Be Strong

Hyperbole and a Half Sentence Starters  // Accepting

“No, no, I believe you!”

I’ve seen numerous posts, primarily traitor Ochako theories, present the idea that the reason that Ochako’s parents don’t have money is because they’re unable to find work. And they’re unable to find work because crime rates have gone down because of All Might. (thus if Ochako becomes a villain that equates more destruction which creates more work for her parents)

There are a few problems with that theory;

1. All Might defeated All For One five years prior to the beginning of the series. This is what had the most significant impact on crime rates. Ochako was 9 at the time, and she had been worried about her parents since she was capable of rational thought. Even if we go back further to his debut in Japan, it’s still clear that their financial troubles started way before hand. Debt doesn’t happen instantly, it piles up over the course of several years.

2. Despite All Might being the symbol of peace, there hasn’t been all that much of a decrease in construction work that we can see. Horikoshi includes and Omake about how Mt. Lady has to constantly pay to repair damage to not only the city but her own agency. We see any number of public fights even prior to All Might’s retirement that cause substantial damage. Hell, kamino ward was basically leveled. There’s often construction sites in the background of scenes that take place away from campus.

3. While it is expressed that Ochako’s parents have trouble with money, it’s never stated that this is due to a lack of work. Ochako offers to help them by using her quirk to cut down on costs, which wouldn’t help if they had no work.

So if it’s not the lack of construction, how is her parent’s business doing poorly? We don’t have many details, but it’s most likely just because they’re a small family owned business and not a large construction company. 

They would have to pay for materials and labor for each job rather than being able to buy materials in bulk and have regular employees. They would potentially have to turn down jobs because they don’t have the equipment to complete it, or would need to rent out said equipment which would cut significantly into their profits. They wouldn’t have contracts with the city or be able to afford advertisement of their services. To name a few potential problems.

I’ve been wanting to do this meta for a while, as I think it’s a pretty understated moment in the series but really resonated with me. Nighteye is not someone Ochako knows well. She didn’t intern with him, and the battle against Overhaul is her first time speaking with him directly. However, his death is shown to have a significant impact on Ochako.

This is understandable, since she was (nearly) the only person to touch him between the time of his injury to the point where he was loaded onto an ambulance. 

He didn’t die in her arms, but he died shortly thereafter. With injuries like Nighteye’s, where there is a foreign object lodged somewhere in the body, especially the midsection, it is absolutely crucial that they are moved as little as possible. Each slight movement causes even more damage.

To be clear; I am not blaming Ochako for Nighteye’s death, my point is not that if she had moved him less he would have survived. (In fact, Nighteye’s doctor even says that it is a miracle he lived as long as he dead, which can arguably be attributed to how well Ochako handled his rescue) Even if she had made some mistake, she was a teenager in a stressful situation pushed well beyond her limits.

What I am saying, however, is that not only is it reasonable for Ochako to have regrets about the situation; it’s made clear that she does.

Ochako is directly entrusted with Nighteye’s safety, she is solely responsible for getting him help.

That is...a huge amount of pressure for a 16 y/o. The interns in this situation are being treated as heroes, not as students. Which is supposed to help them gain experience, but in a practical sense is something that puts them in not only physical but psychological danger. Ochako was put in charge of a man’s life and he died. She is a child who feels responsible for someone’s death.

Especially the emphasis, here, on the specific things she needs to do. Not just find an ambulance but do it quickly, make sure to keep him in a stable position. These are things where Ochako can think, later, “what if I was quicker” or “what if i’d held him a different way”. I sincerely do not believe with the severity of his wound that it would have made a difference but it doesn’t make the situation any less devastating.

(Also, for the record, i’m not hating on Ryukyu for being specific with her instructions. That was situation appropriate. But from a narrative standpoint, these are not things the audience needs to see/hear aside from driving home the point of Ochako’s responsibility.)

Ochako is shown to be distressed in pretty much every panel for the entirety of the Deku vs Overhaul fight. The situation is stressful and she is, for most of it, alone with the dying Nighteye. Before the others show up not only does she take care of Nighteye, she then evacuates the locals and then is the one to apprehend Overhaul. After all this she’s treated to the sight of her friend and classmate emitting scary amounts of energy while clearly in pain.

All in all, a very stressful situation.

Afterwards, Aizawa tells her, essentially, not to worry about it. She did the best she could and all she can do is move forward and use her experience to help people in the future (solid advice, but not exactly trauma therapy)

Despite this, it’s still very much on her mind; and is shown to be something she’s actively thinking about even once reunited with her friends. When Tsuyu asks if she’s alright, she then remembers Aizawa’s words and says;

There’s a couple of things to unpack here. First, this isn’t something said with confidence or admiration. This isn’t the same as other times when Ochako, or other characters, talk about saving people. She isn’t daydreaming about the future, here, she looks incredibly sad, and hesitant. Gaze drawn down, towards her hands. (this is especially important as the phrasing earlier specifically talked about her holding Nighteye, not simply saying she was responsible.)

