#them as a foil to bkdk???

[seagreenstardust]

Yoichi calling Kudou “My Hero”

Kudou smirking as he uses Kacchan to finally get Izuku to listen to him

Izuku not wanting to let go of One For All, not because it’s strong or because he’ll be Quirkless again but because All Might gave it to him so it’s precious to him BABY

The vestiges taking the fight inside of Shigaraki, meaning we might get vestige Izuku and vestige Kacchan

I loved it. Everything about it.

[marimeeko]

Yeah, Izuku is not the sole person to ever call him Kacchan....

But Denki has only done it like what, once or twice?

Everyone else only called him that when they were kids and grew out of it.

Izuku is still undisputed champ of calling Katsuki Kacchan. Kacchan really wouldn't be as much of a thing, if he hadn't kept calling him Kacchan throughout their entire lives. That significance is not nothing.

So like...people aren't exactly wrong to associate Katsuki calling himself Kacchan with IZUKU and his refusal to let that name go.

So I don't fully know what this all means yet, but you cannot deny that the name Kacchan is so heavily associated with Izuku. And that the choice Katsuki made to call himself that over his chosen Hero name is unexpected, and interesting at least.

[princesspeachel]

i could never get into my hero academia because i just know i’d be a bakudeku shipper (the greatest sin of all)

[zykamiliah]

hey! i haven't seen mha in a looong time and i've never payed attention to bakudeku (mostly because i'm not the biggest fan of bully romance), but i'd love to see your take/interpretation/analysis on it? i've been a really big fan of your svsss metas and so i just thought, "hey, you know what, i'm curious to see zykamiliah's take on a ship i've never been interested in from an anime that i haven't seen in years! maybe i'll see something?"

not too sure if you already made a post explaining it (so sorry if you did!), but i've seen enough of the sudden rise of bakudeku reblogs on my feed from your account to ignite my curiosity lol

i just really enjoy hearing about ships because they're an amazing opportunity to explore dynamics and perspectives i've never given much thought/thought about before (coming from a rare pair lover... oh gyx/lbg, my sweet...) so i'd love to see bakudeku, a ship i don't quite understand (yet!) in a more understanding, different, and interesting light! and in complete honesty i trust your judgement with insightful character and ship analysis stuff, so... yeah!

heeey jade! sorry for the wait, i've been busy with work and irl stuff :DDD but i'm here now!

where to even begin lol... well, it's important to note that the relationship between midoriya izuku, the protagonist, and bakugo katsuki, the deuteragonist, is one of the main narrative lines of the manga, at the very core of the story. katsuki is izuku's narrative foil, their character developments are intrinsically connected (specially katsuki's!), and the same can be said about the themes of heroism, of what makes a hero, who can be a hero, what type of hero society needs, or if it needs them at all, etc., questions that also tie to the evolution of their relationship.

so from the start i was sold on this dynamic because i really like relationships that are at the center of a story!! i also like relationships with a complicated history with lots of drama and ups and downs, and i like that each character has their own things going on in their lives even if they are connected and one of the most important persons in each other's lives. big big bonus guaranteed to get my full attention if they are obsessed with each other lol

the thing is, deku and bakugo are in a bad place when the story kicks in. bakugo isn't an active bully, in the sense that he doesn't constantly seek deku out to hurt him, but he IS horribly mean and hostile, and that's because for years he's felt threatened by deku (and deku's heroic qualities), and wants to push him away, because he also feels that deku is looking down on him. the story doesn't shy away from showing and acknowledging that bakugo's behavior is atrocious and needs to change, and it works towards it consistently: he eventually atones, apologizes, and changes. on the other side of the coin, deku has always been paying attention to bakugo and, despite how the latter treated him, would chase him, observe him to the point he has bakugo's moves memorized, takes inspiration from his fighting style and even imitates him to give himself courage to do something specially daring and when he wants to "win" more than "save"; bakugo is his image of victory, ever since they were kids.

i scrolled through my bkdk meta tag, since it's been yeeeeears since i was involved in the fandom, lol, and found this post that tackles the bullying issue specifically and makes some very good points, if you wanted to read it! :D

the manga eventually addresses the problems in their relationship in "Deku vs Kacchan 2" (chapters 117-119), at the time bakugo is feeling turmoils for the part he played in All Might's end. to the question of "why does deku chase and care about bakugo if bakugo is so mean to him?" ch 119 has deku answer that himself:

this fight is the turning point for their relationship, and for the rest of the manga their individual and dual development is mostly upwards. reading bnha is worth it, if anything, just for the beauty of bakugo katsuki's development.

another big aspect that got me hooked in their relationship from the very first anime episode (and first opening) is that they are

✨Childhood Friends✨

(strap in this is gonna get loooooooooong)

Childhood friends (Osananajimi) is kind of a huge trope in manga/anime, often as a romantic interest. According to some sources i quickly consulted in the internet, and some of the manga/anime I've watched, in Japanese culture osananajimi is considered one of the purest bond formed between people, with a level of closeness equal to that between blood relatives; formed at such an early age, at a time when societal restrictions didn't apply yet, the relationship is genuine because they still didn’t need or know how to hide their true feelings from each other. As the childhood friends grew up together, this is considered a special connection, somewhat different to those formed after societal norms and perceptions take precedence. Or, as makeste put it:

