You said you didn't see how feeling more threatened as a dragon would help if the problem was feeling threatened all the time in the first place. My point was that I think she's stuck as a dragon to try and feel safer compared to how she was as a human, and that now she has to face the fact that she's not invincible it might help her face the idea of being a squishy human again.
I guess it's a matter of differing points of view, then? The input is the same (more vulnerability), we're just disagreeing on what the result would be (more dragon or less dragon). But we're both talking about it maybe being psychological, and the other person said it ruled out psychology all together because she didn't instantly turn back or whatever, which is what my post was about.
Pretty sure it's not psychological. They got in people with meta-quirk quirks to try and force activation, deactivation, and so on, and none of that helped or worked at all.
Yeah if there is any Quirk that is going to fall into the "If this doesn't turn her back into a human then nothing will" category then it's Eri's time rewind Quirk.
Pretty sure it's not psychological. They got in people with meta-quirk quirks to try and force activation, deactivation, and so on, and none of that helped or worked at all.
While I'm not going to otherwise weigh in on the speculation (interesting stuff) I will point out that, in-universe, they have not ruled out psychological cause. They've tried a variety of ways to fix it, but those kinds of Quirks are rare and come with limitations. It's impossible to tell if they didn't work or couldn't work.
Shouto seems to have come to a different epiphany here than in canon ('Can you really afford to hold back' compared to 'It's your quirk not his'), though he might still end up friends with Midoriya after this?
Yeah, there's nothing wrong with the canon route, but I always felt like it was worth exploring what would happen if we took Shoto's path to it's logical conclusion.
I don't know how obvious it's been (I am painfully aware that I sometimes don't always properly emphasize the right things because they seem obvious to me as the writer) but I've been building up towards this confrontation since Chapter 4, where Ryuko lays out this message to Ryuuzaki: "It's fine to have a selfish reason to want to become a Hero, as long as you don't let that reason control you, and are ready to give it everything you've got."
Ryuko is someone who grew up in abject poverty and dreamed of becoming a Hero because it paid well. But that doesn't mean she's not also a great Hero who wants to help people in need, because she understands what it feels like to be powerless. She saves people first, with everything she's got, and money comes as a result of that. And it's not wrong to be compensated for what is a full-time high-risk high-stress job.
For an opposite example, Ryuhachi is someone who wanted to become a Hero out of pride in his family name and legacy. Not inherently a bad thing, but he puts that pride and family name before all else, and spends his time worrying over it and picking fights.
Ryuuzaki is someone who wanted to become a Hero because Quirks were cool and new and interesting, and she found that she enjoyed using hers. But that doesn't mean she doesn't also want to save people, to make sure they don't have to go through what she did at Fujiwara's hands. She doesn't put her enjoyment above that of people's lives, and as long as she doesn't there's nothing wrong with enjoying what you do.
Shoto is someone who wanted to become a Hero because he was inspired by All-Might as a kid and genuinely wanted to help people, but this got overshadowed by his desire to prove his dad wrong. Nothing wrong in and of itself with wanting to spite Endeavour, until he prioritized that spite over saving people, by deliberately handicapping himself.
Now, in this Chapter, things come to a head somewhat. Ryuuzaki faces the opposite of the values Ryuko instilled in her, Stain, who believes that a True Hero can only be someone who's completely selfless. By contrast Shoto is forced to face the reality that by trying to deny his father's half of his Quirk he's tacitly allowing innocent people come into danger when he has the power to save them.
I don't know how obvious it's been (I am painfully aware that I sometimes don't always properly emphasize the right things because they seem obvious to me as the writer) but I've been building up towards this confrontation since Chapter 4, where Ryuko lays out this message to Ryuuzaki: "It's fine to have a selfish reason to want to become a Hero, as long as you don't let that reason control you, and are ready to give it everything you've got."
Ryuko is someone who grew up in abject poverty and dreamed of becoming a Hero because it paid well. But that doesn't mean she's not also a great Hero who wants to help people in need, because she understands what it feels like to be powerless. She saves people first, with everything she's got, and money comes as a result of that. And it's not wrong to be compensated for what is a full-time high-risk high-stress job.
