Saving Grace by CptnBara. Easily one of the pillars of the fandom, it's the entire book written from Rocky's pov and tied into the canon lore so well that it might as well be canon. Absolutely incredible. 108k, 22 chapters, warning for book spoilers if you want to finish reading that first but I cannot recommend it enough.
Others (not ranking any of them this is just the order I'm thinking of them):
Red Thread Tying Us Together by alatarmaia4, incredible time travel fic that starts out going exactly where you think it will and then abruptly decides to not do that. Absolutely delightful love it so much
Discordant by EvieNyx, equally awesome time travel that takes the concept in the complete opposite direction. Grace thinks he's dreaming and continually confuses the crap out of everyone he interacts with
The entire Platonic cuddling series by Likelightinglass, some fantastic touch-starved Grace and Rocky figuring out how to fix it. Lots of fluff and soft feels with some solid hurt/comfort mixed in
Message in a Beetle by ConalltheLibrarian. Eva Stratt pov, the beetles come back to Earth. Does and incredible job of dealing with the lingering guilt and other emotions the people on the project have to deal with after sending the Hail Mary off
Unconventional Social Group by Clare_Hope, extremely good, collection of moments as Grace & Rocky travel to Erid and keeps almost making me cry and/or explode
An Empty Space and a Formless Shape by stormpetrel, fantastic species swap au. it's so good.
Forgive me, Saint Christopher, for the boy will drown by Sherb42 another very good species swap
Cosmic love by thanotaphobia (blue000jay), a "what happens once they get to Erid" I've been really enjoying
The Astrobiology Immersion Program by startingatmidnight, SO GOOD. BODY SWAP AU. what do you do when you're in an alien body you have no idea how to use and all thr tools you would use to figure it out are in a different atmosphere? Featuring Grace and Rocky have a hard time and learning a lot about each other, and Rocky gets to see pretty things.
okay that's probably enough to get you started lmao, let me know what you think :D i love hearing ppls thoughts on things i recommend
oh wait hold up, shameless self-promo: I also wrote one! It's called Windows Far Away and it's about Grace discovering the WindowSwap website on the way to Erid and having a lot of feels about it :3
ohhh~✨✨✨
I already got to about three of those but the rest Is New Fresh Tasty Stuff✨:D
Omg wait though look at the cat she has in her arm in that illumination, look how its ears are the same shape and angle of the ears on her hood, this is DELIBERATELY *SUPPOSED TO BE CAT EARS*, that isn't just some weird random decoration that coincidentally looks like cat ears, that is a literal cat ear hood.
The thing is, even if you were lucky and your parents taught you how to clean, they probably didn't teach you how to clean the stuff you clean stuff with, like brushes, mops, sponges, rags, and so on. Or how to clean your cleaning appliances, like a dish washer, clothes washing machine, and clothes dryer and its ducts (if you have a ducted dryer), or a carpet cleaner, vacuum, Or how to clean up clean messes, like spilled bleach or detergent.
My parents threw away all of these things (even the vacuum cleaners and the dryer) when they got too dirty to function, because no one even told them THAT they could be cleaned. Cost them thousands of dollars over the years.
All I'm saying is that cleaning is not intuitive, and not knowing how to clean is not a moral failing, but it is something you can learn.
I'm going to reblog this post with resources for learning how to clean things and how to clean cleaning things (I'm not at my desk at the moment). If you have any favorites, please feel free to add them in too!
I like this video because it does a great job of introducing the basic foundations of house cleaning (and because he doesn't use bleach, which is a common allergy in addition to being awful to inhale). He also talks a little about how to clean a vacuum. And why you shouldn't put grease from your pots and pans down the sink drain. I also love that he mentions that different houses and different people have different needs and different versions of what clean and cleaning looks like.
He doesn't mention though that the toilet seat comes off. I take my toilet seat off to clean under the hinges and clean the seat more thoroughly once a quarter.
This is another video from the same guy about cleaning and depression. This advice, especially at the beginning, can feel really really difficult and oppressive to hear. However, I find that it's generally pretty solid. But I'm autistic and so is he, so that gets a massive Your Mileage May Vary stamp on it.
I have a favorite part of this video. It's from 10:52 to 12:36. I think we could all use to hear that. There's a HEFTY pause after that one. I promise the narration does come back.
I'm also going to recommend KC Davis' book "How To Keep House While Drowning"
This is a pair of videos about how to correctly load and use a dish washer.
The first one is a quick 1 minute 30 second overview on loading. I can't find the exact video I'm looking for, so consider this a substitute for that. If I can find the one I'm looking for, I'll swap it in.
The second is a half hour deep dive on dishwashers and detergents. The short form of that is you shouldn't need to pre-rinse anything, detergent pods are overpriced and can cause problems, some dishwashers have a filter in the bottom that needs to be cleaned (but most don't), run your sink until the water is HOT before starting your dish washer, and put a little detergent in the pre-rinse dispenser when you're washing extra dirty dishes (or on the inside of the door if your dishwasher doesn't have a pre-rinse dispenser).
How to clean a front load washer (with bleach). This should be done monthly or every time you wash really soiled clothes.
With expert tips and tricks for all types of washers.
How to clean a top loader (without the removable agitator thing). This should be done every 1-3 months depending on you unit, or every time you wash really soiled clothes.
Regular cleaning of a top-load washing machine will prolong the life of the appliance and leave your laundry cleaner and brighter.
How to clean a top loader (with the removable agitator thing). This should be done every month, or every time you wash really soiled clothes.
These carpet brushes are a LIFE SAVER if you have dogs. This thing allows me to go from vacuuming about 4 square feet before my vacuum is full to vacuuming half the living room (I don't vacuum often enough. You should vacuum weekly, and I just can't.). I have to unclog the vacuum less often. It fluffs up some of the flat spots in the carpet. And I also use the brush to shampoo my rugs in the spring.
