#i think deku would literally rather die and that is a threat

[booksandmore]

“deku should have been a villain” did u watch the show. the show about being the greatest hero. the show about the protagonist breaking every bone in his body to save people and become a hero. the show about the kid working himself to the bone and risking his life to save his friends, innocent people, villains and people who would rather he die rather than be allowed to rest. did you wantch the show? the show that we’re talking about? the show about being a hero and saving lives? the show called my hero academia? that show? did u watch that show? is that the show u watched?

[makeste]

I saw this take on twitter about Hana & Kacchan having “reverse parallels” and since they both have apologised to Tenko/Deku (but one was more or less sincere and the other was absolutely sincere) and they said that, while Hana moved away from Tenko, Kacchan ran to catch Deku. There was also more to the thread abt Kacchan & Hana’s differences. They were sorta trying to argue that this is a clue that Hori intends for Bkdk to be sibling-like/brotherly. As a bkdk shipped, I’ve accepted that it makes sense.. cause it’s an established fact that Tenko & Deku parallel each other. Tenko having his own “Kacchan” makes sense. Tho yes I am a little sad since I’ve held a little bit of hope for romantic bkdk becoming canon. I just wanted to ask your opinion if Hana was really meant to foil Kacchan or was it just a reach?

okay so I have a couple responses to this.

1. while it's true that Horikoshi has woven a lot of deliberate parallels between Deku and Tenko's characters, that doesn't mean every single thing about their lives and every single person they interact with is a part of those parallels. which is to say that no, I don't really think Hana and Kacchan are meant to mirror each other in any kind of significant way. Hana's apology to Tenko was under completely different circumstances than Kacchan's apology to Deku; I really don't see any connection between the two situations. you might as well be trying to compare Hana to Endeavor, or Deku, or Hawks, or Aizawa, or any other character who's apologized to anyone over the course of the story.

2. please pardon the forthcoming rant, anon -- and I hope you know that none of this is aimed at you in particular -- but for me personally, this whole obsession with ships becoming canon is one of the most exasperating types of discourse there is. like, don't get me wrong, I totally understand people wanting to see their favorite ships validated by the author, and not to mention there's also the issue of having more LGBTQ+ representation. but speaking as someone whose own orientation (aromantic) has almost no representation in fiction whatsoever, it gets frustrating to see so many people dismiss non-romantic relationships as being an inferior type of ship, to the extent that calling a relationship "sibling-like" is now a commonly-used attack in ship wars. so many people view romance as this completely transformative element, to the point where two characters can literally tick every other box on the intimate personal relationship checklist, and none of it will matter to some people unless they actually confess their love and kiss.

and again, I'm not saying I don't understand it, especially since queerbating is a thing. it's one thing if a writer is genuinely just trying to portray a close friendship, especially in series where romance isn't really a focus. but it's another thing entirely if a writer is deliberately hinting at a romance in a blatant bid to attract a larger queer audience, while all the while having no intention whatsoever of having those hints lead anywhere. the issue, I guess, is that it's not always easy to tell which scenarios are the former, and which are the latter. and of course, you also have people who think that the former is a type of cop-out as well, because the thing is that romance is always viewed as the default. so for a lot of people, allosexual and alloromantic relationships are the only ones that get considered as far as representation goes.

but you know what, I'm just gonna say it; even knowing where people are coming from, it's still discouraging to know that so many people are so dismissive of aro and ace relationships that the thought of a favorite ship not becoming romantic in canon is considered a profound disappointment. and it's even more discouraging that the thought of a rival ship becoming canon is considered such an existential threat to some that they will literally use "oh, they're just like siblings" as an argument against the ship, rather than a point in favor of. because siblings are a downgrade. friendship is a downgrade. any kind of close relationship that isn't inherently romantic or sexual in nature is less important, and that's just how it is.

so yeah, that's kind of a pet peeve, ngl. especially since the truth is I actually do think Bakugou and Deku's relationship is very akin to siblings. and so I do sometimes get weary of not being able to just outright say that without having to first pepper the statement with all kinds of disclaimers so that people don't think I'm invalidating the ship. I feel like I have to walk on eggshells if I ever want to talk about their relationship in terms that I can personally relate to.

but I mean, here's how I look at it. they've known each other since they were small children. they call each other exclusively (or almost exclusively) by childhood nicknames. they have an openness and an unspoken, almost taken-for-granted trust in each other to the point where they'll share closely guarded secrets ("I got my quirk from someone else") and personal vulnerabilities ("why was I the one who ended All Might?") with barely a second's hesitation which they would never share with anyone else. they have a comfortable little bickering type of rapport ("I'm getting stronger"; "well I'll just have to get even stronger then"; "you'll never surpass me"; "we'll see about that") which they can fall into with ease and which looks weird af to outsiders, but is "normal" to them and something they're both grateful to have.

they're so intimately familiar with each other's personality and behaviors that they can predict them with perfect accuracy. they're so in tune with each other that they can whip up elaborate coordinated attacks right on the spot in perfect sync. their admiration for each other is so strong that they each think of the other as being the epitome of winning and saving, respectively. their mental images of each other are so vivid that they subconsciously mimic each other's speech patterns whenever they start falling into a particularly strong Win or Save mindset themselves. they take no small amount of pride in showing off for each other. they go apeshit any time the other is in danger or hurt. and each of them would literally die for the other if it ever came to that.

all of that is already canon. on just about every metric imaginable except for "now kiss", the two of them already have a canon intimacy that rivals just about every other great relationship out there. and so to say that none of it actually counts unless there's an actual love confession involved frankly just boggles me. again, maybe it's because I have no personal vested interest in romance myself, though. I'm literally just not wired that way, and so I'm really not the best person to vent to when it comes to these kinds of concerns.

but look, no matter what happens from here on out, these two care about each other on a very deep and personal level. they're going to continue to be a part of each other's lives no matter what. and each of them, no matter what, will continue to occupy a space in each other's lives that no other person can fill, regardless of how we or Horikoshi or anyone else choose to label and define that space. and so in my book, that's already a win.

anyways, apologies again for the impromptu rant. again, this wasn't particularly directed at you in any way; if anything it's mostly just a generic response to the constant shipping discourse in this and every other fandom, and a more detailed explanation for why I personally don't like to get involved in it. this is just one of the myriad reasons why I try my best to stay very far away from BnHA twitter lol.