For an opposite example, Ryuhachi is someone who wanted to become a Hero out of pride in his family name and legacy. Not inherently a bad thing, but he puts that pride and family name before all else, and spends his time worrying over it and picking fights.
Ryuuzaki is someone who wanted to become a Hero because Quirks were cool and new and interesting, and she found that she enjoyed using hers. But that doesn't mean she doesn't also want to save people, to make sure they don't have to go through what she did at Fujiwara's hands. She doesn't put her enjoyment above that of people's lives, and as long as she doesn't there's nothing wrong with enjoying what you do.
Shoto is someone who wanted to become a Hero because he was inspired by All-Might as a kid and genuinely wanted to help people, but this got overshadowed by his desire to prove his dad wrong. Nothing wrong in and of itself with wanting to spite Endeavour, until he prioritized that spite over saving people, by deliberately handicapping himself.
Now, in this Chapter, things come to a head somewhat. Ryuuzaki faces the opposite of the values Ryuko instilled in her, Stain, who believes that a True Hero can only be someone who's completely selfless. By contrast Shoto is forced to face the reality that by trying to deny his father's half of his Quirk he's tacitly allowing innocent people come into danger when he has the power to save them.
Just wanted to comment on this but I thought having Fujiwara latch onto Stain's ideology to justify his crusade against a 13 year old he tried to murder in cold blood did a great job of building up towards that theme and this confrontation. And might even come into play later perhaps....?
"Oh, he wouldn't shut up about it. It was around the time Ryukyu first started making waves, you'd think it was the greatest injustice ever known to man listening to him." He drummed his fingers on the desk. "Don't, uh, worry about it. It's none of my business really. He was nice enough, and handy in a fight, but you'd just kinda get the sense that he thought he was too good for the rest of us sidekicks."
"I see." I mused. "Is that why he left?"
"Well… you didn't hear it from me, but… no. It was actually because of you."
"Me? What did I do?"
"Okay, so, way back, Endeavour was considering offering to mentor your sister. You know, take her in for some training, show her a few pointers, and if she meets expectations offer her a recommendation."
I nodded along. Most Recommendations were done between family members, but it wasn't unheard of for Pro-Heroes to sponsor young kids who they thought had potential. But I couldn't help but think of Ryuko's bitter comment when she'd explained the Entrance Exams to me.
"Who would've recommended me?"
I was going to tell her, when I had the chance.
"So what happened?"
"Well, Ryuhachi advised against it. He told Endeavour the, um, "Branch Family Tatsumas", as he called you, weren't worth consideration." He answered, and I felt my anger rising. "Then of course Ryukyu went on to become the youngest Hero to reach the Top Ten, at least until Hawks usurped her. That was a big blow to Endeavour, losing out on that opportunity. And then when you passed UA's Recommendation Exams with a higher score than Shoto, well, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was obvious Ryuhachi was giving biased advice. There was a big argument, he said that if you were invited to the Agency he'd leave, and Endeavour told him to go ahead. And… that's how it went down. Ryuhachi poached a couple of other sidekicks and started his own business."
Furthermore the results of the notoriously elusive recommended student exam have also arrived, showing a selection from the most famous Pro-Hero families across Japan.
Inasa Yoarashi
Ryuuzaki Tatsuma
Shouto Todoroki
Momo Yaoyorozu
Sekijiro Kan lowered the newspaper to take a sip of his coffee. The teachers' office was quiet, with only Aizawa's snoring in the background. The two of them had gotten here early, since they were about to buried under the paperwork of preparing for the arrival of forty new students in only a little over a month.
After decades of acting as the second-in-command of the Endeavour Hero Agency, yesterday the Pro-Hero Ryuhachi announced that he would departing before the end of the month to form his own agency. Though the two Heroes acted cordial in a joint press conference, our inside sources speak of a growing interpersonal rift years in the making and irreconcilable differences of opinion at the background of this event. For more on this…
Caught up at last! Enjoying a lot, liking the characters and the exploration of 1B rather than 1A like always. Obviously a lot of thought gone into characterisation and plotting, and thinking through the implications of things like how awkward Ryuuzaki's dragon form is.
