What If

Varying representations of responder PTSD symptoms in MHA characters:

MHA does a really good job at realistically showing how people who work in response fields might manifest PTSD. It shows a variety of ways this can occur and hits on a lot of the less palatable symptoms or more nuanced symptoms that aren’t really shown in media often.

Enji:

Ok, I know he’s a controversial character but I’m starting with Enji/Endeavor bc I love this character and his arc. His character is shown having some of the less palatable symptoms of PTSD and it really reminded me of my experiences with it. I think it’s really cool to see that representation.

Intense Anger

Functions perfectly at work, but cannot function outside of work (if my brain cannot find the threat, it will make one- I.e. hypervigilance)

Lashing out at loved ones

Feelings of guilt and shame over the anger

Intense mistrust of others

Reliving negative experiences and ruminating on them constantly

Inability to rely on others

Inability to verbalize or identify negative feelings

Fear that you are a burden on loved ones

Fear that your loved ones will get hurt or die

Fear that loved ones will betray you or are lying to you

Obsession with having control over negative outcomes

Unreasonable standards/expectations for self and others

Fear that you cannot save everyone/are not good enough

Self-isolation

Deliberately sabotaging your relationships

The ‘death of self’

All Might:

Overwork

Lack of a personal life

Inability to rest

Working through injury

Inability to rely on others

Keeping experiences and feelings a secret because you believe them to be too burdensome to share

Unsupported belief that you will die young

Flippant about own safety and mortality

Deku:

Working through injury

Putting self in dangerous situations

Obsessiveness about work and replaying situations over and over

Flippancy about own safety and mortality

Inability to rest

Self-isolation

Keeping experiences and feelings a secret because you believe them to be too burdensome to share

Existential horror/dread about the state of humanity

Apathy

Losing parts of your personality/losing joy/losing idealism

Nightmares

Hawks:

I also really love this character and how Horikoshi explores him. I relate to a lot of his symptoms as well even though they are much more subtle.

Using sarcasm and dark humor to eschew real negative feelings

Refusing to process negative emotions or intellectualizing your trauma

Loss of affect

Belief that your sole value is in your usefulness to others/belief that you have no inherent value

Overwork

Fear that you cannot save everyone/are not good enough

Moral injury

Unrealistic expectations of self

Flippant about your own safety/mortality

Unfounded belief that you are secretly a bad person

Splitting: i.e. views on good and bad becoming overly simplistic

Anger and resentment about systemic failures/leadership failures

Feeling that your were not adequately trained or equipped to do your job

Mistrust of others

Trauma bonding to coworkers

Belief that other people cannot understand your experiences

Emotional distancing

Wanting to escape your present reality/focus on a ‘future’ where things are different and inability to be in the present moment.

Dissociative traits- I.e. disconnecting from the self to complete difficult tasks & acting out ‘performative’ emotions for the benefit of others

Toya discovers the sensation of mustache

Love At First Sight

Todoroki themed inner covers

AU where Sokka’s high-on-cactus-juice encounter with the giant mushroom takes a dark turn. (Also he has a gun)

based on this beautiful tumblr post

bonus:

I need to see this movie ASAP!!!!!!

Touya: Father, why have you forbade me from entering the delicious chamber?

Enji: It's called an oven, and you will die.

Touya, crying: I am strong, father.

[Failure]

>>BNHA / MHA Spoilers!<<

Drew this in reaction to Chapter 350! If Touya heard Enji call him an almost perfect creation, I get that he wasn‘t ecstatic about returning.

fun fact, the font used for this is called „I know a ghost“

The family🍃😔