Tumgik
#moral ambiguity
fairystar111 · 23 days
Text
The Heirs of Yesterday
By: fairystar111
Rating: Gen
Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia
Summary:
The worlds come to be a dark place. So why shouldn't Shouto regain the childhood he lost? And why shouldn't he stay with his brother through it all?
Characters: Dabi | Touya Todoroki, Shouto Todoroki.
CW/Tags: Kidnapping, Emotional Manipulation, Infantilism, Toxic Codependency, Moral Ambiguity, Yandere, Yandere Dabi, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Stockholm Syndrome, Big Brother Dabi, Manipulative Dabi, Minor DabixHawks.
If Touya was being completely honest, he absolutely despised his youngest brother in the beginning. When he first saw Shouto’s distinctive red and white split hair he knew that this boy was going to replace him in their fathers eyes. Shouto would be the Todoroki family prodigy while he would be the defective runt. Touya hated the toddlers adorable little face and his sweet little smile and how no matter how much he pushed him away Shouto still found a way to worm himself into his heart. When Shouto turned four his quirk came in and he began his training with their father. All Touya’s hate for him died when he walked in on their father beating his baby brother in the name of “hero training”. Touya had originally hated Shouto because he had thought that Shouto would be treated as something precious and would be loved as his fathers masterpiece unlike how he treated the rest of them. It wasn't until he walked into Shouto’s training that he realized that even if Shouto was a perfect prodigy and exactly what his father wanted he was still being treated just as badly as the rejects like him.
Touya tried to get Enji to stop training Shouto by offering himself instead but nothing he said would ever change their father’s mind. He even tried to report their father to the police and multiple heroes but was ridiculed. They said he was lying and looking for attention because there was a new baby in the house. When their mother had her breakdown and burnt Shouto’s face, Touya decided that no one was ever going to help them. He was going to have to be the one to take down their father before he ended up killing his siblings. He lured his father to Seketo Peak and ambushed him with the intent to kill; his father held nothing back when fighting his eldest that day. Touya was left for dead by his father with third degree burns covering fifty percent of his body.
The only reason he survived was because he was found by one of All for One’s lackeys and taken to his doctor. He's pretty sure he's technically more noumu than human now but whatever at least he’s still alive. During his rehabilitation with Dr.Giraki he met a pale haired boy with bright red eyes named Tomura. Tomura had told him that he was just like him too; he had an abusive father until his sensei came to save him. Tomura invited him to stay with him and his caretaker Kurogiri. It took him a while to realize that Tomura and his sensei were villains and what they did was not exactly legal.
Touya was conflicted while he had begun to grow fond of Tomura as a little brother, he sort of reminded him of Natsuo. He was raised to be a hero and heroes can't be friends with villains . When confronted, Tomura explained how heroes only cause pain for the people around them. He told him how his grandmother had been a hero and abandoned her child making him into an abuser. It left Touya thinking, the heroes in his life had only ever caused him pain and suffering while these villains were the nicest people he's ever had to care for him. He asked if he could join them and if they could help him take down Endeavour but Tomura said his sensei had been grievously injured recently and they were not strong enough to tear down an entire society just yet. So they spent the next years training and recruiting strong but loyal members to their league under the watchful eyes of their sensei. By the time Shouto is entering UA they should be able to launch the war on heroes starting with taking down the top ten. He hopes his baby brother won't be too mad at him for leaving him behind all those years ago but he's coming for him now whether he likes it or not. His family belonged to him; they were his to love, his to control, his to own.
Shoto awoke groggily to the feeling of an unfamiliar plush bed. Why am I on a bed? The base doesn’t have any of those he thought. He glanced around the room and found it to be decorated in a very childish way. The room he was in looked like it was meant for a small child. There was a canopy hanging over his bed and rails surrounding the bed, plushies everywhere, the walls were painted a soft powder blue, and he was even wearing a fluffy penguin onesie. Hmm this is a little strange, this room sort of looks like a nursery, Shoto thought. Endeavor would rather die than have his masterpiece be caught dead in something like this. So where is he?
Then it all came rushing back to him, the league had infiltrated their base and come for him and his friends. Touya wasn't dead anymore and now Endeavor was. Touya had come to take Shoto away like he had always promised he would. Shoto was conflicted, Touya his big brother and protector was finally back, but he's not just Touya-nii anymore he's also the villain Dabi. He’s supposed to be a hero; he can't just ignore all Dabi’s crimes just because he wants his big brother back. He has to stay strong, heroes can’t love villains and Touya-nii is gone.There is still a whole society out there that needs fixing and he’ll have to be there to help pick up the pieces.
Shoutos head shot up when he heard the door start to open slowly as if someone was trying not to wake him. He carefully lowered himself off the bed and into a crouch ready to attack when he tripped on a chain connecting him to the railing. The door slammed open when Dabi heard the loud crash.
“Shouto are you alright? You shouldn't be out of bed without me.” Dabi scolded, picking up the boy and placing him back on the bed.
“...” Shouto glared at his brother in defiance, refusing to talk back. The brother he remembered is gone now all that’s left is this villain.
“Listen Shou I understand your anger you're probably thinking why did I have to uproot your life once you were finally doing okay but I had to. I wanted to come for you sooner I really did but dad basically murdered me back when I tried to take him down as a kid. It took a long time for me to gain my strength back and find enough powerful allies to be able to take you back.” Dabi said, ruffling Shouto’s hair.
“I wanted to take you out of that home as soon as possible more than anything but I was too weak. I'm sorry Shouto, I never wanted to hurt you but this had to be done for the good of everyone. Hero society was a toxic breeding ground for abuse and corruption. It needed to be brought down one way or another. I was never going to let you become a hero and be abused for the rest of your short life before you get killed off and forgotten.” Dabi said, angry just thinking about some pathetic villain laying hands on his baby brother.
“I am a hero and when I leave this place I'll fix what you have done to society.” Shoto responded startled when he was grabbed harshly and pulled onto his brother's lap.
“You're not leaving me again. Now that I finally have you back I am never letting you go.” Touya growled, cutting Shouto off before he could speak.
“And I know damn well you're not being a hero. I didn't spend all this time fighting for you just for you to get yourself killed living out a dream you don’t really want. Think about it Shouto did you ever truly want to become a hero by your own volition or were you groomed to be one since birth. If you weren't praised by everyone around you for having such a heroic quirk would you still want to be one?” The villain growled out.
“I've always wanted to become a hero,” Shouto mumbled, eyes focused on his lap. At least that's what he had always thought. If he couldn't be a hero what could he do? It's not like he can waste his quirk on a regular job. Being a hero has just always been what he’s supposed to do. His mother went through hell to give him his quirk; he had to use it to become a hero or she went through all of that abuse for nothing.
“No Shouto you've been groomed to believe being a hero is the only thing that will bring meaning to your life but it's not. Don't you want to live a life free of danger and the pressure of heroics? A life where you can finally act your age and just be a kid. Don't you want to live with your big brother Shouto? I sacrificed so much just for you, can't you make your Touya-nii happy?” Dabi asked, watching his little brother's eyes well up with tears. He almost has him right where he wants him. Shouto just needs a little push in the right direction and then he'll be all his.
“I-i cant. I-i don't know what to-… Please dont make me-” Shouto sobbed as crystalline tears flooded his face. He didn't know what he wanted, he just wanted peace. He didn't want to be constantly attacked by villains. He didn't want to fear for his safety everyday. He didn't want to go up against an army. And he sure as hell didn't want to rebuild an entire society but what is he supposed to do? How can he even start to fix this mess? Did he even want to? All he could do was sob into the arms of his brother turned villain.
“Shh shh It's okay Shou. I think you don't know what you want and that's okay because that's what your big brother is here for. As long as I'm here you won't have to worry about a thing you can leave it all to me.” Dabi cooed, gently wiping the tears off Shouto’s face. Shouto said nothing as he buried his head into the crook of the villain's neck.
“Come on Shouto it's alright you don't have to cry everything is going to be fine. Just give up all control to your big brother and you won't ever have to worry about a thing.” Touya whispered into the boy's ear while running his hands through the soft red and white hair.
“P-please no I don’t w-want to be a villain.” Shouto sobbed. He just wanted his brother. He just wanted to be safe and happy for once in his life.
“Oh firefly, you could never be a villain. You could never have what it takes to be one.” Touya cooed, gently grasping the boy’s chin and forcing him to look him in the eye.
“I don’t want to fight anymore Touya-nii. I c-can't fight you.” Shouto stuttered out through his sobs.
“And you won't have to not now not ever again if you give up your hero fantasy. I’m the only person who really cares about you Shouto. The heroes don't care if you want to fight or not, they just want a mindless soldier. I just want to make you happy.” Touya purred, he could see his baby brother’s resolve crumbling.
“What can I even do if I'm not a hero? I'm useless.” Shoto sniffled. 
“Don't say that firefly you could never be useless to me, maybe to the heroes but not to me. And you don't have to do anything really as long as I'm here I'll always take care of you Shouto. No fending for yourself, no more long sleepless nights, no more fighting for your life. As long as I'm here to take care of you unlike those heroes you like so much.” Touya said, watching Shouto’s eyes twinkle when he was called by his childhood nickname. The villain could tell it was getting harder for Shouto to differentiate the villain Dabi from his big brother Touya. Soon he will be falling right into his arms and he will never let go.
“So firefly, will you give up being a hero for your big brother? No one else will ever take care of you and love you the way I do.” The villain purred.
“Okay,” Shouto whispered. Maybe this is the best option for me, he thought. No one has ever cared about what he wanted except Touya.
“What was that?” Dabi asked with a smirk wanting to hear the exact words come out of his little brother's mouth.
“Yes Touya-nii I give up. Please take care of me.” Shouto said, looking up at him with pleading teary eyes. He could feel a small part of him finally letting go. He knows he's never been the most morally righteous person in the world but he never thought he would be siding with villains when Japan needed heroes most. But a little bitter voice in the back of his head always knew this was coming. Why should he have to give up his life to save everyone when no one ever bothered to save him when he was getting beaten black and blue by his father his entire childhood.
“Good boy,” Touya said, grinning so hard the gaps between his staples showed. He knows Shouto will still need some minor attitude and behavioral adjustments but he wants to stay with Touya willingly and that's way better than how the others are doing with their kids.
