(some) BNHA Characters As Charli XCX Songs

(some) BNHA characters as Charli XCX songs

Before you say anything shut the fuck up let me set the scene for you: I'm blasting Charli, I'm high as sin, my friend is Tired of hearing about BNHA but sitting there making some exceedingly homosexual earrings, and I'm thinking about my next tattoo. This post is therefore incontrovertible truth. I'm 100% correct. Why THESE characters specifically? Idk they came to me. Also it's a disproportionate amount of Brat bc that's what the fucking shuffle feature on her entire discography playlist decided I would listen to.

Hawks– Vroom Vroom. I'm sorry but he would have the time of his life. He thinks this is about him. He is pretty, fast, and it's not that deep. I like this for him.

Todoroki (any of them kids)– Apple. I mean. Look. It's all of the Todorokis. Like all of them. Lowkey. Though this fucks so hard for Dabi and Shouto. But also Natsuo. It's all of them. I know they blasted this shit.

Midoriya– Boom Clap. He's not in love or anything, though this is 100% the boy nerding out about quirks, it's just a wholeheartedly earnest pop song. It's joyous. It's wonderful. I think this is a good one for him. The really fucking sad one for him would be So I about All Might. but like I ugly cry to that song so let's not get into that.

Bakugou– Sympathy is a knife. AIGHT HEAR ME OUT. This is 100% the early part where he's just irrationally a hater of his Deku because why the fuck does this boy get all this power and why is he inadequate in that way fuck him. Anyway. Love.

Toga– Break the Rules. Justice for Toga man just let the poor kid have fun.

Sir Nighteye– White Mercedes. My divorced queen still idolizing All Might. STILL. "Like a white Mercedes always been running too fast... Hurting you feels like I'm hurting as well, All I know is I don't deserve you" LIKE COME ON "One day I'll pull through, And I'll be good enough" I'm so normal about them.

All Might– 360. Like back in his prime. It's so "I'm a fucking celebrity and I earned it bitch" and I'm aware All Might is a good lil man but like come on there had to be that period of his life. And you know what! Real! He's so Julia!

Uraraka– Unlock It. Literally just for "You're on my mind, The feeling like an astronaut" Like come on. Also she's million dollar babe! I love her! I just want her and Toga to be happy man I'm so sad

Shigaraki– Crash. "I'm about to crash into the water gonna take you with me I'm high voltage self-destructive end it all so legendary" same bestie.

Finally enemy is literally just bakudeku I don't make the rules.

Tbf BNHA is and has always been confused messaging-wise. It opens with Deku saying: “humans are not made equal” and showing us all of the foul ways quirkless people are treated. Narratively, this is of course seen as bad, but there’s an underlying principle in the narrative there that’s never actively challenged (and there’s not enough time to make it satisfying if they do) that yes, humans really aren’t born equal. That yes, you see SOME characters overcome their limitations (but even then, like in the case of Deku, it’s because of a big narrative magical moment) but they’re largely confined to the roles expected of them. Power in BNHA is never really given to the powerless, a character like Toga or Shigaraki can’t be saved, and power is never truly denied to those who shouldn’t have it— Endeavor is given a dignity his victims weren’t afforded.

And though I don’t think this is wrong to do in a story in and of itself, I think it is at odds with the way it sets itself up in the opening. The first thing we see in BNHA is everyone telling Deku he can't be a hero with no quirk. The story should be set up to disprove that. To show that his heroic qualities are in and of themselves what makes him a hero. But every time in the narrative where it's his character that makes the difference, he kind of. Fails. He can't save Eri at first, can't save Shigaraki (even though he wants to) because Shigaraki is apparently beyond helping, etc etc. Like the largest successes for him as a hero are explicitly BECAUSE he has One for All now.

And that combined with the way the story ends, with the fact that Toga and Shigaraki are not possible to save, and the only thing about them that was worthy of saving was the innocent child they once were, just feels kind of at odds with what the opening of BNHA sets out to prove in the narrative. BNHA sets itself up to be about how anyone can be a true hero, that true heroism is from character and not power, but the only characters that are capable of being heroes are those with power, the only characters that are able to seek redemption are those whose powers allow that for them. A character like All for One is doomed from the outset, and the narrative makes no foil to him to show that there is a choice to be made there.

