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wonyowonyo · 10 months

Text

Box (A. Yujin X M! Reader)

3RD PERSON POV

"Hah! Hah! Hah!"

Loud footsteps followed by the sound of panting can be heard around the entrance of the School's entrance. A teenage boy can be seen stopping right in front of the school gate as he took his time to catch up with breath after running 5 kilometres. He was wearing a white shirt with his school name written on the front, a black plain shorts, and was carrying a backpack with a volleyball keychain dangling in its zipper.

The sound of the gate being opened, brought the young man back to his senses. As he quickly stepped inside the premises while not forgetting to greet the guard.

"Good morning sir!"

"Morning." The guard returned the greeting, before asking a question. "You seem earlier than usual."

"Yeah, with the tournament coming up, I'll need to get as much practice as I can!" The teenage boy answered. "Plus, There's someone I want to beat here!" The boy was brimming with resolve as he'd begun to head to the gymnasium.

"Such spirit..." The guard commented as he stared at the young man, as he secretly cheered him on with whatever he's going through. 'Good luck, Young man!'

The young man would halt his steps, while looking at the scenery of his destination. It was the school gymnasium where his team, well the volleyball team usually practices.

In this box however, his spring will begin.

Not wasting any second, the young man proceeded to enter the gymnasium. He's still filled with passion and determination, a trait of his that has been present throughout his life. 'I won't lose again today! Today will be the day...'

Opening up the gym doors he'd quickly make his presence known. "FIRST!!" He'd shout enthusiastically while closing his eyes, thinking that he's the first one to arrive. However, he'd be proven wrong as the moment he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of a girl who's in the process of putting on her shirt. Fortunately, the shirt was already almost worn, emphasis on the 'almost' as the young man was still able to catch a small glimpse of the girl's bra.

The girl stared at the young man blankly, only making an 'Ah' noise with her mouth before finally rolling her shirt down completely. The young man stood there, flabbergasted from the scene he just saw. "Eh?" Was the only thing he can utter, as an awkward pause would ensue within the two, only to be broken by the young man snapping back into reality. He'd quickly turn his head away from the girl with speed that can break a neck. "I'm sorry Sunbae-nim! I forgot to knock!" The young man immediately apologised after the embarrassment that he had caused.

'I saw it... I saw it!! It was freaking blue...!' The young man was panicking inside of his mind after what had just transpired. His face was beet red and his mind was going haywire trying to distract himself from the image of the girl's bra.

"It's my fault really, I thought it'd be safe to change here, since it's still early." The teenage girl said coolly, shaking off the event like nothing. She'd proceed to pick a ball on the floor before putting it into the ball cart. She'd then look back to the young man behind her before smiling. "Sorry."

"Ah.. it's nothing." The young man awkwardly responded, taken aback by the sudden apology from the girl. He'd then look down at the floor while slightly pouting. 'Tch. Could've come up with a better response than that.' He'd then look back up at the older girl who's busy cleaning the basketball balls. 'Guess I lost again...'

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Y/N POV

At our school, The number of culture and sports clubs combined makes 12 clubs in total. Basketball, Volleyball, Badminton, Gymnastic, and Theater. Those are 5 clubs that use the gym. We have our voluntary morning practice at the gym until 8:30 in the morning.

And among the earliest to appear every morning is me, Y/n L/n and a member from the basketball team, Ahn Yujin-Sunbaenim.

It's been almost an hour since the incident happened and we're currently still the only ones in the gym. I'm busy practicing my overhand pass in the wall while Yujin-sunbaenim is busy practicing her shooting. I'd sometimes glance at her direction once in a while when she's really focused. 'I wonder what time she arrived.'

We're both in different years, belong in different clubs and committees. We only give each other short greetings during our morning practice, but even so...

I'm in love with Ahn Yujin-sunbaenim.

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3RD PERSON POV

Multiple chatters can be heard through the classroom. It was their free period where students are free to do what they want, some were minding their own business, while some were sleeping, Y/n however, can be seen sitting at his desk while thinking about something.

"I think... I'm going to confess to sunbaenim!"

"Give it up." His friend, Heeseung immediately replied to him while reading a book. "Too fast man!" Y/n shot back at his friend's quick rejection. "I know you have a habit of charging headlock to things, But I don't think it'll work out for you this time." Heeseung said, still focused on his book.

"It's Yujin-sunbaenim we're talking about, you know? She's the leader of the basketball team, has superb athleticism and a likeable personality. Not to mention she's also pretty and has model-like features. It's no wonder she's one of the most popular people in school. Plus..."

This time Heeseung would turn his head away from his book and look at Y/n. "I doubt she even knows your name..." Y/n quickly denied Heeseung's claim. "She does know my name!" Heeseung only gave him a 'really' look, clearly unconvinced with what Y/n is saying.

Heeseung can only sigh as he'd focus back on his book. "Look dude, she's aiming for a prep school. While you'll probably fail your first choice of confessing to her. It's like heaven and earth between the two of you."

"I know that..." Y/n said deflated while resting his chin on his desk and messing his hair out of frustration. "But I don't like to admit defeat before the battle even starts." Heeseung raised his eyebrow. "What battle are you talking about? Volleyball? Love?" Y/n only grumbled as he fully rested his head and arms on his desk. "You know what I mean."

Heeseung sighed again. "At Least try to get into your second choice, get her to remember you. Do something to make her notice you." Y/n's face suddenly brightens up as he lifts his head up from his desk. "That's the Rank 1 Student for ya! You're really super smart!" Heeseung only snickered. "I mean who would even accept a confession from a total stranger?"

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The gym was now packed with various students who are members of different clubs. Multiple sounds echoed around the huge gymnasium as clubs would train as usual.

Thump! Y/n would receive the incoming ball perfectly. "Hit me again!" He shouted before getting into a receiving position once more.

"Y/n seems motivated today." Y/n's captain commented while watching him practice. "He must be aiming to be a regular." Another teammate added. Heeseung happened to pass by the gym, while going home as he caught a glimpse of Y/n practicing hard. "So he was talking about volleyball huh? Oh well." Heeseung then continued to walk home.

'Our two clubs are finally having club activities at the same time!! I'm gonna give it my all and show Yujin-sunbae my top form!!' Y/n's determination was on maximum mode now that the volleyball and basketball team is practicing with each other. This meant that Yujin might see him working diligently.

Y/n then looked at the Basketball team's court as they continued to practice. Then he saw Yujin who managed to blow past her defenders with ease which really caught the attention of Y/n. 'Whoa... She's so cool.' However he completely forgot about the ongoing practice he's currently on which caused a ball to completely hit his face because of his carelessness.

"You okay there Y/n?" His teammate near him would ask, which Y/n replied with a simple thumbs up while he's still on the floor lying down. "Alright let's take a 10 minute break everyone!" Their captain announced the team.

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Y/n can be seen outside of the gymnasium while carrying a water jug. He seems really pumped even though he's only doing a chore. 'Even if it's just chores, I'm gonna give it my all! Cause I'm Cool! I'll show her my hardworking side!' Y/n continued to walk into the drinking fountain before suddenly realizing something. 'But well, It's not like Yujin-sunbae's here to see me though...'

He'd soon take back his word because as soon as he arrived at the drinking fountain, he'd find the one and only Ahn Yujin drinking in the fountain. Y/n paused for a second before continuing to perform his chore of refilling the water jug.

His mind however was going mental. 'Holy coincidence!! But what now?! Should I start a conversation??' Y/n was thinking of ways on how to get Yujin's attention without it being awkward. 'Wait no, Should I introduce myself?'

He'd then look back at Yujin who... seems to be struggling with opening a pack of sports drinks, her face super determined which Y/n finds really adorable. 'Eh? Sunbae struggling to open that pack? Isn't that just super freaking cute?!'

Y/n would then look around the area with hesitation plastered around his face. 'Ah screw it!' "Um.. Need me to open that for you?" Y/n would suddenly initiate a conversation with Yujin as he pointed at the sports drink pack, offering to open it for her. Yujin would look at Y/n and then into the pack. "Is that okay?" Yujin asked, to which Y/n only nodded before taking the pack from her. "Leave it to me! This is no..."

Y/n paused for a second as he found himself in the same predicament that Yujin found herself just a minute ago. "TTHING!!!" Struggling, Y/n would apply more strength into tearing the bag which would prove successful as a tear would slowly form. 'Ah! It's open.' Well he's not wrong, however the contains of the pack would immediately explode open and fly into the air as the pack would tear too much due to Y/n putting too much strength into tearing it.

Y/n just stood there blankly, processing what had just happened. 'Eh??' Y/n just embarrassed himself in front of his crush. "AHAHAHA!" A loud laughter would follow suit as Y/n looked at the laughing Yujin who seemed to find Y/n's unfortunate accident to be really funny.

'She's laughing...' Y/n slightly blushed at the thought of Yujin laughing because of his actions even though he had to make himself a fool. "And after you were acting so tough..." Yujin finally calmed down and smiled at Y/n.

''...Sorry.." Y/n awkwardly apologized while scratching the back of his head. "Oh no! I should be saying sorry instead. For you know laughing at you..." Yujin would cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing again.

"Are you okay?" Yujin would ask Y/n, who began washing his hands to get rid of the sports drink powder. "Kinda sweet, to be honest." Y/n responded to which Yujin only giggled in response. "You really are a klutz, aren't you? You also took a ball right in the face back there too." Y/n immediately froze after Yujin mentioned the ball thing earlier.

"Wait, you saw that?!" Y/n said while stuttering as he was panicking. "Yeah, it was a riot." Yujin would laugh again after remembering the funny scene. Y/n would bite his lip as he'd wash his hand very hard in an attempt to also wash away the embarrassment he's going through.

'Argh! I was trying to show her my cool side! But all I ended up was taking a ball to the face and ruining her sports drink pack! Urgh... god damn it I'm so lame...'

"You should clean this off. Can't go back to club activities looking like this right?" While Y/n was busy pondering about his situation, he suddenly felt a hand in his hair. He'd glance at Yujin to find her shaking off the powder on his hair. 'Uwah!' Y/n averted his gaze at Yujin and into the faucet, to which he can see his own face that is blushing because of Yujin's action.

Not wanting to embarrass himself further, Y/n suddenly dove his head under the faucet before turning it on as he washed his hair with the water. "I'm okay! I'm thinking of cooling my head for a bit myself!" Yujin was taken aback by Y/n's sudden outburst. "Wow. How manly of you."

"Yujin! We're starting again!" Yujin's teammate would suddenly call out to her to tell her that break's over. She didn't waste no any time as she quickly started to head out. "I'm heading back first then." Yujin excused herself. "Sure." Y/n responded, his head still under the faucet.

"See you around, Y/n."

Y/n's eyes widened as his name would come out of Yujin's mouth. 'What? Did she just? Did she just say my name?!' Y/n quickly raised his head, not caring if the water from his hair was dripping onto his shirt. "H-how did you know my name?" Y/n questioned, a bit flustered. Yujin only smiled as she'd turn around again.

"Of course I knew. We see each other everyday right?"

Yujin would shortly head inside the gymnasium to continue practicing, leaving a blushing Y/n behind. "Damn.."

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THE NEXT DAY

"At Least she remembers my name now. That's my second goal cleared. Now for my 3rd goal...'

Y/n paused in front of the gym door for a minute thinking of the best way to greet Yujin. He'd knock at the gymnasium door, learning from his past mistake.

'The 3rd step to victory!! Ask for her number!'

He'd grip the door handle before opening it as he'd enthusiastically greet Yujin. "Good Morning!!" As soon as he opened the door fully however, "Eh? She's not here?" he was greeted by the empty sight of the gym. 'Did she oversleep?' Y/n walked inside the gym, looking around failing to see any sign of Yujin in the gym.

"Ah. Morning." Yujin would suddenly greet Y/n, as she spotted him walking down the gymnasium. Instead of the usual training attire, Yujin was wearing her school uniform, with her sleeves rolled up.

"Whatcha up to there?" Y/n asked while Yujin picked up a box full of equipment. Yujin is inside the gym's storage, and seems to be tidying up equipment. "Just tidying up equipment." She'd place the box on a shelf before turning around and carrying another box. "I thought it was looking messy."

"Let me help!" Y/n offered, quickly putting down his bag before heading inside the storage room. "Hm? It's fine." Yujin declined, waving her hands. "I just suddenly felt like doing this myself. I'm always here early, after all. Figured I might as well make something out of my spare time." Yujin would crouch down as she tried arranging the mess inside the box.

"No. I'm going to help you." Y/n would crouch down beside Yujin as he began helping Yujin with tidying up the mess. "It's gonna hurt my self-esteem if I don't." Yujin looked at Y/n who was busy with the box, amazed with the boy's energy. "I guess... If you insist."

"I do." Y/n plainly said. "Like my grandpa always said, That's a big no no to my pride!" Yujin chortled at Y/n's statement. "Is your grandpa a kid? That sounds childish." Y/n pondered about it while still obviously helping Yujin with her task. "Does he? I thought that statement was serious."

Y/n would steal a glance on Yujin who was occupied with her task. He took this time to admire her beauty, mesmerized as her face sculpted by the heavens was in full display for Y/n. He'd quickly avert his gaze though, afraid that Yujin might catch on.

"So, Sunbae! What's your family like?" Y/n initiated a conversation, attempting to get to know more about Yujin. "Any brothers or sisters?" Y/n asked. "I have an older sister." Yujin replied, rolling a HDMI cord before putting it back into the box.

"That's Cool! -ish" Y/n would look at Yujin, sparkling eyes and interest. "You just wanted to say that didn't you?" Yujin shot at Y/n's funny response. "No I mean it!" 'I bet her older sister is as good looking as her.'

"No way! People often say I'm too laid back so I'm not cool at all." Yujin quickly denied Y/n's praises, playfully jeering at the thought of her being cool. "But sunbae, you hate losing right? That's what makes you cool." Yujin was surprised by Y/n's statement. "Eh? You think so?" Yujin asked, quite confused at how Y/n came up with that conclusion.

"You're always the first to appear for morning practice. You always showed up even earlier than me." Y/n pointed out little things that Yujin does. "Well... My motto is 'To practice more than anyone else.' " Yujin explained. "What's that mean?!" Y/n playfully retorted.

"I mean having a goal like that already means that you're the kind who hates to lose." Yujin stopped what she's doing as she looked at Y/n, who was minding his own chores. Yujin didn't know why, but the way Y/n said that, she found it very cool. Yujin felt her face heating up from Y/n's statements.

"But!" Yujin tried to argue. "See? Now you're trying to argue with me." Y/n shuts down Yujin's attempt to argue, proving his claims further. "..." Yujin can only pout as she feels that she lost the argument. Y/n on the other hand was doing his best to keep himself cool and stopping himself from melting under Yujin's gaze.

"Besides, I already saw you at that moment." Y/n would stand up. While Yujin raised her eyebrow, confused by what Y/n was saying. "That moment..?" Y/n nodded. "It was last year, the day after the retirement match for your basketball sunbaes."

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FLASHBACK

A 1st year Y/n can be seen skipping down the pathway to the Gymnasium while happily whistling as he's on his way to do his usual morning practice. "I wonder what the sunbaes are gonna do after the retirement match." He said to himself.

Y/n slowed down as he reached the gymnasium, walking down the entrance. As he gets nearer, he can hear sounds of the ball hitting the rim. Curious, he'd peek at the gym's door to see Yujin drenched in sweat, diligently practicing her shooting. However, mixed with her sweat were her tears.

Y/n stood there shocked to see this new side of Yujin he only now saw. He'd turn around and lean his back on the gymnasium walls, not daring to go inside so he can let Yujin have her moment while also respecting her privacy. He'd soon left after, while Yujin continued on with her "practice".

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"Later on, I also found out that you entered the match, Yujin-sunbae... and that you just lost by a hair." Y/n smiled sweetly. "Seeing you practice your shooting with tears in your eyes... It really impressed me." Yujin would cup her face with her hands, while resting her elbows on her knees. "This is the worst... I can't believe you saw me in such an embarrassing moment." Yujin was blushing from embarrassment, flustered by the fact that someone saw her during that exact moment.

"No!"

"To me you were awesome!!" Y/n raised his voice slightly which took Yujin aback. "Only someone with real dedication could do something like that." Yujin smiled as she crossed her arms and faced Y/n. "Thanks." Yujin thanked Y/n who only looked down at the box as shyness soon took over after his sudden outburst. "Yeah..."

"Uh... Yujin-sunba-" "Yujin." Y/n was cut off mid sentence as another voice would appear, prompting both Yujin and Y/n to turn their heads to the storage room door. "You were here?" Standing there was Sung Jinwoo, the leader of the male basketball team. "Oh, Jinwoo-ah." Yujin stood up before walking to Juyeon.

