#dkbk meta

[z-mizcellaneous-z]

Deku's possessiveness V.S. Kacchan's protectiveness

Bkdks. We've all read countless fics with bkdk pining after each other, of them getting jealous and whatnot. Usually, the fandom labels Kacchan as the possessive one and Deku as the protective one, but I (respectfully) disagree. I say that Deku is the possessive one and Kacchan is the protective one.

Now, when I say Deku is possessive and Kacchan is protective, I'm not saying that they don't have the other trait. bkdk are both protective and possessive of each other. HOWEVER, the way I see it is:

Deku is possessive. When he gets possessive, it feeds his protectiveness.

Kacchan is protective. When he gets protective, it feeds his possessiveness.

When you read fics from Deku's POV and he's seeing Kacchan being happy with someone else (both platonic and romantic), he gets possessive. Why not me, why THEM, I know him better, I've known him for LONGER, etc. There also is a kind of "indulging" in the "selfishness" of wanting Kacchan all to himself if that makes sense. Like yes, he'll feel bad about being jealous over Kacchan having friends, but also he can't bring himself to stop being jealous/possessive of Kacchan. Deku's possessiveness has the message of "I know Kacchan better than anyone else ever has/will, I've worked hard to stay by his side and I'm not gonna let some EXTRA take him from me."

However, when you read fics from KACCHAN'S POV, and he's seeing Deku being happy with someone else, he gets protective. He also kind of attacks himself in the sense of "I want the best for Deku and I am not the best. I hurt Deku countless times in countless ways, [person] hasn't hurt Deku like I have, and [they] will make Deku happier than I ever could. If they ever hurt him though [they]'re dead." Kacchan's protectiveness has the message of "I want Deku to always be happy. If he's happy with someone else, then I'm happy."

Again, Deku does have moments where his protectiveness shows more than his possessiveness. A prime example is the training camp arc, when Kacchan is kidnapped. It starts as possessive, with Deku basically going "Give my Kacchan back!" and Compress commenting on this and saying that Bakugo doesn't belong to anyone.

However, as his possessiveness increases, Deku's protectiveness also increases. He's a lot more self-sacrificial and desperate in reaching Kacchan to save him. To protect him.

On the other hand, Kacchan also has moments where his protectiveness gives way to more possessiveness than usual. The first example is when Kacchan is stabbed by Shigaraki. He sees Deku about to get severely injured, and he becomes protective and takes the hit instead of Deku. However, after getting stabbed, he says "stop trying to win this on your own." This is where his possessiveness shows, in which he's trying to fill the role of being a Symbol of Victory. "Let me be YOUR Symbol of Victory."

There's also the fact that Bakugo carries guilt because of his actions from the past. This has him being more prone to leaning away from being as possessive as Deku is because "I hurt Deku. I don't deserve him. Deku isn't mine. He doesn't belong to me, he never has." Because of this he leans more towards protectiveness in the sense of wishing for him to be always happy in the ways that he prevented when they were younger and whatnot.

Of course, during his apology, he also expresses how they all will help him. However, you also have the moment where Izuku stumbles and falls. Kacchan's protectiveness comes in as he rushes to grab him and hold him steady. Izuku apologizes for the things he says, and Kacchan says "I get it." Not we, because his possessiveness comes forth in that moment. It also comes forward when he talks to Class 1A and Endeavor.

"You know nothing about Deku."

"I know Deku more than anyone else."

Those are very possessive statements, which are very similar to Deku's possessive mentality.

However, Deku doesn't carry guilt. This has him lean more towards being possessive of Kacchan. "I've ALWAYS stuck by Kacchan, you must be stupid if you think YOU can take him from ME."

However, I also think that once bkdk enter a relationship and Kacchan truly, wholly believes that he is worthy of Deku's love and the relationship in general, he'll allow himself to be a lot more possessive. Like once he's had the realization of "Izuku deserves the best and he chose ME, and I trust his judgement so that means I'm the best for him," he'll go, "Anyone who tries taking him from me will lose a couple fingers. I bite bitch," which is how I feel a lot of people think he's like from the get-go, when that more blatant possessive comes later on.

Again, it all circles back to the good old "bkdk are two halves of a whole, they complete each other."

Win to save, save to win.

Victory and peace.

Protectiveness and possessiveness.

Anyways.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, bkdk is canon I will kill AND die on that hill and I do not take criticism. Have a great day.

#bkdk #bakudeku #dkbk #dekubaku #mha meta #bnha meta #mha #bnha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #katsuki bakugo #izuku midoriya #bkdk meta #bakudeku meta #dkbk meta #dekubaku meta #deku #kacchan #bakugo x deku #bakugo x midoriya #katsuki x izuku #katsuki x deku #kacchan x deku #kacchan x izuku #zay's crackpot rants #bkdk character study #my very first long post for bkdk oop #or mha in general lmao #this was fun #mizismiz

[red-sneakers]

The official translation missed the callback to Katsuki’s apology

The way 405 is officially translated, Katsuki sounds like he’s belittling Izuku again:

He’s NOT belittling Izuku. He’s making good on his promise to have Izuku’s back.

Here is the literal translation (courtesy of the amazing @pikahlua):

1

OFAに拭えねーもんは

あいつにぬぐえねーもんは

aitsu (kanji: OFA) ni nuguenee mon wa

"What he (read as: One For All) can't handle..."

2

こっちで拭うってなぁああ!!!

こっちでぬぐうってなぁああ!!!

kocchi de nuguu tte naaaa!!!

"I'll handle right here!!!"

And here is the part of the apology scene Katsuki is referencing:

And here is the fan translation:

Do you see how Shonen Jump missed the point???

#bkdk #dkbk #bakudeku #dekubaku #mha spoilers #bnha spoilers #meta #mha meta #chapter 405 #mha 405 #bnha 405 #bakugou katsuki #kacchan

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

Omae: Complexity of Self-Expression and Intimacy with the Japanese “You”

(Update: I have written a follow-up to this post wherein I exhaustively examine Katsuki's "you" pronoun usage, including every time he uses omae. Please be sure to read both posts! :D)

The anime adaption of chapter 322 is rapidly approaching, so I wanna talk about something really interesting: as far as I can tell, Izuku is the only person Katsuki has ever used the pronoun omae (おまえ) towards in-canon. Furthermore, he has only used omae towards Izuku on three occasions.

The first time is after Deku vs. Kacchan 2 in chapter 120.

The second time is right after his apology in chapter 322. (Katsuki actually uses omae four times in a row in this scene.)

(We'll get to the third time later, just you wait.)

Why does Katsuki address Izuku differently in these scenes? To answer this, we’re gonna commit some language nerdery.

First, let’s be real about the fact that Japanese pronouns can be complicated. There are a ton of them. You learn the common uses—like you could say that, broadly, omae tends to be used by guys for their friends and romantic partners. But the reality is that in a high-context language like Japanese, pronouns can come across wildly differently depending on who uses it, to whom, with what tone, and in what context.

It is difficult to generalize real-life usage, so to be clear, I am talking about MHA as a piece of media. I could try to tell you that omae is rude but also friendly but also condescending but also comedic but also confrontational but also affectionate—and so on, but that wouldn’t help you understand what Katsuki’s omae to Izuku means and why it feels significant.

The thing is, Izuku and Katsuki can each say omae and mean completely different things, because their normal way of speaking tells us how to interpret their words.