A spot cleaner (or a carpet cleaner with a spot cleaner attachment) is another life saver, ESPECIALLY if you can afford to splurge on a heated one. I see them at Goodwill or at yard sales occasionally, and they're worth picking up. The shark one in the video is great too.
This channel is gold. There's tutorials for cleaning EVERYTHING on there. Just go subscribe!
Gonna throw another potential resource at the end of this very long list, which may be potentially helpful for others like me who loathe videos. It's... the weirdest thing that has genuinely been helpful to me in housekeeping. Absolutely full of useful advice, and bizarrely still relevant in large part. (Though, caveat, research ANYTHING to do with chemicals or cleaning products more complicated than vinegar + lemon + water for modern information.)
It's America's Housekeeping Book (1941). Available for free download on the Internet Archive. (Large PDF file at the link here).
The LISTS y'all. The step by step lists. The emphasis on efficiency and arranging spaces for the least resistance possible. The basic concept of "take a tray or basket into a room when you are tidying up so you can put things that belong elsewhere on it and take them out LATER in ONE GO".
Caught up with some fics today so i thought i’d share them for fun :)
1) Primes Are Not Born: They Are Made (bbrookley)
2) The Harmony in Your Spark (mieayambawang)
3) Could Be Worse (Mimkana)
4) Burning Gray (Smatterbrained)
I highly suggest all of them but especially The Harmony in Your Spark! It was one of the first tf fics i got into and it also has a strong musical motif so i find it very fun
Could Be Worse also changed my whole perception of the Stunticons i love that severely dysfunctional family so much they’re all genuinely the worst. It’s really nice though to have some really good Decepticon povs!! It goes between multiple characters and tells little bits of multiple stories at once, also making me think about Slipstream more as well since she’s a prominent figure
At the risk of sounding anti-intellectual, I think that college should be free and also not a requirement for employment outside of highly specialized career fields
technically you can, if you don't care about degrees.
Free Harvard courses.
Free Courses from Stanford.
Free Courses from MIT.
Free courses from Yale.
Free courses from Princeton.
Free courses on Coursera.
Free Courses on EDx
Free Courses on Alison
For paid, there's The Great Courses+/Wonderium. 20$ a month for unlimited courses.
When searching, the phrases you're looking for are Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), or you can do a general search of say, "free online college courses."
Oh, and so you don't get surprised like I did, have an avoid: Hillsdale College is a conservative Christian site and not a valid MOOC place. Sign up with them and you will get things like THIS IS WHY THE LEFT IS TURNING YOUR KIDS TRANS AND GAY in your inbox.
What are Emmet and Ingo’s nicknames for their Pokemon teams? I know Zora and Spike but what others are there?
See hi-res version here: patreon.com/posts/151992558
Based on after the events of "Chapter 4: Lullaby and Memories" from Lone Emmet and Cub ;D Curious to know what happened? You can read Chapter 4 here: tomorobo-illust.tumblr.com/loneemmetandcubau
I wonder if you call can spot the pattern of how I have the twins nickname their teammates?
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Quirk: All For One
Name: Katsuki Bakugou
Quirk: One For All
All for You 38k ongoing
Izuku wasn’t supposed to be here yet.
It was April.
He was supposed to be born in July.
A Brother's Unwilling Keeper 1.7k complete
All for One had everything he could ever ask for: hero society crumbled in his iron grip over Japan and his brother's quirk within his hoard.
But nobody ever told him that with One for All would come the remnants of Yoichi.
Showing Your Hand 4k complete
“Quirks“--he says considerately--“often show their hand before they can fully develop. Maybe it’s a water-type being obsessed with the ocean, or a technopath having a fascination with technology from a young age. In any case, sometimes these signs appear. And I believe this happened with you.”
shattering 1k complete
The egg exploded.
one bad decision 3k complete
All for One is more than happy to get Garaki new test subjects, that is, until he hears who Garaki wants as a test subject.
condemned 3k complete
All For One outs Izuku as his son. The Hero Commission, thinking it’s better safe than sorry, decides to arrest him.
Luckily, even though Izuku has given up on himself, Class 1-A hasn’t given up on him yet.
Taking Up the Mantle 2k complete
From that day onward, Izuku was trained. Groomed to be the next Symbol of Evil, a shadow successor behind Tomura Shigaraki. But neither of them were prepared for just how early they would have to take up their mantles.
Ill-Gotten Gains 225k ongoing
When his father and Tomura start planning the USJ attack, Izuku makes a plan of his own. It’s simple, only four steps:
1. Steal Eraserhead’s quirk
2. Use it to kill All for One
3. Give Erasure back, hopefully
4. Go to jail, probably
He’s prepared for the plan to fail at any time, but surprisingly, it’s not until step 4 that things fall through.
i've read such good fics lately and you should too! these are all gen, mostly midoriya-centric with lots of aizawa, lots of hurt/comfort and quite a lot of shinsou also.
also i limited myself to reccing one fic per author bc otherwise this would be so unmanageably long. i recommend checking out all their other works too!!
hold onto nothing (hold onto me) by starburstsunshine
"Young kid, powerful Quirk he can't control, so they think it currently only works in extremes. So his Quirk makes someone feel the same as they had felt during their best memories. Or, rather, at their worst."
That's funny, Izuku thinks.
He doesn't feel anything at all.
Izuku gets hit by a wayward Quirk during a rescue, and is left to deal with the repercussions.
goddddd this author's aizawa...it was so so hard to choose one fic to rec bc they have so much incredible stuff, but i really really like the dissociation depiction here!
like stained glass by SpiritusRex
“It hurts,” Izuku whispers to no one, voice thin and choked. Letting the words out makes it all feel real, and the tears he’d been holding back finally break the dam and roll down his cheeks. Wrapping his own arms around himself as he trembles in the storm of his despair is as close as he’ll be able to get to comfort right now. “It hurts, it hurts.”
He doesn’t want to have to do this alone. He’s so tired of having to push through pain alone. It’s something he’s been doing all his life, but can’t he, just once, have someone to hold him up when he stumbles?
