#kamino japan

[oh-bother-stickers]

[brownie-pics]

秋めいてきた光と一緒に撮り歩きました･･

’24.10.12 春日大社、若宮神社、上の禰宜道にて

[kacchanbiased]

This is old news but 49800 yen is a frankly insane figure… I have no idea how Kirishima even swung that, and no idea where exactly Bakugou himself got that money if it didn’t come from his parents.

I always assumed the implication was that Kirishima used his own allowance in order to afford the goggles, which is interesting characterization-wise. Maybe he’s frugal, and doesn’t spend most of his allowance, which is how he managed to have roughly $300 lying around? But this isn’t pocket change.

I think not enough thought is devoted to talking about how indebted Bakugou felt after being kidnapped, specifically on why he would even come around to feeling that way in the first place.

[whirlybirbs]

Do you think when All Might officially "retires" that the media needs something else to chew on? Like? "Will the world's former No. 1 Hero finally settle down now that he's got much more time on his hands?" And maybe people start taking another look at the rumors about Derecho and the big man...

nothing public.

it was a rule established early on.

the two of you agreed it was best this way — those honeyed, tender, lovesick exchanges were best kept close to the heart and in private spaces. somedays it felt nearly impossible, but it worked. it let everyone chew on the what if and kept you both safe from scathing attempts at leveling each other as weaknesses.

nothing public.

until the kamino incident.

until you're there, tearing through the line of pros, stumbling through the debris, screaming his name — and the whole world watches you catch the stumbling, victorious form of all might in your arms. he nearly crushes you, and your hands grapple with his chest. he's broken, bloodied and exhausted, but he's alive. his fist is still raised high. he's alive, and you don't care if japan's number one news network watches from above.

you don't care.

you scramble in the dirt to reach up, to hold his face, to hear him draw a ragged breath. he hunches over you, barely clinging on to that empowered form. his grasp on it slips, and toshinori staggers into your arms again smaller now. his blue eyes hold the weight of the world, and you see the fear bleed into his expression.

all might is no more.

nothing public.

until you kiss him, then and there, in the aftermath.

the spotlight from the helicopter overhead illuminates the crescendo of emotion.

sweat and blood and relief mingle in a hazy exchange that burns with desperation — his broken hands are wrung deep into the back of your jacket. he's alive, and you're here. you're safe. he's done it. you cradle toshinori's jaw, your lips pressed tightly to his as he draws you closer.

christ, he loves you. he loves you more than he can stomach. he needs you more than anything, more than air. he needs you, derecho. his partner, his love, his north star. he thought, for a long moment, that this night might be the end of him. that he might not see this through to the end.

all might is no more.

you break from the kiss only to draw a panicked breath — only to search his face as you shake your head and ignore the drag of tears down your cheeks. "i thought—"

"it's over," he rasps, dragging his hands into your hair as he clings to you like a ship lost in a storm.

"i know," relief drowns the syllables in your mouth as you press your forehead tightly to his, clinging to the tattered remnants of his costume. they're like a death shroud. all might has been laid to rest.

that moment, caught on camera for the world to see, changes a lot.

more than anything, though, it changes from nothing public to going public.

— a reference to this fic here ;

[starrylothcat]

Hey so I love your writing and I hope this is okay <3

Can you write a Hunter x f reader where the reader is thinking dirty thoughts whilst they're all on a mission or otherwise engaged on the Marauder and uses that to tease Hunter since he can sense it (smell, heartbeat etc) but can't act on it with others around? And he's getting more frustrated bc he knows you're doing it on purpose to tease him.

Love your work! <3

Tease

Pairing: Hunter x Fem!Reader

Summary: Basically the ask. You tease Hunter on your way back to Kamino with dirty thoughts. 😉

WC: ~2500

Warnings: NSFW, 18+. PiV sex, established relationship, some female masturbation. Feral Hunter. All the good stuff.

A/N: I’ve been traveling around Japan the last week, so that’s why I’ve been a littl MIA. I had this in my drafts before the trip and finally had some downtime to finish it! Feral Hunter and his senses is such a delicious meal, thank you anon for the request. I hope you like it and thanks for reading and your kind words! 💕

It has been a brutal couple of weeks, back-to-back missions without respite. You never thought you’d miss Kamino, but as you lay on your bunk on The Marauder, exhausted and mentally taxed, the sterile white hallways and pounding rain sounded like paradise.

It didn’t help that you and Hunter haven’t had a chance to be alone, either. You both understood the war came first, along with your duties, but you couldn’t deny you missed feeling his body on yours, his touch, his intense passion. You knew he longed for you, too.

Once you were back on Kamino, you would have that time, as you were promised a few days’ leave before being shipped off again. The buildup was driving you both crazy, but patience was a virtue.

Too bad you weren’t that patient of a person, though.

You knew your scent drove Hunter wild. You tried your best to not accidentally tease him as best you could, especially when you were trapped on The Marauder for long periods.

Your body often betrayed you, though.

Hunter easily picked up on your longing, your arousal, your absolute bone-deep need for him. It was especially bad now since you haven’t partaken in carnal pleasures with one another in a few weeks. Your body was calling out to him, begging for him to take you for hours on end, pleasuring you beyond belief, taking you as his and only his.

You decided to tease him, only a little, to enhance the buildup for when you could finally be alone. You knew an animal lay within him, something he kept back even in your most intensely passionate moments. You wanted him to finally let it all out, not hold back.

You could take it, and you wanted it more than anything.

You set up in your bunk, powering on your datapad. You pretended to be invested in whatever was on the screen but instead watched as Hunter carefully took apart his blaster, inspecting each piece for wear or weakened points. He did it religiously after every mission.

Hunter’s fingers were dextrous, careful. Your mind wandered, knowing it wouldn't be long until he noticed. You thought of those thick, calloused fingers running down the sides of your body, mapping every curve, trailing down to where you needed them most.

You shifted your legs, squeezing them together for a little friction. You could feel your arousal growing, your eyes on Hunter. You imagined those fingers tracing over your panties, rubbing your folds, hearing his husky praises in your ear as you dampened for him. Finally, he would slip a finger under, gathering the slick and teasing your entrance, biting at your neck as you whined in pleasure.

Hunter’s eyes snapped to yours, knowing he must have picked up on your scent. You smiled coyly, still pretending to look at your datapad. Your fantasy continued, his thick digit now fully in your sopping cunt, his name leaving your lips as he pumped in and out of you, his other hand playing with your breasts.

You saw Hunter fidget, his nostrils flaring. He shot you a dangerous look, almost pleading.

Hunter couldn’t wait to get his hands on you, take you apart, and piece you together again, but what you were doing now just wasn’t fair.

You still had at least an entire day before landing on Kamino. If you kept this up, he might not make it that long.

You smirked a little, feeling how your panties moistened at the thought. You left it at that, going back to your datapad.

Hunter was relieved when Tech asked him to help make upgrades on the navigation system, hoping it would distract him, though your scent filled the ship to an almost dizzying degree.

A few hours passed, and you decided Hunter needed another reminder of how much you wanted him.

You stepped into the refresher, needing a shower anyway. While the water sprayed down on you, you let your fingers wander, sliding down your stomach, imagining Hunter’s touch, slipping fingers between your folds.

You rubbed yourself, biting your lip, stopping yourself from making any noise. You wanted nothing more than Hunter to be in there with you, plunging his cock so deep inside your pussy that you wouldn’t be able to walk for a week.

Once you worked yourself up, you stopped. You didn’t want to come, not yet. You wanted Hunter to have the satisfaction of doing so. It only added to the anticipation. You were careful not to wipe any of your slick off your fingers as you dried yourself off and dressed.

When you emerged from the refresher, Hunter was engrossed in sharpening his knife. You sauntered up to him, placing your hand on his shoulder, the same hand that was playing with your pussy just minutes before.

“Hunter, could you help me find my communicator? I lost it somewhere on the ship.” Hunter bristled, his body going stiff.

You glanced behind you, making sure no one was watching. Wrecker, Tech, Echo, and Crosshair were focusing on other tasks, not paying attention to either of you at the moment.

You traced your finger down his jawline, rough with stubble. A pleasant jolt shot down your spine, wanting to feel it on your inner thighs as he buried his face in your pussy.

You passed your thumb over his lips, knowing you were asking for it.

“Mesh’la…” Hunter’s voice was hoarse, barely audible.

He shuddered, his tongue quickly flicking out to your thumb, tasting you.

He let out a low, agonized groan, gripping his knife so tightly that you thought he might snap the handle. Hunter’s pupils widened, something carnal and animalistic making itself known in his darkening expression. He looked almost dangerous, his eyes flashing with an absolute feral desire.

Hunter’s hand was around your wrist so quickly, you didn’t even see him move. His knife dropped to the floor, his hand circling your wrist, holding tight.

“Don’t…” he rasped, quickly glancing back, his brothers not bothered by the sound of his knife clattering to the ship’s floor. “Unless you want me to fuck you right here. Right now.”

You sucked in a breath at the intensity radiating off him.

Your knees buckled, and you knew Hunter could hear your pounding heart.

“You’d like that wouldn’t you, filthy girl?” His usual smoky baritone was somehow deeper, infused with a ravenousness that sent molten desire to your core.

His eyes bore into you, his tattoo seemingly darker in the shadows of the ship. “You’re going to pay for this later.”

You licked your dry lips, knowing he’d keep his promise.

It took all his strength to release your wrist and not fuck you on the floor like an animal in front of his brothers.

You reluctantly pulled away from him, seeing how his body trembled, his neck muscles bulging, trying to dampen the raging fire that threatened to consume him. You couldn’t help the coquettish grin on your face, seeing the effect you had on him.

“Oh, I know.”

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

The second you were excused from the mission debrief back on Kamino, you headed back to your quarters.

As your door whooshed shut behind you, Hunter’s lips vehemently consumed yours, his hands tearing your clothing off your body.

Literally.

