Before we get into it, there is BIG NEWS in the post-chapter Author's Notes, so please read those even if you usually don't.
Without further ado, review time:
Slayer76, The Keeper of Worlds, Constipated Genius, Batmarcus, The Incredible Muffin, Tombs456, StandupSitdown, Ooobserver, inFamousSlyMonkey, The 0bservanc3, Sentinel07: The general consensus seems to be that I really knocked it out of the park with the DenkixKyoka moment and...that's awesome! I knew that this was going to be a big moment and I'd been planning something like it ever since she lost her hearing during Capture the Flag.
uchihaNaruto247, The Keeper of Worlds, Constipated Genius, Batmarcus, The Incredible Muffin, Tombs456, Ooobserver, The 0bservanc3: I've been really careful with my handling of Shigaraki, since I knew that going too far in one direction or the other would run the risk of Flanderization. I've tried to maintain the sense that he is a dangerous and slightly-unhinged individual, while at the same time still being quite intelligent. All For One didn't raise no fool, after all. It's good to see that people are enjoying him and/or are intrigued by him.
Deepthoughts42: Consider your name dropped and your loyalty thanked.
D3lph0xL0v3r: I lol'ed at the idea of "Facepalm" actually being Shigaraki's alias. It makes him sound like such a lovable, bumbling bad guy.
joshiiman02 and cloudpanda961: The two of you have helped me come up with a new alternative Hero Name for Kyoka: Kyokoro. It's just a portmanteau of Kyoka and Kokoro (which, if anyone didn't know, means "heart"). Simple, but it rolls off the tongue, fits her usage of puns (at least in my story) and I think it's not too bad.
ProjectIceman: Being compared so favorably to the undisputed current number-one MHA fic on the site (by Reviews, Follows and Favorites) is humbling to say the least. I shall strive to maintain a high level of quality.
Constipated Genius: The differences are definitely going to start piling up as we move along. Ripple Effect and all that.
Wan323: There were a few people who suggested a Sun Wukong theme for Ojiro, and it makes sense, but if I did than then I'd have to have him start using a staff. Maybe in the future when/if his fists finally fail him?
jmartinez8089: They were surprised because up until that point he had never actually eaten any fire. He couldn't control his Quirk well enough to direct the flames toward his mouth and never had any reason to try. When Iida finds out about Kirishima's indirect role in saving his brother's life, he will most likely be very, very grateful to him. Definitely a scene that will happen at some point.
The 0bservanc3: Yeah, Stain's probably stayed in some really crappy places and Ingenium really did a number on him. He would've won if Stain didn't have god-tier reaction speed. You got it in one: the reason Shigaraki came in full costume was to make an impression. Really, the whole scene was him trying to be impressive.
Recessed lighting is where a light fixture is installed through a hole in the ceiling, meaning that the light bulb doesn't protrude downwards. It makes for a sleeker aesthetic as well as meaning that you don't have to worry about smacking a light bulb if you're dealing with a low ceiling/carrying something/whatever. I have not read that particular story. My idea for the gloves actually comes from Ochako's gloves that she wears when she sleeps to stop herself from floating things/herself. As for the type, well...I'm an artist and have a drawing glove that I use with my tablet.
As for Shigaraki's Quirk working on himself...yeah. Like I said, I think it functions similarly to Ochako's except it's inherently harmful. Maybe he won't outright disintegrate himself instantly, but those scars and such on his face and how careful he is when scratching his neck in canon...I think it's a fair assumption. Himiko did indeed deliberately ignore Tomura until he used her given name. As for what sorts of feelings the pair might/might not have for each other...that remains to be seen! Suffice to say that due to her joining the LoV sooner than in canon means they've had longer to develop a bond of some sort.
I would imagine that the video started in Portrait Mode, since that's just a more natural way of holding one's phone, but when Denki was showing Kyoka the recording, it was definitely in Landscape Mode, the better to capture the whole image. When it comes to Hisashi, your theories are definitely interesting, some closer to the mark than others, but I'm leery of giving you any straight answers here, lest you figure out the truth ahead of time. All I'll give you for now is that he is 1) most certainly not dead and 2) he will be playing a significant role in the story.