When Izuku speaks, he is polite and considerate. He uses the boyish first-person pronoun boku (僕). In Japanese, avoiding second-person pronouns is the polite thing to do; you use the person’s surname and an appropriate suffix instead, and this is the tactic Izuku uses to address others. When he does say “you,” it is usually the familiar kimi (君) towards Katsuki.

We see Izuku use omae in only a few circumstances: he uses it towards himself during inner monologues when he is trying to figure out what to do or compel himself to act, and he uses it when he faces All For One.

Both of these involve what I think of as “tough talk”—Izuku talks tough to himself to push past his fears and be a hero. With AFO, he is talking to a villain, someone he has to defeat. From someone like Izuku who speaks with such politeness and humility, omae reads as aggressive and confrontational.

Katsuki, on the other hand, is always aggressive and confrontational. He uses the masculine, somewhat boastful first-person pronoun ore (俺) and the second-person pronoun temee (てめえ) towards just about everybody. Temee is an extremely rude, combative word; Japanese descriptions usually point out that it reads like fightin’ words—it’s what you’d call an opponent, someone you are confronting, challenging, or belittling. As mentioned, you’re supposed to avoid “you” words to be polite, so the fact that Katsuki whips out temee constantly and makes up insulting nicknames instead of using anybody’s real name is just like, damn, dude!

Unlike Izuku, Katsuki sounds like he is challenging everyone all the time. This means that, coming from him, omae actually seems gentler.

After Deku vs. Kacchan 2, he opens his sentence with omae, and Izuku looks startled by this.

They just had a huge, emotional fistfight, and Katsuki… isn’t addressing him as an opponent, like he always has before. For once, he is addressing Izuku not as his enemy, but his equal.

This scene is the first time Katsuki properly grapples with the truth of their mutual weaknesses and comes to an understanding about it. It leaves him frustrated and unsure, but he walks away seeing himself and Izuku as being on the same side.

Because he takes All Might's words to heart: they are two halves of what makes a hero. They need to learn from each other and push each other to truly reach their best—as rivals, not enemies.

In chapter 322, Katsuki talks Izuku through how he felt about him all these years. He goes over all the things he's had to face to see how wrong he was, to see his own weakness and Izuku's strength. The whole time, he uses the "you" word he always has: temee.

But when it comes time to tell Izuku his true feelings, he calls Izuku by his given name, apologizes, and then right away he says this:

This is a direct call-back to the core question that Katsuki posed to Izuku during Deku vs. Kacchan 2: "Is my way of admiring All Might wrong?"

The second half to that question has always been, implicitly, "Does that mean yours is right?"

Here, Katsuki acknowledges Izuku fully as All Might's successor and affirms that Izuku's path is not wrong, using omae to tell him so. And then he uses it three more times to convince Izuku to come back with them and fight together, "because saving people is how we win."

To me, omae in this scene comes across with such softness. He's speaking with more humility than we've ever seen, both in what he's conveying and his word choice. (There is a whole other conversation to be had about Katsuki's word choice for "I'm sorry," but that is for a different time.)

This omae is not just a sign that he sees Izuku as his equal, it's expressing care for him. Katsuki sacrificed his life for Izuku, telling him, "Stop trying to win this on your own." He is trying so hard to make Izuku understand: Come back, I was wrong. Come back, I care about you.

Which brings us to the third time Katsuki uses omae: chapter 362.

That's right, the infamous "Can I still catch up to you?" / "Can I still reach you?" line uses omae.

Here's the thing that's unique about this omae: it's in Katsuki's head. This is internal monologue; he isn't talking out loud to Izuku, he isn't trying to convey something to him face-to-face, he is just thinking about Izuku.

The word choice isn't for anyone else's benefit or any external purpose: this is just how Katsuki sees him.

I can't overstate how soft, vulnerable, and sincere this moment is for Katsuki. And what gets me about him thinking of Izuku as omae is, it makes me wonder, "How long has he thought of Izuku this way?"

When did Izuku stop being temee in his head?

Changing how you address someone is a big deal in Japanese. Whether it's a name or suffix change (Deku -> Izuku) or a pronoun change (temee -> omae), it represents a significant shift in the emotional dynamics of a relationship.

It crops up a lot in media as a dramatic moment of intimacy, sometimes even being a part of love confessions. This heightened drama is exactly what we see with Katsuki's apology when he calls him Izuku.

Katsuki addresses only Izuku with his given name and omae, and in the whole run of the series, he only uses omae in a few select instances. I would argue that this is really important, subtle character writing.

Looking at the scenes, at least to me, each omae reads as progressively more honest and intimate. Each time Katsuki uses it, he is reaching for Izuku. Each time, it means more.

#bkdk #bakudeku #dekubaku #dkbk #mha spoilers #bnha spoilers #mha manga spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #bkdk apology #meta #mha 120 #mha 322 #mha 362

[darkcircles4lyfe]

it's a story about hands (reprise)

Yeah, okay, today's the day.

I gave my blog that title for a reason, you know, and it has loomed over me for years because the hand motif is absolutely everywhere and you could go on about it forever.

Maybe that's something I'll never actually attempt to do, but this chapter, we reached a breaking point.

Before I continue, I need to give a big, big disclaimer: I do not have a physical disability, so I'm not able to speak about that from the standpoint of representation as a first-hand perspective. I have at least listened to enough disabled people to know that fictional characters who become amputees only to miraculously gain their limbs back is, um, a trope. Disabled people in general being "healed" is a conception we would really prefer to avoid here. Not to call people out, but I don't think we're giving enough space to acknowledge that.

I don’t feel comfortable making the judgement call about what should happen. I’m leaving that open. I also don't want to downplay people's emotional reactions. Honestly, I don't know if I can accurately define the line between acknowledging real pain vs. ableist pity. But I’d like to talk about the possibilities of what could happen. Other characters have definitely gotten permanent disabilities as a result of their hero work, or even just the side effects of their quirk. But, for better or worse, I don't think this case is really about representation. Not that Horikoshi won't do that justice. He might. What I'm saying is that's not his purpose for having Izuku lose his arms. It's meant to be symbolic, so we can explore what it means. The other thing I’m keeping in mind here is that Horikoshi is notorious for playing with our expectations, like, alllllll the time. I mean, just take a few chapters ago for a classic example. Eri appeared at the end, and we all assumed she was about to take some sort of action to save someone with her quirk. Then, immediately following, we were given an explanation for why that wouldn’t be happening. And now it’s clear he wanted to do that “fake out” not just as a silly cliffhanger prank, but specifically so we would know not to suspect that Eri could be the miraculous solution to Izuku’s loss of his arms. Rest assured, there is no easy way out of this.

The expectation at play in this particular instance is an old one. It’s very understated, but its subtext has burned so brightly, you’d be a fool not to notice it. It sits with anticipation like one half of a call and response. Man, I was so certain. Lots of people still are. I was really looking forward to printing the panel where it happened onto a t shirt and wearing it proudly. All the hand motifs in this story radiate thematically from a single moment, the one that started it all for Izuku.

It raises all kinds of questions about the act of saving, who needs saving, why, what does it mean, what are the dynamics of power, politics, honesty, exploitation, compassion, pity, disdain, sacrifice. Katsuki has dealt with many of these since he first rejected Izuku’s hand. While Izuku was the one who was convinced Katsuki would keep on rejecting him…

…Katsuki was the one who kept that moment in his mind all these years and eventually came to regret it.