here we have two very young children who are introduced to each other at an age when they’re still young enough to have absolutely no secrets. they’re young enough to have not yet learned to be shy or self-conscious, or to downplay their enthusiasm so as not to let others know they care. kids that young don’t hide anything. they don’t lie or deceive. they don’t have agendas, and they assume that others don’t either. it is, in short, a very pure type of relationship in the sense that it’s honest and uncomplicated, that it is exactly what it appears to be at face value. their personalities are fully out there with no attempt at reining anything in. Katsuki witnesses the full force of Izuku’s boundless hero-worshipping energy and enthusiasm. Izuku witnesses the full extent of Katsuki’s relentless confidence and Peter Pan cockiness. both boys see each other for who they are in their entirety, and accept each other. this is a fundamental bond. there is trust built between the two of them at a critical, formative age. it’s a relationship formed so early on that it’s likely that neither of them can actually recall a time before they met the other. they are and have always been a constant in each other’s lives. they’re a lot like siblings in terms of that kind of closeness and complete understanding of the other, both the good and the bad. in fact I’d say that Izuku’s use of “Kacchan” (and Katsuki’s automatic acceptance of it) isn’t that different from a younger brother’s use of “Niisan” for his older brother. it’s very revealing of the type of relationship they have. and that includes the typical sibling squabbles as well. it’s very much a relationship that’s taken for granted; there’s no filter, no effort to hold back, no attempt at trying to tone down their behavior around one another. there is whining and bragging and squabbling and name-calling and tears, just as much as there is cooperation and respect and trust. because at the end of the day, the assumption is that the relationship will endure no matter what, so they can go at each other as hard as they can and it doesn’t matter. the other one’s presence is just a given. that’s the kind of relationship that this term “childhood friends” really encapsulates, I think.

The sudden change of their statuses when the quirks start to manifest is a major factor that placed them on opposite sides of the social hierarchy, and conditioned the way society and their peers would treat them. But despite this and the misunderstandings that happen between them and the falling apart of their relationship, the subconscious understanding between them remains intact through the years. They always flashback to their earlier memories. They probably didn't interact much in elementary or middle school, and even if they did, they interactions were already tainted by their social status and Bakugo’s hostility. They don't share their innermost feelings with anyone but each other. Like when Deku gets angry or determined to win and to surpass him, or when Bakugo screams and cries out his emotional turmoil at Deku. According to Japanese social rules those are selfish things to do. This relates to the concepts of honne and tatemae.

Japanese society is more regimented than one might believe just from watching anime. By middle school age, and even to some degree in primary school, children are expected to interact with their peers in a relatively professional way. This is especially true of relationships between students of opposite sexes. Such requirements aren't held for family or close friends, but for everyone else one is expected to be polite and not share their true feelings or say things too directly. This concept of dividing people into an in-group and an out-group (内外, uchi-soto) is somewhat hard for non-Japanese people to understand, but is central to interactions between people in Japanese culture. In fact, you can find plenty of examples of this and of the related concepts of honne and tatemae in anime if you look, but if you aren't looking for them specifically it's easy to miss. (source)

So, for example, you shouldn't show your true feelings/thoughts to other people, even more if they aren’t socially acceptable, because that may disturb the peace in the community. But because Deku and Kacchan are osananajimi that have known each other their whole life, that doesn't apply to them. By stating from the very beginning that Kacchan was Deku's childhood friend, Hori put them in a close relationship with each other with a level of intimacy, trust and a subconscious understanding not like any other. Kacchan is, in fact, closer to him than All Might himself.

Like, Deku has been calling Bakugo by his childhood nickname, Kacchan ("Ka[tsu]" from Katsuki + "-chan", which is usually used to address children or females in an affectionate way), even past the age he was excepted it to drop it. When they were 4 years old, the other kids called him "Kacchan" too, but growing up it would be seen as childish or disrespectful so they start to call him "Katsuki" or "Bakugo". This puts a level of distance between him and his peers that, regardless of what happened between them, didn't extend to Deku and Katsuki. And it had to cross Deku's mind at some point ( "Should I start calling him Katsuki/Bakugo too?") but he didn't or simply couldn't. Despite everything, he wasn't willing to put even more distance between himself and Bakugo. He deliberately refused to put formal distance between them, and more importantly, Bakugo just LET THAT BE.

___

Like, this was a great set up from the beginning for me. I knew there was a story there from the first episodes, and then "Deku vs Kacchan 1" happened, showing their childhood flashbacks and the misunderstandings that would persist until DvK2, and i was really into that lol They relationship was one of the main reasons I followed the manga.

i mean LOOK at THIS!

how i could NOT ship it i mean come on

Even their color schemes complement each other, and their costumes have the same/similar colors. they are are complementary opposites that share the same core: to become a hero, their admiration of All Might. Each of them has a quality the other lacks and needs to work on to become the heroes: heroes that win and save, as All Might put it. Selflessness and Selfishness: to help and save others, in one side, and to care for one's personal victory, in the other. Bakugo was obsessed with victory and glory, and Deku was willing to do anything to save others, to the point of self-destruction. These isolated qualities didn't made them good heroes, but combined, as the two learn them from each other, by the end of the story they really become two of the greatest heroes.

This connects with their rivalry, which is richer than any other in the manga because of the many layers to their relationship: they are obsessed with each other, want to compete with each other (for the rest of their lives!!!) and don't want the other to fall behind, specially after their misunderstandings are resolved. They also don't want to be left behind by the other. Because they love each other too much! Whether people interpret it as platonic or romantic or whatever in between (secret third they are like like four different types of greek love categories combined), they are each other's More Important Person outside of family members. Hell, Kacchan getting hurt is basically Deku's berserk button: he punches All Might in the face to save Katsuki during the end of term exam; he goes crazy protective and possessive when Katsuki gets kidnapped by the League of villains(Mr. Compress even calls him out lmao)

he goes crazy when Katsuki is hurt in front of him

and when he thought katsuki had died...

i mean. look at this romantic shit.

