#it's very not nice actually toga

[uraivity]

Toga gives her a flower 🥀

' Umm ... Thanks , but this doesn't change what I said earlier ! You can't just go around trying to cut me and take my blood whenever you want — it's not nice ! '

' But ... if you're trying to apologize ... then , I appreciate that , at least ! '

[atlasofoverthinking]

The Problem with the League of Villains

this is just me ranting after reading many people say that the lov deserved a better ending (i agree with them don't worry). most of that stuff has already been said but i'm bored and need something to write

so why is everyone disappointed?

by definition, an antagonist is someone that goes against the main character(s) and a villain is someone who does immoral and/or illegal things (wow, shocking)

so by definition, the league of villains is aptly named. shigaraki and dabi are mass murderers, toga is a killer too, and even if the others are 'less dangerous' they're all guilty of terorism and kidnapping a teenager.

not nice, right? then why would anyone would want them to have a good ending?

long story short: horikoshi made the league too sympathetic and relatable

when horikoshi has decided to make them funny, he's decided to make them likeable. that's not enough though. you can find a fictional villain funny and not root for them (for some reason the examples that comes to my mind are the disney villains. captain hook is hilarious but no one wants him to win)

the cause of everyone's disappointment is the relatable part. everyone in the league has gone through stuff viewers can relate. touya, shigaraki and toga have been abused; twice has mental health issues (and stuggling to get a job is relatable too lmao); spinner has been discriminated against... you get the idea

and even without knowing their backstory, most of the league's fights can be considered noble: they want to change society and make the world a better place. to take a more precise example, the league kidnapped bakugou because they thought he had gone through similar struggle as them

(this is mr compress talking in chapter 85) as far as i've seen, most of the fandom either think bakugou being chained and muzzled at the end of the sport festival was just comic relief or agree that it was fucked up

so yeah, you can't put a group of people rejected by society, who just want a better world and expect people to not like them

and that's why their ending is disappointing (the rest contains heavy spoilers of the last few chapters of mha)

they're all either in jail or six feet underground. we rationally could understand it, they're all criminals/villains so of course they wouldn't get a happy ending and face consequences for their actions. the only one who could have gotten away with it is shigaraki because of all the grooming/brainwashing he's gone through and maybe toga because she's a child

but if you relate to a character, you want them to get a happy ending. of course fans would want dabi to be at peace, but instead he's forced to spend his last moments being stared at by his abuser). of course fans would want shigaraki to be free from afo (but instead his only freedom was death). of course fans would want toga to be understood and cared for (but she never had that opportunity)

that's not very 'save to win' out of you horikoshi

maybe it's just a shortcut made by the fandom, but the league are seen more as victims of abuse than actual criminals. i mean, what's more important in dabi's story? the fact that he burned himself alive after overworking himself to get his abusive father's attention, or the fact that he's burned people alive? probably both, but there's more focus on the first element.

and obviously we would want abuse victims to get a happy ending

basically, their ending isn't coherent with what we've seen of them, and that's why people are disappointed

btw, the same logic applies to stain. some fans agree with stain's reasoning bc he's fighting against corruption. of course, his logic is stupid and he's delusional but he's introduced not long after we've discovered shouto's past. you can't say "one of the most popular heroes is abusing + all he wants is to get n°1 to satisfy his own ego" and then follow with "see that guy fighting against corruption? he's bad, don't do that"

the clever way to make sure no one would agree with stain would have been to make the heroes fight against injustice with good methods. i live for the fanfics in which izuku takes down the hpsc

okay i'm done ranting thanks for reading

[aashi-heartfilia]

Why do we need a Ochako and Hawks conversation before the manga ends

I've been waiting for their conversation for centuries! Like these two definitely need to talk.

Ochako managed to do something that Hawks couldn't do. Toga and Twice both were really nice people and it's just their quirks led them to despair and they both realised this.

Hawks didn't wanna kill Jin Bubaigawara but he did because in his way, he was trying to be a hero, so he brutally killed his own friend but then what kind of hero does that? In MHA, there's a very thin line between heroes and villains and that has been pointed out several times.

Even with Ochako and Toga. Remember when Toga told Ochako how she used Ochako's quirk to kill a bunch of people during their 2nd battle? Ochako was horrified. The same quirk that Ochako uses to make everyone's problems weightless quite literally was used to kill people.

Ochako and Toga are very similar. They're both very cute and shy, they love to tie their hair up in buns, and even love the same boy which is why when Ochako wasn't able to empathize with Toga, she was hurt because she thought at least chako would understand...

Horikoshi loves to draw parallels between certain characters and their storylines and one such beautiful parallel is this...when later on Ochako notices Toga's tears in the final battle.

"She loved seeing people happy. So of course she zeroed in on her tears"

Beautiful narration, amazing storytelling

It is a way for us as readers to tell that Ochako has now grown, as she is now seeing Toga as a person, not as a villain, just as a person who was sad and crying.

Like it's outright stated for us in the manga, so I don't understand people who think Ochako never got any character development because this is exactly where she differs from Hawks ideology.

Hawks was able to sacrifice Twice for the greater good, even if he himself regretted it later. The Public Safety Hero commission must have made him do other terrible things as well and he might have killed some more villains in secret just like Nagant.

We can cut him some slack though cause he was just following the orders, but then so did Ochako. Tsu even points it out, that killing Toga would have been much easier just like Hawks suggested, but her friend Ochako took a harder route and is trying to confront her.

Plus, Hawks had a chance to correct his mistake and yet when Twice (actually Toga) appeared in the battlefield again, his first instinct was to kill him.

MHA is not a story about killing people for greater good. We've seen in the latest chapter how both Dabi and Endeavour survived the war and while Dabi would live for only some time, he would have some moments of peace with his father. They can at least try to heal what was broken.

Killing twice was definitely not a good idea cause his will continued within Toga. She took her revenge and killed so many heroes on the same battlefield. As long as their despair and sadness is not confronted, the problem is not yet solved. We've seen it with Toga and Shigaraki.

Which is why I said that Ochako passed where Hawks failed.

Both Toga and Twice died, but at least Toga died smiling, happily to save someone she loved. Twice died to save his comrades while Toga sacrificed herself to save Ochako, an act of true love by the so-called villains.

And this needs to be addressed.

Plus there has been too much of a teaser about it...

Hawks witnessed the impact of Ochako's speech in ch 325. And she was the last thing that came to his mind before passing out...

Plus even their covers are a big parallel!

So with all that being said, if Ochako and Hawks didn't have a conversation before this manga ends, it would really be such a missed opportunity and quite a shame.

~Sunshine

[del-thetiredwriter]

Pomegranates

— So here’s a one shot. Beware my English. Not exactly like greek mythology.

Toga: the loose outer garment worn in public by citizens of Ancient Rome.

Warnings: mentions of death, Ancient Greek timeline, God of dead Idia , gn reader , mythological theme…

First he turned right, then left around the corner... A groan came from the blue-haired boy, who was looking for the exit from the walls formed by blue rose bushes.

“Ahh, I think I'm lost!” he groaned.

They say curiosity killed the cat, and Ortho succumbed to his curiosity.

His brother used to come to this garden regularly every day, but no one was allowed to enter the garden except his brother. No matter how much Ortho asked his brother, no matter how much he insisted, his brother would still not let him enter the garden and would not tell him what he was doing in the garden.

Ortho took the opportunity of his brother going to Olympos and secretly entered the garden and got lost.

He had come to a crossroads again. While he was nervously thinking which one he should choose, a voice distracted him.

"Who are you?"

Ortho turned around in panic. He didn't expect to see a soul staring at him with a dull expression.

“Oh, hello.” said Ortho timidly.

He was frightened by the piercing gaze of the person in front of him.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?”

The spirit approached him.

“Well, I'm Ortho… and I'm actually lost.”

The soul raised an eyebrow.

“Don't you know that you should not enter this labyrinth, child? You're lucky, come with me and let's get you out of here."

The sprit took his hand and they wandered back and forth through the maze of trees and bushes.

The sprit did not speak. So there was an awkward silence. There was only the rustle of the grass they were stepping on.

“Um I guess you know the maze pretty well?”

Ortho asked to lighten the mood. But the spirit did not answer.

“Do you live in this labyrinth? What is your name? How long have you been here? Who are you?.."

He started asking questions repeatedly.

The spirit finally spoke.

“But you turned out to be talkative. Unlike you, he can't even put two words together properly." They said in a whisper.

Finally the spirit stopped. They reached a door. To the entrance of the labyrinth.

"We came. Don't even think about coming here again. You were lucky this time that I found you, but you may not be so lucky next time."

They let go of Ortho's hand. The blue haired boy started walking towards the door. When he reached the doorway, he stopped and turned around.

“Can you at least tell me your name?”

The spirit looked at him expressionlessly.

“What will you do if you know? After all, we won't see each other again. Anyway, my name is Y/n and don't ever come here again.”

This was the first encounter between Ortho and the spirit named Y/n.

–

“Y/N! Where are you !"

Ortho had entered the garden again. He wanted to talk again to the spirit that showed him the way when he got lost during his first entry.