Katsuki is the one yearning for that hand-hold, the one who has imbued it with so much more weight than it ever originally had. Izuku, in contrast, does not allow himself to dwell on what he wants. To illustrate this difference, we need to look at another piece of foreshadowing:

Ugh, do y'all remember when lots of folks were complaining about how there never seemed to be actual consequences for Izuku's destructive treatment of his own body? I don't blame them, I was concerned and confused about it too. There were several "fixes" along the way. Recovery Girl healed him, but left a physical reminder. Then he started training to fight with his legs… sometimes. Then he got support items. All of these were unsatisfying non-conclusions because they didn't present Izuku with a lasting enough impression to change in a meaningful way. They didn't address his core, his origin.

Of course, that all changed this chapter. Now it looks like our frustration was inflicted intentionally. With the current context in mind, all of these moments look more sinister, like this day was always gonna come because they kept putting bandaids on a deep emotional and psychological wound. The problem is pretty much spelled out for us here:

As Katsuki put it, he just doesn’t take himself into account, ya know? He doesn’t care what happens to him. And he lies about it, to keep others from worrying, to keep them safe. To keep them from returning the favor and putting themselves in harm’s way for his sake. His motivations are noble,

…but what about the little boy inside Izuku? Who saves him?

This is all about Izuku giving himself up to the point that he literally has no more to give. The thing is, I bet he saw this coming. He knew his limits and decided to keep going anyway, because his personal safety and wellbeing are not important. Now that way of thinking has come back to bite him because the fight isn’t over yet, and he’s already made his sacrifice. So now we know who will be more distraught over this. Not Izuku—Katsuki.

It’s not about Izuku becoming disabled, it’s about how Katsuki wanted to use the intertwining of their fingers to communicate that he would never let go. Never stop valuing him most. Never let himself make the mistake of rejecting him again. Never let Izuku be so reckless with his life. To say: “we are in this together.”…if only Katsuki believed he deserved to be able to say such things. To reach out his hand would have been the ultimate way to simply imply them and let Izuku be the one to decide. Then, to feel their hands clasped together would be more than either of them dared hope for, but so beautiful, so right. A moment they’ve waited their whole lives for.

Yeah. That’s what we were expecting. We’ve been so comfortable. Horikoshi gave us all the signs. He tempted and teased us over and over. BUT. You know he does this thing were he gives us a desirable, completely plausible and simple thing to look forward to, and then he snatches it away. And THEN he replaces it with something much better, something we were not expecting at all because it seemed too good to be true. That’s exactly what happened when Himiko snatched Izuku away, and we were robbed of the chance to see him and Katsuki fight together. In hindsight, though, I’m glad things went a different way because now there’s so much more depth and angst on display. Likewise, in the present moment, we may consider how, as one door closes, another opens.

As wonderfully meaningful as the hand-hold would have been, perhaps it is still too simple a resolution for Izuku, for his and Katsuki’s relationship. Tbh, it could have been done like 100 chapter ago. At this point, there’s so much more potential. There are a couple of ways it could go. If Izuku stays armless, Katsuki will be forced to use other methods to get his point across. He’ll have to do something else, or say what he means, or both. Yes, I’m talking about what you think I’m talking about. If I say it, I just might jinx it (lol), but I mean it. I’m being serious. Either way, if Izuku did get his arms back in the end, I’m sure that it wouldn’t be an easy fix. It would be hard-won against Izuku’s self-destructive mindset, and/or by Katsuki’s conviction. Again, I say this knowing it is not meant so much as a representation of disability, but as a representation of Izuku’s greatest character flaw taken to the extreme. I know this might sound harsh, like, hasn’t he been through enough? I get that, but… I’ve said it before and I say it again: Izuku is stubborn as hell.

I wish I had a resounding final note to end this on, but I kinda don’t. I’m not sure what’s best. Now we just have to wait and see what Horikoshi has in mind.

#lin speaks #bnha meta #bnha manga #bnha 419 #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #bakudeku #bkdk #dekubaku #dkbk

[meteormind]

The Weight is Not the Same

A post about love tokens.

I want to talk about the Christmas gift that Ochako got from Izuku and why it is the perfect symbol of a doomed love.

Izuku didn't choose that gift thinking of Ochaco. He was picking a generic gift for a classmate and friend. That they received each others gifts after a blind exchange and weren't thinking of each other at all when they picked them. In other words, it was random. Much like the IzuOcha pairing would look random and mashed together by coincidence if Horikoshi ultimately chose to pair them as endgame.

Ochaco might carry the doll around the same way she might carry a crush for Izuku, but the mochi that Izuku received has long gone the way of their romantic potential. I shall not elaborate.

Furthermore, the doll is problematic as a symbol for Izuku and Ochaco's relationship. Why?

Because All Might belongs to Izuku and Katsuki.

No, I don't mean that they have any claim on All Might the person, but these two boys have plotted their entire life's trajectory on All Might the Hero. Their entire relationship can be traced back to All Might. They bonded over their shared love of the hero as kids. The only reason Izuku is with Katsuki attending the same school is because of All Might. They share the secret of OFA with All Might and every time their relationship grows closer to reconciliation, All Might is there, watching over them. Their entire spiritual journey revolves around All Might and synthesizing the dual aspects of his heroic nature. All Might is their signpost and their get-a-long shirt.

Now if Katsuki had received the All Might doll--

Oh.

They both carry talismans into battle, but the weight is not the same.

#bakudeku #bkdk #dekubaku #dkbk #dekukatsu #bnha #mha #katsudeku #decchan #bkdk meta #bkdk is canon #mha analysis #bakugou katsuki #urakara ochako #bkdk analysis #izuocha was doa and you can pry that from my cold dead hands

[samisnotlegend]

Katsuki wasn’t good at remembering to be mean to Izuku in middle school

This is more of a headcanon than an actual theory, but I think that there is solid ground for thinking that while Katsuki consciously disliked and was mean to Izuku, unconsciously he was fond of and even occasionally friendly to Izuku.

There may have been breaks in Katsuki’s derision, maybe even long ones, where he was able to talk and have conversations with Izuku that were totally amicable and nice. An example:

This is right before the entrance exam. Mic has explained that Izuku and Katsuki will be in separate arenas for the physical exam, and Katsuki turns to Izuku and basically says: “so I guess we’re separated, huh?” Izuku is surprised, but answers readily enough.

Then, in the next speech bubble, Katsuki remembers himself. “Don’t look at me!” He says. But he was the one to start the conversation. He was the one to be amicable, first!

Katsuki, distracted and interested in the upcoming test, forgot to be mean to Deku for a second. Then he remembered…

And he backtracks even more! In the first panel, he says that they’re separated so that they can’t help each other. Now it’s so that Katsuki can’t crush Izuku. A total switch in the reasoning and perspective! His expression darkens too. Is he regretting that he can’t crush Izuku, or is he berating himself for his slip-up? Hmm….

Applied, I think that this means that Katsuki’s and Izuku’s relationship wasn’t completely straight forward in middle school. Most likely there were times where Katsuki accidentally treated Izuku like the friend he subconsciously thought of him as.