Hyped, Isamaru, FuryJoe, ILiekFishes, DancingMoose007, Guest, Slackboy101, The Qrow, Scarease and everyone else: Thank you and I hope that you continue to enjoy!
Now, let's see how the Midoriya's are holding up waiting for their guests!
Chapter Forty-Eight: Reaffirmation
Izuku Midoriya was freaking out. This was, of course, nothing new for someone like him: he had freaked out about many a thing many a time. It didn't really take much to make him stress about something, which was a trait he was convinced he had inherited from his mother, who was currently whisking around the apartment from place to place and muttering to herself, re-checking and re-re-checking that everything was in place for their guests' arrival.
After all, it was Izuku's girlfriend and her family that would be visiting and Inko wanted the best for her son, which included making a good first impression.
In spite of the Midoriya family's penchant for worrying about things, the overall stress level had actually been fairly manageable up until a couple of minutes ago. The plan had been for the Urarakas to arrive an hour or so prior to dinner time so that Inko and Mrs. Uraraka could prepare it together. Inko had originally planned on doing all of the cooking herself, but Ochako's mother had insisted on doing her share and would be bringing the necessary ingredients over (Ochako had later told Izuku that she had found a killer sale on said ingredients at their local market and was feeling generous).
The shift had happened when Ochako, in a mild panic due to a combination of nerves about meeting Izuku's mother as well as knowing how her news was likely to affect him, had called to tell him that they had finished all of their preparations earlier than expected and that her parents were ready to just head on over if that was alright.
Izuku had said that would be perfectly alright and that they were happy to get more time to get to know each other. When should they expect them?
About fifteen minutes, as of five minutes ago.
This meant that the hour and a half they had still had to get ready had suddenly vanished and the mother-son duo had engaged full-on panic mode.
Izuku knew on an intellectual level that everything was fine and that they had really only taken the morning to get everything ship-shape for their guests, but his natural nervousness combined with his mother's caused him to sink deeper into his old habit of imagining every way things could go wrong.
It proved to be no small mercy that he only had about ten minutes to stew before there was a knock at the door. Izuku, being closer to it, gulped and opened it. Where he had expected to immediately be facing Mr. Uraraka, he instead found himself staring at Ochako, who looked about as anxious as he felt.
"Ah, hi, Deku-kun. Sorry about showing up so early; I tried to convince them not to but, well…"
"What? No! It's not, that is, you aren't…it's fine. Really, I meant what I said earlier, Uraraka-san."
"Izuku, for god's sake let them in!"
"Ah! Right! I'm sorry!" he hastily stood aside and bowed as the man who must have been Ochako's father laughed good-naturedly.
"No worries, no worries! Goodness knows I remember meetin' my wife's family for the first time. I'm surprised you could even form a coherent sentence!" he gave his daughter a gentle push to get her moving and clapped Izuku on the shoulder as he entered the apartment. He was a rather large man, tall and powerfully-built with short, light-brown hair. He certainly fit the image of a man who worked construction for a living, at least in Izuku's opinion.
Mr. Uraraka was followed by a woman who could only have been Ochako's mother. She was the spitting image of her daughter, albeit more mature-looking and with slightly longer hair. She gave Izuku a reassuring smile as she walked past him.
"It may sound like we forced her into this, but Ochako really is very excited about this get-together. She's just a little nervous."
That…actually made Izuku feel a little better. Maybe it was just a mom thing? Having welcomed everyone in, he closed the door and made his way back to the living room where Inko was introducing herself.
"And, of course, you've already met Izuku." she pulled him to her side as soon as he was within arm's reach.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Uraraka-san and Uraraka-san." this got a chuckle out of Mrs. Uraraka. Seeing the confused look on Izuku's face, she elaborated.
"Oh, it's nothing bad. It just seems like it might get a bit confusing with you referring to three people as 'Uraraka-san.' Please, don't feel restricted on our behalf, Midoriya-kun: call Ochako by her given name."
"And if that still gets confusin', feel free to call me 'Dad.'" Mr. Uraraka grinned.