_

lol and i feel like i'm leaving many other stuff behind, like Bakugo's apology, and all the little moments after DvK, and all the times in the last arc where Bakugo was thinking about Izuku constantly, and the finale where Katsuki cried because Deku had given up OFA and was going to be quirkless again, and the fact that he was at the heart of the mecha suit years-long project because he wanted Izuku's dream, their dreams, to come true. but tbh I only read them the one time and need to reread the whole manga again to refresh my knowledge. and i already shipped them before all this haha.

they are amazing characters in a really well done shonen manga they have a beautiful story 🧡💚

[oshiawaseni]

People really like my Yoichi abuse meta so I’ll link it here 🫶🏻

A look into Yoichi’s cycle of forgiving abuse until Kudou broke him out of that and also what sets Katsuki apart from AFO. Because Katsuki also abused Izuku and readers have been regarding him almost on the same level as AFO (like an irredeemable monster), when he loves Izuku so much now. Horikoshi is showing how much Kacchan has changed from the person who used to “get in Izuku’s way.”

This thread here too is a must read. It’s one of the first meta I wrote about Hori’s road to Katsuki’s redemption by making him AFO’s foil.

Hori writing Katsuki’s return like this surely has to be to garner more reader acceptance of the bkdk end game he wants. Western fandom is particularly stubborn with their Katsuki hate and they can’t move past chapter one.

But that’s fine because I don’t think Katsuki can get past it either. I felt relieved that he remembered his mistreatment of Izuku again in chapter 409 and thought on how he won’t bring down Izuku anymore, because that feels like buildup for that bkdk talk we have all been waiting for!! Hori is deconstructing the hateful arguments against Kacchan, one bias at a time, so that readers will be compelled to re-assess his character.

I feel that one specific thing would need its own special intimate tearful apology, and it is absolutely crucial for Katsuki’s complete redemption to (most) readers.

So when we get our bkdk talk… when Kacchan and Izuku deep dive into Izuku’s past (hopefully working through Izuku’s issues together with him), I’ll be looking out for something like them holding each other tightly as Kacchan apologises for saying that awful thing to the person he loves.

[offtotheiceberg]

Chapter 431, what have u done? Part 4

Spoilers

4) I’m sorry for everything I’ve done up until now.

Okayyy let’s get started.

Katsuki x Izuku is one of the most popular ships in mha. Whether you like it, hate it, or reject shipping culture entirely, their relationship (however you see it) is one of the main pillars of the story. I will say that I like them together, I think they make sense and their history is compelling, and I love writing them, but pls don’t disregard everything I’m saying just because of that.

First of all, hot take, but bkdk would never EVER have been canon. Shonen (particularly popular shonen) doesn’t do queer couples, at least not obviously. Notice, that’s not what many fans are concerned about. I’m going to try and unpack it as best as I can.

Izuku attempting to save Katsuki from the sludge villain was the reason All Might gave him his power. You cannot spin this any other way. If Izuku hadn’t run into that fight, he would still be quirkless. One one end, I don’t think it mattered who was in that villain’s grasp - I think Izuku still would have gone if it was someone random from school, but on Katsuki’s end, it mattered that it was Deku. In some ways, they were both catalysts to the other’s Hero journey.

Second, Izuku progress and All Might’s downfall were two of the main influences that broke down Katsuki’s superiority complex (plus realising that he wasn’t the strongest in the class, and he too needed to be saved). This break down allowed to two of them to be “proper rivals” which is a direct quote from the manga. Win to save and save to win are two halves of All Might’s ideology, and that is NOT a coincidence. In many ways, they’re supposed to be foils that build each other up. Even if you hate it, you can’t deny that they’re significant influences on each other in their hero journey.

(tw here, brief discussion of suicide)

Now, the atonement. THIS is where the hypocrisy comes out to play. What Katsuki did to Izuku in middle school cannot and should not be taken lightly. Aside from the bullying, telling someone to kill themselves is not okay. But, and it’s a big but, YOU CAN AND SHOULD MAKE UP FOR YOUR MISTAKES. This is not systematic, malicious abuse, like we saw with Endeavour (who never gets to fully atone, rightfully so that is a different situation) these are the actions of a 14 year old kid. Katsuki was cruel to Izuku, I am not trying to deny that. HOWEVER, in real life, people are not held to the horrible shit they say when they’re 14. Come on, this is obvious. Atonement requires two things: an apology, and a change of behaviour. Katsuki does both of these things. However atonement in literature, or in “not real life” or whatever, is slightly different. It ALSO requires the relationship between those two characters to be affected in some way, and this relationship change is what clues us as the audience in to whether this atonement has been successful. Take Endeavour, for example the way we as the viewer see that he has not fully atoned is via Natsuo, the son who didn’t forgive, and Shoto’s hesitance to. We get taught this as writing students, I’m not pulling this out of my ass.

The bare minimum to fulfil the message that people can atone for their past mistakes is a resolution to Katsuki and Izuku’s relationship that fulfils the arcs set up for them. Just a reminder, these arcs are: twin stars, rivals, “win to save, save to win”, “I will surpass you” otherwise known as catching up to each other, and both of them wanting to be the best Heroes in the world.

The soundest, most logical way to finish these arcs is the two of them becoming a Hero Duo. The second most is them working together, which is what Katsuki offered Izuku in the last chapter. THIS IS NOT AN ADMISSION OF ROMANCE, FFS. It’s good character development!!! You can have Izuku working sith Katsuki AND have a satisfying Izuocha romance in the same universe, they are not mutually exclusive!!! I can’t believe I needed to say that???? Be an izuocha shipper and ACKNOWLEDGE THE FUCKING STORYLINE. Please don’t make this into a petty ‘them vs me’ narrative, there was already enough of that shit with the US election.