Maybe they had pleasant conversations on their walk home from school sometimes. Maybe Izuku asked Katsuki for help on a question during a study period and he helped. Maybe Inko dragged Izuku over to the Bakugou’s occasionally, and maybe Katsuki didn’t feel as self conscious when it was just him and Izuku. Maybe he and Izuku could hang out just fine, actually, when it was one on one.

It makes sense, because where we are in the manga now we know that Katsuki has strong, positive feelings for Izuku. Those didn’t appear out of nowhere! They’ve been there the whole time, Katsuki had just buried them for awhile. But children, and especially emotionally-constipated ones like Katsuki, aren’t good at hiding their true feelings. They come out sometimes, or a lot of the times! So most likely, I think that Katsuki exposed his true feelings on occasion and was friendly and even fond towards Izuku.

This would explain a lot of Izuku’s behavior as well. I think many people, when they first read the manga, think: why does Izuku even care about this jerk? Well Katsuki’s good and admirable qualities get revealed over time. But also, it would make sense if Katsuki sometimes treated Izuku as a friend, and Izuku was able to not only see, but to experience, Katsuki’s good qualities.

(In some ways though, this is almost a sad theory! Because poor Izuku probably experienced some emotional whiplash before he either caught on, or got used to it.)

So yeah, I think their relationship has never been straightforward, and that they have always been weird as hell about each other.

Who wasn’t weird as hell about their friends in middle school though?

#bnha #bkdk #mha #dkbk #Sammy says #bnha meta

[neonscandal]

I keep thinking about where the chasm between BKDK really started. We know it's when Bakugo manifested his quirk, developed an attitude problem and the humbling that took place at the river.

What if the reason Bakugo became so incensed when Deku tried to help him was less his concern about being perceived as weak and more about looking at his hand, in that moment, and feeling that accepting it would carry more weight. He's always taken fear and unfavorable odds right on the chin even when up against upperclassmen when he was just a pipsqueak and his other friends lauded him for it. Even as he kept tears at bay. But suddenly, there's this person who's looking at him with concern in his eyes and an outstretched hand and it no longer feels like the hands they caught bugs with or hands that ripped open All Might merch together. There's a frightening connection there and Bakugo feels seen and embarrassed that it's come to him in that moment, when he was already feeling a bit sheepish. He didn't know what grabbing that hand would mean, but perhaps he recognized a distinct difference between the "friends" that would watch over his triumphs from afar versus the friend who would climb through the muck with him.

But this feels too much like person A bullies person B due to unresolved feelings and internalized homophobia and I hate that problematic ass trope.

Instead, maybe, he processed a different internal shift. Rather than feeling conflicted about Midoriya, perhaps he always knew where he stood there. Midoriya was never one to bite his tongue over how amazing he thought Bakugo was. Midoriya was always brave in that way. Even when he was powerless in the situation that unfurled before him, he would step in nonetheless and with tears in his eyes. It's what All Might would do. Sometimes, Bakugo wondered if he would too. Izuku always tried to rise to the occasion and, as they aged past the point of his quirk manifesting, it became apparent that their paths would no longer run parallel. It's something they didn't talk about but it gnawed at the growing distance between them. They carried on until that day on the bridge. Bakugo was shaken up but he played it off for the onlookers above; however, he was astounded to find Izuku and that outstretched hand of his. For a minute, he might have wondered "what's that hand going to do for me?" but what if he saw Izuku in all his pure, quirkless fragility and, rather than feeling looked down upon, he felt a cowardly sense of concern. Like, "Rushing in like this is going to get you hurt, Izuku". It was silly, sure. While the bridge was high, the water was shallow, not much harm could come to him or Bakugo. But would Izuku always chase after him like that? Recklessly? "You're no hero, Izuku. You weren't made for this like I was. I can take a hit, but what about you?" Wondering whether the very hands that would make Bakugo a hero one day could actually, in that moment, cause Izuku harm with his unreasonable temper and Izuku's relative weakness. Maybe he didn't trust himself and couldn't come to terms with some far off loss he'd never thought to imagine. So he scoffed at the only hand that had ever been extended to him, the only person who saw him as someone who needed saving because he hoped to break Izuku of that senseless desire to help.

It didn't. No amount of chiding or bullying would make Izuku yield to his own weakness, even if Bakugo thought it was for his own good. After a while, it was simply a pattern between them too broken to correct but we know that that day in the river became a core memory for Bakugo. Something he twisted in his mind to justify his mistreatment of Izuku for so many years. Something he finds himself thinking back on at the edge of his life when one is consumed with thoughts of what matters most. Perhaps, in some way, it became somewhat of a guiding light, as well. “Will I ever measure up to the person you were who chased me down into the river?”

#neon classic #manga with me #manga with me mha #mha #bnha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #meta #bkdk #dkbk #bakudeku #dekubaku #ktdk #katsudeku #anime #manga #manga analysis #mha headcanons #deku and kacchan #deku #kacchan #bakugo katsuki #katsuki bakugo #character analysis #izuku midoriya #midoriya izuku

[mary-magpie]

hot take: media ruined some of your’s perception of bakugou

i know it’s a bit far fetched and requires a bit of explaining but the reason so many of you treat bakugou like shit is because media ruined your perception of teenagers.

now let me explain it. with teenagers being portrayed by actors in their 30s and writers projecting their weird fantasies unto underage people (i’m looking at you sam levinson) people now can’t tell apart what’s normal behaviour for children in media and what is just bad writing.

and the thing is, bakugou’s behaviour is normal for teenagers. he’s abrasive, doesn’t know when to shut up, can’t really express his care for others and a whole bunch of other things, but for god’s sake he’s only 17. he barely lived, he doesn’t know any better. especially in a society that has been encouraging him for his whole life. and he’s trying to change. he sees his weaknesses, he’s trying to be a better person. he’s apologised and he’s been doing so much to be a better version of himself. (some of you just can’t see it because hori didn’t erase his whole personality just to fit some standards).

and yeah, i do believe that some of you were almost brainwashed by media, that thrives on violence and disturbing things, and believe that the only way out for him is to be brutally punished (which by the way he was a few too many times) or just never be forgiven (which is plain stupidity). but i remind you that in real life this would be just a child, that made a mistake, and tries to make amends with the person he hurt.

and if you think that children in real life deserve the same treatment, that you project unto bakugou, then you’re sick people, and i don’t have anything to say to you, except don’t go near children ever.

and by the way. please, learn to fucking read. midoriya is a victim, yeah, but these days are all behind him. he’s capable of protecting himself (was before and even more now), he can decide for himself whether he wants to forgive someone or not. he’s a good person, that wants the world to become a better place. izuku wants everyone to live happily with smiles on their faces. so of course he’d forgive katsuki, because that’s what heroes do.

and if you still do not agree with me just read batman comics, that’ll satisfy your weird desires for someone beating shit out of other people. just saying.