[edwardslostalchemy]

the thing that kills me about bakugou is when the plf go "having a powerful quirk means i'm better than you"and basically advocate for eugenics, it's horrible and corrupt, but when bakugou does it, it's lol funny and 'oh that gremlin.' in a recent chapter he made fun of the past OFA holders for having 'weak' quirks and dying and he said these things in front of Toshi, who has himself given so much. just...what was the point of him knowing about OFA if he was just going to be a disrespectful ass?

I have no idea why it was necessary for him to know, tbh. I think it was a waste of an opportunity to give him growth by NOT telling him. And honestly, I agree that k*tsuki and the plf have similar ideals because they’re elitists. :/ They think they’re better than others. Unironically, the lov wanting k*tsuki on their side would have been like, them all sharing this same thought. Idk, I just don’t like him. The things he says and does are played off as comedic relief now and it’s honestly so annoying. He needs to be brought down from his pedestal. 

(I have multiple messages so I am putting them all in one post under a read more, I hope it works, but if somehow it doesn’t, I’m really sorry. My computer says it works, but mobile doesn’t show it. This will be a long post.)

Anonymous said:

You know... I wouldn’t mind Bakugou winning vs Ochako so much if his blast had simply redirected enough rubble for him to make it though the pelting, and the fight had ended with an actual visible inflicted injury on his part, like a cut on his face, that stuck around for the rest of the tournament. Make the close call have more concrete, visible consequences for him then his arms aching a bit.

I agree with this completely. That thing about his arms aching doesn’t show much of the consequences at all. And he gets over it rather quickly. I hate that he has so much plot armor.

Anonymous said:

Ngl i dont ship Todo/deku (dont really ship Izuku with anyone lol) but its such a nice ship like?? People can ship what they want but why ship Baku/deku when Tododeku is RIGHT THERE. I would rather have todo/deku be the twin stars like.. Todoroki having to overcome his fathers legacy and be a better hero then his father ever could be while Izuku perpetuates all mights legacy and carries the legacy of One For All?? Poetic cinema

+ I SENT AN ASK ABOUT PREFERRING TODO/DEKU TO BAKU/DEKU AND I WANTED TO ADD SOMETHING SKSKS. we could totally have an "its your power" moment. Izuku getting Todo to accept his left side and Todo getting Izuku to remember that OFA is his power now.

Todo/deku is really the poetic cinema we need and deserve. Idk why people like b*kud*ku, that’s what they prefer, but the ship itself is not healthy in the slightest and I find it pretty disturbing. I agree with you, nony. Everything you said is correct.

Anonymous said:

If I'm gonna be honest the whole "he was raised in a household of screaming and abuse" isn't a good enough reason as to why Bakugo has no chill. Like we've seen people like Todoroki raised in a household much worst but he didn't come out as a jerk or bully. I'd like to see more of Bakugo's interactions with his parents but for the most part the dad seems like a pushover and his mom is just loud at times. But no where close to Endeavor. So yeah Bakugo shut up challenge

Yeah, idk how their dynamic works, it’s just mitsuki screaming at k*tsuki while his dad tries to intervene, but doesn’t do a good job about it. I don’t like that she smacked his head. But I think people really stretch it to give him a tragic backstory when in reality, he doesn’t have one. He is a spoiled brat. Shouto has proven how to be a better person. He’s just a better character in general.

Anonymous said:

This might be long but I want to get something off my chest and I love your blog so I used to like bk//dk. If you asked me why. It's because I was enamored by the fanon ver of this pair with a better bkg and the whole appeal of childhood 'friends'/reconciliation trope it had going on and some fans have convinced me that their relationship wasn't as bad as it's portrayed before UA and that bkg was only like that because of society and thinking Izuku was "looking down" at him. 1/3

Thinking about it. it's really stupid and the verge of victim blaming but anyways. What stopped me from liking it and instead hating the pair is that after dk vs kc 2 I was expecting the improvement in their relationship, for a moment I thought we got it. But in reality it's just bc we haven't seen them interact much after the overhaul arc and before the joint training arc.Then the joint arc came and the 2nd internship arc came and whoo boy, I feel like I was cheated on. 2/3

Rather than making bkg's behavior improve towards Izuku, He's still as much of an asshole who belittles him, mocks him ,acts like he can't stand him but less threats of killing him combined with Izuku who just takes it because he's a nice person. But the narrative acts like their good friends now and I have been feeling so frustrated with this, I wanted a mutual relationship with mutual respect on both sides and bk//dk hasn't reached that part and it shouldn't take this long for it to be. 3/3

Thank you for sharing this with me, nony!! I appreciate it. It’s really sad that their relationship hasn’t improved at all. It’s so long overdue and now things are played as comedic relief like him hurting Izuku with his spike and also being extremely disrespectful during the ofa meetings. Their relationship isn’t healthy and it isn’t friendly, no matter how canon wants to paint it that way.

Anonymous said:

the only reason bkg gets to know OFA is because he guilted Izu into telling him a half truth in S1 then guilted AM and Izu with his tantrum in S3 He also had the privilege to know Izu since childhood and saw AFO so he had the advantage Izuku would have never told him otherwise. Same time Izuku's friends don't "deserve" to know about OFA, rather, Izuku deciding to tell them himself will make the revelation to them more special since its Izu deciding to tell a piece of himself than being forced to

HOT TAKE

@havocsss said:

i just wanted to say i appreciate your opinion on bnha about bakugo (bc someone finally said it 👀) and you put into words for me how i feel abt that character - and that's partly why i just can't watch it. he's the bully that everyone idolises and gets let away with murder and naaaah mate that's not how it works

Thank you, I’m glad to hear it. I don’t like that he, a literal bully who has suicide baited Izuku and has hurt him with his explosion quirk, is the fandom’s favorite and the most popular character. Literally any other character would have been better to stan than him. He’s everywhere and I can’t enjoy part of the series because of him always being there. It’s so annoying. I will continue to yell about why he is not a good character until horikoshi gives us the development he desperately needs AND an apology to Izuku for being so abusive to him. And yes, bullying is abuse.