That spirit was different. Normally souls come to the underworld after death. Depending on their life on Earth, they would be sent to Elysium, the Fields of Asphodel, or the Fields of Punishment. However, this soul was in his brother's garden...

He was going around random turns, screaming your name. And in the end, he arrived at a place like a garden, without even knowing how he did it.

“Y/n!”

As soon as he saw you, he ran to you with excitement.

You were lying on a sofa with lots of cushions and pillows. There was a flowing river right next to it, and many flowers and trees around it...This place looked just like the riverside in the forest where the protagonists of Ortho's favorite fairy tale met.

You opened your eyes slightly.

"You again? Didn't I tell you not to come here again?" You scolded Ortho.

“But look, I found you. And this place is beautiful.” Ortho said as he approached you.

"Beautiful? Phew! Is this place beautiful? “You said curtly.

“Yes, look, it's very nice. There are roses, magnolias, grapes… and oh, pomegranates too! I love pomegranates, how about you? “ said the child while plucking the pomegranate from its branch.

“I used to love…” said the soul bitterly.

“Umm, shall I tell you a story?” said Ortho to digress.

The spirit did not answer, but Ortho accepted it as a yes and sat down on the sofa next to the spirit.

Once upon a time, there was a lonely king. This king was smart and strong, but he was also lonely. He had no friends or family... Anyway, one day, the king disguised himself and mingled with people, and a person caught his attention. This person was not very beautiful, very smart or perfect, but something attracted the king to this person. After that, the king started to watch this person constantly. Their daily routine, what they eats, what they likes, what they does...

One day the king could not stand it and went to the forest where that person lived. He wanted to see them closer.

–

You went down to the stream to get water. As you started filling the buckets with water, you felt a pair of eyes watching you. When you looked around, you saw someone with blue hair and a black toga watching you from afar.

“Hey young master, are you lost?” You called out.

The man looked around, frightened and not knowing what to do.

You moved towards him.

“Young master, are you lost?” You asked again.

“Oh um…I-“

You smiled.

“You seem to be a high-ranking person, what is someone like you doing in this forest?” You said.

The blue-haired man was mumbling something, but nothing could be understood.

“I'm Y/n, I live in this forest. Would you like to come to my house? “ You suggested. You haven't had any guests in a long time, in fact you never had.

"O-okey.” The young man said in panic.

"How nice. By the way, what was your name?”

“Idia”

–

From that day on, the king started to visit that person, always hiding his true identity. The king was happy, but his happiness did not last long. One day, a seer came to visit the king.

–

“You are not in that person's destiny, God of the Dead Idia. They have different life cycles in their thread of destiny. However, if you want, I can give you the thread. If you cut the thread, their fate will be like an unclear water. You can shape it the way you want and even be completely you in their destiny. ” said the god of prophecy. And he handed the thread to Idia.

Idia hesitantly took the thread. Could he really cut this thread, which symbolizes the happy future of his beloved, because of his own greed? But if he cut it, he would be the fate of his beloved.

Idia would visit the mortal you every day but that week he didn’t.He locked himself in his room and just thought about what he should do with the thread.

–

And the king finally gave in to his greed and cut the thread.

–

“Oh Idia, where have you been? I was very scared that something bad had happened.” You said while hugging him.

You were very worried when you didn't hear from him for a week.

“I brought pomegranates. From my own garden.” Idia said as he handed you a basket full of pomegranates.

“You are forgiven. I like pomegranates.”

After that, Idia started bringing you pomegranates every time he came. The pomegranate was Delicious, juicy, sweet... but slowly your health began to deteriorate. Headaches, coughing blood, nightmares... You only felt good when you were with Idia.

But how could you know that the pomegranates are from the underworld’s garden? If a god or a spirit eats it, nothing will happen, but if a human eats it... they start to die slowly. First headaches and nightmares, then they begin to see spirits that humans cannot see, and eventually they die.

-

“Agh!” You screamed in pain. Your heart was tightening and it hurt like crazy, like you were being stabbed.

Idia came running to you.He had a dark liquid in his hand. Pomegranate juice.

“Y/n, are you okay, are you having an attack again?” He helped you get up. He placed you on your bed.

“Oh gods,” you groaned.

“Here, drink some. It will make you feel better..” Idia said and handed you pomegranate juice.

“No… no I don't want to.” You said.

“Come on, for your health.” insisted Idia.

“Just one sip.”

Idia helped you drink. It was sour. Then you couldn't breathe and you closed your eyes. You dropped the glass full of pomegranate juice. It was spilled on you.It looked just like blood.

You were dead.

"I am sorry…I'm sorry for loving you. But I had to. I’m sorry, Y/n.” Idia said with a shaky voice and hugged your dead body.

–

“Then they lived happily ever after .” said Ortho and finished the story.

"How was it? It’s good isn’t it? This is my favorite fairy tale. My brother told me.” Said Ortho

But Y/n didn't answer.

“Come on, it's late, let's take you back.” Said the Spirit.

“So early?” The boy whined. He took the spirit's hand and they moved towards the exit under the soul’s leadership.

“Um Y/n I was going to ask you something. Will you come to us tomorrow? I don't know if I'll find you next time.” said Ortho innocently.

“No…I'm sorry Ortho, but I can't leave this garden, but if you want to come again, come with your brother.” Said the Spirit sadly, as if something tying them to this garden.

And they said goodbye again.

-

“So? How was your day?" Idia asked his little brother.

“Good, as I said before, I made a new friend. There I was with them and I told them my favorite story." Ortho explained with excitement.

“Is that so…by the way, what was your friend's name?”

Idia asked.

“It’s Y/n.”

[mooluvs]

The league of villains with a reader with a croc quirk

requests open | bnha masterlist

requested by @stitched-bones-draws

warnings: none | genre: platonic fluff | fic type: hcs

Request: How about the lov from mha with a reader that has a croc mutation quirk, that has all the pros and cons of crocs(ei swim speed, and big lungs) and they are very loving, a good baker, loves to play fight/train, but… their way of showing affection is biting.

They love you

You’re super happy to have found people that accept you for you and don’t judge you for your quirk

And they all love having you around, you’re a big sweetie!

And very useful to have around

The biting... took them by surprise

Toga loves it, especially as she also has a unique way of showing affection.

In general she just loves having you around, your really nice and sweet to her.

And you don’t even flinch when she comes at you with a knife!!

She thinks of you as family.

Shigaraki claims he only keeps you around because you’re useful

That’s a lie, he adores you

You’re actually nice to him and never make any judgmental comments about his interests or appearance.

He likes training with you, you’re strong, but he much prefers just spending quiet time with you

Whether it be sat with you while you bake, or just sat at the bar talking.

You’re good company!

And you bring him tasty cakes when he’s gaming

To be honest, they all love your food.

Especially twice

Practically everyone even associated with the league has heard from him about how good your cooking is.

He’s your main hype man

He gives your cakes to Giran, all the time.

Not that the man’s complaining, they’re tasty

He also appreciates how you try and help him when he’s having a rough day mentally.

And how you try and calm him down when he feels like he’s splitting.

He really appreciates that.

He’ll try and help you bake sometimes.

Try

So does Mr compress, and he’s surprisingly good at it.

He appreciates having another mature person around

I mean, you can cook for yourself and that is a hell of a lot than most the others can do

He likes that you’re loving and gentle but could also fuck a man up, if need be.

He enjoys just spending time with you, he likes your vibe and caring attitude

He about shat himself the first time you chomped on his arm

Was never judgemental about it, though

Just scared shitless

Dabi appreciates how strong you are

He lets you play fight him and treats it as training.

You’re a really good training partner, you’re strong and hard to take down

Even if you do fuss over his burns too much

Would never say it but he seriously appreciates how you help him with his burns and stitches

It warms his heart

He tries to repay you by helping you on any missions or getting you anything you need for baking.

Or just stealing stuff for you

It’s his love language, okay

He’s strangely protective of you, even though you could end most people in an instant

He acts almost like an older brother

You and spinner are reptile buddies

You’ve honestly done so much for his confidence

You always hype him up and defend him against any of dabi’s totally not affectionate insults.

You always hype him up

And you’ve been training him to help him improve in battle

You like to talk to him about your quirk and living as a heteromorph

Though your quirks are very different, you’ve had some similar experiences.

And both you have reptile traits

It’s good to find someone who knows the pain of having animalistic instincts and traits.

Also, him and Tomura sometimes grab you and drag you into video game sessions.

The other members don’t know this

Shiggy has a reputation to maintain

In conclusion, congrats on being adopted by a found family of Criminals.

Enjoy being the mom friend!

[staypuffy]

Okay, so I know prefacing something with "hear me out" virtually guarantees that not one motherfucker will, but, heart me out...

Jim was default Gabriel. He was Gabriel without all the corruption and pressure and complacency he had from being the Supreme Archangel of Heaven for so many years. When he takes away all his own memories, the things that led to this corrupt person we know from season 1, we're left with the basic blueprint of his personality and that's this: just a nice guy. He was helpful, apologetic, thoughtful, kind and even self-sacrificing to an extent (when he offered himself up to Shax's legion to save everyone.) We can assume then, that this is what Gabriel was like before The Fall.