“There will be a probationary period before you can walk around freely. Just a couple of weeks at most. I want you to be on your best behavior and prove to me you really meant what you said. I don't want to punish you for lying to me, Shouto.” Touya lectured in a stern tone. He didn't think his brother was lying but he just wanted to make sure.
“I would never lie to Touya-nii” Shouto said in a scandalized tone, his eyebrows furrowed as if lying to his big brother was a strictly forbidden act that can never be done. Touya snorted; it seems that his baby brother hasn't changed all that much since he left. He doesn't know if it's the lack of socialization at a young age or all the abuse he endured but Shouto is pretty stunted for his age. Sometimes he’ll say something or do something only a small child could think of, not a teenager.
“That's good Shou but I just want to make sure. I don't know what they've been teaching you at that hero school of yours but if it's anything like what Keigo went through, there was probably some infiltration and undercover training.” Dabi seriously doubted Shouto could pull something like that off though. No offense to his little brother but from what he remembers he has seriously got to be the worst liar in Japan. 
“Okay nii-chan. Does this hurt?” Shouto murmured distractedly, his little fingers lightly tracing the villain's facial scars occasionally poking the shiny staples in wonder and concern.
“No firefly it doesn't hurt. Not anymore, the doctor fixed me up after my ‘accident’ and Tomura gave me a fire resistance quirk. You don't have to worry about me. The scars and staples are more aesthetic and to scare people off more than anything harmful.” The scarred man replied.
“You're not scary,” Shouto said with a confused look on his face, squealing when his brother dug his fingers into his tummy.
“Only you would think that Shou.” Dabi snorted fondly, tickling his little brother mercilessly.
“Stop, stop. Wait, I have a question!” Shouto cried out through peals of laughter.
“Okay, okay” Dabi said as his fingers slowed to a stop leaving him with a flushed breathless baby brother in his lap.
“What was so important you had to stop our fun?” Touya asked.
“Shigaraki Tomura, the leader of the League of Villains, gave you a new quirk? That's very kind of him, is he nice?” Shouto asked in a confused tone.
“Yeah he’s a real softy on the inside but don’t tell him I told you that. You can meet him some other time. He is pretty busy wrangling your green haired friend right now.” Dabi whispered with a smirk. He can share embarrassing stories about his and Tomura’s youth later on once Shouto gets to know him better.
“Oh-” Shouto uttered sullenly. He had forgotten about his classmates. What will they think of him when they find out he betrayed them? Will they hate him because he doesn't want to be a hero anymore? Shouto could feel himself start to tremble as his eyes filled with tears. He didn't want his friends to hate him. He doesn't know what to do. He needs help. He needs his big brother.
“What's wrong firefly? I thought we were getting along. What's with the waterworks?” Touya cooed, placing a kiss on his brother’s forehead, smiling when he felt Shouto lean into his touch.
“My friends, I don't know if they'll be okay. I know you love me and will take care of me but you're my brother it's different. What if the others are mean? What if my friends get hurt? I don't want them to be sad, I don't want them to hate me.” Shouto sobbed in his brother's chest, feeling his brother's hold on him tightening.
“Calm down, your friends are going to be just fine. I know you must think we all must be horrible villains and maybe we are to everyone else. But with each other the league is family and we take care of our own. And starting today your friends are also part of the family, they won't be hurt any more than a timeout or some other kiddy punishments.” Dabi said, rubbing soothing circles into his little brother's back.
“Are you sure?” Shouto sniffled, wiping his runny nose childishly on the sleeve of his onesie.
“Yeah Shou trust me Kurogiri and Compress are like strict dads to all of us, Shigaraki, Spinner, Magne, Twice, Toga, were all like siblings. We would never hurt each other and we could never hurt you. You all belong to us now, we'll take good care of you.” Dabi cooed gently, rubbing the tears away from Shouto’s puffy eyes.
“ I trust you Touya-nii. Will I be able to see them again?” Shouto asked.
“Yeah, after your probationary period you can have a playdate with some of your friends. It all depends on your and their behavior. If they're not behaving correctly you won't be able to see them for a while bud.” Dabi said resting his head on his little brother.
“Oh okay” Shouto pouted sadly, knowing that Midoriya and the others were not going to submit to a stranger’s will so easily. He probably won't be able to see his friends for months.
“Don’t pout at me. I'm sure you can play with Sako’s kid soon after you finish. He's pretty sassy just like Compress but I'm sure you'll get along. He wasn't in your class but you two will have to play nice. He's going to be your cousin now.” Dabi chided.
“He wasn't in my class? Who is it?” The boy asked.
“His name was Monoma Nieto though he goes by Sako Nieto now.” Dabi responded.
“Oh I don't like him.” Shouto pouted, anyone else would have been better than Monoma.
“Come on, Shou don’t be like that. He follows Compress around like a little duckling. I'm sure he's not that bad. You don’t like the old him but he's been here for a while now and Sako has straightened him out. He's a sweet kid mostly…He hasn't had company his age besides Toga in a while and she's mostly in and out of the house with her dad. Come on firefly can't you at least try to play nice with him for me?” Touya pleaded with his little brother.
“Okay I’ll try,”Shouto responded, the pouty expression still stuck on his face.
Three Weeks later
Shouto’s probation is finally over and if he’s being honest he'd rather it not be over. He’s been having fun spending every day with his Touya-nii. He doesn't really want to meet everyone else, especially not Monoma or Sako now I guess. They all seem nice from what his brother has told him but he’s still nervous to meet everyone.
“Firefly are you ready?” Touya called, knocking on the door.
“Shou?” Dabi called and received no answer.
“I'm coming in.” Touya opened the door to find no one in the room.
“Shou? Firefly? Where are you? Please come out now?” Touya yelled momentarily panicking. There's no way his brother escaped right? Shouto could not have been playing the long con right?
“Himura Shouto if you don’t come out by the count of three you're going to be punished.” Touya snarled. He is three seconds away from putting the entire mansion on lockdown.
“One”
“Two”
“Thr-” Dabi was cut off by a whine.
“Nooo” Shouto whined, the sound coming from underneath his bed.
“Shouto what are you doing down there? You almost gave me a heart attack.” The villain asked crouching down relieved to see two little feet sticking out from under the bed.
“I don't want to meet them…too nervous,” Shouto finally spoke.
“Come on Shou they're aren't going to bite, they're all pretty excited to see you again. They're nice and remember all the stories I told you about. They all have been waiting to meet you. We cleared this day off specifically for you to meet everyone.” Touya cooed trying to coax his baby brother out of his hiding spot.
“Do I have to meet Monoma? I can meet everyone else but not him. He’s going to be mean to me.” Shouto whined.
“How about this you can meet the league first and then Nieto separately later.”  Touya negotiated.
“Fine,” Shouto answered reluctantly, wriggling out from under the bed.
“Jeez firefly you haven’t even started getting ready yet, your hair is a mess. Hurry up, lift up your arms, they've been waiting on us for a while.” Dabi said, dressing him in a pair of powder blue corduroy overalls and a creme top.
“Well I was going to hide for the whole day so I didn't bother.” Shouto said with a shrug as his brother helped him snap the overalls in place and brushed his hair.
“Okay let's go.” Dabi said, grabbing his little brother's hand and leading him out of the room.
This was Shouto’s first time out of his room. It seems their living space is quite big. Their floor is a pretty wide space with a large living room, kitchen, elevator and a lot of other rooms he saw on their way out. This place must be a pretty big mansion if just him and Touya-nii have an entire floor to themselves, the boy thought. The elevator was taking them down to one of the common areas where the league shares the place. Apparently they all have their own floors. As the elevator went lower Shouto could feel butterflies in his tummy, his grip tightened on his brother's hand as the doors opened.
Shouto darted behind his brother as they walked out of the elevator. He peeked behind his brother's arm to see the league in a lounge area hanging out and happily chatting amongst themselves. He quickly ducked behind his brother's back when their eyes shot up to them.
“Come on Shou, will you introduce yourself for me?” Dabi asked. He felt Shouto slowly shuffle in front of him and placed his arms around him in a hug.
“Hi…my name is Himura Shouto. It's nice to meet you.” Shouto spoke quietly before he turned around and pushed his head onto his brother's stomach. He didn’t notice all the eyes of the league softening, staring at him with adoration and fondness.
“Aww that was sooo cute! You have such an adorable little brother Dabi!” Toga squealed, twirling a knife around in her hands.
“Come on Shou let sit down” Dabi sat down on one of the couches next to Hawks and pulled Shouto onto his lap.
“Hi Shouto! Do you remember me? It's been a long time since we've seen each other,” Hawks spoke gently, trying not to spook the kid. He did kinda help murder his dad on live television. He just wanted to make a good impression on his mate's little brother.
“Hi Hawks.” Was all Shouto responded not feeling up to talking too much.
“You can call me Keigo. I don't go by Hawks anymore.” The bird said cheerfully.
“Ok.” Hawks looked up at Dabi, perplexed as to why Shouto was not speaking. Wondering if it was something purposely against him or if he was that way with everyone.
“He woke up pretty shy this morning. You guys can talk to him all you want but I'm not sure you're gonna get much of an answer.” Dabi explained before his pretty bird worked himself in a panic over what Shouto thought of him. He hasn’t introduced Keigo to Shouto yet but he was sure they’ll get along.
“Well this is quite different from the show stopping Todoroki Shouto we saw in the UA sports festival.” Mr.Compress put into words what everyone else was thinking.
“Yeah, his demeanor is so much cuter than before. He’s so much weaker now” Twice blurted out.
“Ignore the second voice, the first one is what he really means.” Touya murmured into Shouto’s hair, feeling him nod in response.
“Well I think this Shouto is the cutest. I wish Ochako was acting like this already. Why did Dabi have to get the perfect little sibling?” Toga whined.
“How is Uraraka?” Shouto asked curious about his friend's new homelife.
“She's good! She lives with me and dad now!” Toga giggled pointing at Twice.
“Twice is your father? The quirks would make sense in a way. Are you his secret love child by any-?” Shouto is cut off by his brother's hand covering his mouth.
“Shouto! We do not ask questions like that!” Dabi scolded though he was laughing on the inside at the shock on Jin’s face.
“Why?” Shouto asked, genuinely confused as to why that would be rude.
Laughter exploded around them as Dabi tried to explain that asking people if they were created by accident and kept a secret is rude to Shouto. Even Kurogiri was cracking a smile by the end of it.
“Man Dabi, your brother sure is a riot” Spinner said, the lizard man still chuckling.