Just once. That’s all he’s asking for.
i feel like this fic was designed in a lab to make me specifically go insane. such incredibly powerful hurt/comfort & exploration of how it feels to never let yourself have comfort
Jumping on Grenades by DemyxDancer
Shinsou once told Class 1-A that he didn't intend to make friends. He didn't realize that:
1. Midoriya took that as a personal challenge;
2. Midoriya always achieves his goals no matter what;
3. Becoming friends with Midoriya inevitably involves bonding over surviving villain attacks.
The school gym is being attacked by a villain whose Quirk makes you hallucinate your worst fears, and it's somehow come down to Shinsou to save the day.
Welcome to the Hero Course!
this author has so many incredible shindeku fics, platonic and romantic (this one in platonic). i adore their shinsou and this thoughtful exploration of his integration into 1-a and the world of real villain attacks
parallaxis by yamadadzawa
Even through the haze of panic, the feeling of glass in his lungs and throat as he struggled to breathe when he saw his name in 20th place at the end of the quirk test, Izuku still knew one thing with brutal clarity.
It’s not possible that he was in last place.
And if Aizawa-sensei was willing to tamper with his score on the quirk test, then he’s probably willing to do the same with Izuku’s grades. And if Aizawa-sensei is willing to do it, the other teachers at Yuuei probably are too.
Hence his now established practice of checking his graded work against Iida’s.
i love this author's aizawa so so much and it was hard to choose one fic to rec, but i adore this creative manifestation of how izuku's history with schools/teachers could manifest
some bridges should be burnt by orkestrations
Sir Nighteye doesn't think Izuku has what it takes to be a hero. He especially doesn't think Izuku should have been chosen to wield One For All. That's okay! Really! It is! It's hardly the first time Izuku has had people trying to stop him. He'll be fine. He can handle this.
Tsuyu and Ochako think differently. They watch his stress levels rise and his self-confidence fall, and they don't like what they're seeing.
Perhaps, it's time for an intervention.
such good tsuyu & ochako & izuku friendship. tsuyu especially really shines here and i am always so here for dismantling izuku thinking he just has to take whatever bad thing is thrown at him
Voices by SquirrelWriter
Hitoshi has a thing about voices.
Part of it's because of his Quirk, probably. He's always listening for that reply. It's the opening, the chink in a person's armor that lets his own voice slip in and hijack their brain. But part of it is that most people are wary around him, so when someone does talk, particularly to him, it stands out.
really thoughtful shinsou character study and exploration of him joining 1-A & making friends, plus some lovely emotional hurt/comfort at the end
Things that Haunt Our Hallways by ghostwriterofthemachine
“It was a kid,” Yagi gasped out. He had his hand balled up into a fist and the fist pressed to his lips, as if to remind himself that he could not start screaming. “Or. Young person, maybe 20. Homeless, I think. Activated their Quirk on reflex and then ran. The kids—” Here, he pressed his fist harder to his mouth, sucked in a wheezing breath, as if the air itself was pushing down something with physical weight. “The kids—”
“Scattered immediately,” Aizawa finished for him, and Yagi managed a nod.
Yagi’s eyes were so dilated that the blue was almost invisible. He shook violently. He looked like a scarecrow in a windstorm.
Someone activated a Fear-Inducer Quirk so powerful that it reduced All Might to this— of course Aizawa’s class had bolted.
Or:
A Fear Gas fic, BNHA style.
such a juicy excellent premise with really satisfying exection
The Fine Jar by BrightShadow
Aizawa has had it up to here with his class claiming to be fine when they're not. Desparate times call for desparate measures. Enter the Fine Jar.
this one is so cute and funny with such memorable lines, and then it dove deep into addressing some of my fave topics in a really satisfying way!
congratulations, i have a whole ass collection. but here's some faves. A collection of both oneshot and multichap!
Gauntlet Thrown - pikahlua
Pro hero Katsuki Bakugou has deigned to apply for a teaching position at UA, and the lucky bastard who gets to conduct the job interview is none other than Shouta Aizawa.
Second Chances - amarisllis
Aizawa’s heartbeat is pounding against Katsuki’s ear, so loud and fast that it blocks out everything else. Katsuki’s arms flail, unsure what to do now that he’s being hugged by his teacher who’s never really cracked more than a tiny smile in their presence before. Wha—
Oh. Oh, oh shit. Aizawa is crying.
“Sensei—”
“You were dead.” His voice breaks on the last word.
Oh. Shit.
candid - OwlF45
The Commission passes a new requirement for hero licenses: pass a mental simulation. For Izuku, a holder of One For All, this idea ends in catastrophe. A series focused on the simulation, and everything that comes after.
Switchblade - Cacid
"I’m only two minutes late!” Izuku protested. Had he missed the start of an important test? None of the national, standardized tests were supposed to happen this month and even being two minutes late to one of those wouldn’t elicit this sort of reaction. They were discussing their career interest forms today, but that was it. Nothing time-critical was supposed to be happening.
“Midoriya, you were reported missing a week ago. No one has seen you for eight days. The police have been combing the city for you.”
"I’m sorry. What?”
Midoriya Izuku went missing for a week and turned up in a back alleyway with skills he's never even heard of and no memory of how he came by them. He resigns himself to never learning the truth of what happened to him, but he shouldn't waste this chance should he? He could become a hero with reflexes like these.
(Russian Translation available)
Razzmatazz - xylophones
Izuku has plans for everything.
He plans out what to say to the cashier when ordering coffee, he plans out his homework before even opening his textbook. He has a whole ten-year plan for how he’s going to get into UA’s hero course and get his hero license fully quirkless. He plans for every wild, unlikely scenario he can think of because his anxiety gets so bad if he doesn’t go through every possible outcome, every way his life could landslide into disaster–– but Izuku never planned for this.
For once, he doesn’t have a plan and he doesn’t have time to think of one. All he can see is Yagi-san’s lined, kind face looking resigned as he stares down the villain in his shop. Yagi-san, who is the closest thing to a father figure Izuku has ever had.