'Why is he looking for Yujin-sunbae? Wait no, it's probably just for some business.' Y/n would turn his head around to look at them both, who were busy talking about something. 'But hey, aren't they standing too close to each other?! They look good together too... Like a real life picture of a perfect couple... But wait, I heard he was going out with the tennis team leader...?'

Looking at Yujin, then to Jinwoo, and then to them both, Y/n smiled nervously and somewhat distraught. 'Don't tell me...'

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"Rumours say it's only a matter of time until they date." Heeseung said, flipping through the pages of his book. "For real?!" Y/n grimaced, feeling a lingering sense of defeat as he clenched his fist tight. "Like I said, it's just rumours."

Heeseung would raise his head as he pondered. "But considering that both of them are leaders of the basketball team, they probably have a lot in common. Besides, the guy is tall, handsome, and good at basketball." Heeseung then turned his head to Y/n. "You got a real powerhouse rival here. What are you gonna do?"

"Well..." Y/n slumped his shoulders before quickly standing up and stepped his right foot into his chair as he pumped his fist, a wave of determination and burning passion radiated around him.

"I've come this far! I'm gonna fight until the bitter end!"

Heeseung can only scratch his head because of his friend's antics.

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The afternoon practice soon ended, as Y/n quickly exited the gymnasium after cleaning up. "Gotta go home and devise some strategy." He however immediately stopped in his tracks as he saw both Yujin and Jinwoo standing at the Pathway. Y/n hurriedly hid behind the wall as he tried to listen to their conversation.

"Sorry for calling you out suddenly." Jinwoo scratched the back of his head and smiled nervously. "It's fine." Yujin meanwhile brushed it off.

'Wait, Don't tell me...!'

Y/n would turn his head around as he leaned a little to take a peek on what's happening.

'Is he...'

"Will you go out with me?"

Before Y/n can even ask himself the question, Jinwoo dropped the bombshell that Y/n was fearing. Y/n would lean back into the wall as he felt his heartbeat rise drastically.

'Should I be listening to this!? Of course not! Man, this is making me so nervous...' Y/n puts his hand on his chest as both him and Jinwoo awaits Yujin's answer. Y/n was preparing himself for the worst until...

"I'm sorry."

Y/n's heart almost died for a second before coming back again. He'd quietly exhale a sigh of relief but then Yujin would speak again.

"I'm not interested in dating anyone at the moment. I only want to focus on basketball."

Yujin would rub her elbow with her other hand as she looked at the ground, avoiding Jinwoo's gaze. Y/n eyes widened by the sudden revelation. "I see... I get that. Forget what I asked, then." Jinwoo can only rub his neck and laugh awkwardly before bidding goodbye to Yujin and walking away.

'This...' Y/n would squat down. 'I mean, I'm glad she turned down the guy. But...' He'd ruffle his own hair as he felt deflated and defeated. 'I want to focus only on basketball? That's unfair man...' Y/n bit his lip as he sighed again. 'She's been practicing every morning, every afternoon, everyday... And all in those times I have watched her... watched how hard she worked.'

'It's not just Jinwoo-sunbae... I feel like I just got rejected too... Even if I lose to her when it comes to club activities... It'll just be a matter of time of course...'

"Aargh..." Y/n looked up at the orange-hue sky as he took in the cold breeze of the air before standing up and walking away. "I guess, I won't beat her anytime soon."

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*Squeak* *Squeak*

Sound of shoes being in contact with the gymnasium floor echoed throughout the area. Once again it's the start of morning practices as everyone was busy setting up their own training grounds in their own separate places.

Y/n is currently sitting on the gym floor while tying his shoelaces as he thought of the events yesterday. 'Thinking about it... We always see each other at the gym right? Maybe I should hit up the training hall for my morning practices now... It'd be awkward seeing her.' Y/n sighed once again as he finished tying his shoelaces.

"Girls Basketball Team gather up!" Y/n's attention was piqued as he looked at the Girls Basketball Team, expecting to see Yujin. He'd look at the people lining up but wasn't able to see any sign of Yujin.

'Huh? Yujin-sunbae is not here? But she doesn't have committee duties today. Did she take the day off? Or did she catch a cold?' Thoughts rambled on Y/n's head as he was confused by Yujin's absence.

'Arghhh!! I hate this.' Y/n ruffled his hair with frustration as he tried to distract himself with the thought of Yujin.

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"Finally break time." Y/n jogged to the drinking fountain while carrying a water jug, as he did his task once more. As he reached the fountain, he saw members from the girls basketball team hanging out at the doorstep. Y/n didn't pry into them any further as he refilled the water jug and waited for it to be filled.

"So yeah, That was so annoying right?"

Y/n paused for a second, as he overheard the conversation happening behind him. He pretended to not listen and let the conversation continue between the girls basketball team members.

"So Yujin got confessed to by Juyeon right?" A member spoke, and to Y/n's surprise They're talking about Yujin and Juyeon. "What? Him?" Another member spoke. "Yeah! Yeah!"The former replied. "Wow, someone got a high opinion of themselves."

'What are they talking about?'

"I mean just because you're the team leader doesn't mean you're all the great am I right?" A member spoke to which the others agreed on. "Talk about delusional" Another chipped in.

"Yeah just because you're a little good looking, It doesn't mean anything if you don't have talent."

That was the last straw for Y/n as he turned off the faucet before turning around to face the Girl's Basketball Team members.

"You take that back."

"Huh?" "What?" "You're that guy from the volleyball club right?" The girls were confused as they furrowed their eyebrows and looked at Y/n.

"I may be from the Volleyball Club, But I know Yujin-Sunbae!" Y/n retorted

"She's always the one to show up first for practice! Always the one who takes initiative for the chores! In club activities, she does more work, runs more rounds than any other members! She's a modest and hard worker. She can be a bit dense about herself at times. She can be shy occasionally, and she hates to lose. Yujin-sunbae loves basketball more than anyone! She loves the basketball team, that's why..."

The club members can only blankly stare at Y/n as he continues to ramble things about Yujin.

"I don't want to hear the fellow team members that she loves so much, speaking hurtful words behind her back!"

"We know." The members looked at him with a deadpan facial expression.

'Eh?' Y/n stood there stunned at their reaction.

"Besides, We were talking about Jinwoo"

"That guy is so annoying." "Think he's the hot stuff." The members commented as they made an expression of disgust, thinking about Jinwoo. "People from other years don't know but Jinwoo is actually a massive narcissist." A member speaked up. "He thought he had a chance with our Yujin."

'Wait a minute, did I....'

'DID I JUST FUCKING JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS?!?!?!?!'

Y/n was internally dying after what had just transpired. Not only did he jump to conclusions, he was rambling about Yujin too much that he looked like a big fucking fool.

"Besides, Yujin would probably be happy to know that someone besides us understands her so well besides us." The members jeered as they looked at Y/n and laughed teasingly, making the poor boy more embarrassed.

"Right? Yujin?"

Out of nowhere, Yujin appeared. Y/n's grave was dug deeper at the arrival of Yujin as he felt like the world was crumbling down around him. He did not dare to look at her, his eyes remained glued at the concrete floor below.

"Looks like she's back from her career interview. We'll head back to the gym first." "Take your time~" The girls said as they soon stood up and walked away, leaving Y/n and Yujin behind.

It was not just them two, an awkward silence ensued as Y/n gripped the hem of his shirt.

"Hmm... I can't tell you're the serious type, or the type that always runs head-long into things."

Yujin was the one to break the awkward silence as she smiled before sitting on the doorstep. Y/n looked to the side, still beet red and trying to avoid any eye contact.

"Sorry for all of that." Y/n aplogized but Yujin simply shakes her head. "No, I thought those were some nice compliments."

"..."

"Anyways! I should get back to-" "Wait!" Yujin shuts down the attempt of a fidgety Y/n to escape this moment. "Y/n-ah, do you have something to say to me?" It was now Yujin's turn to be the one who's shy as redness slowly creeps from her face.

" 'I thought you were badmouthing her. Sorry for misunderstanding.' Please tell them that." Y/n immediately said with rap-like speed as he tries to avoid a certain topic. "Aside from that... Nothing." Y/n would purse his lips before speaking again. "I don't want to prevent you from focusing only on basketball."

Yujin's eyes widened at Y/n's response. "Wait, did you overhear our talk?!" Y/n quickly went on defensive mode. "It's not like I wanted to!! Plus you were so enthusiastic about the tournament! You don't want to give up on the tournament just for some silly romance stuff right?!" Y/n slightly raised his voice as he explained his feelings.

"That's only an excuse I used to turn down people who make advances at me... Until now."

Yujin would stare at her swinging feet while Y/n froze at his spot. Is he hearing shit right?

"Until now..?" Y/n asked.

"Lately, I've been thinking that maybe if I can meet the one, waking up in the morning wouldn't be such a chore anymore, the one who would cheer for me during my club activities and in turn, would cheer for him... The one who will be there for me when I start crying after losing a match..."

"If only... that person would show up before me..."

Yujin would slowly look up to Y/n who was also looking at her. For the first time, they've made eye contact with each other. And with just that one eye contact, both of them knew right away.

Y/n knew it was the right time, it was now or never, and so he mustered up the courage. He wasn't gonna let this chance go.

"Yujin-sunbae..."

"I like you, Please go out with me!!"

Yujin sweetly smiled before nodding.

"Okay."

Y/n was filled with euphoria, it was surreal. Did Yujin just really accept his confession? As they both looked at each other, the surroundings faded into oblivion. It was only them and no one else. Y/n would take a few steps as he got closer and closer, before leaning into Yujin and holding her face. Yujin would close her eyes, anticipating the moment.

And so their lips connected, fireworks would lit inside their heads as they both shared their first kisses with each other. They'd savour the moment before pulling back, panting as they shared a loving gaze with each other.

"I never expected..."

"My first kiss... Would taste like energy drink." Yujin slightly smiled, obviously teasing Y/n. "Wha-?!" Seconds later, Yujin would laugh at Y/n's reaction as Y/n can only timidly scratch his head and soon join her as they both laugh together.

Our spring happened inside this box. Everyone too, will come... One day...

End.

#kpop #fluff #yujin fluff #ive #kpop fanfic #male reader #kpop imagines #kpop gg #ahn yujin #idol x reader #idol x male reader

470 notes · View notes

hajihiko · 10 months

Note

What's your favorite and least favorite character designs out of the DR2?

Favourite: Souda (change the saturation a bit and I'd love it), Nagito (the little pink hair tips rly get me), Mikan (please give her a longer skirt line but otherwise I think she looks very nice )

^all of these have a pretty distinct feature that also have a reason behind them (Soudas teeth, Nagito and Mikan's hair)

Least favourite: Akane (why is the gymnast wearing a mini skirt and blouse), Sonia (too much going on idk), Nekomaru (when you think about it, shouldn't there be less emphasis on him being buff? Ik it may be because of the design swap but like change it then)

^these have design decisions that clash with their backstory, except Sonia who I just don't like (glittery black bow, weirdly detailed jewelstone, hair that has 3 separate layers, I feel like if they'd just change the fringe and lose the hot topic bow I'd like it a lot more)

#Honourable mentions: peko and hiyoko for actually having pleasant colour schemes #Fuyuhiko and Gundham for having a design that immediately gives character #Ibuki BC she gets to make dumb ugly faces <3 let girls emote #not an art

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transmutationisms · 3 months

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hello, this might be a weird question but i was wondering why alot of communists seem to be against people having multiple sexual partners, it doesn't seem to be a thing exclusive to weird "trad communist" types, lenin himself said that promiscuity is bourgeois and an intoxicant (https://www.marxists.org/archive/zetkin/1925/lenin/zetkin2.htm) and while i could see it being hard to balance with political organizing, a life of being a militant does have to come with alot of personal sacrifices anyways.

there's not going to be a singular answer here because attitudes about sex vary widely among self-identified communists and for that matter so do attitudes about 'communism'. i also am not any kind of expert on lenin or soviet history. however, just looking at his reasoning as stated in this text, the quote you've zeroed in on goes:

Promiscuity in sexual matters is bourgeois. It is a sign of degeneration. The proletariat is a rising class. It does not need an intoxicant to stupefy or stimulate it, neither the intoxicant of sexual laxity or of alcohol. It should and will not forget the vileness, the filth and the barbarity of capitalism. It derives its strongest inspiration to fight from its class position, from the communist ideal. What it needs is clarity, clarity, and more clarity. Therefore, I repeat, there must be no weakening, no waste and no dissipation of energy Self-control and self-discipline are not slavery; not in matters of love either.

emphasis mine.

so, what he's saying (as relayed by clara zetkin; let's assume she's quoting him faithfully) is that sex is a special kind of activity because, like alcohol, it is "intoxicating"—a way of stimulating or stupefying the proletariat, and therefore a threat to both the health of the individual body, and the health and political fortitude of workers as a class. and again:

[Communist youth organisations discussing "sex problems"] is especially dangerous and damaging to the youth movement. It can easily lead to sexual excesses, to overstimulation of sex life and to wasted health and strength of young people. [...] Communism should not bring asceticism, but joy and strength, stemming, among other things, from a consummate love life. Whereas today, in my opinion, the obtaining plethora of sex life yields neither joy nor strength. [...] Healthy sports, such as gymnastics, swimming, hiking, physical exercises of every description and a wide range of intellectual interests is what they need, as well as learning, study and research, and as far as possible collectively. This will be far more useful to young people than endless lectures and discussions on sex problems and the so-called living by one’s nature.

emphasis mine again.

it's important to note here that lenin's objection is not exactly to a certain number of sexual partners, per se (he is consistently scathing of the "disgustingly false sex morality" of bourgeois marriage), but to an 'excessive' amount of sex, which he sees as intoxicating, distracting, and weakening young people, mentally and physically. this argument may sound stupid and bad, and it is. however, it was also a very commonly defended mainstream medical opinion in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; this is not just something lenin has invented himself. the reference to "degeneration" and the comparison to alcoholism (considered one of the main causes, and symptoms, of degeneration) tell me that lenin is concerned about 'freedom of love' being not a liberatory state, but a corrupting, insalubrious force of social decline, the psychological desire for which results from a reaction to bourgeois morality but fails to free itself from the capitalist conditions giving rise to such ideology.

indeed lenin spelled out his position 5 years earlier, in 1915 (& seems to have remained relatively consistent) in two letters to inessa armand. although he says that people (specifically women) should be free in matters of love from financial calculations, religious prejudice, legal interference, familial prohibitions, &c, he goes on to decry the idea that such "freedom of love" includes freedom from "the serious element in love", freedom from childbirth, or freedom of adultery. these latter three he says are bourgeois, not proletarian, demands.

so, when we put this together, what emerges (exclusively from reading lenin's stated positions; this would be only a first step to a real historical analysis) is an idea of sexual morality that prizes 'restraint' and self-control and views sexual pleasure as dangerous in excess; that opposes bourgeois marriage but also opposes a perceived libertinism that arises as its opposite; that fears energy is being wasted on cerebral discussions of sexuality that distract from the material conditions of oppression & fail to change them; and that is expressed through the medical terminology of degeneracy theory and discourses on physico-moral sensitivity and the susceptibility of the body to exhaustion and corruption by excessive pleasurable stimulation.

again, dissecting lenin on this is not equivalent to providing a general explanation of how sex-negative attitudes arise among communists (& i don't think such a singular explanation exists lol). but there are definitely some throughlines we could trace here, from degeneracy theory (rarely named as such these days, but still a motivating fear in a lot of cultural prognostication) to the general discomfort with 'excessive' sexuality. i don't think communists are more prone to these sorts of ideas than anyone else, but, yknow, also not magically exempt.

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the-unconquered-queen · 4 months

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With Blades 2 coming to an end, I just wanna get it off my chest that I'm really not a fan of how they wrote Nia for a great part of this one, particularly vis-à-vis the way they wrote MC. I know I've been saying some stuff along those lines for ages now, but it hasn't left my mind so now I'm gonna actually get into it.

For starters, I think a lot of the issue with Nia's writing was captured pretty well in the tags of this post, particularly on point 2. Like I've said, Nia unfortunately falls into the category of a Mary Sue in that every "flaw" she's given just serves to elevate her to perfection. Hell, even when corrupted—when a person is supposed to be in their most volatile state—the worst she does is be snarky that first chapter (she is aggressive toward MC at one point before this, but it's neither acknowledged nor repeated later). After that, she is entirely normal, just not as much of a pushover, and while I much preferred shadow!Nia, I do think that this really undermines the whole gravity of corruption and b2's emphasis on shadow-light balance, since shadow!Nia comes off as quite balanced already, especially compared to other corrupted characters we've seen.

But here's the thing, that post that got me thinking is months old, and we have gotten more story since then, and what I have noticed is that Nia does, in fact, have one real flaw in canon, but it's the one flaw she's absolutely not meant to have: Nia in canon can at times come off as self-absorbed. She either makes things about herself or doesn't stop people from doing this, and there are multiple examples of it. There is the instance in Riverbend when MC is taking a moment to finally try to process Kade's capture (which, following their own capture, they never got the chance to process) and Nia derails the conversation and makes it about her own grief and is comforted by MC and Mal. Another example is the moment on Gerhard's ship when she vents about the pressure she's been under and lets MC comfort her without at any point considering that MC might have been under similar pressure.