“He’s not trying to be,'' Dabi said with a small smile. All the laughing had helped Shouto relax a little bit; he didn't feel as stiff in his lap as he did before.
“Okay that's enough of that I want to hold him too.” Magne said, making grabby hands at Dabi. Dabi looked down at his brother who just shrugged in response. He was handed off to Magne who carried him with ease.
“Hi sweetie I'm your Aunt Magne. I'll be taking care of you whenever your brother is out on business.” Mange cooed as she placed him on her lap. She had always wanted kids but the time never felt right. This will do for the time being.
“We get to be Aunts? I want to be Auntie Toga!” Toga squealed, loving that she is not the youngest anymore with all these new kids around.
“Wow I've never had an aunt before,” Shouto said, eyes filled with wonder.
“Really? How come honey?” Magne made the mistake of asking not seeing Dabi shaking his head and making an x with his arms.
“My father did not have any siblings and my mother was sold to my father by her family so we never saw her family again.” Shouto said nonchalantly as if he was talking about what he wanted to eat for lunch.
“Oh sugar, I'm so sorry.” Mangne replied, hugging the boy.
“It's okay, Keigo and Touya-nii killed my father so everything is good now.” Shouto replied; Hawks made a choking sound while Dabi chuckled at how uncomfortable Shouto was making everyone.
“Dabi, do you believe young Shouto here is ready to begin his studies again?” Kurogiri asked, trying to change the subject.
“Yeah he should be able to start soon. He isn't a flight risk anymore so he can go.” Touya replied.
“I have to go to school again? I don't want to meet new people” Shouto pouted. He didn't want to go to a public school where people would expect him to be a hero for them because they saw him in the sports festival.
“We would never make you interact with the public. We had a small learning institute built in the mansion for you children. Currently the only member is Nieto. Once the others are all fully conditioned you will all be able to complete your studies together again.” Kurogiri explained to the pouting child.
“Oh I don’t know if that's better or worse.” Shouto said.
“What seems to be the problem, little one?” Compress asked.
“My friends are very stubborn so I'm going to be stuck with Monoma for a long time. I don’t like him, he is very mean.” Shouto murmured not wanting to offend Monoma’s father.
“Shouto I already explained he better behaved now it won't be the same as when you were in UA.” Dabi said gently.
“Indeed Shouto. My little magician is quite the sweet boy with me but… I know how he is so I will be there to supervise his behavior on your playdate later today. I can assure you if he is mean to you in any way he will be punished swiftly.” Sako said sternly.
“Hmm okay.” Shouto said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He could get revenge for all the times Monoma terrorized his class.
“Anyways, how are the rest of your kids doing? I've only heard about Nieto so far.” Dabi asked. They've all been so busy with getting their kids settled in they've hardly had any real time to sit down and talk to each other.
“Izuku was acting like a brat so he's in isolation right now.” Shigaraki muttered sadly, missing the misbehaving brat he calls little brother.
“Ochako is still a bit too feisty for my liking but at least she is letting us take care of her now. She's a little brat. She was so underweight when we first got her but she’s doing better now. She's still too skinny!”Jin said.
“Yeah she's so cute when she stuffs her chubby cheeks full of the sweets we get her! I want her to call me Himi-nii but she won't say it yet. Honesty Dabi, how did you get Shouto to call you such a cute name?” Toga whined.
“Can’t help you there. Shouto is just the best, no training required.” Dabi said smugly, grinning at all the annoyed and envious looks sent his way.
“Fumikage is doing pretty well since both our quirks are avian in nature. I can use his bird biology against him to imprint on me. It's actually pretty cute since he’s never had an older avian in his life so he doesn't really understand that he's acting like a newborn hatchling. He'll be ready to play with Shouto soon.” Hawk spoke excitedly, trying to change the subject before someone attacks his lover for his bragging.
“How's he handling the quirk suppressors?” Dabi asked genuinely curious since it seems Shouto has forgotten about his collar or doesn’t seem to mind it.
“That's the only thing that's been rough on Fumi since his quirk is sentient and he's had it since he was a toddler. He keeps asking for his brother and saying he’s lonely. And I want to take the collar off, I really do but Dark Shadow is an extremely strong quirk that will do anything to protect its user so he probably won't be getting it back for a long time. How’s Shouto taking not having his quirk?” Keigo asked, hoping little Shou isn’t having as much trouble as his Fumi is.
“Honestly I don’t even think he remembers that I took it away. He hasn't tried using it as far as I know and doesn't seem to care that he can't.” The villain explained glancing over to his brother playing a game with Toga on her phone.
“Lucky you Izuku wouldn't stop trying to use his quirk to attack me the whole time I visited him.” Shigaraki snarked, secretly a little jealous of Dabi. Not that he would ever admit it but he really wished Izuku would act a bit more like Shouto. When he spoke, the little Himura’s head snapped up to look at him. He could see him hesitating before he nodded and began crawling over people’s laps. Shigaraki had assumed he was trying to get back to his brother but Shouto stopped at his lap and sat down.
“Um, what are you doing?” Tomura asked awkwardly, wrapping his arms around Dabi’s little brother so he wouldn't fall.
“How is Midoriya? He must be having a hard time without All Might.” Shouto asked.
“He’s been a brat but that is what I expected so… Why would he have a hard time without All Might?” Tomura asks, confused. Did Shouto know about One for All? He didn’t think Izuku had told anyone about the origins of his quirk.
“Because he's All Might’s secret love child.” Shouto said casually.
“WHAT!” Shigaraki shrieked.
“Shou we just talked about this.” Dabi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“All might is NOT his father! All for One is!” Tomura exclaimed, wondering if Shouto was dropped on his head as a baby. Knowing his and Dabi’s history… maybe.
“Who’s that?” Shouto asked with a confused pout on his face.
“Ask your brother later. Anyways, what was so important that you needed to come sit on me?” Shigaraki's dry voice scratched out.
“Oh I want to thank you for helping Touya-nii when he was hurt and for giving him a new quirk so he won't burn himself. Thank you for saving big brother.” Shouto said quietly.
“Oh it was nothi-” Shigaraki started but was shocked silent by Shouto hugging him. Tomura’s cheeks flushed pink as he was thanked so sincerely by the kid. He had never had anyone react so kindly to his actions.
“Y-your w-welcome.” Tomura stuttered as he watched Shouto scooch back over to his brother.
“Wow that was bold of you Shouto.” Dabi smirked looking over to their leader looking very flustered.
“Yes, I saw on the Tv that the best way to thank someone is to give hugs.” Shouto said with a very serious expression on his face, as if he didn't get the information from a kids show.
“Can we leave now? There are too many people. I want to go home” The boy whispered into Dabi’s ear. He didn’t mind the league, they were actually kind of fun but he wanted to go back to his room now. He hasn't been around this many different people in a while. It was tiring for him.
“Okay the kid is sick of all of you, we’re leaving. Come on Compress, Shouto wants to go on his play date with your brat.” Dabi grunted smirking at the disgruntled faces of the rest of the league members. He knew they all liked Shouto but they could spend more time with him later.
Shouto almost choked when he heard about the playdate. He was having so much fun talking to his new family he had forgotten he was supposed to meet Monoma after! Is it too late to say he wants to stay longer?
“Come on Shou say bye.” Dabi cooed as he picked Shouto up and placed him on his hip.
“Bye bye, you all were nice to talk to.” Shouto mumbled, sticking his hand out to do a little wave before he put his head back into the crook of Dabi’s neck. He missed all the longing and adoring looks that were being thrown his way as they left. The league was absolutely smitten for the boy.
As they rode the elevator to Sako’s floor Shouto’s stomach dropped. He felt like there were one hundred butterflies playing tag in there. This is going to be the first time he’s going to see someone from UA since his brother came to get him. He can't help but think it's going to go very poorly. Class 1B never really got along with his class and Monoma especially hated 1A a lot.
When the doors opened they walked into an extremely extravagantly decorated home. It was very different from his brother's more traditionally decorated home. They were seated on a flamboyant red sofa while Compress went to get Monoma from his room. His heart hammered in his chest as he heard two sets of footsteps leading to the living room.
“No way… This is my surprise, the Todoroki Shouto. Ahahaha of course a member of the inferior class 1A would be kidnapped by villains!” The blond laughed, looking at the boy from class 1A dressed so childishly and in the lap of a villain.
“You're here too stupid.” Shouto muttered, averting his eyes.
“Well only because I was caught helping your stupid class escape. If you inferior 1A students hadn’t needed so much help, I wouldn't be here right now! But no you useless heroes couldn’t even-” Momona screamed all his anger from the past months coming to the surface and boiling over.
“Nieto. I would stop talking right now if I were you unless you want to be punished in front of little Shouto here.” Sako scolded, satisfied with seeing Monoma’s face pale.
“Why don’t you two head to Nieto’s room to play.” Compress added, hoping to ease the tension between the two boys.
Shouto could feel Monoma’s death glare on him as they walked to his bedroom. He wishes he had just stayed in his room.
“When did you even get here?” Monoma asks, cutting through the thick silence.
“Um, I'm not sure. I think it's been a couple weeks, maybe a month ago.” Shouto replied.
“You're still fairly new then. I suppose you have an escape plan already?” The boy asked with a scrutinizing glare.
“No, why would I?” Shouto answered, confused. He hasn't thought about leaving his brother since his first day home. And even then it was a more reluctant thought that he really didn't even want to do.
“Because you're a hero that was kidnapped by villains! Of course you should be planning to escape!” Nieto exclaimed. He knows he’s not the poster boy for typical heroes but before he gave up being a hero even he had tried to escape a couple of times.
“I'm not a hero anymore and I wasn’t kidnapped. My brother just came to pick me up like he had always promised me. As for escaping, why would I do that? I like it here.” Shouto answered honestly.
“Are you really that pathetic? Your morals didn't even last a month before you gave up! You were supposed to be one of the most promising heroes of our generation. What is wrong with you?!” The blond boy screamed outraged with Shouto’s behavior.
“Well I never wanted to be a hero! Everyone around me just expected me to. If hero society hadn’t crumbled, yes I would still be one. But only because I could never get away with not being one. Everyone would always look at me as the son of Endeavor and powerful quirk and wonder when I was going to become a hero, not if I wanted to be one at all. Now that it's gone and the only option for people who want to be heroes is to rebuild an entire society. I would rather not fight my own family for some stupid dream I didn't even want to begin with.” Shouto yelled back.