Anonymous said:

I know that feeling. I also greatly dislike Bakugou. He almost ruins the manga for me at times. I can't even think of a plot with Izuku where Hori won't try to include him in some way. I tried reading metas abt him, tried to look at him in a different light but I realised that I really hate his personality, combined with his overhyped popularity just makes me can't stand him. I wish I could even just be neutral for him but that's being a challenge.

Yeah, he’s not a good character. Very infuriating and annoying. We do not stan him in this house.

Anonymous said:

I feel like if Aizawa actually knew that Bakugou used to bully Izuku he'd probably whoop Bakugou's ass

OOF I’d like to see him expel him.

Anonymous said:

I like how it's framed like I'm supposed to feel sorry for Bakugou because he feels manpain for not being the strongest in the class. Like the dude went from a regular school to the best of the best and he still expected to be the strongest person there is with no challenge?

Awww, is the spoiled brat sad? Good. He can die mad about it.

Anonymous said:

If Aizawa did the combat training instead of All Might he would've stopped Bakugou the first time he used his gauntlets and automatically failed him and I really wish that would've been the outcome

Tbh he should have been expelled for trying to kill a classmate.

Anonymous said:

Oh yeah I remember that character entrance when he just basically I insults his partner for training. Look I love the kid but if I was a teacher I would've flamed him so hard like there could've been a hostage, that weapon could have went off, his partner could've been captured. That's how you ended up failing the license exam

OOF. When will he learn.

Anonymous said:

Um excuse the ever living fuck out of me but I just saw a fic that was bakugou/consequences where Izuku attempted suicide and you know what the ship was?? My pure green son who deserves the world and his literal bully/abuser are you SHITTING ME???? I try very hard not to hate ships I do really try but I just CAN'T with this ship it disgusts me

It's not a healthy ship. I am disturbed by this fic and I don’t even know what it’s called and I don’t want to know. Eww.

Anonymous said:

I see myself as Izuku cause I relate to him a lot and I just read something where Bakugou does what my abuser did to me to Izuku and now I'm having a very hard time stomaching the thought of him and like I really loved kiri/baku too but now I can't even think about it cause someone who shipped my notp thought it would be a good idea to make Bakugou an abuser and give Izuku Stockholm syndrome ☹

Oh nony…I’m so sorry to hear about that. That really sounds rough and I hope you’re feeling better. That sounds awful. I’m just…I’m appalled. Also giving Izuku Stockholm syndrome with this ship is just. Wow.

[khorale]

Bnha 232

Really great action and lore this chapter!

It’s the league of clones! Now, Everyone vs Re-Destro might be a bit one-sided, but every time Twice makes a copy, it’s always weaker than the one before. So after the nth copy, these clones may be very fragile.

1) Twice’s pep-talk to the clones... How reassuring XD. Is that how the clones know they’re clones when they’re created? I wonder what it’s like just coming into existence here and being told you’re (not) gonna die.

2) Shigaraki’s words lmao

3) So based on what Compress-clone is saying, since this Twice-clone never ran into Compress on his way here, his version of Compress doesn’t know he can multiply himself! Also while Shiggy-clone is without injury, Compress-clone did not regain his prosthetic arm. 

This proves that:

The clones have their memories up to the point where Twice last met them, and think they’re the original unless told otherwise.

The clones are physically fine without injury (proven by Twice’s unbroken arms and Shigaraki-clone not looking tired like his real self at the end of this chapter)

Any damage not related to the flesh will not be recovered (the prosthetic arm)

I think at this point, Giran is an honorary member of the League of Villains.

Re-Destro’s threat shook up Twice, but Shigaraki reassures him!

“It’s now one vs... a lot.” ily.

Gear 4th + Greed(FMA)’s Ultimate Shield + Dynamax

That black part strengthens or hardens, as we saw in previous pages where he destroys a Twice-clone with one finger. I wonder if it’s made of carbon?

His clothes also stretched to accommodate it, so I’m guessing his clothes are support items made by Detnerat.

Also, he tanked Dabi’s fire. Wow... When’s the last time we saw Dabi’s fire affecting someone? He’s due for a power-up in his fight with Geten.

This pose/paneling is very reminiscent of Shigaraki attacking Overhaul, as well as Overhaul reaching to grab Eri in the Overhaul vs Deku fight.

Anyways, all the clones got demolished except a Twice-clone who reproduced before it disappeared, and Shigaraki (even though I can’t find him in the panel)

What’s with that pose with one arm behind him though? It’s kind of an unnatural pose he’s kept up this entire chapter. Is he trying to prove he can destroy them all with a handicap?

TWICEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GIRANNNN!!!!!!!!!

You’re really tugging on my heart-strings and making me ship this, aren’t ya?? *sobs*

Re-Destro... I appreciate you giving exposition, but that’s not the real Shigaraki. Save yourself the energy so you don’t have to repeat the same monologue twice.

So that’s where the term “Quirk” comes from.

The mother was murdered by people with prejudice, when she just wanted her child to live a life where his power can be seen as just another aspect of him, a “quirk”.

But rather than looking at abilities as normal, the fact that it gained a label meant that it is still viewed as separate from the natural functions of a person.

Instead of:

Person = Person

It’s:

Baseline human + Quirk = Person.

And I think what the mother wanted was the first one.

While he has a point, I believe that in the end the Liberation Army is twisting these words for an way that suits themselves.

Re-Destro talks about oppression, but according to Geten, the new world they build will discriminate against people with weak quirks. Quirks becomes the defining aspect of your success.

He talks about addressing the suppression of quirk usage, and Curious attempts to interview someone she believed to be “suppressed”. But they were shoving their narrative on to Toga, who was this way because of her quirk, and not because of the environment around her. They want to frame “Quirks” as good and the system as “Bad”, but in actuality if the school counseling had allowed Toga free use of her quirk without reprimanding, then she would have killed a lot more people legally.

“She wished for a world where special abilities are just ‘Quirks’ in the truest sense”, but the creation of a literal army based on the single special power(talent) they have, is not what I call making quirks be ‘quirks’, as in, making it a mundane aspect about you.

This series is full of successors, and we see a lot of heroes and villains inherit powers and ideology from the previous generation. What I see from Re-Destro, whose existence isn’t even known to Destro, is that he believes he shares Destro’s ideology, but the way he’s going about things shows that he doesn’t truly understand what liberating quirks truly meant.