Next arc should be the exams, then quirk training, if it follows canon. Calling it now, she'll be paired with Tokage for the exams so they can finally work out their issues.
Looking ahead, I wonder if Bakugou is still the primary target for the League of Villains? He didn't make quite as impressive a showing at the Sports Festival, and they seem to have switched targets completely to Izuku. Otherwise, as far as I can recall, Ryuuzaki should do quite well against most of the villains in the quirk training arc - with the big exception of Mustard. And Muscular could probably outpower her. Hm. Looking forward to it!
My studying is proceeding well, and I have a concrete end-date after the universities finally figured out what they were going to do within regards to the virus situation. I will resume writing Dragonspawn on 6.6. at the latest, possibly earlier depending on if I fail to qualify for the second stage of the exam, and start working on Interlude 3, which will be featuring the wider reactions to the events of Chapters 31 and 32.
Also, @Chancellor is my new Beta reader, so I hereby abdicate all responsibility for typos and missing sections unto him.
Finally, since it's come into my attention that some people have been confused by it, Ryuko's epithet is canonically "Dragoon Hero", dragoons being a type of 17th/18th century cavalry unit, and not in fact "Dragon Hero", a large, reptilian legendary creature. Which she, you know, actually is.
I am fully aware of this and acknowledge what the official title is, but given that it's a stupid-ass title I elected to ignore it and use "Dragon Hero" for Ryuko and all the other Tatsumas in Dragonspawn.
This has been your regular public service announcement. Thank you and have a good day.
Finally, since it's come into my attention that some people have been confused by it, Ryuko's epithet is canonically "Dragoon Hero", dragoons being a type of 17th/18th century cavalry unit, and not in fact "Dragon Hero", a large, reptilian legendary creature. Which she, you know, actually is.
I am fully aware of this and acknowledge what the official title is, but given that it's a stupid-ass title I elected to ignore it and use "Dragon Hero" for Ryuko and all the other Tatsumas in Dragonspawn.
Honestly what were they thinking? Between the uncanny valley dragon form, the lack of any cool moments, the fall in the rankings, being ranked below a fucking washing machine and the stupid-ass title you have to wonder if someone on the creative team has a grudge against dragons or something considering how much Ryuko gets shafted.
Ryutsuki Tatsuma was broken from her trance as she heard rapid, heavy footsteps approaching. She lifted her eyes from the wood carving she'd been working on as the door of her workshop was thrown open and a massive, grey-skinned man with the head of a rhinoceros barged in.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Most people might have trouble reading the inhuman facial features of Kenshin Tatsuma, but Ryutsuki knew her husband well enough to recognize the creases of worry etched on his face.
"Did you get a message just now?"
"No?" She answered as she fished out her phone from her pocket, only to see that she had indeed received a message just moments ago: she must have simply been too engrossed in her work to notice. She clicked on the icon and scrolled over the message.
Ryuko: Turn on the news. You need to see this.
-----
"Where is Endeavour and where the hell is my sister?!"
The doors of Kofu General Hospital were thrown open as Ryuko Tatsuma strode in with murder in her eyes, almost seeming to give off sparks as her glare swept across the lobby before settling on a trio of police officers, who shied back from her fury.
"Both in surgery, ma'am." One of them spoke up. "You, uh, can't talk to them."
"Then would you like to explain to me how the hell they ended in there?"
The three of them exchanged nervous glances and shrugs, until the one that had spoken earlier replied. "Endeavour'ssidekickisinroom311hecanfillyouinbye."
"Hmph."
Distracted by the fury of the Number Ten Hero, nobody paid much attention to the teenage girl in green bodysuit following skittishly in her wake, her expression stuck somewhere between awestruck horror and the occasional flash of muted frustration.
-----
"Where the hell are those blood bags! We need another transfusion, quickly!"
Enji Todoroki laid on the stretcher as doctors bustled around him, fighting to save his life. But it was hard to focus on the present. His head felt light and his thoughts sluggish. It was as if he was floating, the real world indistinct and colorless.
But for all that, he remembered.
"That won't work, there's blood in his lungs. We need to drain it."
He'd been drifting in and out of consciousness as it had happened, his chest carved open, but he'd seen enough.
He'd seen Tatsuma rise to the occasion, and save his life. His choice had been well made.