Them going their seperate ways might even have been a satisfying ending if it had been written better, but it wasn’t. There was no evidence of that for 430 chapters. Their growth, particularly Katsuki’s was irrevocably tied to the other. Again, some of the most nonsensical writing I’ve ever seen. What it implies, whether intended or not, is that atonement is a falsity and no matter what, Katsuki and Izuku’s relationship is forever scarred by what happened when they were kids, even though the final battles in the war have evidence to the contrary. This is NOT a positive message. For more analysis of Izuku’s decision to not be a Pro Hero, pls see part 1.

Come back for Part 5 (conclusion)

[samisnotlegend]

I think you mentioned in a post yesterday that you're always open to receiving questions about your fics, so today I have a question about See You Soon.

You probably don't plan to write a sequel, but do you have any headcanons about what happens to bakudeku after they get married? (Is it even a headcanon if it's coming from the author?)

I just think their story is interesting and their dynamic so cute and want to know more about them as well as your writing process! And if you have no headcanons, what was your favorite part about writing this specific fic?

Oh what a FANTASTIC question!! Thank you so much for asking!!!! Okay this got a little long. A summary and ramblings of SYS's possible sequel under the cut!!!

Alright so: See You Soon. I have definitely toyed with the idea of writing a sequel, actually. I still might do it, but I have so many other upcoming fics and oneshots that I don't mind spoiling it, because if a SYS sequel does happen, it is a loooong way off. (Also, it would focus more on smut than on the plot which I outline here. So! Spoilers are fine!)

Anyway, the wedding is very happy. Katsuki has another mini-meltdown on the alter, because he is out-of-his-mind happy that he gets to marry Izuku. Izuku cries too, obviously. Almost immediately after the ceremony, they sneak off into a coat closet. Mistuki eventually yanks them out and makes them attend their own party.

At the reception, there is a little bit of drama. I won't get into everything here, but let's just say that bkdk foil a certain plan of Dabi's, and Izuku is immediatley able to prove his loyalty to Katsuki, the Bakugou clan, and also help Shouto out. (This actually almost made it into the main fic, but it was already so long lol.)

Party continues on, and Mitsuki eventually kicks Izuku and Katsuki out of their own party because they're having a hard time keeping their hands off of each other.

Then after that... bkdk take over the Bakugou family! It genuinely goes well. Katsuki is the hard, outwardly cold boss, and Izuku is his perfect foil. Diplomatic and outwardly-soft and kind. Of course, everyone who is anyone knows that Katsuki is also incredibly soft, and Izuku is also incredibly badass. But their fronts and reputations work well.

Sero and Shouto get married. Yay! There is a foiled assassination attempt once or twice, as Dabi + the league desperately try to keep it from happeneing. Maybe Katsuki and Izuku play bodyguards to their respective friends lol. But things go well, seroki get married, and the ties between the Bakugou clan and Shouto's faction of the Todoroki clan become incredibly strong. Shouto takes over the entire group, with Sero as his husband. The league lose power more and more, eventually disbanding.

Bkdk and seroki achive an awesome balance in the city, and the city is far better off for it.

As for Bkdk's relationship... I think it is everything Katsuki hopes for in SYS and more. The more he gets to know Izuku the more he loves him. They are ruthless crime bosses, but they also have weekend superhero movie marathons. They nerd out over rare All Might merch, but fight and strategize with amazing synchonity.

I guess, to summarize, bkdk do face challenges after they get married. But they overcome them, and really do live happily after. They definitely never stop being in love, that's for sure.

--

My favorite part about writing this fic was writing Katsuki's panic post-library scene. Because I knew that at the same moment Katsuki was panicking, Izuku was at the Todoroki compound, pleased as fucking punch. He was probably laying on his bed writing "Bakugou Izuku" in hearts over and over again in his notebooks while sighing happily to himself. Izuku was SO smug about getting to meet and make out with his fiance before the wedding, you have no idea.

I also really liked writing Katsuki sneaking up on Izuku before the wedding lol. He was just so happy! I love it when Katsuki is happy. XD

Honestly though, my favorite thing about this fic isn't any one part. When I received the initial prompts (mafia and/or arranged marriage) I was stumped! I thought I was gonna write something angsty. I didn't though. It ended up writing something so silly, but sexy and fun too, and I'm really proud of that. Even the angstiest of prompts turn sweet and lovey-dovey when my boys are involved, I guess. XD

--

Okay that's ENOUGH of me talking lol. Thank you SO MUCH for asking though! You don't know how lovely it is to be able to share stuff like this - all the happiness and joy that the characters do in fact get to experience after the story ends. I can't say that it's like this for all writers, but I don't stop thinking about my boys when their little stories end. They live on hehe.

If anyone has any questions about any of my fics, you are always more than welcome to ask. <3 Okay! Thanks again! I hope this lived up to your hopes! <3

[kacchanrawr]

I realized I can never move on from bkdk. There is an invisible leash on me. It haunts and follows me wherever I go. I was just reading a haikaveh fic and I realized huh this kind of emotional constipation not quite friends not quite enemies but a secret third thing dynamic is familiar. "those bright ruby eyes" "messy blonde hair" "loud temper" descriptions again? Oh the other one's green and black? Opposites attract! But that's like in every ship I like anyways right? Geniuses / smartass bitches in their own right. Narrative foils? Very very cool I love them. And I had a moment in the fic where I fucking squealed cuz of "no one knows him like I do" and it fucking hit me.

Well it seems bkdk has done smth to my taste cuz did my fave really just go from one blonde haired red eyed boy to another??