We see some of Jim, or the old Gabriel, start to come back out during his interactions with Beelzebub, for example, miracling the jukebox because he remembers Beelzebub likes the song. Would the Gabriel who sentenced Aziraphale to burn and told him to "shut his stupid mouth and die already" think to do something like that?

No, because love brought him back to himself.

When he's around Beelzebub, the person he loves, we start to see more of Jim, Gabriel's softer side. Eventually, it is this love for Beelzebub which causes a complete reversion back to his old self. As you can see in Gabriel's final scene, he is very pointedly acting much more like the Jim character we became acquainted with over season 2 than the vindictive, wrathful bureaucratic Gabriel from season 1.

Now that Aziraphale has assumed Gabriel's old position, there is a chance the very same thing could happen to him. That the monotony, the responsibility, the corruption of running Heaven, of having everyone look to him for the answers, could do the very same thing to him that it did to Gabriel. Since Jim and Aziraphale's characters are actually quite close to one another (soft, somewhat childlike and innocent, geuinely kindhearted and good) there is a precedent.

(I think Crowley might suspect all this and it's part of the reason why he's so suspicious of and resentful of Heaven for calling Aziraphale back; because he's too loyal for his own good and can't accept that there's something fundamentally wrong with Heaven as an institution, but that's an entirely different post).

When Aziraphale goes back, Crowley knows this is what he's risking. That he's not only leaving Crowley behind, but that he's risking completely changing who he is because of what that position will do to him. It's why he tries so fucking hard to get him to stay. It's why he kisses him. He does everything he can think of to keep Aziraphale there, he puts everything he has on the line to show Aziraphale how he feels in the hopes that he’ll stay so Heaven won’t corrupt him.

But Aziraphale goes anyways.

IN WHICH CASE...

If Aziraphale does let the position change him, like it did Gabriel, the only way to bring him back from being a hard-bitten, cruel and ruthless husk of his former self would be with Crowley's help (vis a vis Beelzebub, a demon, doing it for Gabriel, an angel). And Crowley, no matter how damaged and heartbroken and traumatized, would do it.

It's hard to imagine Aziraphale becoming this way, but could you imagine Jim in a bedsheet toga with a feather duster sentencing someone to death? Me either.

Is it unlikely? Yes. Will it happen? Probably not. Do I like asking myself rhetorical questions to reinforce my point? Also, yes.

That has been my keynote speech, thank you for hearing me out.

[the-anime-enthusiast]

izuku midoryia’s type in women PLEASEEEE🙏🙏

OFCC!! Sorry for taking so long, in my last post I explained why I've been on an unofficial hiatus but yeah 😭 I got u!!

IZUKU MIDORIYA - type in women

PHYSICAL 🤸‍♀️

bro DOES NYYYAT care, literally at all. I think everyone has their preferences, him too ofc, but he's him guys. The ratio from hips to waist is NOT what bros laying attention to, but ofc I'll still give you my opinion.

SUN KISSED BADDIES you got that like sunburn across your cheeks? he's going crazy. like legitimately. I don't think he would be able to handle his feelings. he'd probably pass out from a blood pressure spike.

He likes them brown haired girls 😔 and brown eyed girls 😭 (song reference) He honestly doesn't care Abt details like that, he'd date anyone, but he def compares his love life to shoujo series and he stays seeing those dark haired baddies.

ass tits thighs personality ✅ he's fs a personality man but let's bffr, every guy has there thing....height, hips, and arms. He likes his girls shorter than him 🙂 (around 5'2? not too short tho cuz then he gets weirded out) He LOVES dem hips. Yk whenever a girl has that natural dip in her hips, it kinda looks like those donut stack toys babies play with? (random comparison I js can't think of anything) HE LOVES THAT SH!!T. He's def secretly crazy for thick hips, like when u got some fat around them. Loves it 100%

okay...so the whole arms thing...he likes girls who have thicker arms...and not rly a muscle kinda thick, more like an auntie thick when you got that little folded skin hanging over the elbow. Bros specific, and bros a lil weird Abt it. He would NEVER admit it out loud, but it's like a creepy fetish for him. He would js never actually be creepy Abt it tho cuz yk, HE HAS COMMON DECENCY. (Unlike some guys 🙄)

When I say he's not picky, I MEAN he is not picky. It's giving very much Yuji Itadori and that one girl that he was like "yeah it would be her" (very mindful, very sweet, very wholesome, very demure) Slim, Thick, Skinny, Midsize, Plus size, All size, Morphing Size (idfk im running out of sizes and you never know with those quirks man)

MENTAL 🧠

if ur a mean ass bitch you can get TFFF OUUUTTT bro does NOT stand for that sh!t 🙅‍♀️ tbh i dont think he'd be picky when it comes to personality but he doesn't stand for someone who has room for hate in their heart, even after everything hes been through. I'm not gonna sit here and be like "oh he's a sweet cinnamon roll 🥺" like bffr, but he won't even look in your direction if you're a "hater"

He generally wants someone sweet, or just nice in general. like ochaco (no I'm not shipping them, she's just really nice and the best charcter to describe his preferred personality to)(did you see her with toga? shes a sapphic queen guys bffr) He wants someone who cares TREMENDOUSLY, like he does. Kindness is what gets his attention, being a good soul and good spirit, someone he can match wave lengths with mentally.

A strong mind and determination. (bkdk reference) (I'm joking) He knows exactly where he wants to be in life, even if his idea of that is a little messy, so he likes whenever someone has the same drive he does, natural will to be good. He wants someone mentally tough and ready to face the world for what they believe, as long as they know in their heart it's what they want/believe. (all might reference)

RANDOM 🎉

He rly likes girls who can draw 😭 He thinks it's the coolest thing ever and it makes it so easy for his partner to get him gifts bc he'd melt if he got a personalized drawing of him and his fav heros 😭

LOVE LANGUAGE - physical touch

he's not huge on pda (he gets rly embarrassed, not in a embarrassed of you way, more of a, im shy and feel like my face is going to explode, kinda way) but he loves sweet little acts of physical touch. Whenever he's stressed or really anxious holding hands melts all his worries away.

LOVE LANGUAGE -quality time

bro fr js wants to be next you. he loves little cheesy dates (amusement park and sharing crepes)(manga reference) but yeah, just cheesy things like that.

Really likes nerdy girls (very big on matching energy if you can't already tell) like js geek out with bro and he'd die for u istg.

Play a damn board game with this kid, Jeezus Chrysler. Whip out monopoly and you'll have his attention till he rots in fictional jail. He actually REALLY sucks at board games but refuses to ever stop playing them. Jenga? He can't even set the blocks up without knocking them over. Uno? He forgot what the word uno was. I mean literally say there stuttering trying to remember what word he's supposed to say.

BUY THIS KID SHOES. He doesn't know why...but it's one of his favorite gifts to receive. He loves trying them on and showing them off to you. He also gets rly geeked out over custom fan shoes. (think like those Hercules sandals from the Hercules movie) He knows it's cringe. He doesn't care. He has display racks for all of them on his wall.

OMG I FINISHED WRITING IT HOLY SH!T I DIDNT THINK I WOULD I js pulled all of these he out MY BEHIND BRO it's midnight I'm dead ASF, I have that convention in 2 days, shizzz wild rn. Pls lemme know what u think!! I've never been a HUUGHERE Deku fan, I kinda js appreciate his character, but I think this is pretty cutesy, how tf do u spell that. Anyways, yeah. This was fun. BYEYYEYEYEHEHEHEHEHEYYTEYRYTRYYR

[razorblade180]

HEAVY MHA MANGA SPOILERS

People: Horikoshi loves subverting expectations! How could this be what he’s written!?

Me:…You wanted the 15 year old Shonen protagonist to achieve everything he ever wanted and for everyone to make it out okay. He did subvert expectations. They just weren’t yours.

People:I like how realistic children of Endeavor acted in the end because that what happens in abusive households. You don’t have to reconnect.

Also People:I can’t believe we didn’t save the villains, some citizens don’t care, and Deku failed.

Me:Man, it’s almost like it’s realistic that a teenager with strong conviction came up short despite trying everything he possibly could against someone who never once said he wanted to change; how could a growing boy possibly not achieve perfectly going against the weight of the world?

I don’t mean to be completely insensitive but a section of this fandom really just can’t seem to balance reality with extreme optimism. (delulu) Admittedly, I’m shocked about Toga but when it comes to everyone else there really is no reason to have expected them to get any semblance of a nice ending. Bare minimum they’d all go to prison because they destabilized a country and murdered so many people. No tragic backstory is getting you out of that.

Now I will say the most recent chapter feels a little rushed to me but the overall message the show has been preaching is still communicated. They never looked away from taking the hard path; to the very end, they tried to save everyone they and they will do it again despite the risk. We even get the panels of an old lady deciding to reach out this time instead of waiting for a hero to take care of it because “The essence of being a hero is meddling where you don’t have to.” People are starting to actually look at their fellow man! That was the original complaint from the league; hero society just letting people fall through cracks without a second thought!

Everyone has a right to be mad, but you can be mad and still see the point even if it’s not point you wanted to be made.