Idk it just seems kind of sad to me that a story that superficially claims to be about how anyone can be a hero narratively reinforces the very attitudes the first scenes portray as wrong. And it feels too late to change that. It feels too late for that when Mirio had to get his quirk back to be a hero again. It feels too late for that when Toga is dead. It feels too late for that when Deku was only able to defeat evils with a quirk. It feels too late for that when All for One selected everyone and maneuvered them into position and there was no inherent randomness. It feels too late for this story to course correct into "anyone can be a hero, heroism comes from internal ideals" when it's shown time and time again that the only people who get to be heroes are those with the quirks to do so.

Since the manga is ending and I'm heinously ill should I rewatch all of BNHA and liveblog it I think the answer is yes

I don't quite see how quirkless discrimination can only exist in fics, there's mention to it in canon and not just wrt to Midoriya. Multiple mentions made in canon to that. Melissa Shield for one. Like sure it's not to the extent a lot of fan head canons make it out to be, but ultimately– there's two largely relevant, born quirkless characters. The story shows us one relentlessly bullied, and one character who internalized that she can't help people without a quirk. Show also shows us a lot of cruelty against people with "villainous" quirks, it's not too difficult to extrapolate from the small, minuscule amount of characters without quirks having these issues (even one in a very supportive environment) that there is naturally something there. Aoyama's family did all that to get the kid a quirk.

And Izuku is not bullied nearly as much if at all after getting a quirk. Sure Bakugou who retains his might makes right mindset and can't cope with the idea of a powerless punching bag having power over him has to grow and adapt to that but the complete 180 Izuku has from middle school to high school is the direct result of getting a quirk. Because ultimately even if he wanted to save Uraraka in that test way at the start of the narrative, he wouldn't have been able to without One for All. The improvement of his life is inherently tied to having a quirk now. Being able to be in an environment where he wasn't treated poorly came as a result of having a quirk.

I think a lot of fandom discussion on quirkless discrimination treats it like racism. In reality, it probably would work in canon like ableism does in real life. Just because that sort of discriminatory behavior isn't as plainly and evidently obvious doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Yes Midoriya is ultimately mocked for wanting to be a hero without a quirk, but Melissa also feels that sort of fear that she won't be able to help people full stop till All Might comforts her or whatever– it's the lack of expectation for those people to have potential. Beyond that though, all of that's pretty irrelevant to my central thoughts about BNHA as a whole.

Ultimately the narrative just reinforces All Might's initial answer to Deku on the rooftop– "Can someone without a quirk become a hero?" No. Not in this story at all.

Idk this is kind of a long ramble but tl;dr just because the canon doesn't go into depth about discrimination against quirkless people doesn't mean that narratively the treatment of the very few quirkless characters is irrelevant to the messaging of the story– Ragdoll has to give up being a hero, All Might has to give up being a hero, etc etc. The way power works in BNHA is if you have it, if you've been given it, you can be a hero. If you don't, well, tough luck kid. Maybe in another life. Because you can have all of the character traits of a hero and that doesn't matter at all. Which is kind of at odds with what it frames itself as setting out to do.

Tbf BNHA is and has always been confused messaging-wise. It opens with Deku saying: “humans are not made equal” and showing us all of the foul ways quirkless people are treated. Narratively, this is of course seen as bad, but there’s an underlying principle in the narrative there that’s never actively challenged (and there’s not enough time to make it satisfying if they do) that yes, humans really aren’t born equal. That yes, you see SOME characters overcome their limitations (but even then, like in the case of Deku, it’s because of a big narrative magical moment) but they’re largely confined to the roles expected of them. Power in BNHA is never really given to the powerless, a character like Toga or Shigaraki can’t be saved, and power is never truly denied to those who shouldn’t have it— Endeavor is given a dignity his victims weren’t afforded.

