#hawks meta

[shadowwolflady]

Hawks Headcanons

Because I hyperfixate, and write, I have compiled a list of what Keigo/Hawks is like in my head. This is so I can reference it back and not keep changing things in the stories. I like consistency.

So, here we go, the list of head canons that I have for my beloved boy.

General

Yes, he has flown into a window. No he will not admit it.

Hawks can’t cook. He is used to microwave meals and quick meals like eggs, pancakes, bacon, ramen, spaghetti, and the like. Hence his love for chicken.

He has collapsed into bed without removing his gear more times than he would care to admit.

He is a bookworm. He loves to read. It’s one of his escapes.

His preferred genre is adventure, action, fantasy. Picture lotr, or noble knights doing good for their kingdom.

He likes to game. I would think Assassins creed, Witcher, LoZ, maybe even pokemon. He's not a hard-core gamer, but he dabbles in it.

He will zone out in a warm shower.

He loves sitting up high and looking at the stars and sky. His favorite place is the Kyushu tower.

He loves peace and quiet. It helps to calm his mind and allows him to think without outside stimuli.

His favorite pastime is allowing his mind to wander.

If he finds anything interesting or that he likes, he will research it to death.

He has RAD, depression, ADHD, hypervigilance, and hyper independence. Most of these are due to the upbringing of the commission. He also has abandonment issues. He hates leaving anything unfinished.

He DOES NOT trust people; this is due to the Commission. He always believes people are two faced. Even if people believe they are close to him, they really aren’t.

He has many layers to him. He is very complex. Most of the layers are barriers meant to keep people out and away.

He is insanely smart, despite acting oblivious.

He catches on quickly. Quick learner.

He has standards and morals, despite being morally grey.

Despite having rigorous training to control his features when emotions hit, some do slip. These micro-movements are specifically his wings and feathers. Puffing up, roosting, sharpening. These will give away his thoughts and feelings while his face is neutral. Only those close to him really notice it.

He has a mouth, and he uses it. It gets him into trouble. His wings and feathers usually get him out of it.

He will shut down and recharge after strenuous missions. This is the time when he likes to be alone and decompress, mostly sleep.

He has a soft spot for animals. He likes cats and dogs. He would love to have one day, but with his changing schedule, it would be hard to keep them. So, he sticks to the strays and the neighbors’ pets.

He would rather deal with kids than adults. Kids are much easier to deal with and honest vs adults who are shady and two-faced.

Despite being a ray of happy sunshine in public, Hawks is actually fairly quiet.

Hawks gets even quieter when tired. And it is noticeable. He doesn’t want to use the energy he has left. He also doesn’t want to say anything he would regret later. His filter is usually less during this time and he may say something that would sound mean when in reality it isn’t.

Despite being fast and quick, he is relatively patient. He doesn’t mind waiting, as long as it is for something he likes.

While praise is nice, from outsiders, it isn’t rewarding. But from someone he knows is genuine, then that is something.

Telling him thank you always makes him smile. Gratitude goes a long way with him.

He has Endeavor merch, but not as much as you think. A couple of t-shirts, a poster, and signed photo, plus a figure or two. But not a whole wall or closet filled.

Hawks is the kind of guy who is self-conscious about his wings. It has always been about his wings and what he can do, never him. He doesn’t like it when people see him and his wings or as his wings. He would rather have someone who can separate the two, and just see him as a human rather than his wings.

He sometimes uses his wings to his advantage and tries to make his personal bubble a little bigger.

His earrings are a sign of rebellion against the commission. Basically, saying you can’t control me or my body to them by doing it.

He would duck out of a massive party any chance he got. Whether it would be saying his partner was tired or phone call or whatever. He gets slightly overstimulated in large crowds, on the count of his wings picking up vibrations constantly, along with his wings also being big and not the best at keeping himself small and unnoticed.

Now for the fun random bits!

Hygiene

He smells like Marble. Beneath ozone and coffee.

