forgive anyone either.

The story also begins to imply Tomura wants to destroy all that comes from his birth house. [Chap. 292]

Later Tomura will remind Midoriya they won’t sit down for a chat as he’s his Villain [Chap. 378] which hints at how he gave up on being understood by Heroes. He’s a Villain to them, that’s all there is. Then he’ll claim his heart isn’t wavering and that everything he witnessed in the world lead to the existence of ‘that house’ (as his family house) so as Shigaraki Tomura and Shimura Tenko he only has one hope, to destroy everything connected to that house and that’s the only thing that’s going to save him. [Chap. 379] As Shigaraki himself is connected to that house, this is also a suicidal declaration.

The last bit we have is inside Tomura’s mindscape. Tomura insists the destruction of his family was his own choice because otherwise why does he has such hands? In case someone forgot about it, people connects Quirks with character, even Re-Destro did claim Tomura was only capable of destroying. To cope with what happened, which, at the beginning, HE CLEARLY DIDN’T DO ON PURPOSE (he was actually freaked out and scared and it was only because his father rejected him that he connected the dots that it was him causing destruction and killed his father) he decided it happened due to his own will and used rage as a copying mechanism to deal with his grief. No one helped him and this made matters worse. Tomura accepted being a Villain because society cut him out from its circle and, at the same time, the fact he was a Villain, gave him another group. He couldn’t be All Might, he couldn’t be a Hero for society, but he can be a Hero for the people like him, Villains who were chased out of society and are miserable and rejected. All Tomura has his his pain covered up by his hatred but even if his hatred were to be taken away from him and he were to end up hollow, the ‘Villains’ (aka the people society crushed), needs him to be a Hero for them so he wouldn’t stop because THEY are ‘his society’ a society that stands opposed to Midoriya’s. [Chap. 418]

So where all this leads us?

Tomura is pretty solid in his motive/goal, even if, at the start, he doesn’t know how to verbalize it well. Hero society destroyed him. It twisted his father, it didn’t save Tenko, made Tenko a Villain unworthy of their help (as in refused to help him when he wandered through the city, which Tenko interpreted as rejection due to what he caused to his family), it let him fall prey of AFO so that ultimately Tenko accepted/embraced being a Villain, being Shigaraki Tomura. Society hurt him, it continues to hurt him by merely existing and not caring about him and, in the same way as Midoriya can’t forgive him for hurting the people he cared about Tomura can’t forgive society for hurting him. Tomura knows destroying society WON’T FIX HIM, it won’t make him happy, but it’ll stop extra pain to be thrown at him… or at the other people who are with him which society labels as ‘Villains’. While he doesn’t believe he can be happy destroying everything, himself included, he thinks they might have a chance.

It’s a good motive and one that’s not so common for an antagonist/Villain.

LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A VILLAIN

In the story all it takes is to use your Quirk unauthorized, generally to commit a crime so I think we should probably dig in him being a danger.

Tomura is a work in progress, same as Midoriya, he grows in his Villain role, even though the police makes a big deal of his right from the start. During the war he has gained power and a army and he’s VERY, VERY dangerous.

He’s also someone who plans to destroy society, in the sense he’ll shatter its beliefs in Heroes, it’s faith, so yes, he is a great Villain by the end.

Some think a Villain has solely to be evil, someone who takes pleasure in hurting you, someone you want to see murdered, but I’m not of that group, for me that sort of Villains were the ones of child tales, like the evil witch of Snowcone, the bad wolf of Red riding hood. Different tastes, I guess.

I do like how Tomura is a person, a person society destroyed because originally Tomura wanted to be like All Might and then things went wrong and he became a Villain because ‘all it takes is a single bad day’ (actually a series of bad days in his case but you get what I mean). I like the idea what happened to Tomura could have happened to everyone had they gone through what he went through.

To me it makes him more scary exactly because he isn’t the guy born evil, he’s the guy who was born just fine like any of us but then life twisted him. He’s the warning we can become like him, that we can create him by causing someone to go through what he went through.

And yet Tomura remains human, because even though what he does is terrible, in the end he’s not a monster, he’s just a human like us.

LET’S TALK ABOUT TOMURA AND NINE

The two are similar yet different.