And though I don’t think this is wrong to do in a story in and of itself, I think it is at odds with the way it sets itself up in the opening. The first thing we see in BNHA is everyone telling Deku he can't be a hero with no quirk. The story should be set up to disprove that. To show that his heroic qualities are in and of themselves what makes him a hero. But every time in the narrative where it's his character that makes the difference, he kind of. Fails. He can't save Eri at first, can't save Shigaraki (even though he wants to) because Shigaraki is apparently beyond helping, etc etc. Like the largest successes for him as a hero are explicitly BECAUSE he has One for All now.

And that combined with the way the story ends, with the fact that Toga and Shigaraki are not possible to save, and the only thing about them that was worthy of saving was the innocent child they once were, just feels kind of at odds with what the opening of BNHA sets out to prove in the narrative. BNHA sets itself up to be about how anyone can be a true hero, that true heroism is from character and not power, but the only characters that are capable of being heroes are those with power, the only characters that are able to seek redemption are those whose powers allow that for them. A character like All for One is doomed from the outset, and the narrative makes no foil to him to show that there is a choice to be made there.

Idk it just seems kind of sad to me that a story that superficially claims to be about how anyone can be a hero narratively reinforces the very attitudes the first scenes portray as wrong. And it feels too late to change that. It feels too late for that when Mirio had to get his quirk back to be a hero again. It feels too late for that when Toga is dead. It feels too late for that when Deku was only able to defeat evils with a quirk. It feels too late for that when All for One selected everyone and maneuvered them into position and there was no inherent randomness. It feels too late for this story to course correct into "anyone can be a hero, heroism comes from internal ideals" when it's shown time and time again that the only people who get to be heroes are those with the quirks to do so.

Every song on BRAT and which BNHA character it's about (aka redemption round) (but it's only tangentially about MY fic)

I made a shitty shitty post about which Charli song was which BNHA character. I wish to redeem myself. Bring this in line with my Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess post (tbh this is much more my usual music taste, the Chappell is a departure largely just because I LOVE her voice) and do a character per track. That said, it is about my shitty little fic, the one I'm writing on the Aye Oh Three, (it's called Never So Strong and it's bad but whatever it's Mido but she's a wonderful lesbian because I am gay and I like women) This is also slightly harder than Midwest Princess because uh. Genuinely none of the main characters on BNHA would ever do coke. And it's kind of needed for the vibes. (Wait actually Todoroki would probably do coke once. Just to see what it was all about. Lmao) Tbf even the villains are pretty tame. Like I genuinely don't believe Shigaraki has done coke. He doesn't have that energy.

This is a challenge. A personal goal. Can I make this work for characters who would not know how to cut a line? MAYBE. (also I'm really fucking lazy and piecing together the story I wrote into the order it's supposed to be in is really hard unexpectedly so this is just to give myself a break from that. I don't write chronologically and this makes editing a nightmare)

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:

360: All Might. I said earlier this was about him, and it is. He's so Julia. He's everywhere, legacy is underrated, he sets the tone, etc. Like come on. The man IS the picture of the modern hero. This is him. He is the fucking icon.

Club classics: Mic. Wait I low-key hope he's tried coke once. Anyway. He's our DJ. He's our music man. And he's got a list of absolutely fucking banger friends. Classic. He is classic, and he would dance to his own shit. Let's fucking go. This works for him. (he's a really fucking minor character in my fic but he's important to me ok)

Sympathy is a knife: Bakugou. COULDN'T EVEN BE HER IF I TRIED. This is him at the start of his arc. The guy is spiraling and me too bestie. The jealousy and the fucking insecurity. Yes. Thank you. Banger. And the lack of just control making you feel helpless. Very yes that.

I might say something stupid: Yogi Toshinori. Yeah that's right. I'm gonna hurt your feelings. He definitely feels like an outsider as himself and not All Might. And that's just how it is. It sucks when you had the world and lose it. And it hurts. "I'm famous but not quite but I'm perfect for the background one foot in a normal life" BYE. "I don't know if I belong here anymore"

Talk talk: Uraraka. I just like her. I could see her being like this about liking someone but not really knowing if it worked. (COUGH MIDO EARLY IN THE STORY COUGH) And well. "I wish you'd just talk to me" because REAL. Besides that though the ~vibe~ of this song is very Uraraka. Light. Fun. Good.

