Spoiler Alert in Book Six: Trying to Hold On 2019

Warning: The following entry will contain spoilers for the manga Boku No Hero Academia; therefore may contain spoilers to the currently running anime My Hero Academia. If you wish to avoid these spoilers please do not continue reading. I will be discussing an interesting character arc that has recently hit an excellent note but the Manga is currently at Chapter Number 229. Currently, the show has released episodes up to Manga Chapter 124. You have been warned.

There is a character in My Hero Academia that works for The League of Villains. His hero name is Twice. Real Name: Jin Bubaigawara. Ability: Double. This quirk allows Twice to create a copy of anything, two at a time, through touch. After memorizing the measurements and characteristics of an individual, he can create a perfect copy of them. The clones won’t disappear and they need to take a moderate degree of damage before they disintegrate into a mud-like substance. Twice has no control over the clones he makes because they have their own autonomy. Personal Issue: Twice is demonstrated to be rather like a more tragic Deadpool. Deadpool is known for having a “conflicting internal monologue” (probably as best demonstrated in the Nolan North voiced

. Deadpool’s conflicting inner monologue can be described as One Voice that tries to be Rational and One Voice that tries to be Chaotic. Twice also has a conflicting internal monologue. Twice’s conflicting inner monologue can be described as One Voice that is compassionate, warm, and personable and One Voice that is cruel, mean, and critical. Much like Deadpool, the presence of conflicting inner monologues is dealt with by the character attempting to be comical and jovial when he can. An interesting difference and similarity comes with the need for a mask. Deadpool is constantly wearing his mask because of the severe damage his face and body underwent during the Weapon X Testing that gave him his healing factor. It’s a… a face that really does need to be covered. Though different artists have drawn it differently.

So… Deadpool wears a mask because otherwise… that face would be a huge distraction for him.

Twice, on the other hand, also wears a mask for a desperate need… but it isn’t his face. And this is where we begin to see the arc I came here to discuss.


See? So as there IS that scar on his face, it isn’t like he’s hiding his face for fear that people will see him and scream. But his reason for wearing the mask is so much more important and fundamentally integral to the character. You see, Twice wears a mask to (in his words) “hold himself together.” You see… throughout most of his Character history, we see him struggle with the whole competing inner monologue thing. He mentions that he doesn’t make copies of himself because of something bad that happened. This is mostly what we’re given.

The current story arc for the manga is almost entirely devoted to the villains. I’m not sure if the Anime will follow suit, as going for episodes and episodes and episodes without showing your main characters is usually frowned upon. But to summarize the current issue: The Villains have been forced into an ambush by a competing group of anti-heros I’ll simply refer to as the Liberation Army. The Liberation Army have basically said, “Join us or die” and The Villains preferred to fight. For the specific portion I want to discuss… we’ll be talking about Twice (shown above) and Himiko Toga.

Backstory Needed to Know: Toga is nice to Twice and that means the world to him.

During the current story arc, Toga is badly beaten. Like… near death, unconscious, with an entire TOWN of Quirk Users hunting for her to kill her. Twice finds her first and, in his confused and psychotic state, behaves as though she is dead. He is losing his absolute shit. THEN… he sees dozens of himself approaching. Now, he doesn’t know this, but this is a Quirk Technique called Puppetry. Some jackhole from safely far away is using puppets that he made to look like Twice sans mask attack Toga. The Liberation Army believes that this will further snap Twice’s mind and make him more malleable for their cause.

Watching HIMSELF hurt one of the few people he genuinely considers a friend, does start to absolutely fuck with his mind. Sends him back into his own memories. He recalls exactly how he got onto the wrong path. He was just a normal quirk user, like most of the population. He was driving his motorcycle one day, following the speed limit, when BAM he hit a guy. The guy didn’t die. Just broke his arm. But Bubaigawara was still held responsible for the accident. Which cost him his job. And started him spiraling. Ultimately, he decided to make an army of himself. He’d be able to steal things and get things done and live an indulgent life of him and his clone army. But they all turned on one another. In order for an adult-sized clone to be “killed”… killing a clone essentially turns them into a muddy puddle… they need to be damaged. Typically that damage needs to be on par or greater than the force necessary to break a bone. Ultimately, Bubaigawara’s Clone Army killed each other until only one Bubaigawara remained. Here’s the secret and this is what Chapter 229 did so well................... .........Bubaigawara, Twice, has never been certain of his own existence since then. He doesn’t know if he’s the original or a clone. But seeing himself killing Toga? That was enough for him to say, “I don’t care anymore. I need to save her. I can’t sit here and watch me kill her.” So he struggled. He fought. He fought harder than he ever had before. And to try to prevent him from interfering? The Puppets broke both of his arms and both of his legs. AND HE WAS STILL THERE! The shock, the joy, all on top of the pain… he’s joyous that he’s in so much pain and not disappearing. That moment alone almost made me cry. In the middle of watching his closest friend be beaten by creatures he thinks might be him… in the middle of being quite literally broken… he experiences this transcendent existential joy.