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bakugou #bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugou #midoriya #midoriya izuku #izuku midoriya #deku #dynamight #bakudeku #dekubaku #dekacchan #bkdk #dkbk #meta

[bitchlessbkg]

there’s an interesting thing to talk about regarding imitation through admiration and love that the story makes a distinction with

toga sets the criteria for love, which is imitation. but is all imitation romantic love? certainly not!

deku’s (who compared toga [and therefore ochako’s] feelings of him to his of allmights in 348) imitation of allmight led to his self destruction, and in imitating him he was trying to follow his path of the legacy of OFA without taking his feelings and personal wants into account and forging his own path that allmight (and the other OFA users) didn’t take — to have his friends by his side

tenya’s admiration of his brother caused him to imitate him to the point of wanting to kill stain

touya’s imitation of his father led him to believe he had no purpose outside of the goal enji set for him, and through that he lost his sense of self trying to follow in his footsteps

katsuki too struggled with trying to imitate allmight’s actions of winning alone and that caused him to spiral into a self destructive path as well

the story shows clearly imitation through admiration - the self destructive type due to trying to be like your hero

but the story also shows imitation through love, one that deku has stated can fulfill you in chapter 348

bakugou and deku’s imitation of one another is embedded in their “save to win/win to save” goals, and those instances shows them bettering themselves and growing as heroes instead of a hindrance

kirishima and mina’s imitation of one another also shows them growing as heroes, with kirishima copying mina’s act of bravery when he fought with fat gum and mina taking inspiration from unbreakable for acid man

togaocha and bkdk also parallel one another - i talk about that more here and here

but yeah, crazy!

#togaocha #midoriya izuku #izuku midoriya #katsuki bakugou #bakudeku #dekubaku #bakugou katsuki #deku #bnha meta #bkdk #dkbk #bnha critical #bnha spoilers #bakugou meta #mha meta #bakugo katsuki #ochako uraraka #allmight #himiko toga #toga himiko #iida tensei #tenya iida

[z-mizcellaneous-z]

*claps hands*

Okay!!

We are all aware here that characters can have multiple parallels with other characters. And that said parallels can be more overt/subtle than others and that their connections can be inconsistent or contradicting or reflecting. Right?

Good.

So.

AFO and Yoichi and BkDk.

There is no parallel between AFO and Kacchan's actions, only parallels in how Yoichi and Izuku percieved them.

Yoichi and Izuku parallel each other with their actions here because they both see the good in the world. Yoichi felt that he saw good in his brother, and Izuku felt that he saw good in Kacchan, despite any flaws.

Now.

AFO and Kacchan are NOT parallels in their actions.

Kacchan wasn't a bad person. He never was. He was simply viewing the world and himself in a certain way because of societal expectations and the environment he was surrounded with. These fed into his inferiority and superiority complexes. That was SOCIETY impacting a person. And since society did that to Kacchan, once he recognized that, he was able to overcome it and change and grow as a person.

Kacchan realized that society is broken and so he had to fix himself. He put effort into changing his view on the world and himself and that change is very clear in his development throughout the manga.

AFO on the other hand, wasn't changed by society. AFO has always seen that society is broken and only he can fix it. He was born thinking the world belonged to him--that the world was smaller, lesser than him. Anyone who didn't give him exactly what he wanted was considered a nuisance. The only reason he kept Yoichi around was because he saw him as his "thing". Like a little kid with their toy--they don't care about it much, but the second someone suggests throwing it away, or someone else tries to play with it, suddenly it's the kid's favorite toy now.

Kacchan's mentality as a child was "society is awesome and im even more awesome". But then as he grew up, he recognized that society was fucked and that it fucked with his perception and changed. His perception going against what society taught him.

AFO never saw that society shaped him. He just thinks that society is stupid and broken and only he can fix it because this world is his, and he's the overlord.

Yoichi and Izuku's characters parallel in actions and mentality towards AFO/Kacchan.

AFO and Kacchan's characters parallel in their relationship with Yoichi/Izuku.

Kudou and Kacchan's characters, meanwhile, parallel in actions and mentality towards Yoichi/Izuku. The symbolism of hands, reaching out, taking the hand, etc etc.

And yeah lol that's all I got.

--

Discussion/debate is always welcome, but ONLY IF KEPT RESPECTFUL. If there's rudeness in these comments/tags I *will* disable them.

There's a lot of varying opinions on this chapter, and that's okay. We can agree to disagree. We can discuss our viewpoints and the faults we may see in other viewpoints. But do not insult the people with that viewpoint. The viewpoint is for fiction; the people with the viewpoint are human.

#mha #bnha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bkdk #dkbk #bakudeku #dekubaku #mha 407 #bnha 407 #mha spoilers #bnha spoilers #afo #all for one #shigaraki yoichi #kudou #mha meta #bnha meta #zays crackpot rants #mizismiz

[red-sneakers]

I keep seeing people (many smart, cool people I usually agree with) say Izuku would easily kill someone. That though a hero, he can be murderous. And, to be fair, I like this take MUCH better than when people talk about Izuku like he’s an uwu cinnamon roll bottom-as-a-personality. Izuku is tough and strong, and you bet your ass he can be one scary motherfucker.

However.

Izuku’s whole thing is that he wants to save everyone. Everyone including villains. That is central to his character. Remember the first time he throws a smash without breaking his arm? Yeah, that was because he subconsciously held back from using a killing blow on a Nomu that was threatening the life of his friends.

And more recently in the war arc, when the vestiges ask Izuku if he can kill Shigaraki, Izuku says he wants to try and save him. Save The Big Bad. That’s huge, and unless I’m mistaken, pretty unusual for a shonen protagonist. And it’s clearly a big deal to the manga/anime plot, because the “can you kill Shiggy” question is Nana’s test which Izuku passes. Izuku’s drive to save, though it often gets him hurt, is shown as his greatest strength.

Of course, any good hero story must have a few climatic moments in which the hero loses sight of their greatest strength. Oh, you thought I wasn’t gonna make this about bkdk? It’s always about bkdk, babyyy. 😎

The first time Katsuki sacrifices himself to save Izuku is also the first time we see Izuku go completely feral. All rational thought demolished, eyes glowing monstrously, he charges like a rabid animal with, in my opinion, no thoughts of “saving.”

And he almost loses OFA because of it.

[major manga spoilers below]

After that fight, Shigaraki/AFO takes note of Midoriya Izuku’s greatest weakness: Bakugou Katsuki. That’s not my bkdk brainrot talking, that is canon. In the fight currently happening in the manga, Shigaraki singles Katsuki out and tells him the only reason he’s interested in him is that Katsuki is “the closest person to Midoriya Izuku.”

Shigaraki uses Katsuki as bait in the hopes of provoking the feral, irrational side of Izuku that only surfaces for Katsuki. He says he’s making a mangled corpse out of Katsuki as a “present” for Izuku.

Shigaraki/AFO expects Izuku to lose his head when he sees Katsuki’s body, and so do us readers. But as I’ve said before, this story is a hero’s journey, and we must see the hero learn from his past and overcome his weaknesses. We do see Izuku start to lose control, just as Shiggy/AFO wanted, but with the help of Mirio and the vestiges, Izuku manages to control his heart and fight rationally, despite his world (Katsuki) literally ending. Deku is still on his way to becoming the world’s greatest hero by saving to win.

All of this is to say: Midoriya Izuku might have scary dog privileges, but he’s not a killer. He might have been, once, for Katsuki. Only for Katsuki. Overall, Izuku’s aversion to killing, his drive to save, is what makes him my #1 hero.

#bkdk #bakudeku #dkbk #dekubaku #izuku midoriya #midoriya izuku #deku #bnha meta #bkdk meta #mha meta

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

Okay, we gotta talk about how these images were set to these lyrics.

When SKETCH first came out, lots of fan translations were floating around and getting analyzed. I have my own translation and interpretations of the song that I wanna share, at least of these five lines.

