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boozye · 2 years

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alright, deepdive on solomon's reasoning here as requested! this is probably going to be LONG (popping back in after saying everything I wanted to, it is definitely long. there's no need to post or even read this, just turned out I had more to explain than I thought.) but it should stay mostly within the realms of s1-2 other than a couple brief nods to s3 as supporting evidence. to be clear, I'm not by any means an expert on solomon, I just dug through some solomon moments pretty thoroughly.

first of all, I just wanna say I appreciate your past post-people seem to say that purgatory hall "canonically doesn't know" but all I've seen is that they haven't mentioned it. I don't know what they do or don't know, or if I would have told them myself, but I think it's way more interesting to operate under the assumption that they do know. and in regards to the "immortality has desensitized him" theory, I'm not super in love with it myself- just because I feel part of the appeal of the solomon and MC dynamic is that he's not necessarily more sympathetic of the plight of their humanity than the others, but he is more cognizant of it. some of the boys are more aware of their fragility, others are more aware of their skills, but I think solomon is the only one I'd describe as at least aware of both. and I think while immortality might desensitize him to the other mistreatments of the exchange program, I'd argue that it would only make a death more impactful.

anyway, that's just giving credit to the theories I see more frequently. as for my own personal thoughts: season one solomon is a prick. he gets a weird fandom rap as being either unacceptably suspicious or somehow one of the most decent of the boys, and I kind of have to agree with both. basically everything he does for a while is either completely unclear in motive or very much layered and morally grey- which fits, honestly. he's not evil, he's just not especially good at first either. his first appearance he (jokingly, but still) threatens the MC and laughs at their situation if they ask for help, but also in doing so interrupts demons about to attack them. second real appearance, he saves them from lucifer and lends them his magic, but also pretty blatantly only does it because he thinks it'd be interesting. his discussion with belphie and MC in lesson 18? read to me as not exactly mean, but antagonistic- he says he didn't expect belphie to be willing to make a pact, but asks not only about one for himself but also for MC, and then about why belphie's looking for a reaction.

I honestly just thought he was kind of an oddball at first, because he does generally make kind decisions if not for especially kind reasoning, but my opinion on him changed a little after I stumbled upon a relationship chart (era s1) posted by the official twitter. basically everything on it has been addressed at one point or another, some of it way later than the chart was made, but solomon's is particularly striking- other than his pact with asmo, his only relationship is that he sees the other characters as "toys". which is kind of a harsh swerve from how he generally acts, but it does play into the fact that he tends to pretty often make decisions just for entertainment value. and he does somewhat address this in season 3, not explicitly, but he pretty heavily implies that he didn't always care about the demons- they also addressed simeon and diavolo's dislike of each other (first stated on the chart) in a similar timeframe, so I'm inclined to believe that's what it's referencing.

while I do feel that's relevant to solomon's motives, I do think he has the same motivations during season 1 that he does in season 2, or I don't see most of the events of season 2 ever transpiring. so, I went back through, and I'm assuming the dialogue that you're thinking of is "I'll do whatever I must to protect humanity... and you as well, MC.", because that also stumped me for a while. but I honestly think the important part here is "and." solomon has kind of an interesting dialogue quirk where he doesn't often refer to humanity, just the human world . the demons do too, sure, but only when they're talking about the world itself. solomon refers to humanity itself as the human world, which, vitally, MC is not in during season 1. he mentions that "Just as Diavolo puts the interest of the Devildom above all else, I feel the same about the human world. Nothing is more important to me than its peace and stability." and, given that by the time Solomon would find out about it, Diavolo and Barbatos have already ""saved the exchange program"", the realm itself isn't in any danger. there's sort of a parallel there that because diavolo's in charge of the devildom, solomon isn't particularly concerned with it. he says he's come to be fond of the devildom, too, when he's discussing the night dagger section with MC, but also admits that doesn't factor into his choices in resolving the situation. with "I've spent countless years watching over the people of our world, I have to make sure that their lives and livelihoods are secure, now and in the future"- it's contained in the Devildom, it's secure, and it's not his business.

that said, that raises the entirely different question of why does he interact with MC the way he does in both seasons. in season 1, he doesn't care about them as a human, he finds them interesting as a human in the devildom. "When it comes down to it, you're human, and that makes you different", he calls them a "destabilizing factor". they're objectively entertaining, in the uproar they cause, how unprecedented it all is (for a man who has precedent for nearly everything), and in their pacts. something not even he's been able to do.