He uses 3 in 1 body and shampoo when in a rush. But on days off he actually uses different soap and shampoo.

When in a hurry, he will usually shed his feathers so he can dry faster.

Hairbrush? What's that? He rarely styles his hair or brushes it. Usually one or two swipes with his hand and he's good.

Mint or spearmint toothpaste.

Quick rinse with mouthwash.

Food

He has a sweet tooth. He LOVES sweet coffee.

His go to is always chicken.

He is more of a savory kind of person.

He is a glutton when it comes to the food he loves.

Alcohol

He isn't an alcoholic. He drinks socially. He may have a beer or ale or cider every now and then, but he really doesn't drink. At parties he will have a wine or champagne. If it is a fancier party then a scotch, bourbon, or whiskey. Sometimes he will have a shot of sake.

Work and workplace

He is the kind of guy to give his employees merch as gifts. He will if he really doesn’t know what to get them.

He usually pawns new merch to try on his employees for feedback.

He does get to know his employees.

Sleep

He sleeps on his stomach or side. It is hard to sleep on his back with his wings, but he does sometimes. It is just uncomfortable. And gets wing cramps when he falls asleep with his wings bunched up.

He will sometimes shed most if not all of his feathers to sleep on his back.

His bedding is soft and fluffy. He has multiple pillows. He loves snuggling under his covers and duvet cover.

He is a pillow hugger. He loves his body pillows.

He sleeps in a loose t-shirt and boxers. Usually. He will sometimes go for sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt when it gets colder.

He is a furnace. He radiates heat.

I have more. Let me know if anyone would like the other lists.

This guy lives in my mind rent free... I do have a love/hate relationship with him.

[sparkles-and-trash]

The fact that canon Hawks seems content with his ending while we as his fans are in shables is so insane, we really had that bootlicking man wrong all along 😭😭

Anyways who cares about canon, Hawks can be whatever we want him to be!!

Just saying it’s a little crazy how hard we, as his fans, grieved over his loss of his quirk and the fact that he stayed in the fucking HPSC when he’s just strollin’ around with that stupid grin on his stupid fave UGH -

[dynamightmite]

Hawks and Twice; Identities and Foils

Part one, lol

Okay, season six is fully out so I can finally talk about the Hawks killing Twice scene without tagging it as spoilers because. Listen. I love you guys, but some of the takes I’ve been reading about it are just maybe not the scalding hot read you think they are. So... let’s talk about it.

There are a few things that most people have picked up on and that I’d like to reestablish so we can all move past them to the nitty-gritty stuff. First is that, yes, Hawks is in the wrong for killing Twice. Narratively,  it is considered by everyone (including Hawks himself) to have been a bad thing to do. There’s so much grief surrounding Twice’s death, and everyone involved is badly affected by it. That’s the point of the scene. You aren’t supposed to have the takeaway that this was a righteous act, or that it was fair; it’s supposed to feel brutal, and wrong, and disgusting. You are supposed to come away questioning a lot of preestablished “truths” of the series. The main one here, of course, being that the roles of Heroes and Villains may not be as clear-cut as previously shown.

HOWEVER. The continuing takeaway is not really meant to be that Hawks is evil, or that the villains were actually in the right all along. Sure, you can personally dislike Hawks and/or his actions, but narratively speaking, this scene is not supposed to reframe him as somehow worse than the actual villains. What this scene is mean to accomplish is a deconstruction of the concept of heroes, villains, and the ties that bind them to better understand their similarities as much as their differences.

Identity is a prominent theme throughout the story, and the way Horikoshi plays with both the concept of identity and roles in this scene is really interesting and very well done. 

To start with the easier stuff, the first two “identities” that are immediately flipped on their heads are the titles of Hero and Villain. Both within the story and as an audience with our own external culture, we can recognize that Heroes are supposed to be 'good' and Villains are supposed to be 'bad'. That's a presupposed fact, and it's not hard to see that, while this has usually been true in the context of the story, suddenly it's not so clear—how can someone be a Hero when they're acting the way Hawks does? How can that be ordered by the people in charge of the Heroes? Sanctioned? Approved of?

