adamfranklin .uu: I read your story and enjoyed it! I think it would make a great comic. If you're interested in adapting it into comic format. Let me know. We can discuss it further, and I can explain everything about the comic creation process in detail.
I would genuinely rather dip my balls in a deep fryer. I am genuinely getting sick of these requests in general. Stop asking.
Katsuki Bakugo was many things, but he wasn't an idiot.
He could tell something was wrong as soon as his mother told him he wasn't going to school today.
The fact that her eyes were red from crying only added to his suspicions.
"We're going to go see Auntie Inko, Katsuki, come on!" She said in a voice that was way too cheerful to be real.
Something was wrong, and it had to do with the Midoriyas.
Wait.
Wasn't Izuku's Quirk test yesterday? Did it have to do with-
Oh.
Oh God, no.
Just like that, Katsuki understood. "Mom... Izuku's Quirkless, isn't he?" He murmured, a feeling of dread building within him.
His mother's silence told him all he needed to know.
Nine Years Later
Izuku sighed as his fingers danced along the keys of the piano. With I-Island's Youth Talent Show coming up, this was his one chance to show what he could do. He may not be able to be a hero, but if there's one thing he found he excelled at, it was music.
Like his cousin, he found himself able to pick up basically any instrument and play it to near professional proficiency.
He had the melody down, now he just needed lyrics.
He closed his eyes as he thought about everything he's had to deal with thanks to his diagnosis. From having to move to I-Island for his own safety, with the Jiro's and Bakugo's coming with him, to meeting Melissa, someone who knew exactly what he was going through, to going to his new school and realizing that his classmates treated him the exact same, like he was diseased...
Izuku took a deep breath, playing the melody again as he began to sing the first thing that came to mind...
Stone-cold, in the middle of a circus, but the lights are all on you
Try to fake the smile, but the curtain draws on you
When the crowd begins to cheer
It's a sign that the end is drawing near
Presenting the world, when the lights go out...
Izuku sighed, writing the words down as they came to him. In these words, he channeled all his pain, all his emotions that threatened to boil over. It was... weirdly therapeutic in a way, finally getting all of his thoughts onto the page. Before Izuku knew it, he had an entire song written down on that piece of paper. Satisfied, he took a picture of the paper, scanned the words into a document and saved it.
He wasn't going to take any chances that someone would try to sabotage him.
It wouldn't have been the first time.
"Izuku! Melissa's here!" Inko called, causing Izuku to break out of his rumination.
"Coming!" He called back, stretching as he got up and walked out of his room.
Sure enough, there she was.
Melissa Shield.
The reason Izuku was here on I-Island in the first place.
Not long after Hishashi quit his job at Detnerat, he reached out to an old college friend of his. That friend just so happened to be David Shield, former sidekick to All Might himself and a brilliant inventor in his own right. Together, they decided to form their own support company as a subsidiary of I-Island known as Aegis Tech, but David admitted that he had an ulterior motive, as Melissa too was Quirkless, and he was hoping that by introducing her to Izuku, the two would become friends due to their shared struggles. He then graciously offered the invitation to Kyotoku, Miku, Masaru and Mitsuki that way they didn't have to be so far apart.
Unfortunately, since Enji was the Number 2 hero, he couldn't afford to move on such short notice, but promised he'd visit whenever he could.
Izuku just wished that Toya could be there with them.
About a year after Izuku's diagnosis, they got the news from Shoto. Toya had pushed himself too far and self-immolated, leaving only his lower jaw behind. Enji blamed himself and refused to leave his family's side as they grieved in private.
It was the first time that Endeavor had actually fell in the hero rankings due to the sheer amount of inactivity.
In the end, it was Rei who snapped him out of his daze, reminding Enji that Toya wouldn't want him to wallow in self pity over what he could've done. And so, Enji doubled down on his hero work, and Shoto doubled down on his training, wanting to be the best hero he could be, not just for Toya, but for Izuku too.
He really had some kick ass friends and family.
"Ready?" Melissa asked with a grin, shouldering her bag as Izuku got his sneakers on.
"Yeah, just give me one second..." Izuku muttered, grabbing the permission form for the Talent Show that was on the dining room table and quickly writing down the name of the song he'd be performing. His song.
"As The Lights Go Out."
"So you have a plan, Deku?" Katsuki asked as Izuku and Melissa caught up to him at the Bakugo household.
While the "Deku" nickname rubbed Melissa the wrong way when they met, it slowly began to grow on her once she heard the story behind it.
Katsuki had happened to read the kanji in Izuku's name wrong when they first met, misreading his name as Deku, which, having spent enough time around heroes based in Japan, Melissa knew meant "useless." However, Katsuki clearly hadn't meant anything by it, and it had become a running joke in their friendship. Then, Izuku got his diagnosis and Katsuki decided to change the meaning of the childhood nickname, declaring it a shortened version of "Dekiru", which roughly translated to "you can do it."
"Because Quirkless or not, you can do anything you set you mind to, Izuku." Katsuki had told him.
"Yeah, actually. Melissa designed the microphone I'm going to be using herself, so in case anyone tries to sabotage the microphone or the speaker, it has some defenses built in to deter it. But, in case that doesn't work... I've heard explosions are a pretty good deterrent." Izuku smirked.
Katsuki cackled, punching Izuku in the shoulder as they approached the Jiro household. "I see what you're saying. I've got your back. Just don't bore me to sleep with whatever you decide to sing."
"Oh please, I've heard the music Izuku likes. If you can fall asleep to that, I will kick All Might in the balls. And you can quote me on that." Kyoka said as she closed the door, falling into step with their little group.