"Daddy!" Ochako huffed while Izuku gaped at him, face reddening as he realized the implications, "We talked about this!"
"Ochako," Mr. Uraraka placed a hand on his chest in an expression of mock-hurt, "I'm not tryin' to intimidate him, I'm just messin' with him a little!"
Ochako gave her father a half-hearted glare and seized Izuku's hand, pulling him away.
"Come on, Deku-kun: I think Daddy needs a moment to get it all out of his system. You can show me your room or something."
"Ochako, no! I'm too young to be a granddad!"
Ochako was every bit as red-faced as Izuku by that point as she half-dragged him towards the hallway. Mrs. Uraraka, meanwhile, was chatting away with Inko as they stashed the ingredients she had brought in the fridge.
"It's really nice to meet you in-person after our talks yesterday, Midoriya-san. And your son seems like such a nice young man!"
"Oh, thank you! Izuku's told me a little about your daughter and from what I've seen from the Sports Festival, she's a very brave girl!"
"You wanna talk about the Sports Festival, I gotta say I remember your son's matches after havin' met him!" Mr. Uraraka chimed in, "He seems so unassumin' in-person that I'd never have guessed he had such a fire burnin' in him. Literally!"
Ochako paused in the middle of the hallway.
"Um, Izuku, which one is yours?"
Izuku came to his senses in time to steer Ochako towards the correct room.
"Heheh, I should have guessed it would be the one with All Might on the door. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it. I think I could use a breather too."
T – o – r – c – h – b – e – a – r – e – r
Ochako Uraraka took a few steps into her boyfriend's room and just…drank it all in for a moment. There was a lot to process, even if most of it shared a common element, that being All Might.
He. Was. Everywhere.
Posters, newspaper clippings, action figures, stationary, his screensaver…nearly every square inch had something All Might-related in it.
Well, it makes sense. All Might's his idol, after all.
Ochako realized that Izuku had closed the door and was staring at her anxiously, waiting for some sort of reaction.
"It feels like you." she mirrored his words from when he had first seen her apartment, now understanding what they meant a little better. It was true: at first the room appeared cluttered and even a little chaotic. If someone hadn't known Izuku, they could be forgiven for thinking he was some All Might-obsessed fanboy or even a stalker, but upon closer inspection, one could see that everything was in its place. Books here, figurines there, a set of weights in front of the gigantic poster.
What at first seemed like a cluttered shrine to All Might was actually very focused and purposeful. There was depth, reason and a pure sense of drive that overshadowed everything else in the room. There was also a sense of purity to it; like the person whose room it was had nothing to hide and knew what they wanted.
In short, yes, it felt like Izuku.
"I like it." she clarified, which earned her a small smile.
"Here, have a seat." he indicated the room at-large giving her a choice of the bed, his computer chair or wherever. She sat down on the bed, intending for him to join her and maybe snuggle for a bit, but he took the chair so that he could face her properly.
"Well…" he began, gesturing vaguely with his hands as he tried to find the words, "what do you think?"
"It's a nice place. Your mom seems like a really sweet lady." she responded truthfully.
"Yours too. I was kind of surprised at how much you two look alike."
"Yeah, Daddy likes to joke about that sometimes, saying that she decided to clone herself and just brought him along for the ride."
"He seems…" he trailed off, looking for the right adjectives.
"Obnoxious?"
"I was gonna go with 'dad-like.' He honestly seems like a nice guy and it's obvious that he really cares about you, even from what little I know about him."
"I know." Ochako admitted with a sigh, "They're both great parents, Daddy just gets on my nerves sometimes."
"At least I think I know where your mischievous streak comes from."
That made her blush a little.
"Well, what about your dad?"
She was genuinely curious, but she got the immediate sense that she had done something wrong when his expression became decidedly less cheery.
"I'm sorry!" she hastily apologized, "It's just, I've never heard you talk about him and we were on the topic of parents, so-" he raised a hand, forestalling any further apologies.
"It's fine. Really," he added upon seeing her worried expression, "I understand why you'd ask and I'm not upset or anything. It's not like there's anything bad to say, he just…hasn't really been around since I was little."