“So you were blessed with a perfectly heroic quirk and the number two hero as your father and you’d give it all up like it meant nothing.” Monoma yelled.
“Shut up! You know nothing about me or my life and what I went through.” Shouto growled.
“Oh please like a perfect little rich boy like you ever went through hardship.” Monoma scoffed.
“I was created from a quirk marriage for one purpose and that was to create the perfect hero that would beat All Might like my father never could. My father bought my mother and forced her to have three children before I was born. My oldest brother had a defective quirk not suited for his body and my two other siblings had weak quirks so they were neglected. Before I was born my eldest brother was trained by my father until his skin would burn from the inside out. His body was made to handle ice but he had a fire quirk. When I turned four my quirk came in and I was abused everyday in the name of training. Do you think it's a blessing to beat a four year old until they vomit everyday? Later my eldest brother tried to stop my father and was almost killed. The stress eventually made my mother go insane and she gave me the scar on my face. The ‘training’ went on for years until I got into UA and then my brother saved me.” Shouto explained with big tears running down his face.
“Do you want my quirk since you think it such a waste not being used for heroics. Because I can ask Shigaraki and he can give it to you because I don’t care anymore. You can take it and go try to be a hero because I won’t. I didn't even want the stupid thing in the first place!” Shouto cried out, staring at the sick looking blonde.
“Hey, what's going on in here?!” Dabi yelled as he and Compress rushed into the room to see Shouto sobbing and Monoma looking pale.
“Papa I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to make him cry! I'm sorry.” Monoma apologized with teary eyes turning to hug his father.
“Its okay Neito, can you tell me what happened?” Sako asked only to receive no response but a head shake and eyes looking anywhere but him.
“How about you Shouto, can you tell me what Nieto did to upset you?” Compress asked, looking over to the sniffling boy being held by Dabi.
“He said that I was pathetic for not trying to escape and that I was wasting my quirk not being a hero.” Shouto said, pointing at the blond in question, happy to get him in trouble and finally get a taste of his own medicine.
“Neito, is that true?” Sako asked. The boy just nodded looking down at his socked feet.
“Well seems like this play date is over. We can try again once you retrain him.” Dabi said ready to take Shouto and walk out of there.
“Yes it would seem it is. You two can let yourselves out. I've got a brat to punish.” Compress said as he closed the door to Monoma’s room.
The ride back to their floor was silent beside the sound of Shouto’s sniffles.
“Well that went well…” Touya said sarcastically, as the doors opened to their floor.
“I told you this would happen Touya-nii. He hates me.” Shouto cried. He doesn’t really care if Monoma likes him or not. But his reaction to him scared Shouto. What if his actual friends react the same way.
“Shouto he doesn’t hate you he is just having a hard time adjusting to his new life and needs some re-education. You’ll see eventually all the other kids will be like you too. Some just take a bit longer to train.” Touya explained gently, trying not to make Shouto break out into tears again.
“Okay Touya-nii,” Shouto replied sullenly. Even if it takes them a while eventually all his friends will be with him again. 
Five months later
In the following months his brother sorted out a routine for them. Most days Dabi would be there to wake him up, play with him a bit and give him a bath and dress him before taking him to school but when he was away on league business Magne and Keigo usually filled in and were suitable caretakers. Shouto started his schooling with Monoma soon after their fight and they have settled into quite a rocky relationship of playing/learning together and having fun but also hating each other and trying to find ways to get the other in trouble. They were frenemies… for now just until Shouto can get his real friends back.
He’s allowed to roam the mansion within reason now and allowed to visit whoever his heart desires. He usually likes to visit Toga, Kiego, and Tomura the most. The girl would act like his big sister and never hesitated to spoil Shouto and give him something fun to do. While Tomura showed him how to play video games and was always happy to play with him. Shouto liked him; he never got mad at shouto when he made them lose or got frustrated when Shouto couldn’t understand the mechanics of a game, he also regularly liked to spoil Shouto with new games and consoles much to Dabi’s ire.
Hawks would take him on mini flights around the mansion and tickle him half to death with his feathers. The man would regularly spend his free time with them on their floor. Keigo was always happy to entertain him playing hide and seek with him or tag. Shouto really likes Keigo and Keigo really likes his big brother too so that makes him one of Shouto’s favorite people. He doesn't like when they send him away while both of them are home though. He doesn’t know what they're doing and why he can't be there with them but whenever he asks anyone in the league they just give him amused looks and tell him he’ll understand when he’s older. But knowing how Dabi is that day may never come, many of the league thought.
The others also really liked Shouto’s presence and would regularly seek him out to spoil and cuddle. Twice was really funny and always made Shouto laugh. The man was really sweet despite the contradictions he would blurt out. Jin was what Shouto thought a good father should be like. Sometimes when he saw the way the man interacted with Toga it made his heart ache. He wishes he could have had a kind father like Jin when he was younger.
Magne was a kind and motherly figure in their home. She was one who he seeked out when he was longing for his mother. When his heart ached and he wanted nothing more than to see his mom. She would brush away his tears and comfort him until he felt better. She wasn't his mama but it helped and he appreciated her a lot. For now he just had to wait until the rest of his family was found and relocated. He really wanted to see his Mom and his other siblings.
Spinner was fun too. He taught him how to be a super secret ninja and how to use swords. Until his big brother found out and after that visits with Spinner had to be supervised to make sure he didn't give more swords to the baby. Shouto pouted for an entire week when his lessons were taken away but the restrictions were never lifted.
Mr.Compress was nice and showed him his magic tricks and would play with him too. But Shouto rarely goes up to him for that because Monoma always gets a jealous pout on his face and will be mad at him for days. Which he understands he doesn't like sharing his brother either. One time Monoma asked Dabi to carry him to his room just to make Shouto mad. And his brother did it?! He couldn’t carry both of them at the same time so Shouto had to trail behind them with Monoma giving him smug looks the entire time. That was the only time Shouto wished he had his quirk so he could fight the other boy properly. And fight they did, the next day Shouto waited until no one was looking and tackled Monoma pulling his hair and biting him while the other boy flailed, slapping him wherever he could reach. They were eventually separated by Kurogiri and sent off to their parents to be punished. Neither boy could sit very well at dinner that night after the spankings they received.
Kurogiri was a strict but kind man. He didn't hesitate to swat them when they were acting bratty but he also loved making them sweet desserts and cute bento boxes for lunch. The man said they both reminded him of his days taking care of Tomura and Touya. Much to the younger villains ire insisting that they had never been as bratty or as cute as Nieto and Shouto are. Kurgiri disagreed stating that they most certainly were a pair of cute brats making the duo blush.
One day Tomura stopped Dabi out of the blue to ask how Shouto’s behavior has been recently.
“He’s been good, why?” Dabi answered, confused. 
“Because Izuku has been behaving really well and making a lot of progress recently and has been begging to see the little peppermint for a while now. I thought I could give him a little reward to help him settle in.” Tomura explained.
“He’s been good enough for a playdate? That’s new, but yeah when do you want them to have to meet?” Dabi said surprised that the stubborn green brat was actually doing well.
“I promised Izuku today. If you're not busy.” Tomura winced, hoping they weren't busy; he would hate to disappoint his little brother.
“That's fine I'll go get Shouto ready then. We can meet at the play area in the garden in half an hour.” The scarred man said, already walking away.
“Okay. See you in a bit.” Tomura replied.
Dabi rode the elevator up thinking of how excited Shouto was going to be to see his friend. When he got to their floor he went straight to Shouto’s room and opened the door. Privacy is a concept Shouto has never understood so he doesn't bother knocking.
“Hey Firefly I got some good news,” Dabi said, walking in to see Shouto on his bed playing a game on his switch.
“What is it nii-chan?” Shouto asked, pausing his game looking at his brother with big round eyes and a cute little smile.
“Tomura says Izuku’s made a lot of progress recently and he wants to reward him with a playdate with you today.” Touya said watching his little brother's eyes light up.
“Really!!” Shouto gasped, bouncing a little in excitement. He's been waiting so long to see his friends. He’s so happy they're starting to like it here too.
“Yeah firefly. Come here let's get you dressed then we can go meet them in the garden.” Touya replied while picking out an outfit for Shouto to wear.
“Okay nii-chan!” Shouto answered, lifting his arms up to be undressed. He thought his big brother changing him and giving him baths was a little strange at first but if it makes Touya-nii happy he doesn’t mind. His brother thinks he had grew up too overly independent so he often did things like spoon feeding him and carrying him around to try to break him out of his old bad habits. Now that he has Touya-nii back, he's not supposed to be independent ever again.
“So what are you going to do with your friend?” Dabi asked as he changed Shouto into a fluffy light brown hooded sweater with bear ears and matching brown pants with a bear’s face on the butt. Again Shouto thought the clothes were a little bit childish but if it made his brother happy then he doesn’t care. 
“I’m going to tell him all about my new school and my new game Tomura got me and the lessons spinner taught me and what Monoma and I do so at school and-” Shouto babbled on about all the things he was going to tell Midoriya while his brother watched him fondly responding with the appropriate hmms and ahhs. Touya hasn’t seen Shouto act so excitable since before his quirk came in, it was good to see it coming back. His baby brother has been through a hard life. He deserves to be a happy kid for once.
Once he was finished putting on Shouto’s brown fuzzy boots Dabi picked the boy up, placing him on his hip and headed to the elevator. On their way down Shouto continues to babble to his big brother about anything and everything that has happened in the past six months that he was going to tell Izuku about. The closer they got to the garden the more Shouto would wiggle happily wanting to get there faster. Dabi held him tighter as they walked into the garden towards the play area.
“Shouto!” Izuku yelled, still holding onto Tomura’s hand. This was his one and only chance he and Shouto had to escape and make a plan to come get the others once they find some outside help. Maybe they can find a way to bring heroes in from other countries to help.
“Izuku! Can I go down please?” Shouto called back happily before asking to be put down. 
“Of course,” Dabi said watching the boy start to run toward Izuku the second his feet touched the ground.
“I missed you.” Shouto murmured as he pulled Izuku into a hug.
“Yeah I missed you too,” Izuku said, tearing up. Tomura and Dabi watched fondly off to the side, letting the boys have a moment to themselves.
“Let's go play,” Shouto said, pointing towards the massive playground in the garden.