"Jesus, there's bits of ribs stuck in there."
And he'd seen Shoto use his fire for the first time. His fire. But not for him. For her. The girl. The virtual stranger. The rival. The one Enji had deliberately set against him to push him beyond his limits.
"Don't worry about the hand for now. Focus on saving his life."
He'd known about the boy's animosity towards him. How could he not? But he'd thought it simply childish defiance, a temper tantrum that he would eventually get over.
But to think it ran so deep. Deeper than he's ever imagined. So deep that he would not even use his fire in defense of his own father.
"Get him prepped for surgery! Where is that damn anesthesiologist?!"
Looking into his son's eyes as Stain had cut him down, and seeing the hesitation and loathing within had been… a revelatory experience. To see him finally throw away his foolish, self-imposed limitation and achieve his true potential, not for his sake, but for another.
Maybe it was the painkillers messing with his head. Maybe it was the concussion speaking. But the thought just wouldn't leave him alone. That it wasn't just a tantrum. That it was something far uglier. That it wouldn't just pass away with time. That his son genuinely, from the bottom of his heart, hated him.
And as he went under, for the first time in his life… Enji Todoroki wondered if he'd made a mistake.
-----
"...we can indeed confirm that we have Chizome Akaguro, aka Stain, aka the Hero Killer, in police custody."
For a moment, you could hear a pin drop. Everyone in the press room had heard the rumors already. It wasn't the sort of thing that could be kept under wraps. But to hear the Kofu Police Commissioner announce it in front of dozens of camera crews made it real.
Then the crowd of reporters erupted with noise, pushing and shoving at the line of uniformed police officers between them and the podium with something that could be described as desperation.
The Hero Killer, who had murdered twenty-one Heroes in the line of duty and crippled a further thirty-three, had been captured. It was the kind of story that could make careers.
It took almost a full minute for order to be restored, as the Commissioner stoically ignored shouted questions, the line of officers holding back against the press of bodies. Only once the room was quiet again he selected a reporter at random, and one of the officers moved to give him a mic.
"Mr. Commissioner, I think the question that's on everyone's minds is who is responsible for the capture. Can you tell us?"
"I can. The agencies responsible for the capture are Endeavour Hero Agency and Gran Torino Hero Agency, with assistance from the Satyr Hero Agency." Immediately, hushed whispers broke out amongst the crowd. The Number Two Hero was of course recognizable to everyone, and Satyr was a local name, but the third name came up blank.
"From Endeavour Hero Agency, Pro-Hero Endeavour and Sidekick Strikethrough. Furthermore two interns from UA High School were completing their work placements at Endeavour Hero Agency, Hero Names "Shoto" and "Ryuuzaki". From Gran Torino Agency, Pro-Hero Gran Torino, and another intern from UA, Hero Name "Deku". Finally, from Satyr Hero Agency, Pro-Hero Satyr provided assistance. Next question."
"Are you referring to the..." The reporter quickly glanced down at his tablet before continuing. "The first, second and eighth place contestants at UA's First Years Sports Festival? Izuku Midoriya, Ryuuzaki Tatsuma and Shoto Todoroki?"
"This is correct. Next question."
"Where is Endeavour?" A tall, horned reporter asked. "He's not the type to miss out on something like this."
"I cannot comment on ongoing situations. Next question."
Another round of whispers broke out, whilst the next reporter stepped up and took the mic.
"Can you comment on the allegations by eyewitnesses from the scene regarding the involvement of the group known as League of Villains, responsible for the attacks on Hosu and UA?"
"I can indeed confirm the presence of the Nomu-type villains. Beyond that, again, I cannot comment on an ongoing investigation. Next question."
"Mr. Commissioner, according to our sources within Kofu General Hospital, Stain was brought in near-death, and is currently fighting for his life." The reporter, a pale bluish-skinned woman with long hair and black-green eyes, received more than a few looks at her announcement from the other reporters. "Can you comment on the events that lead to such a state?"
"No comment. Next quest-"
"Furthermore-" She interrupted before he could move on, snatching back the mic. "These sources indicate that he is missing his left arm, accompanied by large teeth marks. In addition, cell phone footage recorded by several eyewitnesses show the intern Ryuuzaki biting off a part of a Nomu's arm before goring it on her horn. Can you comment on such an unprecedented level of brutality, from a trainee no less?"