And don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a character putting themselves first. But when the book doesn't waste a single chance to tell us that Nia's character is the complete opposite and that she is chronically incapable of not being considerate 25/8, it's quite contradictory. I mean, you can even call out Ethan Ramsey, PB's golden boy, on making things about himself at some point in OH, but because, unlike Ethan, Nia is written for you to consider her super sweet and wholesome and perfect, the Blades MC actually contributes to this by performing mental gymnastics to turn something around to be about Nia.

Which brings me to my final point: Blades 2 pushed MC to the side to revolve around Nia, but MC is exactly the person they meant for Nia to be, by virtue of the dissonance between showing and telling. They tell you that Nia is selfless because she always puts everyone else first. Well, I can and did name examples showing the contrary, meanwhile, MC is the one who was been through the most traumatic ordeal and is constantly checking in on everyone else without expecting and without receiving much of the same courtesy in return, even apologizing to Nia because she was "carrying all that weight on her own", never mind that MC always has the weight of the world on their shoulders. They tell you that Nia is the heart of the party, but they both told and showed us that everything fell apart without MC.

Even some of Nia's most defining character traits, MC has in similar measure. Nia sees the best in everyone? MC can be the #1 believer in Aerin's redemption after all the shit he pulled. Nia is trusting to the point of naivete? MC literally trusted Valax while she outright told them at every turn she would turn on them at the first opportunity, and was genuinely hurt by the betrayal. Miss me with MC calling Nia "our better self".

Every trait that they've gone out of their way to tell you Nia has they've shown twofold in MC, which is why it's so exasperating to me that they reduced MC to the conduct through which other characters' (particularly Nia's) stories get told while their own is an afterthought. I am by no means saying that two people can't have similar traits or that two people can't be good people at the same time, but there is something about praising these traits in Nia when, based on these, MC should be held to a similar standard. Instead, they relegated MC (main. character.) to a supporting character in Nia's story, elevating every trait that MC possesses only in Nia while ignoring them in MC to the point that many scenes felt frustrating to play.

#it's not that she's a bad character but I do resent making her the protagonist of b2 at the expense of MC #I really hope MC gets their flowers in b3 and the chance to really be in the spotlight because this aspect of b2 was not it #I do like that she had the whole light v shadow thing going on and got to be super powerful and I think her arc was overall good though #it's just those other things that bug me

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starspray · 1 year

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Power & Desire: The Silmarils vs The One Ring

Can also be read on the Silmarillion Writers’ Guild

Every so often I see discussions in fandom about the Silmarils and the One Ring that end up equating them—treating them as though they are direct parallels to one another. This always happens by way of bringing the Silmarils down to the level of the Ring, often treating characters’ refusal to surrender the one Beren and Lúthien retrieved as the result of the same kind of corrosive possessiveness that the Ring induces, which renders its bearer literally unable to give it up willingly or destroy it.* This reading is not just wrong, it undermines the agency of the characters involved and undercuts the tragedy of The Silmarillion. The Silmarils and the One Ring are made by very different characters for very different purposes. They also act in the narratives of their respective stories very differently.

What do the Silmarils and the Ring have in common? They are both the titular objects of their respective books around which the major plot turns, it is true. They are both made by powerful individuals, and are desired by many different people, and when they are lost and/or stolen their makers are desperate to retrieve them. Characters die for them, and kill for them. At this extremely surface level reading they do, indeed, seem very similar. But the deeper you look at each object the more glaring differences show themselves, until you realize that they do not parallel, but rather oppose each other.

Due to the nature of each narrative it’s much easier to see the full nature of the Ring and the effect it has on people around it. It is an object created explicitly for evil and malicious purposes: One Ring to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them. Sauron makes it so that he can ensnare all others who hold rings of power, “for he made that Ring himself, it is his, and he let a great part of his own former power pass into it, so that he could rule all the others. If he recovers it, then he will command them all again, wherever they be, even the Three…”

The way the Ring works is that it sneaks into the bearer’s mind and starts to twist their thoughts to its own purposes. It wants to be used, and it wants to isolate its bearer. It makes itself desirable so that its bearer will do all kinds of mental gymnastics to justify the means by which to take and keep it. See Gollum’s insistence on his “birthday present.” See Bilbo’s tale of winning it in the riddle game. At the Council of Elrond he says: “But I will now tell the true story, and if some here have heard me tell it otherwise”—he looked slidelong at Glóin—“I ask them to forget it and forgive me. I only wished to claim the treasure as my very own in those days, and to be rid of the name of thief that was put on me. But perhaps I understand things a little better now” (emphasis mine).

You can see it in Isildur, too. The films misrepresent this scene: Elrond says nothing of dragging Isildur up Mount Doom to try to get him to destroy the Ring; he says that “whether we would or no, he took it to treasure it” but at that time there is no way anyone present could know what kind of effect the Ring would have on someone other than Sauron, because Isildur is the first person after Sauron to hold it. But Elrond telling the story has the benefit of Gandalf’s recent decades of research, and the reader also can see the red flags popping up almost as soon as Isildur touches it. He “will have [the Ring] as weregild for my father, and my brother” he claims, which is a similar kind of justification to Bilbo’s story of winning the Ring instead of finding it. Weregild is, per dictionary.com: a term used in Anglo-Saxon and other Germanic countries for “money paid to the relatives of a murder victim in compensation for loss and to prevent a blood feud.” It’s something paid to prevent further bloodshed. It would have been weregild if Sauron had handed it over after Anárion had died, as part of some kind of peace brokerage. But it can’t be weregild if you’re taking it off the dead body of your enemy; it’s too late by then. Isildur does have every right to it as a spoil of war, and no one disputes that right. But the fact that Isildur has to change it and further justify it even in his own mind is a sign that the Ring is already working on him. And if that is not enough (which it might not be—weregild is a very archaic term), Tolkien further illustrates the effects of the Ring taking hold on Isildur in the document that Gandalf discovers in Minas Tirith’s archives: “But for my part I will risk no hurt to this thing: of all the words of Sauron the only fair. It is precious to me, though I buy it with great pain.”

This effect of the Ring is not something that can be defeated easily. Only twice is it given up willingly: once by Bilbo, who needs all of the help Gandalf can give him, and once by Sam, who has born it for a very short time—and even then “Sam felt reluctant to give up the Ring and burden his master with it again.” There you see another justification—perfectly in character for Sam to want to spare Frodo, but also a thought that the Ring can latch onto and use, to twist for its own purposes.

And though Sam is able to return it to Frodo with relative ease, he tries to compromise: “If it’s too hard a job, I could share it with you, maybe?”

Frodo’s reaction illustrates just how far gone he is—made more tragic by his awareness of it:

“‘No, no!’ cried Frodo, snatching the Ring and chain from Sam’s hands. ‘No you won’t, you thief!’ He panted, staring at Sam with eyes wide with fear and enmity. Then suddenly, clasping the Ring in one clenched fist, he stood aghast. A mist seem to clear form his eyes, and he passed a hand over his aching brow. The hideous vision had seemed so real to him, half bemused as he was still with wound and fear. Sam had changed before his very eyes into an orc gain, leering and pawing at his treasure, a foul little creature with greedy eyes and slobbering mouth. But now the vision had passed. There was Sam kneeling before him, his face wrung with pain, as if he had been stabbed in the heart; tears welled from his eyes.

“‘O Sam!’ cried Frodo. ‘What have I said? What have I done? Forgive me! After all you have done. It is the horrible power of the Ring. I wish it had never, never, been found. But don’t mind me, Sam. I must carry the burden to the end. It can’t be altered. You can’t com between me and this doom.’”

And that is only looking at what it does to people who possess it. Saruman never comes near it, but the mere desire twists him from someone noble and wise and good into a miniature Sauron. Boromir also falls—he is a good man, an honorable and brave and ambitious man desperate to protect his home, and the Ring takes that and twists it until Boromir breaks and attacks Frodo. The Ring is a thing made with evil and malicious intentions, for explicitly evil purposes, and it cannot be taken and used for good—in fact it will take even the best of intentions and twist them to evil. Gandalf knows this, and that is why when Frodo asks if he will take the Ring his response is immediate and vehement:

‘No!’ cried Gandalf, springing to his feet. ‘With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly.’ His eyes flashed and his face was lit as by a fire within. ‘Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good. Do not tempt me! I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused. The wish to wield it would be too great for my strength. I shall have such need of it.’

And Galadriel has a similar response when Frodo offers it to her. There is of course her famous description of what she would become were she to take it, but then Sam says to her:

‘But if you’ll pardon my speaking out, I think my master was right. I wish you’d take his Ring. You’d put things to rights. You’d stop them digging up the gaffer and turning him adrift. You’d make some folk pay for their dirty work.’

‘I would,’ she said. ‘That is how it would begin. But it would not stop with that, alas! We will not speak more of it.’

That is why the plot of The Lord of the Rings centers around the Ring’s destruction. Everything else—the battles, the politics, the power struggles, Aragorn’s rise to kingship—all of it is secondary. And the Ring itself is an active player. I will not go so far as to claim it has sentience, or any kind of active thought, but there is a significant part of Sauron’s will and his power held within it, and there is a drive to be found and kept and used—and ultimately to return to its maker.

The Silmarils, on the other hand, are the greatest creation of Fëanor at the height of his powers in Valinor:

For Fëanor, being come to his full might, was filled with a new thought, or it may be that some shadow of foreknowledge came to him of the doom that drew near; and he pondered how the light of the Trees, the glory of the Blessed Realm, might be preserved imperishable. Then he began a long and secret labor, and he summoned all his lore, and his power, and his subtle skill; and at the end of all he made the Silmarils.

As three great jewels they were in form. But not until the End, when Fëanor shall return who perished ere the Sun was made … shall it be known of what substance they were made. Like the crystal of diamonds it appeared, and yet was more strong than adamant, so that no violence could mar it or break it within the Kingdom of Arda. Yet that crystal was to the Silmarils but as is the body to the Children of Ilúvatar: the house of its inner fire, that is within it and yet in all parts of it, and is its life. And the inner fire of the Silmarils Fëanor made of the blended light of the Trees of Valinor, which lives in them yet, though the Trees have long withered and shine no more.

Fëanor’s motives in making the Silmarils are not wholly clear—whether he had some foresight of the death of the Trees, or whether he just wanted to see if he could do it, or to show off his skills, or what. But whatever his motive is, it is not to enthrall or ensnare anyone. On the contrary—while the Ring seeks to isolate its bearer, the Silmarils, though “even in the darkness of the deepest treasury [they] of their own radiance shone like the stars of Varda; and yet, as were they indeed living things, they rejoiced in light and received it and gave it back in hues more marvelous than before.” They are at their most beautiful when out in the light, where they are most likely to be seen and enjoyed by everyone.

They are then hallowed by Varda. To hallow a thing is to to make it holy, and in the case of the Silmarils it also means that “thereafter no moral flesh, nor hands unclean, nor anything of evil will might touch them, but it was scorched and withered”. The mortal flesh bit is contradicted later when Beren handles one with seemingly no issue, but Beren is an exception to many rules, and what remains consistent is that nothing “of evil will” can touch the Silmarils and come away unharmed.

Like the One Ring, the entire plot of The Silmarillion is the great desire of various characters for the Silmarils. This begins with Melkor, whose lust for them inflames his desire to destroy Fëanor, and the friendship between the Valar and the Elves. But this should come as no surprise to the reader; Melkor has historically lusted after sources of power and Light, going often into the Void in search of the Flame Imperishable. The Silmarils themselves are not doing anything to Melkor; they are the objects of his desires, but not the source.

This pattern continues throughout the The Silmarillion. Fëanor and his sons swear their famous Oath, but the Silmarils don’t make them do it. Then Thingol tells Beren that he must retrieve a Silmaril before he can marry Lúthien, he is setting what seems to everyone present to be an impossible goal, especially after the Dagor Bragollach and the breaking of the Siege of Angband. I’m not saying that Thingol does not actually want a Silmaril; he is very happy to have it once he gets it, but it’s a very different desire from the kind inspired by the Ring much later. Then someone is the bearer of the One Ring, the last thing they want to do is give it up, as discussed above. But the Silmaril that Beren and Lúthien retrieve from Morgoth is passed around without any issue through many different hands. Nowhere is it even implied that Elwing, for example, has trouble giving it to Eärendil to take to the Valar, or to take with him when he sets sail in Vingilot.

Thingol’s desire for the Silmaril I mentioned above; it comes closest to mirroring the kind of obsession triggered by the Ring, but it is not the same. Although “as the years passed Thingol’s thought turned unceasingly to the jewel of Fëanor, and became bound to it,” which sounds a lot like Ring-esque obsession, it does not drive him to isolate himself, or to keep the Silmaril hidden away where only he can see or find it, the way Bilbo keeps the Ring in his pocket and never takes it out when others can see it. Thingol does become “minded now to bear it with him always, waking and sleeping,” but by its very nature that can’t be done secretly. There is also no use to the Silmaril the way there is to the Ring—it cannot turn one invisible, and it does not give one power over others. The Silmarils have a power—more on that later—but it’s of a very different kind.

An explanation can be found for Thingol’s obsession through a study of his character arc and his relationship with Valinor and the Trees (which is another essay unto itself). Thingol, along with Ingwë and Finwë, goes to Valinor as an ambassador, and when they return to Cuiviénen there is nothing in the text to indicate that he is more or less enthusiastic than his companions to convince the Eldar to go to dwell with the Valar, and he in fact leads the largest faction of the Eldar over Middle-earth on the Great Journey. It is only by chance (if chance you call it) that he stumbles upon Melian in Nan Elmoth, where “a spell was laid on him, so that they stood thus while long years were measured by the wheeling stars above them; and the trees of Nan Elmoth grew tall and dark before they spoke any word.” Famously, they remain lost in Nan Elmoth so long that Ulmo comes back to get the Teleri that have lingered to search for him, and under Olwë many of them depart, and those that remain give up the chance to get to Valinor—and that includes Thingol when he finally returns to them. Thingol does not choose to remain behind; he gets left behind. And when The Silmarillion speaks of Thingol’s desire to go to Valinor, it specifically says that it is the light of the Trees that he desires: “Greatly though he had desired to see again the light of the Trees, in the face of Melian he beheld the light of Aman as in an unclouded mirror, and in that light he was content.”

Fast forward to the Flight of the Noldor, and Thingol learns that Morgoth has destroyed the Trees (and murdered his friend Finwë), so that even if he were to reach Valinor, their light is gone forever. Fast forward to the Dagor Bragollach, and the Siege of Angband has broken and Beleriand is swiftly growing ever more dark and dangerous as the power of Morgoth grows. Then Beren comes, and the Quest happens, and now Thingol has a Silmaril. He no longer has to be content with the reflected light of Aman in Melian’s face, however unclouded a mirror it may be. Now he has the real thing, a real piece of Laurelin and Telperion at Mingling. Of course it might become an obsession.

Less readily explainable is the Dwarves’ decision to insist upon the Silmaril and the Nauglamír as payment, when Thingol commissions them to combine the two. They have been coming and going between their mountain halls and Menegroth for many generations by now, and there is no mention of any kind of prior dispute over payment—certainly not one that results in bloodshed. Yet when Thingol goes to take up the finished Nauglamír they “in that moment withheld it from him, and demanded that he yield it up to them, saying: ‘By what right does the Elvenking lay claim to the Nauglamír, that was made by our fathers for Finrod Felagund who is dead? It has come to him but by the hand of Húrin the Man of Dor-lómin, who took it as a thief out of the darkness of Nargothrond.’”

This does sound rather like the Ring-induced desires we see in The Lord of the Rings, although the Dwarves do not mention the Silmaril. It is Thingol who decides that that is what they want—whether he is correct in this assessment is, in my opinion, debatable. There is another form of treasure that warps people’s minds and desires—dragon gold. And the Nauglamír has just come from Nargothrond, that was for several years under the control of Glaurung. I have thus far only cited the published Silmarillion but at this point I do want to point out that in a previous draft of Thingol’s demise, the gold that Húrin brings to Thingol is, explicitly, cursed.

In the draft of the Quenta Noldorinwa found in The Shaping of Middle-earth Húrin and a few outlaws arrive at Nargothrond “which as yet none, Orc, Elf, or Man, had dared to plunder, for dread of the spirit of Glómund [Glaurung] and his very memory.” There they find the dwarf Mîm, who has come to Nargothrond and “bound [the treasure] to himself with many spells.” Húrin’s companions kill Mîm, “and at his death Mîm cursed the gold.”