In the short stories its implied Nine knew pain and viewed his men as comrades same as Tomura. However Nine has a Darwinistic idea of how society has to be, with him at the top and strong Quirk users below him but still high in power. This doesn’t necessarily means Villains, Endeavor and All Might have strong Quirks themselves… though of course they wouldn’t agree with Nine’s plan, which will likely set them up for elimination. Nine’s idea is similar to the one of Re-Destro. This means Villains like Spinner, who aren’t lions, don’t have a place in Nine’s project.

On the other side Tomura wants to include in his project all of those who are mistreated by society, strong Quirk or not but his idea of ‘mistreating’ seems rather broad. However Tomura is more of an anarchic, he plans to destroy society but not to rule it, and, as I said in another post, anarchy tends to have short life. Someone will come and take the reins of what Tomura left behind.

Now that someone might have learnt the lesson and create a better society… or he could just be Re-Destro or one of his affiliates and create a different kind of superpower society that still will mistreat someone else.

In itself there’s no such thing as ‘perfect society’, because there are not perfect people.

So there’s not really between them a ‘better Hero for the Villains’ because they’ll go at it differently. Nine plans to rule society, so he’ll be around maintaining his rule, which however will benefit only a certain kind of Villains.

Tomura believes his actions will benefit all the Villains which mistreated by society but doesn’t plan to be around to ensure things will go well AFTERWARD and, even if he were to survive, he thinks his role is merely to destroy what would oppress them.

There’s also something else to say… Nine seems older than Tomura, and he wasn’t kept immature, isolated from people and manipulated like Tomura was at the start. It makes sense he has a better idea of what he wants (especially because in a movie you can’t give him the time to clear his mind), one Tomura will reach with time.

Everything else is a matter of preference.

Even in the Hero camp there’s who prefer Midoriya and who instead thinks Haimawari (the main character from Vigilantes) should have been the main character of BNHA because he’s a better protagonist. At each his own.

To sum it up, yeah, I do think Tomura is a good character (but he could have been better had Horikoshi paid him more care) and a good Villain who can be a Hero for the Villains but that’s just me. If someone prefers Nine to Tomura, that’s fine.

Thanks for your ask and sorry for the late and long reply!

[unwaveringemotions]

bakudeku will live together. izuku is now a teacher in U.A., this is his hero academia, he loves to teach to those little kids that remind him of him and his friends, there’s a kid especially that reminds about him. he has a quirk but is shy and has a low self esteem. deku will help him.

bakugou is now the number one hero, he is a peace symbol because izuku - quirkless but happy - wanted that his kacchan would’ve been this symbol, no one else could be in this role, because after all bakugou’s dreams too was to become the number one. izuku gives him this possibility , he also saved the world and his strong and gentle even if people wouldn’t say so but izuku knows him better than anyone one. he loves him for this after all.

every day izuku and bakugou share kisses before to go to work, every evening they try to go home as soon as possible because so they can have dinner together and then go to bed and share cuddles and kisses.

everything is perfect, everything is good.

this is how bnha will end well maybe not with kisses and cuddle on screen but this is how it’ll end trust me i had a vision !!!

[hatsunevita]

post-war bakudeku as pro hero duo where deku, having lost his quirk, starts using technological support stuff (like the costume all might had during his fight with all for one) because he is not ready to give up his dream and there are still people in need of saving.

and i like this concept because i think bakugou would destroy anyone who dares say that deku is not a hero anymore due to his quirk loss. bro is literally the first one to defend izuku’s honour and he gets so pissed when anyone underestimates deku and his determination to save people no matter what.

just. just imagine bakugou saying “you don’t need a quirk to be a hero, and izuku is a living proof of this phrase”. imagine him continuing to view deku as his equal. as someone worthy of competing. as his partner – in any sense.

[nepttunnee]

the thing that really gets me in mha is that like. before deku gets his quirk everyone is like you cant be a hero at all. which at the time makes sense bc all might is number one but like at all??? thats crazy. and then woah he has a quirk and he can be a hero and gets into the top class of the top hero school and we immediately meet a guy whose power is just tail. his name is tailman. and another who i kid you the fuck not is a diaper wearing misogynist whose whole schtick is he has sticky balls. and they’re like these r the top students ever!! the future of japan!! and deku is like i could have never gotten here without all might!! meanwhile ojiro is sitting there like a singular fucked up backflip away from being in the same boat as him hello?? looking at him straight on he’s just man?? are you serious right now. and then deku loses his super cool quirk whatevs and has to wait forever for his super powerful best friend/lover/enemy? to buy him a super cool gadget thingy whole time fucking tailman is over here on the same level as the kid who makes lightning bolts strong enough to fry the human brain come out of his hands

[the-mad-martian-on-mars]

i’m watching all the mha movies again and seeing izuku fighting genuinely brings tears to my eyes he’s THE HERO out of everyone in the world he’s the one who deserves a quirk it’s so unfair it’s so fucking unfair

[red-n-ded]

Stowaway AU

For @numberoneredriotfan

In Stowaway AU, Lala and Roro join Rody and Deku in their road trip running away from the cops. The entire Soul family get to bond and heal with Deku, who inspires, not just Rody, but all of them to chase after their dreams.