Ochako was about to apologize again, but she saw that he wasn't done speaking; just gathering his thoughts.
"My dad's name is Hisashi." he began, "My mom showed me a picture of the three of us from when I was a baby and I definitely inherited his hair," he flicked the untamable poofy mess that resided on his scalp, "though the green highlights are all from Mom: his hair's black."
"Are they…still together?" Ochako did her best to ask a rather personal question in a non-invasive way.
"They aren't divorced, no." he answered bluntly, "According to Mom, he's working overseas. He sends her money each month that more than covers our living expenses, so I know that he hasn't abandoned us or anything like that. It's just…he never calls. Never writes. Never sends an email. Not to me, anyway and I don't like to pry about it with Mom. I'm pretty sure that there are things that she hasn't told me about him, but I guess that's the same with any parent."
Ochako nodded.
"It's just…I don't know him." Izuku shrugged, forearms resting on his knees and fingers loosely linked, "He obviously cares about me and Mom at least a little, or he wouldn't send us money. He wouldn't have left if it hadn't been for his work, so I can only assume he's interested in us. But, at the same time, it's been almost thirteen years since he left. I can't help but think that if he really wanted to come back, he could've found a way by now, you know?"
She wanted to say that she understood. That she knew how he felt.
But she couldn't. Not without lying.
Both of my parents have always been in my life, every step of the way. I can't imagine how things would be without either one of them.
"Maybe…maybe that's part of why I want to become a Hero?" he was talking as much to himself as to her at this point, "I don't have any way of contacting my dad, so if I become the number one Hero and he sees me or hears about me, then maybe I can send him a message that way? Show him that he doesn't need to support us anymore and he can come home?"
He shrugged again.
"At the very least, I know it'd make Mom happy. And I'd get the chance to get to know him. Well," he added, "at least when I'm not busy with Hero work, which as the number one Hero would probably be almost all the time. Damn."
Ochako hadn't been entirely prepared for such a candid, heartfelt revelation and she was touched to know that Izuku trusted her enough to tell her such a thing with barely any hesitation. She was contemplating what might be a good way to express her appreciation when the door banged open.
"Alright you two, hands where I can see 'em!" Mr. Uraraka barked as he scanned the room before looking disappointed, "Nothin'? How the heck am I supposed to get blackmail material with you two behavin' yourselves and such?"
"Daddy! Get out!" Ochako shoved her father in the chest, causing him to float out into the hall before she slammed the door, locked it and released her Quirk. That there was no telltale sound of her father hitting the ground was a testament to how often she had done something similar in the past.
"They're not doin' anything! Just sittin' there and talkin'!" she heard him half-complain as he made his way back to the pair of mothers.
"Well, now that he's convinced that we aren't up to anything, maybe he'll actually leave us alone for a few minutes!" she griped, "Seriously! What would he have done if we actually were up to something?"
"I'd rather not consider that." Izuku opined.
"Well, why don't you come over here then?" she sat back down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. When he obliged, she did an about-face and plopped herself down in his lap.
"Uh…" Izuku evidently wasn't sure what to do.
"Remember the last time we were in a position like this?" she smirked at him. This evidently jogged his memory enough for him to understand and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. It was almost exactly the same way they had been during their first kiss. Had that really been less than a week ago? It felt like so much longer.
He still seemed hesitant to initiate anything beyond hugging, so Ochako closed the remaining distance and kissed him. It wasn't like the quick one or two she had snuck from him during the past week. She took her time and did her best to savor the moment and judging from the way she felt some of Izuku's tension fade, he was doing the same. Good. That was what this was supposed to be: a private moment between the two of them where they could stop worrying about things for a few minutes.
Eventually, she needed air and broke away, though she stayed in his lap.
"Thanks."
"Huh?" Ochako cocked an eyebrow at her boyfriend, not understanding why he was thanking her for doing something that she had wanted.
"For listening. For helping me calm down. For…I don't know, everything I guess." he rubbed the back of his neck as he puzzled over his thoughts, "You know I worry a lot about, well, basically anything." It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway, "Well, given that, it's nice to have certain things reaffirmed every so often. The Sports Festival helped reaffirm that I really have gotten stronger, for example. That I'm not just treading water and wasting everyone's time, you know?"