You couldn’t finish the thought of how he even got to your room first, since you left the mission debrief at the same time.

You didn’t even make it to the bedroom. Soon enough, Hunter had you bent over your couch armrest, fucking you with such ferocious intensity you thought you might tear apart at the seams.

Your face was buried into the fabric of the couch, his hands a vice on your plush hips, driving himself into you without pause.

“Fuck…mesh’la…” Hunter all but growled as he leaned forward, pressing his broad, sweaty chest to your back.

“So good like this…taking me so well…this is what you wanted, hm?” He changed the angle, your hands desperately grasping at the fabric of your couch, tears pricking at the sides of your eyes. Your wanton moans garbled with sobs as he hit that devastating spot deep inside you.

Every atom in your body was thrumming with white-hot ecstasy, completely consumed by everything that was Hunter.

“Tell me…” He panted in your ear, “You need me, you need this cock.”

“Hunter…” you managed to string one coherent thought together, the ecstatic pressure building in your lower abdomen, the slick from your arousal dripping down your thighs.

“Want to hear you say it, sweetheart.”

You could hear the smugness in his voice, his hands holding you tight.

“Hunter, I need you! I need your cock. Please…want to cum so bad!” You were so close to exploding, but missing that final push only he could give you. “Been thinking about it for weeks, I need you so badly…please…”

Hunter let out a satisfied grunt, giving your ass a hearty squeeze as he leaned back slightly.

“I know, mesh’la. I could smell you every single day. Drove me crazy. Was close so many times bending you over and fucking you in front of my brothers…show them how lucky I am to have this beautiful pussy all to myself…”

You mewled at the thought, knowing the power you had over him, trying to press back in time with his powerful thrusts.

He grabbed a fistful of your ass a second time, leaning down again. Hunter’s breath was hot on your neck, latching on to your skin, biting down to mark you. Tears ran down your cheeks onto the couch cushion, gasping between your heady moans at the mix of pain and pleasure.

Hunter’s pace didn’t falter one bit as he gave you what you wanted, what you consciously and subconsciously begged him for on the ship.

His sounds were becoming louder, more ragged and breathless, knowing he was close to his end.

Finally, finally, Hunter pressed a digit to your swollen clit, rubbing circles as he pounded into you.

Even with his training, his endurance, and other super soldier qualities, he could only control himself for so long with you.

You just knew your smell was entrancing him, overtaking all his senses, driving him mad with lust.

All the pent-up stress, need, and longing were unraveling between the two of you, every thrust bringing you both closer to an explosive release you both so desperately needed.

His thick cock drilled you, filling you to the brim, reeling as his cock seemed to find a deeper spot every time he dragged against your walls. His finger moved in faster and tighter circles over your swollen bud, giving you just the right amount of pressure you thought you may disintegrate into the couch.

You were so close…so close…

Right as you were about to come, Hunter pulled out of you. You let out a desperate cry, cut short by Hunter easily picking you up, maneuvering himself to sit on the couch, pulling you down into his lap.

“Want to see your face and taste these gorgeous tits.”

Hunter had a wild look in his eyes, his curly locks falling from his headband, chest heaving and lips parted in short pants. You’ve never heard his voice so hoarse and husky with hunger.

You lowered yourself on his length, immediately starting the same desperate pace as his hot mouth encapsulated your pebbled nipples. You threw your head back in bliss, letting out moans that rivaled any dirty Holonet actress.

He sucked hard, relishing how your nipples felt in his mouth, his teeth tugging at your sensitive flesh.

Hunter wasn’t being gentle, and you didn’t mind. The slight pain of him nipping at your hardened nubs was washed over with pleasure as his tongue soothed his harsh sucks, his rough hands running up and down your back.

Hunter matched your pace, immediately back on the precipice of pleasure, his hips pistoning up to meet yours.

“Hunter I’m going to-I’m so close…!” You tangled your hands in his hair, your thighs burning with exertion, his hard cock rubbing your aching clit just the right way for you to come undone in his lap.

“Cum for me, mesh’la”.

You came hard, all the muscles in your body tightening as you tugged on his hair, crying out his name, your vision whiting out and everything falling away around you.

Hunter followed.

The hypnotic sounds of you unraveling, your tits in his mouth, your soft and succulent skin under his palms, and the enticing sensation of you pulling on his hair, brought his system to an overload.

Hunter let out a long moan into the crook of your neck, pressing as deep as he could inside you, feeling his warm spurts fill your cunt.

You sighed as you collapsed into him, feeling his body tense and writhe with yours as he rode out his release.

You gently stroked his head, taking a moment to come down from your highs and catch your heaving breaths.

You leaned your head to him, and Hunter opened his eyes, the feral flint gone, replaced with a soft gaze that fell when he saw the mark on your neck.

Hunter gently traced a hand over the reddening bruise, where he bit you before.

“I hurt you. I lost control, sorry-“

You shook your head. “It’s okay, it felt good.” Hunter’s lips twitched in a small smile, but you could tell he felt bad.

“I guess you’ll just have to kiss it better.”

You touched your lips to him in a chaste kiss, his hand cradling the back of your head to deepen it.

Hunter slid his tongue over your lips, and you opened to greet his tongue with yours.

You sighed, relishing the slow dance of your mouths, his softening cock still inside you.

You dragged away for a breath, and Hunter enveloped his arms around you, strong and secure.

“Wasn’t fair you know, back on the ship.” Hunter murmured, gently kissing the hickey he left on your skin.

You hummed in reply. “I know.”

He chuckled lightly, kissing up your neck to your jaw.

“I’m not done with you yet.” You felt his hands squeeze your hips, rutting up into you again. His cock was hardening, slowly fucking up into you.

You moaned, still sensitive from your orgasm, rocking your hips in time with his.

“Move to the bed?” You whispered against his lips, caressing his face with your hands. Hunter’s cock was fully hard now, slowly riding him and capturing one another’s sighs as you kissed.

Hunter smirked against you, his hand sliding over your ass.

“We’ll get there. Eventually.”

Taglist: @crosshairlovebot @sev-on-kamino @kimiheartblade @wizardofrozz @clonemedickix @sunshinesdaydream @kashasenpai @freesia-writes @multi-fan-dom-madness @coraex @aconstructofamind @dreamie411 @dystopicjumpsuit @wings-and-beskar @starqueensthings @idontgetanysleep @secretthegriffin @anxiouspineapple99 @sinfulsalutations @secondaryrealm @littlemissmanga @maybethatfanfictionwriter @pb-jellybeans @wanderer-six @king-chaos-world @the-cantina @wolffegirlsunite @dukeoftheblackstar @523rdrebel @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @sleepingsun501

[scary-grace]

Enough to Go By (Chapter 9) - a Shigaraki x f!Reader fic

Your best friend vanished on the same night his family was murdered, and even though the world forgot about him, you never did. When a chance encounter brings you back into contact with Shimura Tenko, you'll do anything to make sure you don't lose him again. Keep his secrets? Sure. Aid the League of Villains? Of course. Sacrifice everything? You would - but as the battle between the League of Villains and hero society unfolds, it becomes clear that everything is far more than you or anyone else imagined it would be. (cross-posted to Ao3)

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Chapter 9

“Mitsu, come on. Mitsu, don’t.” You tighten your grip on her arm and pull harder, even though she’s drunk in six-inch heels and could topple over if the wind blows the wrong way. “It’s not worth it –”

“You hear that, you piece of shit? It’s not worth it.” Mitsuko’s imitation of your de-escalation tone isn’t as good as Tenko’s, but it sounds pretty bad when she’s using it to jeer at a couple of sidekicks. “Just like you and your fucking friends decided that my best friend’s life wasn’t worth it –”

“Mitsu –”

“When you left her under an apartment building one of you knocked down for six fucking hours!”

“We weren’t even there,” one of the sidekicks shouts at her, and Mitsuko spits at him. “Ugh! You crazy bitch –”

You suck in a breath, and so does everybody else. This fight has drawn a crowd, and you see at least one phone out, one camera on. Someone’s just caught a hero on camera cursing out a grieving civilian. You see the hero blanch. He turns towards Mitsuko. “I didn’t mean –”

“No, you said what you meant. You’re all the same,” Mitsuko sneers. “So big and bad, except when it counts. Fuck you.”

Mitsuko has a flair for the dramatic, even when she’s so drunk she can’t see straight. She turns to you. “Come on. Get me out of here before I puke on my shoes.”

You hustle her off down the sidewalk, leaving the crowd and the heroes behind, cursing yourself for letting this happen. It was your job to keep an eye on Mitsuko tonight, to keep her out of trouble, and now she’s on camera starting shit with a hero. Now that you think about it, so are you. Nobody’s going to remember you, not when Mitsuko’s there, gorgeous even with supposedly waterproof mascara running down her face, but it’s not a good thing. There are probably a grand total of eight people who think it’s a good thing, and you’re on first name (or code-name) terms with all of them.

Mitsuko comes to a stop, doubles over – then straightens up. “I need to pee,” she says. “Let’s go to Kamino. I want to pee on that statue.”

“Kamino’s a long way away. You sure you want to hold it that long?”

“Right. I should find a place to pee now,” Mitsuko says. “Then by the time we get to Kamino, I’ll have to pee again.”

There’s no way you’re letting Mitsuko get filmed peeing on a statue of All Might, no matter how much of a kick your new friends would get out of it. You take a deep breath and pull out the big guns. “Is this really how you want to honor Hiro? You know watersports weren’t her thing.”

Mitsuko snorts, then grimaces. Stomach acid in the sinuses will do that. “There’s only one way to honor Hiro,” you continue, “and you know what it is.”

“What is it?”

“Bone Endeavor, film it, and use the tape to ruin his life.”

Mitsuko bursts out laughing. Then crying. You’ve been seeing that a lot lately, anywhere and everywhere – on friends, patients, strangers, and more often than not, on your own face in the mirror.