Izuku doesn’t think. He just moves.
(Or: Izuku saves the number one hero, gets a hero license way earlier than anyone wanted, realizes that maybe hero society isn’t as great as he thought it was, and everything just kind of falls apart from there.)
third couch is the charm - laurenshappenstobemyhusband
Shouto trained for years to control his ice. Encasing everything in ice whenever he sneezed, got angry or startled, or just whenever he wasn't paying attention always got him into trouble, and he's glad he finally has complete control over his right side.
Unfortunately, he can't say the same about his flames.
OR: Todoroki sets three couches on fire, which apparently is too many, so now he has to take quirk control classes with Kaminari and they bond over mutual destruction
All's Well - Vexfulfolly
Trigger + Katsuki Bakugou = One hell of a precarious situation
OR
What it's like to be a walking bomb.
El Manisero - Lila17
"that fic where Sero runs a peanut cartel at UA"
see it all in bloom - aloneintherain
Todoroki said, “It feels like a family reunion.”
(Social media fic, counting down the five months to Class 1-A's ten year reunion.)
and i know these don't REALLY count because they're mine, but here's my OWN gen fics that I had a GREAT time writing
And in the forest, I can be free
His prosthetic leg was covered in stickers. Her hands were stained with marker ink in wonderful multicolor.
She could color outside the lines. She could color inside the lines. She could color the skin pink or the hair black or whatever color she wished. She could ignore the lines entirely and just draw whatever she wanted.
Chiasaki would have never allowed any of this. She doesn’t freeze or feel that horrible feeling in her chest at the thought of him anymore. Instead she only felt... Something else. It was a warmer feeling, one that settled in her gut.
It took a few days of this new feeling to be recognized and named- anger. She wasn’t as afraid anymore, that had grown into anger.
How could anything in this so-called “sick” place ever be bad? She admires her color-stained hands, the shoes that were allowed to remain dirty, the softness of fresh mud during a rainstorm under her hands. Sand between her fingers, dust wiped away from glass to reveal a view of the forest.
Eri doesn’t care if she’s cursed. She doesn’t care if this entire world is covered in little germs that would make her sick. Eri loves it so much.
-
A look at Eri and her relationship with cleanliness
Within Rime and Reason
1.
He reached up to touch the base of his scar. Somehow, without the red hair framing it, it looked almost like a birthmark. Less of a harsh, angry burn scar and more of a memory. He didn’t look like a man with a tragic past, he looked like a boy. If he wasn’t completely blind in that eye, he would almost believe it was one.
“You look so manly,” Kirishima breathes.
“No,” Todoroki says with a smile. “I look like my mother. I look womanly.”
2.
And suddenly so many pieces of the puzzle drop into place.
His eye is unseeing. White pupil. Milky iris. With the skin around it poreless and hairless. Easy to cover up with makeup. Oil-less and unmoisturized. Like a scar. Like a burn.
“Todoroki,” Mina says softly. The brush she’s holding drops to her lap. “This isn’t a birthmark I’m covering up, is it?”
-
Todoroki gets a makeover. Emotional conversations happen.
I have an absurd number of Ao3 bookmarks. All BNHA. And while I do (very occasionally) get rid of some, the rate at which I add them is far greater. But where’s the fun in keeping them all to myself??? I think I’m going to start doing a series of fic rec posts to share some of the joy. No real schedule, just when I have time. I’m thinking some thematic, some by ship, some by character... Not even 100% sure. This is just a post to hook them all to because organization is a thing.
Never Enough Time (Travel) Vol 1
MCD Fic Recs
Quirkless in a Quirked Land
Never Enough Time (Travel) Vol 2
Shinsou Centric
Wonderful World Building
Obscure BkDkBk Bkg Birthday Week Fic Recs
Vigilante Izuku Fic Recs
"Let Bakugou Rest" Fic Recs (Bakugou whump)
Fics that Feed the Soul(mate)
Also - someone brought up the point that I should probably recommend my own work if I actually want people to read it :P It's mostly ShinDeku and BkDk, mostly rated T. One really long one, one medium length one, and a bunch of one shots. I'm great at self promotion, yeah?
I can't reply to your reply on my post because mobile Tumblr is a clusterfuck but thank you for the recs! If you have any more, come at me bro with them. :)))
I would like to formally thank you for enabling me.
Recs are under the cut in no particular order
Locked In Digital by @roguedruid. Rated M, 82,811 words. ongoing
This fic. Is so good. it’s written by the same person who wrote Hero Class Civil Warfare and it is so interesting! The worldbuilding, the characterization, the plot! 10/10
Leviathon by rest_in_rip. Rated M, 139,064 words. Ongoing.
A fairly classic fandom favorite, this fic certainly lives up to the hype. the author is absolutely phenomenal at building suspension, and the descriptions and dialogue are phenomenal! 8.5/10
Burn Your Wings by @owhitekiwibird. Rated T, 147,775. ongoing.
honestly, this fic is so gorgeous. the descriptions, the backstories, the angst! Realistic writing of trauma, amazing descriptions of quirks, phenomenal action scenes! I would absolutely recommend it. 8.5/10
Useless Monster by @uselessmonsterboy. Rated M, 79,364. ongoing.
I love this one! It’s very sweet while still holding up to a serious backdrop. Midoriya has a very interesting quirk without it being overpowered. 8/10
Erased Potential by @theslytherinpaladin. Rated M, 157,290. ongoing.
This is so good! I’ve always been a sucker for midoriya-doesn’t-get-a-quirk-but-is-still-awesome-via-the-power-of-badassery-and-brain-cells fics, and this one delivers. Also, it does well in addressing the,,, subpar teaching methods of All-Might. Please, someone, teach this man how to talk to children. 9/10
Subject: A Comprehensive Report by @bonesofbirdwings. Rated T 77,792. ongoing.
