Before I post my fanfiction, I'd like to begin by posting some thoughts on the nature of My Hero Academia, as I assume that the majority of my current follower base has little knowledge of the series. It is quite different from my previous spheres of canon.
Now, the core thematic question of My Hero Academia is ultimately: "What does it mean to be a hero?"
The answer that the canon series provides is there from the very beginning: "Plus Ultra," the spirit and willpower to break through your limits to save.
Now, that's all well and good. I don't disagree with this answer. But that brings up a question: "Can you be a hero without struggle?"
"Plus Ultra" is Latin for "Go Beyond." It implies a limit to surpass, a struggle. Is a hero a hero without this sense of striving and sacrifice?
Let's look at a canon example, Mirio Togata during the Shie Hassakai raid. Spoilers for this event under the Read More.
One of the plot devices of this arc are the Quirk-destroying bullets. Destroying one's Quirk, or superpower, essentially renders them permanently powerless. Their introduction earlier in the arc essentially serves as a Chekov's Gun: Someone is losing their Quirk and their superheroic identity.
And so, in canon, Mirio puts up a heroic fight against the main villain of the arc, Overhaul, before being trapped by his subordinate. The subordinate fires one of the Quirk-destroying bullets at Eri, a child that Mirio feels he has personally let down in the past and is fiercely fighting to protect. And so, Mirio takes the bullet for Eri, condemning his own heroic potential and making the ultimate sacrifice. He then continues to fight, Quirkless, against Overhaul, proving that the Plus Ultra heroic spirit burns within him.
That is My Hero Academia's definition of a true hero.
I posit this question: Would Mirio still be a hero if he did not have to make this sacrifice? He would. He is still fighting and striving to save an innocent girl. But he would be less heroic, in some sense.
This is due to the narrative of struggle. A hero who does not struggle, does not sacrifice, is no hero at all.
Let's now pivot to the Mary Sue. This is a rather problematic archetype to name and use, due to the ties it has to sexism and the general public understanding that it is okay to shit on teenaged girls, who are the most likely to produce a Mary Sue in their writings.
But it is a useful shorthand for the idea I am presenting, so we must unravel some of the metanarrative baggage surrounding the term and confront the core idea: A character that is effortlessly powerful to the point that they warp the narrative around them.
I ask the question: "Can a Mary Sue be a hero?"
Being a Mary Sue precludes struggle. It is why it is considered a negative trope, after all. They reduce narrative weight and stakes. There is no question, only the solution.
But there is a tension there, no? A Mary Sue that wishes to be a hero, but her fundamental nature means she cannot struggle.
It all comes back to another question asked by My Hero Academia.
"Can anyone be a hero?"
Canon approaches this from a typical, underdog perspective. Can Quirkless Midoriya prove he is a hero? The definition of a hero, ultimately, aligns with his perspective.
Now, what about our Mary Sue, from the other side of the spectrum? Can someone who wields effortless, omnipotent power be a hero?
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
"Satis Es" is Latin for "You are enough."
It is the opposite of "Plus Ultra," or "Go Beyond."
Thus, we begin our journey once more. A journey about heroes, a journey about striving, a journey about snubbed endings and the feeling of not being enough.
This will be a story about an ordinary gal and the world she does not fit in.
More notes here: On Heroes, Mary Sues, and the Nature of Struggle
Chapters 1 and 2 cover the Entrance Exam and USJ Incident.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapter 4, the first half of the Sports Festival.
I hope the pacing is tight enough for everyone. I'm trying to strike a balance between "too much detail, we've seen the show before, stop rehashing" and "I have no idea where in the story we are."
There's not too much to say about these early arcs. In both My Hero Academia and Satis Est, we are establishing the world and characters. The Sports Festival will have its first significant incident occurring next chapter, at least.
Anyways, if you read up to here so far, please let me know what you think of the pacing. Poll in the Keep Reading section below.
For anyone new: What is Satis Est about?
How is the pacing?
Please go slower. Include more entries that go over canon plot beats.
Please go faster. Skip more canon plot beats so long as they have no changes.