[formerlybnhabeans]

It was CHAOS. From my perspective it looked like all the anti-blogs disappeared overnight (they made a slow resurgence... eventually). It was all anyone in the fandom was talking about. No one knew what to think about where the plot was going- on one hand you had people going "he can't beat the death allegations twice... right?" And on the other hand you had people theorizing the most absurd ways that he could possibly be revived and convincing themselves it HAD to be true because how could a Shonen kill off its deuteragonist/main rival/narrative foil/LOVE INTEREST and still stick to formula?? People thought eri would rewind him, people thought kaminari would restart his heart, people wrote short dissertations on why the nitroglycerin in his blood would naturally repair his heart. A blog popped up tracking how long he'd been dead in real world time. Bkdk rose to the 5th highest posted ship on all of ao3. The antis made salty posts saying stuff along the lines of "well I'm GLAD he's dead" and then went quiet bc there was really NOTHING ELSE TO TALK ABOUT FOR THEM. They couldn't spin it as a moment for another ship like they usually do for bkdk wins because bakugous thoughts were SO CLEARLY ONLY ON DEKU. IT WAS ALL ABOUT HIM. IT WAS ONLY EVER HIM. IT WAS SO INCREDIBLY ROMANTIC AND TRAGIC AND SUCH AN INDISPUTABLE WIN.

And then togachako happened and we got distracted by that for a while.

y'all i know kacchan dying like that must have been traumatizing for the bkdk shippers, but like.... he also died in the gayest way humanly possible.... like i can't even imagine going through that bc on one hand it's like my special boy is dead, but on the other he was so love interest coded, shiggy killed him specifically bc of izuku's intense feelings about him, the fucking yearning for izuku as he died, and then the reveal he carries the little all might card he got with izuku around with him like. i cannot stress enough just how gay his death was. like i just know the shippers had to be a little conflicted

[that-spider-fan-over-there]

A post for the BNHA posts I'm proud of making! (and because I don't wanna keep scrolling to find them later)

A few disclaimers:

Some of them are short speculations or things I wished happened. And some of them are "Horikoshi what did you put in this water" kind of posts.

I don't usually do deep dives or anything I'm just mixing my dramatics with half formed essay draft format and keeping it in the writing because, well, why not XD

It's currently very disorganized because I haven't figured out if I should put all of it into categories.

All in all, it's just me having fun with the story. That in mind; currently caught up with the manga, so: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Can't relate to hating Ch. 1!Katsuki, this is why. (and continuation because Season 7's first intro exists now).

My thoughts about how MI: Rising would go (March 24th, over a month before the actual chapter was posted).

Thoughts on Uraraka Ochako's character could've been more involved in the story (and how I think she could've been cemented as part of the Rising Group).

STUDIO BONES ADHERES TO THE BKDK AGENDA NOW WTF-

Shimura Tenko's name in Kanji, and how it connects to the story.

Tenko and Katsuki: a list of parallels and foils.

More thoughts about Tenko because he makes me sad.

Izuku, Katsuki, Tenko and their childhood mementos (as subtle characterization/foreshadowing).

Me, that Spider, on Izuku hypeman mode at 2AM, post-leak night.

It's not about Izuku's character changing (yet), but other character's perspective of him (and the Origin/Rising pattern).

Izuku's current lack of internal thoughts and conflicts as a setup.

Katsuki not showing up for MI: Rising is a good thing, you can't change my mind.

Midoriya Izuku: Narrative Structures and Character's Emotion(al repression) - A meta and prediction post regarding Izuku's character as of Chapter 423.

[seagreenstardust]

Sometimes it floors me how anyone could look at bkdk and not see how blatantly romantic it is at its core. Their entire backstory hinges around that one time Katsuki couldn’t take Izuku’s hand. They are so canonically obsessed with each other that they are each other’s motivation, support, validation, reason for doing just about anything. The way they look at each other is so obscene with longing and awe that it frankly belongs in a period romance. One of them literally died thinking about the other. They each need the other to survive so badly that they are willing to sacrifice themselves (Katsuki) and everyone else (Izuku) in order to make it happen.

They are canonically written to be two halves of the same heroic whole. How often is the narrative foil also the romantic partner? How often is the dual lead??? In every way they deserve to be romantic partners, they are literally written to be perfect complements of each other

[mrnnki]

BKDK omegaverse AU where Katsuki is an omega pretending to be an alpha and Izuku is an alpha pretending to be an omega.

Izuku presented early. Way early. And publicly. Everyone at Aldera knew that he was an omega. It only added to the bullying. So, what is he to do when after accepting One For All, his dynamic starts changing?

He lies. He takes suppressants and puts on blockers, pretending to still be an omega to keep the secret.

On the other side of the coin, Katsuki presents late. Way late. He's about to go to UA and he knows the statistics—Alphas get into the hero course way more often, and rank higher when they become heroes. And he doesn't want to be a 'weak omega' like Deku. It isn't that hard to pretend a heat is a rut, is it?

So, he lies. He takes suppressants and puts on blockers, pretending to be an Alpha to up his chances of becoming number one.

They keep up the fraud for years.

Katsuki suppresses his instincts, and with it, his softer side. He becomes angrier, louder—more stressed and more prone to snapping.

Izuku suppresses his instincts, and with it, his fiercer side. While he may be known as "the soft, sweet omega hero," he's harboring a mess of repressed emotions.

Katsuki needs to accept his softer side, (which he associates with being an omega) and Izuku needs to accept his more forceful side (which he associates with being an alpha). Most of all, they need to accept their feelings for each other, which is what brings out these sides the most.

All it takes is a villain with the right quirk to set it all into motion.