Yo. Yooo. Yooooooooooo. This fic. Is so cool.
First off, almost the entire thing is written in the most fascinating style I’ve ever seen. Emails, police reports, text messages, newspapers, transcripts, everything except for dialogue. Sure, there is some traditional writing, but the vast majority is written through any other media. I shit you not, it’s the best thing ever. It gives you all kinds of clues and hints to the plot to come, as well as the most amazing, in-depth worldbuilding I’ve ever seen. Yet another one of the aforementioned izuku-doesn’t-have-a-quirk-but-is-still-badass fics, this one gets extra points because he is badass purely through the power of braincells. 10.5/10
Yesterday Upon The Stair by @pitviperofdoom. Rated T, 424,070 words. FINISHED.
If you haven’t heard of this fic, go read it. Right now. Stop what you’re doing and read it. This is, without a doubt, one of the best pieces of fiction I have ever encountered. No, not fanfics, pieces of fiction. I’m talking published books, movies, plays, whatever. It’s so good. Not only does it give Midoriya a quirk that is useful but not op, it writes every single character in a way that is interesting and believable. The plot is phenomenal, the writing is out of this world, the characters, both canon and oc, are incredible. I honestly like YUTS!Izuku’s writing more than canon!Izuku, just because of how emotion and action and characterization and flaws and everything is handled.
Honestly, just go read all of Pit’s works, they’re amazing. 12/10
Dis(associate) by @highabovethecloudssomewhere. Rated T, 283,294 words. FINISHED.
This fic is so good! It has a healthy balance of fluff, angst, and dad jokes. oh, the dad jokes. it also has an interesting quirk, good writing, and some lovely characterization! 9/10
Live a Hero by @highabovethecloudssomewhere. Rated T 332,839. ongoing.
This one’s really good. A good combination of backstory, characters, and a healthy dose of humor to lighten up the angst. redemption arcs are amazing, and there are many, many cats.
Also, if you’re worried about the whole ‘ongoing’ thing, it is technically unfinished, but the end is perfectly satisfying as it is, so feel free to read it without worrying about too many loose ends. 9.5/10
know what i’ve made by the marks on my hands by @simkjrs. Rated T, 46,561 words. abandoned (?)
This fic is so funny! It has an amazing mythology and some of the most beautiful imagery I’ve ever seen. the author’s description of the unreal is so gorgeously immense that I can’t even describe it. tbh, I wish I could be that articulate. *clenches fist* one day.
It also has some phenomenal banter, deadpan humor, and overall hilarious dialogue. 10.5/10
And there they are! Some of my favorite badass Midoriya fanfics. I hope you enjoy!
Viridian. Pied Piper. Ghost. Cicada. Kuroko. Cheshire. Zero. Ivy. Phoenix. So many vigilante names, each with a depth of meaning that at times rivals the meaning of the name Deku. Heck, sometimes Deku IS his vigilante name! I’ve been on a Vigilante Izuku kick lately, and since I came across a few really good ones I’d never seen before, I decided to combine them with the ones already in my bookmarks and make a new fic rec list. Fair warning: I was specifically on a longfic vigilante Izuku kick, so most of these are not short (slight understatement). Most have some degree of Dadzawa, because that’s so common with these and I like it. Quite a few also have well developed Bakugou redemption, for similar reasons. And finally, lots of great Shinsou friendships, because we all know he’s my favorite! I sorted them into three rough categories:
Section 1: Eleven fics with him as a young vigilante, either pre-UA or during high school years without him being at UA. He might end up at UA in the end, but it had to be less than half of the fic for it to be in this category.
Section 2: Five fics where he is a UA student for more than half of the story, though not necessarily in the hero department.
Section 3: Seven Eight fics where he’s an adult vigilante, regardless of whether or not he attended UA.
Ratings range from G to E, and while some are fluffy, many have pretty dark themes, so mind the tags! Hope you all can find a new story to love somewhere in the list, because all of these have stuck with me in some way. And, as always, if you find one you like, please give the author a kudos or comment to share the love!
Section 1: Pre-UA and/or high school age but not a UA student for most of it
Always Chasing After Something by GriffinRose
Rated T, 29/29 chapters, 202,865 words, no / Midoriya ship
So much Eri love in this one!
Author's summary:
While his class is on internships, Aizawa seeks out an underground informant to get information about the League of Villains. After a disappointing conversation, Aizawa finds the informant badly injured and takes him for medical help.
And finds out how young this guy really is.
And that there's another kid. With no parents in sight.
Look, they're underage, he HAS to get involved now.
Heap of ashes that I am, by bunjeegumboy
Rated M, 44/44 chapters, 226,595 words, no / Midoriya ship
Some pretty heavy suicidal ideation in this one, major Dadzawa, and some pretty sincere and long-term work put in by Bakugou to become a better person. Major Shinsou & Midoriya friendship as well.
Author's summary:
Sometimes, when Izuku allows himself to comprehend the sick reality of his life, he finds that it no longer resembles the roots from which he sprouts. He is a fickle rose bush that was cared for and raised and coddled in its early seasons by a loving mother, growing strong, interwoven roots and a reliable base. And, Izuku thinks, he would have been a lovely rose bush. He would have flourished and unfurled and oh wouldn't that have been nice?
Instead, along came Bakugou Katsuki: vegetation killer in a compatibly sized spray bottle.
But this is the life Izuku has. It is ugly and broken and unrecognizable and so unbearably his and, god, how Izuku wishes it wasn't. But it is. So he makes his peace.
or
Izuku finds out he has a revival quirk and uses the opportunity to become a vigilante.
invincible by supercrunch
Rated T, 1/1 chapter, 20,005 words, Bk/Dk
Heartbreakingly sweet, Katsuki seeks redemption and Izuku heals.
Author's summary:
This is the way the world works: the sun rises in the east. The strong come out on top. Bakugou Katsuki rockets through life like a comet and Midoriya Izuku stumbles after. If he believed in such things Katsuki would say it was written in the stars. That some god of war had looked at him and said this one. That he’d been passed along a line to get his blessings – genius, willpower, fearless ambition – and dropped off on earth.