in season 2, though, he picks them over the human world. he says himself that if he has to sacrifice the life of a demon to ensure the future of the human, that's what he'll do. without hesitation. and by all means, he could have. he had the dagger to begin with, there's no reason for MC to be the one to do it, but he hands it off to them knowing they will not kill him. like he says, he couldn't bear the thought of MC being angry with him, because by season 2 I think they're more important to him-not entirely sure where that happens, maybe sometime after the events of lesson 17-18 to the dance in s2. honestly, MC sort of IS the danger to the human world at this point, there's no other reason for him to be so lenient. maybe it's only because he has them to look in the eyes about it, and not necessarily because he's fallen for them, but because solomon is an inherently lonely man (this is again referenced in s3, but suffice to say a symptom of immortality), who is determined to make sure that the world he came from will last as long as he does despite not one individual person from it being able to, and saw the only people who could match his lifespan as playthings until just before. but MC is unprecedented. so when he says he'll do anything to protect the human world, and MC as well, he's not saying they're a part of the rule. he's saying by then, they are an exception to it.

TL;DR, because I had WAY more to say than I expected: solomon cares about protecting the human world and humanity as a concept, not necessarily every human as a person. season 1 solomon technically has no immediate need to protect the human world, and only the desire to protect MC when or because he finds them interesting. season 2 solomon does have to protect the human world, technically even from MC, but he's a very lonely character and has begun to care about them enough that they take precedent now. obviously this is a personal interpretation, there's always the chance I'm missing, adding, or misinterpreting things, but this is how I've come to understand his character. hope it helps, or is at least an interesting read, if you actually sit through it!

I agree, it is more interesting and makes more sense if the Purgatory Hall people know what happened. Even if we disagree on whether he's grown desensitized.

And this is a wonderful read, anon. It's exactly what I was hoping for. Something or someone to make it make sense for me. This does make it make sense. It's a great interpretation. It's a wonderful overview of his general attitude towards MC from a season to another and how it changed, as well as the logic behind it. And the change makes sense if we consider he went from NonDateable to Gen 2 Dateable.

I will say though I think my biggest problem is it was a major oversight of the writers to just gloss over whether the other characters were told what happened. It's so important, I don't care that everyone acts as if it didn't happen or matter at all, that's fine. That is a scene that should simply exist. Their reactions to the news would have been A PRIME OPORTUNITY to develop or showcase their characters, idiosincracies, personalities, etc. Whether they remain indifferent or not. Or a scene where MC is asked not to tell. It would have also given so much depth and weigh to the whole thing. Alas, it remains unadressed.

It's like watching someone paint a wall and leave a huge gap somewhere between strokes and never fixing it. GAAAAAAHHH so frustrating.

But yeah, I will continue to play with the notion that They Know and just basically Don't/Didn't Care.

#devs you know people with like #object permanence play this game right #devs do you know #I need you to know

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decarbry · 1 year

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hey,, what’s up friends, I bring you... a literal summary of the Yabureme story up until around war arc events. obviously this is spoilery so if you don’t want to know what happens until the relevant comic pages come out don’t expand the post! this is just for people who don’t mind spoilers. also keep in mind that this is a summary so I kind of just. word-vomited. it’s... weird? short and sweet but not in some places. a literal mess. I put 0 effort into writing good and some sections are more wordy than others because I've thought them through for longer and have them more solidified. also things are subject to CHANGE between this and the actual comic pages so read with a grain of salt. the major events are probably gonna remain the same though. things might get inserted or removed. idk. also it’s LONG I’m so sorry. enj... oy ?? ?

Aizawa has been taken. Midnight and Nezu attempt to comfort Mic; there are no leads, but the faculty have already started working schedules out to help search, which reassures him. Though he is desperate to join the search, Nezu refuses to give his blessings until he knows Mic won’t act rashly. Mic hosts the Sports Fest in an attempt to ground himself and find unity with the students.

Hidden away, Garaki has begun his work on Aizawa. The injuries are bad; though Garaki is an accomplished and varied medical professional, he can’t do what Recovery Girl can, so Aizawa is merely stabilized and the bio-engineering in later dev stages will be relied on to do the heavy lifting. Aizawa suffers 2 days and nights of infusions (one for each new quirk) and barely powers through an intense fever on the last night. The capsule is the final and longest stage to allow the quirks to take hold and the body to heal. All for One is a regular voice in the background during the entire process, though those visits stop after an incident in the capsule in which Erasure activated for a solid ten seconds and strikes everyone in the room before going inert again.

Time passes with no news. Mic is becoming frustrated and less willing to listen to reason. Classes 1-A and 1-B attend their summer camp with Vlad and various other heroes that have substituted since Aizawa’s absence. Bakugou is kidnapped by the League in an attempt to recruit. Though the topic is raised, Shigaraki refuses to do more than tease Bakugou about his missing teacher, as well as use him as a bargaining chip. We still have yet to see him since his abduction. The mission to rescue Bakugou begins.