[ofmermaidstories]

I just finished reading the latest something (just like this) chapter -- it took all day and I was both late for work and missed the gym for it but it was so so so worth it. I want to write a full review on the full fic because there's just so much to appreciate and analyze but for now I just wanna say I've never felt so emotionally attached to a universe before. I feel like I experienced Deku's euphoria and subsequent downfall with him and omfg seeing everything from his pov has me going feral. To be loved is to have someone find ways to appreciate even your most insignificant faults. Having someone as pure a Deku love someone much more guarded and prone to vulgarity and much more distrustful(?) of peoples' intentions is so fun to read. I think MCs usually reflect some parts of the author's personality so I can't help but to think about you in some bits and imagine who you are in real life (is that creepy? That's probably creepy ajshjsj) and it just reinforces my belief that you're a lovely, unique person.

I can’t find it for the life of me, but there’s a quote from maybe an essay, or something, maybe about Angela Carter, maybe about a different writer, and the quote says something to the effect of, “[writer] seems to be saying, “I see you, do you see me?””. I had saved it to reblog here, actually, because I thought it was especially apt for x Reader fic but I must’ve changed my mind and deleted it. 🧐 Anyways!!! All that to say no, I don’t think it’s creepy to wonder at what parts might be the writer. 🥺 I do it all the time when I’m reading, LOL, and I think that’s why we can sometimes take criticism of our writing (especially here in fanfics, where it can be so much more personal and doesn’t have the distance you have to force yourself to have in any kind of professional writing) so personally. 🥺 Writing is the biggest dobber!!! Whether we mean it to be or not, LOL.

I like to think Scribbles is her own person, but she’s kind of her own person in the way a child might be—you look at them one day and you’re like oof, sorry kiddo, guess you got my temper LOL. And I mean—!!! Even Deku has some Mermie bleed-through, although with him I suppose it’s more abstract because he already has a pre-established personality we have to adhere to. It’s just the reality of writing, I think, that we’re going to leave traces of ourselves everywhere; so I do hope mine showcases the better parts of me. 🥹🙏🏽

Grumpy/Sunshine is like one of my favourite pairing tropes, lmao, and any and all variation of it, so it’s fun to do it with Deku and Scribbs. Deku is such a good character and a good foil for others who act out, for whatever reason (which I mean I guess it’s why bkdk is so popular!!!); he just lends himself really well to any kind of story where someone needs to be reached for. 🥺

Thank-you for reading, Anon—and saying hello. 🌷🥺 I woke up to your notification and it was a lovely way to start the day, and made me trust a little more in what I’m doing. I’m so sorry you were late for work, though—and that you missed the gym!! 😭 I hope your next session is extra rewarding for it. 💪🏽👟💕

[batterycows]

The promised incoherent BKDK rant ! I’m not entirely sure of where I’m going with this, or if it makes sense, but I Realized and then I couldn’t stop Realizing and I had to put it down somewhere. This might get a bit rambly at times but bear with me guys

This is about bkdk, but to talk about bkdk I wanna talk about Uraraka and Toga as well because I believe they parallel bkdk. Not just on the Love = Imitation thing though that’s part of it, but also the way Deku handles his feelings toward Katsuki in relation to Heroism.

Uraraka and Toga are foils, and aside from highlighting how the way they handle their feelings are similar and different, they also reflect the attitudes of Heroism and Villainy. Uraraka is a Hero because she acts selflessly. She prioritizes becoming a Hero and helping people over her own feelings for Deku, and in turn represses them so they don’t become a liability. On the other hand, Toga is a villain because she’s ‘selfish’. She couldn’t suppress her feelings anymore, so now she prioritizes the things she wants and loves regardless of how they affect other people. In short, suppression = selflessness = Heroism; indulgence = selfishness = Villainy.

Now what the heck does this have to do with Deku and his feelings for Katsuki? Well I think he follows much of the same pattern Uraraka does. Deku consistently loses control of his feelings because of Katsuki throughout the series, and this comes to a head when he unlocks sixquirks. His feelings for Katsuki start to become a liability: when he unlocks Blackwhip he endangers his classmates, and after he unlocks Danger Sense he loses himself to the point where he nearly got OFA stolen, killed, possibly caused the end of the world, etc. Both of these instances were caused by someone saying or doing something to Katsuki. And every time he loses control of his feelings he becomes a liability as Hero, so he has to learn to ‘control his heart.’

So, Deku follows much of the same pattern Uraraka did: They experience strong feelings toward someone, until those feelings begin negatively affecting their Hero work, so they push those feelings down in order to become better Heroes. Selflessness. And Deku is selfless, so much so it becomes a fault. Time and time again, people point out Deku’s selflessness and how he always puts others before himself. The true imagine of a Hero.

Except, as far as I can tell, for this moment:

I can never let go of this interaction between Deku and Compress because it is absolutely insane to me. Not only is Deku losing his shit because of Katsuki being taken, that much is understandable. But to make a point to have Compress call out Deku for being possessive? Yeah, that’s gonna keep me up at night. And it was me thinking about this scene for the 10293493 time that got me writing this long winded rant. Because Compress here calls Deku an ‘egoist.’ He’s not repressing his feelings, he’s lashing out, inadvertently indulging in the feelings he tends to suppress. To Compress, a Villain, this outburst appears egoistical. In a way, selfish. He’s losing control of his heart, and it is once again because of Katsuki.

And as I was losing my mind over this little detail, I remembered this happens in Chapter 81. What happens in Chapter 80?

Toga introduces the concept of Imitation as a form of Love. Something which is seen not only in Uraraka but also in the way Deku acts toward Katsuki.

Coincidence? Well, probably lmao. But maybe I’m not crazy and it’s not.

Am I going anywhere in specific with this? No, not really. I have many thoughts and they lead to nowhere coherent. But after I realized how insane it was for Deku out of all people to be called an ‘egoist’ I couldn’t leave it alone and woah, what the hell.

