#but literally i am on dabi's side!! listening to him talk on the battlefield and on tv i am hearing nothing but the truth!!!!!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mettywiththenotes · 1 year

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The boys of course

But also Mera and Nagant for my own personal entertainment

!!!

First, The Boys

(disclaimer that I'm not thinking about canon so much as what I think about the duos)

Fix each other/make each other worse - okay listen. This is more dependent on my own idea of them more than canon, but the way I see it, it's like a balance

Tomura's case is what Izuku needs to truly be the Hero Who Saves Everybody (narratively, in Izuku's own arc). For him to understand villains/outcasts, those who do the worst of the worst and still want that help, etc. And Izuku obviously wants to save Tomura, he wants him to be safe. This would be the ways in which they "fix each other"

BUT THEN, you also have the fact that Izuku is a Hero, and Tomura has grown to hate Heroes to an incredible amount. On top of Tomura finding Izuku annoying, we also have the other side of that, where Izuku HATES what Tomura has done

To me it's a bit of a "you have good points but you also make the worst ones sometimes" kind of relationship. It's interesting! At least, in my eyes. I think there's a lot you can do with that kind of thing when writing them too

It's not exactly in canon explicitly I think but. it's something I've noticed

Fandom sleeps on them, YES. Can you believe that, throughout this entire story and the lead-up, only as this arc has started am I seeing people talk about these two? For all of their narrative complexes and similarities and foils, it's amazing (derogatory) that only around the mid-300's am I seeing people talk about them

Also like. the fact that we have season 6, where we literally have a Hero-Villain ending (Toga and Ocha, Dabi and Endeavor etc) with mostly Izuku and Tomura visuals, and yet still, people don't talk about it?? How great it is?? What??

There's probably more but. there's like so much there and it feels like the fandom should be talking about them more. So yeah I think they're slept on big-time

(Though, I am only on tumblr, so maybe people talk about them on twitter or reddit or whatever? but I don't see a lot of people talking about them on this site so, that's where my explanation is coming from. it's from my perspective of the fandom)

I don't really need to get into this a whole lot since I've already talked about it before but, villain and hero aesthetic? Bubbly round cute features and sharp scarred broader features? The contrast? Yes yes yes

BRING ON THE ANGST. I WON'T BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT BUT BRING IT ON ANYWAY

With comedic potential, there's just a lot I'm thinking of. The fact that they are both nerds. The fact that they both have ghosts inside their heads. The fact that Izuku has Tomura's grandma in his head. I mean, even in canon, these two have some pretty funny moments. Izuku looking Tomura in the eye despite being in a hostage situation and being like "the difference between you and Stain? he has a goal, he knows his purpose. unlike you" (I'm paraphrasing obviously but that's basically what he said). Tomura sneaking up and holding Izuku hostage JUST so he can vent to him. AND he thanks Izuku for the advice afterwards. That moment in War Arc where Tomura said "little brother" and they both just fucking looked at each other like "what the fuck was THAT? anyway-". Izuku trying to wrap Tomura up in Black Whip and then being hurled across the battlefield. Izuku wrapping Black Whip around Tomura and then hugging him from behind in an attempt to keep Tomura still. Tomura just chomping down on Izuku's arm. That one sketch Hori did with Izuku and Tomura dressed up as horror characters in a Totoro film set. The list goes on, they keep making me laugh

The vision... for all that I talk about them, they have only met 4 times in the story (USJ, Mall, War, 2nd War), 3 of those being battles while one of them was with the boys actually talking, and that talk just showed SO much potential as a pair they could have. I wanna see more scenes like that one. Izuku wants to save Tomura, Tomura wants to be saved, but it feels like there's so much left in their dynamic and relationship. We're almost there

Next, Mera and Nagant

From here on out, what I'm talking about is only in my head because they've never actually met or talked about each other in the canon story tho we live in hope

Better in fanfic - bro MY fanfic. I mean, I don't have a fanfic about them. Just the posts about them and HC Trio au. But... in my head

Narratives - Nagant hating the Chairman (and probably also Chairwoman? Maybe? CW sent her to prison and also made her image and case a symbol to everyone who ever thought about betraying the HC, "this is what will happen to you if you disobey" yknow? but she also stopped Nagant from being executed so... pros and cons? 🤷‍♀️) and going against the HC, having trauma around that, meeting Mera who is now temporary head of the HC? I mean it practically writes itself

Aesthetics, I made a post about it but. sleepy guy office employee who probably slept in his uniform and badass lady assassin who dresses pretty and she is pretty and has muscles vs his lanky arms etc

I see the potential I have the vision we are NOWHERE NEAR it being almost there but I can hope I can imagine and I can make memes