All Might engages in combat with AFO at Kamino. His weakened form is exposed to the world and he musters up his strength for the last strike. Instead, OFA fails, and all heroes present immediately know why. Edge Shot rushes to interrupt Erasure while Endeavor attempts to reach All Might. Neither get there in time and All Might takes a blow straight through his chest. Endeavor takes over the fight against a wounded AFO and Edge Shot engages in battle with Yabureme. Edge Shot is killed and Endeavor manages to subdue AFO.

Hours after the battle ends, Kurogiri searches for Yabureme, who has not reappeared as he was meant to. He finds Yabureme badly injured and hiding after his fight with Edge Shot and warps him back to where the League has taken up to recover. Shigaraki only knew that AFO had plans for Aizawa, not that Yabureme was to be a gift for him, but Kurogiri informs him of this. Shigaraki is unimpressed considering Yabureme’s wounds after only a single fight, but he’s going through some stuff, so he has license to be a bratty child for a night. Once Kurogiri hears from Garaki, he takes Yabureme to be patched up. Later he’s returned to the League, who as a whole are unsure about what to do next now that AFO is captured.

While everyone else is appalled to hear rumors that the supposed-missing Eraser Head was present at Kamino and had a hand in assisting the villains, Mic suddenly has a new fire lit under him. He breaks away from UA and strikes out on his own, against the pleas of friends such as Midnight. He manages to track the League’s movements after much work and finally sees Yabureme for the first time… but is unable to reach or speak to him as his quirk is erased during their escape.

Class 1-A witnessed Mic depart and, with the help of other pros, manage to convince Mic to let them help in catching Yabureme. He is very resistant to putting them in danger but relents with the alliance of Midnight and Gran Torino. During a previous sighting it was noted that Yabureme’s movements slowed and stiffened the more eyes were open on his body, so a plan is hatched to surround Yabureme with as many enemy quirks as possible in order to stun him.

Yabureme is located. He’s alone, which is odd, but not wanting to miss their chance, the operation is launched. Surrounded by what he believes are hostile enemies, Yabureme opens enough eyes to erase the quirks of every student, stunning himself. A short battle ensues; Kaminari is injured but proves instrumental in the discovery of a weakness in the Nomu: that an electrical current will force all of his eyes to close and subsequentially interrupt Erasure. Mic, Gran Torino, Midnight, and Class 1-A succeed in capturing Yabureme.

Too much of a threat for any normal prison containment, Yabureme is taken to Tartarus. They learn: about the nature of his engineering, that exhaustion has nearly killed him, that unlike every other Nomu contained so far he is not a corpse, and that three quirk factors were combined to create Yabureme. Erasure and Dupli-arms (or related) are confirmed, but the third is still being investigated. Because the third quirk is still unknown, containment is at a risk and a shock collar is placed to help mitigate any attempts at escape. The students are brought in to speak to him after everyone else, including Mic and Midnight, fail to get any response out of Yabureme. Unfortunately, the students are also unable to get through to him. Their failed efforts leave them dejected. Yabureme doesn’t speak a word the entire time he is inside Tartarus.

After a few days, the third quirk is activated by an unknown trigger. Yabureme and AFO escape Tartarus with the help of Kurogiri— the timing of the pieces prove that this was orchestrated from the beginning.

In the wake of the escape, Mic is told in secrecy that Yabureme has not removed the shock collar, probably because of its failsafes. It’s been tracked, and his location is known— a new operation is underway to recapture him. Mic rushes to get there first, finding Yabureme in solitude at an abandoned building, having split ways from the League temporarily to avoid getting them tracked while he tries to find a way to remove the collar himself. Mic and Yabureme have a tender moment, or so Mic thinks… but Yabureme slyly uses Mic’s obvious obsession with him to get the hero to take the collar off. Mic falls for it and Yabureme flees.

Though it seemed to be just manipulation, this kind interaction has left the first shred of uncertainty in Yabureme. He returns to the League and resumes his role in protecting Shigaraki and the others. A long period ensues where the League and the heroes play cat and mouse, Mic returning to society in order to accept help from friends and family rather than trying to go it alone as he had before.

Day after day, Yabureme’s doubts deepen as small things burrow into his mind: things like a song on the radio, a familiar black cat, names that he’s heard before. He can’t shake the face of the hero that spoke to him gently and had something warm in his eyes. He meets Eri, but seems to be merely a moment of warmth in her life before departing. Time passes.