That was definitely something she could relate to. Making it as far as she did and hearing the crowd cheering her on…it had really made her start believing that she could do it. Really, truly do it. Not that she hadn't believed Izuku when he'd told her what he really thought during their trip, but it was nice to know that others believed in her too besides just friends, family and those in-between.
"And," he continued, "things like this," he drummed his fingers on the small of her back, "help to reinforce the idea that you're as happy about our new relationship as I am."
Ochako hummed and rested her head against his chest, prompting him to tighten his embrace again.
No, she didn't mind giving him this type of reassurance at all.
T – o – r – c – h – b – e – a – r – e – r
Tenya Iida was becoming more familiar with the hospital that was probably healthy. In spite of all of the time he had spent there, however, he was now absolutely certain that none of it had been wasted.
After all, his brother had just woken up.
Tenya and his mother had gone in to see him before, of course, but all that really accomplished was verifying with their own eyes that, yes, he was on the bed and, yes, he was still breathing.
Thus, when one of the nurses shot out of the room and made a beeline for them, only to deliver the good news, the pair had immediately abandoned all else and gone to see him.
Tensei was still laying down, likely at the nurse's request while she went to fetch a doctor, but enough of the sedatives had worn off for his gaze to be somewhat lucid. He obviously recognized them, because he smiled weakly when they approached.
"Mom…Tenya…hey."
"Tensei!" Tenya did his best not to raise his voice, "Are you feeling alright? Is there anything odd?"
Tensei glanced over at his left arm and flexed his fingers, then towards his right and did the same.
"Hands…still working."
This was good. If the hands and fingers were functional, then most likely the rest of the arm was too.
"And your legs?" Tenya prompted.
Tensei was silent for a moment as his brow furrowed.
"Sorry…still numb. Havent…come out of it…all the way yet. Could you…check my feet? I'm trying…to move my toes."
Tenya immediately moved to the foot of the bed and focused on the hill of blankets that covered Tensei's feet. He searched for any sign of movement…
…and then he saw it. A minor shifting of the blankets.
"Yes! Yes, you're moving them, Tensei!"
His older brother sighed with relief.
"Good…for a moment…I couldn't feel…and I got nervous. Messed me up…pretty good…didn't he? Sorry…Tenya. Your older brother…isn't supposed to lose."
Tenya teared up at this.
"It's alright. You're going to be alright, Tensei! Ingenium hasn't fallen yet!" he clasped his brother's hand, feeling his grip. Weak due to the drugs, but steady and unyielding.
"Mother, we should notify Team Idaten." Tenya realized, "They will be most relieved to know that he's going to be alright! Would you stay with him while I make the call?"
"Tenya, calm down." his mother put a hand on his shoulder, "We should wait for the official word from the doctors first, don't you think? Otherwise there might be more questions than answers."
Tensei let out a weak chuckle which turned into a grunting cough.
"Ugh…it hurts to laugh."
T – o – r – c – h – b – e – a – r – e – r
After a little while longer spent cuddling, Izuku had, at his girlfriend's request, told her about some of the various pieces of All Might merchandise he had scattered around his room. A few of them actually had rather interesting stories, if he did say so himself. For instance, the gigantic poster was actually part of a limited run where there had been a printing error which caused All Might's hair to be the wrong shade of blonde. To the right person, it was worth up to thirty times what Izuku (or rather, his mother) had originally paid for it.
All told, the pair managed to kill about an hour between Izuku's tour of his room and various displays of affection before Ochako said that they should probably rejoin their parents in the living room. He readily agreed and they rejoined the adults as they were swapping childhood stories.
"Oh, you should have seen him running around in his All Might onesie! He was just the cutest thing ever! Here, I think I have a picture." Inko was gushing over stories from his childhood and the Urarakas seemed quite interested in learning more about the boy their daughter had taken an interest in.
"Say, that other kid in that picture looks familiar." Mr. Uraraka said, scratching his cheek as he tried to place him.