This is the gold that, in this version of the story, Húrin takes to throw at Thingol’s feet, and it is this gold that Thingol then summons the Dwarves to make into the Nauglamír in which to hang the Silmaril. The text in this version is extremely explicit about the hold that the cursed gold takes over Thingol and also over the Dwarves who come to work with it. “Yet also they [the Dwarves] lusted for the Silmaril,” is added almost as an afterthought.

In the published Silmarillion there is no explicit curse, though the description of Nargothrond when Húrin comes to it is almost exactly the same as the earlier Quenta, and if one is familiar with The Hobbit, one might remember what else Tolkien has written about dragon hoards. When Bilbo witnesses Thorin’s dealing with Bard after Smaug is slain, the narrator says that “also he did not reckon with the power that gold has upon which a dragon has long brooded … Long hours in the past days Thorin had spent in the treasury, and the lust of it was heavy on him.” This is commonly called the dragon-sickness; its effects are varied in The Hobbit, affecting some more strongly than others—such as Thorin, and also the Master of Lake-town, who “being of the kind that easily catches such disease he fell under the dragon-sickness and took most of the gold and fled with it, and died of starvation in the Waste.”

One can thus infer that both Thingol and the Dwarves of Nogrod are also susceptible to the dragon-sickness, and also to fatal amounts of pride. This puts some of the blame on the Nauglamír, but still none at all on the Silmaril.

None of this is to say that the Silmarils are not desirable. The entire plot of The Silmarillion hinges on their desirability. But in this they are passive objects, unlike the Ring that actively seeks to ensnare new bearers whenever it can. What power lies in the Silmarils lies in the light of the Trees that lives inside them, and that light was made by Yavanna, and is holy and life-giving. The people of Sirion believe that “in the Silmaril lay the healing and the blessing that had come upon their houses and their ships,” and that seems to play a much larger part in their refusal to surrender the Silmaril to Maedhros than the fact that it is an heirloom of Lúthien and Dior. Considering the state of the rest of Beleriand at this time, there seems to be some truth to that belief. It is with the Silmaril also that Eärendil and Elwing are able at last to pass through the barriers around Valinor and come to the shores of Eldamar.

And, much later, it is the light of that Silmaril that Galadriel captures in the phial she gifts to Frodo, and though that phial might be considered as much a reflection of the light of Aman as lives in Melian’s face, there is real tangible power in it—power that works against that of the Ring (and the Witch-king) in the Morgul Vale as the Witch-king and his armies pass by:

There was no longer any answer to that command in his own will, dismayed by terror though it was, and he felt only the beating upon him of a great power from outside. It took his hand, and as Frodo watched with his mind, not willing it but in suspense (as if he looked on some old story far away), it moved the hand inch by inch towards the chain upon his neck. Then his own will stirred; slowly it forced the hand back and set it to find another thing, a thing lying hidden near his breast. Cold and hard it seemed as his grip closed on it: the phial of Galadriel, so long treasured, and almost forgotten till that hour. As he touched it, for a while all thought of the Ring was banished from his mind. He sighed and bent his head.

Later in Shelob’s lair Frodo brings the phial out, and

for a moment it glimmered, faint s a rising star struggling in heavy earthward mists, and then as its power waxed, and hope grew in Frodo’s mind, it began to burn, and kindled to a silver flame, a minute heart of dazzling light, as though Eärendil had himself come down from the high sunset paths with the last Silmaril upon his brow. The darkness receded from it, until ti seemed to shine in the center of a globe of airy crystal, and the hand that held it sparkled with white fire.

Frodo gazed in wonder at this marvelous gift that he had so long carried, not guessing its full worth and potency. Seldom had he remembered it on the road, until they came to Morgul Vale, and never had he used it for fear of its revealing light. Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima! he cried, and knew not what he had spoken; for it seemed that another voice spoke through his, clear, untroubled by the foul air of the pit.

And this is only the light of the Silmaril that Galadriel has caught in the water of her mirror, not the Silmaril itself—a fragment of a fragment of the light of the Trees. It stands and acts in opposition of the Shadow, whether of Morgoth or of Sauron.

All of this has been to say: one can compare the roles that the Silmarils and the One Ring play in their respective stories, as each lies at the center, but there the similarities end. The Silmarils are desirable for their goodness; the Ring is desirable for the malicious power that it promises any prospective bearer. As objects of power they are the antithesis of one another, and for a reader to treat or regard the Silmarils as they would the Ring is, quite frankly, wrong. The motives of a maker matter in Middle-earth, and whatever his deeds later, one cannot equate Fëanor at the height of his power in Valinor to Sauron at the height of his in Mordor.

Bibliography:

1. The Fellowship of the Ring, “The Council of Elrond”, “The Shadow of the Past”, “The Mirror of Galadriel” 2. dictionary.com, entry: weregild 3. The Return of the King, “The Tower of Cirith Ungol" 4. The Silmarillion, “Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor” 5. The Silmarillion, “Of the Ruin of Doriath” 6. The Silmarillion, “Of Thingol and Melian” 7. The Silmarillion, “Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië” 8. The Shaping of Middle-earth, “The Quenta” 9. The Hobbit, “The Gathering of the Clouds” 10. The Hobbit, “The Last Stage” 11. The Two Towers, “The Stairs of Cirith Ungol" 12. The Two Towers, “Shelob’s Lair”

#look i wrote a thing #meta #tolkien meta #silmarils #the one ring #lord of the rings #silmarillion

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turtle-paced · 10 months

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I’m a bit confused with Stannis’s plans about Shireen. Like, he is a misogynist, he is ableist, he spokes against Rhaenyra (because no woman should sit on the iron throne, even tho she was the firstborn child), yet he does view Shireen as his hair and future queen without ever mentioning some possible marriage/passing the claim to some other male relative etc. What are the mental gymnastics happening in his head?

Here's what Stannis has said about Rhaenyra:

"... traitors have always paid with their lives . . . even Rhaenyra Targaryen. She was daughter to one king and mother to two more, yet she died a traitor's death for trying to usurp her brother's crown." Davos IV, ASoS, emphasis mine

So what's going on here is that Stannis adheres to a pretty conventional (sexist) idea of the line of succession. Sons before daughters, daughters before rando male relatives. Shireen, as only child full stop, would be next in line after Stannis. Most of Westeros holds with that (sexist) line of thinking.

That Shireen would have to marry is a given, but most likely a problem for another time.

#asoiaf #valyrianscrolls #stannis baratheon

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 1 month

Text

Hajime Hinata VS Izuku Midoriya [Danganronpa Survivor VS My Hero Academia]

Hifumi: Hajime Hinata, the Ultimate Hope from Hope's Peak Academy.

Leona: Izuku Midoriya, the Symbol of Hope from U.A Academy!

Uchui: The masses need a savior when the world is in danger. In a society that consistently held them back, these incredible heroes began life with nothing and developed the charm, fortitude, compassion, and drive to defend the people they care about.

Hifumi: However, which one of them will prevail when everything is on the line?

Leona: He's Hifumi, I'm Leona and THAT'S Uchui!

Hifumi: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, talents and skills, to see who will win a DEATH BATTLE!

Leona: So we've decided to have Uchui come back for another major role in an episode, and in case you're wondering why...This. This is why.

Uchui: Yes. After all, I happen to have quite a unique attachment to our combatant today.

Leona: Everyone strap in, because we are about to talk about one of the most convoluted and batshit crazy backstories in all Danganronpa lore...and yes, I ACTUALLY mean that this time.

Hifumi: To start with, let's once again go over Hope's Peak Academy, since it actually plays a pretty heavy role in this story, even more so than compared to our other combatants. There are definitely a lot of talented people in our world who have extraordinary skills that make them appear superior to others. People swarm to these gifted individuals, referring to them as prodigies, savants, or even geniuses.

Leona: And Hope's Peak is a school that focuses on these people, giving them Ultimate titles. Like the 77th Class of Ultimate Students, which were freshmen around the same time this story starts. They included characters like the Ultimate Gamer, Gymnast, Team Manager, Mechanic, Photographer...even Princess and Yakuza!

Uchui: Hope's Peak Academy and it's staff did not care about who you were or where you were from. Be you a poor slum dweller with barely any cash or power to your name, or the heir to a powerful empire with a criminal underbelly, it didn't matter. So long as you were the most talented high schooler in your respective field, you could be invited to attend Hope's Peak's main course as an Ultimate.

Hifumi: Emphasis on the "invite" part. Unlike most Japanese high schools, Hope's Peak Academy does not have an entrance exam, at least it didn't at the time. Modern Hope's Peak under the guide of Makoto Naegi is different and more welcoming, but back in the old days, you had to actively be scouted by the academy itself in order for a chance to attend.

Uchui: There WAS, however, more to this. In the year that Class 77-B enrolled, the Reserve Course was launched by the Academy runners. It was designed for students without talent who could attend classes for a hefty fee. Reserve Course attendance was required, and students were treated like regular students, in contrast to Ultimate students who could choose to attend classes or not. Only three Reserve Course students are currently recognized by name, but the most significant by far...was Hajime Hinata.

Hifumi: Like many of his kind, Mr Hinata had always admired Hope's Peak Academy and hoped to attend since he was a young child. It was a lofty ambition of his, comparable to becoming a superhero or celebrity. Being a part of something greater than himself would allow him to overcome his self-consciousness and grow into a person he could be proud of. Being a talentless person, he thought his life was boring, and that he himself was worthless.

Leona: But thanks to the Reserve Course, Hajime got to attend his dream school, lived a happy life, and enjoyed his studies to the fullest, right? Right?

Uchui: Not by a LONG shot. Even as a Reserve student with no talent, Hajime continued to feel inadequate. He was so resentful of his own limitations that it drove him to want to enroll in the Main Course, not be some backup student. And frankly, the Academy itself and the twisted bastards that ran it, the Steering Committee, did NOT help with this. In fact, they only ADDED to the emotional damage!

Hifumi: In the eyes of the academy runners, having talent was the key to success in life; without it, one can only lead a life of mediocrity and meaninglessness. The Reserve Course Students were despised as merely affluent children who gained admission to the Academy of Hope by buying their way in.

Leona: Oh...Well...That's ok! 'Cause he made a friend! A friend in the form of a really cute and chubby main-course student, Chiaki Nanami! The Ultimate Gamer! They met on the first day of school and met at the fountain to play video games together on a regular basis. She once consoled him after he was upset about not having a talent, telling him that there is more to life than that and that spending time with others is was important.

Uchui: While I can get behind that, and while Hajime was happy to have her company, his obsession with being something greater did not lessen. In fact, the longer he stayed at Hope's Peak, the worse things got, especially when one of his fellow Reserve Course students was murdered by another, and the academy not only refused to do anything about it, but they actively COVERED IT UP to avoid backlash from the public.

Hifumi: When he tried to confront the academy about it, he was swiftly...beaten to the curb. It was here that whatever self-confidence he once had left his body entirely. He wasn't even HUMAN in the eyes of his heroes, just a money-bank! At least...that's what he thought.

Uchui: Truth be told, Hajime had caught the interest of some...suspicious individuals working on an experiment with the Steering Committee...This was the Hope Cultivation Plan, otherwise known as the Izuru Kamukura Project.

Leona: With this being the last straw, Hajime signed up for the project, where he, a young skinny kid, received superpowers to become CAPTAIN AMERICAAAA-This is the wrong script, isn't it?

Hifumi: Well, it DOES share some similarities, but the actual outcome could not have been more drastically different. This is the part you should explain Mr Porosen, assuming you're alright with it...

Uchui: It's perfectly fine. It's why I came on the show today after all...Ahem...Truth be told, the original plan for the Izuru Kamukura Project was proposed by Ryuichi Kamukura, a descendent of Izuru Kamukura; the original founder of Hope's Peak...He's also...my Father...

Leona: If you think that's a yowch, it'll hurt more to know that in spite of Izuru reportedly being a rather humble man, his descendants were anything BUT! The family is basically the Danganronpa equivalent of Umbrella Corp. reputed for their secretly evil and ruthless nature, sacrificing anyone and anything in their quest to achieve perfection. The only exception, and the only one of them who actually had a fucking conscience, was Uchui here.

Uchui: And the Hope Cultivation Plan was supposed to be my father's pièce de résistance. The purpose of the experiment that my father designed, oversaw, and received funding for from The Steering Committee, was to produce artificial hope in talentless students and create the "Ultimate Hope," a student possessing every talent Hope's Peak Academy has ever studied. In actuality, my father implanted pieces of artificial talents into me, making me a test subject who first demonstrated that it was possible. Hope's Peak was sought after by him because he believed that high school age was the ideal age, since I was still a child and my body was not suitable for it. B-But this isn't about me! Since Hajime on the other hand, they deemed was the perfect candidate.

Hifumi: As you may have surmised, in order to accomplish this goal, immoralities such as human experimentation were needed. For this reason, the Steering Committee concealed the project from everyone, including Principal Jin Kirigiri and the other Hope's Peak Faculty members. As a matter of fact, the Kamukura Project was primarily funded by the Reserve Course, with the majority of students' tuition fees going toward it, and the project had enough money to start the human testing phase before the freshman year of Class 77-B.

Uchui: And for better or worse, the experiment was a SUCCESS! Hajime took this offer because he was so desperate for talent, and in the end he acquired every talent known to man. And so the "Ultimate Hope" came into being—the one and only human being who is flawless and whose abundance of gifts is intended to give others hope.

Leona: Great! So now he can basically do everything! And it's not just a matter of being as great as every Ultimate Student! Hajime actually EXCEEDS all of them in their latent abilities by a MILE!

Uchui: Ultimate Hope is the most powerful talent that our universe has ever known from how it culminates every ability. It includes the powers of Ultimate Analyst, Ultimate Clairvoyant, Ultimate Imposter, Ultimate Lucky Student, Ultimate Martial Artist, Ultimate Secret Agent, Ultimate Soldier, Ultimate Assassin, Ultimate Neurologist, Ultimate Detective, Ultimate Team Manager, Ultimate Gymnast, Ultimate Photographer, Ultimate Cook, Ultimate Animator, Ultimate Programmer, Ultimate Mechanic, Ultimate Musician, Ultimate Pharmacist, Ultimate Gambler, Ultimate Confectioner, Ultimate Blacksmith, Ultimate Pyrotechnician, Ultimate Nurse, Ultimate-

Leona: Stop! STOP! STOOOP! Are you seriously listing EVERYTHING!?

Uchui: Uh...yeah? Is that not the idea?

Leona: We will literally be here FOREVER if you list of EVERY skill he has, you nerd!

Uchui: Oh...I...Sorry...I got a bit carried away there...As dastardly as the circumstances are, I cannot help but marvel at the results.

Hifumi: Well, we DO have to at least explain SOME of them, otherwise our audience won't have much to work with. Why don't we go over the one's that are most notable and important; i.e. the one's that would help him in combat? Then we can elaborate on them and explain feats.

Uchui: Oh, I see! Well in that case, let's start with some basic combative talents like Ultimate Soldier. Because of his talents, Hajime is above superhuman in terms of physical strength, reflexes, and speed. This gives him Mukuro Ikusaba's talent, but to a much larger extent, so he should be able to accomplish all of her achievements and feats as well. Speaking of Ms. Ikusaba, he actually launched her with a backhand move not long after he unlocked his abilities. He can effortlessly dodge bullets like her too.

Leona: That's right! Remember that super badass and almost unbeatable Ultimate Soldier that has incredible instincts that we talked about in Round 2? Hajime was standing RIGHT in front of her, hit her with an attack that she DIDN'T SEE COMING, and ONE-SHOT HER! Holy shit! Where was your Ultra Instinct THAT time Mukuro!?

Hifumi: Speaking of strong characters and matching feats, Mr. Hinata is knowledgeable about and skilled in every martial art, just like Mrs. Sakura Ogami, and he is swift and strong enough to defeat the Monokuma that Junko Enoshima was using in the first Killing Game, whereas SHE could match it.

Leona: With his talents, Hajime should realistically be able to do everything the likes that Genocide Jill, Akane Owari and Nekomaru Nidai; other powerful characters in the series, some of which we've already gone over!

Hifumi: Remember how, without using any climbing equipment, Ms. Owari climbed the Hope's Peak building with ease, detected the smell of cooking meat while on the roof, and survived the fall from the roof to the ground? He can do that too!

Uchui: Remember how Genocide Jill used a pair of scissors to cut through robots the size of small houses, leaped from the ground to a monorail several stories above, shattered glass windows without a running start, cut through a steel door, and deflected blows from a robot the size of a skyscraper? He can do that too!

Leona: Remember how Nekomaru took a shit so hard that it carved a hole through a forest and screamed so hard that he generated three explosions the size of Hope's Peak Academy? He can do that too!

Uchui: Uuuuh...Yes! Yes he can! As much as I loathe to be reminded of that...!