Comedic potential. I mean, pathetic sleepy man office employee who suffers comically and badass lady assassin who suffers from her Tragic Past who would not be able to take him seriously. Also she has a gun. Like I can imagine the following scenarios; Nagant protecting Mera (and whoever else) with her gun while they hide behind her, Nagant carrying Mera with her Big Strong Arms calmly while Mera's holding on for his fucking LIFE. Mera naturally suffering comically while Nagant is all serious and keeps her cool. Imagine it

I don't really know what to say about the fix each other-make each other worse thing. I haven't thought it out extensively. Bit of both? Maybe? Trust me on this one tho

Angst - This centers around Nagant's trauma and past. I have a specific vision with this but like. yeah it's there. It's not always there but it's there. Nagant's motivations for finding the Chairman in the first place, wanting to kill him, her body still healing from the damage she took but she's determined to kill another chairman... yeah (and then she finds out the guy is only a temp and has only been in this position for like a month or smthg nsdufndsj)

#bleh i don't know if i did this right #im not thinking about canon so much as what i think about the duos #also sorry for the explanations they were supposed to be short but i got to ranting #thank you for the ask!😊#asks with metty #bnha asks #ask game #hc trio au

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redphlox · 3 years

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How Touya can be Saved

I’ve talked before about why I think Shouto will save Touya, and now I want to talk about how. No doubt saving the eldest Todoroki child will be a combined family effort, but I want to specifically talk about Shouto’s role in this because it will be the culmination of his character arc. I also want to tie in how Dabi can make himself seen and understood by crying tears of blood in front of his family. Finally receiving validation after desperately needing it his entire life will be the key to his salvation.

As of chapter 298, Shouto already empathizes with Touya; he feels Touya’s hate and even recognizes Dabi is the person Shouto himself was before the Sports Festival. Shouto is extending his empathy and understanding to his brother the same way he reacted to Iida during the Stain arc in chapter 53, “Todoroki to Iida.”

Having empathy for Dabi’s resentment is only the first step in reaching him, though. That shared rage doesn’t completely validate Dabi’s pain as an abuse victim, which is something Shouto has yet to recognize about himself. Shouto’s anger has always been about how Endeavor abused Rei to the point she had to be institutionalized and not how Endeavor isolated him, physically abused him, and robbed him of his childhood. Shouto probably hadn’t stopped to think about how the other Todorokis perceived their family situation because, like most families in this situation, no one talked about the abuse - Shouto even expresses surprise and agreement in 192 when Natsuo confronts Endeavor with the entire family’s pain. Shouto thinks back to the memory of wanting to play with his siblings and realizes that specific day didn't only stay with him but that his siblings remember it and were impacted by it, too.

Like Natsuo, Dabi knows the root cause of their family’s dysfunction was Endeavor, and while he had a problem with what he perceived as each individual member’s blindness to their abuse, he ultimately doesn’t blame the victims and instead assigns all the blame onto Endeavor. Even 10 years later, he still calls Rei ‘okaasan’, Fuyumi ‘Fuyumi-chan’, and Natsuo ‘Natsu-kun’ because he still cares about them and recognizes all of them as victims of a corrupt hero who never set out to be a husband and a father and only used them.

However, Touya's own victimhood has never been validated - in 301 and 302, it was seen that he was the scapegoat for his family, and no matter how much he tried to earn back his father’s approval or call his father out on his unfair treatment, no one was ever on Touya’s side. His mother told him to look away from his father as an example instead of standing up to Endeavor for herself and her children, and Fuyumi and Natsuo were too young to understand and couldn't relate to what Touya went through as Endeavor's prized heir. Touya needs validation that he was abused and neglected. He always has. He still does.

The person in the perfect position to understand what it’s like to be on the receiving end of Endeavor’s impossibly high standards, obsession with surpassing All Might, and quirk training is Shouto. But in order to fully empathize with Dabi and show his brother that he can relate, Shouto needs to acknowledge that he too was a victim. In 292, Dabi basically asks Shouto to validate the pain and suffering Dabi had just exposed in the battlefield, but his question still stands unanswered.

To reach Touya, Shouto also has to show Dabi what kind of person he is - as in, Shouto has to separate himself from Endeavor’s shadow and establish that he too has been holding Endeavor accountable for his actions. We as readers know that Shouto’s entire character arc has been about asking himself, “Who am I?” Often, children who grow up in abusive households struggle with their identity and Shouto is a perfect example of this. This is why he chose his hero name to be his name: Shouto. He’s learning who he is after years of trying so hard to not be his father and becoming exactly like him - cold, distant, tunnel visioned, hateful. It wasn't until he met Inasa that he realized this and wanted to right his wrongs.