"He's also in the Hero Course, dear." Mrs. Uraraka explained, "He was the winner of the Sports Festival, remember?"
"Oh yeah." Mr. Uraraka remembered, "I thought it seemed like they had a history based on how they talked during their match, but I never would've guessed they went so far back."
"Oh my, yes." Inko beamed, "Izuku and Katsuki have been friends for most of their lives at this point and let me tell you, he idolizes All Might just as much as Izuku does, even if he doesn't show it in the same ways. The two of them have always helped to push each other forward; they even use the same nicknames as they did when they were little!"
"I wonder how long it'll take them to realize we're back in the room?" Ochako whispered in his ear as they sat down on an unoccupied couch.
"We could play it up as though we've been here for a while and see if they buy it?" Izuku suggested, getting a giggle from his girlfriend that alerted the adults to their presence.
"Well, there they are!" Mr. Uraraka laughed, "Think you can tolerate your old man's presence again, Ochako?"
"We'll see, Daddy." she tried to look cross at him but her eyes couldn't frown in the same way as her mouth, "What's for dinner, anyway? You and mom made such a big deal about keeping it a secret."
Izuku was curious to know as well, since his own mother had been equally tight-lipped.
"We~ll," Inko said, drawing out the word with a mischievous smirk, "I remembered how you told me about the impromptu dinner the two of you had during your trip and I thought, why not that? I'm sure both of you are fine chefs in your own right, but you're at least two decades too early to say you've mastered your mother's cooking!" Mrs. Uraraka nodded with approval.
"It just sounded like such a fun idea! Easy on the budget too."
"But that was just us taking two meals and throwing them together in a bowl!" Ochako protested.
"Honey," Mrs. Uraraka laughed, "do you have any idea how many times I've done exactly that over the years? There's nothing wrong with throwing any old something together as long as it's nutritious and tastes good. Plus, this gives the rest of us a chance to try it too!"
"Hear hear!" Mr. Uraraka contributed, "I've been wantin' to taste your so-called 'tonkatsu-hambagu rice bowl with veggies' ever since you told us about it! Sounds like the sort of thing that'd fill a man's stomach good 'n proper."
"Incidentally," Inko said, glancing at the clock, "I think it's just about time that we got started on that, wouldn't you say, Uraraka-san?"
"It's a bit earlier than we originally planned, but I don't see why not, Midoriya-san." Mrs. Uraraka concurred, "We can take our time with it this way."
"Is there anything we can do?" Ochako inquired.
"I appreciate the thought, Ochako-chan, but it's a bit of a small kitchen. I'm afraid two people is about the limit if we don't want to be constantly running into each other." Inko declined with a grateful smile.
"If you two want to do something, then why not help your father when it's time to set the table, Ochako?" Mrs. Uraraka suggested.
"Okay!" Ochako agreed enthusiastically, happy to have some way to help.
Once the two women were fully occupied in the kitchen, Mr. Uraraka turned his gaze on Izuku. His expression was friendly, but Izuku got the distinct impression that the man was sizing him up. They sat like that for a good several minutes, Izuku staring back at the man and Ochako with a nervous grip on his hand.
"So, you like my daughter, do you?" he said plainly after enough time had passed. Izuku forestalled any protest on Ochako's part by patting her leg, trying to signal that everything was fine.
"I do, sir." Izuku made a conscious effort not to break eye-contact.
"Hmm. Do you like any other girls, son? Some little hottie from one of your classes, maybe?"
"Daddy-"
"Let him answer, Ochako." Mr. Uraraka was serious about this.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't find any other girls attractive, or that I don't get along fairly well with some of them." Izuku admitted, "But I don't feel the same way about any of them as I do about Ochako."
"Is that a fact? You sound awful sure."
"I'm as sure as I can be." Izuku replied, "Can I say with one-hundred percent certainty that my feelings won't ever change? Of course I can't. I'm fifteen, my Quirk isn't future-sight and I'm going into a field with a higher-than-average mortality rate. I can't say for certain what the next year will bring, let alone the next decade or the rest of my life. What I can say is that I care very much for Ochako and would never knowingly do anything to hurt her." Mr. Uraraka raised an eyebrow, which prompted Izuku to continue.