Fic ramble below ⬇️

Lala and Roro forgot to give Rody his tie before he left so they run after him to give it to him. Unfortunately, they get lost and Lala spots Deku, Shoto and Bakugou doing errands. She splits away from Roro to ask the heroes-in-training for help. Roro panics when he sees that his little sister is gone.

Deku offers to walks around with her, calming down the scared girl by asking her about herself and her brother as they call out for Rody’s name. He protects her during the bank robbery and chases after Rody for the case of jewelry. However, Lala recognizes Rody and when Deku attempts to jump onto the roof to continue the chase after Pino flew into his face, Lala grabs onto Izuku’s leg begging to be brought along (deja vu?). At first, Izuku is hesitant to bring a child with him but at Lala’s insistence, he ends up carrying her on his back, careful to make sure she doesn’t get hurt. Roro spots the chase from below and runs after them.

When Izuku crashes into the train, Rody is horrified to see his sister happily waving at him from the hero’s back. At the station, Rody worriedly checks Lala if she's hurt. She assures him that she had fun riding on Izuku’s back and explains that she came to give his tie. (she doesn’t tell rody how she was screaming into Izuku ear the first few jumps. she apologizes to izuku about it later)

Rody immediately starts scolding her and the hero but gets caught in the middle when Izuku asks for the case and Lala asks what Rody’s job actually is. Izuku and Rody still fight over the briefcase (with Rody trying to make a run for with it while carrying Lala under his arm) and Izuku still apologizes to him when the case opens. To make it up to both of them, he helps Rody and Lala to go find Roro. (Lala instantly feels guilty for leaving him behind) They do find him in the crowd before getting cornered by the police.

Rody is ordered to hold onto his back and the kids while Izuku escapes the police and Humanrise. Rody doesn’t pass out, focused on holding onto his siblings (all of them screaming in fear), but the added weight does makes Izuku fall from the bridge. After escaping from the water, they find out that Izuku is accused of child kidnapping and mass murder. Lala advocates for Izuku since she’s the one “kidnapped”.

Once Izuku suggests they run, Roro and Rody are eager to leave him behind. Lala doesn’t want to, trusting Izuku, but she reluctantly agrees when her brothers remind her of the many heroes who never came to help them. Rody calls the police and all Souls go to trade in the case for their normal live again but it’s revealed to be a trick. Izuku is woken up by Pino and Izuku saves the Souls from the arrow. Lala starts crying about Izuku dying and Roro desperately looking for a doctor or a hospital (cry-yelling at Izuku to not pull out the arrow). Rody tries to calm them down as they look for a place to hide.

Roro instructs Rody how to properly heal him, telling him how to support the arrow and bandage it (note: do not remove arrows if you’re pierced by them. Clean then cut the arrow and bandage over the head. Only remove when completely necessary and it’s obstructing movement.)

They hide in a cave to properly get rid of the arrow and properly bandage his wound. Izuku is in awe of Roro’s skill, who reveals that he wants to be a doctor and reads medical textbooks for fun. Izuku encourages him to pursue that dream but Roro gets upset and offended, thinking that Izuku is only optimistic because he has everything. Roro accidentally reveals that he’s quirkless. It makes all Souls panic, especially when Izuku looked like he saw ghost. Roro starts to cry and in his silent break down, Rody pulls him into a hug. Lala joins in.

Izuku watches helplessly and pinned against protective glares. Rody shares Roro's sentiment, quietly revealing he wants to be a pilot but cannot due to their situation. Lala remains silent and hugs Rody’s arm. They all brace for pity but Izuku just smiles and stage whispers to Roro and Lala, asking if they can keep a secret. Lala excitedly says yes while Roro nods as he wipes his tears, confused but earnest in his promise. Izuku reveals that he was once quirkless too and his quirk came in extremely late. He has struggled and had to work twice as hard but is willing to work for his dream and catch up to his classmates. This surprises all the Souls and with their perspectives changed, they all properly introduce themselves.