All and all I can’t say I’m particularly mad about how most things generally went, but that’s because anything that would’ve upset me would have to come from immense character favortism/bias that muddies narratives and character traits. For example, you can’t have Izuku save Tomura and he gets some kind of decent ending, but then have Overhaul rot in prison. Touya can’t have a happy life but Endeavor is condemned forever by everyone. Doing that doesn’t make with any sort of messaging and character ideals that want to be presented. None of that happened though so I’m chillin.

As for the shippers, I don’t know what to tell ya? Welcome to your Naruto initiation? Balance your preference with what text and scenes are actually saying to see the obvious boats that will probably make it to end so you can at least brace impact next time. You can ship proudly and be fully aware your boat is sinking, or in some cases, smile snuggly because you always knew you’d make it to the finish line.

[bicheetopuff]

I mean, I am a multishipper so I both like Izu/Ocha and Bkdk (and some other ships, lol). Izu/Ocha has some cute moments and a nice bond, but in the overall narrative, its obvious Bkdk is on a whole another level. I think the majority of these ppl, especially dudebros in the fandom, are triggered by the reality and therefore lashing out against queer ppl for supposedly ''taking away their precious straight marriage endgame''. They wanted an ending like naruto, deku had to be your average shounen character with superpowers and a woman by his side, ochako had to birth his kids, etc. Nvm that naruto's that very plot choice made the series so ridiculous at the end.

Izuku and Ochako have great moments and I genuinely adore their friendship and I think they’re very important to each others respective arcs. That being said, I agree that bkdk are on a whole other level, whether you ship them romantically or not, and I feel like you have to actively ignore it in order to avoid acknowledging it since it’s so in your face from just the first few chapters. There’s only so many excuses you can make in order to say that they don’t love each other in some way.

There’s still people saying that they’re toxic and they hate each other and I just genuinely don’t understand why they don’t just drop the story. Doesn’t it get exhausting having to force yourself to turn a blind eye to the most important relationship in the story? Like what’re you getting out of it when their relationship sets up basically every major theme in the series in some way? Without one or the other, mha wouldn’t have happened and it would’ve been incredibly boring, bffr.

I really do think they ignore it and try to convince themselves to hate Katsuki because it conflicts with their heteronormative ending that they want so badly from a shonen manga… which is funny cuz isn’t they exactly what they accuse the shipping community of doing? Accusing people of hating Ochako/being a misogynist for the sake of our ships?

Like, what’s more misogynistic? Acknowledging Ochako as her own character and actually paying attention to her character arc and seeing that izuocha happening would’ve been kind of insulting to her AND Himiko considering everything she went through to realize that she wants to live and love as she pleases without external factors telling her what to do? Or, wanting Ochako to confess her feelings in the middle of a mental breakdown and for Izuku to say “omg I’m in love with you too!! :D” despite there being no romantic development between them but they get married and have kids anyway despite the fact that heroes with kids has been portrayed as a bad thing in the majority of the story…

If bnha had a Naruto ending I think I would’ve auctioned off all my mha merch and deleted my blog while trying to erase the story from my memory. I probably would’ve actually cried. Because, like you said, it’s a ridiculous ending, and it just would’ve completely negated Ochako’s entire arc, not to mention the fact that it’d make Shigaraki targeting and killing Katsuki literally mean nothing. Like, I’m sorry but if izuocha was meant to happen, Toga and and Ochako would’ve been pulled to UA instead of the other way around and Shigaraki would’ve targeted her instead. I SAID WHAT I SAID

[booksooks]

𝑳𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑳𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓: 𝑫𝒂𝒚 2

Author's Note: Hi friends, second part up on time? What? Who am I, god? Anyway, it's Toga's debut in today's piece, I hope you enjoy :)

Contents: College!AU, all characters depicted are STRICTLY 18+, no use of "Y/N"/any other variants, and possibly wildly ooc characters. I apologize for this. Light swearing.

Word Count: 2046

Summary: Entering your second year at college, only a few months after being broken up with, you weren't expecting anything special. Especially not in the romance department. But then a quiet, but friendly-enough boy on your floor catches your attention faster than you would like to admit. And oh, boy, are you in deep.

Waking up the next morning wasn’t as difficult as you thought it would be. Gentle sunlight streamed in through your windows, and all was quiet. It definitely wasn’t normal for your expectations of college, last year your roommate had insisted on blaring all sorts of TV shows and movies or music at any hour she pleased. You hadn’t minded, since whenever you were actually studying she had put earbuds in, but the silence was certainly a new sensation.

You took your time getting up, as your first class was only at 11am, which gave you ample time to wake up and rub the sleep from your eyes, and maybe hang out for a bit on your phone before taking a shower, and doing your makeup. You then arranged your hair the way you liked, poking at a strand that just wouldn’t lay right until you gave up, leaving at 10:30 to get to the building on time. Things were actually going really well, considering.

You got to class entirely too early, and resigned yourself to sitting on the floor in front of the doors as you waited for the professor or other students to show up. You weren’t alone for long, however, as a bubbly looking girl in as much pink as she could have had on skipped up. Her ashy blonde hair was tied up in two messy moon buns, and she had the cheeriest look on her face.

“Hi!” She crowed, waving at you on the floor. “Is this oceanography? Room 231? I’m Himiko Toga, by the way, nice to meet you! You can call me Toga.”

You looked up at her and waved back. “Yeah, I think so. At the very least it’s room 231.”

“Cool!” She brightened. “I’m a freshman, so I’m still learning my way around. This campus is so big! Especially compared to my highschool, which was only one building. I was afraid I’d be late.”

Toga continues chattering for a few minutes, putting her backpack (also pink), down on the ground to give her shoulders a rest as she talks about how she was supposed to dorm, how she had several friends here which was a major reason as to why she even chose this school, and how excited she was to make new friends, and would you be hers?

You couldn’t help but get caught up in her infectious positivity, and before long you were yapping along with her, of course you’d be her friend. And then it wasn’t long until the professor, an older woman with graying hair who walked slowly and talked with the same cadence, shuffled up to the doors and asked you and Toga to open them as she dragged a cart behind her on a dolly. The three of you settled into the room, the professor making small talk with Toga about her experience with college so far and the first few introductory days as a freshman. You were setting up your computer, so completely focused on trying to get the damn wifi to work, that you didn’t notice when the door opened and someone slipped in. But Toga definitely noticed, and she squealed, making your head jerk up.

“Tomura! I can’t believe you’re in the same class as me, already! This is gonna be so fun!” Toga nearly climbed over the tables to get to the man, wrapping her arms around his torso affectionately.

Shigaraki, to his credit, didn’t brush her off immediately, and even wiggled one of his arms free to awkwardly give her a side hug back. She let go as soon as he started trying to pry himself free.

“Hi, Toga,” Shigaraki greeted, much more quietly than Toga had. It was then that he had noticed you, and he gave you a few quick glances before looking away, moving further into the room to sit next to Toga. He gave the professor a quick nod and introduced himself before setting up his own computer, tuning Toga out as she shook your shoulder lightly.

“This is one of the friends I was talking about! His name is Shigaraki Tomura, but I call him Tomura because we’re besties,” she explained excitedly, and you didn’t really have the heart to tell her that you two had already met. Before you could say anything, however, Shigaraki spoke up in that soft, raspy tone of his.

“We met yesterday.”

Toga gasped excitedly, clapping as she smiled brightly. “Ohmygod, really? Ooh that’s so exciting! Now I have two besties in the same class, we can study together!”

Shigaraki glanced at you then, shrugging before turning back to his computer screen. The professor had been setting things up this entire time, and there was a powerpoint on the screen about plate tectonics. Several other students you didn’t know had also been steadily filtering in, taking up most of the seats around your little trio.

“Sure,” you told Toga, motioning for her to sit down. Class would be starting soon, it was 10:58. “I don’t mind if Shigaraki doesn’t.”

“I don’t,” he said quietly, and Toga took that as her signal to whip out her phone and make a group chat, already texting emojis in it with speed. “Put your phone away,” he muttered, pulling out his own phone to clear the now 10 notifications from the group chat. You sighed and finally got connected to the wifi, just as the last student came in sheepishly and sat down in the front of class, and the professor started introducing herself before roll call.

50 minutes later, and some very confusing instructions and explanations from the professor later, you were dismissed for the campus’s common hour.

“Let’s get lunch together!” Toga pleaded, already bouncing on her feet to get going as you and Shigaraki put your laptops away and stood up.

“Sounds good to me,” you agreed, following Toga out of the building. Shigaraki hadn’t said anything, but he followed you both out to the path without protest, so you took it as a sign that he was also down.

And so, the three of you made your merry way down to the commons, where there were several food chains open, along with… almost every other member of school. It was crowded and hot and loud, and you winced, almost losing sight of Toga as she dragged you along like she knew the place like the back of her hand. Which, was weird the more that you thought about it, because wasn’t she a freshman?

Either way, you wished for earplugs or something, scrunching your shoulders up to avoid touching anyone and making yourself as small as possible. Toga didn’t seem to notice, despite looking over her shoulder several times, and you tried not to be too annoyed. She was probably just excited and hungry. Shigaraki, however, did notice, and he held his sweater-clad elbow out for you to hold onto wordlessly. You take it gratefully, fingers curling into the soft fabric and trying to ignore how fucking solid he felt underneath, despite his lanky build. God you were touch starved.