Japan is reeling from the Kamino incident. You’re not watching world news, but you’re pretty sure the world is doing the same – it’s not every day that a country’s Number One hero goes down on national television. The wreckage of Kamino Ward has already been resurfaced, some of the remaining buildings reinforced but the rest knocked down to create a nice big concrete square for the Kamino Memorial Park, complete with a big statue of All Might. The All Might statue takes up most of the space. The walls featuring the names of the victims are off to the sides. New names are still being added every day.

The windows still haven’t gotten fixed at your clinic, and in addition to a dust and street debris problem, you’re having an animal problem. You chased a bat out with a broom and wound up needing rabies shots, which left you well-equipped to deal with the raccoon that showed up a week later. You’re working a lot, for a lot of reasons. It keeps you out of your apartment during the day or night, leaving it safe for the League’s use. You need the money. And as long as you’re busy with work, with the extra classes in trauma treatment you’ve started taking, or trying to keep Mitsuko from self-destructing, you don’t have to think about what happened at all.

Kazuo’s been keeping busy, too, but your other friends don’t have that option. Mitsuru’s job was in Kamino, in a business that was destroyed, and he doesn’t have a new one yet. Ryuhei hasn’t worked in a while, courtesy of his record, and Yoshimi’s so sick from her treatments that she can’t work at all. In spite of that, Mitsuko’s still the one you’re most worried about. She was closest to Hirono. She’s always had a lot of anger – like you, except you bury it so deep that you sometimes forget it exists. She doesn’t forget. And right now she thinks she doesn’t have anything to lose.

You and Mitsuko were supposed to have a wild night on the town, but after throwing up in two trash cans and one alleyway, Mitsuko’s ready to go home. You’re ready to take her home, too, and you let her sling one arm around your shoulders as you shuffle along. “You know, I can’t work it out,” she mumbles in your ear. “Kazuo I understand, but you? It’s weird.”

“What’s weird?”

“How calm you are,” she says. “Like, right from the start. You love Sho and Hiro just like we do, but you’re – calm. Don’t tell me you got religion about it.”

“No,” you say. “I’ve just done this before.”

It’s not untrue. You’ve lost a friend before, but you didn’t cope well at all, and even if you had, this isn’t the same. You’re miserable about losing your friends, but mourning them visibly isn’t something you’re allowed to do. Not when you’re responsible. All you can do is try to fix it, or at least try to make sure Mitsuko makes it home in one piece, without passing out somewhere or clawing a hero’s eyes out with her acrylic nails.

As you’re helping her unlock her apartment, an idea occurs to you. “Hey, why don’t you come with me to Yoshimi’s appointment tomorrow? I have to go to work, so I can’t stay long, but it would really make her feel better if you stuck around with her at the clinic.”

Mitsuko looks lukewarm on the idea. “I don’t think she wants me there. I’m not very good at comfort.”

“How about just company?” you say, and she shrugs. It irritates you to the point where you play a card you shouldn’t. “Hiro used to.”

“Don’t guilt-trip me,” Mitsuko says. It’s quiet for a minute. “Fine. I’ll sit with her. This time. Then it’s back to you.”

“Sure,” you say. You’re pretty sure you can make it so it’s not just this time.

You say goodnight to Mitsuko, stop at a convenience store for supplies on your way home, and drag yourself into your apartment building. Before you unlock the door, you have to brace yourself. In spite of Tenko’s insistence that you aren’t left alone with the League, there have been at least a few times in the past three weeks that you’ve come home to at least one villain in your apartment.

After Tenko and the others left, after you went to Kazuo’s and stayed up all night, drunk and mourning your friends from under the weight of your guilt, the first thing you did was buy a whiteboard. You hung it on the back of your front door, and each day, you write your schedule on it, letting Kurogiri know what times you’ll be out, when it’s safe to bring villains over for a break. You can tell when they’ve been there, even if you don’t see them – things will be out of place, or food will have disappeared, or you’ll find a ton of black hair dye stains all over the shower. You don’t care that Dabi dyes his hair. You just wish he’d rinse the shower out afterwards.

Sometimes the villains leave notes for you on the whiteboard – Magne commenting on the tragic state of your makeup collection, Spinner apologizing for using the last dryer sheet, Dabi bitching about the neighbors and the noisy sex they’re constantly having in the bedroom that shares a wall with your living room. Sometimes they leave requests for you to buy stuff for them, along with at least some money to pay for it. The only person whose things you buy without asking for payment is Toga.

Everybody else takes things, or asks for them. The only person who leaves things for you is Tenko. As far as you can tell, he shows up exclusively during times when you’re supposed to be home, but for some reason or another you’re always out and about. The first time you know for sure he was here, you came back late and found a flower sticking out of an empty energy drink can on your kitchen counter. The next time it was a piece of your jewelry, with a note: Compress stole this and had Twice leave a copy, but Twice told on him. You need a jewelry box that locks. The third time it was just a note, and just three words, in Tenko’s never-got-past-kindergarten handwriting. I miss you.

You miss him, too. While you’re braced for villains every time you open the door, you’re always hoping he’ll be there.

There’s a villain in your apartment tonight, but it’s not Tenko – it’s Magne, who’s in the bathroom availing herself of your blow-dryer. She’s doing laundry, too, or she’s done it. You catch the unmistakable scent of a dryer sheet that’s gotten sucked into the lint-trap on the air. The smart thing to do would be to leave, but you’re tired, and it’s your apartment to begin with. You set down the items you bought at the League’s request on the kitchen table and sit down in a chair, your chin propped in your hand. You think about scrolling your phone to pass the time, but you don’t need to. Lately all you have to do is stare off into space, and your mind supplies enough uneasy questions to keep you busy for hours.

You come back to awareness when Magne snaps her fingers in front of your face. “Rise and shine, sweetheart. Is this for me?”

She’s holding up the three-pack of deodorant. “Yeah. It’s not the brand you asked for – I didn’t have enough money – but I smelled all the discount ones and picked the one that was closest.”

Magne uncaps one and sniffs it. “Close enough,” she decides. “What about the rest of this? Who wanted thermal socks?”

“Spinner. His note said you all are staying in a warehouse and it gets cold,” you say, and Magne nods. You glance over the rest of the things you bought. Some of them need an explanation. “The numbing gel is for Toga. She bit her cheek and there’s a sore in her mouth. Tell her not to eat anything too acidic until it heals. And these are – she knows what these are for.”

Magne nods sagely. “Oh, and these are for Compress,” you add, tapping a stack of cheap paperbacks. “He said he was bored. These should help.”

“You spoil us,” Magne remarks. She smells like your shampoo. And your body wash. “The boss is as bad as it gets. Who would have guessed that his girlfriend would be such a little saint?”

“I’m not a saint,” you say. She’s not the first member of the League to say that, but your list of sins is long enough already, and it’ll only keep getting longer. “I’m just trying to help.”

“I do wonder what the attraction is,” Magne continues, like you didn’t speak at all. “Guys like him – when they see something pretty and pure, all they want to do is ruin it. And then they don’t want it anymore. I wouldn’t get too dirty if I were you.”

“Thanks for the warning.” You see shadows flickering in your peripheral vision. Kurogiri’s here. “Take this stuff with you, okay? And tell everyone I say hi.”

“No problem.” Magne gathers up the results of the supply run. “Any other messages you want me to send? To the boss, maybe?”

“Nothing I’m telling you,” you say, and she laughs. A moment later she vanishes through the warp gate, and you’re alone. It’s past midnight. There’s really nothing for you to do except go to sleep. Or try to.

You’ve been having a hard time sleeping since Kamino. In some ways, it reminds you of how things were after you stumbled into the ruins of Tenko’s house. The images that won’t leave your head. The questions that chase each other through the darkness – did it hurt, did they know, were they scared, what happened next? There was guilt when it was Tenko’s family dead, the stupid thought that useless, quirkless, five-year-old you should have stopped it somehow – but it’s nothing like the guilt you feel now. Kamino’s death toll stands at nine hundred and eight. Magne said you were a saint, but you aren’t. No saint, no good person, lets nine hundred people, some of them her friends, die.

You’re on hour three of trying to sleep when the shadows in the far corner of your room begin to flicker. It’s another warp gate, and you watch, your heart in your throat, as someone emerges from within it. “Tenko?”

Tenko doesn’t look as surprised to see you awake as you thought he’d be. “I can’t sleep either,” he says. His face is unobscured by the hand. He gestures awkwardly at your side of the bed. “Can I –”

“Yeah,” you say at once, trying not to act like this is the best thing that’s happened to you all week. “For sure.”

Tenko’s wearing gloves already. He kicks off his shoes and strips off his shirt, then climbs into bed on the far side. You’re expecting him to stay there, but instead he reaches across the bed to pull you closer, and once he’s got you, the contented sigh that exits his mouth sets every inch of your face on fire. “That’s better.”

You manage to wiggle your arms free, folding one against your chest and wrapping the other around him. His skin is dry and warm beneath your hand, against your cheek. “Hi, Ten.”

“Hey.” Tenko hugs you closer. “This is your fault. I can’t go back to sleeping standing up after that.”

“That’s because humans aren’t supposed to sleep standing up. I have no idea how you did it for – however long you were doing it.”

“Too long, I guess.” Tenko yawns. “Why can’t you sleep?”

“The people I worked on after Kamino. I keep seeing them.” You keep seeing your friends, too, although there you’re restricted to whatever your imagination can conjure. “Other stuff, too.”

“Like what?”

Like what Tenko’s house looked like the morning after, when you ran into the wreckage. What blood and tissue felt like under your bare feet. You still don’t know if Tenko knows what happened to his family, how much he knows, how he got from his family’s house into the clutches of All For One. “Things,” you say. When you’re able to raise the arm that’s wrapped around Tenko’s shoulders, your fingers encounter the ends of his hair, and you start fiddling with them, to the tune of another contented sigh. “It’s late. Try to sleep. I will, too.”