The lyrics of the chorus, which are sung as we pan over these two images, are as follows:

「居なくならないでね」

「君こそね」

能天気に約束して肩を叩く

きまってどちらかが破るのさ

今回もまた僕じゃなかっただけ

My translation would be:

-

"Don't you disappear on me, okay?"

"Not you."

Promises made in a carefree way with a pat on the shoulder.

Which of them will break, like they always do?

This time, too, it wasn't just me.

-

The first two lines are in quotations, and in my mind, they are both spoken by the subject of the song (Izuku), not the singer (Katsuki). There is some ambiguity with the use of koso (こそ), which emphasizes the word before it, often in the sense of "definitely," "for sure," or "specifically because it's [blank]." Koso is used in a lot of ways, though, sometimes as a rebuttal of sorts--

Person A: どう？ 考えは？ (Well? What do you think?)

Person B: 君こそ教えるよ (You tell me first!)

So, there is a possibility that these two lines are actually an exchange:

A: "Don't disappear on me, okay?"

B: "Hey, speak for yourself." (You're the one who might disappear.)

This would be a promise made between the two of them. You won't disappear, and neither will I.

Both lines have ne (ね) at the end, which to me suggests the speaker of the first line is continuing their train of thought, in the sense of saying "you know? ...because like, ... right?"

Inakunara (居なくなら) means to disappear, to go away, to leave, to stop existing. This line is saying, don't leave me, don't go away, don't disappear from my life. I see these lines as Izuku, the sweet little nerd, casually, lightheartedly saying, "Kacchan, don't go off and leave me, okay? Because it's you, you know? Never you." And whether Katsuki verbally reciprocates the promise or not, the feeling behind it is mutual.

The verb used for break in the fourth line is yaburu (破る). (Fun fact: The kanji used to write yaburu is the same kanji used for Katsuki's Quirk name, Bakuha: 爆破.) This is not the word you would usually use for things like "that broke his heart" or "they broke the table," which is kowasu (壊す); the meanings overlap, but yaburu is also used for broken promises.

This makes the fifth line sound like, "This time it wasn't just me who broke this promise and disappeared--you did, too."

Which... sounds a lot like Katsuki saying, "I ran away, I tried to keep you at a distance. But you are putting yourself in danger again and again--now it's you who's leaving me."

Those carefree, loving lyrics of the first three lines pan over the image of little Katsuki smiling at little Izuku. The last two lines pan over Katsuki now, reaching for little Izuku's hand as he wishes he did all those years ago. Katsuki is desperate for Izuku to not disappear, to not break that promise--but one way or another, the promise will be broken, because without a thought he chooses to give his life to save Izuku's.

Not you.

#bkdk #bakudeku #katsudeku #ktdk #dkbk #dekubaku #mha spoilers #bakugou katsuki: rising #mha season 6 #bnha #bnha spoilers #this episode was incredible #so beautiful #it just... completely KO'd me #these precious boys #translations #meta

[darkcircles4lyfe]

To Build Something Else

Whenever I read a fanfiction that takes place in the future where the hero kids continue their schooling as normal and emerge as pro heroes into the existing system, I always kinda view it as like, “AU where things weren’t as bad” or “AU where everyone is still pretending that this is the way things should be” or “AU where good and evil are morally uncomplicated.” I’m not trying to call anybody out—I’ll still read and enjoy these sometimes—but that’s how I’ve always looked at it. I’m starting to notice other people feeling it too. I’ve read fics where they point out how redundant and unfair it is to go back to being students after saving the world (remember how many pros straight up quit and left a bunch of kids to keep fighting?). I’ve seen people acknowledge how trauma will affect their ability to keep going. Perhaps the trickiest thing to wrap our heads around is how the villains will fit into it all if not through death, punishment, or imprisonment. What about all the other trappings of society? The heavily regulated quirk use, the government-funded pros aiding police control and contributing to cover-ups that maintain the illusion of peace. Hero idolization, quirk counseling, civilian helplessness. Judging a person’s worth or character based on their quirk…

It would sound too obvious and cheesy to simply point out that society isn’t “just the way things are,” that change is possible. We all know this, and yet we struggle to pinpoint exactly where to aim our sights, find the source, make any meaningful progress. The other day I read some articles from my university’s student newspaper around 1970, and it made me feel sick wondering if progress is really an illusion. Fact is, it’s easy to intellectually deconstruct society, but very difficult to imagine how to build something else.

In this fictional world, heroes have offered a mythical vision of safety and triumph. When All Might arrived, everything was going to be okay. But let’s not forget how this story began: with a moment where All Might paused, like a bystander, and in his place, a desperate civilian kid hurtled forward without any common sense. If you ask me, it wasn’t that Izuku was so good and pure and selfless, it was that he disregarded everything.

And so the person who “saves the world” (if we can even reduce it to such a concept) is not the person who puts everyone at ease and makes crowds cheer. It’s the person who makes everyone hold their breath, with a feeling in the air like the pressure changed, and it smells like rain. It is natural to be worried about the future. It’s honest. It means you can see what’s really going on. Hero society has never felt this exposed, but the people are held back from the edge of despair because there is also so much potential brewing. Electricity about to strike. The world will NOT go back to the way it was, no matter what. That much is certain. But what if we still live to see the dawn? What then? What if one person’s courage to break the mold makes all the difference?

I’m not just talking about Izuku, you know. I’m talking about Horikoshi.

To an extent, I’ve given up on predicting how exactly things will play out, because if nothing else, I can tell he’s planning something big—so big, I can’t quite picture it. I’m watching and waiting for the one person who can. I just know where he’s coming from. I think about how he’s never come this far before because his other stories were snuffed out. I know he used to struggle to see the future of his career. I relate to his stubbornly rebellious resolve to do what he wants anyway. To keep dreaming. I know that emotional sincerity is his specialty. And now he’s even directly breaking the fourth wall, having characters talk about what’s supposed to happen in comic books. Gradually, almost imperceptibly at first, we’ve been shown how something else can happen. He’s not done yet.

#listening to bastille's give me the future album again and feeling things #bnha 416 #bnha 417 #bnha manga #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #midoriya izuku #all might #bnha meta #lin speaks #bakudeku #dekubaku #bkdk #dkbk

[meteormind]

Respect Her Journey

I want to talk about this piece of art that Horikoshi drew that probably has bkdks hissing and screeching at the sight of, and izuochas fist-pumping and going yeaaah! my ship is endgame!

Nono, don't be afraid, look at it! It'll be okay I promise.

It's beautiful, I hate it, you might say, as a bkdk.

Anyway, this was the tweet I lifted this art from.

Oh yes, pay attention to them falling! Some people might take this to mean falling in love, or whatever. I cannot comment on what Horikoshi meant by this statement, because he has proven to be a cryptic little nuisance of a troll. I will however, examine his inspiration for this piece and tell you why this is not him saying that Izuocha is endgame.

Um, incoming spoilers for Spirited Away if that wasn't obvious. If you've not watched it, I implore you to do so yesterday. It's a one of the greatest movies of all time.

Spirited Away: a story about Chihiro, a timid girl who ventures into the spirit world for the sake of her parents. (Wait? What? Sound familiar?) There's more.