The obvious answer that I'm sure you're telling me to get to already is that the heroes aren't always 'good', and that Hero society is, in fact, worse.

The art emphasizes this beautifully (seriously, the art in this scene is so good); Hawks the Hero stands shadowed and coldly predatory, while Twice the Villain is on his back, belly-up on the ground, trembling and crying. Hawks mocks Twice for being too trusting, Twice tells him that he had to be, because it was kind. And he can’t imagine not being that.

And this polarity reveals why it is so important that these two, who superficially have very little in common, undermine the dichotomy between Hero and Villain. Because Hawks and Twice actually have one very specific trait that connects them: the desire to help people.

Now, they obviously show it very differently and have opposing definitions on who, exactly, they believe deserves help. That’s what makes them foils. But the gut-wrenching string between these two men is that they are both trying to protect people. That’s their underlying goal, the one fundamental principle they both have that they will not waver on; unstoppable force, meet immovable object. They are, for this one moment, the same person. Because it’s also not as simple as just their desire to protect people—it’s that they both were inevitably going to end up in this stand-off. 

Something I don’t see talked about very much is how both Hawks and Twice are being used. It’s pretty obvious with Hawks, having been essentially bought as a child and manipulated by the HPSC to become the perfect hero and do what’s asked of him on the basis that, again, he wants to help people. He was a kid who was so alone and so desperate to be good, and then the HPSC, seeing how much potential he had, swooped in and offered him the resources and ability to make his dreams come true. He is a good person whose trust and sense of compassion have been manipulated so that he commits reprehensible acts because he is both told and genuinely believes that they will save people’s lives. And the really fucked up part is that they’re right— but more on that later.

For the people saying— “but that’s not like Twice at all. Twice is working with the League. They’re his friends. He loves them”—yeah that’s my whole point. What is the one thing Twice desperately wants, more than anything? Companionship. The feeling that he isn’t alone. Love. He’s been by himself almost his whole life, and his every choice has been reflective of his desire to have meaningful connections. He wants to be surrounded by people who accept him, and he wants to accept them in turn. and the League take advantage of that.

Now, before anybody gets mad, yes, the League do actually care about each other. Their relationships are complicated to say the least, and not really the found family that I see cropping up sometimes in Fanon, but they have each other’s backs, and they take care of each other. They don’t mind Twice’s eccentricities, and in fact even praise him for them. 

Which is sort of the problem. On his own, Twice is, at best, an unstable man willing to steal and ignore a lot of societal rules for the sake of his own comfort and happiness. But he isn’t naturally violent. In fact, the first time he experiences real, visceral violence, it traumatizes him so badly he gains an entire dissociative disorder. 

But that’s okay! He doesn’t mind that so much, as long as he has friends. He just wants to be helpful. And oh boy, does the League want his help. 

For people who do (in my opinion) genuinely care about Twice, they also ask him to do a lot of fucked up stuff (like kidnapping, and murder, and other general terrorist stuff). Because it benefits them. What other organization does that, I wonder?

Oh. Right.

Twice is dangerous. I’m sorry to all the people that like to infantilize him and act like he wasn’t about to run out of the door and murder and/or severely injure a bunch of heroes/civilians, but Twice was, canonically, going to go do that.  Because he believed that that was the only way to save his friends. That’s part of why this scene is so horrific and well written, because either way it went, someone was going to lose. And the unfortunate reality is that if Hawks didn’t stop him, Twice was going to go commit some unforgiveable crimes to a lot of people who didn’t deserve it, and he was never going to go quietly, because that’s not the kind of person that he is. Which Hawks understands; he’s the same way. But it’s also awful because neither of them should have ever been put in the position to have to make this choice. 

A big part of what the story explores when it comes to identities is how they are defined, and who gives them to you. Hawks and Twice both actively struggle with this, being two people who don't feel (rightly or not) that they've had a lot of agency in their lives.