You swallowed heavily and let Shigaraki somewhat bulldoze his way through the crowd. He was pretty tall and in his all black outfit he was more than a little intimidating, so people got out of his way like you were both surrounded by an invisible, protective bubble. You clung onto him tightly, incredibly grateful that people were less inclined to bump into you or push past you now that you were hanging off of Shigaraki’s arm.

Eventually, you finally caught up to Toga, who had somehow already bought herself a serving of sushi and a strawberry Fanta (sidenote, who actually liked those things? You had tried one during your freshman year and were barely able to finish the damn thing). She beamed up at the two of you, and was about to say something when she saw you hanging off of the crook of Shigaraki’s arm, and you let go like he had burnt you. Toga’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, and then she was moving on.

“I’m gonna go find us a place to sit!” She chirped, leaving you and Shigaraki behind, again.

You sighed and motioned for him to go ahead of you, which he took, also getting a container of sushi, and a monster, before checking out. You thought he was going to leave you behind to fend for yourself, but he stopped just outside the little cafe, waiting. You did your best to hide your smile as you acquired your own food and drink, paying for them and smiling at the cashier who looked like he would rather be anywhere but there at that very moment before you caught up with Shigaraki. He looked only a little less bothered when you stepped up next to him, and then once again he used his presence to clear a path to the little booth that Toga had claimed.

“How the hell did you snag this?” You asked, sitting next to her, as Shigaraki slid into the seat across from you. “These are normally never empty at this time.”

Toga smiled at you as she broke open the flimsy wooden chopsticks, and Shigaraki did the same. “Some people were leaving just as I got here,” she explained, bringing a piece of sushi to her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing. “And so I just sat down and threatened to stab anyone who asked if they could also sit here!”

You blinked at her incredulously, and Toga continued eating as if she hadn’t just told you she tossed around threats like she was talking about the weather.

“Is that normal?” You asked Shigaraki. He nodded, unperturbed, and shoved two pieces of sushi into his mouth. You gaped, blinked, and then decided if someone who’d known her since at least highschool said it was fine, it must be fine. Relatively.

The rest of your lunch is completed with more chatter from Toga, with you and Shigaraki occasionally giving input or asking her questions. The time flies, and soon you were all nursing your drinks, a neat pile of trash to be thrown out when you leave at the edge of the table. Toga is talking excitedly to Shigaraki about a game he’s… making? Playing? You had stopped paying attention after a while, letting the two friends catch up as your social battery depleted. You checked your phone, for a lack of anything better to do, and jolted when you looked at the time.

“Holy shit, it’s 1:50, I gotta go,” You exclaimed, cutting Toga off mid-sentence. The panic in your voice was unmistakable as you hastily shoved your phone into your back pocket, the screen dimming abruptly. You slung your backpack over one shoulder, the straps digging into your skin as you scrambled to gather your things, and with one last glance at Shigaraki and Toga, you snatched up the crumpled pile of trash from the table. Your movements were sharp and erratic as you waved absentmindedly at them, making a beeline for the door. You sighed and hurried your pace, mentally mapping out how to get to the library from where you were.

Just as you were about to push through the exit, Toga’s voice rang out, slicing through the clamor of the hallway: “Text us!” Her tone was light-hearted, but there was a pleading tone to her words that made it clear she already wanted to keep in touch with you. You threw another quick, half-hearted wave over your shoulder, barely registering her shout as you broke into a light jog. Unfortunately, people didn't get out of your way like they did with Shigaraki, and you were forced to dodge and weave until you got outside and were able to move around people more freely.

You’re not early, or even on time, by any means, but then again neither is the professor apparently, as he walks in 5 minutes late.

It’s not until hours later, when you’re back in your dorm, relaxing on your bed when you realize that you never texted Toga back. You quickly ran to your messages, and typed something out.

You smiled to yourself and put your phone away, getting ready for bed. Friday could not come soon enough.

End Notes: I hope you enjoyed :) Please let me know if you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them!

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ABSOLUTELY NO ONE HAS MY PERMISSION TO REPOST MY WORK TO ANY SITE.

[ily-tomura]

Sweater Weather

Autistic!Tomura, GN!Reader

Tomura loves the colder months of the year.

He finds both rain and snow to be very calming. The sensation of raindrops hitting his body is a very grounding thing for him. He has a harder time walking in snow, but he thinks its nice to look at.

One of his favorite things in the winter is being driven around at night to look at the decorations and lights people put.

His second favorite winter activity is getting out in the snow. It’s a bit of a process to bundle him up, but it’s worth it when you see the smile on his face when he’s out in it. He like the weight of it being piled on top of him.

Tomura’s body doesn’t circulate well, so he gets very cold very quickly. He keeps a heater in his room so that he can control the temperature more easily without the rest of the house freezing or burning up.

He uses winter as an excuse to wear a lot of layers. He really likes the sensation of being weighed down, so along with a hoodie and a jacket, he’ll fill his pockets with things to add additional weight.

He loves sweeter foods, so during the winter he loves getting hot chocolate. He’s a bit picky about the brand, because he finds some to be rather bitter.

Marshmallows and s’mores are some other favorite things of his. He’ll eat marshmallows all year round, but s’mores are just something he associate with winter time. You don’t have enough space for a bonfire, but he makes do with the microwave. He doesn’t like it as much though.

Dabi actually got him a little indoor burner so that he could toast marshmallows. He said it was Toga’s idea, but she said he was the first one to suggest it. Dabi is a surprisingly thoughtful gift giver when he wants to be.

Tomura is much more likely to want to snuggle in the winter time. Unfortunately for you, he thinks putting his cold hands on you is peak comedy. He doesn’t find it nearly as funny when you do it back for some reason.

[omegamusings-writigs]

[HC] Being Alpha!Shigaraki’s Omega

Originally posted: Mar 03, 2021 Re-posted: Dec 26, 2022

Masterlist

My Hero Masterlist

shigaraki is the leader of the league of villains. he doesn’t have time for an omega that would surely demand his attention every second of everyday.

but then you wander into the hideout with the burnt rat man and the middle schooler and i guess you aren’t that bad to look at

he’s pretty much immediately intrigued by you and your scent

won’t admit it though, obviously

not even to himself

he convinces himself that he’s just really annoyed by you and that’s why he keeps staring at you

dabi calls him out on his bullshit though

shigaraki tells him to go die

then you get hurt during the attack on the training camp and he goes ape shit

will not leave your side and has threatened to disintegrate anyone who gets close to you

also bears his fangs at every alpha dabi who looks at you

it makes him realize that he absolutely doesn’t want you with any other alpha but him

so he starts scenting you

shigaraki smells of cedar wood but you can also always detect the dry powder-y smell of dust on him

it’s a very nice scent when he rubs it off on you but is quick to turn sharp when he gets protective over you

he never officially asks to court you but you pick up on it when he starts scenting you and also agrees to scent a blanket for you 

he also never pushes you away when you climb into his lap to snuggle up to him

he’ll act annoyed about it, especially when you’re around other people, but actually really likes knowing that you’re safe and with him

dabi teases the shit out of him for “going soft” which earns him the middle finger from both of you

after you become his omega, he really doesn’t like you going out on missions anymore

if you insist on it, he’ll still let you but he’ll be grumpy about it the entire time

will say that it’s because omegas shouldn’t do dangerous shit like that and it has nothing to do with him wanting to keep you specifically safe but everyone knows that’s bullshit, he let’s toga go on missions without a problem

now what he really doesn’t like is you being alone around other alphas and he won’t budge on that 

eventually, he trusts dabi enough to keep an eye on you during missions or just if he can’t be there but that took years of working together and him officially claiming you

overall, shigaraki is a very attentive alpha when it comes to your physical needs but he kinda sucks at the whole emotions and feelings stuff so you’re gonna have to be frank with him

he tries his best but gets frustrated easily and get’s even more frustrated and jealous when others are able to help you better with something than he can

just have patience with him and praise him once in a while ya know

[chainelunaire]

first date places

dabi

the roofs. he loves watching sky at any given time actually, he especially loves stargazing. when he was a kid, he had a telescope and about a hundred books about space, so til this day he's very invested. and another funny thing about him is that he still has that 'dude who was born rich' mentality, despite the fact that he lived on the streets for literally a decade. he wants everything to look like he hasn't tried (and he doesn't want to try) and he wants it to be literally perfect at the same time. so he goes for an obvious solution, being bringing you to watch stars together. it might be difficult to do in a such large city, but he knows places, and he knows a lot of them. he wants to show you the night city in all it's glory as well. he's a bit sentimental, so he shares a lot of stories of a particular places in which he lived - nothing in detail, just to entertain you. despite all his aloof demeanor, he's really proud of himself that he succeeded in impressing you. and if you're truly interested in astronomy as much as he is, then it's over for you, his nerdy ass won't shut up. it has it's pros: it's simply unfair how adorable he looks while telling you everything he knows about stars.