[burstbubbbles]

SEASON 3

- okay the camping trip + camino arc is like 3 naruto arcs in one (kota hating heroes and getting saved by deku = that kid from the land of the mist hating heroes and getting saved by naruto, a troop of some bad guys taking bakugo, the deuteragonist, because they want him to join their league = orochimaru's lackeys taking sasuke away, the fact that they had a competition and some exams in order to be able to go to the camping trip = the different parts of the chuunin exams).

- here's the thing i've noticed, before anyone says im comparing bnha to naruto too much: i think horikoshi uses a lot of popular shonnen tropes and pays a bunch of homages to other shonnen manga on purpose. what purpose? the subversion of expectations. here's the thing, if you're a new watcher who has already watched a bunch of different shonnen animes (like me with naruto), when you see bakugo being taken by the league, even if you don't immediately think of sasuke, you still might guess that now bakugo is going to turn evil, because that's how the story usually goes. instead, horikoshi reminds us bakugo isn't sasuke or your average shonnen deuteragonist, and reestablishes the core values of this character. the reason i draw so many parallels to naruto is because it's the shonnen anime im most familiar with, but im sure a one-piece/hxh/bleach/dgbz/etc fan could do the exact same thing.

- tl;dr: what im trying to say is that the ways in which horikoshi draws inspiration from other shonnen anime isn't lazy; it's not that he doesn't have ideas so he copies. i think he's actually very clever in the way he handles all those influences. thank you for coming to my ted talk.

- anyway back to plot

- i can't believe deku's mom gets hate for literally being a good parent. of course she's not going to want her son at UA after everything she's seen. not all anime single mothers can be mito-san (hxh), and they don't need to be.

- deku's arms are like. about to die. and im not saying that this is never brought up again, but i feel like in the later seasons he didn't exactly hold back. although he's literally trying to come up with a technique so that he can use them again, so idk. iida's hand injury hasn't really been brought up yet either.

- i forgot to mention this before, but shigaraki uses a lot of videogame analogies (he calls big heroes "final bosses", for example) in the same way that deku uses a lot of comic book analogies (if this was a comic book, he would be the protagonist" said by deku about todoroki).

- but it's interesting because, in shigaraki, i think this is used to showcase his immaturity: we associate videogames to kids, and so by using these sort of analogies the author reinforces the childish characterization of the antagonist.

- deku, on the other hand, uses comic book analogies for the sake of meta jokes with the audience (saying todoroki would be the protagonist when he's actually the protagonist of his comic book), which goes back to all the different homages and references horikoshi does to other shonnen manga and anime. i think bnha doesn't get enough credit for how meta it is.

- i like how you can tell bakugo is changing during the provisional license exam, not just in regards to his relationship with deku but also with other classmates. like when he's about to be turned into a weird meat-like thing (some guy's quirk) he tosses his weapon to kaminari because he's confident that kaminari will know how to use it.

- lmao deku vs. kacchan pt 2 is really bakugo going "hey btw im traumatized due to recent events but mostly i've always been severely insecure and that's why i bullied you so why did you always follow me?" and deku replying "bitch bffr i hate you but you're like the coolest guy i know"

- i know i've said it a lot but i really love the foil-like relationship of bkdk and how it's written.

- something idk if i have mentioned at this point or not is that i love uraraka and tsuyu. they're my favorite classmate-characters. but honestly, i appreciate much more the effort that the author put into writing each individual character and making them consistent in their personalities, at least up until the end of the third season.

things im noticing as i rewatch bnha, an ongoing thread:

SEASON 1

- deku really was such a nerd lmao he's just like me fr (like i KNEW but i didn't remember how much i could relate to it. oops.)

- it's also interesting that he always fights back against bakugo and calls him an idiot a lot. idk why (probably because of fandom characterization) i remembered early-seasons deku as a lot more innocent and scared of bakugo. like, here's the thing, deku is scared of pretty much everything at the start because he's shy/anxious. he gets nervous talking to most of his classmates (especially, but not only, girls) when he first meets them and starts trembling when he gets elected as class president before handing the role to iida. so basically, his anxiety isn't reserved to bakugo like i remembered – if anything, he seems to get over his fear of getting bullied by him pretty quickly once he realizes he can fight back.

- kaminari tried to ask uraraka out in their first or second day of school and she was like "uhhh i like to eat... uhh... WAIT DEKU CAME BACK FROM THE NURSE'S OFFICE" lol i really didn't remember that

- bakugo's insecurity was always there. as you're reading this you might be thinking i first watched mha with my eyes closed or sth, and you're not very far from the truth. here's the thing, i first watched it when i was like 14-15, so all i knew back then was that bakugo was insufferable and i didn't think further than that. of course, he ended up becoming one of my favorite bnha characters after reading all of the manga, but it's cool to realize his character arc was foreshadowed from the beginning and didn't just magically start around season 3.

- but yeah, anyway, bakugo's insecurity and his envy over deku's natural noble nature was always there, since season 1. also, deku's real admiration over bakugo was also there. like, going back to my other point, deku wasn't just Not Overly Scared of bakugo, he actually looked up to him despite knowing he was deeply flawed. tbh they were always a bit crazy about each other.

- uraraka is so funny i love her.

- all of class 1A was so chaotic good coded

- like they collectively made fun of bakugo on the bus to USJ for being rude lol. they really bonded over their shared dislike for the guy.

- bakugo gets fucking HUMBLED all of s1. i would also be irrationally angry ngl.

- the dialogues in the first season sometimes are so unnatural for the sake of exposition, like all might telling recovery girl: "do you mind not talking so loudly ab OFA? only you, a close friend, the principal, and midoriya know about OFA. but most professors and some pro heroes also know about my condition and not being able to fight for more than 3 hours a day" like WHO TALKS LIKE THAT ??!1?1?

- deku had to go to recovery girl's office a total of 4 times (if i counted correctly) for broken limbs of fingers in HIS FIRST WEEK of school. which is funnier considering no one else from class 1A had to go even once.