What he calls “Freedom” will become another shackle.

9/10 delivery on your ambitions, Re-Destro. It has great support and backstory, and credible reasons. But in the end your goal don’t line up with the belief you preach.

I love how Shigaraki didn’t even give him a reply. He’s ignoring him completely even while hanging upside-down.

And he knows himself too well.

(They’re on the top floor. How the heck is Twice going to make a good enough cushion for Giran)

And... tap.

We never saw Shigaraki use his quirk in such a large-scale way before. It’s awesome!

His hand twitched. Is decaying a large object a bigger strain for him?

All that time Re-Destro spent monologuing... wasted~!

I’m guessing Re-Destro’s quirk also functions as an armor (Greed's power theory is more possible now)

Interesting how real Shigaraki notes that Re-Destro is from the commercial (apparently the League watches tv regularly), and the clone never said anything.

Great chapter! And where the heck did Spinner go? (fighting Hanabata?)

[likestoimagine16]

So one of the ideas in the bnha fandom that baffles me the most (besides villain deku) is the idea that Izuku is obsessed with Bakugou while Bakugou doesn’t care about Izuku

Cuz like... one of them defines basically his entire life and self-worth by the existence of his classmate, and uh. It’s not Izuku

Canonically, Izuku’s focus on Bakugou has been

grudging respect for his strength and dislike for his general attitude

drawing inspiration from his combat style when it’s applicable to his own (which isn’t something unique to Bakugou, he’s also drawn from All Might, Gran Torino, Iida, Mina, and Kamui Woods at a glance, not even counting all the analysis he has for future reference)

a general desire to beat Bakugou in competition despite also being scared of him

feeling guilty about ‘keeping One for All secret’ from Bakugou and then telling him about it, except I think that’s more an effect of the abuse he’s suffered than any real obsession he might have

that one time with the final exams where he demanded Bakugou not give up because he’s supposed to be an image of victory, which I think might be read as obsessive, but like, I disagree? Aside from the fact that Bakugou has been a presence in his life that he couldn’t overcome and the fact that victory isn’t necessarily something that Izuku aspires for, I’m pretty sure Izuku’s actually kind of offended that Bakugou was willing to give up so easily because like... he’s suffered ten years of abuse, and now this jerk’s just going to call it quits because things got a little overwhelming? really?

he has tried to save Bakugou a few times, but I don’t think that even counts, considering that he’s also thrown himself into danger for 1) Tsuyu after having known her impersonally for all of a week, 2) All Might, who while under the time limit was also a stunningly competent hero, 3) Todoroki, whose entire interaction with him was to challenge him publically then later dump half his backstory on him, 4) Iida, who he didn’t even know was in danger, but kind of guessed at, and 5) Kouta, whose interactions with him mostly consisted of physical injury and repeated dismissal of his life dream, all by the time we got to chapter 100. Like, the boy has a hero complex the size of the sun, and I’m pretty sure he would have run to save anyone if they had been captured by the sludge villain, once he made eye contact. 

Meanwhile, Bakugou’s focus on Izuku has been

deciding at the age of four that Izuku’s general concern over his well being was a personal attack

repeatedly calling him a pebble on the road while simultaneously hounding him for daring to try and get in his way, in a way that very much suggest that he wants to see Izuku as a pebble rather than him actually seeing him as one

demanding that Izuku not try applying for UA because it would ruin his goal of being the first and only kid from their school to get in (which kind of implies that like, Bakugou saw Izuku as a threat? He wouldn’t have been threatening Izuku if he didn’t think he could get in.)

assuming that Izuku was lying about his quirk for over ten years of abuse because... I don’t know, actually. He takes everything Izuku does personally because he’s kind of obsessed with him.

Side note, until Izuku showed his quirk for the ball throw, Bakugou was completely convinced that Izuku managed to defeat enough giant robots to get into UA despite not having a quirk - this kid has weirdly high expectations for what Izuku can do

upon finding out that he’s fighting against Izuku’s team for a test, he immediately began hunting him down while forgetting about literally everything else (which Izuku then used to win, because he was focusing on the test instead of just Bakugou)

getting personally offended that Todoroki challenged Izuku instead of him, because in his mind, it means that Todoroki has decided that Izuku is stronger than him

to me, considering that he doesn’t see any of the other classmates as a threat, this implies that Bakugou’s seeing confirmation for what he suspects: that Izuku is stronger than him. 

he later got offended that Todoroki didn’t use fire in their fight, because Izuku was apparently good enough to have the fire used against him, and that means Todoroki was taking that fight more seriously because he thought Izuku was a more serious threat 

this is supremely flawed logic, Bakugou, but he was also thinking in terms of himself compared to Izuku, with Izuku ultimately coming out on top

he specifically saw Izuku’s improvement with One for All/Full Cowl as proof that he was falling behind because Izuku was improving faster than him

side note, before I get to the last point, just about every time there’s an exercise or incident that’s even remotely competitive, Bakugou immediately homes in Izuku to issue a challenge of war. Recently, Izuku’s been matching it, but only after Bakugou initiates the competition

so like, Bakugou starts to have suspicions about Izuku’s quirk and relationship to All Might after Kamino, because Izuku is the only person reacting to “You’re next” with tears while everyone else is cheering. Here’s the thing though - Bakugou had to notice Izuku was crying. Specifically, he noticed Izuku’s fairly subdued crying despite the distraction of 

processing what just happened, considering this is probably the largest recorded fight of the century and Bakugou was about as front and center as he could have gotten without being All Might or All for One

the crowds completely surrounding him, all cheering uproariously over how amzing All Might is and how amazing it is that they didn’t all die

his own trauma, considering he’s about ten minutes out of having been held captive for three days, and

All Might’s declaration of strength against his enemies 

I want to note this one specifically because Bakugou’s based just about his entire life’s goal around the idea that All Might is the strongest. With that in mind, he sees possibly All Might’s most powerful declaration of strength - that he’s come out of this city-breaking fight victorious and is telling the other villains there’s more where that came from - and he realizes that something is up. Why? Becasue he was focused on Izuku

Literally, Bakugou saw that Izuku’s reaction to All Might’s declaration was anomalous to the rest of the worlds, and he believed that Izuku’s reaction was closer to the truth

I don’t want to discount Bakugou’s observational skills and critical thinking, because he very much had to put those clues together against all of his common sense telling him otherwise, but like? That doesn’t change the fact that he got most of those clues because he’s was paying attention to Izuku. 