Hawks wants to help people, but he feels stifled by the role of Hero, which was chosen for him, and whose expectations he chafes against. For as much as he supports the HPSC and upholds their goals, he has a lot of doubts and critiques of how hero society works. He is a Hero because somebody else saw him and thought he should be, not necessarily because he decided to be all on his own, regardless of his own twisted view of his past. But he doesn't always like what is asked of him, or the restraints that working for the HPSC puts on him. It's heavily implied that he feels like his personhood has been lost to his Hero identity (Hawks, as opposed to Keigo), and doesn't know how to reconcile his own actions with the public's perception of him.

Twice, similarly, had his role chosen for him at a young age (hitting a guy with his motorcycle and spiraling afterwards) and actively dislikes the label of Villain. He's not someone who craves violence or cruelty, but rather someone who gravitates towards it because he's run out of other options. And if the only people who are kind to him are Villains, what does that say about Heroes and their so-called goodness? Twice doesn't know that he, or any of the League, should be called Villains. How can they be worse than the heroes when basic decency is too much to ask of the people you're meant to idolize?

They're both caged by the way the world sees them versus the way they want to be seen, as well as trapped by the choices they've made in relation to the people they wish they were. Because, to be clear, they do both make choices. That's how they end up where they do, both wishing they were somewhere else—or maybe someone else.

Twice is a killer who never set out to be a killer. Hawks is a killer who never set out to be a killer. Twice is a Villain. Hawks is a Hero.

They’re in a room alone together. Outside are all the people they want to protect. Someone has to blink first.

In this moment, they are the same. 

[love-too-believe]

I think the fandom misinterprets Hawks the same way the LOV misinterpreted Bakugou.

The mistake the league made was thinking Bakugou’s desire to win out weight his core values on WHY he wanted to become a hero.

As Aizawa pointed out. Bakugou could never turn into a villain, because it would mean giving up on becoming a hero.

And Bakugou does not give up.

This is why the league's plan back fired. They took Bakugou at face value without knowing anything about his real motivation.

How this is the same misinterpretation some have about Hawks

Similar too the league and Bakugou, I think some don’t think about WHY Hawks wants to be a hero.

There are some that are disappointed that Hawks continues to be a hero. This ranges between those who thought he would turn into a villain, a vigilante or quit hero work all together when; in reality this was never a possibility.

The idea that Hawks would ever stop wanting to be a hero or turn on hero society is pure fanon.

This is due to two reasons.

1. People misinterpreting Hawk's line about wanting an easier life as him wanting to quit.

2. People thinking Hawk’s is vengeful about his situation with the HPSC and hero society.

That last one is interesting because there is so far zero evidence that he feels that way in canon, yet it’s taken as a canon fact by a large part of the fandom.

Did Hawks want to be free of the HPSC? Yes. 

Did he want to harm anyone to do so? No not at all.

Does he want to change things about hero society? Yes. He’s made active moves to do so.

Has he shown any signs that he ever wanted to turn on it, harm people involve, quit, lose faith in the ability to change it? No.

Similar to the league’s misinterpretation of Bakugou, the misinterpretation people put on Hawks is believing his distain for the HPSC should out value his desire to help the public.

This was never the case and was never a possibility. Because Hawks wants to be the hero that he saw when he found out heroes were real and not just fictional characters.

A beacon of light for a little kid who thought such things didn’t exist.

This is what a hero means to him. It’s why he works so hard, sacrifices so much, puts in any amount of effort to the public he can and why the idea of him switching to the villain side or quitting is a fanon concept.

Hawk’s desire to save people out weighs anything. He’s been this way since he was a child and it’s just gotten stronger as he’s grown. 

[utsukushisa0]

I want to write an actual fic but I have no idea where to start 😐😃

[localcactushugger]

Does anyone else ever get sad thinking about the abuse Hawks went through as a kid? Because I keep making myself sad thinking about it.

It's so many different kinds of fucked up that just mixed together and created one huge toxic environment.

#1) The physical abuse.

