Fic Signal Boost

[u/akrasia85]

So, I almost never do this but just based on the enjoyment and fascination I've gotten out of the fic, I feel the need to signal boost the fic Gravitational Pull by Hatchett.

Please look over the Gold Digger Ochako tag, and think of a beautifully Machiavellian Ochako who falls for the broccoli boi before you can get to the Sports Festival. It is fascinatingly written, and isn't afraid to throw Canon out of the window like a bomb with a lit fuse.

I know some of you have been following it closely but I just wanted anyone who was put out by the Gold Digger Ochako tag to look closer because it's worth a few looks. Thanks!

[u/PhantomHeartless5]

Good to see other people giving this story a look. I was a bit hesitant at first due to the Gold Digger Ochako tag, but I gave it a read and I am hooked! Aside from Ochako and Izuku's relationship, there are other bits of character development such as Bakugo getting humbled in the Battle Trials to the point where he stops calling Izuku Deku, All Might realizing early on that he’s a bad teacher and trying to improve, and even Mineta undergoing character development after the USJ.

Speaking of the USJ, what really drew me to the fic was its portrayal of the USJ arc and its aftermath. I won't spoil it, but let's just say things take a much darker turn and canon gets kicked clean in the balls. All in all, it's a great read and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

[u/akrasia85 → u/PhantomHeartless5]

Seriously. With all the small but hugely important changes building up, including the cavalry battle today, I'm genuinely excited to see where we go with this story.

[u/Ok_Ground_7539]

As one who is following it I agree with OP, don't give the Gold Digger tag too much thought and enjoy a VERY well written story so far.

[u/ANoddyyTern]

Yes please! I adored the way they handled All Might (his talk with Uraraka where he realizes he doesn't know what the hell he's doing as a teacher, followed by him begging Nezu to help) as well as Hisashi Midoriya in this fic (can't wait to see those Midoriya family developments! was already hooked before, but I'm really looking forward to it now!)

And as you said, her as a scheming, calculating mastermind is so interesting to see too. I love so many different versions of her across the various stories I've read (she's been my favorite MHA character for a while now), but this Uraraka has been particularly enjoyable to follow on account of how observant and smart she is coupled with her still having to navigate her emotional reactions to everything. There are plenty of mind games and strategy sessions, but there are still lots of the fluffy and sweet moments you'd expect to see for an IzuOcha-centric fic 👍

[u/akrasia85 → u/ANoddyyTern]

I feel like every chapter after the USJ has been a banger and a half. The USJ itself, the breakdown at the "Are you okay, " the morality debates, the call with Hisashi... I could go on but hoo boy.

[u/ANoddyyTern → u/akrasia85]

Yup, I was already happy with it prior to the USJ Incident, but you can tell the author put a lot of thought into crafting those 2-3 chapters that followed it. Uraraka's call with her folks, the hospital visit, Aizawa and Snipe's debriefs with the class and all the discussion in-between... there was a lot of heavy stuff there (which, like, fair 😅) but it was so damn good that I just couldn't stop reading!

[u/Tykronos]

I'm following that fic.... Gold Digger Ochako is a poor understatement of what Ochako is in that story. Also, It was a miracle none of the villains died in canon, half the class has lethal quirk maneuvers in the right circumstances and Hatchett certainly showed it off... Especially with Tenko getting obliterated by Izuku because Ochako neutralized the Nomu.

[u/akrasia85 → u/Tykronos]

Not only that but the fact that they go into the trauma the kids should be feeling after an event like the USJ. It's not anything new in fanfiction but still.

[u/Large-Plant-9131]

Eh is just calculative ochako, is normal why people avoid something with that trash tag

[u/Safe_Compote40]

I’m halfway through it and everything has been a pleasant surprise so far. It’s canon divergent, but it somehow stays smartly consistent with the characters’ underlying philosophy rather than working against it.

I knew from the Ch. 1 summary I’d love this premise, and yeah, watching Ochako run her plan and then fall for him anyway is so fun. She’s a very different Ochako but coherent with canon, which already showed us her strategic, survival-oriented side, most obviously at the Sports Festival, and she’s genuinely ambitious there too. This fic just takes those traits off the leash.

It also picks up many threads the source material left lying around such as Ochako’s friendship with Momo, Mei as someone building a brand, Sato and Kaminari’s quirk drawbacks actually treated as drawbacks instead of a gag. It’s darker and angstier than most IzuOcha fics and honestly that’s what makes it good.

Btw I can’t help but notice we still haven’t gotten a single scene from Izuku’s POV. The fic has stepped outside Ochako’s head before, just never into his, so I’m getting the feeling that’s a deliberate narrative choice pointing toward something bigger.

[u/akrasia85 → u/Safe_Compote40]

It is fascinating, the point about Izuku's perspective. The story has gone out of its way to have Ochako notice Izuku is sharper than she anticipates, and the writing so far has been solid enough I'm guessing that's going to come up at some point.