And that’s why I wanted to talk about it. Because it is so amazing to see a character arc like this. Broken, villainous, confused, psychotic, terrified. But now? Now he knows he’s the real one. He doesn’t need to be terrified anymore. And he can embrace who he is, what he can do, and what that means for him. GRANTED, he’s a villain. Ultimately, he is going to try to kill our heroes. But the ability to make a villain into this kind of character that draws on such empathy from the reader is well done. We celebrate when he comes into his own, even though we know that an increase in power from any member of The League of Villains is a threat to the students at UA High. There’s a reason why My Hero Academia is so sucecssful and I think it has a lot to do with things like this.... the writing of each character as though they are individually important. The story may be about Izuku Midoriya and how he went from Quirkless to All Might’s Successor… but even if you don’t like him there are fleshed out, colorful, and worthwhile characters to enjoy.

BTW: In Manga, the text bubbles and panels are to be read Right to Left.

TO COMPLETELY SWITCH GEARS

I would like to discuss something that I actually don’t talk about much here. Marijuana.

During Law School, the Attorney General of the United States was Eric Holder. He decided that his DOJ would not go after states that passed Marijuana Legalization Laws. Even Pot Advocates in Law School knew why this was a bad way to do this. I would like to discuss this a bit further here.

Whether you believe that marijuana should be legal or not, this needs to be decided on a Federal Level and the lack of that action creates problems that must be addressed. That’s the thesis.

First: Jurisdictional Review. What is the difference between a state law and a federal law? There are several and it can get complicated, but the two easiest rules are:
(1) Federal Law has Priority. If the State passes a law that directly conflicts with a Federal Law, the Federal Law should be relied upon. This is why we get things like Supreme Court Rulings that reverse state laws.
(2) Federal Law applies whenever the action crosses state lines, typically. For example, Iowa once tried to prevent semitrucks from going through the state. Despite our 35 South and 35 North Neighbors (and our 80 East and 80 West neighbors) posting speed limits of 70 to 75 MPH, Iowa would not raise the speed limit to higher than 55 MPH! During this time, a number of speed traps were set up on 35/80 and were specifically pulling over semitrucks that were going faster. The Law stated that this Speed Trap Scheme violated Federal Law due to restricting travel and movement between states.

THE REASON THE STATE LINE ISSUE IS SO IMPORTANT is because of the Commerce Issue as it relates to Discrimination and this something I’m constantly arguing with my father about. From the 1950s to today people believe that the State should decide on more than the Federal Government (a position I agreed with in some ways a lot more before law school!) But allowing States to make those decisions specifically related to the Civil Rights Bill of 1964. The Bill said that race could no longer be used to refuse service to someone. But, as with most laws, that had to be tested and refined in the courts. State Law stated that a restaurant in Georgia could refuse service to Negroes without penalty. The lawsuit went all the way to the top and the Supreme Court ruled that Federal Law Against Discrimination applied because the restaurant was primarily supplied by out of state entities; thus allowing for Federal Jurisdiction. SO Alabama gave it a shot. The State Law stated that a restaurant not served by out of state entities could refuse service to Negroes without penalty. That, too, went all the way to the Supreme Court. Alabama kept saying that Federal Law could not apply because there were no Out of State Actors; therefore there was no Federal Jurisdiction and State Law must apply. The Federal Government successfully argued that a restaurant is a business that is fundamentally exposed to Federal Jurisdiction due to interstate commerce. Yeah, the Government was making the same argument as previously… but with a twist. The first argument was that the GOODS AND PRODUCTS were in Federal Jurisdiction because they crossed state lines. This argument was that the BUSINESS was in Federal Jurisdiction because the customers could cross state lines! The Federal Government argued that if Negroes from Georgia, Florida, or Ohio came to the restaurant and were refused service due to a State Law, that would violate Federal Law and be bound to Federal Jurisdiction because of the nature of commerce in America since customers could more easily travel across state lines.