shigaraki

it's his bar for this very special occasion. he's very nervious and the fact that he already left his room is some heroic (pun unintended) shit for him. he needs somewhat comforting surroundings to collect himself better. i believe he's also a romantic at heart, so with help of the lov he'll decorate his place, so it'll be something really nice, not some messy area they usually live in. there will be music (in general he hates music, but he'll tolerate it just this once, because a, it's toga who plays guitar, b, it's for a mission (date)), there will be candles (he went through some real shit trying to steal scented ones and they smell bad anyway for his taste, and even yours), there will be an attempt at decent dinner (please don't eat it, your stomach will probably die). and however awkward it might look, with lov lurking in the background cheering you voth on, those awfully scented candles, somewhat nice music and tomura standing right in the middle of the chaos of this all, it still feels...genuinely nice? such a warm, fuzzy feeling, that you are so welcomed here. he really went out of his way to do this all for you.

hawks

congrats on pulling the hottest bitch in town, now good luck actually catching him for a date. the thing is, he's a second for a reason, he's booked and busy, going on missions saving people and so. the most foolproof plan here is to bring him on a date in his own apartment. it's difficult even like that, bc frankly, he's rarely there. he never had any desire to return here, tbh. it doesn't even look like someone lives in here, more like a hotel room, which is also pretty empty and dark. there's little to no furniture, some bed to sleep on, a couch, a table and a TV. very sad. so it's on you to make it cozier and it doesn't have to be much, not at all. he doesn't like fancy things in general, he just doesn't care. whatever you want to make with his place is fine by him. and he's not romantic at all actually, but he appreciates the effort you make to simply spend some time with him. it's a big deal for him, that someone is willing to spend their time not only to tidy up his place and all, but to actually do it for a date which is the direct invitation to spend more time with him. which means, someone really, really wants to spend this exact time with him. wild, don't you think? and this scene where you lit up all the candles you've brought and then sit right next to him, pulling a blanket over you both and asking which movie he chose in the end - that makes it for him.

[codenamesazanka]

With this new mystery person I’ve been people saying a lot of things from it’s tenko to it’s the new afo the kids are gonna stop by preventing him from ever being a villain. Among all that there’s been a fair amount of people saying this is showing hero society is doomed now that shigaraki and the league are gone. My question though is how would shigaraki and the league winning or teaming up with deku and the heroes for the future prevent this? Like what could have actually been done to prevent this? Like tenko says he’s gonna be the hero to the villains but that doesn’t change the problem, he’s still one guy the league members are a finite amount. Even if every single fighter on that battlefield decided hey let’s all work together for a better future, how does that stop people from falling through the cracks? Like short of a totalitarian surveillance state where every single person has a twice clone with them in case something happens there’s still gonna be incidents where no one that can help is around for some reason.

So it's true that as much as I hype up the League and Shigaraki and insist they are right (and they are! to a point), they were indeed less interested in the new world they will be building, and more just interested in tearing down the old world. The world that comes after destruction was at best vague, at worst just pure lawless chaos, a quirk free-for-all. But for them, in their imagining, it would've been a freer world in some aspects, in that the rules and norms they felt trapped in can be destroyed. Heroes as a civil servant/law enforcement job wouldn't exist; they're free to use their quirks; the standards that called them inhuman and crazy and the such and rejected them could be abolished. It's true that it wouldn't have been a better society for everyone - which is why the League and the Villains had to be defeated.

What would've been (and still would be) ideal is the Heroes taking lessons from this - hearing out the League's discontent of the deep structural issues of their current society, and doing something about it. But see - here, its not about Heroes or fighters. It's about change on all levels of society. Change in attitudes and cultural mindset and institutions. You stop people from falling through the cracks by getting rid of the cracks the best you can; by building multiple safety nets above the cracks; and finally by having people who reach into the cracks to pull out those who've still managed to fall in.

A lot of the issues the League went through really could not have been solved by Heroes; did not need to be solved by Heroes, if the proper cultural progress was made and the social support services were available. So like, Toga:

Her parents seemed to have been very concerned about abiding by the prevailing norms of society. This could be because society values conformity and ostracizes those who can't fit into a neat, little box - despite the fact that quirks should've broaden and redefined those boxes, after a whole century since quirks appeared. Change the need and the pressure to conform - educate people to be more tolerant and accommodating - and her parents might have felt less fearful of having a child that wasn't 'normal'. Heck, change the definition of 'normal'.

I've always wondered what exactly a Hero can do about the emotional abuse Toga's parents inflicted on her. For one thing, I doubt they were screaming 'inhuman demon child' at little four-year-old Toga in public at a frequency and volume that would make a Hero take notice. (Remember, they wanted to be seen as a nice, normal, middle-class family. All the abuse was probably kept at home, behind closed doors.) And I wonder if someone did try to intervene, the parents might not have tried to claim it's simply discipline, because after all, Toga has an instinct to drink blood - relying on the Heroes' own understanding of human taboos and preconceived notions of 'villainous' quirks. Plus, no one in this situation is using their quirk - no law is being broken. For this to be addressed, we go back to the point above - education about the definition of 'normal' - as well as a more robust child welfare system.

Quirk counseling! When the lady said Toga had "deviant behavior" and said "Let's get you all reformed, nice and normal" and promised Toga's parents that "we'll be sure to iron it all out", that's her doing her job. A job that the government supports, given how they have general quirk counselings at schools. A job that UA Hero Factory Principal Nedzu probably helped developed in some way, since he's apparently an influential and world-renown expert in 'quirk morality education'. Quirk Counseling Lady is there to give Toga therapy. She was probably incredibly nice and professional about it. She was probably properly following all procedures. There is nothing you can arrest her for. No, the issue is the goal of quirk counseling itself - to make someone 'normal'. And we're back again to point above.

And then there was all the teachers throughout the 9 years of Toga's public school education that could've taken notice of anything wrong at home. Probably should've paid more attention to the bite wounds at Toga's wrists.

Hell, there probably could've been a hotline for Toga to call or a youth center for Toga to go to, if she felt she was struggling and reaching a point of break. Why didn't she go? Maybe because she was afraid she'll be called inhuman, that she'll be turned away. Why does she think that way? See first point above.

She stabbed Saito, but even then, I think the right response could've stopped her from stabbing more people. After the stabbing, Toga went on the run, and she's been fearful ever since that she would be killed by Heroes. Instead of turning herself in, expecting to still be treated as a person and that the justice she’ll receive is appropriate, she figured it was better to throw her lot with Villains and the underworld at 15 years old. She believed that she had a better chance surviving homeless on the streets with harden criminals, than with Heroes and whatever juvie they put her in. I think there's an image issue there that Heroes and police should fix. Yes, criminals should feel guilt and horrible and prison has to be unpleasant in order to be a deterrent to crime, but in the interest of harm reduction, maybe rethink that.

Also maybe if the media didn't go and put her parent calling her a demon child and disowning her on air. Kinda feels like the type of thing that burn bridges and makes her feel she can't return, even if she might have wanted at some point. Who the heck authorized that segment???

This is a lot of speculation, but I don't think it's illogical. I don't think the problem just started when Toga stabbed Saito and a Hero failed to beat her up and arrest her, a 'fighter' that couldn't be there to prevent the incident. I think the problem started when her parents freaked out at seeing her quirk manifest and their first instinct is to slap her and accuse their 3-year-old of catching a bird to kill it and drink it's blood and then proceed to worry about 'my child is not normal!!!', instead of gently taking the bird away, be concerned about germs, and giving her unconditional love but also firm parenting.

Consider the mirror opposite: Iida, who went rogue and tried to get revenge on Stain.

First off, I think UA - Aizawa specifically - failed so badly in it's job as teachers. Iida's brother is attacked and paralyzed by Stain; Stain was last seen in Hosu; Iida wrote on his Internship form he wants to intern at an agency in Hosu (and left it as his only choice in a form that give three choices). That's a giant red flag??? And they let the kid go??? So that's a missing safety net.

Manuel seeing just how obvious it was that Iida was after Stain. He gave him a talking to, which is good, but that was it. Should've ordered the kid home immediately. Second missing safety net.

Iida goes and attacks Stain. This is where Iida starts getting helped. Deku and Todoroki figured out his plan and went to help him, instead of, say, deciding that, 'Wow, he's breaking the rules. Maybe he's not such a good guy after all. Should disassociate myself from such a person if I want a successful school and Hero career.' But they helped, and so Iida and Native aren't dead in a alley - or 'worse': Native dead, but Iida is alive, and part of the responsibility possibly put on him.

Biggest help: The police chief deciding to help out these kids by not pressing charges, by making sure the story is not released to the public, and ensuring that the small number of eyewitnesses stay hush.

His family also didn't disown him or become estranged from him for getting caught up in all this. They love him, so they wouldn't.

I get that Iida is an excellent student and promising Hero student who made an error in judgment when he was caught in whirlwind of emotions regarding his beloved brother, and Toga was less so. (Maybe. She was a year younger and we didn't know her grades and we weren't quite sure the exact sequence of events the led to her stabbing Saito, which was due to her getting caught in the whirlwind of a romantic crush, perhaps her first taste of love after receiving none at home). But had he not had the support he had, he would've kept falling. And where would he have landed then?