Right off the bat, Chapter 299 starts with Keigo getting hit by his father for leaving the house. It doesn't actually show Keigo being smacked, instead it shows a panel of their "home". (although it's extremely small and looks more like a broken down shack in a field to me)

But the sound of the "smak" is very much punctuated in the panel, followed by Keigo hunched over with marks on his face:

The marks on his face are prevalent. Even in the smaller panel, Keigo still has a very obvious bruise under his eye and above his eyebrow.

THEN he gets kicked in the side/stomped on for "turning his back" on his father?? (Aka doing nothing. Literally what did he do?? Wtf?):

He's getting smacked and kicked around, but instead of crying or getting upset he just endures. Which brings me to:

#2) The Emotional and verbal abuse. (Strap in cause there's a lot of it.)

Keigo apologizes after his father kicks him for no reason, then he curls up into a ball, clings to his Endeavor plushy, and listens as his own father rants about how much he wishes that Keigo was never born.

^^^^^^^ LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID ASSHOLE. HE'S LITERALLY CLINGING TO HIS PLUSHY FOR COMFORT!! WHY ISN'T ANYONE HUGGING HIM??? CAN I HUG HIM??

Keigo says that he knew his parents were broken, so he endured because he wanted to avoid their fate.

Basically: "I know my parents are broken, but need to endure because I don't want to become broken too."

That's a horrible mindset for a child to have?? He's basically saying that he just needs to take the abuse and hope that he doesn't break because of it?

And I don't know how he wouldn't break from it with the way his parents talk to him, and all the horrible things they say:

The constant screaming/yelling. Like Shit.

"Don't do a damn thing!" " Who did you sell me out too?? You can't fool me!!" "Don't leave this house!" "Don't you dare lie to me!!" "Don't go talking to anyone!!" "You thought you'd get away with it didn't you??"

"How many times have I told you not to turn your back on me??"

"If only that punk was never born I'd be free."

"Why were you even born?" "Why do you even have those wings?"

He's gotten it from both parents. And every time it happens he just hugs his plushy a little tighter.

#3) The neglect.

In pretty much all panels of Keigo's home theres Trash everywhere. If you go back and look at the house there isn't a single panel without some kind of trash in the frame. I see beer bottles, wine bottles, wooden planks, trash bags, newspapers, dirty rags, dirty laundry hanging from the wall & hangers, floor boards coming up, leaks from the top of the walls.

The "house" is barely holding together as it is. It looks like it's about to collapse, and the inside makes you think a tornado ran through it. Nobody is bothering to clean up the mess. In fact the only person who seems to be patching up the house is Keigo. This seems to be a routine for him since he can be seen picking up a wooden plank to fix the wall. Too bad his father kicked him before he could repair the hole 🙃.

Seriously does the "house" even have running water? The windows are broken the walls are made of tin roofing tiles. Does it even have heating or insulation? It's obviously not suitable for a child. I'd be afraid that the roof was gonna fall on me while I was sleeping.

I understand they can't buy a proper home. But it wouldn't be so bad if someone acutely bothered to clean the inside a bit. At least maintain the house so your kid doesn't step on a nail, or glass from a beer bottle. IF A CHILD CAN PATCH UP A WALL SO CAN YOU. WHY IS KEIGO DOING ALL THE WORK?

You people are gonna get rats and bugs. (If you dont have them invading your "house" already)

And that's only the house.

What about Keigo? He doesn't even have shoes. His shirt is torn at the seams. And his parents didn't even notice when he left? Keigo's dad yelled at him for leaving the house and going outside, but was anyone even watching him in the first place? How does your child leave the house and make it halfway to the city before you notice? This little bird looks like he weighs 5 pounds! He's gonna get kidnapped!!

His mom is obviously unstable and she stares at the wall all day. And his dad hates him for existing. So I guess no one was watching him?

His mom also doesn't really seem to care when Keigo gets yelled at, hit, and kicked either. She just kinda stares at the wall. Then when her and Keigo become homeless and start living in a train station she guilt trips him into stealing for her. Like Really??