“Um okay, let me ask Tomu-nii first?” Izuku answered confused as to why Shouto was asking to play with him. Maybe he wants to hide in the structure so they can plan their escape without prying eyes watching them, Izuku thought walking back towards the adults.
 “Nii-chan can I go play on slides with Shou-chan please?” Izuku asked with pleading puppy dog eyes towards Tomura.
“Sure, just stay where we can see you.” Tomura replied.
“Thank you nii-chan!” Izuku yelled hugging Tomura quickly before running back to Shouto. Not noticing Shouto watching him and Tomura with a happy smile.
“Let's go!” Midoriya yelled, taking Shouto’s hand in his and ran toward the play structure.
“Let's go on the slide first,” Shouto said, already climbing the ladder.
“Um okay,” Izuku answered, following his friend up the ladder.
“Um Shouto,” Izuku tried to talk to the boy but he was already sliding down. Izuku reluctantly followed him down.
“Let's go again.” Shouto giggled racing back to the top of the slide before Izuku could catch up to him.
“Shouto wait-” Izuku tried but his friend was already going down the slide again. Maybe he was just trying to make them look less suspicious, Izuku thought. He decided to wait on the platform near the slide for Shouto to come back up.
“Izuku, why aren't you playing? Do you not like the slide?” Shouto asked, confused. Maybe Midorya had never been on one and he didn't like it. Shouto had also never been on a playground before he came here. But he found the experience fun; it was kinda like a little obstacle course.
“No it's not that I thought maybe we should talk first. Since we haven't seen each other in so long.” Izuku explained trying to get Shouto to stop playing. Shouto is acting a lot different from how he remembered him. He’s acting a lot more childishly and happy than ever before and while that should be a good thing he doesn’t know if it is necessarily by choice or if he was being brainwashed.
“So what have you been doing since you got kidnapped?” Izuku asked, startled by the look of displeasure Shouto sent him.
“I don’t know why you guys keep saying that. I wasn’t kidnapped, Touya-nii just came to pick me up like he always promised he would. A big brother taking back his little brother is not kidnapping.” Shouto answered with an irritated pout.
“S-sure... so what have you been doing?” Izuku stuttered, feeling like ice was being dripped directly into his veins. There's no way he is being serious right?
“Oh yeah I was just about to tell you at first I was only with Touya-nii and I couldn't leave my room and then I was good and I got to meet everyone and they let me walk around now. You don’t have to worry about the league, they are all very nice. Tomura plays games with me and Toga plays with me and Spinner teached me how to be a ninja, and Twice is really funny-” Shouto babbled on not noticing the boy in front of him no longer paying attention.
Izuku felt like he had been stabbed in the chest. From what he heard it sounds like Shouto has had access to roam around freely for a long time now. So why hasn't he tried to escape?! Maybe he's been waiting for help?
“So Shouto, have you tried to escape yet?” Izuku asked gently, trying not to anger the boy in front of him again.
“Um no.” Shouto answered confused. Mononma had asked him the same question when they first met too. 
“It's okay, I'll help you now. I need you to help me break my collar and then I'll break yours and we'll make a run for it towards the nearest exit.” Izuku said urgently.
“W-wait, you want to leave now? B-but you and Tomura looked like you were getting along so well.” Shouto stuttered, feeling his heart break. He had thought his friend was happy to be here too but he just wanted to betray Tomu-chan.
“I know it's sudden but this is our only chance. We'll come back to rescue everyone else once we can get some help from other heroes. And don’t worry about Tomura, he thinks I'm happy being his dumb little brother. He won't notice a thing until it’s too late.” Izuku said with a smirk.
“You've been lying this whole time?” Shouto questioned feeling angry for Tomu-chan. Tomura was so nice to him he didn’t deserve Izuku acting this way towards him.
“Well yeah it's not like anyone can actually like it here.” Izuku scoffed, not understanding why Shouto was acting this way. They needed to hurry up and get out of here he thought. When suddenly Shouto bolted down the steps toward the edge of the yard. Izuku, thinking Shouto hadn't heard the plan correctly, ran after him.
“Wait! We were supposed to break the collars first!” Izuku whisper-shouted. Well he can pretend they are playing tag. It wasn’t until he heard Shouto scream for his brother that he noticed that they were actually running toward their kidnappers instead of away. Izuku stopped dead in his tracks but it was too late.
“Touya-nii” Shouto screamed, while tears ran down his face. Tomura and Dabi exchanged looks of concern.
“What wrong firefly?” Dabi said, picking up his little brother. Not again he groaned internally. What’s with all these little brats and making Shouto cry?
“Izuku said he wanted to escape and that he was going to take me with him. He said he was lying to Tomu-chan the whole time so he could get a playdate to escape.” Shouto stuttered out through his sobs.
“Shouto what are you doing?! You're supposed to be a hero! We need to get out of here.” Izuku screamed in rage. His only chance at escape had just been destroyed by Shouto. 
“I don’t want to be a hero! I just want to stay with Touya!” Shouto yelled back. They're screaming match was interrupted by an angry Tomura.
“Izuku” Shigaraki growled as he stalked toward his little brother. He can’t believe the brat has been lying to him for months. Oh he is going to be punished severely.
“Wait Tenko-nii he’s lying. I promise I wasn’t trying to-” The boy tried to lie.
“Save it Izuku. Shouto has a much better track record when it comes to lying than you do.” Tomura snarled.
“I-” Izuku couldn’t come up with any excuse so he just ran as fast as he could trying to get away. 
Tomura just pressed a button on his phone and Izuku could feel a needle puncture his neck. Soon he was falling on his back looking up at Tomura Dabi and Shouto staring down at him as his vision started to fade.
“Shouto how could you…” was the last thing Izuku said as the world went black .
“Touya-nii I want to go home” Shouto whined into his brother's neck. The exhaustion of Izuku’s betrayal started to weigh on him.
“All right firefly, anything for you” Touya purred with a deranged smirk on his face. He was thoroughly satisfied with how today’s playdate had gone. While Tomura grimaces carrying his reckless brat back already thinking of all the ways he’ll punish him for his misdeed. 
What neither boy had known was that today had been a test for both of them. Their collars have hidden microphones built into them. Touya and Tomura had been listening the entire time… 
Start/Previous/Next
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soullessjack · 5 months
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this is going to sound very millennial of me (in my defense Im an 04 baby) but high key I am so glad supernatural never took off into the mainstream TikTok media analysis discourse circles or whatever you wanna call it because the sheer lack of of media literacy people on that app have, even for literal children’s media, is actually astonishing and I know damn well that the crowd that couldn’t handle princess bubblegum or cozy glow or fucking steven universe would all be aghast at supernatural. there’s some genuinely awful abhorrent grow-in-dark fungi species of takes here but TikTok? TikTok Supernatural discourse would have been a cesspool of corpses I think
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destinygoldenstar · 1 year
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This is an excellent video review on the themes of the show and has a far better explanation of it than I could ever.
This is what I think the fans I've seen of the show forget sometimes. 
This isn't built like a traditional cartoon. 
This isn't made for there to be a hero to route for and a villain to stop. 
There is no easy out. 
There is no happy ending. 
There is no justice. 
There is no right thing to do. (I mean, other than quit the game) 
You are not gonna have characters blatantly exploit growth or even say it aloud, unless it's a confessional. You are not gonna have moral lessons at the end of every episode. 
 Especially in the show's environment. 
It's a reality show hosted by a sociopath obsessed with their image. These people have to adjust to the system of playing a game, or face walking off an island (or jump out of a plane, depending on the season) kissing their dreams goodbye. 
All these teens wanted was recognition in a fame hungry world, and the harshness of the setting was just the tip of the iceberg on how brutal and psychologically torturing fame is. 
 It's not just the game aspect. It's the mentality of it all. 
These kids have to play a part they've been given, or suffer the consequences, or heck, you could play your role perfectly and the producers will abandon you anyway just because you're not 'popular enough' or 'better ratings'. 
 The 'villains' of the show, if you really think about it, are only villains because the show frames them that way and only shows their bad moments. And they're given the label because they have certain strategies to commit to the game. 
Or they're Courtney and they tick off the producers with lawsuits. 
More often than most other cartoons aimed at kids, you'll have characters rewarded for doing bad things, and you'll have good hearted characters punished for no good reason. 
 Heather lies, schemes, and manipulates people's relationships for her own selfish gain, and she's rewarded with immunity and a higher spot in the competition. 
Courtney, in season three, threatens to murder someone and constantly tries to make their life miserable, and she's rewarded with the satisfaction of being the one to kick them out of the game. (You know what I'm talking about, those who've seen World Tour) 
Duncan bullies Harold, manipulates the friends and loves of his life, treats them horribly, and constantly breaks the rules meant to protect people just because he feels like it, and he's COMPLETELY rewarded in season two, AND gets two relationships that last for about a year. 
In fact, I don't think his bad consequences catch up to him until the end of his time on the show, which is arguably deserved. 
Owen is a good hearted soul who just wants to be friends with people, and he's punished with hospitality, a forced mole role by the producers, and harassment and abandonment from the people he wanted to be friends with in the first place. 
Gwen is trying to be the best she can and stick to herself and stay in her comfort zone, and she's punished with deception, manipulation, broken friendships, broken relationships, all of which blame HER and no one else involved, bullying, being outcasted by her peers, a villain archetype the show slaps on her, and the entire IN UNIVERSE fandom of the show HATE HER GUTS. 
Honestly, Gwen is probably the biggest social punching bag of the entire show and it makes me sad to watch :( . 
That's not bad writing. That's how the world works, and that's the brutal truth. 
 In terms of 'character derailment', that is in multiple comments here, while I do agree with some characters like Leshawna and Trent, others I think act differently from Season One because of the show's torture on them twisting their morality. 
They're all victims, at the end of the day, and turn into messed up immoral people. 
The first three seasons of the show, in my eyes, is a commentary of what fame and TV can do to people, especially targeting the young crowd who consume the media. 
The show itself is how we even got Sierra (and that's not a compliment). 
We are not meant to watch these characters get justice, we are meant to watch them suffer and get screwed up in the head. The show makes you want to AVOID fame and be disgusted by the idea of risking your life for money and constantly being on camera. 
Yes we have characters we route for in the show, yes we have characters we want to see out, and yes the game aspect is fun, but that's what the show feeds off of. Our expectation that there is a scripted sense of justice and happiness to those who deserve it. 