In order to redeem her parents, she starts working in an environment that showcases all the worst parts of capitalist society

She befriends a boy named Haku, who she goes on adventures with

She meets No Face, a child-like spirit who lacks love and eats people while taking on their characteristics

She gives Haku back his name and breaks his curse with the power of love

She saves her parents and returns to the normal world having grown from her adventure and faces the future with confidence

Can we please appreciate the parallels between these two stories?

Bathhouse -> Hero Society: The overseer takes Chihiro's name, who becomes Sen. Just like Ochaco becomes Uravity. The public no longer sees her as a child. She is now a hero and they are free to expect things from her, like to fight in a war on their behalf. Urakaka is now fighting against her own bathhouse.

Haku -> Deku: Chihiro gives Haku his name back, just like Ochaco gives Deku a new meaning to his name, breaking the curse that Deku means "useless". Ochaco draws strength from at first, but she has since come to realize he is not invincible and that he himself needs saving.

No-Face -> Toga Himiko: Chihiro fascinates No-Face. Just like Toga Himiko the unloved girl, is fascinated with Ochaco for her goodness and being everything that she longs to be. Urakaka's character arc is tied up with Himiko and her struggle to save her smile.

There's probably more to unpack here, but these are the few that stood out to me right away. I'm lazy.

Now that we've established that Ochaco is Chihiro and Deku is Haku, remember that this falling scene in the movie is the climax. This is where Chihiro recognizes Haku for who he is and gives him back his identity. It is both a hello and a goodbye.

OOoooh! But Haku and Chihiro are in love! a certain braindead subset might retort--just no. I shouldn't have to mention how problematic it is to ship a ten year old with anybody, or that Chihiro is based on a real ten year old girl that Miyazaki knew--there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Haku is Chihiro's dead older brother, but I won't get into that. Look it up if it interests you. In short, it's platonic. PLATONIC.

Anyway, though Chihiro and Haku have benefitted from their friendship, ultimately they are headed in different directions.

Just like Ochaco and Deku are headed in different directions.

So please, please, don't hate this art. It's beautiful. Just like Ochaco is a beautiful character who has worked hard to be who she is. Stop trying to pigeonhole her as the love interest. It's insulting and she's fought that role kicking and screaming.

I also leave this with you. It is an excerpt from an interview with Miyazaki on his movie Spirited Away:

I felt this country only offered such things as crushes and romance to 10-year-old girls, though, and looking at my young friends, I felt this was not what they held dear in their hearts, not what they wanted. And so I wondered if I could make a movie in which they could be heroines...

I'm not saying that Horikoshi is absolutely taking Miyazaki's intentions as his own, but it's something.

#bkdk #bakudeku #dkbk #dekubaku #bkdk is canon #bkdk meta #mha meta #bnha meta #mha #bnha #uraraka ochaco #midoriya izuku #spirited away

[dekusleftsock]

My Hero Academia

How to do last minute representation the right way

A meta post that I’ve been thinking about for a while, and I think I finally have the right words.

First, let's establish the terms I will be using and how they apply to other shows.

Open representation

Open representation, in this case, is a show that from start to finish is openly queer and never tries to hide that. The first ones that come to mind are Steven Universe, Shera, Sasaki to Miyano, or the owl house. They will have queer representation throughout the show, though may hook people in first by not making the characters openly queer in the first few episodes. This is usually done through a beard of some kind. Connie for Steven, the fantasy dude for Luz, bow for adora, etc. They don't necessarily have to be important to the MC's love life at all, (like how bow is glimmers love interest or that connie and steven legitimately are love interests) they simply have to make the illusion of a non queer show to prove that the show is STILL good, with or without it.

Explicit representation

I think sasaki to miyano actually fits better here, as the thing that defines this representation is that it never tries to hide the queerness. BL usually goes here because of what the genre is born out of. Which is, usually, oppressed groups finding comfort in certain media. Not a lot of popular shows/comics are in the "explicit representation" section unless it's from an indie author. Or, on the rare occasion, published by a big manga company. The only time these works are easily published is when it's nsfw, because of the yaoi/yuri industry. These works aren't very popular most of the time because they have to appeal to a straight audience, and it's hard to do that with explicitly queer shows.

There are exceptions to the rule of course, like heart stopper or, once again sasaki to miyano, and that's because straight women are able to project and/or fetishize the characters. They will also have a token straight couple sometimes, like heart stopper, in order to appeal to the non gay audience. Or be able to fetishize the main couple because they have something that allows them to see the couple through heterosexual eyes. Like miyano and sasaki's height difference. Maybe they will add something onto them to make them more masculine to fight this, like miyano's hate for sweet things and sasaki's love of it. But ultimately people will just see this as "breaking gender norms" instead of just two gay men.

However, it was also the only reason they COULD get the show green-lit. No matter what, these shows will have to find a way to appeal to a straight audience. It's just how the world works. It sucks, but it's true.

Queer coding or coded representation

This genre of queerness usually fits shonen/shoujo anime. Think death note, hunter x hunter, madoka magica, sk8 the infinity or kakegurui. Though it also fits a lot of western cartoons like infinity train, star vs the forces of evil, and gravity falls. The thing that defines this representation is that it's never explicitly said. It's what makes this representation so frustrating, as it directly appeals to a straight audience, while still grabbing a major queer audience. The straight audience can write it off as being accidental or even say it doesn't exist. That the queer audience is "looking into it too much".

What's even more frustrating about this is that it actually had to happen in order for us to have representation at all. Gravity falls laid out the footsteps so that the owl house could actually BE A SHOW! These shows fight tooth and nail for it to be written the way they want it to be, like making marco a latina trans woman, and in the end, they were never able to make it openly queer the way they wanted it to be.

Accidental representation

On paper, this concept is hilarious, but it's also the most frustrating thing in the world. Accidental representation is honestly just a big phenomenon called "homosociality". angy-grrr explains this concept in this post (https://angy-grrr.tumblr.com/post/690891053818134528/bakudeku-in-bnha-another-case-of-the) But if you don't feel like reading that at the moment and just wanna know what this term means, I'll explain it. It is intimate social connections between the same sex, usually it's used to understand masculinity from a psychological standpoint. It's also used to understand hegemonic masculinity; the idea that there are different forms of masculinity across many cultures and points of time. Essentially, men who are in a male only space because they don't want women to "invade their space" feels inherently gay. (Edit, please look at the post right after this one on my page, I explained this a little wrong and was corrected, PLEASE READ IT GOD DONT SPREAD MISINFORMATION-)

Regardless, shonen anime usually falls into this category. Like Naruto, dragon ball z, or saiki. Sometimes western cartoons can also fit this category, like dipper being accidental trans coding, or rapunzel from tangled ever after being accidental sapphic coding.

What this representation is defined by is the author simply making a lapse in judgement for their own show. They accidentally make the rivals to friends a little too queer because they will show an intimacy the main character can not share with his female love interest, and instead give it to his rival. This is often born out of ignorance; when a straight person creates a show and instead of sharing intimate friendships, it shows intimate relationships. They will try to fight toxic masculinity by showing they can hug and be vulnerable with their male friends and rivals. Essentially, a "romantic scene" is not actually romantic because there are two male characters. That is the only thing that separates his rival/best friend from his love interest.

It boils down to men not being allowed to have intimate relationships and women can be as intimate as they want to be to practice for boys.

The gender binary is so interesting isn't it?