HE GOT INTO A CAR ACCIDENT TOO! You sent your child out to steal for you and he literally got into a car accident. He managed to save everyone involved but still, are trying to get your son hit by a truck? This is why I have so many mixed feelings about Tomie.

#4) Being held hostage in his own home.

This one is self explanatory. Keigo got hit in the face just for going outside. He was held hostage in his home for so long that he didn't even know heroes existed. And this is a society where heroes are everywhere. I'm sure it was a lonely childhood, kinda hard to make childhood friends when you get beaten just for leaving the house.

#5) Whatever the fuck "rough training" was.

I know we haven't seen Keigos "rough" training yet. Horikoshi only went into a little bit of detail about it when he mentioned that the commission taught Hawks negotiation skills as a kid. And then theres that one image in the Season 4 outro where Keigo has a blindfold on as a child during training.

But I still would like to know more.

Why would you put a child through "rough" training, strip him of his name, and tell him it's all because he's gonna become a "special hero" right after you've pulled him out of an extremely abusive situation. Like, you aren't gonna wait a bit? Preferably until he's a teenager? Not gonna give him therapy or something?

Isn't pulling a child out of an abusive situation and putting them through "rough training" kinda like transfering them from one abusive household to another?

LET THE BOY REST! LET THE KID BE A KID. YOU ONLY HAVE ONE CHILDHOOD AND HE'S ALREADY MISSED OUT ON MOST OF HIS!!

The training can wait.

If you want help him and support his family, do it out of the kindness of your heart and not because you think he'd be a useful hero.

I honestly don't know how this "training" went for Keigo, but considering that he doesn't currently have the best relationship with the HPCS . . . Well I don't know. All I know is that he never really seems too happy around people from the commission. He doesn't seem to agree with any of their ideologies either.

Honestly I just want him to find peace!

Based on what we've seen so far, (*cough* especially from the Todoroki family *cough*) you really shouldn't be training a child to become a hero in the first place. The training can start as a teenager if someone chooses to train.

Look at the way you massacred my boy! Give the kid a break for fucks sake!!

And these are just the early years. Don't get me started on everything else ✋🙄

[redphlox]

how 325 moves the plot forward

This chapter highlights one of the main themes of the manga: connection by way of understanding.

However, the idea hasn't quite come full circle yet because it hasn't explicitly included OFA's ("heroes") connection to AFO ("villains") to the characters. This piece is missing, and it makes sense because it's through Hawks's inner monologue and thus limited understanding that we are introduced to this concept of OFA being a quirk that connects people.

But, the readers know OFA and AFO are linked, meaning that, just like OFA has connected the heroes and civilians right now, the villains are an inescapable part of this bond, too. This is a concept that the story seems to be expanding upon, considering that Deku saw Tenko crying through their dreamscape and realized Shigaraki was someone who needed saving, too.

Not to mention that the idea that AFO and OFA are connected has been brought up multiple times by the vestiges. In 286, Shigaraki and Deku even interacted in the same dreamscape. OFA's dreamscape always shows a door that has yet to be opened

which leads me to believe that Shigaraki is probably behind it. That door connects OFA and AFO. When Deku opens it, they'll be connected. Shigaraki will be the key to defeating AFO - after Deku has reached him. That's the power of OFA, after all.

I love that Iida and Ochako are so in sync ;-; It's beautiful that two of Deku's first and closest friends understand his heart and want to be there for him by stepping back and letting others reach him.

This callback to the true spirit of heroism All Might wanted to represent: that anyone could be a hero regardless of quirks. That heroes are everyday people who do everyday things like support one another in their time of need and look out for one another.

This panel is beautiful for many reasons:

The symbolism of the umbrellas: shelter, understanding, unity, sharing pain and burdens, kindness, acceptance, altruism.

Class rep Iida leading a lost child to safety like the hero he always wanted to be.