Tenko relaxes against you, asleep within moments. It takes you another hour at least.

You expect him to be gone by the time you wake up in the morning, but instead he’s still there, shirtless, with a terrible case of bedhead that you think is way too cute. He doesn’t want you to get out of bed at all, but once you do, he trails you to the kitchen, where you start making tea and setting out something for breakfast. “It’s too early,” he complains. “Where do you have to go?”

“I’m taking Mitsuko to keep Yoshimi company during her treatment, and then I’m going to work.” You think through your day and grimace. “And after that I have class.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“It’s my day off.”

“Good,” Tenko says. “Twice is bringing a potential ally. I want you there to meet them.”

Your stomach twists, and your appetite, already fickle on its best day, goes up in smoke. “Who are they?”

“Some small-time yakuza. They want prestige and we need money.” Tenko shrugs. “I’ll come back tonight and we’ll go together in the morning.”

“Okay.” Something about this conversation strikes you as funny, but you’re not sure what it is. It takes a second for it to click, and once it does, you’re laughing.

“What?” Tenko asks suspiciously. “What’s funny?”

“We’re eating breakfast and talking about our schedules,” you say, still giggling. “We sound so normal.”

You think Tenko will laugh, too. He’ll say something snarky, something derisive, about the whole concept of normalcy and moving in with somebody and having any kind of life within the boundaries of a corrupt society. Instead his expression takes on a strange cast. “Do you think we would have been?”

You almost spill the electric teakettle out of shock. “What?”

“If nothing had happened. Do you think we’d have ended up like this?” Tenko gestures around the room, then between the two of you. “Like – us.”

If the two of you had gotten to grow up together, what would you have been? You’ve asked yourself that more than a few times. “If nothing had happened,” you repeat. If Tenko’s family hadn’t died, if he hadn’t wound up with a quirk – or even if he had, and you’d lived across the street from each other in middle school, high school. “I think so.”

“Yeah,” Tenko says after a moment. “I think so, too.”

He doesn’t say how he feels about it, and neither do you, but there’s a distant look in his eyes, like his mind’s gone somewhere else, somewhere far from here. It doesn’t fade until you set a cup of green tea down in front of him. “So,” he says, looking up at you, “how much do you know about the yakuza?”

“Not very much,” you admit. “What do I need to know?”

Tenko gives you a brief overview in between bites of food, then starts in on the details. “The group Twice made contact with is called the Shie Hassaikai. Their leader goes by Overhaul, and he’s young – not our age, a little older. Twice says he seems genuine, but I don’t want us caught off-guard.”

“Which is why you want me there,” you surmise. “If things get heated, turn the temperature down.”

Tenko nods. “It shouldn’t. He’s coming alone.”

“Right.” You force down a bite of your breakfast, then another. “And I should bring the disguise.”

“Yeah.” Black mist begins to ripple through the air near the door, and Tenko swears. “Go away, Kurogiri. I’m not done.”

“It is Dabi’s turn. And according to the schedule, she will be leaving soon.” If Kurogiri could tap his foot right now, he probably would. “With haste, Shigaraki Tomura.”

Tomura swears again, then heads back to your room for his shirt and shoes. “I’ll be back tonight,” he says as he pulls them on.

“Me, too.” You wince as Kurogiri loudly clears his throat, then hurry forward to kiss Tomura goodbye. He’s frustrated. You can tell by the tension in his mouth, the way it takes too long to soften against yours. “Hey. I’ll see you soon, all right?”

Tomura nods once. Then he disappears through the warp gate. As he vanishes, you see him removing his gloves.

You’re alone in your apartment again, and the surge of emptiness you feel threatens to knock you off your feet. You’ll see Tenko tonight, which is good, but tomorrow, you’ll be with Tomura – Tomura and the League of Villains, in disguise like you’re one of them. To the head of the Shie Hassaikai, you’ll be indistinguishable from the others.

And speaking of the Hassaikai – you weren’t lying when you told Tomura you know next to nothing about the yakuza, but you know someone who does. It’s a good thing you’re seeing Mitsuko today.

“The Hassaikai?” Mitsuko repeats, when you ask her while the two of you are waiting for Yoshimi to finish her vitals check. “Where’d you hear about them?”

“A patient.” You aren’t technically lying. Tenko was your patient. At one point. “It wasn’t a name I’d heard before, so I thought I’d ask. In case there was a chance you knew anything.”

Mitsuko’s settled down a bit now, but in middle school and high school, she was in a lot of trouble – skipping school, getting drunk and using who knows what else, hooking up with older guys, sometimes for money or gifts or just to make whatever was going on in her head go away. Some of those guys were yakuza. A lot of them were. And Mitsuko always said they liked to pillow-talk.

She thinks about it for a moment, frowning. “They’re a small group,” she starts. “They’ve got a cross-country network, but there aren’t very many of them. The old head of the family was popular, but the new one isn’t.”

Huh. “Do you know why?”

“The family thing – it’s not a joke to them,” Mitsuko says. “That’s how the former head treated it. Not the new one. One of the guys I used to see – he was from another group, but I remember he’d talked to somebody who’d left the Hassaikai when they were both in jail. That guy said the guys in his gang were just employees now. And they were expendable.”

“So the new guy’s a shitty boss.”

“Try worse. He called him a monster. Said he was empty inside.” Mitsuko looks troubled for a split second. Then she shakes her head. “They all are, though, aren’t they? Yakuza, villains – well, maybe not that Shigaraki guy. He looks like he’s so full of crazy it’s a miracle he doesn’t explode.”

You keep your mouth shut with an effort. What would you say, anyway? Nothing convincing, not without giving away more information than anyone outside the League should know. Mitsuko gives you a curious look. “Did your patient get mixed up with them somehow?”

“I guess so.”

“Hopefully they get out fast. Those guys are bad news.” Mitsuko grimaces. “I’d know.”

She looks like she wants to say more, but then Yoshimi comes out of the check-in room, and the two of you had a talk about not upsetting Yoshimi more than necessary. The two of you turn to her. “I don’t know shit about this,” Mitsuko tells Yoshimi, sounding so much like her usual self that you’d never guess she was wasted and hero-baiting last night, “but you’re with me today. Anybody who gives you shit, they have to answer to me. And I’m not nearly as nice as her.”

She points at you, and you roll your eyes. The only reason you were nice to the one nurse who was even sort of rude to Yoshimi is because you didn’t want her doing something worse when your back was turned. Yoshimi smiles gratefully at Mitsuko. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she says. “We need to catch up. Some of the nurses here are cute.”

You tell them both goodbye and sneak out while they’re talking about the cute nurses. Mitsuko could do a hell of a lot worse than a cute nurse. Maybe she needs that right now. As weird as she gets when she’s in a relationship, almost anything would be an improvement on the self-destruct sequence she’s cycling through. Not that you’re any better. If Kazuo wasn’t too busy pulling together the official incident report on Kamino to take a look at what you’re doing, he’d probably say you were doing the same thing.

You don’t look it. You hold it together at work, checking in on your younger colleagues, supporting the older ones, keeping an eye on the mood with them and the patients both. It’s not a good mood. The rest of the country is ready to venerate All Might and cheer for his victory, but Yokohama was hit too hard. Too many people lost loved one, and too many of those people live in the other Japan with you. Nobody’s gone so far as to sympathize with the League of Villains, yet, but plenty of them are angry with the heroes. And plenty of them are saying it out loud.

The organization that runs your clinic is worried about the staff. Absentee rates are high, and people come to work in bad moods and leave in worse ones. Your supervisor is offering everybody extra time off so long as you take it in shifts, and each and every one of you who was on shift during Kamino is scheduled to meet with a counselor over your lunch hour once a week. You don’t want to do it. You don’t have a lot, or any, good memories of doing therapy as a kid. And this time, there’s something you’re actually guilty of.

But it’s a requirement, and you don’t want to make waves, so you slouch into the mailroom for your counseling session as ordered. Your counselor is rich – you can tell by her clothes and her jewelry – and a whole set of unkind associations spring into your head when you look at her. You try to push them away. If your contempt is oozing from between your teeth, there’s no way you’ll get through this without raising a red flag or ten.

The counselor greets you, introduces herself as Yaoyorozu Shizuka, and something clicks in your head. “Your daughter’s at UA.”

“Yes, my dear Momo! We’re very proud,” Mrs. Yaoyorozu says, even though you didn’t’ congratulate her. “She’s been through quite an ordeal – just like you and your coworkers have been. Why don’t you start by telling me where you were on that night?”

“At first I worked triage with the evacuees,” you say. “When the casualties arrived, I went to assist the doctors and nurse-practitioners.”

“And how long did you do that for?”

“Until someone kicked me out.”

Mrs. Yaoyorozu makes a note in her notebook. Her leather-bound, monogrammed notebook. “How do you feel about the work you and your coworkers did that night?”

If you try to lie, she won’t believe you, and she’ll push the point. You need her not to push. “I feel like we failed.”

“Why do you feel like that?”

“Because that’s what we did,” you say. “Five people died in the exam rooms back there. Two more died in the hospital later. We failed our patients, just like everyone else did.”

“Just like everyone else did,” Mrs. Yaoyorozu repeats. She looks puzzled, or she’s faking puzzlement. You really don’t care which. “What do you mean?”

Of course she’d ask that question. You can’t stop the derisive sound that escapes your mouth. “Let me see. This clinic failed by not being ready to handle a mass casualty event, by not having the necessary equipment to treat major trauma or the staff who know how to do it. The site commander failed by sending those patients to us knowing we couldn’t help them. The heroes on-scene failed by prioritizing helping All Might instead of clearing the route to Yokohama General, so the people they were supposed to be rescuing when they decided it was more important to help All Might could have a chance to survive.”