Hifumi: As with Ms. Komaru Naegi, who we've already mentioned has an excellent eye and accuracy, Mr. Hinata also possesses marksman abilities and ought to be the world's greatest marksman. More importantly, he should outclass Kiyoka Maki, the ACTUAL Ultimate Marksman, in terms of dexterity and proficiency with a gun.

Leona: But of course, there's more to fight than just being able to move and punch super fast and hard. You also have to consider skill, tactics, and of course, bullshit. And BOY does he have some BULL-SHIT!

Hifumi: Ironically what may be Izuru's two most useful abilities originally come from less-than-desirable people. His eventual arch-enemy, Junko Enoshima, and his arch-rival, Nagito Komaeda. These talents of course being Ultimate Analytical Prowess and Ultimate Lucky Student respectively.

Uchui: Hajime's analytical abilities are nearly unopposed, much like Junko's, possessing a startlingly high degree of accuracy and speed in his prediction abilities. Additionally, he has the ability to read people the moment he meets them. He also has the talent Ultimate Lie Detector and has stated himself that he can detect dishonesty in others, which renders any attempt to deceive him futile.

Hifumi: Furthermore, he's demonstrated an overabundance of good fortune with the Ultimate Lucky Student talent, to the extent that it can rival that of Nagito Komaeda. He is among the very few individuals who are shielded from Komaeda's extreme bad luck as a result. The best example of this is when Komaeda pointed a gun at Enoshima not long after their first meeting. When he attempts to fire the at the Ultimate Hope, Mr. Hinata's good fortune overrides Komaeda's, causing the gun to jam.

Leona: Ok, but...wait a second...I think I get how this hypothetically COULD be possible. I mean, for performance enhancing and combat powers, you can fiddle with his brain, fuck with his genes or mess with his muscles and skeletal structure. I GET that. But how in the ever-loving fuck do you gift somebody LUCK!? Luck isn't a substance! It's an immaterial thing that has no conclusive sway, so...how is he able to do this?

Uchui: Good question! NEXT QUESTION...!

Leona: Um...alrighty then! So, at the end of the day, Hajime got his wish and then some! He had gone from being a nobody to being the icon that Hope's Peak's morals were grounded on! A symbol of Hope for the future of all mankind! And he was loving every second of it!

Uchui: I'm sure he would...if he had been around to see it...

Leona: I really need to stop jinxing myself...Ok, what happened this time?

Hifumi: Truth be told, a lot of the feats that we've just listed were, technically, not achieved by Mr. Hinata himself. As it turns out, the Steering Committee and the Cultivation Team, as they did VERY OFTEN, DECIEVED Mr. Hinata. In addition to being endowed with an abundance of abilities and boundless potential for greatness, he was also lobotomized in order to eliminate any memories, personality, or other emotional functions that might have impeded the development of talent. Not that they told HIM that.

Leona: Those dirty...FUCKING...BASTARDS!

Uchui: Quite right. Hajime was used as a lab rat by the very people he spent his whole life looking up to, who took advantage of his talent and feelings of admiration for hope. They eliminated every sense, feeling, thought, and pastime that would have impeded the development of talent. His memories of the past, including those of his best friend Chiaki, were all pushed deep into the back of his mind by force. The academy changed Hajime into an entirely different person whose specialty is talent itself by directly interfering with his brain. He was supposed to be the result of all the research done by the faculty at Hope's Peak Academy, a genius among geniuses with a variety of skills. He became an empty shell of a human stuffed with nothing but talent...He became...Izuru Kamukura...!

Leona: He became your granddad?

Uchui: No, he was named after my granddad, silly! Ryuichi wanted to make sure that our "family legacy" was recognized as such, so he and the Hope's Peak Steering Committee named him after the academy founder.

Leona: Ugh this is all...so fucked! How can this get any worse?

Hifumi: Well, three words...Junko...! Fucking...! Enoshima...!

Leona: UUUUUUUUUGH GAAAWWWD! What did she do THIS time!?

Uchui: At first, it seemed as though she was trying to kill him because he was the Ultimate Hope, but Junko's true goal was to attack him knowing she couldn't win in order to demonstrate Despair's unpredictable nature, peaking what little curiosity Izuru had. By forcing him to witness the student council members' mutual murder and many other forms of humanity at their worst, Junko coerced Izuru into leading the Remnants of Despair—a group made up of Chiaki's brainwashed classmates—and causing the Tragedy. Izuru changed his title from "Ultimate Hope" to "Ultimate Despair" after siding with Despair and leading to the total destruction of Hope's Peak and the world.

Leona: On the one hand...this guy is one of the main reasons why the Tragedy happened...But on the other, SWEET TASTY KARMA for the fuckboys at Hope's Peak! It's so REFRESHING MMM!

Hifumi: That's...weirdly psychotic of you...But I suppose it makes sense?

Leona: Ok, but to be fair, putting my lust for vengeance aside, this doesn't sound great...The Ultimate Hope is evil and Hajime is dead! ...OR IS HE!? Later on down the line, Izuru Kamukura got confronted by the Future Foundation and he and his cronies in the Remnants of Despair were placed in the Neo World Program, a program designed to undo Junko's brainwashing after her death.

Hifumi: Following Izuru's entry into the Neo World Program, Hajime's memories were recovered and his former personality was recreated using historical data, essentially resurrecting Hajime from his near-total erasure.

Leona: Awesome! Hajime's alive again, he and his friends are getting...questionable therapy, Junko's dead and everything's back to normal! ...I just did it again, didn't I?

Hifumi: It turns out that Izuru predicted in advance, likely using his analyst and clairvoyance talents, that the Future Foundation would attempt to go this route. He even knew in advance that Hajime would be brought back through these means. However, following Junko's passing, Kamukura devised a scheme to use the Neo World Program to enable Alter Ego Junko to take control of their bodies, with the help of the other Remnants of Despair. Junko's AI infiltrated the program and kickstarted the Jabberwock Island Killing Game!

Leona: Oh GREAAAAT! How the hell does the Future Foundation even contend with that!? The most powerful, intelligent and unstoppable person completely destroyed their master plan, and now nothing is going to stop them! ...Did I just jinx it again?

Uchui: In a positive spin this time, yes! It turns out that in spite of being responsible for Junko's presence in the program, Izuru's intentions DIDN'T align with hers. At least...not completely...

Leona: How so?

Uchui: Well, one interesting thing that many people forget about Izuru Kamukura is that in spite of his unmatched prowess of predictions and insight, he doesn't know EVERYTHING. In fact, Junko was actually able to surprise him by showing him the unpredictability of Despair during the slaughter of the student council. Izuru almost got shot in the face and didn't see it coming due to Despair's unpredictability. However, at the same time, he found out that Hope could be equally as unpredictable...When Junko masterminded the death of Chiaki Nanami, Hajime's best friend, and the main catalyst in brainwashing her classmates.

Leona: Aw, she died!? How could they be so...*sniff*...HEARTLESS!?

Hifumi: That's Junko Enoshima for you...But the real surprise was that when Izuru witnessed Chiaki's final moments...he cried. Something that he never expected he could feel. And it was here that Izuru really figured out what needed to happen. What he needed to do.

Uchui: Ultimately unable to make up his mind between Hope and Despair, he had chosen to sit back and watch the other members of Ultimate Despair. This was to determine if it would be in his best interest to pursue Junko's Despair or Chiaki's Hope. His personal objective, which even Junko was unaware of, was to watch the conflict between hopelessness and optimism and ultimately decide which side to support by uploading the AI into the program and seeing how things played out. To which Hajime found his hope again through Chiaki's AI counterpart, and was able to retake control of his mind, body, and very being.

Leona: And...he ACTUALLY came back this time, right? Like ACTUALLY? I don't want to jinx it again.

Uchui: Yep, he came back as himself finally. However, even though Hajime returned, Izuru didn't exactly leave. It turns out that Izuru and Hajime's identities merged into one by the time they arrived to save the Future Foundation with the revived Remnants following the Final Killing Game, as he recalled his memories before the project. Additionally, Izuru continued to exist in Hajime's mind for a while as a ghostly illusion, resembling a second personality that lurked in the shadows.

Leona: But Hajime still came back, and he got to live a happy life fighting for the future he believed in with his friends on Jabberwock Island; and he lived out his days in peace...

Uchui: At least until he almost died and Izuru automatically took over his body again...

Leona: OH COME ON!

Hifumi: We will likely be here forever if we break down everything Mr. Hinata has accomplished or what he's been through, but we should definitely get to breaking down feats and general stats as we always do.

Uchui: We've already kind of broken down some powers and the things that Hajime is capable of, but let's talk about some feats. Let's start with general strength.

Leona: Hajizuru is stronger, faster, tougher and smarter than every other Danganronpa character, including people who can fight skyscraper sized robots, dodge machine gun bullets, elbow drop the floor to make it collapse and survive the fall with no injuries, hold onto a vehicle moving at escape velocity, survive a barrage of missile hitting them with no damage and survive the roof of a building falling on them with no permanent damage. That's pretty neat!

Uchui: Now might be a good time to mention that Hajime is actually one of three people (not including Makoto Naegi because his is different) that holds the title Ultimate Hope, and is the first of three who have received these powers; though the other two did so through Organization Zetsubou's Hope Serum, a concoction that gives them a pseudo-powerful version of Hajime's overpowered abilities. These two are Ayumu Fujimori, a young man in a similar shitty situation to a young Hajime, who he sensed a kindred spirit in, and Nagito Komaeda, Hajime's long running arch-rival, who gained the powers to be on equal footing with him...Which turned out to not have been the case at all.

Hifumi: During his fight with both Ultimate Hope's, Mr. Hinata seemed to be even with them, but as it turns out, once Kamukura took control of his body again, he revealed that Mr. Hinata had been holding back...MASSIVELY. And the following beatdown on Komaeda, he proved this.

Leona: Starting with Ayumu, even though he only had his powers for a few days, after being forced to watch Komaeda kill his closest companion...yeah things are really awkward between these three like that...purely out of rage, he let out a huge burst of energy that levelled a small town! So how does Hajime scale to that? Surprise! Turns out he's a NUKE waiting to happen!

Hifumi: To be more specific, after his fight with Komaeda in the city of Kyoto, when Kamukura took over, Chiaki Nanami stated that Izuru's natural potency has the potential to level ALL OF KYOTO, resulting in the destruction of many homes and facilities, and the potential deaths of tens of thousands. If we take this literally, it puts Mr. Hinata's natural power on the same level, if not slightly higher, as the Little Boy bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. That's about 15 Kilotons of TNT by the way.

Uchui: And he can recreate this explosion just...letting out all the power that's inside him! He doesn't even need to MOVE to do that! In that same fight against Nagito, his opponent tossed the top half of a skyscraper at him...And Izuru responded by COMPLETELY OBLITERATING the projectile and grinding it to dust...by simply FLICKING A PEBBLE AT IT. And in reality, we KNOW that Izuru is FAR stronger than this! He FAR surpasses some of the strongest feats of strength in Danganronpa, and right now, the most powerful calculable feat of strength Big Bang Monokuma's head being rocketed up so high, it blasted a hole through the clouds. This was briefly discussed in Komaru's episode, but scaling Hajime to that, it would increase his attack potency from 15 Kilotons to AT LEAST 173 Kilotons of TNT.

Hifumi: But by far his most potent feat is his latest and greatest. In the middle of a standoff with Matta Gyalusetsu, Izuru Kamukura, for the first time in his life, got MAD, and with it, kind of serious. And he pounded the ground so hard with his foot, that it sent a TREMOR ACROSS ALL OF JAPAN.

Uchui: With our current scaling, that bumps Izuru's raw strength aaaallll the way up! To absolutely IMPOSSIBLE levels at that!

Leona: Now I know what you're thinking. Something like that shouldn't be possible, right? And you're right! Anyway, aside from that, he also defeated a fleet of approximately 41 ships from the Future Foundation seemingly single-handedly, and then later in the same day took down 5 elite Future Foundation personnel single-handedly, apparently by himself and without sustaining any damage.

Hifumi: He is far superior to people like Sakura Ogami, Nekomaru Nidai, and Mukuro Ikusaba—whose destructive potential we have already spoken about at length—as the Ultimate Hope. Furthermore, Kamukura gave incredibly sloppy performances with little to no purpose for each of his shows of power. However, Mr. Hinata DOES possess that drive, so just think of the incredible feats of strength HE could accomplish with that ability!

Uchui: Hajime would have the ability to defeat armies and bring about the end of the world on his own if he didn't restrict himself to make sure he doesn't unintentionally cause wanton destruction or overwhelm his peers with his sheer power and talent.

Leona: But strength isn't everything. Let's talk speed!

Uchui: As we previously discussed, Hajime is significantly faster than Mukuro and was able to overwhelm her in their first meeting. In addition, he has avoided blasts from the FF Hacking Gun in the past and has managed to avoid a bullet that he was only just able to see coming, demonstrating that he is at least faster than light.

Hifumi: We can't exactly lock down an exact unit of Mr. Hinata's speed, but we know that it at least has to be above relativistic. Scaling him with his allies and creatures of his own caliber like the Monokuma's, we know he at least has to be Mach 23. However, we know that this is even higher, because Izuru has, on multiple occasions, moved so fast that it appears time is not moving around him, like he did when he shot Komaeda after their first meeting. This results in a speed that is just straight up incalculable, so we can only make estimations.

Leona: And, just for good measure, he possesses literally every talent known to man; and there are many talents that necessitate peak human reflexes and reaction time, as well as other brain-to-body reactions and coordination.

Uchui: Defense and durability is even harder to calculate, but he's been thrown through buildings and tossed around like a ragdoll with barely any scratches or signs of fatigue. But the BIG calculation that we can scale him to is the time that Akira Tsuchiya dropped an FF satellite on Jabberwock Island and completely DESTROYED it. Of which, Hajime was basically at the epicenter of.

Leona: Holy shit, WHAT!?

Hifumi: We don't know for sure just how big or how wide Jabberwock Island is, but assuming we take a look at the zoomed out map and scale 1 pixel to about...1 mile. That would make Jabberwock Island's full scale 828 miles wide and 408 miles tall, giving it a total area of 337,824 miles squared. And if we assume that the satellite is roughly medium sized, as it is depicted in the image of the chapter, that would put it's mass at about 2500kg maximum. Quantifiably, that would make the Jabberwock Island explosion tantamount to...21 Kilotons of TNT!

Leona: Holy...Fucking...Shit...

Uchui: This is all VERY subjective though. Without knowing the actual size of Jabberwock Island, force of the explosion, or what Hajime actually did to shield himself from the blast, since like I said, he can move faster than time permits, which would give him plenty of time to get to safety, we can't definitely say that this is his ACTUAL defensive ability. Hajime usually resorts to dodging attacks instead of tanking them, and even in situations where his speed and defensive talents don't work out, he can always fall back on his luck, which again, outlucks even Nagito Komaeda's.

Leona: But it is an INDESPUTABLE FACT that Hajime was ON THE ISLAND when it blew up. Besides, 21 Kilotons scales well with his Little Boy output equivalent. Really makes me wonder how someone this overpowered could ever hope to lose?

Hifumi: Well, it's not like Mr. Hinata doesn't have his limits. Though more motivated than Kamukura, he rarely ever has to push himself when it comes to fights, so when he DOES get caught of guard, he gets caught off-guard BADLY. Like he did against Fujimori and Komaeda when he first found out about their powers.

Leona: I guess in that regard, Hajime's greatest weakness may be his power itself. Not only does he have a shitload of baggage to carry as a result of his powers, but because almost nothing can threaten him, he is frequently vulnerable to being caught off guard and lacks a surefire solution to any opponents who may be stronger than him. But even so, can you BLAME him!? With his superhuman abilities and talents combined with his sheer prediction ability and intellect? How could you NOT get a little cocky like that.

Hifumi: I wouldn't say "cocky" Actually, in spite of how he's factually better than everyone, Mr. Hinata has a tendency to hold back so that others can take the spotlight over him. In that regard, I don't think there's anyone more humble?

Uchui: That's why he's the Ultimate Hope. There is no title greater for someone like Hajime Hinata.

Leona: You know, sometimes I really do think we're living out a sci-fi drama every day of our lives guys. And it makes me laugh because I think the world of My Hero Academia is pretty normal by comparison.

Uchui: You probably don't realize how much you're exaggerating. The world of My Hero Academia, or Boku No Hero Academia (if you're annoying) is anything from normal, since 80% of humanity have developed supernatural abilities known as "Quirks".

Hifumi: Formerly known as meta-abilities, Quirks are decided and gained by a person's genetic makeup, giving them superhuman abilities. They aren't just specific to each user either; they fall into several categories as well. Additionally, Quirk users can typically only develop one ability; as a result, they cannot naturally acquire any other powers besides the one they're born with.

Leona: And Heroes are people who have been granted permission to use their special abilities to defend the public against Villains who use their powers for evil, natural disasters, and other threats. Heroes are people who make their profession out of being heroic; the World Heroes Association overseeing all hero activity worldwide. That's right! Being a superhero is literally a way to make a living here!