But because these are real people and not heroes or villains, that becomes a grey are and becomes drama for the lot of us who have different POVS, like with shipping, or elimination orders, or other stuff. 
 This is also why I can't get into the seasons after season three, and why I only really talk about the first three seasons. 
(Ridonculous Race is a good show, but it also carries what I say here) 
The seasons completely miss that point and forget about this, ripping this moral ambiguity out in favor of safe kids content that has a sense of right or wrong and justice. 
 Because I guess they thought moral ambiguity was too complex for a kid to understand or was too harsh for them? 
Or because half of the fandom didn't like certain risky and controversial plotlines in seasons 2 and 3? 
I don't know. 
From there, Post World Tour of Total Drama doesn't become a commentary of reality competition and a study on it's psychological torture, it just becomes a reality competition in cartoon form with zany stereotypes and crass humor. 
They play everything completely straight and take no risks. 
In All Stars, they pretty much bail out of every plotline World Tour had, most likely in an attempt to make no one mad! (It didn't work) 
There is little substance to be had in the later seasons, and whatever good plotlines there are, are also plotlines you could find in any other cartoon.
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agentrouka-blog · 2 years
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Can you make me a scale of most grey to least grey POV characters? And can you sprinkle funny commentary throughout?
This has spent a few weeks pushed behind the stacks in my Inbox by other asks, but much to my consternation it was not eaten by moths or mice, and once again I am faced with this ask that you deliberately chose to send to me, even though I am such a nice person.
The Rouka remembers. 
Tumblr media
Okay, fine, let's have a look . How long can it possibly take?
*counting the POVs*
*disapproval intensifies*
(I will make you pay for this.)
Okay. Fine. From DARK to LIGHT:
31) Varamyr - Like if Tyrion was a warg, but without the desire to be liked and doing “nice” things for that reason. Everything is an opportunity to feed his hungry, angry ego - warging, rape, murder, theft. In-built punishment: nothing is ever enough, because he secretly hates himself for being “lump”, and he always will. Get out of One-Eye and die already.
30) Cersei Lannister - Will refrain from murdering children if it’s the impractical thing to do. Is not viscerally delighted to witness or engage in graphic torture. Less of a hypocrite than certain other villains. She’s not pretending to be good. 100% Cersei time all the time, no apologies. Not that it will make you feel better when you’re down in Qyburn’s laboratory of doom. Evil but entertaining!
29) Tyrion Lannister - Like if Theon’s potential for complexity was utterly drowned out by self-pity. He’ll murder people and then whinge about how bad it makes him feel to have done that. And then do worse. He’ll instigate the devastation of an entire region over a personal grudge. I want to watch his soul be scorched while he watches, I want his monumental ego to convulse in agony while he realizes that the reason he is not loved is his own damn self. But he is occasionally friendly to people like Podrick, and will do “good” things if it flatters his ego, so I’ll rank him higher than Cersei. 
28) Daenerys Targaryen - the ego that obliterated the solar system. Like if Victarion was a young girl with dragons. Less rock, more lava. Programmed to Targ. Essentially incapable of escaping her fate because she was raised to consider herself the pinacle of humankind, and all morality is relative to her needs. Will kill a child. Will kill a slave. Will kill slavers for killing children. Very capable of sadistic pleasure. Vaguely more prone to contemplating ethical questions, and then ignoring the result when it’s unpleasant. Body count unusually high for someone her size. Hypocrite. Hypocrite. Hypocrite. 
27) Melisandre - Infected with an unfortunate case of “the end justifies the means”, coupled with an even worse case of Sunk Cost Fallacy when it comes to the whole Azor Ahai business. That special religious fanaticism flavor of “Burning you alive in complete agony is actually good for you! You’re welcome!” Will kill a child with completely neutral feelings on the subject. But her intentions are good! Not that this will comfort you while you feel your toes roasting on the pyre.
26) Victarion Greyjoy -  Exists on a level of stupidity so profound that it doesn’t even contain moral considerations. Many rocks are grey, but his rock is unfortunately programmed to ironborn, so all that rape and murder makes him a dark grey basalt.
25) Chett - Like if Tyrion was low-born and his disability was “ugliness”. He kind of wanted to be liked, but he chose to be a vengefully grim self-pity machine instead. Mean to animals, too! I don’t fault him for conspiring against Mormont, only for doing it in a really selfish way. RIP, and stop kicking those dogs! 
24) Aeron Greyjoy - what happens when your cultural programming makes it impossible for you to not be horrible, but you tried to have a redemption arc, so you went from being a violent raider to being a religious fanatic instead. He’s not evil, not even totally devoid of compassion. Just perfectly at peace with cruelty when it’s for the “correct” reasons. You reap what you don’t sow.
23) Theon Greyjoy - Oh my god, you trainwreck. You are what Tyrion wishes he was. Someone I can love in spite of his horrific trauma-driven choices. And they were horrific. Rape and murder and the enabling of both. And his good actions are still mostly rooted in ego. His love is real but it was so easily overpowered by his anger. Come on, squid boy, work on that self-reflection now that you have your name back. I will cheer for your atonement path should you choose to accept it. For now, you’re a tragedy that has stopped digging and taken the first step up toward the light.
22) Merrett Frey - Oh for the love of french fries, just shut up you pathetic little man. I would have more pity if you’d been a decent father, but you couldn’t even do that. Live by sneaky ambush, die by sneaky ambush. Wenda sends her regards: RIP with that branding on your butt. 
21) Jaime Lannister - So grey he can’t even see his own edges. Few qualms about engaging in villainy or trying to kill children on any given day, but restrains himself because he is touchy about his reputation. Not generally sadistic. Will save a maiden if it flatters his own self-image that day. Abstractly fascinated with the idea of being “good” in a way that promises a potential net positive effect of his existence, all things considered.
20) Asha Greyjoy - Special “Least dark Greyjoy” trophy! Love my girl Asha, but she is still ironborn and likes a good raiding and killing. Capable of taking on a broader perspective, though, and the only Greyjoy who considers her mother in her thoughts. Has a subtle but fascinating growth arc that promises good things in terms of forging a path away from a predatory lifestyle to a more cooperative one for what remains of her whole people. Keep on trucking, pirate lady.
19) Kevan Lannister - Special “One of the least toxic Lannisters!” trophy. Cute because he actually loves his wife and their children. But looses points for weaponizing misogyny against his horrific niece instead of taking vengeance in an honorable way. Also he’s still a Lannister and a Tywin stan, so. RIP, enjoy that stabbing, Kevan.
18) Jon Connington - Not a horrid person, but clearly too egocentric to take a step back and reconsider his taste in men, and whether the failure to win a siege through cruelty was truly a failure at all. Eh. But kudos for protecting Aegon. A loyal guy if nothing else. So far. 
17) Arys Oakheart - So pathetic he doesn’t even qualify as a baddy. No spine to speak of, feels really bad about beating a child on command, utterly incapable of standing up for himself, either in the face of moral pressure or in the face of temptation. Self-pity champion. Mediocrity, thy name is Arys. RIP, you made room for Ser Robert The Strong, who will be more entertaining than you.
16) Davos Seaworth - a smart, compassionate man rendered horribly pathetic by his blind loyalty to Stannis. Sure, he’ll smuggle out a bastard boy to save his life, sure, he’ll disapprove of burning people alive. But he still supports the quest for kingship of the guy who would have killed Edric and who does authorize burning people alive. Cognitive dissonance subtracts 50 points. Also a deeply mediocre father and husband. Meh.
15) Bran Stark - A sweet, loving boy, who is using a horrible coping mechanism to deal with a traumatic loss (and then some) and is running out of the “just a child” excuse. Rated darker than Arya because he knows that his innocent friend Hodor is terrified, and he’s still forcing himself on him, making excuses that he knows are weak because he wouldn’t dare voice them to someone out loud. Bran. No. NO. Bad boy. He’ll do better and save the world, though. 
14) Arya Stark - Promising preoccupation with justice that has - for now - been disturbingly derailed into enjoying vengeful vigilantism. Quick to lash out (verbally and violently) instead of taking ONE DAMN MINUTE to consider if her “opponent” maybe has more complex reasons for their actions than to Make Arya’s Life Harder. She is just as determined and stubborn for good things, though, like rescuing various people, or showing mercy to even the undeserving. Ultimately, a baby that needs to be held and cuddled so she’ll calm down. 
13) Arianne Martell - A political player, kind and clever but with a dangerous taste in friends and exes. Unfortunate capability of holding on to silent grudges forEVER and never trying to clear the air. Few qualms about using people to achieve her ends, including children, but also unusually capable of self-reflecting and honest regret. Genuinely wants to do well. The only way is up and up and up, future queen of Dorne.
12) Barristan Selmy - Kind of a nice guy, but in a deeply pathetic “just following orders” way he doesn’t want to admit to himself. Great at realizing he was wrong about someone after it no longer matters, and then rushing in to be blindly loyal at the next tyrant. Good with kids, though, and a joy to have in class.
11) Eddard Stark - TALK, DAMN YOU, YOU SOFT-HEARTED COWARD. Talk to your wife, talk to your nephew, talk to your daughter. FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE. They all love and admire you so much, you have nothing to lose, damn you! Oh, and while you’re at it, keeping hostages is a bad BAD idea. A good guy who will stand up to power, but who will unfortunately often take the easy way out when he has the power to do it. RIP, quiet wolf.
10) Jon Snow - Brave sweetheart with a dark side. His wobbly sense of self-worth leads to self-isolating, and sacrificing himself and others for the big picture. Questionable taste in childhood heroes. Imprinted on Ned’s “No talking” issues. Can snap into blind rage when the wrong button is pushed. A petty drunk. Has shown himself very capable of growth, though, and feels a profound sense of responsibility for the greater good. Soft for children, grim to abusers, will stand up to bullies, fluffy romantic. Will enjoy beheading you if you give him a legal excuse to do it. Kind to animals! Foreshadowed dark turn: Would you bed your sister? Jon? Answer the question! Jon! 
9) Pate - Not evil, but high on the self-pity and wounded ego, which makes him confused about what “love” is. He thinks it’s buying a girl from her mother, like a goat. Pate, my boy, did you consider asking Rosey if she even wants to tour the countryside on donkeyback with you? Did you ever consider that her mother has no interest in selling her to you for your stolen dragon? RIP, dumbass.