Mrs. Yaoyorozu is staring at you. Your face is hot and your eyes are prickling, and you sink your nails into the palm of your hand, fighting for control. “We weren’t the only ones to fail those people. We were just the last ones. All those people –”

You cut yourself off. Mrs. Yaoyorozu scrambles to recover. “It was far from an ideal situation,” she says. “It was never going to be possible to save everyone –”

“I thought it was,” you interrupt. “Isn’t that what heroes say they’ll do?”

You need to be careful. You sound like Tomura. But Mrs. Yaoyorozu is shaking her head, smiling indulgently, ready to explain how you just don’t understand that sometimes hard choices have to be made, and you lose patience. “Look, what are you even doing here? Is it just a hobby of yours to come here and minister to the poor unfortunates who weren’t born quirked or pretty or rich? This isn’t your city and we aren’t your people. We don’t need saving. We don’t want your help.”

“Don’t speak for your colleagues,” Mrs. Yaoyorozu says mildly. “You don’t need saving. You don’t want my help. Why not?”

You look blankly at her. “You’ve been through something traumatic,” she continues. “The whole city has, and those of you who responded directly to the tragedy haven’t had time to process what you experienced. That’s what this space is supposed to be for. If it would be best for you to process by expressing your anger towards me, that’s all right.”

“So you’re going to martyr yourself.” You don’t understand where the disdain in your voice is coming from. “Sit here for an hour, then go home and tell your maids and your husband and your butler about how the nurse at the poor-people clinic was so mean to you when all you wanted to do was help.”

She’s staring at you now like you’ve slapped her, when you haven’t raised your voice or sworn or even moved an inch in your chair. You’re using your de-escalation voice, but the context is all wrong, and even as you struggle to rein in your temper, you can’t stop yourself from turning her words back on her. “If that’s what would best help you process your savior complex, that’s fine with me.”

Mrs. Yaoyorozu holds your gaze for another few seconds. Then she ducks her head, writing frantically in her notebook. “Are you crying?” you ask her. The false concern in your own voice makes your skin crawl.

Her eyes are clear when she looks up. “Blaming oneself or others for the traumatic events or for what happened afterwards,” she says. “Check. Persistent state of fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame – check. Persistent negative cognitions, such as “I am bad”, “no one can be trusted” – check. Do you know what I’ve just listed.”

“Criterion D of the PTSD diagnosis.” Kazuo tried this trick on you already, and you were a lot more likely to listen to him. “What’s your point?”

“I can see by the dark circles under your eyes that your sleep’s disturbed,” she says. “Whether that’s by nightmares or by ruminating on what’s occurred, you’ve met Criterion B. By verbally sparring with me you’re avoiding engaging with your own feelings about what happened – Criterion C. Disturbed sleep partially covers Criterion E, and I imagine if I asked you whether you startle easily, find it difficult to concentrate, or feel unsafe in most settings, I’d get at least one yes. But I don’t need a yes to diagnose you – the first symptom under Criterion E is irritable behavior and angry outbursts. What would you call this?”

She gestures at the space between you, and you sink your nails into your palm again. “I’ve spoken to your coworkers about you. They describe you as kind, supportive, calm – the person who smooths over conflicts, not starts them. This conversation is a symptom, a sign of what you’ve been through. It’s not who you are.”

But it is. It is who you are now – a person who takes a skill you’ve used to help people and twists it into a weapon, a person who backs someone else into a corner and goes for their throat, and the worst part is, you can’t pin this on your association with the League of Villains. Tomura’s not standing here feeding you lines. This was all you. What’s happening to you?

Trauma, Mrs. Yaoyorozu would say, if you asked what she thought. You know the real answer: Guilt.

It’s quiet for a little while. When you speak up again, your voice doesn’t sound like your own. “I don’t want to talk anymore.”

“I understand,” Mrs. Yaoyorozu says. You spend the rest of your lunch hour in silence, staring at the wall.

[satancopilotsmytardis]

Blood kink maybe?

Of the things that Tomura expected to happen once they fled Kamino, he can't say that Dabi being kidnapped was anywhere even remotely on his list of possibilities. He never complained about Dabi wandering off from the rest of them. Technically, as far as the others were concerned, he was attempting to recruit more members. In reality, Tomura knows that Dabi won't ever bring anyone back to join their group. Dabi has standards for villainy that means they won't work with riff-raff, and Tomura knows that him burning anyone who doesn't live up to those standards will keep the League as a persistent threat in the background of the news cycles, growing more uneasy about what the League might do when they decide to fully come out of the shadows. Besides, letting him wander keeps him happy too, never feeling strangled and tied down. Tomura isn't sure if he's ever met another person who has such strong abandonment issues that they flash like a neon sign over him, but after the first time he'd nearly lit Tomura on fire for acting slightly too affectionate with him, he'd also found out that he doesn't take kindly to anyone trying to make him feel valued either. It's a messy contradiction, but Tomura isn't going to pretend that he didn't know just from looking at Dabi that he was messy and he's willing to take what he can get. 

He was not expecting to get a phone call from Dabi's number from some Yakuza stragglers saying that they have his firefly. 

"Hmm. Is that so?" He pulls up the app that connects the League's phones so that Kurogiri can always track them for easy extraction and finds the coordinates in a matter of seconds, gesturing for the others to gear up and gather around so they can deal with this. "How do I know you didn't just steal his phone? This can't be your first kidnapping. You must know that I need proof of life before I negotiate with you."

"You aren't in any position to make demands--"

"You're not in any position to threaten the League when we just finished tearing off your boss's arms." He replies flatly. "Proof of life, or I hang up now." 

The other villain practically growls and Tomura listens for the sound of movement, catching footsteps and the creak of a door opening. "Wake him up!" He winces slightly when there's the heavy sound of flesh against flesh and then Dabi wheezes. "Your boyfriend wants to hear your voice, patchwork." 

"Boyfriend?" Tomura can't help his pleasure soaking into his tone slightly, but Dabi immediately snaps, 

"The fuck are you talking about? Duster isn't my boyfriend!" The door slams shut again and Tomura tables the immediate disappointment that comes from that and instead sends the coordinates to Kurogiri.

"There, now you better listen up if you don't want to find him scattered all over Japan--" it takes about five seconds after the texts goes through before Kurogiri opens up the portal. Tomura hangs up his phone, dropping it back into his coat pocket, before he steps through, right in front of the dumbfuck with Dabi's still against his ear. He locks his hand around that wrist as his other comes up lightning-quick to settle five fingers against his face, the others swarming out of the portal behind him like some particularly vicious wasps to take care of the other members around the dilapidated warehouse. 

The Yakuza member crumbles into nothing, and Shigaraki takes back Dabi's phone before it can be broken with the rest of him, and then he glances around. There were only four others out here and he sees that the League is making short work of them, finds the door a short distance away from where the man was standing, and heads for it. He hears a choked gurgle on the other side of the door and immediately pushes it open, making sure that the metal blocks most of his body, but it wasn't worth the effort. There's no one inside to shoot at him anymore. 

Dabi is just there, spitting out a mouthful of flesh and blood, handcuffed to a chair, his face and white shirt streaked with crimson. He shifts to kick the slumped body of the Yakuza member off of him. The body thuds to the floor unceremoniously and Dabi looks up at him. "Toga's the one who put the heart emoji by your name." 

He doesn't say a thing in response. He's too busy staring at the blood that is dripping all over Dabi's skin and soaking into his clothes. Too busy watching his firefly turn to spit out another mouthful of saliva that has come out stringy and thick with blood. 

"Duster? Come the fuck on, let me out." 

He manages to move across the room then, but he does it in a haze as he reaches for the quirk-dampening cuffs keeping Dabi on the chair. 

"Fucking idiots. I don't know why people forget that they're just as capable of getting killed by something mundane and not a quirk." 

Dabi is bitching to hide that his pupils are blown wide with his adrenaline. He's standing up and the room gets a little warmer as, despite his words, he makes sure he's ready to defend himself with his quirk first and foremost. He is reaching up to wipe more of the blood from his mouth and Tomura reaches out and grabs his wrist. Blue eyes blink at him and then he's got his mouth on top of his crimson lips. The sticky smear of the blood makes the scent of copper and smoke bloom between them and he can't even care. Can't complain when he tastes that and his firefly's skin beneath. Dabi stiffens from the kiss, this temperature spiking higher for a second, but then he gives in, the way he always gives in, like being kissed, like being touched, is a relief to him. He opens his mouth for him and Tomura indulges in that overwhelming flavor as he pulls the other closer and keeps kissing him until they're both desperate for air. 

He doesn't even stop as they try to catch their breath, his tongue drags over his stained chin as well and licks up some of the blood dripping over his skin. "Should've known you were a goddamn freak." But Dabi is clutching onto his coat and pulling him closer for another kiss. 

"Toga drinks blood all the time." He mumbles, but he doesn't really care about saving face. He just wants to have more of this if he's allowed it. 

"Toga's got a quirk that makes her like it. You're just a sadist." 

"Your tears taste better. Let me have those too?" 

"Fucking freak." But Dabi pulls him back in for another hard kiss as Tomura pushes him up against the wall, stepping over the corpse of Dabi's captor as he does.

[pikahlua]

Look, it's probably still not time to go really deep into it, but I did mention there are ways this ending where Tomura dies could work for me. Honestly I didn't have much of an issue with chapter 423 itself before the internet's emotional onslaught over it, but now that I'm hearing rumors the chapter was received well in Japan and a number of western fans have decided to couch all their disappointment in racism and rage at the target readership, maybe I should give some cursory thoughts just to counteract the stupid.

The Bittersweet Ending

Here's the thing. For all the game the bird app likes to talk about how MHA is happy and kid-friendly and not dark and that's bad somehow, it's kind of funny to me how little MHA actually meets expectations in that regard. If I were to divide MHA arcs into categories based on their endings, I would probably have to put the majority of them into the "makes me cry" category. Even arcs where the hero wins with ostensibly happy endings often have absolutely gut-wrenching moments, like All Might's retirement in the Kamino arc, Tsuyu's apology in the UA Dorm Contest arc, and Nighteye's death in the Overhaul arc. I don't think it's possible for me to watch the Sports Festival arc and come out of it with anything but mixed feelings of hope and haunting. Stain may have lost his battle, but his effect on society sure seems to give him the win when it comes to the war. The Paranormal Liberation War arc has a pretty rough ending where there may still be a sliver of hope, but goodness is it a small one.