You don't need a Twice to prevent these incidents. You don't even need Heroes, exactly. You needed understanding and caring citizens, in a supportive community. Now make it a culture that produces such citizens.

With Mystery Person. We don't know what their deal is, or what their past. But if they are a victim of abuse and confinement from their parents who couldn't handle their quirk, then a Hero saving them is a Hero coming in after the damage has been done. I think the better fix is to stop the damage before it happens - making sure parents never conclude they should be zip-tying their kids as a solution to anything.

Sorry for the long response! And sorry for how pseudo-sociologist it got. Don't trust me on this. It's only my thoughts. Thanks for the ask!

[duendepika]

MHA Chapter 423 Commentary

I want to start by saying that I love the series. I really do. That's exactly why this chapter is so damn heartbreaking. What drew me to this series were the themes of saving everyone, of atonement and understanding and compassion. All of that was abruptly thrown away this chapter. I can’t take anything else in the story to heart because it’s lost its heart.

Only some of this can be explained by the terrible pacing of the chapter, as the content should have been in 5+ chapters. What it comes down to is the way the deaths of Shigaraki and AFO were handled by both the protagonist and the author. It’s not that they died, as I expected both to and take no issue with that. It’s how their deaths were written. AFO’s in particular leads to the crux of the problem: when the main villain dies alone and unloved, it calls into question the story’s message and themes.

Under a cut because this is long, but I'll start with Shigaraki before moving onto AFO and the general themes.

I’ll discuss Shigaraki first, as this one is less of a problem (though still very much of one) for the story as a whole. Shigaraki's death scene was far too short and remarkably callous, and he will remain forever incomplete even if "revived". We have seen very little, if any, introspection on his part during this entire war. We didn't see him grapple with learning AFO controlled even his birth. We didn't see him interact with his grandmother. We never saw him learn anything from Deku. We never saw him confront AFO. We never saw him come to terms with anything. Right up until he died in 419, then formally died in 423, he held the same rage. Realizing "wow, I was an angry kid after all" only to follow it up with bragging about being destructive to the very end is not character development. His death was not heroic, as he was more or less “killed” by AFO earlier and he only rallied for one hit. He didn’t sacrifice himself in any way, and it’s hard to consider his final punchdown on AFO particularly heroic under the circumstances.

Deku's final conversation with him was fairly cold, especially considering how he's spoken of him up until now. Saying to the very end that he'll never forgive him and mysteriously failing to say he wanted to save him was very damaging to both characters. Not once does Deku mention his goal of trying to save him. It's as if his goals suddenly changed when they no longer became possible to attain, as if he'll magically be shielded from any failure (a common theme with all heroes except for Hawks and Ochako, though the latter may well be negated if Toga lives). Some recognition of the goals we've been told about for the last 300+ chapters would have been nice, even if Deku just made a casual apology for not being able to "save" him. He seems almost dismissive of Shigaraki in the end despite repeating tirelessly throughout the story that he will do everything in his power to save him.

I also see a lot of assumptions that Tenko will simply return. If this happens, which is always possible, it would be the most outrageous asspull in the series. His body is completely gone. Unless he regained his original quirk and it's "Resurrection", it's not going to be believable in any sense (and a suspension of disbelief is necessary for fiction; we all know it’s a superhero story, but that doesn’t mean the author can do absolutely anything and we have to accept it). That, too, would be absurd because if AFO had that quirk all along he would have used it here. An argument can be made that he used it 6 years ago, but this is also questionable because a] he only used it once, b] given the Oboro/Kurogiri situation, it seems that Garaki can actually raise the dead. I don't know what Tenko returning would even do. We saw his dying words, and they were unrepentant, and Deku's final interaction with him was cold and detached (unlike, for ex. Shoto and Toya which was only hostile on one side, and Ochako and Toga which was openly affectionate). Coming back isn't going to undo any of that.

AFO dying with no character resolution whatsoever was an even bigger issue in terms of the greater narrative. As with Shigaraki, his death is not the issue; it was clearly going to happen. It’s the how. He died begging for his brother to love and look at him. His brother died condemning him. AFO died as he was born - unloved - despite having a very "human" awakening only a few chapters prior. This was made clear but how he changed how he told his brother he loved him. He shifted from the more formal and very rarely used “aishiteru” to the very personal “daisuke” because, after chasing him for a century only to lose him, he finally understood that what he felt for his brother was love.

He was vulnerable in a way he never had been before, but Hrksh opted to throw him away instead of bringing closure to his character. Consider how his original body died in 410, screaming about how he feels hatred. This time he died begging for love. It was futile either way. Yoichi, the only person he ever loved (albeit in a demented way), rejected him. All the other vestiges manifested faces, but Yoichi denied his brother this last chance to see him. AFO's last panicked meltdown clearly indicates that he simply can not conceptualize love in a normal way, which makes him more pitiable and, ironically, human, than it does make him evil.

The argument can definitely be made that this was a "fitting" end for him, and on some level I can appreciate that, but whether it’s satisfying is irrelevant. This ending does not fit the story of MHA, which carries certain themes. All other significant villain characters were granted some level of compassion, an attempt to understand them, by both the author and the characters. AFO was granted none of this. The main villain in a series about helping and saving others lived and died unloved by all. He might have been "born evil" depending on how one interprets chapter 407, but hrksh made it clear that he never had a chance in life. His backstory is objectively the most tragic and miserable of all, and he was the one character denied any compassion in the end. If the worst of the worst dies alone and unloved, then how can we say the story is truly about saving others, even those who don’t conventionally “deserve” it?

Furthermore, Deku's offhand comment about him being a lonely man comes across more as an insult and a mockery than any attempt to understand him. He "gave" AFO the chance to speak to Yoichi one last time, but it was a farce to distract him so he'd be easier to kill. There was no compassion there, only calculated manipulation. Granted, it's possible this comes down to pacing and what should have been 1-2 chapters was crammed into 1 page, but with no actual exploration of AFO's character on Deku's part, we have to take it at face value. Realistically, Deku should have sought to understand AFO hundreds of chapters ago anyway, if he really cared about saving everyone. In retrospect, not even considering the possibility of trying to figure out the why and how of AFO is a major failure on the part of the heroes. This goes back to how the author has set AFO up to take the fall for everyone without considering how it will compromise the central theme of the story.

Even as recently as chapter 416, Hawks remembers how important it is that we see everyone as united and understand one another. Strangely, nobody bothered to try and understand the main villain.

Ultimately, if the narrative is pinning all anguish and suffering in the world onto a single character, the origins of that character must be understood by the heroes to ensure someone like him isn't created again. By only bothering to understand and save those AFO supposedly created (even though he only created Shiggy), the heroes are healing symptoms and not the disease. There is no internal consistency within the story. He died largely a mystery. We will never know his true goals, as the closest we got was Aoyama's description, which AFO even said was not quite accurate. We also never learned his true motivation, as his reaction to Yoichi dying again indicates it’s not that simple. Which again, means it will just happen again because no characters made any effort to understand. It's like hrksh went for generic, mindless evil but screwed up with his relationship with his brother, ultimately turning him human. His goals and motives can be guessed, but given that this is a shounen, in-depth analysis should not be required to understand the final villain's goal.

This is made even more infuriating when you consider that AFO’s worldview is based on comic books. Shouldn’t this be something hrksh would want to explore, given the entire series is based on comic books? Without ever telling us the truth about his motivation, we lose the chance for the meta-analysis we were promised, one which had notable fan appeal regardless of character interest. AFO's abrupt ending also means we will never get any further explanation of quirks, the singularity theory, or their origin. AFO as the originator held all the mysteries there. Sure, maybe we'll get a monologue from the doctor later, but that's unlikely. And sure, you can argue that those things "aren't important", but they are. Many dropped plot points genuinely don't matter anymore, but these do given their significance throughout the series.  Essentially, all worldbuilding went out the window with AFO.

In the end, there is no sense of anything changing after this war. The chapter byline suggests that now with AFO dead, everything will be perfect, which is of course probably what we'll be told. The "cycle of suffering" has miraculously ended, because apparently all of it originated with AFO despite him having absolutely nothing to do with the creation of most villains.

The reality is that nothing in Deku's final battle addressed the failures of society and what can be done going forward to minimize people becoming villains. He completely ignored any attempt to understand the supposed root of all evil (AFO), suggesting he doesn’t actually care about fixing any deep-rooted societal issues and instead only cares about Shigaraki specifically. And even then, Deku did very little for him. When he entered the vestige world, he shielded Tenko from his father and tried to physically stop him from killing his family. That's it. Immediate, reactive, physical behavior. No reflection, no analysis, no acknowledgement of the deeper issues at hand (yes, it's a battle, but that never stopped hrksh from including that kind of thing before), no recognition of what Tenko went through in their final conversation. In this sense, Ochako and Endeavor have done a far better job at being heroes than Deku, which is a serious issue from a narrative perspective.

Rezzing Tenko might give us some flashbacks of neglected aspects of his character, granted with lost emotional momentum, but the bigger issue is how Deku handled his death. The same can be said for AFO, though unless Yoichi also returns, that's totally pointless. Giving Deku a second chance to redo everything with Shigaraki and/or AFO can't change the fact that the first time around, he failed to connect. He didn't know he'd get a second chance. Therefore we have to assume he was "doing his best" in 423, and that “best” was mediocre and contradictory to his character.