Then, of course, there is the question of Deku. The spitfire runt. Deku, no matter what the world does to him, never stops hoping.
Until, of course, he eventually does.
(Katsuki broke him. Snapped him in half like a twig and now has to scramble to put Deku back together. “We can do this, Deku," he says slowly. "There are so many mysteries that never got put to bed. Criminals roaming around looking to hurt people and you and me, we can fix that.”
There’s a long pause. The comforter slips a little off Deku’s skinny shoulders and drowns him. “You mean like a team?”
In that split second, Katsuki makes a decision he’s never even considered. He swallows his pride. “Yeah, Deku. We’d be a team.”)
Mutilante, by Starlight (Fandom_Eclipse)
Rated G, 1/1 chapter, 13,660 words, no / Midoriya ship
The series of hoodies and personalities he uses for this are both adorable and hysterical.
Author's summary:
Izuku was debating the merits of seeking out the new vigilante group that was on the news when he heard the list of known members. He knew those names. Specifically, he knew those because they were assigned to six of his hoodies.
He knew he should come clean. Maybe just stick to one costume, or stop being a vigilante altogether. Groups were treated much more seriously than lone entities, and he could get in serious trouble if they sent heroes after him expecting backup that didn’t exist.
A week later, he had characters designed for every hoodie he owned.
In which Izuku becomes a one-man organization, and everyone has to deal with the consequences.
Prodigal, by writerllofllworlds
Rated T, 15/15 chapters, 56,802 words, BkDk
If you love All Might, Mirio, Inko, or Nedzu, this may not be a good fic for you - they all do some pretty crappy things. But Izuku, being Izuku, perseveres through it all with the support of Tsukauchi, Aizawa, and Bakugou.
Author's summary:
After being convinced to give One for All to Mirio, Midoriya Izuku must rebuild his shattered dreams with bloody hands.
Shut the Gates of Mercy by DoesItSaySassOnMyUniform
Rated M, 12/? chapters as of April 2022, 81,082 words, no / Midoriya ship
This is unfinished, but the world the author builds makes it SO worth a read. The way they write Aizawa’s and Midoriya’s interactions is amazing.
Author's summary:
In Izuku’s defence, when he’d started he’d had no way of knowing the absolute clusterfuck he’d been about to uncover. After a life of being put down, he’d just wanted a chance to prove himself - to say “fuck you” to the people who had doubted him, and maybe save some lives while he was at it.
That’s not what happened.
At least he could say he tried. After all, All might had said he couldn’t be a hero.
He said nothing about being a Vigilante.
this is my family, by sensibleshroom
Rated T, 62/62 chapters, 106,496 words, no / Midoriya Ship
This author has some of my favorite OCs of all time among their different works. There is an unfinished sequel to this one that covers the beginning of UA - also worth a read!
Author's summary:
Nagai's Law: a minor person may use their quirk to its full capability in cases of extreme self defense or defense of a family member. A family member may be defined by personal definition to the effect that it must be reasonably defended in a court of law.
Vigilante: defined as a person not licensed and commissioned by the Hero Public Safety Commission employing their quirk to stop crime.
There is a singular truth to humanity, in the effect that if you provide humanity with a rule, they will find a way to break it. This doubles true for thirteen year olds with something to prove. Someone's going to get gray hairs, and it's not going to be them.
Vigilante Work and Other After-School Activities by lovelysandlonelys
Rated G, 1/1 chapter, 5496 words, no / Midoriya ship
One of the shortest vigilante Izuku fics I’ve read, but no less satisfying. Inko is trying so hard to keep him out of trouble, and unwittingly gets him more deeply involved in it.
Author's summary:
These were the things that Midoriya Izuku lived for:
His mother.
Hero analysis forums.
Katsudon
The time between when his mother went to sleep and sunrise.
Alternatively: Izuku is a vigilante, Aizawa likes cats and therefore kids who help cats, and sometimes breaks must be forced upon overachieving teenagers.
Viridian: the Green Guide by Clouds (myheadinthecoudsnotcomingdown)
Rated T, 120/120 chapters, 272,617 words, KamiDeku
I don’t know, is this one considered to be THE vigilante Izuku fic? It’s certainly the most popular one I’m aware of. I eagerly followed it as it was being published from chapter 30 or so to the end, and LIVED for each and every update. Then later I discovered it had a podfic by RuneLore that kept me company on a very long drive across multiple states.
Author's summary:
After his dream is finally crushed, Izuku isn’t quite sure there’s anything left for him to live for, but...he can’t exactly kill himself either, not without hurting the people he cares the most about. So, when he realizes that the quirkless can’t technically be vigilantes, it seems like the best of both worlds. He’ll be able to save people even without being a hero and, if he happens to die while he’s at it...well, like Kacchan said, maybe he’d be born with a quirk in the next life.
When Tomorrow Ends by JazzRazzberry
NR, 31/31 chapters, 217,625 words, no/ Midoriya ship
My most recent read, and possibly the most awkwardly adorable vigilante name origin. There's a non-vigilante sequel that is still being actively updated if you like their style!
Author Summary:
Midoriya Izuku was not made to be special. Not in any particular form, shape, size or function, it seemed. He didn’t need grandiose, didn’t need all the fame and fortune and riches that seemed so commonplace these days. He didn’t need to be all-powerful, all-knowing, a genius, or well known. And Izuku didn’t want to be greedy, or anything, but he would’ve liked to be special. Just a little bit. Not in a particularly self-absorbed way, but he would’ve liked just a little bit of the special that seemed to surround his peers on the daily. Just about everyone around him had so much special while he had… basically nothing. Maybe a couple hundred years ago, back when quirks weren’t a thing, he would have stood out in a crowd with his green curls, been special and unique for once in his life.