Sure, some of the teariest moments are a result of happy scenes like Eri smiling for the first time at the cultural festival, but what I'm getting at is that MHA tends to go for more hopeful endings rather than happy ones. And those hopeful endings are often stained by some other tragedy, a price to pay for the hope. Just because MHA isn't full of random death doesn't mean it doesn't contain poignant loss. This was one of its early selling points in fact. MHA's most hopeful moments have always felt so real because the story acknowledges that these things should often play out messily. We've seen the mess, and now chapter 424 has given us a glimmer of hope. The question is now where the story will take us from here.

The Anticlimax

This post has come back for me in the most unexpected way, not gonna lie.

I often hear “anticlimax/anticlimactic” used as a negative criticism, especially colloquially. This criticism assumes an anticlimax is always written unintentionally. But that’s often not the case; anticlimax is actually fucking fantastic when placed in the right hands. And Kohei Horikoshi is a goddamn anticlimax connoisseur. I say he’s a connoisseur because Horikoshi has the gall, nay, the gumption–dare I say the balls to showcase the versatility of anticlimax as a storytelling technique for more than just comedy (although he does also use it for comedy a lot). He dares to use it in action scenes, horror/thriller scenes, and even fuzzy heartfelt scenes, all to the great effect of toying with our emotions. And he successfully has us feel exactly what he wants us to every time–because that’s the point. These aren’t cheap jokes; they serve a purpose! They illustrate an actual, meaningful point about whatever scenario they are used in to make the story more realistic, to combat the fridge logic “well actually” complaints endemic to fandom. Because Horikoshi is a fan himself.

When I write "realistic," I don't mean to apply this quote here to indicate that death (especially for edgy aesthetics) is realistic. I mean to indicate that imperfection is realistic. Izuku isn't a perfect hero. Tomura isn't a perfect victim, and by victim I mean "character for the hero to save." Izuku says it himself:

A perfect victim for the hero to save would yield to the hero's attempts to turn and save them. They would see the wisdom in the hero's position and 100% change sides to agree with them. Trite.

Doing this runs the risk of erasing the victim's identity that comes before. Izuku never has a perfect answer to all of Tomura's problems with the world.

Izuku is the same as All Might. He's only human.

[...]Horikoshi has no compunctions using anticlimax in big, important, non-humorous scenes (even if the anticlimax ultimately adds humor to the scene that was otherwise unexpected). This man has no fear. He ends his famously popular take on the tried and true trope of tournament arcs with one big let-down that affects not just the audience but the in-universe characters. [...] You wanna tell me Horikoshi didn’t know exactly what he was doing here? You wanna tell me Horikoshi didn’t know about the fandom war over Katsuki’s hero name? That he didn’t purposefully fucking troll the fandom with this? That this isn’t the single greatest brick joke in the history of published media for its effect both in the canon and in the meta? Fuck you, we’re building up the tension around the most wildly popular character’s hero name reveal for 248 goddamn chapters (that’s five-and-a-half years) just to make it the cringiest fucking thing you’ve ever heard in your goddamn life. His hero name must be the closest audio rendition anyone can imagine shaped like a middle finger and fucking nothing less will suffice. Congratulations, fandom: you played yourselves! You made a war no one could win! Horikoshi could have chosen Ground Zero or Kacchan as Katsuki’s hero name and risked alienating half his fandom either way, but you didn’t realize there was a third option, which of course he took: to risk alienating the entire fucking fandom.

I'm just saying, an ending like this isn't out of character for Horikoshi. In light of this trip down memory lane and Izuku's parallel with All Might in that they acknowledge they cannot save everyone, I'm interested to see what Horikoshi does with this ending whether or not Tomura survives. What sort of hope will he offer?

The extended ending arc

The only real extended ending arc we've had in MHA that might give us a glimpse at the inner workings of Horikoshi's mind is the School Cultural Festival arc. Because of that (and the many other things I've mentioned before this post), I will say there is cause to believe we will have a hopeful ending. Again, I don't know what that looks like. A lot of people seem to have a specific thing they need to have happen to save the story for them, and I cannot speak to those.

Except for Deku vs Kacchan 3, which is what I need to have happen lol. And god does it seem really fucking possible now.

[mishy-mashy]

Just wanted to compare Midoriya and AFO in panels (DFO stuff) from different fights. Again, small things I thought were at least worth noticing

Midoriya's panels come from when Dabi told the world about Endeavor and their family situation, as they were fighting. This was back when Shigaraki was broken from his tube prematurely.

AFO's is when Bakugo aborted him.

First, the insistence of moving forward, even if their limbs are weak or won't work as well as before.

Then the fact they both came up with using a Quirk like this (below), from desperation. Who cares if their bodies won't work? They have Quirks they can fall back on.

And are both thwarted by someone who has a combustion Quirk (flames VS explosions), in a fight that boils down to family and brother problems for the Villain.

And something different from these two events, I'm gonna move to when Bakugo fought Midoriya past curfew, and when All Might faced AFO in Kamino,

When both want to win, they start spewing insults. AFO insults people to get an opening and win. Midoriya does it when he wants to win more than save.

Midoriya knows it's gross to say he thinks like that, but Bakugo is his image of victory. Meanwhile, All Might is an image of victory to Japan; and AFO gains an edge when he can rile up that symbol of victory (peace).

Or maybe AFO just riles up OFA users in general. From All Might, to calling Midoriya useless in front of Nana and Yoichi..

Either way, AFO likes to talk shit, and it trips up people. And he does this so he can win. He does it logically, but it also happens when he gets riled up, like when he ate Tenko (418) (get your head out of the gutter).

Midoriya spews insults naturally when he wants to win, when he wants to win more than he wants to save.

They think alike, is all. Both thought of using their Quirks through their mouth when their bodies weren't enough (innovation with Quirks that aren't originally theirs), and when they want to win, they insult their opponent.

[itsnothingofinterest]

I actually find it funny when people will say the heroes need to kill more villains instead of arresting them when, from where I'm looking, every instance of the heroes killing a villain(s) has led to some consequence that would've been avoided had they just been taken in alive. (Which evidence has often shown them quite capable of doing.)

Lady Nagant was made to kill loads of people, driving her crazy and leading her to kill her boss and deprive the hero side of one of it's best. Her case feels like a big reason why killing on the regular would be incompatible with the rest of the hero shtick; 'cause it turns out people with lots of blood on their hands have trouble using them to then shake the hands of children.

People say All Might should've killed AFO; but you can tell both from All Might's dialogue in Kamino & from how AFO regrew his head that that's exactly how their first fight ~7 years ago ended. AFO's brains met the pavement that day. And I can only assume this allowed his body to be easily recovered & revived, letting him lay low for the next 6 years to mould Tomura into a successor and orchestrate a good portion of the conflicts we've seen in this series. Just saying, that sounds much harder to do from Tartarus. And at least the heroes knew when he broke out of jail way faster then when he broke out of the grip of death. Heck, it could easily be argued he only broke out of jail thanks to that 6 years of set-up.

Oh and where to start with Hawks killing Twice? Maybe how it enraged Toga & Dabi to make them more crazy & dangerous, maybe how it affected people's trust in heroes? Oh but the big one has to be how leaving Twice as a corpse let his blood be collected for Toga to get a parade off anyway; one the heroes were unprepared for too, which distracted a lot of the pros meant to keep AFO in Gunga. All of which could've been avoided if Hawks had just taken Twice in alive. (Which I must reiterate he easily could have done; I mean his quirk was shown pretty easily countering a Parade.) The heroes wouldn't have had to deal with a Parade in this war at all if Twice was sitting pretty in a jail cell next to Compress & Geten.

I can't help but think those last two cases could be a surprisingly common occurrence too if heroes killed as much as some readers say they should. Like, could you imagine if every dangerous villain in Japan's history was killed and then just dumped somewhere for a guy like Dr. Garaki to get his hands on them the same way he got Shirakumo?

So anyway, between the mental health issues it causes, combined with how villains keep finding ways to perform necromancy; I'm just not seeing a lot of evidence that things go well for the heroes when they kill villains, or that they'd go much better if the heroes were kill-happy soldiers of the war on villainy all the time.

[deusvervewrites]

When you look through All For One’s actions, you just have to wonder… what the hell?

Lets Shigaraki out of the house at all, when he could have died as early as the USJ.

Somehow lost Yoichi’s hand while being hunted down by All Might (what, did he keep it on his person??)

The ranged attacks at Kamino to weaken All Might were smart but loops back around to dumb when he decides to outpunch All Might.

Didn’t inform Nagant about anything concerning Midoriya.

Managed to Rewind himself out of existence, unlike Midoriya. Yea, I know they work different for some reason, Midoriya still would have found a way not to Rewind himself.

This is barely scratching the surface of his ineptitude. Let's have some more

Despite knowing that he's rapidly Benjamin Buttoning away to nothing, spends precious time grandstanding at the Heroes.

Considers stealing Dark Shadow, but decides against it solely because Mineta was there.

Despite knowing that he'd rapidly Benjamin Buttoning away to nothing and that he's wasted precious time grandstanding at the Heroes, physically cannot resist trying to bully All Might.

Keeps a Quirk on hand to change his blood type so he can avoid forensic evidence... despite the fact that as the leader of a criminal organization he himself is never present at crime scenes. And also that he grew up in the apocalypse, so there isn't any forensic evidence of his existence. Or birth records. Or anything.

Blames Kudo for Yoichi's death despite the fact that all Kudo did was tell All For One that All For One murdered Yoichi, a fact that All For One already knew.