Like Inasa, Dabi doesn’t know Shouto at all. Both Inasa and Dabi knew Endeavor and assumed Shouto would be just like him. Inasa had a valid reason to think this of Shouto of course, because Shouto was standoffish and dismissive during the UA entrance exams, but at the time of the provisional license exam Inasa hadn’t learned that Shouto had recognized this toxic side of himself and had begun working towards the kind of person he wants to be. Shouto had to show Inasa the real him, and in a similar way, he will have to prove this to Dabi. Dabi hasn’t seen Shouto struggle with his identity like we the readers have; Dabi only sees his usurper making headlines and willingly interning with Endeavor. He probably assumes Shouto is proudly training to carry their father’s legacy. Dabi isn’t privy to the nuanced relationship Shouto or their siblings have with their father. All Dabi knows is that Endeavor is seeing and paying attention to Shouto and Shouto seemingly submitting. Dabi has no idea THIS is how it really is:

Showing others who he is is a way for Shouto to process his own trauma and establish his identity. As the son of the #2 hero, Shouto has always had to prove himself to others - that he’s not his father. He’s even had to prove this to himself by accepting his fire side and making it his own in spite of his father repeatedly calling him a creation or a masterpiece. Not being like his father is such a defining trait for Shouto that he feels compelled to tell kindergarteners during the re-licensing exam his life story and his trauma. He literally bore his heart out to these kids because he knew he wouldn’t get through to them unless he was genuine. I think he’ll apply this concept to Touya, too.

The thing about Shouto is that, while he hasn’t reconciled with his own status as an abuse victim, he sees himself as a survivor. He sees himself as someone who managed through a difficult situation and wants to help others get through their struggles too. That's why getting through to these kids was so important to him, why he took it so seriously. These were problematic kids, and instead of calling them brats or trying to intimidate or manipulate them, he tries to get down to their level and relate. Notice he emphasizes how much he struggled in school at first, how his relationship with his father is strained - in his mind, it's something these kids may be able to relate to.

Shouto is someone who sets out to understand and make others feel seen and understood. It's what makes him kind. Shouto probably understands why his father abused the entire family - Endeavor's reasons don't excuse him or earn his children's forgiveness, but it's a reason that humanizes him to Shouto. He himself was a cold, bitter person who now believes people can change if given the right opportunity and self-awareness because this is a lesson he's learned from Midoriya and Inasa. This is also something Shouto can grant Touya: understanding, a listening ear, space to be wrong, and a chance to be seen.

Touya wanted and still craves to be seen, and he has to see in return. He has to realize Shouto isn't his father's puppet. He has to relate to Shouto much like Shouto is relating to him. Shouto will have to pull the same move he pulled on those kindergarteners and tell Dabi his struggles, and then show him he’s making his own path different from their father’s and that the family isn’t blindly following Endeavor anymore or letting him do what he wants. Natsuo has stood up to him, Rei has stood up to him, Fuyumi has admitted to herself she had been trying to play a happy family instead of fixing the internal mess - they as a family will have to show Dabi all of this, and he’ll have to wrap his head around it. He has to realize that his family is different from how they were 10 years ago. This is what I mean by allowing Touya space to be wrong - it’s okay for him to be wrong in assuming all these things about Shouto. Shouto won’t judge him for it.

I've talked before about how the narrative framing as of chapter 309 has set up that a person must express their feelings in a socially acceptable manner before they can be a candidate for saving, and that means crying. As soon as Midoriya saw a glimpse of little Tenko crying, he switched his mentality from "I'll never forgive you" to "I want to save that crying boy." When Toga ran away from Ochako crying, Ochako became concerned and curious. Following this pattern, it makes sense that Dabi also has to show his emotions, but it’s complicated because he can’t cry due to his burnt tear ducts. Every time we’ve seen him cry tears of blood, he’s been alone - he’ll have to cry in front of Shouto and the family for it to sink in that all of Dabi’s destruction and hate stems from deep-seated sorrow and feelings of abandonment. The family does not yet know how the fire that killed Touya started, and they have no idea that Touya’s emotions are linked to his fire and that he died because he was feeling overwhelmingly forsaken and sad. Once they find out, however, they’ll fully understand Touya (hopefully) and recognize they haven’t been understanding him at all. Saving Touya will be difficult because he has to be vulnerable and that's not something he's done as Dabi, but that's where the Todoroki family arc is headed: healing as a family.

As a side note: I’m not saying that the message the manga is giving is the correct one (how you express yourself shouldn’t be a determinant of the help you receive) but it’s what we have to work with. I also think saving Touya will be more complicated than this and will also involve Natsuo, but that’s a meta for another day! ;]

#bnha #dabi #touya todoroki #shouto todoroki #my meta #inasa yoarashi #bnha spoilers #Bnha meta #Mha #mha spoilers

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