Comment on Ripple Effect: Paper Hyenas

  1. Read_Robin on Chapter 1 Tue 27 Aug 2024 02:58AM UTC

    I’m looking forward to seeing how you do it! :)
    I think my og comment came off a bit more critical than I intended; I meant I’m interested in how this change will be rationalized past willing suspense of disbelief since I couldn’t really understand it. Not to diss your writing! I meant it as praise, I can’t think of a positive way this would go so I’m really interested in seeing the explanation I’m not capable of conjuring.

    P.S. I think you succeeded, I like it so far 👍

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    1. SKVioletta on Chapter 1 Tue 27 Aug 2024 08:59AM UTC

      If it helps, I think you came across fine. It's a fair question to bring up, and like I said, it's one I did have to put quite a bit of thought into, since there's a reasonable case that the public identity of All Might's successor would be a near-immediate target for all manner of chicanery. I personally think that it somewhat conflicts with what we see of Hero society at the beginning of MHA, with some Heroes identities being a matter of public knowledge (take Endeavour or the entire Iida family as examples), so there's a case that the world of MHA just operates on a slightly different axis where few villains would actively hunt Hero's like that (case in point; Stain is treated as some freakish outlier for how he directly targets Heroes, as is Shigaraki for directly invading the USJ. I think it's fair to say that for *whatever* reason (likely the threat of All Might/retribution), that's less of a concern in the world of MHA.

      Admittedly, this ties into some of my larger grievances with MHA fanfic, so I might just be reaching a little. There is a possibility that it just didn't occur to Horikoshi when he concieved the series, which is understandable. Everyone misses stuff on occasion, after all.

      That said, I'm glad you like how I've approached it so far. Coming up with ways to rationalise Izuku not immediately dying was...a little tricky, but less than I think I remembered. To bring up Stain again, I refuse to believe he would consider killing Izuku. I did at one point contemplate a sub-plot about him testing Izuku's worthiness, but dismissed it pretty quickly. Stain's adoration of All Might seems so all-encompassing that I can't imagine him doubting the man's choice in successor like that. So I nixed it pretty quick. But I like what I've come up with for him reasonably well.

      Overhaul was another interesting one. Given his attitude towards Quirks as a disease, I figured the idea of one that's capable of being transferred would be anathema to him. Having him attempt to kill Izuku felt...lacking, somehow. I don't think it fits how we've seen the man operate. Especially since he hasn't finished developing the Quirk nullifiers yet. I figured him accelerating production on his nullifiers was a reasonable response.

      The MLA was also an interesting one. I settled pretty early on in my planning process on the idea of them trying to use Izuku as a figurehead of sorts, using the idea of him being catapaulted into fame and prestige as an example on how Quirks are an inescapable facet of modern society, and shouldn't be restricted. All while secretly loathing him for his initial Quirklessness, which seems to contradict their entire raison d'etre (this attitude being heavily based in fanon, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good take). I liked that contrast enough I wanted to build on that idea, although their presence has been adjusted slightly in ssubsequent revisions, to avoid over-reaching myself and dragging the pacing of my story down.

      The Hero Commission is one I honestly think I might change if I re-wrote the series now, but I've already committed to it, so I have to follow through as best I can. Really, they're mostly here as a sword of Damocles hanging over Izuku's head (albeit without his knowledge at the moment). Given their recruitment of Hawks and Lady Nagant, I think it's fair to say a government organisation would want the kind of power One for All offers, if not in this life, then the next. As such their inclusion felt warranted, but I think they come across as *incredibly* one-note, and I wish I'd tried to lend them some depth and sympathy. Still, it's early enough I can course-correct later. More importantly, they were a vehicle to manage to get Lady Nagant included in the story and out of Tartarus, since I think she's a fascinating individual, and I am excited to see how her broken, jaded attitude rubs off on Izuku, and how his more optimistic, unending faith in people as individuals affects her.

      And then the big one. All for One. This was the hard one, honestly. But we've seen in canon that All for One is more than willing to play the long game. Him laughing in amusement at All Might bumbling through a successor at the last minute (with how little power he has access to) didn't feel too out of character, and also amused me greatly. Additionally, there's an argument that know they *know* where One for All goes, which makes it easier to keep tabs on Izuku. If Izuku dies, you can bet that people will be a lot quieter about who inherits One for All next time. That's not to say All for One couldn't find it, but I think it comes together decently well that he's willing to watch and see for now.

      I think that's all of them that I covered? Sorry for the long reply, but I have a lot of thoughts about Paper Hyenas in my head, and I do really want to continue it. The fandom itself has rubbed me the wrong way recently, enough that I think I want a bit of a break from it, but I do love Paper Hyenas with all my heart, and I want to get as much of my own ideas out there as possible.

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