Knowing his luck, though, he probably would’ve ended up burned at the stake for witchcraft instead. That’s how they used to do it, back in the day, he’s pretty sure. With gingers. Green isn’t red but Izuku’s pretty sure it’s different enough to get him set on fire, back in the day.
Well. He’s getting burned either way.
ie: Quirkless Vigilante Izuku with a little Dadzawa on the side!
Wrong Answers Don’t Mean You Should Stop Asking Questions, by Vaimeta
Rated T, 1/1 chapters, 21,941 words, no / Midoriya ship
Not exactly a vigilante fic, but close enough! Accidental vigilante, maybe? Poor Izuku doesn’t even realize what he’s doing beyond just checking things off a list and trying to get through each day.
Author's summary:
How Midoriya was told he couldn’t be a hero by All Might, so he decided he would ask every other hero if he could be one.
Section 2: UA student for at least half of the fic
Conditions May Apply by CinnamonPinecones
Rated T, 132/? chapters as of Oct 2024, 419,130 words, no / Midoriya ship
A large chunk of it takes place before UA (the title of chapter 91 is "The Entrance Exam," for reference), but as of today it's still updating regularly and I have no idea how long it’s going to end up. It is entirely possible that half or more of it will be at UA, so I’m putting it in this category.
Author's summary:
Izuku learned at a very young age that love is conditional. Love is a reward for following the rules, love is reserved for those who are worthy of it, for those who are loveable.
Izuku was not loveable, well at least not according to anyone he'd ever met.
All he ever wanted to do was help people, to be someone worthy of loving but at 12 years old he's left with nothing and no one. Living on the streets he has to make his own way in life and maybe help some of the people in this community he's found himself in.
Follow his journey as Izuku skirts the line of the law saving people and maybe even finding someone who thinks he's worth loving.
Pied Piper, by Blackholeca
Rated T, 69/69 chapters, 297,013 words, no / Midoriya ship
I mentioned above that another fic was “the” vigilante Izuku fic in the fandom, but honestly, this one’s right up there with it for me. I don’t know why, but his one hits me harder in some ways, and I vividly remember getting the final update email and tearing up. So good, one of my all time favorite fics regardless of trope. Great OC, great relationships with Tsukauchi and Aizawa, and a lot of really heavy moral conundrums faced by Izuku.
Author summary:
If they wouldn’t give him a chance then the solution seemed simple, he’d give himself one. He’d force the world to see him, force them to recognize his hard work. He wasn’t missing a quirk, it was simply that everyone else had been given an advantage. He wasn’t broken, or useless, or incapable, and he’d prove it by outrunning all of them, he who was quirkless, he who had started in last.
[UA rejects Midoriya from the hero course and he finds salvation in vigilantism.]
The Origin of Eclipse by GriffinRose
NR, 24/24 chapters, 129,808 words, no / Midoriya ship
Serious villain Hisashi in this one, along with a very different Izuku and Katsuki childhood.
Author's summary:
In one universe, Izuku Midoriya was born quirkless. Three days after the diagnosis, his father went away on a business trip and never came back.
In another universe, Izuku Midoriya was not born quirkless. At the age of four, his father spits a few fireballs into the air like fireworks to amuse his son, and Izuku claps his hands in delight. The fireballs smoosh together and char the picture frame behind them.
In this universe, Izuku Midoriya has telekinetic control over fire, and his father never vanishes without a word.
It might have been better if he had.
The Thin Gray Line by A_ToastToTheOutcasts
Rated T, 19/19 chapters, 89,614 words, no / Midoriya ship
This is an old one - 2016 - but it’s actually the first in a series that is still being updated as of Sept 2024. Some really great OCs play central roles, and they fit into the universe beautifully.
Author's summary:
The beauty of the era of quirks wasn't the amazing abilities; it was that nobody sane would even entertain the thought that Kuroko, the most wanted vigilante in all of Japan, was Quirkless.
Viridian, by SilvermistAnimeLover
Not Rated, 23/? as of December 2022, 155,337 words, no / Midoriya ship
I jokingly referred to this as “the OTHER Viridian” when the two stories were posting simultaneously - my crappy memory made it really confusing sometimes. Very different vibes from the other Viridian fic. Also: time travel! To be fair, this might belong in the Adult Vigilante section for that reason, but he's at UA (sort of) so it's here. Unfinished, but definitely worth a read.
Author's summary:
"So why should I be the one to go?! You’re the teacher! The Hero!! What good could someone like me do?!”
“Izuku.” The man’s voice was harsh, and made the younger man’s eyes focus on his friend. His eyes softened. “It must be you. You’re not who you were back then. You aren’t useless. Remember this: You are a Hero. And the world is counting on you—even if nobody realizes it. Here. When the time comes... give this to him. You'll know he trusts you when he calls you 'Problem Child.'" He smiled fondly, handing Izuku a pair of rings on a chain.
~~~~~~~
When the world ends, their only hope is to send one Quirkless man back in time. Back in his 14-year-old body, will Midoriya Izuku be able to save the world that shunned him all his life? And will he finally be able to become a hero this go around?
Good thing he had time as a vigilante to practice.
Section 3: Adult Vigilante Izuku
i'll be your biggest kept secret and your biggest mistake by sascake
Rated M, 31/32 and 308,030 as of 1/6/25, TodoDeku
This is a late add - it updated today (Jan 6, 2025) and I realized I'd left it off, so off to edit this post I went! Yoga instructor Midoriya, EMT Shinsou, and #3 hero Shouto struggle to deal with everything life throws at them. Much Todoroki family drama. This does have a ”Bakugo faces consequences” tag implemented in a way that’s a bit harsher than most I rec - he faces some harsh consequences as an adult for hiding what he did in junior high, and we don’t see his attempts at redemption from his pov. But it feels true to character for a Bakugou who never had to confront his biggest mistake while at UA. Shinsou's life also took a very different turn here, but his friendship with Izuku is a core part of the story.