Uchui: And it's because of the revolution of Quirks and the industry of heroes that places like U.A. High School, and many other schools like it, popped up.

Hifumi: U.A. is regarded as Japan's best Hero Academy and is the top-ranked high school for heroics. Its teachers are free to conduct their classes in any way they see fit, and it does not follow conventional school procedures. In fact, All Might, the world's greatest pro hero, widely known as the Symbol of Peace, is just one of the many heroes that U.A. is known for having trained and produced.

Uchui: With his dramatic flair and charismatic smile, All Might naturally gained many fans who wanted to grow up to be like him one day: A hero who's presence could bring smiles to even the most tragic situations. One of those fans, arguably his all time biggest...Was Izuku Midoriya, AKA: Deku.

Leona: "Deku", by the way, is a pun on the Japanese word "Dekunobou", which means "good for nothing". A nickname "lovingly" given to him by his "best friend since childhood" Katsuki Bakugou.

Hifumi: And while not very nice, made sense as a nickname. Midoriya was originally born as one of the 20% of the population who did not possess a quirk, in spite of his parents both having one of their own. Because of this, he was initially tormented and bullied throughout much of his younger life.

Uchui: It struck particularly hard because Deku was such a huge fan of All Might and aspired to be just like him. Imagine being told that you are utterly incapable of becoming like your idol by almost everyone, including your own family, because you were born with a certain birth defect. I've been there, and trust me, that shit stings.

Leona: In spite of being a basic bitch, Deku didn't want to give up on his dreams. Even after that bitch Bakugou told him to swan dive off the school building's roof, Deku continued to reflect upon how he had come to his aspirations in the first place...WHOOPS, SLIME VILLAIN ATTACK WATCH OUT!

Uchui: While Deku very nearly lost his life, it all worked out in the end when he was saved from the slime villain by none other than All Might himself. Izuku asked if he could become a hero without having his own quirk when he had the opportunity to speak with him. All Might, however, went on to tell Deku that experts had to risk everything to save the day, so they couldn't honestly state whether or not a hero could exist without a quirk.

Leona: Damn...Even his idol is telling him to give up on his dreams...This kid's life sucks ass!

Hifumi: But the tides can change very quickly, and in this case the winds blew the other direction. Deku was thinking about giving up on his goals while strolling home when he approached the location of a villain attack. His body moved on its own when he realized Bakugou was the victim, possessed by the same villain who had attacked him earlier. Having looked at his old friend's pleading eyes, Deku rushed towards the villain, attempting to save Bakugou despite being Quirkless. Inspired by the boy's action, All Might appeared and stopped the Sludge Villain before he could harm Deku.

Leona: This was where the life of the Quirkless wimp that was Izuku Midoriya did a full 180. As it turns out, All Might's body was slowly decaying as a result of a grievous injury he suffered at the hands of his arch-nemesis, All Might needed someone that he could pass his legacy onto. Someone who could become the new Symbol of Peace after his time was up.

Hifumi: Moreover, All Might desired no ordinary person. There were a lot of people looking for fame and wealth in the hero world. To save someone, All Might desired a person whose body moved on its own. He chose to take on young Midoriya as a pupil after realizing that he possessed those qualities.

Leona: And surprise surprise, his legacy wasn't the only thing he was passing on. He ALSO gifted Deku his QUIRK. Wait, but I thought Quirks were genetic. How did All Might pass his quirk on? What's the story behind that?

Uchui: A long time ago, a villain by the name of All For One, a man with the ability to transfer other people's quirks to himself, forced his younger brother Youichi Shigaraki, who didn't seem to have any quirks at all, to have one; a Quirk that allowed him to accumulate power inside his body and increase his strength. But neither of them realized that Yoichi already possessed a Quirk; one where it's only ability was that it could be transferred to another individual through his DNA. A new, all-powerful Quirk was created when the transference quirk and the power stockpiling quirk united...The almighty One For All.

Hifumi: All Might himself was actually the 8th user of One For All, inheriting the power from his mentor, Nana Shimura. And once All Might transferred his power over, Deku became the 9th. Deku eventually enrolled in his dream school, UA High, and joined Class 1-A, the same as his now rival, Bakugou, thanks to All Might's support and extensive training. Along the way, he made some friends and partners for life, including Ochako Uraraka, Tsuyu Asui, and Tenya Iida.

Uchui: It feels good to see Izuku get this opportunity to fulfill his dream of becoming a hero after he was denied it for a full 14 years. It really makes you want to support him, doesn't it?

Leona: Yeah, for real! And when time came to establish his own mark as a hero, he turned the name Deku, a title that had only ever been used to make fun of him, into his own Hero name. Turns out "Deku" can ALSO be an abbreviation for "Dekiru", someone who can do anything. Ironic, right?

Hifumi: It's not all sunshine and rainbows of course. You have to be prepared to face off against a wide range of thugs and villains in order to be a hero. Some of these bad guys are capable of shattering buildings like they're made of twigs! Thankfully, it appears that Deku has far more potential with One For All than even All Might initially realized.

Uchui: All For One is unquestionably one of the most powerful quirks in the world of MHA, which is what allowed All Might to gain the prestige that he has. Deku was given the ability to control a vast reservoir of potent energy when he inherited it, and can stockpile that energy to gain momentary superhuman strength at destructive levels, increased agility, increased hearing, and superhuman speed. In fact, when he first used this quirk, he was able to move faster than the human eye and defeat a massive villain bot with a single blow. However, One For All has a VERY notable drawback with it's use.

Leona: It FUCKING HURTS!

Hifumi: "Hurts" doesn't even BEGIN to describe it. A new user's body is not as naturally adapted to One For All's transfer as it would be if they had a Quirk from birth. For instance, it would be ineffective if a fire-breathing person burned their mouth while using their power.

Leona: In addition, One For All is a lot to handle. If your body can't take the power, then you might as well kiss it goodbye! It's because of this, the successor must undergo intense and rigorous physical training to hone their body to make room for the quirk, which is why Deku had to buff himself up and go from lad to chad, just so he could contain it.

Uchui: Even then, it takes time for the new user to get used to One For All and figure out how to use it properly. It took Izuku ten months to prepare for the entrance exam of U.A. High, and, despite training his body to be a suitable vessel for the quirk, going anywhere above 20% of his max power can cause the recoil of his punch to shatter all the bones in his arm. The physical backlash at the time prevented Izuku from being able to fight properly or compete with his peers on an even playing field, and it even caused irreparable damage to his arms and hands. Of course, as things stand now, he's gotten leagues stronger and can handle the quirk more, but the weakness is evidently still there, since it happened to All Might at one point too.

Hifumi: The GOOD news is that Izuku happens to be VERY intelligent and observant.

Leona: Yuh-huh! Deku's greatest asset prior to receiving his quirk was his vast knowledge of fundamental hero skills and tactics. He's been a Pro Hero nerd for years and is able to apply that knowledge during crisis situations in a practical manner. He even has a notebook studying people's quirks!

Uchui: Thus, even with One For All's severe disadvantages, Izuku's cunning gives him ways to wield his power that are still useful in combat. He also has some basic knowledge of hand-to-hand combat and can still act instinctively based on his notes. Deku can even compete head-to-head with Katsuki Bakugou and Shoto Todoroki, two of Class 1-A's strongest students, by using those skills appropriately.

Leona: And one of the big ways he's learned to counter the weaknesses of his quirk is by using his big brain to develop new fighting styles and upgrades to his equipment. For example...Full Cowl!

Hifumi: Midoriya gained better control over his Quirk and was able to unlock this stage of his power thanks to his training with Gran Torino, one of All Might's old mentors. By allowing the power to flow through him rather than concentrate in one place, Midoriya is able to use a portion of the full power of One For All throughout his body.

Uchui: He gains incredible strength, speed, mobility, and agility when he uses this technique. Additionally, when he attacks, it keeps his bones from breaking. However, by dispersing the power throughout his body rather than concentrating it in one spot, Izuku spreads the power throughout his body, which lowers the damage of his attacks. This let's him use powerful punches like his signature Detroit Smash, and can even attack with pressurized air with his Delaware Smash.

Leona: And yes, they're all named after American States. At this point in time, Deku is capable of bringing out about 30% of his maximum potential, 45% if he really wants to push it, without utterly destroying his body. Even then, 30% was combined with Melissa Shield's Full Gauntlet, which negated any disadvantages of using One For All at higher percentages. As a result, it is unknown how this state affects Deku's body under normal circumstances. Deku was able to easily blow away security bots with vast amounts of wind pressure created by the punch with 30%. Of course, if his back is against the wall, he can still access 100% of his power at the risk of breaking whichever body part he attacks with.

Hifumi: When Midoriya reaches his maximum power, he can perform the 1,000,000% Delaware Detroit Smash, the strongest smash move in his repertoire. This move entails him using all of his energy to activate One For All at 100% before unleashing a full-swing attack on his opponent. Midoriya executes the move by first landing a full-handed Delaware Smash before unleashing a devastating Detroit Smash. In the pivotal moment of his fight with Muscular, he defeated the Villain by punching and propelling his enhanced opponent with enough force to leave an impact crater in solid rock with a single blow.

Leona: Furthermore, he possesses the renowned "United States Of The World Smash!" Izuku's rendition of All Might's "United States of Smash." Izuku starts this Ultimate Move by using Full Cowl at 100% to increase his power levels. Then, he launches a forceful barrage of punches. Subsequently, he maneuvers around his adversary, gaining speed and intensifying his lunge prior to unleashing a devastating kick. Originally, this was used to defeat Flect Turn.

Leona: Wait, we're counting the movies here!?

Uchui: Hell yeah we are! I mean, since we're counting Survivor, it's only fair we introduce Deku at his peak, right? Anyway, though Full Cowl was pretty revolutionary in terms of helping Deku grow with his quirk, it wasn't gonna be enough. Thanks to All Might's advice, Deku realized that he was trying too hard to imitate his hero, and so Full Cowl eventually evolved into a unique fighting style that Deku gained with the help of his friend Iida...Full Cowl SHOOT STYLE!

Leona: Because if punching with his arms was getting to be too much, why not just punch with your legs instead!?

Hifumi: Um...I'm fairly certain that is what we call..."kicking?

Leona: Hmph! I'm just quoting the show...

Uchui: Human leg muscles are inherently stronger than human arm muscles, and the Shoot Style fighting style takes advantage of this by emphasizing kicks. Izuku gains much more power and stability by focusing One for All: Full Cowl's effects on his torso and legs as opposed to his arms. Greatly aided by the distinctive Iron Soles that became a part of his outfit.

Hifumi: Originally designed by Mei Hatsume, Deku's Iron Armor Soles are fastened to his iconic red shoes. The impact strength of his kicks is increased when he kicks something because his soles absorb the impact and re-distribute the kinetic energy.

Leona: Speaking of gear and best girl, she also invented Deku's Air Force Gloves, another vital tool on his hero costume. Remember how Uchui dropped that little tidbit of Deku being able to fire pressurized air by flicking his fingers? These gloves allow him to focus, build up and aim these pressurized bursts to deal devastating ranged attacks! Still though...

Hifumi: What?

Leona: I bet what a lot of people are thinking now is that in spite of it's sheer power, One For All seems a little bit of a one-trick pony, right? I mean, sure, it's strong, and he can break shit down with it, and launching bursts of air is cool and all, but...

Uchui: Well, prepare to be surprised. Remember how Hifumi said earlier that there's more potential in Deku than even All Might predicted? Well, it all started during a training match with Class 1-B, 1-A's rivals, when Deku's quirk went berserk, and started shooting black tendrils everywhere!

Leona: Black tendrils? What kind of power is that?

Uchui: As a matter of fact, it's a different quirk known as Blackwhip, which was originally possessed by Daigoro Banjo, the fifth user of One For All. With this quirk, the user can shoot dark energy tendrils that help with grappling from a distance and improve mobility. Izuku can use it to create incredibly powerful and long energy tendrils that he can use to tie up opponents and swing around the city, like Spider-Man, or, like Tsuyu, shoot one out of his mouth.

Leona: So he just straight up got ANOTHER quirk!? So he has two now!?

Hifumi: Actually, he has ALL of the previous users Quirks. Because One For All accumulates power, the Quirk Factors of all of its former users combined with its core have grown stronger over time. Even All Might was unaware of this, and Deku became the first person to be able to access the Quirks of earlier users.

Uchui: He has even more options in combat because he can utilize multiple of these integrated quirks at once. In addition to Blackwhip, there's Float, Gearshift, Fa Jin, Danger Sense, and Smokescreen.

Hifumi: Let's dissect these. The seventh user and All Might's late mentor, Nana Shimura, granted him the quirk Float. Due to this quirk, Midoriya is able to take flight and suspend himself in midair.

Uchui: The second user, Kudo's quirk is Gearshift. Izuku can alter the velocity and/or speed of any object he touches, including himself, thanks to this quirk. This enables him to significantly increase the impact force of his own blows and accelerate both his own and his target's velocities. Gearshift is now so strong that Deku only ever uses it as a last resort due to its unusual nature, which has developed over the years from being empowered within One For All.

Leona: Danger Sense is...It's literally Spider-Sense! It originally belonged to the fourth user, Hikage Shinomori, and it basically sends a sharp tingle through his head whenever he's about to be attacked. What, was Spider-Man one of the OFA users? I feel like Horikoshi might just be plucking powers from the web-slinger.

Hifumi: Not that outlandish. Kohei Horikoshi, My Hero's Mangaka, is famously a very big fan of Spider-Man. Deku's character writing is actually primarily based on Peter Parker himself. Even Blackwhip bares similarities to Spider-Man's web swinging.

Uchui: Bruce, the third user, gifts the Quirk Fa Jin. This Quirk enables Deku to accumulate and store kinetic energy through repetitive movement. He can then unleash this stored energy in the form of an explosive burst of speed and power. Combined with his other quirks, this can yield some deadly results.

Hifumi: Lastly, Smokescreen, the sixth user En's Quirk, is quite simple. This Quirk enables Deku to emit a dense cloud of purple smoke from his body. This smoke can cover a large area and impair people's vision.

Leona: And these quirks, once he mastered them at least, gave Deku WAY more combat options, and a new handful of Ultimate moves at his disposal! Like...OVERDURIVUUUU!

Hifumi: We already HAD the JoJo episode!

Uchui: This is obviously not some Hamon ability. Using Overdrive, Deku applies Gearshift and Fa Jin to himself, enhancing his strength and speed to overtake adversaries and launch devastating blows at them. In fact, the force he unleashes is characterized like One For All at 120%.

Leona: Talk about going Plus Ultra!

Uchui: He also possesses moves like Blackchain, which is a combination of Blackwhip and Fa Jin that launches and ensnares opponents far into the air. Additionally, there is Transmission, in which he charges at his opponent and hits them multiple times, increasing Gearshift's speed with each strike.

Leona: With all these powers at his disposal, Deku really had what it took to become Number 1 and carry on his retired mentor's legacy, and with him now on the field fighting villains, the world was a much safer place because of it...Is what I WOULD be saying, but I'm not about to jinx it again.

Hifumi: The truth is that All Might was not the only person who was passing his legacy onto a protégé. All For One was secretly doing the same thing to Nana Shimura's secret grandchild, Tenko.

Leona: Tenko?

Hifumi: Not THAT Tenko! Taking on the name Tomura Shigaraki, he rose to prominence as the head of the League of Villains, and the Paranormal Liberation Front, with the ultimate objective of emerging as Japan's most formidable villain and obliterating any obstacle in his path.

Uchui: In many ways, Shigaraki's story parodied Deku's own. Both of them relied too much on their teachers at the beginning of their stories and lacked a clear conviction or path to their objectives. However, through One For All and All For One, they both acquired numerous powers and developed into each other's greatest adversaries as heroes and villains respectively.

Leona: But shit really hit the fan when they first unleashed these powers in a war that resulted in a lot of death, and hero society itself to fall apart at the seams. It became clear to Deku that even though All Might had only ever shown him love and encouragement, he was always under an unbearably intense amount of pressure. Especially since Shigaraki could track him and know his every move.

Hifumi: Midoriya became more aloof and cold toward people as a result of the trauma he had endured from the war, witnessing innumerable innocent people have their lives destroyed by the now broken status quo of Hero Society, having All For One and Shigaraki constantly target him because of his Quirk, and having to take on the duty of defending his friends. He grew more and more afraid of the harm he would do to people around him after All For One threatened to break him both mentally and physically, and thanks to his extreme stress and burden, he rushed into battles, leaving All Might, his classmates and the other Heroes behind so no one else would be harmed.

Leona: But...and trust me, I'm saying this from experience...running away from home leaving just a note NEVER goes down well.

Uchui: Izuki had become completely monstrous in his appearance by the time Class 1-A found him, covered in blood and filth from all the non-stop fighting he had put himself through. Thus came probably the hardest challenge he'd faced that entire night.