"I know what type of answer you're probably looking for. If it was my daughter, I'm sure I'd want to know the same thing, but the fact of the matter is that I can't honestly give you that answer and I'm not going to kid either one of us by just telling you what you want to hear. You might not like my answer and it might sound like I'm trying to weasel out of something but…there it is."
Izuku was sure that Ochako was staring at him, but he didn't break eye-contact with her father. The two studied each other for a long moment before the older man sighed.
"You're right. I might not like it. But I'll tell you what, son: I do respect it. You can't do me much fairer 'n you just did, not without lyin' or brown-nosin' an' I ain't got the time or patience for either." he stood up and held out a large hand. Izuku rose and shook it, "I'm willin' to give you a chance, boy. I figure my daughter's a smart girl and she knows what she sees in you. That's what matters." his grip tightened then, "I know she ain't some fragile flower what needs protectin' from the world, but all the same, don't you ever do anythin' to hurt her, or we'll be havin' words."
"That," Izuku said, "is definitely something I can promise you."
"Good, now let's go see about that table. I think I smell somethin' tasty."
I think that went well. I had a good idea how the chapter would go overall, it just took me a bit to figure out how I wanted to get it started and then it practically wrote itself.
Now, as I said up top, BIG NEWS. Please give this a read, even if you usually don't. It's kinda long, but it really is important.
I've said before that I didn't expect Torchbearer to become as big as it has, especially not as quickly as it has. 2,204 followers in about 13 months. That's an average of about 5.78 new followers every single day. In terms of reviews, we've actually broken into the Top 10 MHA fics on the site.
Basically, what my thousands (and, holy shit, I can say that literally) of fans have shown me is that, not only are there people out there who like my work enough to read through it, but a lot of them actually want to see more.
You know what? I want to give them that. I want to give YOU that. I want to build on this relationship that we have here and I want to give all of you more of a voice in what I'm producing.
So I'm making a Pat_reon (Can't believe they're actually censoring that) with an intended go-live date that will (barring any technical difficulties) correspond with the release of Chapter 50 of Torchbearer, which at this point is slated to be July 28th. The name will be released when we go live in case I decide to change it before then.
Let me start by explaining what this is NOT.
This is NOT me attempting to monetize Torchbearer or gating it behind a paywall. Torchbearer will remain free, updated bi-weekly and hosted on the fine site of FFNet. Torchbearer will remain a primary project of mine until such time as it is finished (which isn't happening anytime soon, believe you me). I will still be reading and responding to reviews, PMs, etc.
What this IS is me taking a new avenue of producing and sharing content (not all of it written, either!) with my fans on a regular basis and trying to support myself with it. If I hit my goal, I am fully-prepared to make producing content my full-time job and to keep doing it until it's time to retire.
So, what can you guys get out of this? Well, I have a beta version of my tier list for your perusal and I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK. This is meant to appeal to my fans and that means YOU! You can let me know what you think via review, private message or ghostly writing that spontaneously appears on my wall.
The format i:
Tier - Cost -
Blurb
(Explanation of what the blurb means)
Free - $0 -
Not technically a tier, but things that are visible to everyone regardless if they're a Patron or not. I will be posting previews of upcoming chapter releases in the form of a small chunk of text. Maybe it's a quote, maybe it's a paragraph, maybe it's a hook designed to get people interested in my original works. Plus, obviously, the artwork that I've designed for the page is viewable by everyone.
Match - $1 -
A small flame, but one that is vital for spreading the blaze. You can see all monthly Beacon posts and bonus content related to Torchbearer. Additionally, you gain access to the -exclusive Discord server and can vote in all polls (that do not specifically apply to a different tier), which gives you a say in the types of content that I produce. You also gain my eternal gratitude.
(Beacon is the $100 club, so once you get to their blurb you'll understand what this means. Bonus content for Torchbearer includes most if not all future omakes, light novel-esque artwork that I plan on producing for each chapter and even a possible Audiobook adaptation, released chapter-by-chapter. The Discord-exclusive server and polls are exactly what they sound like.)
