#i saw one post that said she wasn't groomed because she was the hero... like both of those things can't be true???

[jurassic-cunt]

the absolute dog shit takes I've seen on here about Nosferatu. a horny kid can't be raped? a victim can't be a hero? please be serious

[dolche-tejada]

"So you agree that if they're alive then they're still going to be put on sentences."

The villains ? Yeah that's kinda my point actually... They constantly suffer from consequences of what they did and even from undeserved shit (both before and after becoming criminals) when the heroes hardly ever does.

"Deku: LOSING OFA but become still a hero."

Firstly, yeah so he didn't really sacrifice anything if he can still be a hero through his super-suit granting him similar abilities to his previous set of quirks.

Secondly since Deku haven't even tried to talk with Shigaraki, it was either renouncing to OFA or dying alongside every other hero and overall the entirety of Japan so "sacrifice" is already arguable.

"significant personal sacrifice, altering his future as a hero. This isn't just about physical healing but about a life-changing choice, which does have consequences."

Lmao what ? It only happened because Deku is fucking lazy and didn't bother training to still be a hero (or even a policeman or firefighter) after losing his quirk. We saw through Aizawa, Shinso, Knuckleduster, Mandalay, Stein or even Nighteye that you can clearly be a hero through training. Yet Deku needed to wait 8 years for Bakugo and Mei to provide him some high-tech suit on a silver plate to keep playing heroes with his buddies instead of doing so by pulling his fingers out of his ass by working out.

"Hawks can no longer fly or use his feathers for combat, reconnaissance, or rescue operations."

I've already answered to that in my initial post, have you even bothered reading it ?

"He retired from become a hero. He lose his identity as a hero"

You mean almost as if it was treated as a good thing for him and not a sacrifice since he was groomed by the HPSC into becoming a child soldier super-hero ? His wings were even symbolically framed as his own cage, because it's through them that he was exploited his whole life. You can hardly do less subtle than that. Losing his quirk isn't a consequence, it's basically a reward from Horikoshi.

Besides, the argument I've made about Deku works here too. Hawks wasn't forced to give up being a hero after losing his quirk. Mirio didn't need a quirk to give Overhaul a ride for his money. Nighteye, Aizawa and Shinso are basically quirkless in a fight and are still able to work as functional heroes. A middle-aged man out of his prime like Knuckleduster can beat the shit out of powerful quirk users, Hawks has no excuses.

"and why can't he be forgiven too ?"

When did Hawks sought forgiveness to begin with ? He was confronted to his crime only twice : The first time he justified it in front of journalists and the second time, he just admitted he was wrong to a clone of Toga before she vanished.

"If the villain is redeemed in your eyes?"

When did I said that ?

"He's been a hero that saves countless lives."

A hero who didn't suffer from any personal consequences for murdering a villain running away.

"Endeavor: Loss of Arm: Endeavor indeed loses his right arm during his battle with All For One (AFO)."

And aside from that, Enji suffered no backlash for abusing the shit out of his family for years and still has his money + Hawks, Shoto, Fuyumi, Rei and his partners at his side.

"His fate was not revealed on chapter 431 but it seems like dubious."

So as I said in my initial post, the difficulties he will apparently have to endure are offscreened (assuming they really happened). From what we can actually see, he's fine despite being now disabled.

"You point out that while heroes suffer seemingly lesser consequences? Do you read manga and think mmm this people continue their lives and careers with little to no real change or punishment."

Because that's the case. The "consequences" you mentioned are either superficial or not even real ones since Hawks and Deku could have continue their hero career if they truly intended to.

"Contrastingly, you imply that the villains do not receive similar leniency or redemption, suggesting an imbalance in how the story handles character outcomes"

I'm not suggesting, I'm stating. Heroes like Hawks, Enji or Mirko can get scott free with the shit they did, meanwhile villains have to assume the consequences of each one of their crimes.