Hifumi: Even the classically trained bully Bakugou was determined to help his childhood friend, and his classmates weren't about to take no for an answer. They were even willing to use force to bring their friend home, but thankfully, everything turned out okay in the end.

Uchui: Izuku was able to be brought back to reality by Class 1-A, despite his best efforts to flee, and they informed him that although his decisions were sound, he was no longer able to manage things on his own. He knew that his friends would be there for him in times of need, and that the only way to defeat All Might was for everyone to work together to defend their school and the civilian population.

Leona: Friendship is magic baby!

Hifumi: We did My Little Pony already too! Stop making references to past episodes!

Leona: As we often do, let's end this by breaking down a few of Midoriya's feats, starting with strength. Now going by the original DB analysis brought up a rather notable one, so let's get that out of the way first and...why it's kinda bullshit, but also pretty impressive!

Uchui: Izuku's most powerful feat is when he passed the power of One For All to Bakugou in the second movie, and they combined their powers to split an absolutely huge cloud formation above them. We can calculate their dispersion over 63 trillion kilograms of water by sizing the island and comparing it to the clouds above. That is equivalent to the mass of 12,000 Great Pyramids of Giza, meaning that each blow would have needed almost 80 Teratons of TNT. However, we'll cover that in more detail in the post-analysis. It is somewhat complicated.

Leona: The power of One For All allows Deku to take down buildings just with his punches, launch himself hundreds of meters into the air, and tank point-blank explosions. Despite being inferior to both, he managed to send a Full-Power Muscular flying with a single blow and injure the Incomplete Shigaraki's stomach with a kick.

Uchui: And when combined with his other Quirks, these can be even stronger. The combined power of his Detroit Smash Quintuple and Fa Jin results in a release of energy that is at least five times more potent than usual. Deku can increase his power even further by using Gearshift to unleash his Overdrive technique, which was strong enough to punch a hole in Shigaraki's torso, who in his complete form is way stronger than All Might in his prime.

Hifumi: Now let's talk speed. The explosive detonation velocities table indicates that Bakugou can detonate explosives at velocities of Mach 20 or more, a speed that Deku has demonstrated he can at least avoid. On top of that, he reacted to Nine's attacks—another Villain with multiple quirks—and sidestepped a laser with a higher percentage of power. In addition, he has the ability to move and respond to Lady Nagant's bullets, which have a velocity of 5884420.20 m/s.

Uchui: And again, he managed to maintain a pace with Complete Shigaraki, whose velocity is comparable to Prime All Might, who is said to be able to travel more than 200 kilometers in an instant. And with Gear Shift, he quickly and easily defeated Shigaraki before he even realized what had happened.

Leona: Durability's nothing to scoff at either. Even though the recoil of One For All tears his body apart, Deku still keeps on fighting and throwing punches even when his bones are all cracked! And he's capable of taking brutal blows from the likes of Shigaraki and Overhaul at max power, both of whom can easily level a city block on their own.

Hifumi: His extraordinary endurance has only increased as he worked to finish One For All. He has demonstrated levels of stamina comparable to his mentor in his heyday, defeating villains and traveling the entire nation for several weeks, if not a month, without stopping while maintaining Full Cowl activated. These feats occurred following the events of the All-Out War.

Uchui: Even when exhausted to the point of collapse, he was still stronger than all of Class 1-A put together. His extreme pain tolerance has increased even more, to the point where multiple broken bones hardly seem to stop him from fighting. Additionally, he has survived the agony of bullet wounds for roughly a month.

Leona: Deku is an analytical wizard in his own right, since he is well-versed in Quirks and constantly assesses their advantages and disadvantages during combat. But even with all these crazy ass powers and abilities under his belt, Deku's true strength lies in the teamwork between himself and his friends.

Uchui: And with their assistance, Deku will undoubtedly grow into the ray of hope he always imagined himself to be.

Hifumi: The Symbol of Hope...All For One...and One For All...

Hifumi: Alright, the combatants are set! Let's end this debate once and for all!

Leona & Uchui: IT'S TIME FOR A DEEAAATH BAAATTLLLLLLEEE!

Two lightning-fast individuals are seen flying across the screen and parkouring their way over the horizons of an uninhabited island archipelago in the middle of the ocean.

Hajime Hinata, the leader of the Remnants of Despair and the Ultimate Hope, is one of these individuals. The other is Izuku Midoriya, the head of Class 1-A and the Hero, Deku.

When they come into contact with the rocky, mountainous terrain of the archipelago, both heroes come to a grinding stop. As they take their positions on opposite hilltops, Hajime turns to look at Deku, his expression halfway between excited and stern.

Hajime: Alright. We should be far enough away from any civilization or infrastructure that we could risk damaging.

Deku: Yes! Thank you again for agreeing to let me spar with you! I hope to learn a lot!

Hajime: Don't get your hopes up. Really, I'm just a regular guy in the grand scheme of things...

Deku: I'm not sure I believe that! I think you'll make for a great opponent!

Deku drops into a fighting stance with a smile on his face.

Deku: You'd better not hold back! Because I know I won't!

Hajime: Heh...Whatever you say, kid...

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As Hajime adopts a fighting stance of his own, Deku lunges forward to land a blow. Even though the punch is light, Hajime is pleasantly surprised to feel its sheer power as he catches it with his hands.

He acknowledges the strength of his opponent with a smile before snatching his arm, turning, and flinging him into the hills, where he crashes into the top of a crag. After that, he runs after Deku, creating a dust cloud in his wake.

Deku: Heh...!

Deku's Iron Soles grind him to a stop, but his smile stays broad even after he's sent flying. When he recovers, he sees Hajime flying in his direction, trying to hit him with a strong haymaker. Deku counters by activating Full Cowl at 8% and delivering his own haymaker back.

The mountainous terrain around them crumbles as their fists collide. At a breakneck pace, they continue punching without missing their target until the very last moment of their combination, when they land a blow so strong it knocks the other person flying backwards.

Deku: Delaware...SMASH!

Hajime: Think again...!

Deku, charging in to take up arms, launches a cloud of compressed air from a distance. In response to the attack, Hajime appears to catch and deflect the air.

Hajime: Funny...I know someone else who's used similar techniques before...Oh, that's right! ME!

Hajime gestures with his fingers as though he is brandishing a gun at Deku. He launches his own pressurized air blasts at the rising Hero, surprising Deku, who is only able to avoid with the help of his Danger Sense.

Deku: Woah!? Delaware Smash Air Force!

Taken off guard, but thoroughly impressed, Deku ups the ante. He fires a burst of compressed air at his opponent using his special gloves. The blast has enough concussive force to completely shatter the ground beneath Hajime, even though he can see it coming from a mile away and easily avoids it.

Deku looks up in awe as Hajime perches atop another cliff. He looks back, also impressed.

Deku: Incredible! How about we take it up a notch!?

The Ultimate Hope is about to be struck by the Symbol of Peace, who cocks his fist back, but Hajime effortlessly deflects it with a casual wave of his hand.

The Hero launches another attack, taken aback by how easily his first one was parried. Hajime repays the favor by sending Deku hurtling over a different cliff, where he uses Blackwhip to stop himself.

Hajime: Fine by me...! I was beginning to get bored already!

Deku: You're...surprisingly fickle...AH-!?

Hajime: HYAAGH!

Deku: UUGH!

Without even a moment to think, Deku is met with an uppercut and a barrage of punches from the Ultimate Hope's fist. Hajime quickly brings Deku back down after sending him skyward by grabbing and pulling on his Blackwhip. He swings him around like a throwing hammer, and flings him across the mountain range, landing him on a different island with a forest landscape!

Deku crawls back to his feet, but Hajime moves like a bolt of lightning, and is already standing over him by the time he does.

Hajime: Disappointing...Excuse my rudeness...

Deku; Trust me...I'm just getting started...! FA JIN!

Hajime: Guh!?

Deku activates the third users' quirk and erupts with the kinetic energy stored up from his and Hajime's attacks, powerful enough to blast the Ultimate Hope back. Hajime stumbles through the forest, but Deku is fast to react, landing another blow before an uppercut launches the former Reserve Course student skyward!

Deku: One For All...! Full Cowl...! SHOOT STYLE!

The Hero outcast then leaps toward him and kicks Hajime back to the ground with a Manchester Smash while wearing Iron Soles. Even though the impact blows away several trees and craters the forest, Hajime gets up and gets ready to go again.

*CRUNCH!*

Hajime: Hold THIS!

Hajime then lifts a big tree out of the ground, leap several feet into the air, and slams its trunk into Deku. With ease, the Symbol of Hope breaks the makeshift weapon and flies in Hajime's direction, grabbing him and sending the two of them plummeting back towards the earth.

Deku: Wyoming SMASH!

Deku uses another one of his trademark attacks, giving his opponent a powerful shockwave by spiking him on the head. Hajime is propelled downward, but he catches himself with a display of acrobatics and lands coolly, smirking and scratching his nose.

Deku: You're amazing...! It's like you're not even trying yet!

Hajime: I gotta admit, this is more than I was expecting...Still, hardly a challenge...

Deku only smirks in response to this taunt.

Deku: Then LET LOOSE! TEXAS SMASH!

*WHA-BOOOOM!*

As Hajime ducks under Deku's attack, the forest behind him is completely destroyed by a blast of wind pressure. Without breaking a sweat, he starts hitting Deku with a barrage of punches and kicks, repeatedly knocking All Might's student into a tree with enough force to uproot it. Then, in the middle of flying, Hajime grabs the tree, stops, and tosses it in Deku's direction. Deku is knocked backward by the tree, but he bounces back quickly.

Deku: Give me EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!

Hajime rushes after Deku as he falls back to the ground, and the battle rages throughout the forest. Following a brief exchange of blows, Hajime gains the upper hand and knocks Deku back with a forceful blow. Hajime then tries to follow through, but Deku stops him.

Deku: Go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!

Much like he once did to his rival Bakugou, Deku shoulder-throws Hajime, smacking him into the ground and sending him rolling through the trees. Hajime brushes off the pain, the dirt, and Deku's concerns.

Hajime: Give me something exciting to work with...and maybe I'll consider it...!

He is able to support his claim by leaping ahead and casually punching Deku all the way to the island's coast through the forest. The Hero prodigy's body crackles with energy as he builds even more power, and he floats in the air to avoid colliding with the ocean.

Deku: If you say so...! ONE FOR ALL! FULL COWL 45%

He barely avoids the next blow from Hajime and kicks him into the water, then reels back and uses Texas Smash once more. But the attack and the pressure it releases are FAR more powerful, to the point where it manages to smash into Hajime and split the coast of the ocean.

But shortly after the attack, Hajime leaps out of the water, blasts away the ocean surrounding him, and sprints back towards the island along the water.

They fight across the ocean, exchanging quick blows until they come into contact with yet another island, where they end up locking arms with one another. This island is more barren and flat, made of solid rock and stone with few mountains and cliffs.

Hajime: Now THIS is more like it...! THINK FAST!

Admittedly having at least a little bit of fun, Hajime picks a pebble up with his foot kicks it into the air, and flicks it with his thumb. Midoriya barely manages to avoid the pebble's railgun-like blast, and he just stares in wonder at its power.

Deku: Fast? I can do that...! GEARSHIFT!

Deku uses Gearshift on himself to quickly outrun the Ultimate Hope and kick him in the stomach. He then uses Transmission to quickly take Hajime down a peg with a series of punches that are made more powerful and swift by Gearshift.

Hajime: Hah! Not bad! That one actually hurt a bit!

Deku: There's more where that came from! St. Louis Smash Air Force!

Hajime: Why do all these attacks...? Eh, whatever...! HRUUGH!

Now that he is farther away, Deku fires a powerful vertical roundhouse kick while arching his leg back and releasing a massive burst of compressed air. But Hajime's own supersonic air punch manages to dissolve it. Deku counterattacks by soaring into the air and parrying a second blow.

Deku: SMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSHH!!!

*WHOOOOOOMM!*

He strikes down towards Hajime with a powerful punch, launching multiple enormous flaming fists at him in an overwhelming display of force, similar to the attack that destroyed Overhaul.

Hajime: Hm...Hoo...RRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!*

As he sees the massive flaming fist hurtling towards him, Hajime clenches his fists, stiffens his body, and lets out all of his energy at once, accompanied by a supersonic scream! Deku's attack and the pressure from his body collide, causing a catastrophic nuclear explosion that engulfs the island, resulting in it's complete and total destruction!

There is a pause in the fight as the ocean collapses into the area where the island once was. A large burst of water rises up suddenly near the coast of another island, as Hajime leaps out and drops and rolls onto the sandy beach of the fourth island, gasping for air and pounding his chest to steady his breathing. Deku meanwhile, swings down with Blackwhip and lands on the sand, awkwardly chuckling.

Deku: Well...it's a good thing we decided to take the fight out here, right?

Hajime: Yeah...out here...Wait...Hang on a second...How did we even get out here without a boat?

Struggling to recall the circumstances, Hajime looks back towards the slowly filling crater. But then, he spots something...What appears to be a crack in reality with lines of code fraying off of it like strings.

Hajime: Oh...that's right...Now I remember...

He stands up with a smirk and dusts himself off.

Hajime: Hey, Deku? You wanted to see me go all out, right?

Deku: No! I want you to go BEYOND that! Surpass your limits! Plus Ultra!

Hajime laughs as Deku confidently thrusts a fist towards him. He then ducks down and clenches his own.

Hajime: Well, I can promise I'll try...! Let me show you how powerful I can be!

Red bio-electricity starts to radiate Hajime's body, and his red eye starts to glow, matching Deku's own green electric aura.

Deku beams with anticipation but is instantly struck in the face with a blow so forceful that it tears apart reality once more. And then another, and another, and another, as Hajime, fighting with at least half his strength now to match Deku's, begins to destroy him with every move he can think of, slowly but surely shattering the digital world around them.

After dealing Deku a powerful blow, Hajime appears to teleport there as he moves so quickly. Deku is sent flying. He tries to strike back, but Hajime appears to pause his blow before launching another terrible strike that shatters the world even more.

Deku charges forward, his costume beginning to come apart from the constant attacks. He creates a Blackchain with Blackwhip, which Hajime collides with and is thrown back by. Then, in order to get some hits and knock Hajime into a canyon, he uses Gearshift and Fa Jin. Hajime retaliates, exchanging blows with Deku until the latter throws him into the air.

Hajime counterattacks, sending Midoriya back down to Earth with a devastating axe handle as Deku flies upwards to continue his attack. As Hajime dive bombs to pursue Deku after he lands in the canyon, he crashes into the earth, pushing pebbles out of the ground due to the pressure and aura surrounding him.

Deku then uses Air Force before smashing Hajime once more before the two engage in a fierce fight that ends in an explosion, further widening the fissure. Then they begin to trade blows, with Hajime coming out on top. He unleashes a lethal combo on him that includes some extremely powerful punches to his face that cause the surrounding area to collapse. Hajime then grabs Deku, leaps out of the canyon as everything comes crashing down, and tosses him into a rock formation. Deku is exhausted and drops out of One For All 45% as he faceplants into the ground.

Even under his mid-gauntlets, Deku's bones seem to be slightly fractured from the constant fighting. Hajime decides to talk to him now as he stands up gasping.

Hajime: Well? Is that "Plus Ultra" enough for you?

Deku: Amazing...! You're AMAZING! This has gotta be the most incredible superpower I've ever seen!

Hajime: O-Oh...um...thank...thank you...

Hajime becomes bashful in the wake of Deku's earnest enthusiasm and compliments, as the young Hero himself pulls a notebook and pen out of his tattered costume.

Deku: U-Um...I-If you don't mind, could you explain to me how your Quirk works? I'd like to take notes so I can apply your techniques in my future battles!

Hajime: Huh? Y-You're sure? Well...alright then.

The camera pans out and the fight awkwardly pauses as Hajime quickly explains the logistics of his Talent to Deku, and how Talents and Quirks are slightly different. Deku excitedly scribbles down notes next to a hastily drawn diagram of Hajime. By the time he's finished, he exhales an ecstatic breath, smiling like an innocent child.

Deku: Wow...! It's so...incredible...!

Hajime: Thank you...Still, I really hope it doesn't deter you from trying to reach the top or anything...

Deku: Haha...Of course not...

With a solemn smile, Deku pockets his notebook, straightens his posture, and furrows his brow at Hajime.

Deku: After all...I know just what I need to do to defeat you now...!

Hajime: Oh...?

Deku: One For All...ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!

Hajime: Guh!?

Deciding to risk it all out of nothing but respect for his opponent, Deku pushes past his limits, uses his Quirk at 100% of it's full power, and the sheer force of his presence blasts Hajime back!

Now emitting a green aura and crackling with lightning, Hajime can barely stand to look at Deku when suddenly, Deku stamps on the ground so hard, the ground beneath his feet erupts, throwing him up into the air!