Izuku chuckled. "Fair enough. It's... not going to be like that, though." He sighed. "I'm not going to say much because it's kind of a surprise, but..." He frowned, trying to find the right words. "Well, just listen to the lyrics. It'll make sense."
"Can you at least promise it isn't too inappropriate? Uncle Might is going to be there cheering us on and I don't wanna be embarrassed." Melissa asked.
"It isn't inappropriate." Izuku promised her. "...But it might ruffle some feathers. Hopefully in a good way."
Melissa frowned, wondering what that could mean, but decided to trust Izuku. He hasn't lied to her before, why would he now? Still... She couldn't help but hope he knew what he was doing.
Later That Night...
Izuku took a deep breath as he stood backstage. He was to be the last to perform, and he knew he only had one chance to make this song count.
One chance to finally be heard.
"Now, for our final act of the night, Izuku Midoriya!" The Principal called, and Izuku willed his legs to move, ignoring the glares and hushed whispers from his classmates.
"Freak."
"Quirkless loser."
"I hope you choke up there."
He blocked them out. This was his time.
He sat down in front of the piano, adjusted the microphone, and took a deep breath. "Thank you. As Principal Villevue said, my name is Izuku Midoriya. Tonight, I'm going to perform an original song I have written called As The Lights Go Out. As you listen, I hope you try your best to pay attention to the lyrics as they are my true feelings, things I have been dealing with for my entire life, and something I've needed to get off of my chest for a while. Thank you."
Izuku then turned to the piano and began to play the melody...
Spotify/playlist/04Syk0w8GXXqJBVr5uWHfA
Song 2
Stone-cold, in the middle of a circus, but the lights are all on you
Try to fake the smile, but the curtain draws on you
When the crowd begins to cheer
It's a sign that the end is drawing near
Presenting the world, when the lights go out
As his fingers danced across the keys, Izuku risked a glance backstage, seeing Melissa and Kyoka watching him. Kyoka seemed to be focused on the music for now, which Izuku understood, as with her super hearing, it was what she could hear best right now. For Melissa though, he immediately saw the dawning comprehension about what the song was about, and what it meant to the two of them.
The tears fade right before their very eyes
But yours begin to shed
Fake it for a while, but the coursing darkness dreads
For behind each casting art
Is the image of a man who's torn apart!
Escaping the world, when the lights go out
Fear not, I have descended before you even knew
I only told a minor few
The smile you see, can't comprehend it
But I died too long ago
So every time I start the show, I drop the act and away I go
The song was a message for everyone like them. Everyone who had felt powerless, who felt like they had to hide behind a mask because they had a weak Quirk, or a villainous Quirk, or no Quirk at all. It was a message that they were seen, that they were heard.
That they weren't alone.
Stone throws for a friend with a message
But the message failed to send
Too many times I've bailed, 'cause the show's about to end
Like an intermittent break, like a purgatory sending me to shake
I walk off the stage, and the lights go out
You would've never believed me while smiling
You would've stopped to intrigue while I'm frowning
You would've helped just to shake it off
But it bled me dry!
Maybe you're not supposed to know
But would it kill to just remind yourself I'm gone?
I'm broken again, as the lights go out
(When the lights go out)
Fear not, I have descended before you even knew
I only told a minor few
The smile you see, can't comprehend it
But I died too long ago
So every time I start the show, I drop the act and away I go!
By the time you hear me cry
I'll have lost you through thousands of voices
All blinded by the sounds, no remorse for me is found
And I am not meant to be chained to the ground
I have no soul, have no goal, have no promises
Yet the mask is in the way!
Izuku took a deep breath as his fingers danced across the keys, his fingers trembling as he fought to keep his composure. He wanted to break down there and then. He never felt so exposed, so vulnerable. And yet, at the same time...
He never felt more free.
It felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He felt... lighter, somehow.
So every time I take my leave
Oh, darkness please, oh, just leave me be
Holding on for life, I can't let you know I'm alive!
Fear not, I have descended before you even knew
I only told a minor few
The smile you see, can't comprehend it
But I died too long ago
So every time I start the show, I drop the act and away I go
For the final time, Izuku played the familiar melody as he took a shuddering breath. He had done it. He got through his performance and came out stronger because of it. Hopefully now everyone understood how he felt every day. Would they listen? It depended, really. He knew his classmates wouldn't. Not all of them, at least. Some of them would definitely double down on their prejudices. The adults though... He knew they were listening. He wondered what they thought.
By the time this little number ends, I'm gone
And you can't cure my mind...
And there we have it. I know that my response to the review up top was probably uncalled for, but I've been getting bots requesting me to ask them to make art for my story constantly for the past couple days, so I figured a response was necessary. Either that or that was a real person and I was extremely rude, in which case I apologize.
If it is a bot, we can all point and laugh, though.
Now! Let's talk about the chapter, and some developments with the story.
First, I realized I never linked the song last chapter, which is a mistake on my part, which I hope to rectify here.
As you can see, I have included a link to a Spotify Playlist where I'll be adding a new song every chapter for your listening pleasure and convenience.
This chapter, the song was "As The Lights Go Out" By Will Ryan AKA DAGames AKA Iris Official. The song is talking about how people see the side of Will he wants you to see, they don't know how Will really feels after the show (his YouTube videos), which you'll hear referenced throughout the song, and so I took that idea and interpreted it a different way for Izuku's mindset. I tried my best to leave Izuku's mindset intentionally vague as he was singing that way you all can develop your own interpretations of what he meant.
I genuinely want to hear your interpretations, by the way, there are no wrong answers here.
Now I know the song isn't what you'd consider "mainstream" but that's kind of why I picked it. No music should be seen as wrong, and I'm going to try my best to show that off here.
Anyways, thank you all so much for reading!
As always, drive the speed limit, drink some water, and of course, love one another.
Pizza!