Von dutch: Hawks thinks this is about him and who am I to take that away from him?! He should b in the club and this is for him when he goes to the club! And he does that little dance (what the commission wants) because without it he'd be nameless! (haha what) PUT YOUR HANDS UP

Everything is romantic: A struggle to narrow down but I'm going with All for One but like ironically. Like he's blasting this while he's watching the world burn at his behest. And hey I think he'd be big on the Romantic literature tradition. He's a French lit nerd in my heart so therefore. This. But again know it is not genuine he's just baiting you.

Rewind: Mitsuki Bakugou. I think she probably misses when her bestie Inko wasn't in constant worry hell and when her son wasn't a holy terror sometimes (yes yes save your fucking parenting discourse for somewhere that's NOT my Charli shitpost) and his little tiny bestie wasn't scared and breaking bones 24/7. Wouldn't it be cool to rewind.

So I: Hi this song makes me fucking CRY. BAWL. This is also any One for All successor to their predecessor. Midoriya to All Might, All Might to Nana, etc etc. It's okay to cry. It's okay. The gnawing guilt, the pain, the loss. Yes.

Girl, so confusing: This is Momo Yaoyorozu singing about Midoriya Izuku in my fic specifically and I love it. And they WILL work it out in the remix. (Yes Izuku is so Lorde) (Bite me)

Apple: Todoroki. Which one? Yes. All them kids are getting the fuck away. Like come on you can't tell me Shouto wouldn't be blasting this shit when he tells Endeavor he's not gonna act like his son. All of these kids deserve a banger about an absolutely rotten relationship.

B2b: Dabi and Hawks. Nuff said. I've been over this, I love them as a messy relationship with messy messy vibes. And a club BANGER.

Mean girls: Bubble Girl. I like her. I think she's more important than she is in canon and I want her to be the fucking break-your-boyfriend's-heart girl. She's so fucking cool. (Also a sidekick with a quirk that's objectively not that OP I KNOW she's fucking badass) (I deserved more Nighteye agency shenanigans in canon so I'm giving them to myself damnit)

I think about it all the time: All Might. Thinking about his child. Well, the child he adopted after said child did a fucking stupid thing just to try to save a bully. Iconic. And the fear of running out of time, the fear of losing a career you've worked so hard for? It works. Ty.

365: Brother really none of these characters would do coke. Not one of them. What am I supposed to do here? Well uh. I think I'll give this one to Gran Torino. Because fuck it man, I think he prolly did coke once. And I hope he was fucking BOUNCING off the walls.

BONUS TRACKS REAL QUICK: Hello goodbye is Midoriya Izuku with a little crush and I love it. Yapper, scared, hello hello hello hello hello. Guess is. Wow. None of these characters. I'm. Wow. Uh. Ig Midnight. But like. I love slutpop but IT DOES NOT WORK FOR THIS MANGA. Ig Dabi can have it. He seems like he'd be down to whore around. Send him to the Dare, Hawks is with it. Spring breakers is obviously the League and it's a banger and I support them. Never get invited cause they're such fucking haters, you could change their lives but like let's be so forreal you wouldn't dare. On the news w a DUI stare. I think Toga would eat with this song tbh. I love Toga.

This was fucking hard, I think I'm never doing Charli music for BNHA again, it requires a property where the characters have done coke. Copious amounts of it. And probably ecstasy too. And like. Pro heroes? Cops? Naw. On the other hand do you know what property could fucking KILL with Charli music? Assassination Classroom but they're all older. I know Karma would be doing coke. I know it. Ok that's all xoxo back to getting my fic in order.

Man I just want BNHA but Izuku Midoriya is a LESBIAN is that so much to ask goddamnit

Lesbian Midoriya w the King Princess. Listening to Ohio. Like come on now your honor. I beg