And if you want to talk about the more "physical" consequences, from the heroes' side, once again Gran Torino survived having his ribcage destroyed by Shigaraki, Bakugo his heart blown to bits and Enji to being ragdolled against buildings. From the villains' side, Toga died from a mere blood loss and Kurogiri from a random explosion of Bakugo...

Yes heroes do get a special treatment from Horikoshi, it's just ridiculous to deny it at that point.

"In mha the context might differ, where the societal structure, the nature of Quirks, and the scale of destruction might call for different resolutions."

Except at the exception of All For One, nearly all the time heroes have non-lethal options to neutralize criminals.

"However, the point stands that NOT ALL heroes need to resort to killing to be seen as just or effective."

Which evidence furthermore that Hawks allegedly needing to murder Twice in order to stop him is bullshit.

"Anyway. Twice and his involvement in villainous activities inherently puts innocent lives at risk."

Which still don't justify to murder him when :

Twice was running away.

Hawks could have subdue him at any moment without trying.

It's his fucking job to capture criminals putting innocent lives at risk without killing them. Again if he can't do that, then he's an incompetent.

He had prep time to plan his arrest and even the perfect quirk to counter Double.

"You're correct that modern justice systems aim for rehabilitation over retribution in many cases."

I didn't say that though, just that most modern societies aren't based on a childish principle like "an eye for an eye". Putting criminals in prison is still a form of retribution for their crimes and in most countries, rehabilitation isn't that much of a priority.

"However, within mha the discussion isn't just about justice."

Uh yes, it quite literally is. You can't write a story about super-heroes without treating notions like justice. Also this story has for prominent themes how unfairly treated some categories of people are, racism or government corruption, how can you read this manga and pretend that justice isn't the point ?

"The "eye for an eye" argument here not about endorsing that philosophy but discussing how stories sometimes use it to resolve conflicts."

In your first reply, you argued that the League dying was only karma, that they don't deserve a happy ending and that it doesn't matter if they were "pitiful before". As far as I can see, you were pretty determined to endorse this philosophy.

"Your point about wanting the League of Villains (LoV) to live might want characters to survive for more story or development"

It's not a matter of content or development, it's a question of consistency and good writing. As I've said before : If you promised something during your whole story, that everything you developed goes that way but that you suddenly chicken out at the last second by making a 180°, then your story is ass since your conclusion makes all these themes and development pointless.

There is no point in following Shoto and his family trying to save Toya because he will die in excruciating pain not even 8 years afterwards.

There is no point in following Deku trying to be "the greatest hero" by understanding villains and saving them because each time he got the opportunity to do that, he just resorted to violence at the first difficulty.

There is no point in trying to see Uraraka understand Toga and reaching her heart because Toga killed herself at the end.

There is no point in following this story overall since nothing really changed at the end despite what Horikoshi pretend.

And when some things did changed, it happened magically offscreen (like the heteromorph racism) so no point in following the story here again since we don't get to see how this issue was adressed.

"but within the story's logic, their death might serve a greater narrative purpose."

Except their death served zero purpose except maintaining a status quo repeatedly shown across the story to be blatantly unfair and creating more problems than it solves. And even on a more symbolic or thematic aspect, what does Toga killing herself actually brings ? Or Toya slowly dying after being reduced to a piece of charcoal ? Or Deku punching Shigaraki out of existence after a life of suffering ?

In addition to that, I could point out there's not much value in adding something to your story anyway if by doing so, you contradict everything you've been telling up to that point and convey fucked up messages as if they were good moral lessons.

You know, I think this ending would have been slightly less of a fucking disappointment if the heroes hadn't been so unfairly favored by Horikoshi compared to the villains. I mean, seriously

Deku destroys every bone in his body multiple times throughout the story and is warned that if he continues, he'll permanently lose the use of his limbs ? Everything's fine, his body's just got used to being reduced to a bloody pulp somehow so there's no consequences for him. In fact even when he literally loses his arms to Shigaraki, he gets them back two minutes later thanks to Eri because guess what ? Her horn still works even when cut off from her body. How convenient.