On the road trip, Izuku bonds with the Souls as the kids are eager to learn about Izuku’s stories and with every story, they (including Rody) see the hero in a new light. (After the whole mission, they beg Rody to search up Izuku’s sport festival fight just so they see the real thing)

At the gas station, Lala and Izuku cannot be seen so Roro and Rody work together to distract the cashier.

At the mountain, Roro and Lala loudly cheer on Izuku as he pulls up the truck. (They get to the other side within a few hours)

When they stop at a flower field to review the directions, Izuku notices Lala's habit of talking to plants and flowers, often believing that they understand her. She gives Izuku and Rody matching flowers for luck (making both boys blush), finds special herbs that the flowers told her can help with the pain and thanks a plum tree for providing four ripe plums that suddenly appeared on a low hanging branch. Izuku is curious and suspicious but Roro and Rody are used to it, allowing Lala keep her innocence and play pretend.

They stop so Roro can check on Izuku’s wounds and take out the arrowhead. Izuku continues to tell Roro and Lala about his time in UA and his experiences and friends while Rody fixes his bandages. Lala is most excited about the fighting parts, eyes shining as Izuku recalls his fight with Muscular.

“Actually Kota is about your age. He’s kinda grumpy but has this cool water quirk that lets his shoot water out of his hands.”

“He sounds fun! I wanna be his friend! He can water all my other friends.”

Izuku explains to Roro about Recovery Girl and the existence of scholarships and internships. Roro gets excited and despite Rody insistence to not worry, Roro admits that he knows about his struggles and is willing to do anything to help Rody gives him a tight hug and is willing to support him all the way, making him promise to be the best doctor Otheon could offer.

Unable to resist, Izuku then asks for their quirks. Lala’s quirk hasn’t come in despite her 6th birthday coming up in a few months so she’s expected to be quirkless. After seeing Izuku so accepting to Roro, Rody carefully introduces Pino.

They arrive at Klayd and prepare to split up but Humanrise attacks and Rody nearly falls to his death while izuku grabs the kids and the briefcase. Lala cries out for someone to save him and before Todoroki arrives, the trees reach out to grab him from mid-air.

Apparently Lala was telling the truth (sort of). While she cannot understand plants and they can’t talk to her, she can project her pure emotions and thoughts to the plants around her, similar to how Rody is soul-bonded with Pino. (Izuku theorizes that the stronger her emotions, the greater the radius of her quirk) Lala immediately gets excited by her quirk, especially since it resembles Rody’s so much.

Izuku and Lala ramble about her quirk before they’re interrupted by Bakugou and Shoto. While Rody, Shoto and Izuku try to solve the puzzle, Roro and Lala sit awkwardly with Bakugou. Lala then gets the courage to ask about UA. Bakugou brags about his experience as a student and banters with Roro, who claims Deku is the best hero. Bakugou assumes Lala’s interest means that she wants to be a hero but Lala instantly becomes insecure, not really responding yes or no (her eyes darting to Roro and Rody). Bakugou notices and awkwardly tries (in his own way) give her encouragement, recalling how she saved her brother. He then asks Roro if he wants to be a hero. The boy is quiet at first but remembers Izuku’s words and admits his dream with pride, barking out a threat if Bakugou dares to tease him. Bakugou is stunned but laughs, impressed by his guts and orders him to not let any stupid people get in his way.

They find out about Eddie and the Soul family cry together, Lala being reassured by Shoto that her father is a good man and a hero. Izuku encourages the family to leave to safety but Rody hesitates. Usually he’s happy to have the world burn as long as he’s with his siblings but Rody isn’t so eager to leave Izuku behind now, especially after the entire Soul family bonded with him. Luckily, Roro and Lala becomes the last push to convince Rody to help them. They hijack a plane and Roro and Lala hug Izuku good luck, giving him the flower that dropped during the fight. (Izuku tucks the wilted flower in his pocket)

Rody plans to fly all of them to safety just in case it doesn’t work but they crash land and get captured. Roro and Lala are held hostage while Rody gives the key but at the swap, Lala and Roro uses it as a distraction to escape. Rody still gets shot and Roro and Lala get separated across the room. Izuku fights Flecturn while Lala hides. Lala watches the fight from her hiding place. She has full confidence in Izuku but is desperate to help. She starts to panic and looks away, angry at herself for being unable to do anything. Unknown to her, her anger and determination causes her quirk to make the flower in Izuku’s pocket to overgrow. Izuku notices this and throws it at Flecturn, encasing and choking the villain with the petals and vines. It holds him down long enough to give Izuku a breather and defeat him sooner. Izuku searches for Lala, who is overjoyed that Izuku won but Izuku retorts that it was Lala who defeated him. Izuku shows Lala the overgrown flower and explains how it saved her and her family. (“You’re our hero, Lala.”)