Bakugou fixates on Izuku to an unhealthy degree. He measures himself specifically and exclusively against Izuku, to the point where his first place victory in the sports festival didn’t matter because Todoroki didn’t use his fire - which meant that he wasn’t fighting against the force that beat Izuku.

Comparatively, you have Izuku, who measures himself against himself. And like, he has unrealistic expectations for his growth (because increasing your power output from 8% to 20% is apparently nothing Izuku), but they’re not based on anyone else. Even when he’s beating himself up about not being able to save Nighteye or prevent Mirio from losing his quirk, he’s not thinking about how Bakugou would have done better - he’s thinking about how he could have done better. 

Tl;dr Izuku, while he does have a certain focus on Bakugou, by no means fixates on or obsesses over him. The same very much can’t be said of Bakugou. 

[bbq-hawks-wings]

Deku!

I know it’s been a while, but this ask was in response to a post I put out asking others to give me characters from HeroAca other than Hawks to stretch my character analysis skills to see what theories, predictions, or just interesting observations I find. Because this is outside the realm of my usual character subjects and my style may not be well known in this tag - I ramble and am long-winded, hence the cut to not be obnoxious to scroll past. As a manga reader I won’t add any information past the anime’s run so far if you’re curious and want to hear what I have to say.

Deku’s an interesting character to look at in the series because compared to the way we find out about literally every other character, we outright know what he’s thinking or what he’s doing or how he’s feeling, so any development we see from him we pretty much see it coming from a mile away. He’s an open book.

In contrast, not many fans were able to see how Aoyama may have been struggling with feelings of inadequacy over his abilities - particularly in the Sports Festival Arc; and this became obvious with the license exam in season 3, but the point goes that while many fans saw it coming, there were those who weren’t able to read between the lines and saw him as a two-dimensional joke character meant to fill up the class roster up to that point.

We don’t really have that level of mystery or uncertainty with Deku. As the main viewpoint into the series and the world Horikoshi is building, we’re basically experiencing everything that’s happening vicariously through Deku. Yet, it’s not like there’s no room for theories, specularization, or characterization with his character. I’ve already said I’m avoiding spoilers so theories and most speculation are out of the question as I can only vaguely hint that there’s some potentially neat thematic parallels beginning to be explored in part through him, but that’s about as many of the beans I can spill without dumping out the whole thing.

I had some neat stuff to talk about before I actually sat down and started writing this and realized so much of it was spoiler-y; but at least in way of my opinions on Deku, I haven’t actively rooted for the main anime protagonist like this in a while and his likeability is off the charts. That said, he’s not a stellar role model just yet, mainly due to his hero complex. We’ll see some of the nuance of this subject explored in the next season, but by and large Deku’s drive to save people can use some level-headed reigning in before he acts. There are many times where his action is completely appropriate and justified - almost always when there’s someone right in front of him that needs saving; and let me make it perfectly clear that the unyielding drive to help someone in distress is a positive quality through and through; but when he goes out of his way to break the rules and disregards the repercussions in order to save someone I’m kind of surprised he hasn’t gotten in much bigger trouble so far what with his history of it at this point.  That’s all to say that he’s a loose canon in the series so far and needs more experience before he’s real top hero material.

However, I don’t think this lone wolf mentality is what Horikoshi is trying to glorify or endorse through the series. My guess is that the series as a whole is philosophically leaning towards the Good Samaritan principle. (I said I wasn’t theorizing, but I guess I’m a liar now.)

If you aren’t familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan, it’s a parable in the Bible Jesus told about doing the right thing in helping others, no matter who you or the other person is - even if under normal circumstances the person you’re helping would despise you. This story is so iconic that there’s a type of law named after it - The Good Samaritan Law.  (And if you’re unfamiliar with it you should read it and the other parables in the Bible, they’re not just moral tales but might get you good points on an English/Literature essay if you reference them well.) 

It differs from place to place and not all countries have them, but the principle is if you think someone is in immediate danger and you attempt to save them they can’t turn around and sue you for “wrongdoing.” For example, if you see a baby or an animal locked in a car on a hot day and you smash the windows to pull them out and get them cooled down, whoever owns that car can’t sue you for smashing their windows and damaging their car. There’s a lot more nuance and fine print, but that’s the basic idea. In many cases where this law exists it actually legally obligates the bystander to help. The hope is that these laws help reduce the Bystander Effect (really neat if you look it up, but also scary and very humbling) and encourage people to help those in imminent danger without fear of negative repercussions.

Something I didn’t quite realize until now is that with the advent of a superhuman society, the Good Samaritan Principle is largely done away with all the way across the globe. Even if people are in active, life-threatening danger, you can’t use your powers to step in unless you have a hero license or you risk getting in serious legal trouble. To an extent this is understandable in a precarious and delicate situation - just look at the precision called for in the second half of the Provisional License Exam; but it occurred to me that not only are everyday people discouraged from getting directly involved they’re actively penalized if they do! If a hero was already on the case or shows up while you stall for time it makes sense to not insert yourself and complicate matters - you wouldn’t get in the middle of a hostage negotiation, for instance. Yet, that’s not what we see reflected in the series. There’s an over-saturation of heroes to the general public so that there’s almost always a hero close by to swoop in which rarely ever leaves an opening for someone else to step in while a hero is on their way; and the problem with this is that it leads to an over-dependence on heroes to intervene in other’s lives instead of taking the responsibility into one’s own hands as a citizen of the community.

This has repercussions that are directly echoed across the series, even (and especially) up to date. If you’re not a hero, you’re supposed to step back and let a “professional” handle it. If there’s truly no “Good Samaritan” exception in the world of HeroAca then that really gives Deku a solid ideal to embody and work towards in his world. He outright inspired All Might at the beginning of the series because he demonstrated the Good Samaritan Principle when rescuing Bakugo.