8) Catelyn Stark - One of the few consistent advocates for 1) women, 2) peace, 3) Eddard Stark’s cuddly torso. Follows social norms to a fault, which enables the stupid men and boys in her life to keep being stupid, and puts pressure on the non-conforming child. When she snaps, it’s for love. When she lashes out, it’s because she is basically incoherent from grief or has a bad case of raised from the dead. Made Tyrion look stupid, which is an ethical achievement. RIP, Lady Stark, daughter of Riverrun.
7) Sansa Stark - Will absolutely wish you dead and call you ugly and stupid if you wrong her, but be horrified if you actually die. Kind to people 95% of the time. Enjoys the snark, but mostly toward those who deserve it. At the moment far too comfortable with outsourcing her life choices to Horrific People due to self-doubt causing brain-freeze. Take some responsibility and be the change you want to see in the world, little one. The first step is the hardest. Foreshadowed dark turn: How would you like to marry your cousin? What if you didn’t yet know he’s your cousin? What then? 
6) Will - Just a dude in the Night’s Watch, doing his ranger duty and witnessing a horrid supernatural murder before being horridly supernaturally murdered. No moral failings to be detected. RIP, little poacher man.
5) Maester Cressen - Sweet to children, will self-sacrifice to stop a fire-mad sorceress, closes his eyes to the culpability of those he loves. RIP, old man. You tried with that Stubborn Stanny.
4) Samwell Tarly - Will canonically not even hurt a mouse and tries to reason with wights, but has one surprisingly violent outburst at a singer and finds manipulating elections to be a surprisingly intuitive task. A much better grasp of right and wrong than Jon Snow when measured by the scale of Gilly. Also an absolute sweetheart. Can’t wait to see GRRM torture him with real moral ambiguity in the future. <3
3) Quentyn Martell - He just wanted to make his father proud. He did nothing bad, and the one ambiguous thing he tried instantly roasted him. :( RIP, little dreamer. You will be missed.
2) Areo Hotah - He guards and he watches. No pretense at moral fortitude, but no known transgressions, either. Patient with Doran, fond of the Martell clan. Not many chinks in that armor. 
1) Brienne of Tarth - Wear shades or the bright white of her soul will blind you. The purest and bestest. Better than you, better than your fave, better than anyone else you could name, don’t even try.
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iamafanofcartoons · 2 years
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Huh? What what? Eruption Fang is a Jacques apologist?? I've seen many of his videos where he defends Whitley's character? (By many of his videos I literaly mean I only ever watched his 'Whitley is a victim too' videos because his thirst for certain characters and defensiveness towards Raven, Harriet and Cinder make me mad). But yeah! I guess I am confused by him defending Jacques, could you elaborate please?
Eruptionfang, or Cole as he's known on Twitter, is in love with the idea of emo male sociopaths who talk about moral grayness.
A sociopath has no morals...has no virtues...but they are portrayed in media as charismatic....and people are brainwashed on that trope.
Vergil from Devil May Cry, Vicious from Cowboy Bebop, and Adam Taurus.
All three are trenchcoated men wielding katanas who are emo and hurt other people, often innocent people, and betray others for their personal goals.
Everyone attempts to defend their actions, all 3 of them.
But we first see Adam raiding train, wanting to kill all the passengers...and we see Blake stopping him.
Every single Adam Apologist began accusing Blake of being a war criminal and just as bad as Adam ...simply for standing in his way.
What's more, these people Blame Blake for Adam's actions.
So Sexism and Homophobia is something you'll find a lot of on EruptionFang's discord server...if he has one. He is basically another Adel Aka or Hero Hei...I'm not touching his channel, but word is that he IS a defender of child molester Vic Micnogna, who was Qrow Branwen's first VA.
Now as for Cinder Fall? Basically she's trying to kill the female main protagonist...for Cole, that's enough to put her in his good book.
Raven Branwen? We first meet her after her tribe wiped out a village just to plunder it...Raven began talking about Social Darwinism...which RWBY Critics ascribe to, and EruptionFang was furious to find that Raven's tribe was not as strong as her, because it meant that Raven was using social darwinism as an excuse to do what she wanted.
I like that about RWBY....they cut open "gray morality" and show how it is just an excuse for bad people to do whatever they want...and the fact that women oppose these people upset a lot of men and women who hate the female protagonists and love the male authority-fascist villains.
He loves Harriet because she's basically "Good soldiers follow orders" and we see in The Clone Wars and RWBY how blindly following orders causes problems.
As for Jacques? Despite him slapping Weiss, Cole decided that it had to be Weiss' fault for the slap, and that anything Weiss said against him, from stealing the family legacy, to changing his name as a con-man? Was Weiss needing to be disciplined.
He was also furious at Jacques Death because he wanted Jacques to get a redemption.
You'll see that RWBY Critics HATE the idea of female characters like Ilia Amitola or Emerald Sustrai getting redemptions, but cis white male characters like Adam or Ironwood or Jacques not getting redemptions is apparently character assassination.
At the end of the day, RWBY has more good POC characters than bad...and more POC live to see another day.
Which is ironic considering that the villains that the RWBY Critics defend so passionately are all white men in positions of authority.
This love of fascism, the military industrial complex, unchecked power, and men being allowed to commit whatever atrocities as long as it can be called "tough decisions" or "morally gray" is what led me to have a disdain for RWBY Critics who claim to "care about the show and want it to be better"
No...they want the show to lionize their white male character over the women protagonists.
And when people claim to be "Fixing" RWBY? Their focus is on hurting female main characters by stripping away their characteristics and overfocusing on men...especially the bad ones.
Because between female main characters with optimism vs male authority figure antagonists?
A criticism channel will always choose the male.
And I pity them.
In the meantime, take these to use to block out EF's channel.
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Considering the amount of build-up that we had leading to DH, we all saw that Umbridge didn't need to be a Death Eater to be a terrible, vicious monster and that Peter didn't need to be a Slytherin to be a traitor. We saw the turmoil that Draco endured over serving Voldemort, we were told that Barty Crouch Sr. employed many of the same methods that the Death Eaters did while ostensibly being on the Light side, we were shown that the Ministry was corrupt, we were shown that Snape could actually be working for Dumbledore all along, and so on and so forth. So, one could think that there was an intentional moral ambiguity in the wizarding world, that perhaps we were invited to feel sympathy for some of the bad guys. Yet by the end of the series, a lot of it didn't go anywhere. Draco never had a definitive moment where he decisively switched over to Harry's side and deliberately cooperated with Harry and his friends, thus making amends for his past behavior. If anybody asks about his hesitation to name Harry or his unwillingness to commit murder, some fans will say that it's just because he's a coward. Harry and Peter never had the moment where Harry finally saw that his good deed in PoA paid off, because Peter was strangled by his silver hand before he could save Harry or do anything else that was possibly redemptive. Tom Riddle's background was similar to Harry's, but in the end, such similarities didn't matter. Not for the good reason, which would be that Harry had chosen to do the right thing while Tom had made bad decisions, therefore any of Harry's fears about becoming Tom would become unfounded. No, because Tom was apparently doomed to be a sociopath from birth, so it really didn't matter if he grew up in an orphanage, a palace, or in the suburbs. The most frustrating thing about it is that none of the 'bad' characters that JKR half-heartedly gave depth to ever do the right thing for selfless reasons. Draco? He's only worried about his family and about saving his own skin. Regulus? The Dark Lord hurt his house-elf. Severus? Voldemort was going to kill (and eventually did kill) Lily. Peter? He was a coward. None of them ever rebel against Voldemort because they realize that what he and the Death Eaters are doing is wrong, that the whole pureblood-supremacist, anti-Muggle mindset is *wrong* (or, if they do, we don't get to hear about it).
more top tier Harry Potter meta from AiKaterini
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theomnicode · 1 year
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How would you describe saitamas morality? I've seen him placed all over the moral "scale" when the topic comes up (though i cant say i understand the "lower" placements), so I'm interested in others thoughts on it
I'd say Saitama is a person with high morally good values and integrity.
Warning: long ass meta ahead about morality.
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One of the ways Saitama's morality and his values are illustrated is in the dream which Saitama has, directly after Beefcake basically killed thousands of people and he did not bat an eye, because he was losing his capacity to empathize with people. Then he squished his own brother and Saitama again, did not bat an eye. On the contrary, he found malicious humour in it instead.
This fact started to bother him when he realized what was happening to him.
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After he recalled the time when he started out as a hero and Beefcake incident, it subconsciously bothered him so much it manifested as dream where 70% of the population had died and someone he knew more closely had also died, because he had just been callous and feeling like he failed to act on his high sense of moral virtues and deserving some kind of punishment. Practically a Lucid dream based on his intuition alone that something was wrong. Not only that, but I believe it was his subconscious also showing him that even if he let go of his inhibitions and showed some actual emotions, his emotions would not steer him wrong towards his goal of being a protector, something he is afraid of.
And wouldn't you know, the first thing he did was punt the subterranean boss in the head. Then he went out and saved Genos.
This feeling of caring for people a lot and yet failing to act on his high moral virtues that he demands of himself once again rears it's head in the Saitama vs Garou fight where Saitama dumps his virtues in the trashbin, to not kill other humans by choosing to serious punch Garou.
The moral ambiguity moment comes from the fact that we do not actually know the outcome of the serious punch squared. We also have Blast as an example who's first priority was to get everyone else to safety, as a neat little counterpoint to Saitama's actions in the heat of the moment when he wasn't thinking clearly anymore.
Saitama acknowledges this wanting to punch Garou to smithereens as a moral failure on this part. Yet letting Garou just go around free is also not morally correct thing to do because he basically murdered people and would continue down that same path, so it is a moral dilemma for Saitama who has high sense of moral values.
It is further moral dilemma that he ends up destroying Jupiter and I.O when he tries to stop Garou though, one that he does not have a good justification for, because he was showing off with little care at that point. He was relying on his ability to show superiority to make him back down, but they did intentionally destroy the moon and Jupiter.
"For the greater good" is a slippery slope.
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But the facts that he can question whether or not he is morally right or wrong and is highly critical of himself, is what makes him truly a high moral person in the end. If one never questions themselves, their sense of right and wrong and remains rigid in their interpretation without considering the circumstances, then sense of morality can end up becoming very black and white. More rigidness can mean less empathy if morality is cut and dry.
Saitama is always trying to improve himself as a person too, this includes his sense of morality. So in this sense, his moral code may change and/or improve when new evidence emerges.