Lala and Izuku hear the countdown stop and rush to where Rody and Roro are. They find the key plugged in (thanks to Pino) and Roro is cradling a tired Rody, who’s lying on the ground, while trying to stop the bleeding. Izuku tells Roro that he’s doing great and removes the weight from him by cradling Rody himself. Rody weakly asks if he was a hero like his father and Izuku happily replies that they all were. They all laugh-crying together

When Izuku wakes up and learns that he’s assigned a hospital room with the Souls, who all insisted that Izuku is family. He cries when the doctors tell him this and sits next to Rody on his bed when he wakes up, to thank him. Roro and Lala wake up and light up when they see Rody and Izuku awake, escaping from their beds to tackle the two teens in relief.

Shoto and Bakugou finds them all asleep on Rody’s bed. Realizing how much they mean to Izuku, they get a working phone for Rody.

All the Souls are there when they say bye at the airport. Roro promises to get a scholarship and get into the best doctor school possible. Izuku says that Recovery Girl is willing to accept apprenticeships at UA and Roro says he wants to be worthy of it, shyly admitting wanting to see Izuku again. This realization makes the kids cry, afraid that they won’t see him again for a while, and unlike in the movie, Rody doesn’t have the heart to tell him to not come back. He stays quiet and comforts his siblings while hiding his own tears. (“Come on guys. Don’t cry. We’re in public.”) Izuku notices that Pino is at the verge of tears and initates the hug, promising to come back. The kids join in when Rody hugs back.

Izuku is about to leave but when he’s a couple feet away, Lala, who was looking nervous before, yells out to Izuku.

“Is it possible that I can become a hero even with this quirk?”

This comes to a shock to everyone. This is the first time Lala ever voiced her dream out loud. Lala has always admired the idea of helping people and especially people who don’t often get help from heroes. Roro and Rody always said that they don’t like heroes so she never said anything and brushed it off as a pipe dream. But after seeing Izuku and how he isn’t like the heroes that pass by her area, how her brothers can actually trust him, she is now definite that being a hero is all she wants to be.

“I always dreamed of a being hero for my community, one that can defend my home. Could I ever hope to become someone like you?”

Izuku recalls a similar memory and nervousness on the rooftop with All Might. The bittersweet feeling nearly makes Izuku cry but at the memory of tears and sunset in alleyway comes racing back, a wave of pride takes over. He gives Lala a genuine smile and say the words he wished and did hear that day.

“Lala Soul, you too can become a hero.”

Such simple words but Lala lets out a sob as her dreams are validated. Izuku waves goodbye to his family in Otheon, excited to visit again and see the kind of hero the youngest Soul will grow up to be one day.

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

Just want to say: a, I admire very much that you've figured out a healthy way to work on your fics that allows you to have fun with it. And also b, am very excited to hear that you are getting there with pez! It has fully given me brain rot ever since I read it last year, there is just such a lack of content for the highly specific trope of using time travel as a device to explore extremely unhealthy levels of self loathing.

I just adore everything you're doing in it. Neither midoriya is anywhere approaching okay for any portion of the fic and I love rereading and mining into all the subtle characterization pointing to that. It's a bit like nhtycth in that some really goofy funny stuff is often hiding some really fucking worrying things, but the fact that characters DO do that stuff—that todoroki uses his teaspoon's worth of extremely stunted social skills to bludgeon his friend's door open and help him, that a rpf shipping war is an actual source of drama despite how goofy the sentiment seems on the surface, that about half of what jon says is deeply worrying and the other half is extremely funny and there's a lot of overlap between the two—really lifts the tension and brightens the universe. It's sort of similar to what you did with gerry, in that endless misery isn't nearly as painful as the ups and downs of a life that, when you step back and zoom out, has something deeply and horribly wrong with it.