The gentleness of the way Iida holds Deku's hand, and how relaxed Deku is being led by Iida. Deku feels safe enough to cover his eyes and trusts Iida blindly.

Deku crying, his mom crying, Mineta and Kouta trying to mother Deku, and that kid who asked Deku for hope sheltering Deku with his umbrella.

Kirishima crying because he's so touched.

Momo graciously accepting a civilian's umbrella.

Bakugo stubbornly dodging any connections like the sewer gremlin he is the same way he was annoyed by Endeavor embracing him along with Natsuo. It looks like Kaminari tried to put his hand on Bakugo's back and Bakugo was like, "sWEEERVE I'M NOT HERE FOR THIS TOUCHY FEELY CRAP." lmao.

Shouji, the gentle giant, looking so shocked that someone so dainty and smol feels the need to protect him from the world (the rain).

Mina and Jirou are quick to tell a civilian who is presumably apologizing that it's not needed (based on body language, anyway).

The soft expression of the giant woman as she watches her hero accept help from others, too.

It's an interesting choice on Hori's part that Shouto, Endeavor, and Hawks aren't in the crowd. They're outsiders to the heart-to-heart currently happening and aren't particularly rejoicing like the civilians and UA students. The mood is dire. It could be because there is strife between father and son right now – the civilians have agreed to work together with the heroes and are proving that through action: accepting Deku and offering umbrellas (shelter, understanding, acceptance, support, kindness) to the students. But unlike the civilians, Endeavor’s words and actions have yet to line up. He promised to work together with Shouto to stop Touya but hasn’t pulled through yet. He's still running away. In fact, Shouto called him out for ignoring him and thus ignoring Touya and the family problem he (Endeavor) caused. These two being bystanders to the civilians and students bonding makes sense because the Todoroki family has always suffered silently and their struggle right now is theirs and doesnn't involve civilians. Society didn't create Dabi or abuse the family - Endeavor did.

Also, I want to note that Hawks’s one-sided childhood connection to Endeavor explains why he’s isolated alongside Shouto and Endeavor, once again hinting that there will be more Hawks’s involvement in the Todoroki family arc.

Speaking of Hawks, this is a callback to his ideal world, one where there is such an abundance of peace that heroes have spare time on their hands. It seems like Hori is building up to address Hawks' views of the world and definition of heroism because, like I mentioned earlier, the characters don't yet know how OFA and AFO are connected and therefore don't realize how villains are tied to OFA too through AFO.

The civilian's realization that they've been complacent bystanders is a great narrative response to what happened to Tenko. This is setting a foundation of societal change, which MUST happen for the villains to be understood and saved from self-destructing.

I wrote here about how it makes sense Aizawa is hellbent on payback - a common reaction to grief is anger. This man needs a hug.

Like Shouto, Endeavor, and Hawks, All Might is also shown separated from the others and looking even more miserable. He seems to be walking away from UA, and the mood for this scene is ominous, which is even more startling compared to the hopeful vibes the interaction at the beginning of the chapter.

Anyway, this was such a good chapter. I love that things are being brought up again and addressed. Seems like we're finally moving forward!

[makeste]

Shit, lmao. Looks like the fics were spot on. Corrupt!HPSC is officially canon. I'd put a few stars on the Bingo Board for myself but "HPSC kills those who try to leave because they can't risk information leaks" and "HPSC has hired assasins to take out anyone deemed a potential threat" have been floating around for awhile I can't claim anything towards it besides having subscribed to the theory. (I never once thought it'd actually be true, even with the hints, but here we are.)

(+) This is the guy who redrew Hawks' photograph in the ending because "it wasn't like that" @animators with the confidence of a man determined to stay on his dark path and drag us all with him. even his editor laughed about it awkwardly and said "ahaha everyone else is happy *trails off* and then there's Hawks" broooo. "Calling it a suggestion when it's an offer I can't possibly refuse? Shame on you." I mean, not wanting a gun pulled on you is a valid reason to agree in my book.