NOW let’s use all of that to focus on what we started this discussion with. Marijuana and the lack of Federal Involvement. Use both of the arguments in the Race Discrimination Cases.
(1) Is it possible for a Dispensary in Colorado to receive product from California? Yes. Does that put GOODS AND PRODUCTS into Federal Jurisdiction because it crosses state lines? Yes.
(2) Is it possible for a citizen in Georgia (with harsh pot laws) to go to Colorado to purchase marijuana? Yes. Does that put the BUSINESS in Federal Jurisdiction because the customers could cross state lines? DUH!

So… first argument for why Eric Holder doing nothing was stupid? Because it directly weakens the strength of Anti-Discrimination Laws! As we’ve seen recently with Abortion… if people don’t like a law that has stood for 50 years; they will work to overturn it. Hell, Holder’s inaction already got an anti-discrimination law overturned! The Voting Rights Act of 1965… where they were able to successfully argue that “laws like that aren’t needed as racism no longer exists” in 2013!

This isn’t really a second portion so much as a reinforcement of WHY the Federal Commerce issue of Customer Travel should matter. The fact that a Drug Law is state by state creates massive problems for citizens and states across the country. Common Example: I live in Spokane, Washington where I’m legally in possession of Marijuana. I wish to visit my good friends in Fort Collins, Colorado where it is legal for me to be in possession of Marijuana. I would like to take some of my marijuana with me to Fort Collins. I cannot use the mail service to ship my marijuana to Fort Collins. The postal service is directly under Federal Jurisdiction and therefore, it is still illegal to ship pot through the mail. Okay. So, the only way to get it from Washington to Colorado is to have it on my person or in my car. It is legal in Washington, it is legal in Colorado. I google map my driving route and see that it is a 15 to 16 hour drive involving Montana and Wyoming. I’m not sure if I’ll drive the whole way or get a hotel. EITHER WAY I’m travelling across state lines carrying something that is LEGAL when I start and LEGAL when I finish. Wyoming has some of the strictest marijuana laws in the United States. Montana only allows Medicinal Marijuana and requires strict testing. So… depending on how much is in my car… if I get popped in Wyoming, I’m getting charged with a felony. EVEN THOUGH I purchased the product legally, it was legal to possess where I live, I’m driving to Colorado where it is legal to possess… doesn’t matter. AND NO, flying is not a way around that! Flying is also Federally Regulated and is in the jurisdiction of the Federal Government. Are we beginning to see a potential problem?

Second: This is an argument I developed very shortly after Eric Holder made his official inaction known. Fundamentally… making pot legal now only proves that the whole thing was a racist issue to begin with. Famously, it has been reported that (at least one of the reasons) why marijuana was made illegal was as a way to target “black agitators” who were “more likely to use” marijuana. In other words… the laws were passed to “reign in the uppity” black Americans that could no longer be jailed for their skin color. As Whites began to use, the laws became more strict to, as one Nixon Aide said, “target blacks and hippies who we might otherwise not be able to put in jail.” Then the new Millennium. It’s no longer just “hippies and blacks” using marijuana. Now it is the “upstanding white middle class” that is using it as well. NOW we need to make it legal! I mean… before, when the only people that got into trouble for it were blacks and unfavorables… yeah, refuse to even let people do medicinal testing on that shit. But now that Karen and Deborah are toking as their kids are at Gymboree? We don’t want to get them in trouble, we’d better do something! Right?!

Third: The current Federal Law is that Marijuana is illegal. So, even though they HAVEN’T gone after states with legalization, they can pull the rug out on this whole thing at any time. Truthfully. Let’s pretend, stretch of the imagination, that the Federal Government is being run by someone who doesn’t care about Popular Opinion and couldn’t give a shit if Federal Policy hurts people.... can you imagine something like that? Pretend it exists. The Federal Government begins to take states to court to re-impose Federal Law in that state. FEDERAL LAW TAKES PRIORITY. Thus, every single Marijuana Shop, Dispensary, and Farm is now illegal again. The jobs that were created by the Pot Industry? GONE. Anyone who was benefiting from Medicinal Marijuana? Shit out of luck! And… just using the language of the law… if the Federal Government wanted… they could seize the assets made from “illegal enterprises.” So… ANY MONEY that was earned by the State Government via Marijuana could be seized. Already spent it? Too bad, you’re on the hook for it anyway. Already committed those funds to rebuilding roads or cleaning up drinking water? Too bad, cancel those projects and relinquish that money! Can’t find how to pay all that money to the Federal Government? Raise the state taxes to pay for it!