“It doesn’t matter that he hates me and bullies me and steps on my dreams. It doesn’t matter that I’m not a hero and can’t even stand up for myself. It doesn’t even matter that I don’t have any kind of superpower to use in this situation. He’s in danger and if I don’t do something now he’ll die! I can’t let that happen, and I won’t let that happen!”

That’s literally the parable in a nutshell. He even gets reprimanded for it after the fact, but he certainly doesn’t apologize for it. Deku is the personification of the “hero’s heart.” It’s recklessly helping others when they need help, and the moment he recognizes that someone is lashing out in pain (a la Todoroki or Shinsou or even Bakugo) he instantly recognizes that even though they may be against him in the moment and that threat needs to be reigned in, they’re still as much in need of saving as someone falling from a building. While All Might deterred crime through threat of force, Deku is on track to deter them before they even get to that place at all, and his character is making a case of normalizing this mentality instead of drawing black and white lines in the sand and chasing the symptoms of the disease rather than the cause. (I’m literally having a big brain moment typing this, “All Might-y power” in one generation vs “Deku” as someone who might normally be worthless but only needs a nudge to become “Dekiru/ I-can-do-it!”)

It’s a theme resonating through the series about how heroism and villainy both have roots in the heart, and while there are threats that have to be dealt with in the immediate and physical, there’s still an emotional and psychological component that has not only gone unaddressed for too long but is directly responsible for the surge of villains in society. You can already see it in so many of the League of Villains’ members (and some of the more troubled heroes) - if someone had been there to reach out their hand and metaphorically save them when they personally needed it in their lives (“It’s okay, I’m here.”) then they probably never would have become bad guys in the first place.