Gran Torino gets his ribcage obliterated by Shigaraki ? Don't worry guys, he'll survive that despite his old age and injuries, and this to have no particular role in the plot afterwards.

Bakugo dies heroically trying to buy time before Deku arrives ? Lmao, did you really believe it ?? No of course not, Edgeshot just uses his last-minute Deus Ex Machina to save his life at the cost of his own and- Oops nope he's fine too, my bad !

Hawks murders a criminal fleeing for his life in cold-blood ? The best Hori has to offer is him completely free and in charge of the HSPC.

And no, losing his quirk isn't a real consequence for him because not only it literally played a major part in saving the world with Vestige!Hawks raising an insurrection among AFO's quirks, but also because his quirk has always been the element through which people exploited him.

Endeavor abused his family for years and completely destroyed his eldest son ? No jail time and no media backlash for that, the only blame he received was due to the heroes' failure to stop the League during the Raid Arc.

And don't even get me started on this bs about facing hell or whatever for what he's done : He's literally free and wealthy ; he has Rei, Fuyumi, Shoto, his sidekicks and Hawks on his side ; and all the difficulties he's apparently going to suffer are off-screened.

Deku had to sacrifice OFA and his future hero career to save the world ? Guess what, Bakugo invested all his time and money to make him an Iron-Man suit and now he can still be a hero with everyone else.

There are plenty more examples of this but I think you get the idea. Now let's take a look at the villains' ending :

Toya is now a piece of charcoal kept artificially alive for the few years he has left, unable to move a finger, and whose few minutes a day during which he can stay awake will be spent talking to his father who abused him as a child.

Toga, a literal teenager, killed herself to save Ochako and because she knew it's still better than rotting at Tartarus her whole life.

And not only did she die but she did by bleding to death. Let me repeat for those who have trouble grasping what I've just said : In a manga where the heroes can survive having their heart blown to bits, being impaled Kakyoin-style or smashed against buildings like a fly on a windshield, one of the main antagonists died of a fucking hemorrhage…

As for Shigaraki, after learning that his very birth and all the tragedies of his life have been orchestrated by AFO, after all this development and narrative promises about him being saved in the end... Deku just kills him.

Because despite all his speeches about saving him, it seems like the best our MC could do was beating him both physically and mentally until he crumbles to dust…

Compress on his side is apparently locked up for life and kept alive by machines too.

A begging Kurogiri tried in a desperate attempt to save Shigaraki, only to be unceremoniously blown up by Bakugo and dying off-screen without anyone giving a shit, including Aizawa and Mic.

And Spinner will now spend the rest of his life struggling with the extra quirks inside him that affect his body and mind, while having to cope with the thought that his boyfriend best friend and companions have either died alone or are locked away for life in horrifying circumstances.

Clearly not the same as with the heroes...

Now don't get me wrong, even if they suffered just as much from the consequences of their actions or the plot as the League, this ending would still be a disaster in terms of writing but AT LEAST it wouldn't reek that much of hypocrisy.

[takerfoxx]

Okay, Gundam: The Witch from Mercury! As I said, got caught up, liked it a lot. Delivered pretty much what I expected: surprisingly enjoyable high school comedy/drama with giant robot fights and yuri that leads to the big moment where the show reminds everyone that Baby's First Gundam is still fucking Gundam, so enjoy the trauma!

I know a big part of the appeal was having a more accessible Gundam with, you know, lesbians, but honestly, while the school stuff wasn't exactly reinventing the wheel, everything was just so well done. Like, all the standard tropes were there, but there was obviously a lot of effort put into making them the best possible versions of those things. Like, I actually got invested in Suletta making friends and winning battles. The robot duels absolutely held my attention every time, and I actually was rooting for the hero to win. It's such a simple thing, but you'd be surprised how often I root for the rivals just to have something shaken up. But here, Suletta and her gang were just so danged likeable and her rivals were that perfect balance of infuriating and interesting that I did want them to lose, but I was also interested in what they did next. Like, give it up for Guel for having one of the most interesting character arcs. Also, kinda want to smack Shaddiq in his handsome face.