*WHOOSH!* *BANG!*

Hajime: Gugh! GRAGH!

Deku: HUUUUAAAGH!

*WHAM!* *WHAM!* *WHAM!* *WHAM!**WHAM!* *WHAM!*

Deku: I want you to SMILE!

Hajime: GRRGH!

Deku unleashes a multitude of punches that slowly but surely cause his own bones to break apart, and yet despite that, he doesn't even slightly relent! He gives everything he has into battling Hajime, beating him at 100%, and even adding the effects of Gearshift and Fa Jin on top of it, increasing his power even further beyond!

And yet, despite facing the brunt of the biggest thrashing he's faced in his life...Hajime grins ear to ear...

Hajime (internally): When was the last time...I felt this much pain?

Deku: UNITED STATES...!

Hajime (internally): My muscles are killing me...That punch hurt like hell...If I get hit with something stronger than that, it might kill me...! So why...?

Deku: OF THE WORLD...!

Hajime (internally): Why am I...so HAPPY right now...!?

Deku: SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSHHHHH!

Hajime breaks out of his bliss when Deku unleashes one of his best Ultimate Moves, with enough force that not one, but TWO of the archipelago islands are completely and utterly destroyed by it! Hajime however, withstands it, even though he suffers several broken ribs and torn muscles. Deku for his part is also gradually falling apart, but regardless...neither smiles are broken.

Hajime: LET'S GOOOOO!

Deku: YEAH!

Hajime also decides to put his full weight into the fight; his body glowing a white aura. To Hajime's delight, Deku manages to stay ahead of him despite him reaching his maximum and evade his blows, unleashing even more powerful counterattacks.

Hajime's aura only intensifies as he and 100% Deku trade blows all over the archipelago at blinding speeds, gradually tearing apart what's left of the islands. His clothes are torn, and he is now taking the fight more seriously.

Hajime finally hits Deku hard with a punch that hurts him a lot, but it doesn't upset him. Deku catches Hajime's fist and punches him to the side as he tries to follow up. To the point where their latent energies are released and begin to rip the world apart at the seams, Deku and Hajime throw as many attacks at each other as they can, repeatedly countering, blocking, and dodging each other's blows.

Hajime: Wait...that's right...! This is the digital world...! Then...Haha...I wonder how far I can take this...!?

Deku is surprised as Hajime suddenly leaps high up into the sky, silhouetted by the virtual sun. The Ultimate Hope looks beyond the endless horizon, and then up at the sky above him. The silhouette of his best friend, Chiaki Nanami, wearing her Hope's Peak uniform hovers in the air above him. She reaches out her hand, and Hajime takes it...

From Deku's perspective, Hajime's the scene is honestly, somewhat haunting. It appears as though Hajime's presence alone has the power to destroy the world as his body glows and his hair stands on end, causing the waves surrounding him to become restless and red lightning to strike everywhere. Eventually, his body flashes white, his hair turns whitish-gold, and both of his eyes turn a piercing red as he screams with will and power. But, Deku only notices Hajime's mouth when he looks down from above, ignoring every other feature on his face.

Hajime: YOU WANTED MY BEST?!?! HERE IT IS!!!

Deku: Now THAT'S a smile...! ONE FOR ALL!!

Hajime: I'll never let myself be bored again...!

Deku: ONE MILLION PERCENT!

Hajime: I'll never let anyone CHOOSE AGAIN...!

Deku: DELAWARE...!

Hajime: I am NOT Izuru Kamukura!

Deku: DETROIT!

Hajime: I AM HAJIME HINNAAATAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Deku: SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSHHH!!!

Deku soars through the sky while Hajime soars back down! He unleashes the strongest SMASH he has while Hajime uses all of his strength-related abilities to deliver his devastating blow!

Both characters understand that they must go above and beyond PLUS ULTRA if they hope to succeed! So they both give it their all one last time, screaming as their fists finally make contact!

The impact alone proves to be so powerful that what remains of the archipelago is straight up DELETED! Despite Deku increasing the power of his attacks even further with his other quirks, Hajime is still able to endure it as he pushes forward! Neither of them want to let up, not necessarily out of a drive to win, but a desire to show their opponent the respect they well and truly deserve!

Their two unstoppable powerhouses collide in a way that destroys the digital world entirely, shrouding everything in darkness until reality cracks open and emits a brilliant white light...And at that point, the godly clash finally ends, and the game shuts down entirely...

...When Deku's arm finally gives way...

------------------------------------------------------------------

Deku: AGH!?

Deku suddenly lurches awake, looking around in a panic as he realizes he's not on the archipelago anymore. He sits in a round-shaped pod and looks down at his arms to see that they're still intact. He then looks above him to see the pod he's sitting in connected to a large computer in the center, with a bluescreen on the monitor.

Hajime: Heh...Chihiro's gonna kill me...

Deku looks up to see Hajime, now back to normal, leaning on his pod. They both look up towards the computer.

Hajime: It's called the Neo World Program. Future Foundation modified it so that we could use our full strength without the risk of causing any lasting damage or hurting anyone.

Deku: Hahaha...You weren't kidding about being careful. I almost forgot I even got in this pod...Still, I guess this means I lost, huh?

Hajime: Well...

Hajime crosses his legs and sits comfortably.

Hajime: If you want me to be honest...You are the most powerful person I've ever had the pleasure of fighting...And that was the most fun I've had ever since I got these powers. Even if I'm "perfect," you're smart, strong...kind...and you're not done growing yet...

Deku: Meaning, what?

Hajime: I'm saying...I can't wait for the rematch...!

Hajime raises his hand for a fist bump...

Deku: Haha! Me neither!

...And Deku returns it...

Leona: And THERE WE HAVE IT! We have PEAKED PEOPLE!

Uchui: I have to agree! That was nothing if not glorious! Though I guess we're gonna have to use the backup simulator for the final battle...This one got totalled...

Hifumi: Given the vast array of skills and abilities that these two fighters have, there are a lot of ways that this fight could turn out. Factors such as the environment, circumstances, timing, and continuity have the potential to significantly alter the outcome of this battle. So let's analyze each category to take into account when it comes to Death Battles and determine our winner. Strength is the first and most evident.

Uchui: There is a fair bit to consider when scaling their individual powers here. First of all, while Deku at his maximum power, and Hajime/Izuru at theirs has done similar things, like the time Deku disintegrated a gigantic block of solid matter or destroyed an entire building with one of his strongest smashes, while Izuru disintegrated a skyscraper that Nagito Komaeda threw at him by using a pebble as a bullet.

Leona: Let's start with Deku, whose most notable feat is actually the one that was calculated in his canonical Death Battle episode; parting the clouds with Bakugou. At the time, Death Battle calculated this feat would require a force of 80 Teratons of TNT. And we're willing to stick by them on that one. In contrast, Izuru struck the ground during his brief, but powerful clash with Matta Gyalusetsu so hard, it caused earthquakes across all of Japan! So how big a gap is that?

Hifumi: Calculating it from Deku's canon Death Battle episode, Deku VS Asta, Death Battle calculated that Asta could dish out a power equal to about 480 Teratons of TNT, because he scaled to an attack that could wipe out the Clover Kingdom, which is about half the size of Great Britain. Japan is approximately 1.6 times bigger than the entire united kingdom, so doubling up and scaling that calculated result from Death Battle's analysis, it puts Izuru on the level of 1536 Teratons, or 1.54 Petatons of TNT!

Leona: That's 15 Zeroes by the way! Basically, that would mean Izuru is about 19 times stronger than Deku, so he undoubtedly takes the win in terms of strength!

Uchui: Well...not EXACTLY...Unfortunately, it's near impossible to lock down just how powerful Hajime is as his maximum potential, since he rarely ever uses his full strength in a fight. Unlike Deku, who can be scaled to other One For All users like All Might, as well as his classmates like Bakugou, Hajime is above and beyond every powerful feat in Danganronpa, and can't even be properly scaled to the other two Ultimate Hope's. Plus, at the time of that cloud-splitting feat, Deku didn't have Fa Jin or Gearshift, so who knows how much power he would have on his own if he had applied those at the time?

Hifumi: Izuru confirmed that during his fight with Komaeda that Hajime was massively holding back the entire time they were fighting, and even Izuru seemed to merely be toying with him at first. While an exact unit hasn't been given, the fact that he was able to throw Komaeda around like a ragdoll and completely undermine him in spite of how he was able to defeat every other member of the Remnant's of Despair means it's far greater than that, and he must have been using NOTHING on Fujimori!

Uchui: Makes sense. They were fighting on a cruise liner filled with hostages and Hajime didn't want to hurt Ayumu either. So of course he was holding back. But even without a total number, Deku achieved that cloud feat with 100% of his power, AND coupled with Bakugou who was using the same thing. Using quirks like Gearshift and Fa Jin means Deku has likely gotten even stronger since then, being able to bring out 120% of his Quirk's full capability, and he's not done growing yet.

Leona: Even if Izuru is multiple times stronger, it probably won't be long before Deku finds a way to properly catch up with him. Our safest bet for this analysis is to say that they tie in strength.

Hifumi: In that case, we move onto speed. This stat on the other hand, is fairly clear cut. Deku would have a reaction time close to lightspeed if he could scale to Shigaraki. In addition, he has reacted to Lady Nagant's bullets caught them, and avoided lasers and if he applies Gearshift, he can accelerate even further.

Uchui: In contrast, Hajime is casually able to move so fast that it feels like the flow of time itself has stopped. And it's not that ridiculous in context. Characters like Mukuro Ikusaba and Sakura Ogami have done the same thing, even without Ultimate Hope powers; and Hajime is leagues beyond both of them.

Leona: For sure! Even without the whole time-stoppy BS, Izuru would just be leagues faster. Deku is able to respond to Bakugou's explosions of Nitroglycerin, but that Mach 20 is far less than Sakura Ogami's feat, which places her at Mach 26,475, which is easily Sub-Relativistic! In fact, it even beats the powerhouses like All For One and All Might! Izuru CLEANS in speed, and even with Deku's keen battle instincts and reactions, it's unlikely even Danger Sense would be enough to save him!

Uchui: Deku and Hajime do have very similar styles of fighting though, so they should both realistically know how to react to each other's attacks and abilities. The next thing to go over is durability.

Hifumi: Both Hinata and Midoriya have taken the full brunt of some DEVASTATING attacks, especially Hinata's feat of surviving the nuclear explosion of Jabberwock Island. Deku surviving attacks from terrifying villains like Shigaraki, Overhaul and more also implies unbreakable defenses, and yet despite all of that, we still have to give this point to Mr. Hinata.

Leona: The reason being that while Deku has trained to suit himself for it, as things stand now, he can't even bare the brunt of his OWN ATTACKS! Every time he attacks with 100% of his max power, he ends up breaking his bones, almost to the point of destroying the use of his arms and legs entirely.

Uchui: Hajime on the other hand shares absolutely no such weakness. He's more than capable of unleashing the full capability of his talents with no serious drawbacks. In fact, his only weakness is his mentality, something that Hope's Peak knew would get in the way, thus removed upon Izuru's creation. All in all, Deku's most glaring weakness is the only thing that makes him lose this particular comparison, but removing it, they're actually dead even, just like strength.

Leona: The same cannot be said in terms of stamina, where Hajime just completely outclasses him. After the events of the All-Out War, Deku demonstrated that he is capable of taking down villains and touring the country for a few weeks, if not a month, without taking a break while keeping Full Cowl activated at all times. Despite being completely exhausted, he was able to repel Class 1-A's combined efforts, and while his broken bones are undeniably a weakness, they rarely ever significantly impair his fighting prowess.

Hifumi: On the other hand, with all of his athletic prowess, Mr. Hinata ought to be even more resilient than Genocide Jack, who, in contrast to her other half, never seems to tire and can take on a great deal of Monokumas with ease. In fact, even without his powers, Nekomaru Nidai mentioned that he had the makings of an athlete, despite his seemingly slender appearance. He is surprisingly muscular when he isn't wearing a shirt, and he's able to run a great distance around Jabberwock Island without seeming to get tired.

Leona: Now let's talk intelligence! This one's also pretty straightforward.

Uchui: Deku is unquestionably a GENIUS when it comes to both academics and combat. On top of studying famous heroes quirks and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of people's powers his whole life, in his few months at U.A. High, he has fought several different villains, which has given him invaluable experience. His prognostication abilities are so advanced that, even in the dark and during torrential rain, he could discern Lady Nagant's movement patterns and pinpoint her location based only on the trajectory of her bullets. And despite only having used Fa Jin for a few minutes, he quickly became proficient with it in combat. He has also demonstrated the capacity to carry out several mental tasks concurrently, or multitasking, an ability that is thought to be beyond human capability.

Hifumi: But as impressive as all that is, it's NOTHING compared to Hajime Hinata. Mr. Hinata was a successful student in his own right even though he was enrolled in the Reserve Course. He demonstrated his skill as an amateur sleuth during the Neo World Program Killing Game by leading the charge to solve every murder case, even the ones that involved devious tactics and scant evidence, just as Makoto Naegi had done before him.

Leona: And that's not even mentioning the fatass Elephant in the Room that is the talent of Ultimate Analytical Prowess.

Uchui: Junko Enoshima's Ultimate Analytical Prowess talent bestowed upon her monstrous analytical abilities, rendering it remarkably effortless for her to forecast events and expeditiously acquire the proficiencies of other talent holders. For example, she was able to produce brainwashing videos by merely observing Ryota Mitarai at work, learned how to perform neurosurgery to lobotomize and/or erase others' memories by perusing Yasuke Matsuda's research, and acquire programming knowledge by looking at Chihiro Fujisaki's programs. And Hajime, having this talent, is just as capable of doing all that, if not moreso.

Leona: Deku may have more on-field combat experience, but with Ultimate Hope that just automatically gives you the power to do everything, who really needs all that crap? Hajime's uncanny ability to analyze even allows him to easily see through most of Deku's attacks, as well as easily identifying his weaknesses like his bone-breaking punches.

Hifumi: Which ultimately leads us with one more, glaringly obvious category to go into...Powers!

Leona: One For All, Gearshift, Fa Jin, Danger Sense, Float, Blackwhip, Smokescreen, all those United States of Smash attacks, Full Cowl, Shoot Style, Air Force...Deku's got so many awesome and powerful attacks, techniques, powers, gear and moves under his belt, it's honestly amazing to think he doesn't win with any of them!

Uchui: It doesn't matter. Deku may have a handful of superhuman attacks and feats, but he's facing an opponent who is essentially unstoppable and can do EVERYTHING! And not just on a human level! Something FAR ABOVE even that! Hajime was endowed with every human talent by the experiment that transformed him into Izuru Kamakura. Imagine battling an opponent who possesses almost any skill. Do you believe you could succeed?

Hifumi: That's not even taking into account the more ridiculous powers like Ultimate Luck, which is shown to make him virtually untouchable. Mr. Hinata has extraordinary luck, which allows him to quickly influence most situations to his advantage, particularly those involving conflict. For example, the gun was perfectly working moments before Komaeda tried to shoot Kamukura, but it jammed.

Uchui: Nagito and Hajime engaged in another battle in which the former used a ball to knock out all of the nuts and bolts that held up the building, bringing it to an entirely new level. However, Izuru was unharmed by pure luck. Additionally, he should have better luck than Makoto, who even people like Junko Enoshima find unpredictable due to his special luck pattern that enables him to survive near-death experiences.

Leona: And if JUNKO couldn't figure out how to work around Izuru's luck, then DEKU certainly couldn't!

Uchui: And again, Deku can't unleash his most powerful attacks without severely hurting himself in the process. And that concludes our discussion! Hajime gains the upper hand in power because he has an excessive number of counters and hacks, and in the end, he prevails!

Leona: Well, I think there's something else...If you really think about it, both Hajime and Deku's powers involve them using percentages of their full power. But the difference is that Deku multiplies his strength to get stronger, while Hajime DIVIDES his to get weaker, especially since there aren't many people in the world of Danganronpa who can actually touch him. At the end of the day, this fight isn't about who would win, but about finding someone who can bring out the best in each other, even if it's through bloody battling. And I think Deku had everything he needed to bring that excitement and joy back to Hajime's life. Saving him with a smile and bringing one back to his face.

Hifumi: In that regard...I suppose Midoriya DOES win.

Uchui: Well, if that's not the pinnacle of Death Battle, I don't know what is...

Uchui casually fist-bumps Leona.

Hifumi: Izuku Midoriya proved to be a worthy heir to the title of Symbol of Hope, as his cunning strategy and unwavering determination gave his opponent the fight of his life. However, Hajime Hinata's unmatched strength, immense abilities, and boundless potential proved to be too much for All Might's student to overcome.

Leona: Deku gave it his All, but he simply couldn't Hope to compete with Hajime, the pinnacle of humanity!

THE WINNER IS HAJIME HINATA!

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