When all’s said and done, I think that’s the point of Deku’s character in the story, why he’s the main character, and why he’s going to be the greatest hero in the world.

~~~~~

Wow, that was more satisfying to write than I thought it would be. And to you, Momo and Uraraka anon, I have heard your question and I am trying to get it out soon. I just have… Much work to do.

After that, though, I hope to open HC requests again soon!

[oneokrocketman-blog]

Why I quit LoL

Hi guys,

it’s been a very long time since you heard from me, I am intending to conclude this precious blog with this last post, I am proud of what I created, but since I lost interest in the game on multiple levels, I want to share some thoughts about my reasons with you. This will not be a 17 page long rant, I will try to state things as neutral and unbiased as possible.

Toxicity:

Yes, the topic is as old as the game, literally.

But the community (not pointing fingers, it’s literally a society’s problem, rather than an individual’s) has moved to extremes, which can at most be comprehended, but not even understood or treated with enough empathy to tolerate this behavior by any people (or gamers) outside the League of Legends community:

I remember a youtube video waaaaaaay back in time, in which G2′s owner ocelote received punishment for being toxic in chat and raging on stream. The video was published in summer 2013, and one of the Riot employees stated, that ocelote would EVEN wish cancer upon certain players, based on their in game performances.

That was 4 and a half years ago.

Nowadays, people tell you to kys( kill yourself), wish that your house burns down in a fire with your family in it, they wish your mother to get hit by a car, they wish for ISIS to bomb your city, they call you autistic, boosted, cancerous, a degenerate... these aren’t exaggerations, ask any LoL player, who has played the game recently, this is pretty much how “competitive” the soloq “scene” has gotten.

I used to read many smart suggestions on reddit or good “guides” on how to maximize your winrate in soloq by never tilting, muting people in all chat, focusing on the game, taking a break after 3 losses in a row and so on.

But at some point, I asked myself:

There is a rule I am trying to live by and I remind myself of it constantly: “Surround yourself with those, who bring out the best in you”, then why would I spend my leisure time getting harrassed, receiving death threats and expose myself to an overwhelmingly toxic community?

When I enter some club (irl), let’s say a football club in town, and some of the members harrass me verbally and wish for my family to die in the most painful way imaginable, would I go back there after trying out? Probably not.

I don’t think most people even realized how far downhill the community has gone, and how ashamed the players should be, to even once type things like I have mentioned above (those are actual quotes, why would I make something like that up?), but as it is with most things in life, as long as you get away with it, and as long as people can use the excuse “But everyone does it.” or “I was just tilted.” The downward spiral will continue, until the game eventually dies, but judging by the popularity of the game and the very young players (age 13) being introduced to it, I am curious when that will happen.

There are very few positive examples of players to show the new young players how to behave respectfully and responsibly, even in the anonymity of the world wide web.

I don’t really see Riot or professional players addressing this issue, it’s kind of just like an elephant in the room, the measures that have been taken by the company (report system and honor system) hasn’t shown any significant results to change the current status quo, which is simply inacceptable, to me at least. my opinion.

This is a quote from one of my favorite movies:

“You either die a hero or you live long enough

to see yourself become the villain. “- Harvey Dent

The hero part (applied to me) is arguable haha, but I haven’t been strong all the time. Depending on how my mood was, what was going on in my life outside of the game, how tired I was and other circumstances and factors, that come into play (HA PUN!), I raged back at people, and sometimes I would end a session of games feeling even more miserable than I started.

I guess I am just not strong enough mentally to cope with the toxic behavior, but that’s okay for me.

So I want to end my relationship with the game here, on my own terms, without blaming anything or anyone.

I feel blessed, that I have been able to experience the game, meeting quite a few amazing people (that’s what it’s all about in the end, trust me, shoutout to: Tentailedbeast, Nextstyle, Plex, Thainy, Echsenmensch709, slayos, atemis, Regenbogenfresse, Nikkkyyy), some of which I can call my friends, I received alot of requests for playing duoq, I have adapted to many metas, while trying to play the game on my own terms (playing support Shen and Gangplank, waaaay before it was cool).

I realize, that Harvey Dent’s quote may sound like an exaggeration here, but I prefer to die a hero (quit playing) , rather than becoming a villian, which is very easy, because that’s what everyone else is doing right?

P.S.: If you feel left out in the list of shoutouts, please message me and I will consider changing it.

Yours sincerely,

Deku... I meant Mat. Obviously!

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 305: Worst Intervention Ever

Previously on BnHA: Shinomori, whose name took me an entire week to memorize, was all, “nice to meet you Deku, I’m ten feet tall, do you want to know how I died?” and without waiting for an answer explained that he kicked it from old age at forty thanks to good ol’ OFA. Deku was all “wait a minute, then how come All Might, who’s fifty-five and is definitely dyeing his gray hair, is still alive?” First and Shino were all, “we really have no fucking clue but we think it’s cuz he’s quirkless, JUST LIKE YOU!” So basically, since quirkless people don’t exactly grow on trees these days, Deku is probably going to be the last user of OFA. The chapter ended with Nana being all, “psst, Deku, about my grandson. Uh, can you kill him?” which is sure to lead to a very interesting conversation this week.

Today on BnHA: Nana And The Gang are all “so, Deku, how can we put this delicately. The thing is, we’re pretty sure that AFO really fucked my grandson up, so on the off chance you can’t save him, how would you feel about, you know... [throat slitting gesture].” Deku is all “idk you guys, I kinda feel like he’s really just a traumatized child at heart and he’s in a lot of pain and stuff and so I should try to help him.” The Vestiges are all “BUT WHAT IF YOU CAN’T” and Deku is all “BUT I WANT TO TRY, DAMMIT” and the Vestiges are all “well when you put it that way, we, uh, were just testing you, so congrats, you passed!” The chapter ends with First being all, “ANYWAY SO WHY DON’T YOU TWO SHY BOYS STANDING OVER THERE IN THE SHADOWS COME SAY HELLO” before we CUT AWAY FOR ANOTHER WEEK, goddammit.

seriously, Nana

just... have you met Deku?? look, if you really want Tomura dead, just sic him on the U.A. first years and tell Shouto and Honenuki that it’s a training exercise

oh my god lmao

we’re too far away to see Nana’s face here so I will just assume that she turned and is staring DIRECTLY INTO THE CAMERA for this one line lmao. “I just wanted to clarify in case anyone felt inclined to take my dialogue out of context and spend an entire week complaining about it”

oh my god?! are you all purposely trying to make me sad??

someone stop me before I launch into an impromptu rant about all my Tomura feels. WHY IS NOBODY STOPPING ME. oh my god but yes, exactly. he’s just in pain all the time. this is exactly why I think Tomura has such high redemption potential even though so far he seems to lack so many of the redemption arc essentials such as feeling remorse, wanting to change, and taking responsibility for his actions. the reason why I’m willing to overlook all that in his case is because Tomura has essentially had zero agency his entire life. AFO molded him into a killer by making sure he was in constant mental agony, and making it so that the only thing that even slightly relieved that agony was killing peeps. like, please don’t think I’m making excuses for him or anything, but if you take a child and manipulate their existence to make it virtually impossible for that child to grow up as anything other than a killer, and basically never give him the chance to be anything else, then no shit he’s gonna be a killer?? he’s basically never had the choice not to be. it’s never been an option for him. anyways I feel like I am EXPLAINING MYSELF SO BADLY but nonetheless I am prepared to die on this hill

anyway so now Nana is all “that’s a rhetorical question btw because Our Hearts And Minds Are One so we can feel everything you feel bro.” so yeah, that’s interesting

now Banjou is getting started on the “let’s try and talk Deku out of wanting to save Tomura because it’s insane” part of their OFA Mystical Space Void Reunion agenda