And what I also liked is that when something kind of started to bug me, kind of made me go, "Huh, is this really working?", suddenly it became the main focus and revealed itself to be a deliberate plot point all along.

Like, sure, Suletta and Miorine's engagement is a big selling point, but while I'm practically obligated by law to root for them, I started to notice a distinct lack of any real romantic chemistry. Like, Miorine did sort of make it clear from the beginning that their engagement is purely political in nature and would be called off the moment she could work out her escape, and until then she just needed someone good at robot piloting to hold off all those annoying suitors until then. So you can't say it was bait or anything. But even so, as the show went on, Suletta started crushing on Elan (or rather, his poor double), and Miorine continued to be dismissive and self-serving about, well, everything, I did start to wonder if Miorine even liked Suletta.

Fortunately, just as I was gearing up to make a post about that very disconnect, the show revealed that it's smarter than me and showed that that was the intention all along. Suletta had her heart broken by Miorine's dismissiveness of her, had her breakdown, and then she and Miorine had their big air-clearing fight and reconciliation that seemed to say that, yes, this is a couple that needs each other, they're just a little different and have a lot to learn about one another.

And honestly, I can't really blame either of them for that miscommunication. They just come from such completely different worlds (literally) and have completely different ways of looking at things. Miorine was raised in the world of cutthroat capitalism, where it's all about business deals and personal advantages, and all relationships are about what benefit they bring to the table. Marriage is a political partnership, romance is a silly thing for other people, and everything is a transaction. Suletta, however, is basically a country bumpkin raised by her (admittedly manipulative and vengeful) affectionate mother, but because of how sheltered she is, she's riddled with nerves and anxieties and just wants people to like her.

So to her, even though she didn't ask to become Miorine's groom, once she was in that position she resolved to be the best groom that she could, and probably made herself fall in love, because that's what one does for the person they're going to marry! She saw any request and responsibility as a token of trust, and her heart absolutely broken when Miorine hired those gardeners and casually told her to go ahead and date other people. It made her feel devalued, like she wasn't worth Miorine's consideration, whereas Miorine probably thought nothing of it. She had told Suletta from the beginning how things were, only asked her to look after her plants because she didn't have time to hire somebody else, and since Suletta was basically just standing as vanguards from other suitors, she ought to go ahead and date other people.

But I really liked how they handled that disconnect. We see how much Suletta is hurt, how it brings out the worst of her insecurities, and then the two basically confront one another and get everything out. I know Suletta serving up Miorine's order of extra ketchup will probably put a damper on things, but I do hope they can work past it, because I live for these sorts of relationships.

Ah, what am I saying? It's Gundam. We all better prepare for pain.

Speaking of which, I'm calling it now! Suletta is most definitely NOT Eri, Eri got Yui Ikari'ed into Aerial, and Suletta is likely a clone of her. It lines up with how she refers to Aerial as her sister, how Lady Prospera calls them both her daughters, how she speaks to it while piloting, and the fact that the timeline does not line up otherwise. And her "If you move forward" motto is a conditioning phrase instrumental in her brainwashing. She's a weapon.

Yeah, I know this ain't exactly new ground and people have been saying it before I started the show, but I just wanted to throw it out there.

Though can I just say one thing? I know Lady Prospera is all manipulative and using Suletta in a rather cruel way for the sake of her revenge, but she's kind of a baddie. As if in, she a MILF. As if in, Suletta's mom has got it going on.

Would.

[cumbunnywitch]

It made me cry kind of recently so I'm gonna post it on tumblr now that I've had some time to process it (for the umpteenth time).