Can't be bothered to train any of his Quirks, or to collect Quirks that might require training, or to understand Quirks at all. Shigaraki is the one who does the Quirk analyzing.

Following up from that point, All For One had a copy of Overhaul and fucking broke it! Instead of keeping around a spare copy which he might use to, I don't know, fix his larynx, he took the one copy he had and shattered it solely for his plan to groom a child he let get shot and stabbed.

Never considered attacking UA while Midoriya was preoccupied elsewhere during the Villain Hunt Arc. Like, at all.

Similarly, reveals at Kamino that he knows Midoriya has One For All, but never made any attempts to use Midoriya's loved ones against him to force him to give it up. It seems to have genuinely never occurred to him.

Tried to kill Midoriya with a bomb despite needing him alive for One For All.

Has gotten his mental self obliterated by Shigaraki like three times and yet still claims to be the total master of the shared body despite the fact that Shigaraki is still present enough to be screaming aloud.

Despite successfully conquering Japan in the past, I guess he just??? Forgot??? to deal with the MLA??? Because they're still around. As are the Creature Rejection Clan.

Never objected to the Noumu having exposed brains

Genuinely thinks the world works exactly like the Captain Hero comics and is confused and surprised on multiple occasions when that's not how people behave.

Gets outplayed by children because they know his top priority is being a petty bitch instead of any of his schemes

And that's just off the top of my head!

[butterfly-writer]

OTHERS

Little Rebel CLASS 1A x MALE!VIGILANTE!READER TW: NONE Contents: FLUFF Summary: A charming boy from the Irelands, comes to Japan to train more on his quirk and somehow, Bakugou takes interest in him. Experiment CLASS 1A x NOMU!MALE!READER TW: NONE Contents: FLUFF Summary: After Kamino’s Incident, the pro heroes managed to capture all Nomus. But one catches their eyes.

[lizzy06]

Hakamada Tsunagu (Best Jeanist) x Reader Fic Recs!! (Tumblr/Ao3/Wattpad)

My Hero Academia Fic Rec Masterlist

Who Knew✨ by nek0zawakun (oneshot, friends to lovers, fluff, humor) "Whatever you decide [Y/N], just remember to let your life be as straight as your jeans." “I’d love to, but straight jeans are no longer in style.”[COMPLETED]

The Aftermath of Kamino by MothClothTales (oneshot, fluff, hurt/comfort) The physical scars would have nothing on the mental ones.[COMPLETED]

Red Threads of Fate by Curious_Feline (onshot, fluff) When pride is on the line for both halves of Japan's power couple after a childish argument, who is going to cave first and apologize before the public gets too lost in trying to fill in the pieces of their private argument.[COMPLETED]

Never too late✨✨by @therainroguefanfiction (oneshot, fluff with pinch of angst) “You answer the door when I’m trick or treating and at first you say I’m way too old to be doing this but somehow I convince you to come out and join me.”[COMPLETED]

As You Wish ✨by @seiyasabi (oneshot, yandere! best jeanist) You meeting your friend for catching up? idk man lol.[COMPLETED]

Did I Just Say That Out Loud?✨ by @myeternalsin (oneshot, humor, fluff) (Y/N) meets up with her best friend Chris as he forgets his lunch and begs Y/N to drop it off. After her third encounter with Best Jeanist, (Y/N) can’t help but admire his ass in those jeans of his~.[COMPLETED]

Best Jeanist x Reader✨ by @faulty-writes (oneshot, kinda enemies to lovers) Despite your less than friendly relationship, neither of you is willing to admit just how much you feel for the other.[COMPLETED]

Best Jeanist hcs by @burnedbyshoto (fluff) hcs for Best Jeanist with a s/o who works at his agency as a staff member.[COMPLETED]

Best Jeanist X Gender Neutral Reader by @queentheweeb (oneshot, fluff) You felt it in your bones that if Hakamada tried to do whatever ungodly hairstyle that he enjoys on you one more time it would be more than just villains he will have to worry about.[COMPLETED]

Blind date by @erasethedarkness (oneshot, fluff)Working at a news station had its perks- and one of them included being friends with a popular newswoman. When asked to take her place in a blind date, you were skeptical but wanted to help her out, accepting the request in the end.[COMPLETED]

Body Snatched by @nights-legacy (oneshot) When someone couldn't take a hint and continued making you uncomfortable after you said you weren't interested, he didn't take it lightly. Especially when that person goes way out of line.[COMPLETED]

One Last Gift by @shxtodxroki (oneshot, fluff) Despite his busy schedule and hectic lifestyle, your pro-hero boyfriend manages to give you the perfect Christmas Eve as you soak up all the love and affection you can during your time alone with him.[COMPLETED]

[gentrychild]

AU where the great deity Gentrychild gets yeeted into the canon BNHA-verse and single-handedly consumes AFO's soul, effortlessly saving Japan as her rat companions feast upon his flesh

1 - In true isekai fashion, I was hit by a truck and sent to the canon bnhaverse. Barid was driving it and was distracted by Moonpaw's shiny colors as the neon cat was walking down the street.

2 - I landed in the middle of Mustafu, immediately recognizing the canon BNHAverse and thinking that no one would bat an eye at my appearance since it's a post Dawn of Quirks world. I was very disappointed to see all of those people running away screaming from me. I guess that appearance-based-discrimination is still a thing.

3 - Despite what the prompt asks of me, I have no intention to derail the story. Izuku is in the middle of his beach training and yes, I took one thousand pictures (and several selfies) but apart from that, I didn't intervene in any way. I want All Might to have his Kamino moment. Instead, I keep stealing Nighteye's merch and watch him implode in fury, putting dirt all over Chisaski's stuff and ripping Destro Junior's remaining hair tuff by tuff.

4 - All was well until someone not only tried to cut the line to get raspberry ice cream but actually elbowed me to do so? Who does that? I politely informed him that I was here first and that he better get back to end of the line. The very rude man wearing what I first believed to be a Mandalorian helmet insulted my feathers then said that my quirk was fascinating and was about to put his hand on me! So I did what everyone would do in this situation! I ate his soul, messily and painfully. He begged a lot on his way out of life and into my stomach. But hey, at least, the line cleared out and I got my ice cream faster than expected to wash out the taste!

5 - Unfortunately, I eventually realized that I had just killed AFO, aka the main villain of the story. Shigaraki couldn't be expected to replace him, as he was still in his League of Legend phase. So I figured out that I could just kinda piece him back together and use him as a puppet so he could still play his role. After all, I have written so many AFOs, it should be child's play to keep in character and probably make him a more competent villain than what we've seen lately in the manga. Unfortunately... I didn't realize that wherever I go, the rats follow.

6 - I tried to tell them to stop by screaming that they didn't know where AFO had been but they only chew faster.

7 - Since AFO is dead and BNHA is now deprived of its villain, I have no choice but to take responsibility and to assume the role. I shall now become the new villain of the BNHA world. Wish them luck.

[tangsakura]

The Fallen and the Angel - Backstory Theories on Sukuna and Angel

So while I was on my home from campus one day, I was thinking back on the chapter when Angel introduced herself and Sukuna revealed that he was 'The Fallen One'. Then, a realization hit me. There are other hidden meanings and implications behind their title, and I'll go over it in this post.

WARNING: MANGA SPOILERS. PLEASE DO NOT INTERACT IF YOU ARE NOT YET CAUGHT UP WITH THE MANGA.

During the Culling Games arc, we were introduced to Angel, who was inhabiting Hana Kurusu. Angel was there apparently to stop the incarnated sorcerers and to extinguish the Fallen One, Sukuna.

So why is it that Angel is so obsessed with her mission to do that to Sukuna? And what else does it mean to be 'The Fallen One'?

Here are my main theories about it:

Angel and Sukuna were part of or associated with the imperial family

Sukuna betrayed or was the disgrace the imperial family, especially the Emperor.

Sukuna defeated the clans descended from divinities.

⊹ ︶⏝⭒ ⊹ ⭒⏝︶ ⊹⊹ ︶⏝⭒ ⊹ ⭒⏝︶ ⊹⊹ ︶⏝⭒ ⊹ ⭒⏝︶ ⊹⊹ ︶⏝⭒ ⊹ ⭒⏝︶ ⊹

Here's why I think those were the case.

Angel:

JJK Chapter 199 - "The Angel" is I." ("Tenshi" wa Watashi da yo)

In Japanese, Angel's name is 天使 (Tenshi). It means the messenger or envoy of heaven - basically, an angel. But there's another meaning to it.

Let me explain.

That is, a messenger or envoy of the imperial family.

天 (Ten) means heaven or sky, but it is also associated with a person.

In Japanese, if you want to refer to the Emperor of Japan, you use the word 天皇 (Ten-noo), meaning 'Heavenly Emperor.'

The Emperor.

As you can see, the Japanese in the past associated the emperor with the divinity. In fact, the Imperial Family claims that they are descendants of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess.

So if we were to read Angel's name again 天使, we can also interpret it as her having been the messenger or envoy of the imperial family. I know I and the manga itself has mentioned that Angel was part of the Abe clan's sorcerer army, but from this we can now assume that she either wasn't originally part of the Abe clan at first, but was part of the imperial family's army; or was part of it, but she was also associated with the imperials.

One thing to note here is that even though the Abe clan was descended from a grandson of the 8th Emperor of Japan, they are not considered part of the imperial family in Heian era and are just considered nobility at this point. Angel has also mentioned that she was following God's laws, and she could be referring to the Emperor's creed since the Emperor is considered heavenly, a son of heaven.

Sukuna:

JJK CHAPTER 199 - "The Fallen" is I." (Daten wa Ore da)

But then, what about Sukuna?

He was referred to as 'The Fallen One', 堕天 (Daten). People have been comparing him to Lucifer or a fallen angel, someone who fell from grace. But what if I tell you that this might also mean that he was the disgrace and/or traitor of the imperial family?