look, Banjou, I feel you, I really do. you guys don’t think it’s realistic that Deku can defeat Tomura without killing him. so if it’s a choice between killing Tomura vs letting Deku and everyone else in the entire world die, then duh, you think Deku should kill him. I get it! and if this were a real life mass murderer I’d totally agree with you. but the problem is that this isn’t real life, this is a sympathetic shounen villain with a tragic past who might as well have FUTURE REDEMPTION ARC RECEIPIENT stamped on his forehead at this point

so First is all “look, there’s absolutely no doubt my brother has fucked this kid up good and proper by now”, which, again, fair

though, that’s kind of exactly my point though. everything that Tomura is, everything he’s done, he’s done because of AFO. AFO has so effectively shaped his personality and his worldview by this point that it’s all but impossible to penetrate that. he’s AFO’s puppet. but the problem is that rather than treating him like a victim, you all are treating him like a casualty. like he’s already a lost cause. but good luck trying to convince Deku of that

WHOA WHAT, RANDOM SUPER-IMPORTANT AND BIZARRELY UNRELATED EXPOSITION DROPPED IN JUST LIKE THAT??

way to still not reveal Sixth’s name, btw. THE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW, DAMMIT. but also so this confirms something we basically already knew already, which is that not even AFO can steal OFA. it literally can’t be taken away by anyone unless the owner wills it. SO SUCK ON THAT AFO YOU EGG

(ETA: so I have no idea why this was omitted from this translation, but apparently the Sixth’s name was revealed as “En”, which is obviously not his full name but at least it’s something. also he most likely has a fire or smoke-related quirk based on the kanji used, 煙.)

so Banjou is saying that Deku’s “lack of an iron will” could be a disadvantage against AFO. hahaha what?? Midoriya “I’ll break all of my bones without blinking an eye just to protect someone” Izuku lacks an iron will? do tell

he says this is going to be a test of Deku’s determination. well yeah, no shit. but just not in the way you guys think

OH HELLO AGAIN

darker hair again here! but I don’t trust the contrast in these scans at all after last week. his coveralls are way darker than they looked before too, and you can clearly see he’s standing in the shadows now

(ETA: yep, once again the raw shows that his hair is considerably lighter than what’s shown in these scans here. although there’s no mistaking now that his hair is consistently being colored in this slightly darker shade, and it’s not just the lighting.)

anyways lol First was saying something about how AFO can’t steal OFA, and they’ve spent all this time cultivating it as the ultimate weapon against AFO, and blah blah blah. go on then, keep lecturing

NANA GODDAMMIT NONE OF THIS IS YOUR FAULT

girl what?? you did everything in your power to protect your family, and AFO, fucked up man that he is, targeted them anyway. there is one person and one person only to blame for what’s happened to Tomura, and that potato-faced asshole needs a good kick in the balls

NANA GODDAMMIT DON’T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE

SO HELP ME GOD!! I WILL GIVE YOU THE BIGGEST HUG YOU’VE EVER HAD!! THAT IS A THREAT

so now Nana is all “I’m just going to call my grandson a Thing to ensure that fandom has only the freshest, grass-fed no-hormones-added discourse this week”

I don’t even need to drop into the tags to know exactly which specific people are going to respond to this, and what kind of posts they are going to write lmao. everyone’s all caught up in the “that thing”, and meanwhile I’m over here completely hung up on this “nay” that’s appeared out of NOWHERE you guys. look at that. she really said “NAY”

Nana, my love, my dearest, I feel you girl I really do. but he’s not an unforgivable manifestation of pure evil, Deku is exactly right actually, he’s a boy in pain. you guys need to stop questioning Deku’s shounen protagonist instincts here and just let him work his sparkly magic. “let’s try and convince Midoriya Fucking Izuku that he can’t save someone” is a plan that is NEVER going to turn out well you guys

“DEKU GODDAMMIT WHAT IF WE CAN’T SAVE HIM” lmao it’s like an intervention

“DAMMIT DEKU JUST ADMIT YOU HAVE A SAVING PEOPLE PROBLEM!”

RED ALERT IT’S ANOTHER CLOSE-UP OF THE BACK OF MISTER TWO BON CLAY’S HEAD OMG

(ETA: I was too distracted with freaking out about Two and Three to really appreciate how ridiculously handsome First looks in this panel. but on my second readthrough it stood out so much that I had to go back and add an extra bullet point just to talk about how hot he is. look at him. wtf.)

THAT IS DEFINITELY AN UNDERCUT. THE PLOT THICKENSSSS. also those are fucking exhaust vents on Mister Three’s neck. MISTER THREE COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE RELATED TO THE IIDAS, PLEASE TELL ME YOUR SECRETS I’M DYING OVER HERE

so now Deku is launching into what will undoubtedly be a “saving people problems require SAVING PEOPLE SOLUTIONS” heroic counter-speech!

I mean, they can already feel the “lol nah I’m gonna try and save him” feelings running through him lol. ~OuR hEaRtS aNd MiNdS aRe CoNnEcTeD~ and all that. this is just a formality, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love a good shounen protag speech

oh wait hold up, do you mean to tell me that the whole “hearts and minds are connected” thing I was just mocking just a paragraph ago actually allowed Deku to feel what Tomura was feeling?? like literally feel it??

YET AGAIN these Tomura feels are pounding on my front door you guys?? they just will not quit?? people my house is already full of feels, does it look like I need you to sell me any more of them?? -- what do you mean, they’re free??

AW YISS THAT’S IT DEKU. THAT’S SOME GOOD SPEECH RIGHT THERE

I appreciate the contrast here between the Douchebag Triumvirate of Overhaul, Muscular, and Stain versus the Misguided Twosome of Gentle and La Brava. never let it be said that Deku doesn’t know the difference between a redeemable villain and an unredeemable one

OH NO -- OH MY GOD

someone please help me I need directions to the OFA Spooky Galactic Nebula Realm in this fictional Japanese manga land. it’s not on google maps. I need to give these two babies a big hug and wrap them up in a blanket and treat them to some McDonalds Happy Meals please help

other things: (1) ENDEAVOR CHILLING OUT IN DEKU’S “PEOPLE I HOLD DEAR” PANEL LMAO NEON DISCOURSE EXTRAVAGANZA, (2) “ONE FOR ALL IS A POWER TO SAVE, NOT TO KILL” I’M ABOUT TO CRY DEKU I LOVE YOU SO MUCH HOW IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE TO FEEL ALL THIS LOVE, (3) [SLAMS HANDS ON TABLE] THERE’S YOUR MOTHERFUCKING IRON WILL!!!!!!!! -- I’m sorry, please don’t call security, I’ll be good

I just randomly remembered that Deku is still saying all of this in his muffled “FMMPHHMMPHMM” voice and I’m somehow cracking up lol. so actually it’s a very good thing Their Hearts And Minds Are Connected, otherwise they’d no doubt be all, “...what?”

(ETA: so I completely missed this on account of it literally not being visible in the scan at all, but in the raw you can clearly see Baby Kacchan and Baby Shouto fanboying over All Might in two of these panels, and excuse me, ma’am??

thank you very much Deku for including them in your montage, particularly since you’ve never seen Baby Shouto before lol. amazingly accurate image you managed to conjure up, all things considered.)

SDKFJLSKHG -- AS IF ON CUE???

HE’S SO ADORABLE HELP?? Trippy Space All Might looks like he’s about to cry, and First is all “don’t crack a smile... you have to be Firm and Serious here... dammit, don’t smile” omg

anyways! YOU GO DEKU. “MY QUIRK MY RULES, BITCHES” damn, son

KLJLKKHLG TRIPPY SPACE ALL MIGHT LITERALLY ACTUALLY IS CRYING ALL MIGHT HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME

“I JUST... [CLENCHES FIST] REALLY LOVE SAVING PEOPLE” FUCKING HELL LMAO THIS IS THE WORST INTERVENTION OF ALL TIME

Deku is literally all “sure, maybe I’ll have to kill him, but have you guys also considered, MAYBE NOT??” it’s no use Nana he’s too powerful

LMAO FIRST

“like I’ve been saying this whole time, you should definitely try saving Shigaraki Tomura.” “but, uh... First, didn’t you just -- ” “shut up”

(ETA: clearly it’s not just his brother who inherited those smooth-talking genes.)

so now Deku has turned back into a sixteen year old and his clothes have gone missing again. just OFA things

dskljdlsklgk

yes... sure... “testing” you...

HEY

FIRST OF ALL, DAMN YOU HORIKOSHI YOU MADE NANA CRY. even if I’m pretty sure they’re actually tears of happiness/relief. and SECOND OF ALL, “TELL MY BOYFRIEND I SAID HI” DJSKDLKJJL ANYWAY MAYBE GRAN, NANA, AND MR. SHIMURA WERE IN A THROUPLE

[SCREAMS]

WHY WOULD YOU END IT THERE?? WHY WOULD YOU END IT THERE!!!!!

(ETA: and two-to-one odds that we cut away to some other scene once they finally start to turn around next week. I’M CALLING IT NOW. giving myself a week to brace myself for the rage.)

fucking hell. well if anyone needs me I will be adding Horikoshi fucking Kouhei to the list of irredeemable villains, peace