(jon sort of reminds me of spider-man in that he uses human to deal with trauma and stress, except I don't think he at any point realizes how fucking funny he is. He's just there, in a home depot, gnashing his teeth because he's got so many bodies to dispose of and this cashier sure is taking her time.)

I really, really, really have had trouble finding fics that take everything midoriya has dealt with to task. It's a hell of a thing to live 14 years as a disabled minority, have it heavily shape your existence, and then one day you wake up and you realize you're...not that, or at least, nobody will ever acknowledge you as that again. You've lost all claim to it. Those experiences that shaped who you are? Dust in the wind. 14 years of pain and life might as well be buried in the ground for all the good they do you. Nobody's going to cut you any slack or quarter, you've gotta simply work harder, be better. And now when you do that you get the results you wanted, so that's fine, then. That's good. There was something wrong with the you before, and there's something right with the you now, and if the transition is a little rough, well that doesn't matter, you're the same as everyone else now, so it's your own job to fill in whatever gaps you need to.

I really can't get over how mentally fucked it must be for midoriya to run into quirkless people, run across quirkless issues, and be silently caught between, incapable of speaking his mind and too scared to do so anyway around those he can trust.

Also I should mention, I'm just very excited for bakugou to get back from the gym. He's been there like a year I hope he's getting a good workout in.

Me realizing that it’s been a year since pez dispenser debris:

I feel like there’s just this very specific type of grief that Izuku has to grapple with in the span of pez dispenser debris that I’m just obsessed with. He’s sort of silently mourning who he could have been, when 1) he has to present like there’s nothing lost to maintain his secret and 2) the entire world is constantly inundating him with the message that there was nothing lost.

Like. I don’t want to get too deep into it because it risks spoiling things and I do have major plans to continue it (I’ve loved this story for so many years before I ever even hit publish), but the emotion that Izuku’s feeling right now is so much more complex than “I hate who I used to be and want him to stop existing” or “I just want to keep my secrets.” And I think the way he interacts with Mirio is the biggest evidence of that.

Izuku’s placed himself at the very center of the Quirklessness debate with his support of Mirio. He fights for Quirkless heroes, very publicly, to the point where he’s not even graduated yet but considered to be one of the most prominent voices on the matter. If you took a poll of Quirkless people as to which hero would be most supportive of them pursing their own career in heroics, Izuku would be right at the top of the list. When it comes to Quirklessness itself, he’s nothing but supportive.

But he didn’t tell Mirio the truth of his own Quirklessness.

Out of everyone, Mirio’s the one everyone expects to know, despite him being a relatively newer relationship compared to someone like Iida or Uraraka or Todoroki. And I tried to imply that he’s sort of the one who knows the most about Izuku out of everyone save All Might.

Like, we’ll get into how much exactly Mirio knows soon, so I won’t divulge what, if anything, Izuku has told him. But we know that Mirio knows, weirdly enough, that Izuku is deeply fucking haunted. He knows that boy has many violent ghosts in his bones. He finds it hilarious and will tell their realtor about it. Izuku told him about the discontent spirits who died in a violent passion and live on inside of him before he told him about his Quirklessness.

And I just feel like one of those things is a little bit easier to discuss than the other.

Izuku has decided to keep his own Quirklessness quiet in a way that surpasses secrecy about One for All. If it was just about OfA, he could tell people he didn’t get his quirk until the entrance exam, and it wouldn’t even be a lie. He’s purposefully obscuring his own past as Quirkless even as he takes a forefront of the Quirkless hero debate with his open support of Mirio.

And the fact that he’s at the forefront of this debate in and of itself requires a difficult dichotomy. He is the world’s most vocal proponent for the first Quirkless hero. He is a known figure in the Quirkless community now.

He isn’t considered one of them anymore. He’s an outsider coming in.

It must be such a strange, odd sort of grief to come to the people you were home amongst for most of your life and be greeted as a stranger. To return home, and to be welcomed in for the first time, and to not even be able to tell people that you’ve lived here all your life and don’t need a tour.

It’s a sort of death of self, I think. And I think Izuku never expected to have to grapple with his own ghost.

[vaguelyaperson]

everyone who thinks deku can’t continue to be a hero after losing his quirks SEVERELY underestimate the shit this menace could get up to if he had a batman style utility belt

[mangosmoothies]

deku ending up quirkless at the end of such a big battle is a perfect tie to his character argue with the wall

[strawberijasper]

I talked about this on my Twitter but I’m STILL thinking about it so I’m gonna talk my shit again.