- damn shigaraki was a skinny legend before he got OP

- aizawa did not react at all when he first saw kurogiri (about the shirakumo thing). that was surprising.

- also. AIZAWA IS SO BADASS?? like yes i knew he was badass from the later seasons, but i genuinely didn't remember his first fighting sequence at USJ where he single-handedly fights like at least 20 villains.

- i had also forgotten that shigaraki calls eraserhead "really cool" so early on in the anime, i thought it was a later-seasons thing.

- this is really obvious but i had forgotten the all might theme's resemblance to superman's theme. it's such a cool little detail tho!

- uraraka and deku definitely were crushing on each other when they first met, but i think it's nice that they ended up developing a really strong friendship instead of getting together after hori didn't consistently develop them romantically. it also makes a lot more sense narratively, like why would we care who deku ends up with at the end of his first year of UA when the story actually ends 8 years after that, and it's very unlikely that you marry the same person you started dating when you were 15. idk, i liked that. i like that you can have two characters who maybe have a crush on each other but can't focus on that due to Circumstances and eventually move on and become good friends. it's a win for the platonic department!

- the animation was kinda bad in the first season 😭 but it's understandable and i had fun watching it regardless.

okay im done with s1 tune in for s2 !!

[blole-hack]

max omg, yk the nickname situation regarding katsuki and izuku as toddlers, well?? forgot that katsuki also literally only cared that izuku couldn't read as well as he could ("you mean you can't?" directed at izuku, glancing back at izuku, really tightening his izuku goggles as much as damn possible). and that even if in that situation katsuki was just looking for attention from his peers and to tease izuku, that means he was specifically enthralled by izuku's attention and also implies that he subconsciously thought izuku was worthy of attention from him and wanted a reaction out of him. and THEN katsuki then proceeds to continue using the nickname for izuku whilst hiding under the flimsy false pretense that he thinks izuku's dumb and useless which we both know is him being full of shit. i'm not even exaggerating when i say my boy is and always has been obsessed. i'm. having so much brainrot rn

edit: FOR CONTEXT for what i will say below READ @justawhoresblog 's post here first

OlivER Oh my god YEAHHH YOURE RIGHT QJDJWJJSW

HES SO ATTENTION SEEKING

in some way he does want izuku to admire him, because he wants to show that hes better than him *at stuff* and only him.

like "can you do that izuku? lol u cant"

its not just "hah u suck" but also "hah izuku im better than you, seE"

to connect with the recent chapters;

Man, his feelings for him really run deep and complex

He wants izuku to think that he's better than him, because he wants Izuku to look up to him and think he's great. Which means he wants Izuku's attention, subconsciously even since he was a kid.

Hes afraid of izuku surpassing him, because hes afraid of being left behind by izuku. He's afraid of that because he wants to be with Izuku. But he's also scared of Izuku which is why he wanted to push him away,, but that's exactly why he's afraid of izuku surpassing him. So he also wanted Izuku to back down and be afraid of him instead, but it also gets complicated because he also wants Izuku's attention.

Maybe its because deep down he really thinks he isn't good enough. No matter how arrogant he looks he really has a twisted sense of self worth. Deep down he really seeks Izuku's approval, which ties into (his almost final moments-)

He wants to be perfect as how everyone expected him to be, but its more important to him that

He also kept comparing himself Izuku, but that makes sense because you want to make someone you deem awesome admire you, and since they're awesome to you you want to be better than them too, especially with all the societal pressure in MHA.

in the words of Lil Nas X, "I wanna fuck with those I envy. I envyy-"/j im sorry

AND NOW HE DOESNT WANT TO BE AHEAD NOR BEHIND DEKU

he FINALLY ACCEPTED THAT HE JUST WANTS TO BE BY HIS SIDE

FUCK BEING BETTER AND BEING THOUGHT OF AS A BIG DEAL THAT THE STRONG WANTS TO FIGHT AGAINST

Fuck being better than deku

in SHORT WOW bakugo has had bakudeku angst longer than deku???

and also MORE PARALLELS

Since Deku's admiration to Bkg and All might both foil and parallel one another

Bkg's admiration to Deku and All might also both foil and parallel one another (the desire to surpass them...but deep down actually really looks up to the other? i mean it was obvious in the case of All Might but he DID keep it suppressed and hidden) but idk thats a topic for another dayyy OR for someone else to cover since I'm too shy to write actual metas

AND THIS may BACK UP THE CASE FOR DEKU NOT BEING MEANT AS MALICIOUS AT FIRST! And the other scenes and in the "de-izuku" moments because he subconsciously refered to him as such in times he didnt have bad feelings towards him anymore. It might have just started as a way for Bkg to get attention from him.

For (younger) Bkg, everyone else was already, by default extras compared to him. It is by default that he's better than everyone else. It is only Deku (and kind of All Might and other adults but they arent peers so it doesnt count) that he ACTIVELY TRIES TO PROVE he's better than him. And thats because he sees something in him. (which is obvious now in hindsight now that he explicitly said how he feels but man was i dense THE SIGNS WERE THERE ALL ALONG)

Also man rewatching some parts of the Bkg vs Uraraka fight

the reason why he was so passionate about defeating her is partially because of deku right

"Don't underestimate me" he told her. But iirc he kinda had no reason to besides *looks at deku*

how he thought Deku was looking down on him. man i didnt even cover that yet

one's thoughts abt how someone they like feels about them gets warped by their insecurities

an added oof the balance of all of BKG's complicated feelings. Its precisely that he thought that someone he wanted to like him ACTUALLY looked down on him made him so upset at deku right?????

RIGHT

WAIT

if thats NOT GAY WHAT IS WHAT ISSS-