True morality is not bound by ethics either, because someone can violate ethics all the time while thinking they are morally correct in doing so.
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Saitama does not let societal rules, ethics, determine his sense of right and wrong. Ethics are a social construct that people often follow, such as law and culture and in this case, the ethics of killing monsters in world of OPM, but Saitama follows his moral compass without being bound by the expectations of the society he lives in and what is considered ethically acceptable and unacceptable.
Not to say he's ethical or unethical just because ethics and morals are different. Ethics and morality often go hand in hand, but distinction has to be made.
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So when it comes to moral values that Saitama has, they are very high moral values. He's far from flawless, but he's always trying to do the right thing based on his set of moral values.
One of the ways to evaluate the person's type of moral values and integrity is when they uphold said values even when nobody is looking or holding them back.
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Saitama has all the power to just get what he wants like punch the soda machine, even a little bit, just to get the soda he wanted, grab all the cash he wants when the car got wrecked and nobody would know. He would never have to be poor again. He has all the power in the world to do whatever he wants and infinite growth potential to boot and nobody would be able to oppose him.
But he won't. What he chooses to do instead is pick up litter and save a little kid held hostage. That would make him a morally good aligned person with high integrity.
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Saitama at his core, believes in the good of people and that everyone can change if given the chance to do so, like he himself always strives to change himself to be a better person.
Which is one of the reasons why when Saitama thought he had Garou figured out, that Godrou dealt Moral injury on him.
Among other kinds of mental injuries he suffered like high emotional damage. Saitama was already moderately to highly stressed from everything that had happened before that and was relying on his dominant cognitive function, introverted intuition, to get him through the Garou fight as a stress reaction.
It was a Full KO in that sense.
Moral injury is defined as harm that is done to an individual when their most deeply held beliefs and values are violated.
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Saitama could not believe that Garou could have done something as heinous as kill other people in cruel blood, just to taunt him and make him give his all because he instantly understood the motive behind it. That is the dark side of the personality type, capacity of understanding even if someone acts in completely heinous ways.
His willpower to maintain his self-control was already in shambles from the personal hell of MA arc, when he let Garou feel his negative emotions behind his carefully controlled mask. Saitama probably does not handle stress well at all.
(Which I've yet to make a meta about how well it's crafted to specifically destroy his willpower over maintaining his self-control)
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(In a more direct translation basically saying "You did this for this, right?" You got exactly the kind of reaction you wanted Garou, are you not entertained?)
Saitama believing in this human ability to change, to be morally good, is what he believes cost him everything, so to the trashbin it went and what makes it such a great moral ambiguous moment that it seemed that he would have destroyed the Earth on the same go. Because him lashing out was such a poorly planned out, impulsive act that he did not exactly think it through that Garou would also punch him back and it would endanger earth.
Chances are, it would not have if it was just his own punch, but what he let go is belief in himself to be a morally upstanding person. That it is pointless if he tries to be morally righteous and caring individual because ironically that got people killed and instead he was being callous when he tried to care more.
In this, it would seem that he then put all his remaining care in doing right by Garou, at least, to make sure that at least one person makes it out from this mess and believing in this one person to change back into the person they used to be.
And maybe trying to redeem himself at the same time, that he could be excused for his own lapse of control, if he held tight to this belief. Losing control is not worth it.
The quirk of this personality is that in right situations, they can logically justify anything.
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If he does not believe in that, his core value that humans can inherently change to be better, then he would lose his sense of self.
It was Genos' belief in him being able to be a hero, that allowed Saitama to still keep a grip on himself and his values. Because Saitama no longer truly believed in his own values that he had just thrown away, like his lack of belief in his heroism would mean his clothes would shred instantly, he needed the core as memento to remind him of those values. To remind him why he's a hero.
Maybe he could do one last thing correctly at least, while keeping himself in control over his emotions.
(Chances are he actually changed his mind about letting himself loose here, because he was reminded of his values. Huh.)
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This belief in humans ability to change, even if at first they seem to be merciless and understanding the motives when someone takes a more morally questionable action can be observed when Saitama for instance, chastises Genos weakly when Genos suddenly blasted away house of evolution without making sure that there wasn't any humans occupying the upper floors and Saitama is floored by Genos suddenly doing that.
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Genos never presented himself as irredeemably merciless, in Saitamas moral opinion though. What genos did was wrong because there could have been human casualties, but he understood the motive behind suddenly incinerating the entire house because they were also bad guys sending mutants to attack people and after them specifically. So they were the aggressors first and Genos and Saitama were defending themselves. Hero association had nothing bad to say about Genos code of conduct either and probably won't.
Genos wants to eliminate evil just as bad as Saitama wants to, but chances are, Saitama's only awakening sense of humanity like emotions and morals after the warning that he was losing himself entirely, allowed him to shrug off genos' blatant disregard for ethics and possible lost human lives there as casualities in his quest to exterminate evil, when it turned out that the baddies were probably hiding underground and no actual human lives were lost.
When Genos no longer disregards other human lives as potential casualties, including his own, Saitama commends him for it. His disciple has come around to understand Saitama's deeply entrenched moral code.
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On the moral scale? I would say Saitama ranks high on the moral scale, all things considered.
It took a loss of a very close loved one, the loss of everything he owns, being responsible for allowing someone go against his core values of murdering people, damaging the planet he lives on and highly stressfull situation in general and lowered amount of self-control, to make him re-evaluate his values and let go of his inhibitions.
It is a moral failure he has yet to own up to because he does not remember it, yet, though it was something that never ended up happening and he "redeemed" himself for it by traveling backwards with the help from Garou to deny the causality of his lack of action and action taken.
But even when he has literally nothing left and no reason to even exist, he ultimately, still tries to uphold the one last and most important moral value he has; not taking a life unless he has to.
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It is a thing that he already suffers from emotionally, because his morality regarding killing monsters does not line up with the ethics of the Hero association and them killing monsters, because some monsters used to be human. One of the reasons why being a hero did not line up with what he thought it would be; helping people and defeating evil and this will probably become more and more apparent.
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But the theme seems to be that he would strive to do the right thing. Within his capabilities and within his knowledge.
What he deems as morally right and wrong though, that may change if he gets more emotionally invested and his emotions and his full empathy makes a return and he may even make some morally questionable decisions based on feelings alone. For better...and for worse if he regards it as moral failure on his part to actually take care of and save every single person. To be an ideal hero.
No doubt he will get morally tested from time to time however and we'll see how sound his moral judgement remains.
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blueheartbookclub · 3 months
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"Resurrecting Prometheus: Mary Shelley's Haunting Masterpiece, Frankenstein"
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Mary W. Shelley's "Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus" stands as an immortal testament to the enduring power of gothic literature and its exploration of the human condition. In this haunting tale of scientific ambition gone awry, Shelley weaves a narrative that transcends time, challenging our notions of morality, creation, and the pursuit of knowledge.
Victor Frankenstein's reckless quest to defy the boundaries of life and death results in the birth of a creature both wretched and sublime. Shelley's evocative prose takes us on a journey through the icy landscapes of the Arctic and the darkest recesses of the human soul. The novel's layered narrative, framed within the letters of an ambitious explorer, adds depth to the overarching tragedy, creating a sense of impending doom.
As the creature grapples with his identity, rejected by society and his own creator, Shelley compels us to confront themes of isolation, prejudice, and the consequences of playing god. The moral ambiguity of Victor Frankenstein and the sympathetic portrayal of his creature blur the lines between good and evil, challenging readers to ponder the ethical implications of scientific innovation.
"Frankenstein" is more than a cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific hubris; it is a profound exploration of the consequences of unchecked ambition and the responsibility that comes with creation. Shelley's narrative mastery, coupled with her intellectual depth, makes this novel a timeless classic that continues to resonate with readers, inviting them to ponder the boundaries of human knowledge and the price of playing with the forces of life and death.
"Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus" by Mary W. Shelley is available in Amazon in paperback 12.99$ and hardcover 20.99$ editions.
Number of pages: 266
Language: English
Rating: 10/10                                           
Link of the book!
Review By: King's Cat
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semperardens-juli · 11 months
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"The cleverness of 'Les Liaisons dangeuress' lies in its moral ambiguity and the extent to which Laclos implicates the reader in society's treatment of women as pawns in games of ownership and sexual domination."
on The Epistolary Novel: Les Liaisons Dangeuress, Laclos from The Literature Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained, James Canton
leave a little kindness
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joncronshawauthor · 4 months
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The Enduring Influence of The Riyria Revelations on Fantasy
Ah, The Riyria Revelations—a series that tiptoes between traditional fantasy tropes and contemporary storytelling like a ballerina on a knife’s edge. It’s no secret that Michael J. Sullivan’s dynamic duo of Hadrian and Royce has garnered a dedicated fanbase. But let’s discuss the larger influence this series has had on modern fantasy, shall we? A Return to Simplicity: The Quest Narrative At a…
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mightymizora · 5 months
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You know it kills me that there isn’t really any love for Six Feet Under on this app (partly because you can’t tag it but even under SFU there’s little) because hoo boy tumblr folk I really think you would love that show.
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girl4music · 1 year
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So Wednesday Season 2 is confirmed and is happening. Great! I had no doubt it would be.
Do me a favour Netflix. Do not ruin my beautifully morally ambiguous female lead. You can do anything you want with her otherwise: just don’t change that!
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this-acuteneurosis · 2 years
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If you'd asked Ivy in the beginning, she would have talked about the importance of an earth bursting green, swallowed by an emerald sea.
If you asked her now, she'd smile and say she enjoys pruning. It bears better fruit.
(Harley's answer never changed, but then she's always had a soft spot for broken people.)
Or
What happens if @saltkettling makes me apply my “ladies doing infrastructure” fix it tendencies to Gotham, through the eyes of some very confused young men.
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jeweled-blue-eyes · 2 years
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Sorry to drop this on you with zero fanfare but I am so very delighted that you like Sansa and HELLO FELLOW JONSA SHIPPER
well hello there! *waves happily* Is it really that surprising? this ship ticks so many of my boxes it is practically tailor made for me.
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halechief · 1 year
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in case you guys forgot about claire playing beer pong in the white house residency
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thatheathen · 1 year
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You're not gonna want to hear this, but people are allowed to ghost you. Maybe they don't feel safe telling you to leave them be? Is it cruel? I guess. Does it even matter if ghosting friends/lovers/family is moral or not once it happens?
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