At the end of the day, we ended up with what should have been 5-8 chapters crammed into one, at the most critical moment of the series. Because of this, major plotlines and characters were thrown out the window and with them, the central themes of the entire series. I think there are ways it can be partially fixed to the point where the chapter is no longer a story-breaker, but given how this was handled, I don’t expect those paths to be taken. The only way to really salvage this is to have the chapter retracted, which of course won't happen.

[shadowqueenjude]

TOG characters meet ACOTAR characters part 1

It was the annual Yulemas celebration, and all of Aelin’s friends + Lorcan had convened in Terrasen’s palace. Everyone from Ansel of Briarcliff to Manon Crochan Blackbeak came. Even Yrene with her abdomen that was now showing had come. Aelin and Rowan’s home had never felt more full. It was an amazing feeling. She wondered if this was how it would feel to have children.

She pushed the feeling aside. As much as she wanted children, she wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment yet. Terrasen’s rebuilding came first.

Aelin was wearing a shiny silver dress while her mate wore green armor (sigh, when was he going to start wearing normal clothing?) that brought out his eyes. Fenrys on the other hand, was having way too much fun dressing up. He’d shown up in a full-blown white toga, paired with a golden laurel and golden waistband. He’d tied half his hair up and left the rest to cascade in waves around his shoulders. He seemed just fine as he went to annoy Lorcan, but Aelin could sense the sadness radiating out of him. Aelin just wished she knew how to fix it.

Lorcan was not in black (gasp!), but rather it seemed he had been forced into dark red robes by his wife, who wore a matching dark red dress. It never failed to amuse Aelin that one, his name was Lord Lorcan Lochan, and two, he willingly followed the small, delicate young Lady of Perranth’s every order. He had been teaching her how to read while helping rebuild Perranth, so Aelin would sometimes catch Elide reading children’s books out of the Terrasen royal library.

Chaol was awkwardly standing in a corner with Manon, of all the people. Dorian was dancing with Chaol’s wife, leaving the two standing near each other. Chaol looked slightly pale and constantly stared at Manon’s hands, as if waiting for the iron nails to unsheathe themselves. Aelin decided to spare her old friend and come in between them.

Once she was within earshot (since she was Fae, she was still quite far from them), she heard Manon hiss in his ear, “Agree to dance with me Chaol, so that Dorian thinks I’m playing nice with his friends.”

“Are you playing nice with his friends though?” Chaol dared to ask.

“Do I look nice to you, human? Come, let’s dance.” Manon grabbed his hand.

“Mind your manners, witch,” Aelin said coolly, stepping towards them. There was a glimmer of relief in Chaol’s eyes as Aelin interfered. “I’ll keep her from doing anything murderous, don’t worry,” Aelin said, patting Chaol on the arm. Then they began to dance.

Manon had very little grace, but Chaol made up for it with his own steering.

“No interest in dancing, my queen?” Rowan suddenly appeared in front of him, offering a tattooed hand to dance. Aelin snorted. “Still pretending to be a gentleman, I see.” But she accepted the hand and let him pull her to the dance floor.

Aelin swished and swayed around, and Rowan laughed. “Are you drunk already, my queen?”

Aelin shook her head. “No, the floor is just unsteady.”

“Why would it be unsteady?” Rowan asked. But then he suddenly tilted sideways. “Oh shit.” Aelin had no time to react when she and a majority of the guests at her party got sucked into a vacuum in the ground like a black hole. Meanwhile in Velaris… Gwyn rolled her eyes as she trained with Emerie and Nesta. “Merill has become more and more obsessed with her otherworld theory ever since you used the Harp. I don’t know how she found out about it, but…” Gwyn swiped low with her sword and aimed a kick at Emerie, who dodged it quickly. “She’s convinced she’s found a way she can actually look into other worlds. I told her she’s barking, and she got mad.”

Nesta snorted. “I’d be pretty irritated too if a little priestess called me crazy.”

Gwyn elbowed her, and the three of them laughed. Merill’s experiments were ridiculous anyway.

Lucien was just strolling through the streets of Velaris when he was hit by flying fae.

The Mother must really hate him, he decided. He’s just minding his own business on any other day and of COURSE he’s hit in the face by a body.

“That’s it, I’m done with this shit,” Lucien grumbled, pushing the body off of him. He found himself staring into the eyes of a beautiful female. Her eyes were a turquoise with a ring of gold around the pupil, with long flowing blonde hair that fell to her waist. She was wearing an elegant crown along with a silver dress so sparkly Lucien almost had to look away. But that wasn’t the strangest thing. No, the strangest thing was that…

“I can smell the flame on you,” he said. The female just stared at him, confused. Then she replied back in a foreign language.

Lucien recognized it from a class he had taken ages ago. He was probably the only one of his brothers who would ever recognize it, as he had had the most thorough education as the youngest child. He was pretty sure there would never come an occasion where he’d need to converse in such a dead language, but here he was.

“I can’t understand you,” she had said. “No one has spoken that language here in thousands of years,” Lucien replied back in that old tongue. His words sounded strange, like they were spoken by a different person.

The blonde girl gasped. “Oh no. I must have traveled between worlds.”

Lucien raised a brow. “Impressive. How’d you manage that?”

The girl shook her head. “This was not supposed to happen. The Wyrdgates are closed.”

“I have no idea what Wyrdgates are, but I’m pretty sure there are multiple ways to cut across worlds.” The girl stared at him. “Where am I?”

Lucien shrugged. “Prythian.”

“My friends- they must have fallen here with me. Where are they?”

Lucien shrugged. “I don’t know. I only saw you, as you literally knocked me down.”

The girl winced. “Sorry about that.”

Lucien smirked. “There are better ways to get my attention than sitting on my face.”

The girl smirked back but replied with, “You’re hot for sure, but I’m married.”

Lucien stood up, brushed off his clothes, then offered the girl a hand. “I was only joking. I’m a mated male.”

The girl took it. “What a coincidence. I’m also mated. What is your name?”

“Lucien. You?”

The girl grinned. “Aelin.”

Lucien and Aelin searched around Velaris for her friends. It wasn’t hard to find most of them. They were all dressed in strange attire and looked extremely disoriented. Lucien soon met Aelin’s mate and husband, a male who looked as if he’d fit right into the Summer Court with his white hair and tanned skin. He later found a male he could only describe as golden. Golden hair, golden skin, golden on his clothes. He gasped when he saw Lucien. Lucien had raised a brow. “Is something wrong?”

The golden male had replied with, “Wow…your hair. It’s so bright, and thick, and colorful, and long, and shiny!!!!!” He’d turned to the white-haired male and said, “I want red hair now, Rowan.”

Lucien had to stifle a laugh. “Thanks.”

“How do you maintain your hair?” The golden male, who Lucien soon came to know was named Fenrys, kept asking him about his hair care routine and it occupied them until Aelin found their other friends.

Lorcan groaned as he got off the ground. He was covered in snow, having landed in a nice, clean patch of it. He panicked for a moment, searching for his wife before he realized he hadn’t let go of her hand. Elide was right next to him, and she looked a little winded but otherwise ok. On Lorcan’s other side several feet down, he could see Manon, Chaol, Dorian, and Yrene getting off the ground. Yrene was frantically patting her womb, trying to ensure that her baby was still alive. Lorcan resisted the urge to shout that her baby was just fine. He had no idea what sort of enemies were here.

He got up and gently pulled his wife with him. Together, they began to walk towards the King of Adarlan. Just then, he saw Aelin walk around the corner with Fenrys, Rowan, and a strange male with red hair and a scar that added a dangerous edge to his handsome face.

Together, Lorcan and company walked towards Aelin.

“Who the hell are you,” Lorcan asked shortly of the redhead.

Aelin tsked. “Sorry about him, Lucien. He’s a miserable bastard, but don’t let him put you out. You ever need him to do something, just ask his wife, Elide.” She gestured to the woman whose hand Lorcan still held.

Lorcan scowled, but the male who Aelin referred to as Lucien looked him over and grinned.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Lorcan demanded. The male with glossy red hair and a wicked scar to go with the metal eye on one side of his face only grinned and replied, "You're taller than Cassian."

“Who the hell is Cassian?”

Lucien shrugged. “Nobody important. An annoying, bratty, overgrown bat.” Lucien turned to Aelin. “I’m assuming you’ll want a safe place to stay temporarily with all your subjects.”

Aelin raised a brow. “Subjects?”

Lucien snorted. “I don’t think ordinary citizens walk around with that kind of glamour or with crowns on their heads.” He gestured to all of them. “I have a residence in this city. I’ll take you all there.”

Lorcan wasn’t sure if they could trust the male, but he seemed decent enough. Lorcan could smell no ill will on him. He wondered at the scar on his face. Fae did not scar easily, and for him to have a metal eye like that…he must have survived unbearable cruelty. He immediately thought of his wife’s ruined ankle, a product of the tower she had been locked in for ten years, and he clenched his teeth. What kind of fucked up shit went on in this world?