Candle - $5 -
A stable flame that provides illumination to those around it. Some of them smell nice too. You have all of the nice things from the previous tier, as well as the ability to view any side stories, omakes or chapters of non-Torchbearer longer stories.
(The main addition here is the ability to view my non-Torchbearer related work. This means original works or even other fanworks. As of right now, I do have plans on starting an original work that I've been gnawing on for a while. The planned release rate will mirror Torchbearer, meaning one chapter every two weeks.)
Torch - $10 -
A strong flame with many uses, such as revealing secrets or repelling zombies! You get everything from the previous tiers, but you also get some behind-the-scenes stuff too, including monthly anecdotes about how/why I came up with certain things, character notes, the occasional Ask Me Anything, stuff like that. You'll have access to a $10+ Discord channel where you can discuss what sorts of things you'd like to see. Starting with this tier, you also get acknowledged by name whenever I thank my Patrons in my work (which will be quite often).
(Pretty self-explanatory I think. You get to get inside my head a little and the monthly anecdote/whatever I release for my $10 supporters will be based on what you all decide as a group. If there are several small/simple things, then I might cover multiple topics in a single month.)
Brazier - $20 -
A bed of hot coals that burns fuel into powerful flames that shine brightly and provide warmth to those around them. They can cook stuff too! You get all the perks from the previous tiers, plus you have the option of participating in a monthly tabletop-style game that I will personally host for you! Current offerings include Pathfinder, D&D 5e and NetBattlers, but I am open to learning more systems. Don't know how to play? I'm willing to help you learn! If we end up with a large number of people in this tier, we will break them up into groups and host separate sessions over the course of the month.
Alternatively, if the gaming thing doesn't appeal to you, I will produce art for you with the frequency varying by the complexity of the desired piece. Draft-quality linework = 1 month. Finished linework+tone = 2 months. Full color+shading = 3 months. Other factors, such as there being a bunch of characters or a non-simple background may also increase production time. Examples of each stage of work are visible in the Discord and you can always discuss the work with me there.
(I think this is pretty cut-and-dry too. You have the choice of either being part of a monthly gaming group hosted by yours truly or having me draw stuff for you, with how many months your drawing takes depending on the complexity of said drawing and what stage of completion you want it at. There will be examples of my work provided, so you'll know you're not just getting stick figures.)
Beacon - $100 -
A mighty flame that guides those who behold its majesty. You have all of the desirable things from the previous tiers, of course. In addition, I will write one thing of your choosing every month (provided that it doesn't violate Pat_reon's rules or is something that I'm not comfortable doing). It can be an omake for an ongoing store, a one-shot, a deep-dive into some lore for one of my worlds/characters...pretty much whatever. Plus, I'll tell anyone who asks that you're just...super awesome.
(This is the thing being referenced in the Match tier up above. You literally get to command me to write one bonus thing per month, per Beacon, within reason. Obviously I can't crap out a novel in a month while still doing my other stuff.)
It's worth remembering that not only does each successive tier get their own things, they ALSO get all the things from the previous tiers. Once you get into higher tiers...that's a lot of stuff!
So, how much stuff am I actually planning on producing a month? Up until I hit my goal (after which point my productivity levels essentially DOUBLE) I am planning on producing: At least 1 piece of bonus Torchbearer content per month, 1 chapter of an additional long work every 2 weeks, 1 behind-the-scenes type post which may contain multiple anecdotes per month, as many additional pieces of work/game sessions as the number of Braziers and Beacons demands.
I may produce more depending on my workload for a given month (and given the chance I will) but I'm trying to make sure I don't over-promise. Let me know what you think! If you have any suggestions for what might be some better tier benefits that I may not have thought of, PLEASE TELL ME. If you have a particularly long or detailed line of questioning, a PM might be the way to go.
*Breathes*
Next time, the long-awaited Hero Internships get announced and Hero Names are chosen! What will be the same? What will be different? What have some people been predicting ever since I first posted the description to this story in Chapter 1?! Find out!
And as always, thank you for reading!