Last minute representation

FINALLY, we're here. Last minute representation. Last minute representation is honestly the most common one. Gravity falls, madoka, adventure time, shera, dead end paranormal park and many many more have last minute representation. This is because of two factors. One, that shows IN GENERAL have their characters get together at the end, a very common aspect in story telling. The "happily ever after" part. Of course happily ever after doesn't exist, there's always another day after the end of a story. This is just a general writing pet peeve, but making a kids show with yet ANOTHER "happily ever after" is kinda stupid as it doesn't properly teach children that relationships take work and are complicated. It shows a small portion into what goes into a relationship, the confession. It's part of the reason why I want to create my own children's show, but anyway, that's not really the point.

The other reason shows often have last minute representation is because a show can no longer be canceled. For example, SU was actually gonna have a whole other season after season 5, but because the show aired the first ever gay marriage on TV for children, cartoon network was banned from hosting the show in a lot of countries. That's why the ending arc feels so rushed; because it was. That's why shows leave it to the very last minute, so that they can finish their story while still adding the LGBTQ rep they wanted to add into the show.

How does this relate to My Hero Academia?

Simple, my hero is going to do last minute representation correctly for once. The problem with last minute rep is that it entirely is dictated by pandering to the company who publishes your work, along with attracting an audience it doesn't necessarily need.

MHA did create a beard character for their main character, yes, but it did so in a way that completely erases the idea of shonen. Shonen is inherently pandering to the male gaze, the heterosexual society around it, yet it has always tried to stand out against other shonens.

What makes My Hero unique, is the fact that it never tried to be anything it wasn't.

It always showed you the love interest of the story, it never once lied to your face. The entirety of izuku and Katsuki's characters have always been gay.

Obsessed with someone

The other half of them

Everything they ever wished to be is what the other person is

They envied everything that they stood for

It was always in your face, we just chose to ignore it.

Not only that but Katsuki and Izuku have acted like a troubled married couple FROM THE START! Their relationship has always been about nuance and learning to be better. They have always acted like they were in a relationship, and that's why they're such a popular ship.

Horikoshi has enough of an audience that if shonen jump didn’t let him publish the two of them being gay, he would just do it without a publishing company. He’s got the money, fans, and the show. Plus, shonen jump would just lose money. It would be a lose lose situation.

They stood as the "male couple that ended up having more chemistry than the love interest" AND as the "they might be canon" couple.

Horikoshi was able to show that men can be intimate by not fighting homosociality.

#oh wow a finally well put together meta???? #who am i?? #yeah #thats righ #I learned how to use tumblr #I did it on a computer thats why lmao #bkdk #bkdk soulmates #bakudeku #dkbk #ktdk #katsudeku #dekubaku #mha katsuki #mha todoroki #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #class 1a #midoriya izuku #my hero acedamia #bnha ochaco uraraka #bnha bakugo katsuki #togachako #togachako brainrot #togaocha #bnha toga #toga himiko #mha toga #toga x ochako

[kravisaweeb]

okay ive just been thinking about bkdk wayy too much recently (when am i not, though, honestly?) and i just Have to dump my thoughts somewhere. these are my own personal opinions and if you don't agree 100% (or at all) that's perfectly fine!

it's kinda Long and Rambly so beware lmao

so ive been reading more bkdk meta (of course) and like, i have so many conflicting feelings cause. y'all, no amount of evidence and logic and reasoning and thematic and narrative parallels and development and arc conclusions and build-up and Everything will make a weekly shonen jump main title gay. that's My opinion as a terribly bitter cynic, and it is in no way meant to rain on other people's parades (if you think they will be canon, you are more optimistic than i and are making the world a sweeter place). I've just been burnt too many times, i don't really expect anything from mainstream media At All—only indie content gets my unfiltered hype and hopes—and whenever things do shake up differently from what i thought, it's a nice surprise! cause the alternative is, This Mountain of Evidence and Development... and then oops get hit with the straightification beam on the last second.

"but it would be so unsatisfying! and completely out of nowhere! and just plain out of character! and ignore so much development! and it wouldn't make any sense at all with what has been established in the story!" Yeah. i know! im as angry and annoyed and disappointed about it as anyone. and yet, so many fucking times, that's how it goes. it would be terrible, and weird, and completely against everything that's been set up, and yet it would happen anyway. this is true even for things that are not shipping-related—ask game of thrones how it ended. cause executives are Executives everywhere, including the "west", which is """"supposedly"""" more liberal (lol, lmao). people with money that make all the decisions force creatives to comply, or fight with tooth and nail and blood and sweat and tears into allowing them to make the story they DO want to make. so it's really hard for me to see it in any other light, when i have seen it happen so many times before.

and yet.

And Yet. i cant help but think, but wonder—what is it all for then, anyway??

i can honestly say, taking off my shipping goggles for a moment, bkdks platonic relationship has ended. it really ended two years ago, culminating when bkg took a bullet for him, and then was cemented when he apologised, you know, to trample down any doubts. there we go, narrative concluded! from rival to best friend. all loose threads tied in terms of their relationship. if that's how it had ended, how it had stagnated, remained in stasis, with this New Dynamic the new canon going into the final battle then show over. yeah. typical shonen bestie stuff. it would have ended and i would have gone "oh they were in LOVE fr" forever, but knowing that people who were like "this is what besties are like! this is what siblings are like!" also had as much of a claim to their interpretation as mine (even if i didn't personally agree w it lmao)

BUT IT DIDN'T STOP THERE and i have to ask why???? WHY is it more central i Don't Get It. i dont understand? i really dont get it cause.... why? bkg is important to deku, yes. other people are also important to deku (all might, his mom, his other friends, civilians, any lost pet he has to kill himself over cause he is a Good Caring Shonen Protag). that has been established for forever. so i don't rly understand the necessity to further highlight that One part of his personality (caring about kacchan) to motivate him into fighting the Big Bad Villain, when 1. he would've fought the villain anyway cause that's what heroes do, and 2. it could have been a generic "you hurt my friends!!" and like lump in more people there, like in the first war arc where several people got hurt (aizawa, gran torino, etc).

but No! you hurt that guy. that guy, that while he was dying, the villain, textually, explicitly says, "i am hurting you because it will make deku angry and sad, since you are his most important person" (that's almost a fucking quote im basically QUOTING here). and it's like, what? lmao wait. what?? why???

what is it building up towards?? i dont get it. it's not going to build up to the apology/their relationship being mended (what we thought would be the climax of the whole thing), cause that already happened. there's no "oh my god if kacchan dies he'll never get to say sorry!" stakes, or "oh my god if deku fails he'll never be able to be friends with kacchan again!" stakes, cause like, that already did happen though. i mean i know obviously in real life, you do things for people just for their sake, not because of what it will mean for your narrative arc. but this is a made up story and thus needs storytelling reasons for shit to happen. so what is the reason for deku needing to be pushed, needing to be backed into a corner, over kacchan dying? why did bakugo have to die (had to get FRIDGED, it's a trope and everything), if not so that his death would fuel dekus rage (which we were told explicitly was the reason why)? why, out of everyone on the battlefield, out of everyone in the CAST, did it have to be bakugo, the one to make deku Lose It?

i mean we know why, but still. what? is it really, textually, canonically That?

i just don't get it. and secretly, deep deep inside, i really hope we get to find out soon

#bkdk #dkbk #bkdk meta #idk how to tag this lol #it's just me rambling!! cause i have so many FEELINGS