The League grows frustrated with Mic, considering his constant interference as troublesome and annoying. Dabi sets a trap for Mic and attempts to kill him. Without any understanding of why, Yabureme takes the worst of the trap himself. He drags an unconscious Mic away from the inferno before collapsing with horrific burns across the right side of his body. Mic wakes in time to feel Yabureme’s heart stop, and in his anguish accidentally causes it to start again with the impact of Voice against the Nomu’s chest.

Mic manages to smuggle Yabureme to a hiding spot, containing him with the only thing available: simple metal handcuffs. Recovery Girl answers his call to the secluded site warily, unhappy that she is asked to keep such a dangerous secret. She stabilizes Yabureme and begins healing some of the burns, but considering his physical deterioration and exhaustion, can’t do much in one sitting.

When the Nomu wakes, Mic and Yabureme have their first real conversation, speaking mostly about the latter and how he’s feeling, what he’s thinking, and why Dabi, his supposed ally, would harm him so badly. He also points out that Yabureme could get out of the cuffs easily, and yet, for some reason, hasn’t.

On the second day, Recovery Girl returns, but so does a second guest: All Might. He is partially wheelchair-bound, the apparent repercussions of the wounds he took at Kamino. He expresses his unhappiness with this situation: Yabureme needs to be properly contained, not hooked to a chainlink fence with fragile metal handcuffs. Mic wants his blessing but plans to keep Yabureme here at least for a short while, highlighting the fact that he’s behaving more openly now than he ever did while in Tartarus. They notice Yabureme watching them and All Might speaks to the Nomu alone. He and Recovery Girl have agreed to give Mic a few days with Yabureme until his burns have been treated, but that he will be returned to Tartarus after that— and now that the third quirk is known, escape will not be possible a second time. He shares some belief that Mic is right that there is hope for Yabureme and that if anyone deserved a path back to normal, it was Shouta Aizawa. He urges the Nomu to try his hardest to remember anything he can.

In the ensuing days, Mic spends time conversing with Yabureme. Unlike the catatonic state he was in while at Tartarus, Yabureme is nervously conversational, answering questions and asking them on his own. He admits his confusion and doubts to Mic, and Mic learns that the whole reason Yabureme was unresponsive while at Tartarus was because of the lights and the intense head pain they cause, utterly decimating his senses and thoughts. He wasn’t shutting down because of his programming or a need to be disobedient— he simply could not function in those conditions.

The morning of the intake comes. Tsukauchi and numerous officers arrive to take Yabureme into custody. Mic attempts to keep everything smooth, warning Yabureme about their arrival and making sure that there aren’t too many men appearing at once. Yabureme nearly panics anyway at the sight of firearms, but is calmed when Mic holds his hands and gives encouragement. Yabureme is taken into custody without a struggle, though he shuts down when he’s led away from Mic.

Mic apologizes to Tsukauchi for hiding Yabureme, but is forgiven considering the relative ease of the capture. The detective promises to keep Mic with Yabureme as much as possible this time around, since his presence clearly helps. He also acknowledges Mic’s request for accommodating Yabureme’s aversion to the bright lights of the prison, especially with the confidence that it might help with getting information out of the Nomu. Yabureme’s shutdown reverses some when Mic reappears in the police transport to travel with him to Tartarus.

Yabureme and Mic arrive at Tartarus and the Nomu is immediately assaulted by the lights. He’s given relief in the form of a sedative. His wounds are checked over while he’s out: it’s discovered that his right eye took far too much damage from Dabi’s flames and must be removed before the dead material causes an infection, shock, or worse. The majority of the burn scars will be permanent because of the lack of proper immediate care in a supplied burn ward. Aside from a handful of new scars and wear and tear, nothing else is noted.

Yabureme startles awake, finding himself in a Tartarus cell with Mic at his bedside. The lights are dimmed rather than blindingly bright. Mic gives him the rundown of what happened, and proudly tells him that the hardest part, getting to the start line of his recovery, was over. He is questioned for the first time the day after waking, and though he is much more responsive to interrogation compared to his last stint in Tartarus, Yabureme still shies away from answering questions that would cause the League a disadvantage… though he is clearly conflicted.

So begins Yabureme’s long road back to someone he didn’t know he used to be. Mic becomes the only foothold of stability Yabureme has, finding that his physical reassurances such as hugs and hand-holding are intensely grounding. The second time he is questioned, he holds Mic’s encouragement in his mind, and manages to talk shortly about some of the Leagues’ hideouts.