(+) Jk no, I know that's not why he agreed. Nagant wasn't gonna stand for that shit either. Good for her! But heck?! They do this kinda stuff?! (Fandom pls stop pitting them against each other, love them both, they offer different things to the series, are amazing and have different circumstances. Let it go. They're separate characters. And I for one, love that Hori gave the fanon!Hawks storyline to Nagant. Looks great on her. She's so cool. And needs some hugs. Rooting for some justice here.)

just to add on to that bit about Nagant getting this storyline instead of Hawks -- the reason this whole "deadly government assassin who kills whoever they're ordered to without question until their conscience finally catches up to them and they snap" thing wouldn't have worked for him is because Hawks is far too skeptical and observant to ever just blindly follow orders like that. I don't know if Horikoshi always intended for this backstory to go to Nagant, or if it originally was meant for Hawks as some have speculated (Lady was introduced suspiciously late in the game), but either way, it was the right call. Hawks has always been written as someone who sees too much and reads between the lines and is acutely aware of when the people around him are bullshitting. which makes perfect sense with the backstory he eventually got, because any child growing up with parents like that is going to learn very quickly to never trust anyone. and when you've got a dad like his, learning to read people becomes necessary simply for survival reasons.

I think fandom so strongly associates Hawks with the label of "HPSC's puppet" that people sometimes forget all the little signs that he wasn't exactly going along with it willingly. for instance, this scene which you mentioned:

not to mention the multiple occasions on which he's shown resistance to the idea of letting anyone innocent get hurt, even if it potentially jeopardizes his mission.

this happens three more times, in fact. at Fukuoka, he almost screws over his shot at getting an in with the League because he refuses to let any innocent bystanders get killed in the Noumu attack. later on when Dabi insists that he kill someone to prove his commitment to the LoV, he concocts that crazy plan with Jeanist, which could have easily gotten the both of them killed if he'd been found out. and then of course there was the whole disaster at Gunga Mountain, where he finally did kill someone, but literally tried every other alternative first, even though Twice had already killed people and was going to kill hundreds if not thousands more (as opposed to all the people Nagant killed, many of whom don't seem to have actually killed anyone themselves). it's a bit ironic, but what happened with Twice was probably the best demonstration of why Hawks is not assassin material. good assassins don't go around warning their targets before they kill them, and trying to give them multiple chances to opt out of it. I mean, he almost died because of how badly he fucked it up -- literally would have died, if Tokoyami hadn't shown up at the last second to save him.

basically Hawks just was not at all a good fit for the type of role that Nagant played. I don't think he would ever have been able to talk himself into believing that it was really for the greater good like she believed for so long. sure, he acted loyal to the HPSC, but only when their orders fell in line with what he believed to be the correct call. he wasn't particularly overjoyed about playing spy, but he knew the LoV was growing more and more dangerous, so in the end he agreed. but I don't think they would have ever been able to get him to go along with something if he was really adamantly against it. it just wouldn't have been consistent with his character at all (which is ironic, because fandom is always going on about how morally grey Hawks is, but he's really not, lol; he just hangs out with a lot of morally grey people), and I'm grateful that Horikoshi seemed to realize that.

besides, Nagant makes a much sexier assassin than Hawks ever could have anyway. no offense to you, Hawks. but all in all I think this worked out pretty well for everyone. and yes, Nagant does need a hug, and Horikoshi had better not even think about doing her dirty here or I swear to god. even though she's working for AFO, she doesn't truly believe in his ideals; she's just so mentally and emotionally worn down that she's lost faith in the possibility for any kind of hopeful future, and so she's opting for a path in which the ugliness in society is at least properly exposed, rather than being swept under the rug like before. she's wrong, obviously (pro tip, any time you decide you might as well make the world worse because you don't think things stand a chance of getting better, you are in fact in the wrong), but she's not beyond saving here, and if Deku can't get through to her then I hope that Hawks will take a stab at it instead. she deserves the chance to do something she can actually feel good about doing, and I for one would love to have her on Team Save The World, just saying.