Author's summary:
Devastated by his lack of a Quirk and pushed to the limit, fourteen-year-old Midoriya Izuku takes Bakugou's advice and jumps from the roof of their school.
Ten years later, pro hero Todoroki Shouto can't stop running into a vigilante hell-bent on saving people, going after every villain he comes across, and causing a conflict in Shouto like he's never felt before.
In My Time of Dying by RazzAppleMagic
Rated E, 10/10 chapters, 52,855 words, BakuDeku
Katsuki and Izuku being dramatic both about society and each other, and managing to drag a large chunk of the former 1A into it with them.
Author's summary:
Katsuki crushes the plastic in his palm, turns on his heel to look around him. He doesn’t hear Izuku step out from his hiding place. He doesn’t feel his presence until Izuku is there, right behind him.
“Are you here to arrest me, Kacchan?”
(In which, Izuku is a U.A. dropout turned vigilante and Katsuki is a pro hero that has made it his life’s mission to bring Izuku back to his side.)
Just a Concerned Citizen by Domoz
Rated T, 21/21 chapters, 68,912 words, ShinDeku
Sort of a vigilante fic? He really only dips a toe into actual vigilantism but stirs up a hornet’s nest in the process. A fun read where he meets most of 1A as adults.
Author's summary:
Midoriya Izuku is a normal, quirkless, college drop-out. He's not a vigilante. Everything he does is perfectly above board and totally legal -- He's double checked.
It would be nice if everyone else could see it that way, though.
(Izuku becomes an informant, sort of. Trouble follows.)
Rewind, Reset, Remember by ThyNameNotSpoken
Rated E, 41/41 chapters, 264,739 words, BkDk
I would read ANYTHING this author wrote. Their worldbuilding skills are incredible. In this one, they start with a hint of canon and characterize our favs beautifully, but if you expect any of the normal events, you’re in the wrong place. Canon took a hard left very early on, so the setting is a gorgeous divergence from the typical. Love, love, love this fic!
Author's summary:
The Underground: a network of vigilantes supported and directed by the Hero Commission to assist in maintaining the structure of Hero Society through any means necessary.
Izuku descended into the Underground after the War, a quirkless medic with no future. Presented with a deal of a lifetime. He entered the doors of Illusion and into the laps of Heroes spilling all their secrets and wants. Strings of Hero Society plucked by the Commission while Izuku and his crew deal with criminals in forgotten areas of the city. Whatever missions the Commission throws at them just a bonus.
There are whispers of a new threat growing in the city and, to make matters worse, Izuku finds himself with the eyes of the Number One hero on him. A slippery slope into something Izuku can't escape.
If there’s anything Izuku has learned as a vigilante and spy, it’s that everything is not what it seems.
Rut Buddy by HazelWitch
Rated E, 27/27 chapters, 135,544 words, BkDk
If you don’t like the whole Alpha/Omega thing, this really isn’t the fic for you. However - most vigilante Izuku stories are about Izuku overcoming societal prejudices and/or bad situations because of his determination to help others, and this is no exception. It’s just set in the midst of a lot of crazy hormonal stuff!
Author's summary:
“You will take one week of rut leave, starting from next Monday,” Mirio says, voice cheerful again and smile tacked in place. “And you will report to the med bay beforehand and afterward to confirm that your hormone levels have been appropriately attended to.”
The thought makes Katsuki feel physically sick.
_______
Bakugou Katsuki hasn't had a rut since he was fifteen years old. He hasn't seen his quirkless childhood friend since then, either.
Both of those things are about to change.
OR: the fic that ended up not really being about heats and ruts at all, but about what it really means to be a hero.
sparks and teeth, by smilelikethesun
Rated M, 15/15 chapters, 47,725 words, BakuDeku
This is also a favorite - I just love the characterizations. Izuku is perfect. More of a social justice vigilante than a villain hunting vigilante, but Inko is badass, Katsuki is a pining idiot, and the former 1A crew really comes through.
Author's summary:
Izuku Midoriya has been missing for almost four years, and this time, he didn't leave a note.
Katsuki, in the meantime, has been searching for him and working full-time as a hero. His mission for the last year has been to locate and capture the mysterious vigilante Zero.
When he opens his apartment door in the middle of the night to a dying Izuku in a Zero mask, he doesn't know what to do.
- - - - -
"Izuku?" Katsuki whispered.
Izuku's eyes fluttered shut as he grimaced, curling into himself. He was holding his stomach. His black, deeply-shadowed jumpsuit looked darker where he was holding himself, a black pool spreading. He moved his hand from his stomach and stared at his scarlet palm.
"I didn't—" He laughed weakly, red dripping suddenly from the corner of his mouth. "I didn't know where else to go. Kacchan."
The Case of Cheshire by rdillard1
Rated G, 27/27 chapters, 134,181 words, no / Midoriya ship
Nice Tsukauchi mentorship here with a good look at what might have happened had Izuku gone into police work.
Author's summary:
Izuku Midoriya had always wanted to be a hero. Even when the world beat him down, he had learned to stand back up. But over time, after watching your heroes fail you again and again, the title of hero took on another meaning. He may not have had a quirk, but he knew he could be a hero, even if it was as a detective.
He hadn't meant to become a vigilante, honestly. It just...happened. But he had quickly learned the law could only get him so far. Almost overnight, the vigilante Cheshire became a name to be feared by the corrupt and praised by the innocent who fell through the cracks of society. Izuku, or Cheshire, finally found a place in the world to belong and he would never be knocked down again.
zero-sum game by roadtripwithlucifer
Rated E, 23/23 chapters, 190,099 words, Bk/Dk
One of the fics I think about more than almost any other I’ve read. In my top ten list of all BNHA fics regardless of ship. Be warned though, it gets really, really heavy.
Author's summary:
It’s been four years since Deku dropped off the face of the earth. Katsuki knows he’s going to find him. He’s so close to him, he can almost touch him.
baratheonpilled
yousharknotpass
turnnoffyourmind
jacobvanloon
romaincrisis
snowghoul