Theory #1 - Disgrace of the imperial family

堕天 (Daten) literally translates to 'fallen from heaven'. Here are some implications of it:

Mazie from tiktok, tells us of how Sukuna can be related to the imperial family.

Kamino, the pronunciation of the kanji 竈 for furnace, that he says before saying fuuga is also the original name of Emperor Saga. But the kanji for Emperor Saga's original name was 神野. Emperor Saga was a renowned Chinese classics scholar and a calligrapher, though he ruled from 809 to 823 at the beginning of the Heian period, just after the capital has been moved to Heian-kyoo (present-day Kyoto).

One theory I propose is that Sukuna is a descendant of Emperor Saga through a branch family, meaning younger sons of the Emperor or grandsons who either:

Lost the succession rights, received a last name, and were demoted to nobility class. In this case, the Saga Genji line of the Minamoto clan. (Some of the clans in this royal-origin nobility class included the Abe clan, Minamoto clan, Taira clan, and Tajihi clan; but the Tajihi and Abe clans are too far in blood relations with the imperial family.)

Born to a prince, but has no succession rights.

Or worst case scenario, they starved her so she can miscarry the twins or impede their development. It is possible that Jin didn't develop properly, and so, Sukuna absorbed the dead fetus. This case is called Vanishing Twin Syndrome, and it happens in real life. As for him claiming that he ate his twin, it must be something that was ingrained to him by someone or people.

But because his mother was going to have twins, she was probably thrown out and starved from not getting used to hardships outside the imperial court.

➽──────────────❥➽──────────────❥➽─────────

As a result, he was outcast from the family along with his mother and lost their privilege as royals or nobles because he was a disgrace to the Emperor and the imperial family, and lived his life just like outlined in my backstory theory.

Theory #2:

Another alternative theory to this is that he was associated with the imperial family through a clan he was affiliated with and that clan was close with the imperials.

The closest one to be associated with the imperials was the Fujiwara family, but based on the information we know so far, he didn't seem to be associated with them until he defeated Uro's army.

But the clan we know was also closely associated with the imperials were the Sugawaras.

I have previous theorized that Sukuna used to be part of the Sugawara's army. You can read my post below:

I still strongly believe that was the case.

Here's a fun fact. Did you know that there used to be an Imperial State University in Heian Japan, called 'Daigaku-ryoo'? It is an educational institution built under the ritsuryoo system (imperial court caste system of Japan at the time) that aimed to train government administrators. The subjects taught here were math, history of Japan and China, classical Chinese works, jurisprudence (philosophy and theory of law) of Japan and China, Japanese and Chinese literature, pronunciation of words, and calligraphy.

And the Sugawaras? They were a clan famous for producing Heads of the Imperial State University (daigaku-ryoo) and Doctors of Chinese Literature & History (basically equivalent to Deans of Chinese Literature & History Department, holding PhD in those subject areas) for generations. What better clan to learn Chinese literature from than the Sugawara clan!

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Proof that Sukuna knows Chinese Literature or Classics:

JJK Chapter 212

Separating and not meeting for a long time

Did you know that the word 'Enchain' Sukuna used in Japanese is inspired from 'The Books of Songs', also known as The Classics of Poetry, under the Odes of Bei? The word is found in one of the lines there written as '死生契闊，与子成説', which roughly means "In life or death, together or apart, I made a promise with you."

Enchain in Japanese is 契闊 (kee-katsu), bolded above. As a word it means the following:

Suffering from endeavour

Not meeting each other for a long time

Estrangement

Never contacting or reaching out to each other for a long while

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Plus, having high positions in the university meant strong connections with the imperial court and the imperial family. That's why, even though they lost their prestige as high nobles after Michizane was demoted due to the Fujiwaras, they still retained prestige in education. (Also, Sugawara men had also married Fujiwara women, so it's not a surprise if Gojo and Yuta both have Fujiwara blood in them).

So, if my theories that Angel used to be originally part of the imperial family's army of sorcerers before joining the Abe clan, or was associated with them as part of the Abe clan's army were true, then they could've first encountered each other at the imperial court, as well he could've met Uro during this time. Alternatively, the imperial family could've commissioned him through sending requests or orders through the Sugawaras.

Both theories can fit with Sukuna being opened to the world of nobility at court. A world of indulging in their own pleasures and satisfying their own needs, whether that be curiosity, lust, greed, or gluttony. A world of not worrying about anyone else other than themselves. I'm pretty sure that the lifestyle and norms of the nobility combined with the harshness of life of a commoner or slavds and the philosophy of Buddhism/Shinto had tremendous influence in his way of life and thinking that we are currently witnessing.

And whatever that turning point Sukuna experienced, it led to him committing jujutsu disasters and chaos in Japan and was called 堕天 (Daten), The Fallen One. He went against the order and ideas of Buddhism, and caused massive chaos and destruction. This also extends to the clans.

◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟⠀ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟⠀ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟

Let me expand on this further.

So far, the Heian era clans in JJK that we know of are, explicitly or not:

The imperial family

Fujiwara

Sugawara

Abe

As I previously mentioned, the imperial family claimed to be descended from the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu. The Abe clan were descended from the 8th Emperor, making them also the descendants of the Sun Goddess.

The Fujiwara clan have been intertwined with the imperial family, with the clan male members also marrying imperial princesses (yay, for more incest). But the clan traces its ancestry to Ame no Koyane, the God of Divine Mirror, Great Divination, & Divine Affairs. This God was one of those commanded by the Sun Goddess. So they are descended both from the Sun Goddess herself and one of the Goddess' commander Gods.

Meanwhile, the Sugawara clan claimed that they are descendants of Ame no Hohi. Ame no Hohi is the second son of the Sun Goddess. He was also the younger brother of Ame no oshihomimi, who was the first son of the Goddess and whom the imperial family was said to be descended from.

As we can see, all these four clans traced their ancestry to divinity and are related to the Sun Goddess.

Yet all of them surrendered to Sukuna, the King of Curses. It was to the extent that the Fujiwaras executed Takako Uro for the sake of appeasing him, and elevating him to the status of a God (kami).

This is another reason he's called 堕天 (Daten), 'The Fallen One'. Sukuna defeated all of their armies and caused them shame. He had defeated the Divinities.

Realizing how he might be connected to the Sugawaras, makes the Gojo vs Sukuna fight more comical. Who would've known that Sukuna have fought the descendant of his Lord?

Anyways, that's all from me. Until then.

Some videos about Heian era:

https://youtu.be/IymzuUtjADM?si=8YZW1tf0UFCzhv6O

https://youtu.be/ZnZEoOJ-cxE?si=AbXNktJp_Hzx6uoI

References:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ame-no-Koyane

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujiwara_clan

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ame-no-Koyane

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamoto_clan

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ame_no_Hohi

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%8F%85%E5%8E%9F%E6%B0%8F

Members of Sugawara Clan (as proof that they are a clan of University Heads and PhD Doctors)

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%8F%85%E5%8E%9F%E9%81%93%E7%9C%9F

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%8F%85%E5%8E%9F%E9%AB%98%E8%A6%96

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%8F%85%E5%8E%9F%E9%9B%85%E8%A6%8F

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%8F%85%E5%8E%9F%E9%AB%98%E8%A6%96

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%8F%85%E5%8E%9F%E9%81%93%E7%9C%9F

[bleachbleachbleach]

Our favorite free online film festival is BACK! It runs for the next two weeks and features *twenty three* films, which is tragically a lot more films than we'll have time for; we've watched every offering in past years, and have watched some real weird films, but also some true gems (and some that were both).

In the second half of June, the festival will transition its lineup to two dramas, one of which I'm pretty sure we commissioned in some past life, because the summary is, "A moving drama about a “tabi” (Japanese traditional socks) manufacturer’s rise to the challenge of developing running shoes."

Anyway, the four films I am personally most intrigued by, based on a quick scan:

Single8 (2023)

The year is 1978. Obsessed with Star Wars, a high-schooler called Hiroshi (UEMURA Yu) attempts to make his own sci-fi film featuring a big space ship. His film-loving friends also join him to begin building a fake space ship and shooting it with an 8mm camera. Eventually, they learn that a film is not only about the shooting but that the story and themes are important. Working hard, they write a script and show it to Natsumi, a girl in their class (TAKAISHI Akari). She agrees to appear in the film and they begin production!

School Meals Time Graduation (2022)

Japanese public schools provide lunch, and it is normal for teachers and students to eat together in the classroom. School meals are unique elements of Japanese culture and education. Popular menu items include “Napolitan” spaghetti flavored with ketchup and “koppe” bread. Amarida (ICHIHARA Hayato) is a middle school teacher who lives for these school meals. He is secretly competing with his student Kamino (SATO Taishi) who has been experimenting every day on the best way to make their lunches taste even better. One day, they are threatened by a decline in the flavor of school lunches when a new revamp that prioritizes healthiness is suggested. Amarida rises to the challenge of protecting the flavor of school meals!

My Broken Mariko (2022)

Tomoyo (NAGANO Mei), an office worker, learns from the television news that her best friend Mariko (NAO) had died falling from an apartment building. Tomoyo knew that Mariko had been terribly abused by her father since childhood. She steals her best friend’s bones away from the father and runs. Mariko had also been physically abused by her partner while she was alive—she constantly had her life ruined by men. As Tomoyo remembers her memories with Mariko, she heads towards the sea, where Mariko had always wanted to go. While on the road, Tomoyo meets Makio (KUBOTA Masataka) who she involves into her final journey with Mariko, as she carries her bones.

Japan Horror Film Competition (2022)

The Japan Horror Film Competition began in 2021 with the goal of discovering and supporting new talents in Japanese horror. The competition, which had an open submission and focused on the horror film genre, was the first of its kind in Japan and the inaugural edition received over 100 submissions. The Grand Prize winner was given the opportunity to direct a new full-length feature film in a commercial setting.