Primarily though, the worst part of this perspective is what happens to the people? Say you have chronic pain and you’ve finally kicked opioids because the marijuana is helping and you’re able to do more in your life with less pain and things are getting back on track when WHAM. Illegal. Possession of what has helped you so much is again a crime. Purchasing it is a felony. It could happen. And, honestly, is why I haven’t tried CBD or Pot or any of those things for pain. Because I’m not worried that it won’t work… I’m worried that it will. Until we have a Federal Law declaring what the Federal Government intends to do… I am bound (as a Government Lawyer, if nothing else) to obey the Federal Law. Lets say I do start taking some manner of Iowa State Law approved Medicinal Marijuana… and I wake up with energy, no pain, and I can go about my life again without pain for the first time in decades? If that happens, I can’t risk the Federal Government taking it away. So honestly… because of that… I’d rather not know.

Lastly, perhaps the most galling overlooked issue right now, is the Incarceration Issue. Are you aware that in many states where recreational marijuana is currently legal; there are people still serving out lengthy jail sentences for possession of marijuana? YUP. So, even though that person could leave jail… purchase 5 ounces of marijuana… and smoke it in front of a police officer today.....they were arrested during a time when 5 ounces got you 5 years. Or more. And they’re still in jail. This is happening everywhere. A lot of places are letting these people just… languish in jail… to finish their 10, 20, 30, or 40 year sentences. So… while today Jim could grow his marijuana, sell it to a dispensary, and smoke it himself… all legally… his older brother James was convicted of growing marijuana, selling it, and smoking it himself… and still has 10 years on his 30 year sentence.

Complicating this matter is that some of the jail time being served by Marijuana Criminal Convictions is Federal Time. Even if a State wises up and commutes the sentences of people serving time for something that is now no longer a crime… they can only do that for State Charges. So even if these prisoners are doing time for a crime committed in a State where Pot is legal… even if these prisoners are doing time in a facility in a State where Pot is legal… no State actor may commute the sentence or act in any way to reduce their time of confinement.

There are a lot of important reasons why whether you support legalizing marijuana or not; this needs to be dealt with at the Federal Level. This is clearly a Federal Level Jurisdiction matter and should be treated as such.

5 Surprisingly Deep Scenes In Goofball Comedies from Cracked actually has some pretty good ideas on some Life Affirming or just Life Observing statements from TV.

• Homer Simpson Has The Best Outlook On Risk
  While they’re driving off, Lisa laments, “I’ll never take another stupid risk like that again.” This prompts Homer to pull the car over and offer his backwardly meaningful philosophy: “Don’t ever say that! Stupid risks are what make life worth living.”
  Sure, over the years, Homer’s been a wealth of not-exactly-inspiring aphorisms. (“You tried your best, and you failed. The lesson here is: Never try.”) But his affinity for stupid risks not only provides insight into how he remains perfectly content despite a life of near-constant setbacks and frustration, but it’s also not a bad reminder to not get so bogged down in bad results that you never try anything. In Lisa’s case, everything went as haywire as possible, and she’ll still end up getting an incredible story out of it. Using one drawback as an excuse to forego risk for an entire lifetime is no way to live.

• Bobby Hill Has The Best Super Simple Message Of Body Positivity
  In the Season 4 episode “Transnational Amusements Presents: Peggy’s Magic Sex Feet,” when Peggy is obsessing over her unusually large feet, Bobby takes her side with a rousing bit of body positivity. He proclaims: “Mom, I’m fat. But big deal. I don’t feel bad about it, and you never made me feel bad about it. And just because there are people out there who want me to feel bad about it doesn’t mean I have to. So Bobby Hill’s fat. He’s also funny, he’s nice, he’s got a lot of friends, a girlfriend. And if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go outside right now and squirt her with water. What are you going to do?”

• BoJack Horseman Has The Best Rule Of Thumb For Relationships
  As yet another of BoJack’s failed romantic relationships comes to a close, he tells his girlfriend Wanda that people are usually driven off once they get to know the real him. Wanda, suddenly realizing how many obvious signs she’s overlooked in the hopes of making the relationship work, exclaims, “You know, it’s funny. When you look at someone through rose-colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags.”
  It’s a deeply digestible quote in that direct context – wanting to be in love with someone so much that you excuse highly questionable behavior – but it also has a far more universal application. It may sound defeatist, but it’s just straight-up good advice to remind people not to overly lionize politicians or celebrities or our comedy heroes, or really anyone. It doesn’t necessarily mean to enter into every human relationship with unflinching cynicism, but making sure to not overlook the fact that everyone is highly fallible and imperfect certainly equips us to not be blindsided by it.
  

Uh-Oh. I didn’t figure this part out. I don’t have my car today, my wife drove me, and I don’t have a lunch with me. OOOPS!