A vein throbbed in the Commissioner's forehead.
"They were ambushed by the Hero Killer, and a squadron of Nomu." He glared across the room at the reporter, and even a few of the police officers glanced back at him. "Their opponents were utilizing lethal force, and their instructing Pro-Heroes had been incapacitated. I'll thank you not to make veiled accusations towards children who were forced to fight for their lives." The Commissioner took a deep breath and went on. "Whilst it is unfortunate that such drastic measures had to be resorted to we are not, at this time, investigating any of the Pro-Heroes or trainees involved for excessive usage of force. That will be all."
He turned on his heel and stepped down from the podium as the room descended into chaos behind him.
"Endeavour was wounded?"
"Is that why he's not here?"
"Are you saying that the Hero Killer was captured by the interns whilst both Pro-Heroes on the scene were out of action?"
-----
Somewhere in Musutafu, a man let out an audible growl as he watched the news, his reptilian features twisting into an expression of fury as his coffee mug shattered in his hands.
-----
A short bit of theme music plays as the camera focuses on a cat-eared woman sitting on a comfortable-looking half-circle couch. Across from her is a mousy-looking woman, looking out of place.
"And coming back from the commercial break, I'm Naoko Kurosawa from Channel Nine, and I have here with me Miyu Konishi. Ms. Konishi, you've been telling us about your experiences during the Kashyyyk Mall attack."
"Y-yeah. That's right."
"Now, the footage we're about to show is not for the faint of heart, so if you've got little kids watching back home now's the time to stop."
Grainy footage from a cell phone camera begins playing on the screen. People are screaming and running out into the street from a set of large doors with the name "Kashyyyk Mall" set in bold letters above them. The doors are ajar, and monstrous grunting and stomping can be heard within.
The filmer steps closer, and a massive white-scaled dragon can be seen grappling with an equally large grey-skinned monster. The dragon's huge jaws are clamped on the creature's bicep and with a squelching noise, it twists its neck and rips free a chunk of meat, blood dripping down its scales.
The footage cuts back to the studio, as Konishi looks shell-shocked, but determined.
"Ms. Konishi, everyone's been giving their own takes on the footage, but you were there on the scene. Is there anything you'd like to say, to tell us how it makes you feel?"
"Well… yes, it's shocking to see. But… she saved my life. All of our lives, those who were there I mean. Those things were hunting us in the darkness. And she's just fifteen, or so all the news is saying. I can't imagine what it must've been like to fight those… monsters. She's just a kid, but she went out of her way to make sure everyone made it out. Maybe she did eat Stain's arm, like everyone's saying, or maybe she didn't. Personally, I don't care. She's a Hero."
-----
In a nameless back alley, a man gurgled wetly as more and more of his blood spilled onto the cold asphalt from the knife wound in his gut. A phone laid discarded on the ground to the side, playing news footage
"Do you hear that?" A cheery, sweet voice asked. The man inclined his head to where his attacker was crouched over the puddle of blood, sucking it into a container with a needle. The girl stood up and sauntered over to the phone, blood staining her school uniform as she picked it up, showing footage of a white-scaled dragon tearing out a piece of flesh from a Nomu, blood splattering everywhere.
"That's interesting. That's very interesting. Don't you think so, yeah?"
-----
"Stain fucked us." Tomura Shigaraki growled, pacing on the floor of the bar. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted that bastard."
"It was your decision to send in the Nomu." Kurogiri noted from behind the counter, cleaning a pair of glasses.
"And you were the one who pushed so damn hard for us to get Stain in the first place!" Shigaraki spat. "Now we're down seven Nomu and no closer to our goal. Why don't you go and grab him so that we can-"
"Do not send Kurogiri on a one-way mission to work through your own frustration." A low, electronically tinted voice came from the speaker mounted on the wall. "The entire point of the operation was that we lose nothing important, but our teleporter is not so easily replaced."
"Yes, Master." Shigaraki sighed, scratching his neck. "I just don't understand it. We had the Nomu tailored against the targets, even those annoying UA brats, with a couple more for insurance. It should have worked."