When I was young, around 14 or so, I was just kind of figuring out my life. Finding out I was trans, or even egged, or even kinky, was going to be another few years away (btw shoutout to @adamwitt for your help there, fucking nerd.)

Well, I decided a few things about my bodily autonomy and started growing my hair out, grooming myself a bit better, just generally trying to feel good about my body. I was developing some other stuff, and the way I looked didn't fit the way I wanted to look, and I wasn't really quite sure why. I did know, however, that I wanted longer hair. Nothing extreme, should length was fine enough for me.

Well, my dad made fun of me for it. A lot. Not just like "oh lookin' shaggy there kiddo" but full on "You're starting to look like a fag, get your hair cut or I'll shave it off." kind of shit. It was intense. This went on for a few months at first, and then I joined the swim team in high school.

As a 14 year old boy in high school, I got bullied a bit, as I'm sure we all did. But my hair really wasn't much of a concern for anyone. The worst I got was being called Eric Foreman (from That 70's Show). No one called me a fag or queer or a homo because of my hair.

Not until my dad did. At a swimming meet. In front of my team. After I won. His congratulations turned sour immediately after he said "well now that you're winning, you gonna cut some time by shaving your head? I'm telling you, it makes you look like a sissy."

This was not the end. Now my team was doing it. They'd bring in their dad's clippers and offer to shave my head, or they'd make comments in the showers, and it was pretty terrible. I eventually quit the team when it didn't stop in the middle of my second season.

That first year though, right before some big tournament, my dad picked me up from school. This didn't happen very often, and he said we were going to McDonald's or Coldstone or some such place, as a treat. We weren't. We went to one of those sports-themed barbershops, the ones where they hire attractive women like they were the hooters of hair cuttery.

Luckily for me, the lady who ended up cutting my hair either knew what was up when she saw my sobbing quietly in her chair, or had read the FUCKING GENEVA CONVENTION (seriously, cutting the hair of prisoners is an actual war crime, look it up), and decided to help me pull one over on my old man.

She asked if she could even out my hair, make it look a bit more presentable, and even help me figure out how to style it a bit better. Now this is mid-aughties money, but it was still like a $30 wash, trim, style. Then, just to add a pickle on top of his shit sundae of a comeback, she convinced my dad to buy me some nice Tea Tree oil shampoo and conditioner. The really nice shit, I think it was Paul Mitchell brand? Shit was like $25 per bottle, and she suckered his ass into one each because it would help get rid of the chlorine from all the pool water.

This lady was my hero for an hour. I was still sad, still unhappy with what my dad tried to do to me. Maybe it's not as bad as getting beaten or having him pull out the clippers and hold me down, but it was still a betrayal of trust, not 2 years after my parents had divorced and sent me and my sister down diverging paths of emotional hell and mental anguish.

He doesn't remember anymore. Maybe he remembers that he tried and we pulled one over on him, but he doesn't remember how angry he was when we got in the car. He doesn't remember how hurt I was when he dragged me in. He doesn't remember trying to bribe the hair stylist with $40 to make sure I walked out with a "respectable hair cut." But it's been 15 or 16 years now. He's old.

He's softer too now. He treats me like a daughter. Sometimes the meds he's on make him seem not all there and he forgets, but I've seen him shake the fog away and remind himself, and call me Ashley like I want. We still talk about cars and planes and guns and the cool shit I liked back then that I still like now.

I haven't asked him to apologize about how he acted back then. He did that by being less of a piece of shit in his old age. But at the same time, I won't forgive him his past, because it was a defining traumatic moment in my life. I'll never forget it. And when he finally kicks the bucket, I'll let that memory fade into obscurity, remembered only by me as something that hurt and shaped me into who I am today. It's weird to say it made me a better person, but it did.

So I guess.. Thanks dad, you fucking asshole. I still love you.