He still has doubts about all of this Shouta Aizawa stuff, but Mic works him through stories of his past gently and at a slow pace. The first bit of information that helps Yabureme see that the possibility exists of a connection between himself and this other person is a story Mic tells about Aizawa feeding cats on the street; Yabureme shyly, but excitedly, admits that he does that a lot too. After this, things begin to come more swiftly. Mic brings him his wedding ring, and Yabureme asks to hold Mic’s as well, and remembers the sensation of them clicking against one another in his hand.

With Mic’s help, and the help of a therapist that meets with him daily, more and more begins to come back. Even memories he reclaims are left blurry and dull, but once the flood gate opens, it doesn’t close, and Yabureme’s progress quickens the harder he works. When his memories begin to focus on Class 1-A, he asks to see them. Plenty is still missing, but he apologizes for the things he did to them, focusing on Kaminari and the wounds inflicted during his first capture. He wants to work for their forgiveness, but doesn’t expect it. Midoriya mentions that he seems a lot more like his old self, which fills Yabureme with a hidden relief and encouragement.

Time passes. Yabureme continues to work hard at getting back to himself, and the image of Shouta Aizawa gets more clear by the day. His old mannerisms begin returning in small amounts: rolling his eyes at stupid things Mic says, muttering about things that annoy him. When he gets a surprise visitor, both Mic and Yabureme are surprised to find Kaminari requesting advice for a hitch in his hero training. As Yabureme converses with Kaminari in an observation room, Mic and Tsukauchi watch, and both are amazed to see the clearest image of Aizawa they’ve seen since before his abduction. Mic takes the opportunity to ask about a road that leads outside of Tartarus and, though Tsukauchi doesn’t shut it down, he admits there are many concerns— specifically regarding hidden triggers that might still exist inside Yabureme’s mind. An idea is floated: bring someone in with a voice-copying quirk, and see what happens when Yabureme is faced with orders from Shigaraki or All for One.

Yabureme (Aizawa? Yabuzawa by this point?) agrees to the experiment, though he is clearly discomforted by the idea, unsure of how he mind be effected. The experiment begins. Yabuzawa is secured heavily just in case, but he is clearly determined, if nervous. The voice-copying quirk speaks in Shigaraki’s voice first, ordering him to turn his head to one side. Yabuzawa doesn’t seem to have a problem disobeying, but when the speaker doubles down and becomes hostile about his refusing to obey an order, Yabuzawa spirals and has a panic attack. All for One’s voice cuts in with an order that is obeyed immediately, and Mic is only able to snap him out of it with a slap to the face. The results are clear: Shigaraki’s orders can be ignored with enough work, but AFO’s orders seem unquestionable. Yabuzawa is frustrated by his own perceived failure in the experiment, understandably upset that despite all of the progress he’s made, they still hold some power over him.

Time passes. Yabuzawa improves with his response to Shigaraki’s voice, though still shaken after being faced with it, can do so without panicking. AFO’s orders seem unbreakable. Mic once again breaks the topic of getting him out of Tartarus, and after some debate, it’s agreed that the UA students and the hero efforts (and Yabuzawa himself) would benefit more with Aizawa back in the world. By this time the unknown of the League and AFO and the PLA have long been poisoning society’s trust in heroes; Erasure can’t be hidden away in a bunker with tensions growing by the day.

Mic is permitted to confine him to their apartment under police guard for increasingly longer periods of time, regular check-ins and evaluations, and lots of rules. Yabuzawa isn’t permitted to be alone with anyone aside from Mic, and when outside of the building must cover his neck, arms, and hands. Finally, the shock collar is back as a last resort. If you read this whole thing you’re a certified #1 Yabureme fan sorry I don’t make the rules

#boku no hero academia #my hero academia #Yabureme Spoilers #Yabureme Aizawa AU #text post #I mostly just wanted to put this out there so people who wanted to dig further into the au could do so #and maybe widen your questions a bit if you felt like it #since there's a LOT more here we haven't touched at all hehe #but a lot of this I want to do in comic form. like the actual comic form I did the first chapter in #but some of it especially filling in the holes would be great for little side content comics #also I just want to put it out there that the canon timeline doesn't work with this au #so I'm making the executive decision to stretch it out a lot more #instead of the war starting at the end of the first school year #it starts way after that #ok? ok #it was already a pain in the ass trying to figure out the nomu dev timeline to fit with what I wanted to do in Kamino #I hate timeline shit HAHA #heck tbh I don't even know if there is still a war arc anymore #AFO has erasure now and it fucks everything up #anyways just pretend that that stuff doesn't matter right now #I'll get to it eventually #just focus on the erasermic. erasermic. erasermic. xoxoxo

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