Just a heads up for the anime only’s however, this post will contain heavy spoilers!

Hot take, I don’t think Deku should get his quirk back. I know I know— HEAR ME OUT BEFORE YOU BOO ME OFF THE STAYE THO!!

I know a lot of people would be upset if he stays quirkless, and I fully understand why, but think about it. Bakugou passing the embers of OFA that remain in him onto Deku, while it’s cool in theory and I do think would be an interesting plot, it feels like a cop out to me? Narratively Deku losing his quirk and simply not getting it back is poetic in a way and I think for the kind of story that MHA is, works much better.

Deku starts the story quirkless. He’s this boy with all these goals and ambitions, he wants to be a hero despite everyone telling him he can’t. He’s quirkless it’s just not possible right? But he believes so wholeheartedly that he can, even his childhood best friend turned bully can’t discourage him. He had the drive to be a hero even when powerless.

Then All Might comes, gave him the opportunity he never thought he’d have. Not just to be a hero but to have equal footing with the rest of society. To be a hero who isn’t doubted or looked down on because he’s different. And All Might passes the torch, and in doing so, he unknowingly was passing the job of defeating AFO onto Deku. It was now his job to defeat the world’s greatest evil, because that’s what OFA was cultivated to do. It’s purpose was always to defeat it’s creator. And Deku did just that (or at least had a hand in it I’m aware he had help, the power of homosexuality can defeat all great evils ofc ofc).

AFO is defeated, OFA’s main purpose has been fulfilled. The war is over, the users can finally be laid to rest (because remember part of them remained in the quirk in order to help the next users, even in death they fought). Deku doesn’t have a quirk anymore but that doesn’t mean he CAN’T still be a hero. It doesn’t mean he’ll be forced to leave UA (which is what I’ve seen a lot of people say). First of all, UA wouldn’t do that, we know they wouldn’t because we are explicitly told in the first episode that UA changed the rules on quirkless people being in the hero course, Deku explicitly tells us this. So we know for a fact they wouldn’t do that.

The school also knows that Deku CAN fight, he’s fully capable of fighting because he’s been training for over a year, he’s improved a lot and that’s not just his skills fighting with a quirk, that’s overall skill. He has more work to do and needs to learn how to fight without relying on a quirk but they know he’d be able to do it. He’s a quick learner and even without a quirk he’s strong.

We also know now for certain that there are ways for a quirkless person to hold their own in a fight, they have a real chance at being a hero (All Might in the war arc, WHICH I’VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARS AND NO ONE BELIEVED ME!!). Deku could easily iron man it, he doesn’t NEED a quirk when this is a world where support gear exists specifically to help heroes. There are plenty of heroes that fight virtually quirkless, take Aizawa for example, or Shinsou. They have quirks that help in battle but they fight without any power, it’s not impossible to be a hero without a fancy quirk.

The cycle ends with Deku, and now he’s been given the chance to do what he always believed he was capable of doing. He can prove to a world who doubted him and put him down, that you can be a hero without a quirk. Not only would he be the new symbol of peace, but he would be the symbol of change. He would be the one to really start the conversation around quirkless rights, and isn’t that beautiful?

It’s one thing for Deku to fight for quirkless rights while being a hero with a quirk, but it’s another to be the face of a movement. Narratively this works a lot more in my opinion.

I could be wrong and Deku could end up getting his quirk back and if that’s the case I won’t be upset, but in my opinion I’d much rather he stay quirkless. If Deku says goodbye to OFA for good, gets to be the reason the past users finally get to rest in peace, then that would be beautiful. Genuinely I would love that as an ending so much, and I hope there are people who agree because I can’t be the only one who sees this. Please tell me I’m not the only one T-T

[epickiya722]

I forgot AFO even took Hawks' quirk...

[a-bottle-of-tyelenol]

give deku another disability in no quirk AU maybe? idk-

That’s not the aspect I’m struggling with, it’s specifically the fact that canon Midoriya has an obsession with pro heroes. Without pro heroes, I’m not sure what that obsession could be turned into.

[stainapologists]

Hemo-iron-manipulation quirk boy also has the same condition as Mina where his quirk gives him a milder form of mutation. Instead of being pink with horns, his skin is corpse pale-grayed and his eyes are just solid black. If you look real close, you could see his iris/pupil but they're so dark they basically blend in with his sclera.