Second, is the reaction of Kirishima and Tsuyu. Neither of them look particularly reassured by this. They don’t press her any further, but they don’t seem to take this statement as a simple resolution. And I think this is because we, the audience, aren’t meant to either. Ochako already wants to help people. This, to me, feels more like she’s actively choosing to take Aizawa’s advice. Make her trauma an experience she can use to prevent it from happening again.

(Which is completely in line with her character, given the way she represses other feelings for the sake of others all the time)

@valerenova​

Tetsutetsu and Uraraka knew of each other through shared friends, but this would be the first time he and the 1-A student would be spending time together one-on-one (as opposed to being part of a group mixed between their respective homerooms). He felt a bit anxious, but was looking forward to it all the same- Feeling both elated and increasingly nervous that she had specifically called him to help her with training.

When it came to one’s fighting strategy, Izuku was honestly the best candidate- Hands down. On the other hand, he completely understood where Ochako was coming from when she’d mentioned she didn’t want to rely on Midoriya’s help overmuch. She considered him a fellow rival and while they didn’t mind helping one another become stronger, there was no harm in looking to outside avenues of insight. That’s why they were here now- Borrowing the space of Gym Gamma for a handful of hours after class.

Tetsu was in comfortable clothes that he could easily move around in, little more than a pair of track pants and a sleeveless muscle shirt. They weren’t too baggy, seeing as they were going to focus on close quarters combat that afternoon. Having a excess of fabric your opponent could grab onto was a surefire way to get your ass handed to you, not to mention impede your own range of movement and agility.

Not that he considered himself especially spry- He was more of a brawler than anything else and needed to work on that. Ochako was quick on her feet and had prior martial arts training which would definitely be an asset in the sparring match to come.

Hearing the double doors to the training area being pushed open, he waved the other Hero Course student over to his location midway between the ground level and higher formations that mimicked natural and uneven terrain. If all they did was use gym mats with a smooth and uniform surface, then she’d never learn how to handle being at a disadvantage if on a different level of the surrounding environment.

“Yo! You ready to rock, Uraraka? I’ve been eating a ton of spinach for the past few days, so my iron levels are all loaded up!”

Ochako had missed Tetsutetsu’s match during the Sports Festival, as she had been preparing for her own match at the time. But she’d seen him in action during group training, and had heard a little bit from Deku in regards to their sparring matches. And from that information, it seemed like a perfect match up. 

Recently, Ochako had been focusing her energy on developing her quirk further. To the point where she could now suspend herself in the air in short bursts, even had grappling hooks on her new costume to navigate through the air, but it would be meaningless if she couldn’t hold her own in a close quarters fight. That had, ultimately, been her downfall during the sports festival.

Tetsutetsu was a powerhouse, the perfect way to learn how to fight opponents bigger and stronger than herself. He was competitive enough to agree to a match, and she could likely trust him to go all out. 

Buzzing with excitement rather than trembling with fear, Ochako wonders if she’s managed to grow. Just a little bit. Since that match at the beginning of the year.

Even with permission to use the gym, it’s after hours, and so the two are sans hero costumes; although Ochako herself is still wearing tight wristbands to help with nausea, and shoes with thick soles for landing. Otherwise she is simply dressed in her gym uniform, jacket open over a simple black top.

“Hey, Tetsutetsu!” Ochako calls back, smiling wide and giving the tall boy a wave; before jogging the distance between them. 

In response to his question she nods, smile still bright and enthusiastic. Perhaps just a tad nervous, but it was easily pushed aside in favor of eagerness to show her skills; and hopefully learn more.

“Thanks for agreeing to help me out, you’re a real life saver!” she stretches one arm over her head, bending slightly, then repeats the motion with the other side.

“Hmmm...how should we do this....how about whoever pins the other down for more than 10 seconds, is the winner? Wrestling style!”

“Mmmm....Ah,” Ochako expressed her relief with a sigh as she stretched out her sore muscles. Preparing for the Cultural Festival wasn’t as intensive as their training, sure, but in some ways it was using movements that she wouldn’t normally use. 

(She supposed that was why Mina was able to move so dynamically in a fight)

Either way, as much as she could use a break, she knows someone who could use one even more; watching Jirou pour over an open notebook, she had been working harder than nearly anyone to pull this performance off.

With a grin, Ochako plops down next to her friend and offers her a can of juice from a nearby vending machine.

“Juice break!” She announces, as she does so.

It’s a little over half past midnight and rapidly approaching one in the morning. Not terribly late, but later than someone who has classes starting at eight should be awake; and yet there Ochako was. 

Sitting on the couch with her knees to her chest and bare feet against the cushion in front of her. Cradling a mug of hot cocoa between her palms and watching the snow float gently outside the large lounge room window.

It was almost hypnotic, not quite enough to lull her back into sleep as she had hoped, but enough that she doesn’t notice the approach of her classmate and friend until he’s within her range of sight.

“Iida-kun!” Ochako greets with equal parts cheeriness and sleepiness, having to pause to yawn shortly after.