"They were tailored against the targets we knew about. It seems that there was a player on the field we hadn't accounted for. Endeavour had two interns, not one."
"So the intel was wrong!"
"Our source provided us with information within the scope of their ability to acquire, Tomura Shigaraki." Kurogiri intoned. "We requested a list of the internship destinations of Class 1-A, since that is the placement of All-Might's successor. However, the extra factor was not a member of that class."
Kurogiri grabbed a remote and turned on the ceiling-mounted television screen, showing news footage a dragon grappling with a Nomu.
"You're telling me that one kid managed to hinder a force of seven Nomu, and derail the whole operation?" Shigaraki asked with a note of disbelief.
The wall-mounted speaker hummed as the footage continued to play, and the dragon impaled the Nomu through the chest.
"It is quite a potent Quirk."
-----
Somewhere in Musutafu City, a teenage girl walked up to her friend, showing her her phone screen, playing the news.
"Look at this."
"...No way. No fucking way."
"It's real."
"...It's been seven years, there's no way she remembers us, right? Right?"
I had some free time so I decided to write this up, not back to regular writing schedule yet but we're getting there.
And he'd seen Shoto use his fire for the first time. His fire. But not for him. For her. The girl. The virtual stranger. The rival. The one Enji had deliberately set against him to push him beyond his limits.
"Don't worry about the hand for now. Focus on saving his life."
He'd known about the boy's animosity towards him. How could he not? But he'd thought it simply childish defiance, a temper tantrum that he would eventually get over.
But to think it ran so deep. Deeper than he's ever imagined. So deep that he would not even use his fire in defense of his own father.
Somebody asked me about how the bullies would react, I posted roughly that scene in response, and while writing the Chapter I decided that it would fit well as a counterweight to the stalker serial killers and supervillains, plus as a reminder of Ryuuzaki's character growth since then, so I threw it in.
Honestly, I'm really enjoying this look into the waves this attack has made. Beyond Endevour finally getting a glimpse into the horrible reality he blinded himself to in his efforts to best All-might, the fact that people are looking at the violence and doing their best to remember that these are teenagers being put in life or death situations... this'll be interesting.
Also, the assumption that Ryuuzaki swallowed the arm she bit off tickles my dark sense of humour quite nicely, even while it's yet another interesting obstacle they'll have to deal with.
Somebody asked me about how the bullies would react, I posted roughly that scene in response, and while writing the Chapter I decided that it would fit well as a counterweight to the stalker serial killers and supervillains, plus as a reminder of Ryuuzaki's character growth since then, so I threw it in.
"Then would you like to explain to me how the hell they ended in there?"
The three of them exchanged nervous glances and shrugs, until the one that had spoken earlier replied. "Endeavour'ssidekickisinroom311hecanfillyouinbye."
Those police men better press F to pay their respects to Strikethrough. After throwing him under the bus like that the least they can do is honor his sacrifice.
Distracted by the fury of the Number Ten Hero, nobody paid much attention to the teenage girl in green bodysuit following skittishly in her wake, her expression stuck somewhere between awestruck horror and the occasional flash of muted frustration.
The reporter, a pale bluish-skinned woman with long hair and black-green eyes, received more than a few looks at her announcement from the other reporters. "
I spy with my little eye a Meta Liberation Army spy.
So the reason she's being so gung-ho about riding the kids for violence is basically a reverse psychology trick to get the police commissioner to basically go on the record as saying that Quirk use for self-defense is justified?
Somebody asked me about how the bullies would react, I posted roughly that scene in response, and while writing the Chapter I decided that it would fit well as a counterweight to the stalker serial killers and supervillains, plus as a reminder of Ryuuzaki's character growth since then, so I threw it in.
Speaking of omakes I find it amusing to think about what Obstacle 1 and Obstacle 2 thought when they saw Tatsuma go through the Sports Festival. Or how they will react to the news of her taking down The Hero Killer if that gets publicised.
So the reason she's being so gung-ho about riding the kids for violence is basically a reverse psychology trick to get the police commissioner to basically go on the record as saying that Quirk use for self-defense is justified?
